I tore into the Cobra today

[tman1257]

Well as it states I am getting the Cobra ready for a motor swap. I started to get it ready to pull the motor. Pulled the radiator, shroud, ac lines and all misc. parts that would make it easier. I will have some pics but it is with my older camera so I don't know what they will look like or if they will turn out. This is going to be an on going project to redo stuff I half a$$ed when I first built the motor so bear with me if updates are slow. I want to do it right this time since there is now no chance I will be selling it. Pics of the start will come later tonight.

[tman1257]

pics
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010001.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010004.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010005.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010006.jpg

Oh yeah, the "helper" took some time for a picture also!

[Hissing Cobra]

Are you rebuilding the motor that you have or are you installing another? Take your time and do it right and you'll be fine. Is your son interested in helping you on smaller stuff? If so, that's cool. Neither one of my daughter's is interested in learning this stuff but they do like going for rides.

[tman1257]

I am going to leave this one alone. I have one from a Merkur coming and a wiring harness from a turbo coupe all for $150. I couldn't pass that up. My plans for the original motor are to be cleaning and repainting it. After that it will be a conversation piece. I am wanting to leave the original the way it is since this was the last one my Dad had rebuilt. There's a big part of me that wants to leave this car a turbo 4 for that reason, leaving it similar to how it was when he passed away. That and the gas prices. So that reason is why this may take longer than expected. I also want to repaint the engine compartment, replace a bad master cylinder, maybe strip the interior. Who knows. I am just planning on taking my time with it now.

[89 AZ SSP]

Cool, I love projects with photos!!

[gdniel]

Subscribing.

[429bigblock]

Subscribing.

+1 keep it up!

[tman1257]

Well I was able to make a small amount of progress today. This is one of the reasons I hate working nights but I gotta pay bills somehow. Getting time to do this during the week is hard sometimes after a long 13 or so hour night at work.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010008.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010009.jpg

One question though. On the passenger side shock tower, just to the left of the shock mount is a line that went from the charcoal canister area to the firewall and what looks to be into the cabin. Is this a vacuum line for the heat/air controls? I was trying to pull all 50 miles of vacuum lines and this one was hanging me up. Anybody know what this is hooked to?

[tman1257]

Oh yeah, finally found the buck tag. But I think I will still need to take the bumper cover off to get to it.:grumble:

[Hissing Cobra]

The line that goes from the canister to possibly inside the engine compartment is not a vacuum line for the hvac unit. I'm not too sure what it was (it's been so long since I deleted it from my car) but I know it's not for that. I wish I could help you a little more.

[tman1257]

Well if you had no problems with removing it Pete more than likely I should be okay to delete it. Now to see where it hooks to.

[Hissing Cobra]

If I'm thinking correctly, I think it has something to do with the emissions system. Maybe it catches unburned fuel vapors?

[Zap's 85 GT]

Is it the line to the fuel tank vent?

[tman1257]

Is it the line to the fuel tank vent?

I don't know. It goes to a grommet in the firewall and looks to go into the passenger side right behind where the blower motor is at. That's why I was wondering if it was for the hvac controls. I guess I'll find out this weekend.

[tman1257]

Well was able to make some more progress today. At least now I can get to the motor mount on the passenger side. Oh and I also think the vacuum line I was asking about is the fuel tank vent now that I cleared some more of the vacuum lines out. I was looking at the wrong one of the bundle when I took the picture. Ooops. I also see why it started hard too every now and then. The battery cable picture is bad but I think you can get the idea. That was the ground cable.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010010.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010013.jpg

[tman1257]

Here's a question to owners of turbo 4's. Is there enough room to pull the motor and leave the crossover pipe from the exhaust to the turbo on? The exhaust is going to be a PITA enough the way it is so I was wondering if I can leave this one on.

[dakota4eyes]

T-man, looks like you got a good start to the project. Keep the pic's coming and best of luck to you on it.

[kj_80Cobra]

Here's a question to owners of turbo 4's. Is there enough room to pull the motor and leave the crossover pipe from the exhaust to the turbo on? The exhaust is going to be a PITA enough the way it is so I was wondering if I can leave this one on.

Did you mean leave the crossover pipe attached to the engine? Yes, you should be able to pull the engine that way. I don't remember the pipe hanging down very much so it shouldn't hit the k-member when you lift it out. But I cut all my exhaust off when I pulled my 2.3T because I couldn't get any bolts loose.

