2014 Projects Thread!

Yeah, I did put new U-joints on. I even replaced the front one again this year because it seemed to bind a little bit.

But yeah, I'll crawl under there and check that. And I don't hear any noise from my pinion bearing, so I guess that's good, haha. I tried looking for replacement driveshafts, but they really don't exist unless it's a really common application like Fox Mustang or something.

I wanted to find out of GT40P heads will work with EGR. They do have a port in the same spot as E7 and GT40 heads, but I was still skeptical because the intakes that came with GT40P engines did NOT have the EGR passage that mated up with that port. I found a guy that had actually done it, and says that you CAN put an intake with functioning EGR on GT40P heads and then have working EGR. I wanted to make sure of that before I bought P heads and then waited on doing the tune.

i may be wrong and quite often am, but I thought gt40P heads eliminated EGR. I believe the P heads flow better. memory has gone to mush lately, I just worked on one a few days ago........
at what speed & RPM does this vibration rear it's head?

The EGR system on GT40P engines used an external pipe that ran from a fitting on the exhaust manifold to the EGR valve. However, the heads do still have the port for internal EGR through the intake. The intakes that came with those engines did not. Why? I have no idea.

The vibration really comes on between 65 and 70 mph. Like we've said though, I did change the gears recently to 4.10, so the problem could have always been there, but the driveshaft now spins faster relative to vehicle speed so it shows up lower in the MPH.

I suppose you've already rotated the tires front to rear just to verify it's not the wheels.
Some driveline repair shops will rebuild/balance a shaft, for $250; another 100 bones or so gets an aluminum unit.
Is your pinion angle correct?
I’m doing (was doing till my wife ended up in the hospital) a 01 mustang for a load of work, it’s got some drive line vibration, the yoke has a lot of play in the tail shaft housing, the frt u/j is stiff in one direction sand the yoke has rust on the part of the shaft that goes into the trans. The shaft came from a junk yard, a new ford shaft is over a grand, but I found an aluminum shaft from ford racing for around $350. It needs a lot of other work as well, but I was amazed at the price of the Ford Racing aluminum unit VS the stock Ford unit.
I was pretty lucky when I cobbled mine together, I found the right length shaft and swapped over the yokes, NAPA supplied the modified u/joint that went south, no balancing done, just shoved it in…….
A lot of guys were putting blanking plates behind the egr on the 5.0. I never tried it because it does not give a horsepower gain, but it can let the engine run a bit cooler.

I'm not sure if I rotated the tires, but I just had those new tires put on, so I would have to imagine they were balanced. Not to say that couldn't still be the problem though.
My pinion angle is 0 degrees. I've had people tell me that's fine.

Wow, that Mustang sounds like a mess! The price of the Ford unit doesn't surprise me that much. Anytime I ever compare a Ford factory part with anything else, the Ford part is always WAY out of line. I'm sure you're well aware of that though. Ford Racing tries to compete with the aftermarket, so their stuff is cheaper, odd as that is.

I actually had blocked off my EGR too, but remember my idle problem? That was the reason. The car wouldn't even run at base timing, and I had fiddled with it until it would run, which was way off normal. Once I reinstalled EGR and reset the timing, boom, problem solved. I know guys do eliminate it, but I'm not going to until it can be programmed out at the ECM level. Like you said, it doesn't hurt horsepower to have it there, so why not?

They posted the Ride of the Month article
http://www.foureyedpride.com/content.php?266-November-Ride-of-the-Month

yeah; I’m uncertain of its pedigree, but it's the dudes baby..... and I have to respect that.
He’s done a lot of work, new paint (changed color to orange), wheels, headlamps etc and I assume somebody took some short cuts along the way as some unsavory junk yard parts were installed in the driveline(they never cleaned the rust from the frt yoke).
My main goal is to make him happy so he’ll come back and maybe tell his friends. I don’t know if he’s part of the local mustang club, we offer discounts to them.
I think the drive line should not have 0degrees, will research later, if I remember correctly they advise against it as it can induce vibrations…..
That the problem with these old cars, we always have to be flexible, (no pun intended).
I saw a fairmont wagon here this morning in Tucson, looked pretty good, just missing one hub cap

Well, I guess I can't say it's 0 degrees with absolute certainty. I measured it with a $10 angle finder. If it needs to be different, how would I even change it? I am NOT messing with the springs or ride height again.

