I had one of the original Unisteer manual R&P kits installed. The one that cut your turn radius in half of stock and was sorely disappointed. Finally decided to get PS and heard good things about the Unisteer PS kit. Now that it's installed and I've driven around the block, I do like the performance. It's 2.5 turns lock to lock and the radius feels incredible. ( Maybe because I've dealt with the loss of radius for years ) Turns similarly tight to my 2000 Contour.

Being that I had the old Unisteer kit, I had butchered the column far shorter than the new kit calls for. I figured I'd use my existing linkage if the splines matched. They did, so I was all set. I think the geometry angle is better this way too. I have the Heddman 351w swap shorty headers and a hydraulic clutch, so space isn't much of an issue on my application.

I did have to cut 1.25" off the tie rod shafts of the rack, and also had to elongate the mounting holes to get it to clear the lower control arm mounting bolts AFTER grinding / cutting the lower control arm mount as required in the documentation. I have an OEM Autozone starter which the rack clears. The brass? skirt fastening bolt is close to the boot, but clears.

My rack was NOT centered when it arrived, so I had to re-raise it and remove the tie rod ends to adjust. Before raising the car, I found where the centerpoint was on the steering wheel and made note of the location ( about 1/6 turn counterclockwise). I made sure the tires were straight then disconnected the tie rod end linkage. Turned the wheel to the noted position then adjusted and reattached the tie rod ends.

I had to grind my water pump where the bracket mounts to get the pulleys to align properly.

I would recommend connecting the hoses before installing the connection to the steering column. The lower buckle makes it tough to tighten the return line to the PS pump.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Ran across an interesting post that explains this well:

http://forums...2-post47.html
----------------------------------------------------
Re: How does rear end gear ratio effect your Dyno numbers? (hogurt)
The dyno measures engine RPM and rear wheel RPM. From this data it computes a multiplication ratio that it uses in calculating the output at the rear wheels. The dyno can’t distinguish between a 4th gear 1:1 through a 3.42 axle and a 3rd gear 1.30 through a 2.64 axle. It has no way of knowing where the overall driveline multiplication is coming from or what gear the transmission is in. The dyno doesn’t fudge the TQ and HP or make any compensation for driveline inertia. It simply measures the acceleration of the drum over time. It can then compute the force (TQ) and plot this against time to yield power (HP) at the drum. It then uses the measured ratio between the engine RPM and the wheel RPM to compute the final numbers. The rotational mass from inside the transmission all the way to the front of the engine is constant. Any angular momentum (inertia) stored in these components upon spin up is an integral to the engines output and relative to engine RPM. A rear wheel dyno has no method see it as separate in anyway. Let me try to restate the fundamental idea. The engine produces 400lb.ft. of twist at the input shaft. If you run 1st gear 2.97 times an axle ratio of 3.42 (2.97*3.42=10.1) you have a mechanical advantage of about 10 to 1 at the wheels. If it were 100% efficient, we would have 4000lb.ft. of twist at the wheels for the dyno to measure. When a force of this magnitude is applied to the dyno rollers it will spin up to 50 mph much quicker than it would in 4th. This would mean the raw torque measurement would be much larger. But the dyno then takes the 10 to 1 mechanical advantage and divides the raw numbers by it. This division of the raw torque number by mechanical advantage factor corrects torque numbers so cars with different gearing can be compared. To put it another way, if in the above example we substitute 4.10 rear axle ratio we get the following: 4.1*2.97=12.2 mechanical advantage. A twist of 400lb.ft.becomes 4960 lb.ft. The extra 960 lb.ft. accelerates the car harder and twists the dyno drum harder. But in the case of the dyno, it sees the new mechanical advantage of 12.2 and uses the new higher number to divide the new higher raw number. In the end the bigger correction factor erases all of the gains in the measured raw torque.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Ran across all the part numbers from the 408 buildup back in 2004 and figured this was a great place for me to store them. :)