[tman1257]

T-man, looks like you got a good start to the project. Keep the pic's coming and best of luck to you on it.

Thanks Dakota. Looks like the Cobra won't be going to Sioux Falls in June. I'm even still up in thr air if I will be able to make it. I wasn't going to start doing this yet but the motor deal came up and I jumped on it. I am only needing to unbolt the trans, motor mounts, and the dreaded exhaust. I am soaking the exhaust bolts now to see if I can get them cracked loose. Then it will be to take the hood off and pull it.

KJ, thanks for the info. I am going to try it and see. Hopefully I can clear everything with the crossover pipe on. Thanks all.

[tman1257]

Here's a picture of one of the new parts going in after the motor comes out. Should help me out.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010015.jpg

[tman1257]

No progress as of toay. I was checking my framerails and am glad rust hasn't gotten to them yet. The major spot is where the battery was.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010018.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010019.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010020.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010021.jpg

[SVT Rob]

nice. You're making progress. I have to remember to take pictures, I always forget when I start doing something, next thing you know, it's done :(

Maybe I should hire a photographer to just snap away in the background while I work?

Can't wait to see it all complete and going back together.

[tman1257]

Had some time today to get the hood off and finally get the battery tray out. I see why the bolts were stuck.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010027.jpg

Had a nice surprise when I did take the tray out and it was just surface rust. I know others have said this was a bad area for rust so I can handle this.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010024.jpg

Here's another question. I know others have talked about a loop of line that Ford did as a makeshift power steering cooler. Is this the same deal on mine? It is bolted to the radiator support in front of the radiator and has lines going to the p/s pump.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010030.jpg

[Hissing Cobra]

Tom,

Yes, that's the power steering cooler. I have it on mine too. I'm not sure how well it works because there's no fins attached to it but I reused it anyway. The framerails look really nice and rust free. Nice! As for the exhaust crossover pipe, I was able to pull the engine out with it attached. I unbolted the exhaust pipe at the donut by the catalytic converter and that was all I had to unbolt. If those exhaust bolts won't come out, you can heat them with a Mapp Gas canister/torch setup.

[tman1257]

I'm honestly debating if I want to tackle the bolts or just saw the exhaust off. It is going to be different than the exhaust on the motor that I am purchasing anyway and the converter was gone when I bought it so it probably wouldn't matter if I cut a little off of the pipe. It might make it a little easier. I can always have a custom pipe made up by a friend of mine with a pipe bender if needed.

[89 AZ SSP]

I had the same problem with my battery tray! Definately keep the pics coming.

[tman1257]

Well unfortuanately no news is bad news. I have had to put the Cobra on the back burner for a little bit due to some stuff that came up on my house and taking care of some problems with my Mom's house. I am hoping to resume this soon. One question, does anybody have an idea how much the turbo 4 and trans weigh when bolted together? I am thinking I may have to take the trans out also to be able to do what I want and was wondering what the weight of them together is.

[Black 79 Cobra]

Thats unfortunate.

[kj_80Cobra]

I pulled out my 2.3T and RAD 4 speed at the same time but I have no idea what they weigh together. I will try to remember to look up the specs in the factory service manuals tonight. I don't know if it has the weights though.

[kj_80Cobra]

Sorry, no weights given in the service manual. My "wag" would be 450-550 lbs for engine and tranny.

[tman1257]

Well was able to make some progress today. Hopefully more tomorow. I didn't feel like tackling the exhaust bolts so I did the next best thing.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0025.jpg
Sawzalls do wonders in a couple of minutes. I figured my exhaust was going to be needing some help anyway since the newer turbo 4's exhaust is different than the carb'd versions so a little cutting wouldn't matter. Then I ran into another problem. If you look close you can see my whole exhaust is now on the ground. Are there any hangers where the cat converter should be? The previous owner took the converter out and had a pipe put in there. My thoughts are that he never had a hanger replaced. Am I thinking right on this?
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0027.jpg

[tman1257]

Here's another question I have. Since I am going to be going to fuel injection I will need a return line to the tank. When I was unhooking everything I noticed a second line with the fuel line. Is this a return line? Did the turbo 4's of this year (79) come with a return line or am I looking at this wrong?

