svt 65 stang

[SN65]

Hi All,

AAAUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

This weekend SUCKED.

All we had to do to get the car fired up was to complete two tasks. First, complete the remote oil filter / cooler plumbing and configure and install the intercooler heat exchanger. No Problem. How hard could those two items be?

First we got all the oil system configured and mounted. We then started to install the hose end fittings. No problem at the engine. Everything is good at the oil cooler. Now, moving on to the remote filter housing. !@#$%^&*() SOAB!!!! The fittings don't fit!!!!

The fittings thread in, but the NPT fitting just does not tighten up. What the???? We look at the housing and can't figure out why. The other housing is NPT, but this housing looks like a straight thread.

A quick call to Maximum Motorsports solves the riddle. Between the time that we received the original kit and the second remote housing (we modified the first housing to fit up to the engine) they had altered the design. The original kit came with a NPT fitting. The newer remote housing came with straight threads designed for use with "O" rings.

The solution??? They are sending me the new fittings ASAP.

With that resolved, we figured we could at least get the heat exchanger fit up and mounted.

WRONG!!!!

We picked up a real slick tubing bender for the project. There are a number of complex bends in the exchanger plumbing and we wanted them all to be just right. Well, we set up the bending station, got the tube ready inserted it in the bender and.... IT DIDN'T FIT!!! The manufacturer had sent us the wrong set of dies and the tube did not fit.

I know what the problem is. It is a giant government conspiracy designed to drive me insane. That’s what it is. The government has decided that our project should be classified. Classified as what, we don't know, but that has to be the answer. What else can it be? I haven’t pissed off any mafia kingpin, well, at least not lately. :-)

Back to the drawing board. We shifted gears and proceeded to mount the fenders and the hood. The hood looks totally killer on the car. It is much nicer than I envisioned with my minds eye. The view from the cockpit is perfect.

I will try to post photos latter today.

Catch ya'll l8r

[XcYZ]

Bob, for some reason, that kind of stuff seems to be the norm - for me at least. lol I HATE when that stuff happens.

Anyways, thanks for the updates, can't wait to see the hood mounted on the car.

[race-rodz]

i agree... the "man" conspires against the "little guys" in hopes of breaking his will to better ones self. but fortunatley in my case.... im too stupid to understand the "man" is trying to opress my innermost desires to suceed in the goals i have set forth.

btw...... i am getting the strong impression that my g/f is in on the governement conspiricy.... an aliens steal my tools on a regular basis.

on the progress......... i had to roll mine further back into its corner for a lil more room. im really starting to get tired of working on "paying" jobs... i just wanna work on my own stuff.

[DCreations]

Damn that sucks, sorry man

[SN65]

Hi All,

Yesterday things went pretty slow. We didn't receive the fittings for the oil cooler / filter relocation kit until the afternoon. That only gave me enough time to mount the oil cooler. I now have to mount the filter relocation housing. I can easily mount the housing, but running the lines is going to be a bit problematic in that the fittings I have to use take up quite a bit of real-estate. I think I have things figured out, but I thought I would review the installation with Wayne and the guys in the shop before I drilled the mounting holes.

Here is a photo of the installed cooler. We were trying to decide if we need a shield to protect it from rocks thrown off the front wheel. We are going to debate this one a bit before we



Wayne got the fenders and hood mounted. And, as with everything else, he had to do some fine tuning for fit and clearance. The passenger side fender will need some modification to achieve the proper gap at the hood. We also had to modify the caster camber plate setup to gain a little bit more clearance between the strut shaft and hood. Here are some photos of the hood from a couple different angles









We are still waiting for the correct tube bending dies so that we can fab up the heat exchanger plumbing. Maybe they will come in today. I can only hope.

Catch ya'll l8r

[Smack_talker]

wow...looks kewl. I think you guys have raised the bar for PT Mustangs for sure. I am contemplating doing a PT car either 69 Mustang or 69 GTO. Any thoughts??

[SN65]

Hi All,

There has been a lot of discussion in regard to the oil cooler installation as far as location goes. Most are concerned with damage and others concerned with air flow. We have reviewed the situation over and over again, but I feel that we have the situation under control. I will be posting photos of the finished installation once complete and then we can all critique it.

Wayne is moving on to the front fenders. He is positioning the flares and working out the design of the leading and trailing edges. Wayne and Dave came into my office yesterday and asked about the lower front valances that were available for the Eleanor kit. They were wondering how that lower valance would look on this car. They said that their jobs would be a whole hell of a lot easier if they could use the molded ends that blended into the front edge of the front fenders.

Well... To make a long story short, we decided not to use the Eleanor front end and to stick with our original plan. Wayne will fab the leading and trailing edges of the flares. We will use the factory front valance (modified with vents for the heat exchanger). Also, to answer a few other questions, we are going to use the factory chrome bumpers front and back. Some argue that a car of this type should have some type of spoiler or a Shelby front valance. I can see their points, but I just can't envision a spoiler that will do the car justice. Also, while I like Shelby clones, I just could not bear to put a Shelby front valance on this car. I know, I know. Using the Shelby "R" style front valance would save me tons of work. No bumper brackets to fab, etc, etc. And we would have plenty of air flow for the radiator and heat exchanger. BUT, I am going to resist the knee jerk reaction to take the easy way out. I think this car should stand on it's own merit. I could not stand it if people walked away from the car thinking It was some altered Shelby clone.

Anyway... It is coming up on 8AM and I have to get to work.

Catch ya'll l8r

[BC69]

More power too you for not taking the easy way out. I think all your reasoning was right. Ya, it might be easier to use shelby pieces, but I think with everything custom and innovative on your car, these things shouldnt be too much and only enhance the originality of your car.

Best of Luck,

Pics...pics...pics too!


Tim

[SN65]

Hi All,

Wayne worked late last night on the drivers side fender flare. Before I left for the night (undedicated part timer that I am :-) ) I helped Wayne set the suspension to get the correct attitude. I also established where I wanted him to position the top of the wheel opening. I had already gone through this exercise once before (when the car was on the frame rack on blocks) so all of the "rough" layout lines were pretty well completed at that time.

In the photos below you can see how we positioned the flare, marked up the panel, segmented it and screwed the flare to the fender with sheet metal screws. The positioning of the flare is quite difficult on the Mustang front fender. The problem area is where the fender intersects the bodyline just above the wheel. The flare has to be trimmed back so that the outside edge of the flare ends up exactly where you want it (in relation to the outside edge of the tire).











All Wayne has to do now is form the metal at the leading and trailing ends of the flare. Then we can bond the flare to the fender, finish off the inside surfaces, undercoat the fender, add a layer of fiberglass to the outside edge of the flare, fill and sand and fill and sand and fill and sand....

Catch ya'll l8r

[CAMAROBOY69]

I try to check in every chance I get to see the progress. This car is coming along so well!!! I tell everyone about this one. I like what you did with the dash piece from the old to the new dash. Took me a while to decide what I wanted and it looks like you went the same route as me. You used sheet metal to build it. Definetly not the easiest way but it works. If I was to redo mine I would probably go with fiberglass. I cant wait to see that when its covered in leather. Thats my next step. Keep us updated on the rest of the car. Thanks for sharing all the pics instead of making us wait for the final product.