Author Topic: My Long-Term Project (Read 22022 times)

Haggspeed · « **on:** March 31, 2019, 10:45:47 pm »

G'day, my name is Jeff, I live in Melbourne and I've been lurking about the forum for years. I figure it's time I created a post about my Mustang project and by doing this it'll spur me on to finish the job!

This has been a very long term commitment. I bought the car, a '67 Fastback, 289, C4, drum Brakes & 8 inch diff in 1989. Built in late 1966 in San Jose, California, it was certainly nothing special, except that it had a very solid and rust-free body. My idea was always to build a hybrid Street/Track car but beyond that I did very little planning and this combined with other events like getting married, having kids and buying houses, meant the project only progressed in fits and spurts. At last I'm in a financial position where I can afford to finish it. I turn 58 in July and my target is to be able to drive it by the time I'm 60!

Here's a run down of the current specs and build state:

To be registered as Victorian M-plate (Modified) CAMS approved Tarmac Rally Car.

BODY: All steel with welded mild-steel CAMS compliant Roll-Cage, Sub-Frame connectors, 85 litre Fuelsafe Fuel Cell, composite Race Seats, Harnesses etc, finished in House Of Kolor "Majestic Blue" paint.

SUSPENSION: Front: RRS power Rack & Pinion steering with electric pump, RRS coil-over Strut conversion with Koni inserts and Kings Springs, tubular adjustable Sway-Bar, all bushes replaced with adjustable Rod-ends. Rear: Custom fabricated Parallel 4-Link with adjustable Rod-Ends, fabricated adjustable Watts-Linkage, Koni coil-overs, adjustable Sway-Bar.

BRAKES: Harrop 343mm 4-piston Discs all round with adjustable bias Tilton Pedal Box.

WHEELS & TYRES: Work Emotion M8R flow-formed alloys, 18 x 9.5 front, 18 x 10.5 rear. Yokohama Advan AD08R 265/35R18 front, 295/30R18 Rear.

ENGINE: 1974 tall-deck 351 Windsor block bored and stroked to 418 cu in, CHI Cleveland 3V alloy Heads, Morrison 8-throttle body EFI, Custom grind Crane solid roller Cam, T&D Roller Rockers, Dailey Engineering billet Dry-Sump.

DRIVE LINE: G-Force T-56 Dog Box possibly with S1 Sequential Shifter, Mantic twin-plate Clutch, Harrop alloy case 9-inch (3.9:1 currently but that may change) with billet yoke and full floating EN26 Axles.

Here's some pictures showing the original condition and a few progress shots.

crikeyrob · « **Reply #1 on:** April 01, 2019, 08:52:09 am »

Looks great! Can’t wait to see the updates.
I’m in Melbourne also and it would be great to see you on the road or at a cruise one day in the future. My build has taken 6 years now and is almost on the road.

What’ll be first up to do on your list?

Dwayne · « **Reply #2 on:** April 01, 2019, 08:57:34 am »

Wow, great build.

HRTZ65 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 01, 2019, 07:03:19 pm »

Looks great and good luck with the rest of the build. I've just started the 69 convertible build. Will watch yours with interest.

mwizz · « **Reply #4 on:** April 01, 2019, 08:17:40 pm »

Great job. Keep us posted.

69candy · « **Reply #5 on:** April 01, 2019, 08:20:52 pm »

I just got a woody looking at that motor!!! Fire it up!!!

Yellow66 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 01, 2019, 08:44:14 pm »

That blue looks sensational and the motor, i'm drooling!!!!

Haggspeed · « **Reply #7 on:** April 02, 2019, 09:04:27 pm »

Thanks for the encouraging words. The car is currently at the Fabricators getting some extensive reworking done - even though it will mean repainting the Engine Bay, Interior and inside the Boot (one step forward five steps back). First job was installing the RRS Shock-Tower notching kit. This was done to gain as much room as possible for a set of 2 inch diameter, long tube Headers. Next, we're about halfway through mini tubbing and construction of the new rear Suspension. Late last year I bought myself an early Christmas present: the new Wheels. I had 17s but I really needed to go to 18s to have a better choice of wider, stickier rubber. There's still a long list of jobs to be done, I'll try to post images as they are done.

Rayatswan · « **Reply #8 on:** April 18, 2019, 05:50:54 am »

Hi Jeff, car looks awsome, love the colour and especially love the Morrison cross Ram fuel injection.
Can you tell me a bit more about the Koni inserts and Kings springs for example what length are the inserts and where did you buy them etc. What springs did you get?? Thanks in advance.
Ray.

Haggspeed · « **Reply #9 on:** April 18, 2019, 09:15:32 am »

Hi Ray. Thanks mate.
Sorry, I haven't acquired the Konis and Kings just yet. As we are currently fabricating the 4-Link, I will be purchasing both fronts and rears in about five or six weeks. From what I've heard from the supplier, Smooth Suspension in Lilydale, VIC, the Strut Inserts are identical to VT-VZ Commodore motorsport parts (as this is what the RRS kit is based on). The rear Coil-Overs will be the steel body 8211 type Konis, which are available in various lengths. The Springs are also available in a wide range of sizes and rates. Rest assured, when I get the parts I'll post images and specs.