[89 AZ SSP]

I don't have much experience with these old foxes but I think it is a return line. Also you will have to change out your tank from what I have read.

[tman1257]

Well had some time today to do this.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0028.jpg
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0030.jpg
Although I ran into one snag.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0031.jpg
When my Dad and I put this engine in we accidently got the clutch cable tangled in between the crossover pipe and exhaust pipe. I had to take the cable off at the tranny so I could pull the motor out. Got that taken care of so now I am left with this.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0032.jpg
Now the fun begins. Cleaning and rewiring.

[Hissing Cobra]

Nice work Tom. I can't remember if mine had a return line to the tank or not because it's been so long since we changed everything over. We installed brand new lines anyway but we reused the original factory clips to mount it to the floorboards.

Do you plan to keep the factory Air Conditioning system?

[tman1257]

I want to keep air in it as of now but don't know if I will need to reuse my original pump or if I will need to go to a newer one. The one issue with my original one is that is has been dry since about 1997 so I don't know if it is in useable shape yet. Didn't you say you had problems with the fittings on the lines not matching up to the newer style a.c. pump Pete?

[Hissing Cobra]

I did. Three months ago, I bought a brand new Air Conditioning system (minus the pump) for a 1990 Mustang LX. It cost a little over $400.00 from Advanced Auto and it included the Air Conditioning Evaporator core (goes inside the heater box, so the dash had to be removed), Receiver/Dryer unit (mounts on the firewall), Condensor, and all new lines. I installed everything and it was all a direct bolt in. We still have to charge it, wire it, and install the pressure switch to the top of the Receiver/Dryer unit. It won't take too long to wire it up and charge it and I hope to have it working soon. Oh, I had to relocate the cruise control too. I removed it from the passenger side shock tower and will use a cruise control unit from a '90 LX and it will be mounted behind the driver's side fender, which is how the factory did them on the '90's. Here's how it looks right now.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c240/1979Mustang/April27th2008001.jpg?t=1209430778

As you can see, I got rid of the block that was coming out through the firewall. That piece had been open since 2000 and I was told by many people that it would be useless. I decided to go with 1990 stuff as the '87-'93 cars seem to have any part available. If I went with 1979 stuff, I was afraid that I'd have problems in the future trying to get parts.

If you're going to keep it, you probably could update it to a later model setup for the EFI four cylinder models. Just a thought.

[kj_80Cobra]

Here's another question I have. Since I am going to be going to fuel injection I will need a return line to the tank. When I was unhooking everything I noticed a second line with the fuel line. Is this a return line? Did the turbo 4's of this year (79) come with a return line or am I looking at this wrong?

Yes they had a return line next to the supply line on the 2.3 & 2.3T cars. There is also a fuel vapor return line that runs from the tank to the canister on the passenger front frame rail.

[tman1257]

Pete, do you remember if there was a hanger for the exhaust on the catalytic converter when you took yours off?

[Hissing Cobra]

Pete, do you remember if there was a hanger for the exhaust on the catalytic converter when you took yours off?

It's been so long since I took it off, I honestly don't remember. Sorry!

[tman1257]

Well things progressed today but I did more than I thought about originally. I was doing some cleaning and saw how much crap was packed in the wheelwell covers and said what the hell and took them off and am glad I did.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010038.jpg

This car has some, but not much rust on it so I figured this will make things better in the long run. I was surprised by how little rust had actually formed.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010034.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010035.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010036.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010039.jpg

My town has a celebration in August called "Riverboat Days". I have usually tried to get it out for that but I don't know if that will happen this year. It will bum me out if I can't drive it this year, but at least I know this will help me out in the future with this car to do it right now since I have a good oppurtunity now.

[kj_80Cobra]

Pete, do you remember if there was a hanger for the exhaust on the catalytic converter when you took yours off?

Two rods attach to the upper catalytic converter heat shield that is between the converter and the floor pan. Those rods slip into a bracket attached to the tranny mount. The lower heat shield bolts to the upper heat shield surrounding the converter and supporting it.

[tman1257]

Two rods attach to the upper catalytic converter heat shield that is between the converter and the floor pan. Those rods slip into a bracket attached to the tranny mount. The lower heat shield bolts to the upper heat shield surrounding the converter and supporting it.


:upthum: Thanks KJ!