I formalized the plan to get some GT40P heads from that guy. He's going to shoot for the Ford Racing headers made for P heads, since we know they fit. I don't want to use weird plug wires or shorty plugs like some guys do with them. I just want things to fit. Anyway, sounds like he's going to do a pretty bad ass machine job on the heads for me for a good price, so I'm excited.

first look at the drive shaft, it shouldn't be straight out of the trans into the rear axle, it should have some?? angle.
lowering a car can alter the angle slightly, I don't think too much about that, I've used air shocks and lowered cars all my life, but it does or can alter the angle..
I compared mine to the mustang I've got in the shop just by visual, one of us may have a problem, wonder which one.....could it be mine........SHT....
driveline vibrations can be difficult to diagnose with out a driveline shop orrrr having another shaft to swap.
I'm swapping a driveshaft this week into a mustang, I'm getting it from late model resto, its aluminum, it comes in a regular cardboard box with no real protection in the box, so I hope its not damaged, wont know till it goes in, fed ex....... I'm kinda pissed because it's missing the yoke from the kit........
the other thing that freaks me out is there was no vibration noted, however the rear bushing in the tail shaft was severely worn!!!!!!!
I was supposed to meet the guy last week, so I guess it will be Friday now, he'll be pissed if his ride aint ready.
I hope he wants to do more mods........brakes, cams sub frame exhaust etc.
the write up on your car was cool, albeit late.
I have a friend at work that got "sponsored" for his rice burner, he has to take pix, wear the gear and put the stickers on the car, I'll try to find out more about the name of the company if you interested.
I don't think they are looking for SEMA cars. he is a "creative conversationalist". you may be on a winner, as they just want to throw money at his car, I'm not sure what they are offering, but dude is excited as I think he said they were offering paint as well.
maybe I should try to get them to sponsor me a new stereo system......

The driveshaft does look pretty straight coming out of the trans. I wish there was an easier way to get another driveshaft. Pretty much the only option is get under a lot of cars at the junkyard and do a bunch of measuring. I'll bet the dent on mine came from forklifting that car into its spot at the junkyard. Probably stuck getting a new custom one. Not cheap.

Are you going to replace that bushing? I imagine he won't be happy if he gets cheap and tells you not to.

Yeah, I'm not putting any dang stickers on my car, haha. I'm not much of a schmoozer either, so I doubt I could talk anyone into doing it anyway. That's not really what my car's about anyway. New stereos are fun though. As soon as we trade in the Aviator in the spring, the Kenwood deck from it is going in the Zeph. I've always thought that dash would look good with a double-DIN deck in it. I never use that storage tray thingy under the stereo anyway.

I got some '90-93 Mustang notchback rear shoulder belts coming. The trim pieces are grey and the belts are red, but I think once dyed, they will look fine. We're thinking of road tripping to St. Louis in the Zeph in Spring of '16 so I can have the motor rebuilt, cammed and tuned. It'll make me feel good to have that added safety for the kids in the back.

if you have a dent in the driveshaft, that is most likely the source of your vibration. they cant take much of anything such as distortion.
year I put a new tail shaft on the rear of the trans, along with the new frt pump seal, trans mount, and o-ring. I still have a ton of other stuff to do on it, it will be sweet when it's done hopefully Monday.
I still thinking about the wheels, I may write the company just to see if they do them in 16's or plan to in the future.