- AD Performance -
408ci Stroker Kit (Scat 9000 Crank (4.00") / Scat Forged Rods (6.2") / Probe Forged Pistons (19.3cc dish) )
Total Seal Moly Rings - CR1001 35
Clevite Rod Bearings - CB-663 P
Clevite Main Bearings - MS-981 P

- Summit Racing -
Edelbrock Victor Jr. 351 Intake - EDL-2981
Mallory Unilite Distributor - MAA-3755401
Milodon 8 qt Deep Sump Oil Pan - MIL-30926
Oil Pump Pickup for 8 qt. - MIL-18365
Melling High Volume Oil Pump - MEL-M83HV
Melling Oil Pump Driveshaft - MEL-IS83
Milodon Aluminum High Flow Water Pump - MIL-16230
Ford Motorsport Polished Valve Covers - FMS-M-6582-E302P
351W Gasket Kit - FEL-KS2309
ARP 351W Head bolts - ARP-154-3603
Ford Motorsport head alignment dowels - FMS-M6026A302
Comp Cams pushrods for 351W - CCA-7835-16
Crower Lifters - CRO-66915-16
Clevite Cam Bearings - CLE-SH510S
Freeze Plugs - SLP-381-8015
RAM Pilot Bushing for Richmond 5 Speed - RAM-BU50J
Crane Cam Lube - CRN-99002-1
Red Line Assembly Lube 4oz - RED-80312
O2 Sensor weld-in bung - SUM-G2990

- Crower.com -
Crower Mechanical Lift Cam - 15359

- Car Shop Inc. -
Hedman 351W Swap Headers - HED-88660

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Found them at Summit Racing. Sure beat the black plastic ones she was rolling before!

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Ditching the 1/2 ton truck drums and moving to disc. Kit is Summit early Ford large bearing ( SUM-BK1327-X ) and include SSBC single piston calipers. Process pics in the blog album below right.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Ordered a set of 17x11 ( 5.25" backspace ) American Racing Torque Thrust II wheels to fit the 315/35x17 Nitto 555 tires. Stance looks great but is a smidge too wide for the flare with passengers riding in the back seat. I have 3/4" room inside so I may look at getting someone to shave 1/2" off the wheel mounting surface if enough is available, or if not, I'll just trim 1/4" from the flare lip.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

I've begun work on the fiberglass 3.25" flared fenders. There are no mounting holes pre-drilled, so I should be able to get the fit pretty straight. After fitting and drilling holes, I'll paint the fenders separate then the rest of the body. Painted the rear half last year so will match up the front. Haven't decided the tires I'm gonna run up there. I'm spinning 275's in the rear and may go 275 in the front. Minimum would be 255's. Gonna be a busy summer!

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

After a cold winter I've finished up the suspension upgrades and am moving on to body mods.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Got lotsa land - anyone wanna build me a garage?!?! =) Weather is seriously hampering my efforts in the carport. I've installed the UCAs, 2" drop shock tower cap, coil-overs, and mini sub frame with LCAs. I still need to yank the radiator and mount the front of the mini sub frame, but that and an alignment are all that's left.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

I've torn down one side and have installed the 2" lowering shock tower cap for the coil-overs to mount to. I test fit the coil-overs and it seems to clear fine. Next is the UCAs. Last will be installing the mini subframe. On first inspection, I'll have to come up with a new radiator shroud support when I install it.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

The TCP Coil-Overs finally landed on the doorstep. Now that I have all the parts, I got her in the air and tires off. Test fit the 275x40x17 tires and they clear the stock equipment. If they clear the new equipment and clear the 3.25" flared front fenders, I'll move to 275x40x17 front and 315x40x17 rears. Should help me carve corners a bit eh!

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

More parts arrived. Took a month, but the CPP mini subframe finally arrived. Just waiting on the TCP 600 lb/in coilovers with 2" drop. Will begin the install this weekend.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Just received my TCP UCAs. Waiting on my Classic Performance Products front mini subframe to arrive which will replace the LCAs and strut rods and replace them with a one piece unit. I also received the front fiberglass fenders with 3.25" flares. Next to order is the TCP coilover spring conversion then tires. Gonna be an exciting winter of upgrades!