[tman1257]

Well the front clip is off although I had to take the bumper cover and passenger fender off together due to a bolt problem. No pictures yet since my wife's nephew took my camera data cable and my good camera but I should be able to have some up tonight sometime. I am really glad I took this off now after seeing how much crud collected in the fenderwells and cover area. I can't afford to keep stripping it down at this time but I can afford to do a good cleaning on it.

[tman1257]

progress pictures
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010050.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010049.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010048.jpg

Here is the mound of crap that fell out of the passenger side when I took the fender off.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010046.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010047.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010045.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0053.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0052.jpg

[tman1257]

I need the opinion of others on one issue with this car now. Would I be able to run an inline pump for this or do I need to swap out my fuel tank for a newer one so I can have an in tank pump?

[tman1257]

Did a little today before becoming completely frustrated. I took the wiper motor off and have been spraying the engine compartment and wheelwell areas with degreaser to try and clean it up. I started to work on getting the brake booster off and found the brake lines were in the way so I tried to take them off. No go. All of the nuts on them started to round off so I quit before I ruined them. Are these lines available from the aftermarket or do I need to have these custom made?

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0062.jpg

And here is a good shot showing why they make ibuprofen.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0065.jpg

[Black 79 Cobra]

We put a racing in-line fuel pump. Kind of noisy but it will work. As for the brake lines, we bought all new lines and ran them ourself. You can buy brake line at any auto parts store, some stores sell 25 foot coils.

I've since updated my build thread, I've got pics of our set-up in there.

[tman1257]

Not much to update except frustration. I borrowed a power washer from a friend last week only to get it home and find it doesn't work. Messed with it for an hour and no go. Another friend brought his gas poewred one over yesterday. This was going good till I looked down and saw a puddle of oil that looked to be coming from the pump side of it. Shut it down to prevent any damage. I was about a third of the way with getting the paint off of the engine compartment too. Its gonna sit again now till I figure something out. At least the rust is not that bad where the battery tray was.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0067.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0068.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0066.jpg

[roush235]

I hope posting your notes and pictures helps out with the frustrations. We've all been there too. For me, if it's not the car, it's the house..... sometimes I simply call it "the joys of home ownership."

Keep the pictures coming, the end product is going to be good.

[tman1257]

I hope posting your notes and pictures helps out with the frustrations. We've all been there too. For me, if it's not the car, it's the house..... sometimes I simply call it "the joys of home ownership."

Keep the pictures coming, the end product is going to be good.

Sometimes it does since I can go back and see what it is I have actually accomplished so far. I had a guy that I know stop over and say "There's no way in hell I could do that. You are doing better than I could". That is what helps out in these moments of frustration. And the house has been a pain too at times during this build, lol.

[Hissing Cobra]

Tom,

Keep up the good work and you'll keep progressing. When you're finished, you won't really remember the pain of the frustration. Years from now, you'll laugh at the fact that the power washer was spewing oil. LOL!

We've all been there. Just remember to NEVER give up. You've got a Cobra, of which there's not too many left. Keep on persuing your dream of getting it the way that you want it to be and don't give up!

I can't wait to see it in it's finished form.

[tman1257]

I did get one laugh today, the boy got his "vehicle" cleaned before mine, lol.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0069.jpg

[tman1257]

Got to looking at the power steering rack a little. The driver side boot is tore. I don't know how long it has been like that. Can a person get a different boot or will a new rack be in order? If a different one is the way to go, does anybody know if one from an 87 t-bird would work?

[Hissing Cobra]

I'm not an expert on this but I believe that you can just buy a boot. If the T-Bird rack has the same track width, you may be able to use it. Again, I'm no expert!

[Black 79 Cobra]

Looks good, don't give up. Our car is almost done and it's a good feeling to see it there.

[tman1257]

I'm getting more done this weekend. It is just taking longer since I have had power washer issues. I'm using alot of elbow grease now so it is a little slower.

[tman1257]

Does anybody know if the rubber backing pieces that fit behind the hood hinges can be bought somewhere? I took the hinges off today so I could take care of some more rust and noticed these are probably needing to be replaced.

[Hissing Cobra]

I'm not sure if they can be bought new. It would probably be a "Ford Only" part. Are there any boneyards near you that you could check? They may be the same as the Fairmonts/Zephyrs/LTD's but I'm not sure.