I’m glad you Never sacrifice safety, it just isn’t worth it, especially with your kids.
I would again recommend sending the shaft to a driveline shop just to have it tested, they can give you the results right away. If you have the one from the donor mustang in your car, that’s good, did you know that 79-04 use the same length driveshaft, however there are loads of different yokes and u/joint combos, some have 1310 or 1330 u/joints, or you can have hybrids. If your shaft is damaged, you can discuss options for shop repair or replacement from jegs or late model restoration or do it yourself ….loads of options, me however would pull another used one, throw some u/j’s in it and blast it down the road, for a customer I would go new because of the warranty and a lot of guys like aluminum for the weight savings.
I put a double din in my 93 dash, it fit in the hole, but it didn’t go all the way in…however I used a stock unit, so I would test fit it in the hole before rejoicing….do you have the speakers in the top of the dash, I had a hell of a time finding 3in speakers that would it the hole and lay flat, I eventually got some used ones from e-bay for a mustang.
I like burning gasoline, my wife has finally realized what this car means to me after all these years, it took some time; but when I got ready to sell it, she actually said “no”, bit did not blink when the Taurus left the stable. She knows I want a cougar, and is against the idea of the old iron I’m after, she just got out of the hospital, so the old iron is on the back burner right now. Gotta move foreward……..
Every time we change the motor or drivetrain, there is a lot of testing involved before I hit the highways, but once it’s deemed safe & reliable we pound pavement…..i actually freaked-out the first time she wanted to take it somewhere. The main issue we have is finding a place to park it so it doesn’t get hit, and usually means we don’t park near the doors.
So when you are cruising down the highway listening for anything and everything, just testing it all out don’t feel bad, it’s good common sense…... Because when you are cruising down the highway with the fam in the car, a/c throwing ice cubes out and your favorite tunes playing, the only thing I want to be aware of is what I’m going to do when I get there, and where is the nearest Chevron gas station( I like Chevron).
I’ve never had a 4.10 gear set in my car, but I sold a ford racing gear set twice, the first guy with a 4.6 went to Tucson twice and his fuel mileage went down the pan, so I bought it back cheap, then sold it to guy with a 5.0 who loved it for the acceleration. I had a 3.73 for a while, but it would not work well with a C-4, at 65 or 70 it was rapping pretty high, what I needed to match it was a AOD or 5 spd.
Do you have an expansion valve or orifice tube style a/c.

Well, I can't use a Mustang driveshaft. Otherwise, yeah, it would be no problem finding a new one. I had an aluminum one out of an Aerostar I considered having the shop cut down, but it would have cost me quite a bit more. I wonder if having that lighter driveshaft would cut down on vibration at all if something else was the cause.

if I put that stereo in there and it sticks out, i'll take the console out and cut away whatever I have to so it doesn't, haha. The speakers I have in the dash are the tweeters that go with a set of "separates". I have the woofers in the doors. I had to cut holes for them. I think it's the perfect use of those dash speaker spots.

It's great your wife understands about the car. They certainly can be money pits. And cool that she's out of the hospital.

I don't worry too much about parking lot door dings. I've put my share of dings and scratches in it myself just not having enough room in the garage. And failing to use a fender cover while wearing a belt for most of the years I've worked on it, haha.

I know what you mean about testing. But it seems like the day comes where I need to take it a decent distance all too quickly anyway.

I like my 4.10s so far. The car feels quicker than I think it should, haha.

Actually, I don't have anything for A/C. A guy gave me some stuff for mock-up, but it's all in pretty bad shape. I learned in school that once you lose your refrigerant and then drive it that way for too long, your stuff is pretty much ruined, so you might as well start over. I'll be looking at one of those $800 kits that comes with everything you need from Latemodel Restoration. That MAY happen next year, but maybe not because that'll be the year the motor gets rebuilt. There's always something.