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Since the soft top requires me to assemble then mount the frame, I need something I can roll up and stash in the trunk and just snap on when I park and think it'll rain.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

It's done! Managed to drop on the decklid and paint the bumper today. Sanded the chrome bumper with 80 grit on the DA then used self etching primer to make sure it all sticks. Gonna have to buff out the tape marks on the black from when I masked it off for the yellow, but no biggie. Very pleased with the results!

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

I've been searching the web and really like the painted bumper look with the fiberglass decklid / spoiler. I photoshopped a resemblance of the photo I took today. Will photoshop another when I reinstall the decklid tomorrow.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Instead of just painting the rear quarters now that the flares are molded in, I decided to repaint the entire rear half and fix all the little nagging issues she's had. Also, I finally installed the functional side scoops, the kill switch, and the new lower valance.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Had some major fitment issues with the quarterpanel flares, so I decided to make fiberglass patches to smooth the transition. Will do the same for the passenger side as well.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Had some SERIOUS orange peel issues to work out with the black stripe. Managed to wetsand it out, but it seems pretty thin. After a bit of rubbing compound on the buffer, it's looking nice regardless.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Installed the following new parts:

Aluminum 13lb flywheel
Mcleod clutch
Mcleod pressure plate
Mcleod hydraulic throwout bearing
Wilwood 3/4" clutch master cylinder
Manual trans starter with 0.1" shim
Rebuilt the Richmond 5 Speed - replaced 2nd gear and all syncros.

After ditching the 34lb flywheel, the throttle response is VERY noticeable. The clutch engagement is far too quick however. I'll be researching mounting options soon.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Ordered her some new parts! Finally getting rid of that 34lb flywheel for a 13lb aluminum one. Also getting rid of the RAM 3200lb pressure plate and going with a lighter diaphram style plate. Hydraulic throwout bearing is a possibility, but gonna wait and make sure I'm not moving to a Tremec TKO first, since the bearing is different between the two transmissions.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Wow - shocked! I came home to a flood of emails and was pleasantly surprised! Thanks to Motortopia and all those that left kind comments! I've recently begun wrenching on her again, and this will keep me motivated when I have no knuckles left to bust!

Thanks all!

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

The stock fender flares have been carving up my tires, so I'm finally getting around to installing a set of 3" flares. Tossed on a fiberglass decklid / endcaps as well.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

After reading about the "Roller Paint Job" on the internet and seeing the "98 Dollar Paintjob" in Hot Rod Magazine, I decided to give it a go. Perk is that you do little masking and can do it in the garage / yard and there is little paint loss so a gallon can do an entire vehicle.

Instead of Rustoleum, I chose Sherwin Williams Sher-Kem since it can be tinted to match my existing paint.

I'll post the photos to the album as I complete the stages. It works like this:

Coat 1
1 hour
Coat 2
11 hours
Wetsand out orangepeel
Coat 3
1 hour
Coat 4
Wetsand out orangepeel
Coat 5
1 hour
Coat 6
Finishing Wetsand
Polish
Buff

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Had some issues clearing the stock clutch linkage, so Unisteer worked with me to find a solution. They shipped me a 3rd U Joint and Heim Joint to stabilize the system. Took the family out for a cruise last night and it did well.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

I've installed a front spoiler and foglamps in preparation for side exhaust sideskirts. The sideskirts will lower the sides visually, so I had to lower the nose to make everything more symmetrical. I really dig the new look too!

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

The R&P kit is in, but there are some clutch linkage issues. This means a hydraulic setup is next!

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Last night, for the first time in Coupe-vertible's life, she started and completely warmed up in cold ( 20 degree ) weather without touching the loudpedal.

EFI is a wonderful thing! ( Once tuned! heh )

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

Photos and details on the vinyl softtop fabrication. My wife and I completed the entire fabrication ourselves. I fabricated the aluminum frame using the metal former at work, and the wife stitched together the vinyl using her sewing machine. Still a few problems to address ( no rain gutter - will use a beaded whelt to send water forward and backward instead of over the side ), but it has done a great job so far, even at 100+ MPH.