[tman1257]

I can check the salvage yards but most around this area have "gotten rid" of their older inventory. (read:crushed)

[tman1257]

It's been hectic lately so the car sat again, but I have another question for you all. How does the brake booster come off? I have all brake lines off, the master cylinder is off, I have the brake pedal disconnected, and the 4 nuts inside on the firewall are off. I try to pull it out and the lower driver side stud will not make it out It gets to where there is only like a quarter of an inch left and the booster is already on the shock tower. I try to turn it but no good. Am I missing something that is really obvious here or is there a trick that I am not realizing?

[Sellis1012]

It's been hectic lately so the car sat again, but I have another question for you all. How does the brake booster come off? I have all brake lines off, the master cylinder is off, I have the brake pedal disconnected, and the 4 nuts inside on the firewall are off. I try to pull it out and the lower driver side stud will not make it out It gets to where there is only like a quarter of an inch left and the booster is already on the shock tower. I try to turn it but no good. Am I missing something that is really obvious here or is there a trick that I am not realizing?


I think you need to take off the antenna. :)

[tman1257]

Well the car is officially a garage queen. After my hangover subsided I did this:

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0115.jpg

Tie rod ends looked bad and I needed an alignment anyway so I pulled the whole works out. The rack I am suspecting is going to be iffy so I think I am going to be replacing it.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0116.jpg

Which will allow me to take care of this mess.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0117.jpg

I am giving myself more work but it should make things look a whole bunch better when I am done. Hopefully this spring I will be able to drive it. This year is going to be tight with what I have going on.

[Hissing Cobra]

Tom,

You're doing it the right way and that's important. If you're going to keep it for a long time, you're better off to get it all done at once. That way, you'll be able to enjoy it when you finally do get to drive it.

Keep at it!;)

[tman1257]

I was really not expecting it to go this far lol. I didn't think the rack was going to be off but after looking at the innards from the boot tear I figure it would be a good idea to replace it. It looks to have been dry inside the boot so replacing it would be the best option. Now the fun part, coming up with the money for the extra parts! I have about 80% done in the engine compartment so barring any problems (or excessive alcohol consumption) paint should come soon. Did I just jinx myself now?

[tman1257]

Another question. What have you all done with your k-member? Have you used an aftermarket one or stayed stock? Just another idea I've been thinking about.

[Hissing Cobra]

Tom,

On mine, I bought a 1986 Mustang GT from the junkyard for $400.00. I took the K-Member out, stripped it and primed/painted it before installing it into my Cobra. It allowed me to take the K-member out of my Cobra completely intact and also allowed me to build my new one with all new '86 GT parts.

[kj_80Cobra]

Tom,
I am replacing my K-member with a '87 model one. It has improved caster over the older models. Yours and mine also has the "unique" V brace attached to the K-member, that as another board member found out, prevents the installation of an aftermarket K-member brace.

[tman1257]

I think for the time being I am going to stay with the stock k-member. I already have replaced most of the brake parts for this one and don't really feel like wasting the money I have already spent on these parts since I cannot take them back for a refund. I am not planning on racing this car so the stock one should be fine for what driving I am planning on doing with it. I want to replace the transmission sometime with a 5 speed so maybe whenever I do this I will look to upgrade the k-member. If things work out this weekend like last one did, I should be ready to put some color on it either this weekend or next weekend. Sanding everything by hand is taking a lot longer than expected but it is down to pretty much the firewall area that is left. I was going to borrow an air compressor but I think I found a good used one, 4.5 hp 13 gallon for $50 that I am thinking of buying. That should be good enough for what I need at this time. Hopefully some update pics will be in order soon.

[tman1257]

Well I am hoping either this afternoon or tomorrow paint should be on it. I have just a small amount of prep work needed and hopefully the rain and humidity will go away soon and I will be able to shoot it. The boy thought he was going to when I tested the compressor I bought. Right now I am going to paint the engine compartment the same as the exterior and do some of the accessories (brake booster, shock tower plates, sway bar, etc.) in black. The black will come later after I can get it off of stands and move it. I am just needing to get the engine compartment done so that when I get my motor cleaned up and painted I can drop it in.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0124.jpg

[Hissing Cobra]

That's awesome Tom! I'm glad that you're painting the engine compartment the same color as the body. It makes a big difference. Your son looks like he's on a mission! LOL!

[tman1257]

Well yesterday did not work out for painting but I am going to get it done tonight. I have it primed now. I have to wait for a little bit now before paint.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0125.jpg

[cjmuscle]

Looks like your doing a great job.I am just about to spray my engine compartment so I also can put my engine in.What did you use to clean your compartment with before priming?

[tman1257]

I used aircraft stripper to take the paint down. After that I sanded down whatever the stripper didn't take off. This is where I ran into a snag. The guy I bought my paint from said to make sure the engine compartment was washed down good since the primer and stripper could react. Well I must not have done that good enough because I have spots where the primer is not drying. I am having to wait now to see if it dries. If not, I will have to take it all own again and rewash everything. I was hoping it was going to be painted by this time tonight but that did not work out. I suggest if you follow this to make sure everything is cleaned and rinsed off good to take care of the stripper residue. Hopefully tomorrow everything will be settled down but somehow I don't think it will.

[tman1257]

Well I got lucky. With the temperatures we had Monday all of my primer had dried. Don't know for sure what happened, I was just happy it dried. So I took a few hours off of work last night so I could get up early while the wife and kid were gone to paint it. The guy I bought my paint from misunderstood me with what I wanted so I had just barely enough paint to do the job. I won't have any more pictures till this weekend because my wife's nephew needed to borrow my camera but it's blue finally.

[tman1257]

Hey Pete, what did you use for paint on the accesories in your engine bay? Specifically the shock mounts, wiper motor, etc. I am wanting to do mine in black and really liked how yours turned out. I am still trying to decide if I want a gloss black or more of a satin.

[Hissing Cobra]

Tom,

I used Krylon's Semi-Flat Black. I bought about 10 cans from Wal-Mart and went to town. I glass beaded everything first and then primed it all with Krylon's Gray Primer. Then I sprayed everything with the Black. The pieces have held up very nicely and I haven't had to respray anything since I did them back in 2004. The Semi-Flat actually dries like a Satin and produces a nice, factory type finish. I too, was thinking about using gloss but then changed my mind, as the Gloss shows every type of dust particle that settles into it after spraying.

Another type of paint that I used was Krylon's Chrome Paint, which I also bought at Wal-Mart. I used this on the power steering pump bracket, A/C Compressor, Voltage Regulator and the cap on my Windshield Wiper Motor.

Hope this helps.;)

[kj_80Cobra]

You can also buy a cast aluminum paint to redo parts also.

[tman1257]

All this helps out. Thanks guys.

[tman1257]

Well, originally I was planning on trying to hide my wiring but I am going to rethink that. Now I am going to rewrap and retape my wiring. I have started on it now so hopefully I can get most of that done this weekend. I was going to get my motor on Sunday but now the guy isn't going to be home. So I figured it would be a good time to do this. It's not hard, just takes some time and will look alright after everything is done. I have a couple of light spots in the engine bay I will need to take care of also. The guy I bought my paint from misunderstood what I wanted so I had barely enough to cover everything. That and the lighting in my garage sucks. The only good part is that the spots are easy to get to. Its coming along. Now to get my camera back so I can take some progress pics.

[tman1257]

Here's the latest.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0133.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0134.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0135.jpg

By no means is this going to be a showcar but it should come out a lot cleaner than it was. I was originally going to try and hide the wiring but I think the black will help to set off the blue better. So I am going to rewrap and tape all of it that will be in the engine bay. I changed my mind this week since the guy I am buying my motor from is not going to be home like he was thinking earlier so I decided to some more clean up work. Hopefully next weekend I can go and pick the motor up so I can get that ready to go.

[Hissing Cobra]

Tom,

That looks GREAT! I too, was going to hide my wiring until my brother told me that it would be a great pain to work on if it ever needed fixing. Needless to say, I took his advice. I bought a couple of rolls of the Black flex tubing (two or three different sizes and it's very cheap) and rewrapped/retaped my wires with it. I used Friction tape for the tape, which mimics the factory tape. I love the Blue!

[tman1257]

That is what I am doing now with the wiring except I am just going with regular electrical tape. I only had a few sections done when I took the last two pictures. After all of the accesories and the motor get painted the engine compartment should look pretty good. I still have overspray on the cables from the first time I sprayed it to clean but its coming along.

[kj_80Cobra]

Looking good Tom.

I love the Blue!
Me too, here is your twin, Tom.

http://home.comcast.net/%7E1980_mustang_cobra/images/rear_seat_painted-small.jpg

[tman1257]

Is that yours KJ?

[kj_80Cobra]

Yes

[tman1257]

I am going to try some of the paint you were talking about Pete. I found some made especially for rusted areas. I used a stripping tool on my drill and cleaned up my booster. I sprayed it a litle bit ago so when the boy gets up from his nap I will see what it looks like and take some pics.

[tman1257]

Here is what the booster looks like now.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0136.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0137.jpg

[tman1257]

I started to assemble some stuff.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0138.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0139.jpg

I might actually get my motor this Saturday too. A friend of mine from work said he could go and get it for me since I am not going to be able to get out of town on Saturday. He lives pretty close to the guy that has it so I figured instead of putting the gas money into my Mom's pickup, I will just pay him instead. I will not get to do much on the motor this weekend since I am going to be out of town on Sunday but next weekend I am going to try and get it cleaned and painted. Maybe I will get to hear it run on my birthday in November. I also am going to be taking the swaybar off and repainting that black also. I know it looks crappy in the pics but that is where my jack stands are at so I figured I would paint it later.

[R825OH]

WOw nice build !! Looks real good, patience goes a long way.

[tman1257]

Well looks like its gonna be another week before I get my motor. The guy that was going to bring it too me had his truck break down on him so I am screwed for this weekend since I am going to be out of town tomorrow. Bad thing is that I am at the point I cannot do much else until I get it. Hopefully next weekend will work out.

[Hissing Cobra]

Hang in there. It'll be there soon enough. It's coming along nicely.;)

[tman1257]

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0140.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0141.jpg

This is what I was able to get done so far. Most of what I can do for wiring is done. I still need to clean the transmission and readjust the clutch cable but that is about it until I can get the motor. Here's another question for you Pete. What did you do with the extra connectors from the original harness? I know of three or four, possibly more connectors that will not need to be used for the newer motor that I am getting. Did you eliminate them or did you leave them in the harness? Also too, did you repaint the fan shroud?

[Hissing Cobra]

For the extra harnesses, we just left them intact. Yes, I painted the fan shroud and I used the same paint (Krylon Semi-Flat Black). It made a big difference in the appearance of it. My fan shroud was new but it was full of sanding scratches from a D.A. sander. I hand sanded it with 220 and painted it with something like 8 coats of the Black. I kept coating it until I saw it look the way that I wanted it to look.

[tman1257]

I got lucky today. The guy with my motor had to bring his pickup to town today so he brought it with him.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0142.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0145.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0146.jpg

The 3rd party had problems with this motor running and I might see an issue.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0143.jpg

After getting this cleaned and painted I am going to go through and replace all vacuum lines, plugs, wires, etc. that I can so hopefully take that out of the list of stuff to check when I do try to fire it up.

Question: will the clutch and pressure plate from my old motor work on this? I have not checked to see and thought I would ask others here. The clutch parts on my old motor were replaced when I first built it and only have about 6000 miles on them and the mileage on the set on the newer motor is unknown.

[Hissing Cobra]

I can't help you with the clutch/pressure plate question but it's good that you're replacing all of the vacuum hoses now. That stuff is like Spaghetti and if one of those lines gets a hole, it's difficult to find it.

[mfpmax]

This the same engine you were talking about on Turboford being from a Merkur?

[tman1257]

This the same engine you were talking about on Turboford being from a Merkur?

Yes. That is what I was told. I really do not know much about the f/i turbo 4's except what I have read so I am kind of shooting in the dark. Any info is greatly appreciated.

[mfpmax]

Ok, its a Turbocoupe engine, 87/88 vintage...so you're actually better off in some areas such as having the E6 manifold that is less prone to cracking and flows better and water line routing that is more suited to the Mustangs since the Merkurs use a funny coolant tank thingie. It may have been in a Merkur for some odd reason, but the only Merkur specific part is the 90 degree oil filter adapter. Also has the smaller IHI turbo on it.

If you're not gonna do a complete overhaul on the engine, pop out those old freeze plugs at the very least as that back one on the engine looks like it "could" be leaking already.

[83TEE]

subscribing , keep up the good work.

[tman1257]

Thanks for the heads up mfp. It has an e7 intake and the e6 exhaust. Replacing the frost plugs is a good idea. I have taken some of it apart but not much. I will see more this weekend when I work on it.

[tman1257]

Took the oil pan off today. Oil plug was stuck in so I took the pan off. I wanted to replace the gasket to be safe but if the plug would've come out I think I might have been alright though. The gasket did not look bad at all and the bottom of the pan was pretty clean too. That is a plus. The mains looked alright also along with the bottom end of the motor. Now to get a gasket, seal it up, and clean the pan for painting. The wife and boy might be out of town tomorrow so I might have a chance to clean it up. I took the clutch and pressure plate off and was surprised that they looked pretty decent also. I am wondering if some of this stuff was replaced before I bought it considering how dirty the outside was compared to the condition of the internal parts.

[tman1257]

I was able to get my motor painted today. I might have to get some more to look it over and make sure I got everything but it is coming. I decided to take some vacation time and took tonight and tomorrow off so I can try to get the garage and cars ready for winter. I am hoping to get the motor set in hopefully this weekend so I can get my car moveable again. I have not replaced some of the stuff on it yet that I want but I want to get it off of my buddy's hoist so I can take that back to him and clear out more stuff. I should be able to replace the water lines, etc after the motor is in but I am replacing what will be too hard after it is in now.(frost plugs, etc.) Slow but sure.

[Hissing Cobra]

Keep on going Tom. Got any more pic's? How close is your area to getting snow and cold weather? The temps around here are starting to drop at night (down into the 40's) and the daytime temps are in the 50's-60's. It won't be too long until we're wearing jackets and coats.

[tman1257]

No pics of this yet. We are supposed to get a hard frost tonight so the hours of being in the garage are getting cut down. Especially if the boy is outside with me. Once I get it set in, then it won't be so bad. Then I can move the Cobra and clear out the side of my garage where I normally store stuff for the winter. Car parts are taking all of that space up now. I may put some plastic and a blanket down in the hatch of the car so I can put the radiator, shroud, etc. in there also to free the floor up. I need to clean majorly since I can barely get my Explorer in there now and I want as much room as possible around it since my wife's driving scares the hell out of me.

[tman1257]

Here ya go Pete. A before cleaning, during cleaning, and after painting shot. The after painting shot is not the best but it will give you an idea. The valve cover will get some more work after my motor is sitting in. Right now I have to adjust the clutch cable since I had to take it off when I pulled to motor and then paint my motor mounts and I should be ready to drop it in. And a word of advice to others that go this far. Route and mount the brake hard lines before putting the booster in. I had to find the hard way they don't go in with the booster mounted solid. I should get it in this weekend barring problems and then to figure out the water lines as per my post in the 2.3 section and then everything else.


http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0142.jpg



http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010056.jpg


http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/I3010062.jpg

[tman1257]

Well some progress was made but I ran into another problem. For some reason the motor will not get seated onto the input shaft of my trans. I know it is on it but it will not seat all of the way. I can turn the motor with my breaker bar and it will put some torque on the motor but I cannot get it any further. I still need it to go about 3/8 of an inch for it to be on all of the way. Here is what it looks like now.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0198.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0199.jpg

Of course the wife got my good side in the previous picture.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0200.jpg

And the last is where I stopped at. I will have to mess with it more this week. Hopefully I will get it.

[tman1257]

Finally its set in. I pulled the motor back out to check everything over and started again. Same thing got it about 1/2 inch from being fully seated and no more. After about blowing a nut trying to get it on the trans shaft I messed with my jack and leveler and used the bellhousing bolts to help it along. Popped right into place with no binding at all on the bolts. I know its probably not the recommended way but it worked and it took very little effort to turn the bolts while the motor and trans came together so I must have eyeballed it pretty good. Now to get the rest of the stuff from the guy I bought it from and see how far I can get it before snow flies.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0240-1.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0239.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj216/tman1257/PICT0238.jpg

[Hissing Cobra]

It's looking good Tom. I love threads like this. They bring me back to when I was doing mine during the four year period from 2000 to 2004. Keep on going!

[89 AZ SSP]

Looks great! thanks for posting all your progress. I like threads like these as well! Keep up the good work!