Any driveshaft repair is expensive; the repairs can be as expensive as a replacement shaft. The reason for an aluminum shaft is to cut down on rotational mass and this saves power & fuel. There are arguments for both types.
What is the length of your driveshaft from the centerlines of the u/joints?
Yeah 4.10’s are too low for me around here, everything is so far away as traveling is concerned.
All of my a/c stuff is used, if dirt does get in, it doesn’t go all the way in, just usually around the fittings. I like to get them off the car and use nitrile glove fingers over the ends of the fittings, then tape the ends shut. You can invert the hose, spray in some brake cleaner, then you can blow the dust out with more brake cleaner and an air hose, you can reuse the dryer if you pull a good vacuum on it, because the moisture will boil and be extracted by the vacuum, but if the desiccant bag in the dryer ever takes a dump, particles go everywhere, so it’s best to replace it due to age.
I think my stock double din unit was hitting on the carpet, it just didn’t go in all the way in, I don’t rate stereos’ as a high demand part, although I always want one, what if I get one, would I be done with the car?????
Wouldn’t it be easier to build another engine for the car while you are still driving it around? It would also offer other opportunities so far as down town time is concerned etc. then you could sell the other engine as a running unit. Complete 5.0 engines are pretty easy to get rid of.

I don't know off hand how long my driveshaft is, but remember the F/Z's wheelbase is 5" longer than a Mustang's. Mine came out of a Fox LTD with C4/7.5.

I'd rather just not take the chance on used A/C stuff. I don't want to do it more than once. I've been burned too many times by used, unrebuilt parts.

Oh, it hit on the floor... I hadn't considered that.

Yes, it would save time to build another engine, but I don't want to do that for many reasons. First, I would have to buy two sets of replacement heads instead of one. My way, I get to enjoy the nice rebuilt heads this year instead of next year. The second problem is space. I don't have the room to have an engine sitting on a stand in my garage. I think you would be really surprised how small it is for a 3 car garage. I know I was. Third problem is, I would have money I don't have tied up in having two engines. Any time I've ever relied on recouping some of the cost by selling the old part, I've been burned. I end up sitting on the old part for ages and end up letting it go for almost nothing. Fourth problem is, my current shortblock is the more desirable forged crank and piston version that can't be had rebuilt for some reason. If I end up holding out for another used forged bottom end version, it may take too long and cost me too much.

yeah time & money never seem to cross the road at the same place.....does the replacement A/C look like stock, is it cheaper than new stuff from napa or autozone??
A/C at least is easy to work on. check the prices just to be sure, and a lot of napa & autozone stuff is lifetime war also. some compressors even come with the dryers now....

Hey, that's a good idea! I'll check into that!

I think the LMR stuff would pass for stock. I do notice now though that it doesn't include an evaporator. They call it a R-134 conversion kit, but it comes with everything else.

Well, I pieced everything together, I think, and I only came up with about $500. Some of the stuff though, I can't tell if it's R-134 compatible. I know R-12 works better, but I don't think it can really be had anymore can it? If you can get it, I'll bet it's pricey.

A/C components made for R12 will work with R134a, no problems, however you are correct, R12 does blow colder. There is another refrigerant on the market called FREEZE 12, it is supposed to be as good as R12.
A lot of companies offer a complete kit, you would think it would save cash, but not always. For some reason Mustang stuff is readily available from most stores. You are aware that the restrictor is in the high pressure line, it is near the condenser on the flat part of the line that sits on the frame rail. you can identify the position of the restrictor by looking for dimples in the line.I’d definitely check on the prices from a couple different stores before I throw out $800 bones.get some PAG oil and fill it with R134a. just make sure you have a good seal between the radiator and condenser and good airflow thru the condenser, you’ll be fine.

What do I need to know about the restrictor? Also, on Auto Zone's site it lists both an expansion valve, and an orifice tube. I thought you had one or the other. A little confused there. Also, do you know what the difference is between an accumulator and receiver/drier? They are both "tank" type things, and I thought I remembered there being only one of those in an A/C system. Looks like the receiver/drier would have to be crimped on, which kind of blows.