Permanent Link to this Blog Post:

The block is a '69 351W ( 9.48" deck height ) from a Torino. Casting code is C90E-6015-B 8 and 0D3 was the build date. I still haven't figured out how to convert the build date yet... but I'm guessing April 3rd.

New parts for the buildup are as follows:

- AD Performance -
SCAT 408ci Stroker Kit (Scat 9000 Crank / Scat Forged Rods / Probe Forged Pistons)
Total Seal Moly Rings - CR1001 35
Clevite Rod Bearings - CB-663 P
Clevite Main Bearings - MS-981 P

UPDATE 05-09-05:
Air Flow Research AFR 205 aluminum race heads - 1450

- Summit Racing -
Edelbrock Victor Jr. 351w Intake - EDL-2981
Mallory Unilite Distributor - MAA-3755401
Milodon 8 qt Deep Sump Oil Pan - MIL-30926
Milodon Oil Pump Pickup for 8 qt. - MIL-18365
Melling High Volume Oil Pump - MEL-M83HV
Melling Oil Pump Driveshaft - MEL-IS83
Milodon Aluminum High Flow Water Pump - MIL-16230
Ford Motorsport Polished Valve Covers - FMS-M-6582-E302P
Felpro 351w Gasket Kit - FEL-KS2309
ARP 351W Head bolts - ARP-154-3603
Ford Motorsport head alignment dowels - FMS-M6026A302
Comp Cams pushrods for 351W - CCA-7835-16
Crower Lifters - CRO-66915-16
Clevite Cam Bearings - CLE-SH510S
Summit Freeze Plugs - SLP-381-8015
RAM Pilot Bushing for Richmond 5 Speed - RAM-BU50J
Crane Cams Lube - CRN-99002-1
Red Line Assembly Lube 4oz - RED-80312
Summit O2 Sensor weld-in bung - SUM-G2990

UPDATE 05-09-05 for AFR head swap:
FelPro 351w Head Gasket - FPP-10111
FelPro 351w Exhaust Gasket Kit - FPP-1487
FelPro 351w Intake Gasket Kit 1.28 in. x 2.10 in. - FPP-1262
FelPro 351w Valve Cover Gasket Kit - FPP-1613

- Crower.com -
Crower Mechanical Lift Cam - 15359

- Car Shop Inc. -
Hedman 351W Swap Headers - HED-88660
__________________________________________________________________________

Schedule:

Clean / Paint block

Check clearances
Crank / Rods to block
Bearings - Rods, Mains
Oil pump sump depth
Crank to Oil Pan

File fit rings

(Yank old motor - heads, timing chain, balancer, flywheel)

Check cam profile
Modify heads to accept 351W head bolts
Install heads
Inspect valve clearance

Degree the cam

Balance rolling assembly (crank, rods, pins, pistons/rings, balancer, flywheel)

Assemble motor

Install motor

__________________________________________________________________________








Initially, I'll be using my current heads... 54cc 289 1.94/1.60 shaved, ported, and polished. The plan is to move to a set of aluminum heads shortly thereafter. I'm leaning toward the Edelbrock Victor Jr. 2.05/1.60 60cc heads, but may snag a set of AFR's instead.

After playing around with Dyno2003, I've come up with the following information. The current 289 motor is indicated with the line with boxes, and the new motor is the line without boxes. Both motors use the same heads, intake, and carb. Notice that the MINIMUM torque on the new motor is more than the MAX on the 289! Finally, NO MORE 7000RPM LAUNCHES! :thumb:




The following chart is comparing the current 289 motor to the finished 408 stroker that includes Edelbrock Victor Jr. heads ( using actual flow numbers from Edelbrock.com ). This config will run on low to mid grade gasoline.



__________________________________________________________________________
06-09-04 - Cleaned the block and file fit the rings.





06-10-04 - Moved everything to the shop and checked main clearance.