Haggspeed · « **Reply #10 on:** April 27, 2019, 06:25:31 pm »

G'day, haven't done any work on the car over Easter, but I have done a Photoshop image of how I'm hoping it'll look when finished. Please bare with me as this the first time I've tried using a link from Imgur:

https://imgur.com/vRIApuq

mwizz · « **Reply #11 on:** April 27, 2019, 06:30:27 pm »

Looks very sharp

Haggspeed · « **Reply #12 on:** November 23, 2019, 01:09:34 pm »

G'day, here's an update of what's been happening with the Suspension rework. This is being carried out by Rai Curry of FABRaiCATIONS in Bayswater, who has a lot of experience building rally and race cars. Firstly 700mm long Trailing Arms were fabricated with adjustable Rod Ends and installed.

Haggspeed · « **Reply #13 on:** November 23, 2019, 01:16:36 pm »

The Trailing Arms have Rod-Ends front and rear. The front ones with rubber bushes to alleviate binding at the extremes of Suspension travel. Next more and more Floor was cut away and a Billet alloy Watts Linkage Bracket made by Paris Acott was mocked up.

Haggspeed · « **Reply #14 on:** November 23, 2019, 01:22:36 pm »

Now, the major surgery really begins! To achieve adequate clearance for full Suspension travel, the Exhaust and the Wheel tubs we need to drastically modify the rear Frame Rails - so some cardboard mock-ups were made and modified, many times, to work out what was needed.

Haggspeed · « **Reply #15 on:** November 23, 2019, 01:42:54 pm »

Meanwhile the Coil-Over Suspension units were purchased, as were new Inserts and Springs for the front RRS Struts, from Smooth Suspension in Lilydale. In answer to Rayatswan's question from a while ago: I ended up going with Eibach coils (nothing against Kings springs, just how it worked out). On the front it's got: Koni 8611-1259 double adjustable inserts with 0800-250-0325 Eibach Coils. Which, if you're familiar with the RRS stuff, is the same spring rate, 325 lb/in but a shorter Coil at 8 inches, this is to work with the, shorter travel, Koni inserts. On the rear it's using Koni 8211-1189 Coil-Overs with Eibach 1200-250-0225 Coils. These are the longest travel Shocks in this range and to stop the springs un-seating at full droop it uses Eibach Keeper-Springs and Separaters, as well. NB: Rear Shock is shown with a PCV spacer in place of Spring for mock-up purposes. Also check out the billet alloy top mount Rai made!

Haggspeed · « **Reply #16 on:** November 23, 2019, 02:02:52 pm »

Now Rai has started building the new rear Frame-Rail sections in 1.6mm steel. These will be linked across-car by a length of RHS carrying the Watts-Linkage bracket as well as being tied into the Roll Cage (all this has the blessing of the VASS Engineer). The shape of the new Rails allows the Coil-Overs to be located on top of the Axle and as far outboard as possible - which is all good for the Suspension geometry. NB: Stiffener Plates inside Rails. Also, here's a shot of the inner Wheel Tub spinnings yet to be installed. As you can see there's a lot work been done, but a hell of a lot more still to come...

mwizz · « **Reply #17 on:** November 23, 2019, 06:19:33 pm »

Thanks for the update. Looking great.

trav68 · « **Reply #18 on:** November 24, 2019, 09:21:50 am »

Impressive looking build!!!

Is your engineer assisting with the 4 link design and optimisation? So many variables in a rear end design that can be played with.

Haggspeed · « **Reply #19 on:** November 24, 2019, 03:11:19 pm »

Hi trav68,
Thanks mate. Yes, you are correct, there are a lot of lot of variables in designing a suspension system like this. My VASS Engineer is Jeff Watters, he is advising on all the structural and "M" plate compliance aspects of the build. However, the rear Suspension design is primarily the work of Rai Curry using the Suspension design Program "SusProg3D" with input from, a good mate of mine and very experienced Race Car Engineer, Bruce Tyson. So, those two are the main brains behind it with input on Shocks and Springs from Wayne Shearman of Smooth Suspension. Everything is designed to be adjustable within the boundaries arrived at through those guy's experience...

big al · « **Reply #20 on:** November 25, 2019, 08:30:40 am »

A heck of a lot of work there Jeff.

Keep it up as it's looking good
And job well done

Al

Haggspeed · « **Reply #21 on:** January 21, 2020, 07:20:43 pm »

Here's an update on the work done over the Christmas period first two shots showing new, radically altered Frame-Rails, now tacked in place on both sides, along with the Cross-Member that locates the Watts-Linkage Bracket.

Haggspeed · « **Reply #22 on:** January 21, 2020, 07:29:52 pm »

Also, check out my new, adjustable, billet alloy Watts-Linkage Bracket! This features Roll-Centre height adjustment via a knob accessed in the Boot. It’s a thing of pure joy and beauty, with a sprung ratchet providing one click for each full turn of the knob, denoting 2mm of adjustment - pity it lives under the car! Made by Paris Acott of Acott Race Craft in Sunbury, Vic.

FPVF6 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 16, 2020, 04:59:01 pm »

Wow Jeff, can’t wait to follow this build, nice work...

Rocket30 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 23, 2020, 08:24:37 pm »

Quote from: big al on November 25, 2019, 08:30:40 am

A heck of a lot of work there Jeff.

Keep it up as it's looking good
And job well done

Al

That's a brilliant job, well done. Just a question on the 4 bar rear set up. Would it have been better to uses bearing bird cages for the 4 bar links to attach to. It looks as though there will be a lot of binding when the car rolls and tries to rear steer. Take a look a Dirt Late Model 4 bar rear.

My Long-Term Project

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Author Topic: My Long-Term Project (Read 22022 times)