I would probably have the system filled professionally. I've always thought those do-it-yourself kits were a recipe for trouble. Of course, I come from the new school there. We only did that kind of thing at the dealership using one of those machines, rather than just a set of gauges and a tank. I don't know how to do it the old way.

I do like the idea of buying a kit so I don't have to figure out what all I need myself, but not for a $300 premium! Also, i'll have to hit a junkyard and get some of the things I threw away like the compressor bracket and condenser mounting tabs, haha. "Space before sense" seems to have been my strategy early on, haha.

Nothing needs to be known about the restrictor, they are pretty much vehicle specific so far as mustangs are concerned, the restrictor comes built into the line, some of the early Fairmont’s had an expansion valve, later they changed to the restrictor/orifice tube. You don’t need both, the accumulator dryer, receiver are the same item. I have not seen a dryer that has to be crimped to the hose when you buy them, all the ones I’ve seen come as the dryer /hose assy.
I think the clutch cycling sw screws into the dryer on the foxes, however I would have to refer to the wiring diagram on how to wire the relay and diode. The diode is there to extend the life of the relay.
A hell of s lot of parts interchange between the fox years, I think one of the hoses even fits the SN95.
Did you check to see the price difference between the parts stores, if I were to get the parts individually, I would buy them all from the same store.

No, I haven't compared prices between stores yet. Probably no point right now. I've got enough things to spend the tax refund on right now. I did hear Rock Auto is having a sale on that stuff right now though.

Auto Zone has 2 different brands of A/C stuff. I wouldn't mix brands or get stuff from different stores either. It's not worth the risk of the stuff not working well together. I thought I remembered that the receiver/drier came as part of one of the lines. Thanks for confirming.

Most of the wiring should still be there in the harness. The Mustang I got the engine and harness from was a factory A/C car. I did clip the compressor clutch connector because it looked sloppy hanging there with no compressor, haha. I'm sure those can be had. There is an '87-88 5.0L Cougar in the junkyard that probably has stuff like that.

at least you have the time to shop, I'm usually in a hurry. the thing I like about getting everything from one store is that there is one receipt and no excuse if a component fails, they cant say that one vendors parts are better than others. if you look at the reality, there's probably only one or two manufacturers anyway, just different boxes.
I remember when I was looking for a larger condenser, so I got one from a town car, it looked just right till the time came to fit it, it was too big, the reason being;the bigger the condenser and fan, the cooler you can blow at idle and in traffic, less heat & less stress on the compressor.
I am going to rework this system when I get the time, and some more parts hopefully before the next engine change. I have a kick ass fan controller laying around somewhere, capable of running 2 large fans. it's got some awesome heat sinks on it and it's pretty small.

Makes sense. I've started to worry a bit about my tiny two row radiator. It's a cheapy, parts-store replacement. I have a left over big one from my brother's old Fox Capri project, but it's all steel and one he replaced because it wasn't working well enough. Not sure what I'm going to do yet. Those nice aluminum ones are SO expensive though!

I had a big monster from AutoZone, it was for a mustang,manual trans BUT it had a trans cooler in it??? the radiator was great till I left it in the trunk and it got a puncture in the lower tank and the inside core. it was copper. I was using the trunk for storage at the time; I think it was around 175 bones back then. the two core I had did ok.
I/m lucky as I am using a lot of stuff from the 97 which interchanges with the fox stuff, condensers, high press line to condenser etc. the condenser uses the two spring clip lines, so there are plenty of fox style condensers to choose from, I just have to take the grill out again and get the right size this time.

Yeah, I guess I'll just let it ride and see how she does with cooling. Since I put that new fan in last summer, it's been perfect. Maybe keep an eye out for used aluminum radiators. I know if I post a "want to buy" about it, I'll end up spending more.

I saw a post from a guy who has the same heads and intake I'm putting on along with similar other mods to what I have. He dynoed at 275hp to wheels. That's better than I expected! That's a nice gain over a stock '90 5.0L HO!