06-11-04 - Performed final cleanup on block and installed cam. I also yanked the heads off the old motor and noticed some wierd green buildup in 1 cylinder on each head. Looks like I'm gonna have to completely disassemble the heads and clean them up.







06-14-04 - I've inspected the wierd buildup on the heads and it seems like it'll be ok. I've also managed to check the piston/valve clearance and it looks good, however, the piston seems to be coming outta the block about 0.015. :o The head gasket compresses to 0.04, so there's 0.025 clearance. I hope to take the assembly to be balanced Wed (today is Mon).

06-15-04 - The old motor has now been yanked, and the flywheel removed so I can get everything balanced tomorrow. I also managed to figure out the piston clearance. Now I have 1 piston with 0.009 clearance and the rest are 0.006 or lower, which is acceptable.





06-16-04 - I waited outside Auto Machine Service for about 30 min this morning to drop off my rotating assembly for balancing, but finally gave up on them ever opening and went to another shop nearby - Top End Performance. I dropped everything off and expected it to take till Monday ( today is Wed.) but they say it'll be done tomorrow! :o Holy SMOKES that's fast! :insane:

Tonight I'll focus on cleaning up the bellhousing, heads, and engine bay. After that, I'll spray the block and heads with engine paint. I also need to take the timing and valve covers to work so I can sandblast and repaint. If I'm lucky, the car may be driveable next week! :D

06-16-04 - After thoroughly cleaning the bellhousing and heads, I painted the block and heads aluminum 1200 degree paint. Looks pretty good so far. Will sandblast the aluminum timing cover tomorrow.



06-17-04 - Balancing is complete and the bottom end is assembled!









06-18-04 - Degree'd the cam and came out with:

Seat IVO 28.5 / IVC 72 - EVO 74 / EVC 31.5 ( 280.5 / 285.5 duration )
0.050 IVO 8.5 / IVC 52 - EVO 55 / EVC 12.5 ( 240.5 / 247.5 duration )
0.533 / 0.550 lift with 112.75 lobe center

Lift and duration are both lower than spec, but I think it'll be ok since it's close.

06-19-04 (Early AM) - The bottom end has been buttoned up and the heads / valvetrain is complete. The Victor Jr. intake seems to be interfering a little with the 289 heads, but I'm trimming the intake a little to get things to fit. There should be no side effects when I switch to 351W heads. The intake is the last missing piece, then I have to shift gears and focus on cleaning and repainting the engine bay.



06-21-04 - Motor's done! After walking through the local Father's Day carshow and checking out valvecovers, it looks like I'm gonna order a set of plain aluminum (tall) valvecovers and paint them yellow since leaving them aluminum makes the motor TOO shiney. :lol: Since I have to use Hi-temp paint, I'll repaint the aircleaner at the same time so the two colors match. I haven't decided whether or not to paint the pulley's yellow too. I might try it and if it looks hideous, I'll switch back to black.

06-22-04 - The pulleys looked HIDEOUS in yellow, so I went black. I also found a GREAT yellow anodized color for the valve covers. I'll be getting the air cleaner chromed so I can yellow anodize it as well. :D



06-23-04 - AARGH! :pissed: After 4 hours of wrestling with the tranny 1/2" away from engaging, I finally had to give up for the night. Gonna have to yank the tranny and inspect the input shaft/pilot bearing to see what's wrong. /sigh Anyhow, here's some shots of the attempt.









06-24-04 - It's IN! I had to remove the motor, yank the tranny, measure the input shaft and pilot bushing to determine that I had the wrong pilot bushing. Since it's brass, I just drilled out the center and mounted the tranny to the motor then stabbed them both in together. I did put a massive ding in the radiator support, but it's easily repaired and eventually will be covered by a sheetmetal cowl to help the forced air setup.

Now that it's installed, I can have a good trip this weekend with that off my mind. :D

06-27-04 - It's A L I E E E V E! It was an all day job getting it running, but it's broke in and road tested! :insane:

I had quite a bit of trouble getting the headers installed. On the driver side, I had to disconnect the motor mount then use the engine puller to raise and rotate the motor toward the passenger side, but once that was done, they went in fine. I did the same on the passenger side, but the STOCK engine plate (bellhousing attaches to it) interfered with the header, so I had to grind the plate to get a good fit.

When it finally came time to fire up the motor, everything was going smoothly for about 1 minute, then I started seeing smoke... then FIRE! Apparently 500 degree engine paint isn't good enough to use on headers, so I had a number of little fires going while it burned off the paint. :o Was quite scary, but I wasn't gonna shut down the motor unless I absolutely had to. :D At one point, somehow the #7 plug wire became wedged between the body and the header and caught fire. I actually had to toss water on the wire to quell the fire, but managed to pull it away from the header enough to keep it firing. Upon inspection, the wire is 75% wasted, so I'll have to replace it... which sucks since I doubt I'll find a black wire to match. :(

About 10 minutes into the break in, and after the fires were under control, I noticed the overflow was spewing fluid. I decided to kill the motor at that point and cool everything down. About 15 min later, I fired it up again, but only got 5 min before it had overheated again, so I opted to yank the thermostat. The next break in session was great. My father-in-law showed up, and manned a waterhose on the radiator. After 20min, the temp was only at 1/2, but I noticed the driver side collector was glowing red and that the interior had some smoke starting to appear. The firewall had gotten too hot, and the underliner started to smoulder, so I shut down the motor and hosed down the lower dash. At this point, the cam was successfully broken in! :D

Next, I set the initial timing and took it out for a quick stroll, keeping rpm's above 2000 and under 4000. It had been raining, so I didn't really get to see what kinda power the motor had, but at least I did get to DRIVE it for the first time in a few weeks! Felt great!

The only thing left to do is adjust the mechanical advance in the dizzy, rejet the carb, and get the exhaust finished. I need to have an exhaust shop run a little section of pipe from the new shorty collector location to the old longtube header collector flange location so I can bolt up the old exhaust. Other than that, it's purdy much done! /cheer





06-28-04 - Overheating prollems are solved. I fattened up the carb and set the timing to 38 degrees total advance and it's staying cool as ever. :D I even took it out on the street for a good tire warming. :insane: I was able to be rolling in second ( or first ) and mash the pedal to get the tires to break loose. :D Scared the crap outta my father-in-law since I was getting squirley next to a ditch, and he wasn't strapped in. :muhaha:

Tomorrow morning I get the exhaust installed so I'll try to record some audio with open headers and closed exhaust. :wink: You can see the exhaust packed in the passenger area in the pic below. hehe



06-29-04 - WOW! It's SOOOOO quiet compared to the old UNBALANCED motor! The exhaust is complete and I'm VERY pleased with the results! There's an oil leak coming outta the oil pressure sending unit. Once that is solved, I'll consider the buildup complete and close this page. :beers:

__________________________________________________________________________

05-09-05 - Adding a set of AFR 205 Heads, so I'll post updates here. They should arrive on the 11th or 12th. The following dynosheet compares the current build to the new build. It shows almost a 100HP increase, which may even be more since I had to guesstimate the 289 head flow values and gave them top end flow numbers JIC. :D



05-13-05 - The heads arrived on time!


















Here's the progress!















I'm done for the night. Tomorrow morning, I'm heading to a fellas house to have him test the spring seat pressure to make sure it's within spec. Then I'll check the piston / valve clearance. After that, it'll be assembly time!

05-14-05 - I fired her up a little after midnight (05-15), and she sounded fine. Won't get to test drive her till the morning, but I'm satisfied to have it completed. :D

Here's some pics from today. Russ Peek and I found that the heads had 0.150 worth of shims in them, which meant that the springs would have coil bound with the lift my cam has. :o :o :o After yanking the shims, it was MUCH better, and I shouldn't have trouble eating through the cam lobes either. /phew





Took out ALL those shims! :o :o :o Scary!

Permanent Link to this Blog Post: