Engine, Transmission, Drive Line, Diff, etc...

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Tutorials about engine, transmission, drive line, read diffs, etc...

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How To convert to a Coolant Recovery Setup

Another easy one but this one isn't so much for power. Our cars came with a tube that just dumps coolant on the ground which is bad. I am not a Environmental Nazi, but dumping coolant on the ground is bad for the earth and unsafe. Bottom line is if you ever go to the drag strip or you get tired of people telling you your car is leaking this is for you. Coolant recovery works on a simple principle. When pressure(heat) pushs coolant out it goes into the container. When it cools back down a vacuum is created which sucks the coolant back into the radiator. Parts you need are below Stant Radiator Cap #10329 Coolant Recovery Container 30" of 1/4" ID Hose I went with a stainless container I got off Ebay for $30. Million designs and sizes...
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Removing C6 selector shaft seal

The selector shaft seal is leaking, and no, the lockdown O-ring did not fix the leak (I don't hav that kind of luck). I think I have the process figured out except, how to remove the seal without buggering the case up. The manual mentions some specialty tools that I can not find anywhere. Hopefully someone has done this successfully and will be willing to share this bit of "how to". Thanks, Chuck
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Up grading to a AODE/4R70W

Like your automatic trans, yet want overdrive?? Overdrive allows you to drop the rear end gearing, yet still have lower RPM @ highway speeds. As I have already done this swap on my 65 2+2. I knew this is one of the first mods to do to the our 73 Convertible. This past weekend we finished the C-4 to 4R70W swap in the 73. (All part of taking it on a 5000 mile vacation trip. Florida Panhandle to Kalispell, MT. and return) The AOD has always been the choice, yet using the last of the AOD trans family, an AODE/4R70W is even better. The AODE/4R70W's have all the AOD's weaknesses & flaws worked out of them and with little prep can easily handle 450+ HP engines. The W's wide ratio gear set is another bonus. Best of those is a 4R70W from a...
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71-73 Ram Air Actuator / Flapper Rebuild

I will continue to edit and improve this as I work on it. For those that don't know at this time our Ram Air Flapper Actuator is not reproduced. At one point it was but who ever made them stopped. That leaves us a problem. Either paying to get replacement originals(crazy priced). Perogie Enterprises charges $80 each not including shipping to rebuild them. I am a cheap bastard and refuse to pay that much for what amounts to a $14 dollar Motorcraft part on Ebay. Please excuse me this is the first time I have ever done this so it is a little rough. I plan to repaint them after to look nice again. So here is what I did with pics. Biggest thing I recommend is be careful take your time and pay attention to what you are doing. I recommend a...
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Vapor canister rebuild/restoration

The fuel system vapor canister is an important part of the emission control system.  I had one that I had salvaged from the coupe that burned, and thought it was only the vent cap that was missing, but when I retrieved it from my parts bin to add it to the Mach 1 I am restoring, I found it needed more than just a cap and paint.  The center vent was completely missing and there was some melted plastic visible down  inside, so I decided to rebuild the canister.   To get the can open, I had to pry open the small tab, and then start to slowly pry up the flange.  Tapping with a hammer, then twisting and prying up slowly got the flange opened all the way around. Once the canister is opened, it revealed a spring that holds down a...
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Camshaft Selection-2

Attached is a spreadsheet, that I originally posted in 2016, that is designed to give the user a starting point for selecting their camshaft. I wasn't able to edit the old one, so I reposted it here. The recommended duration is for intake. With Clevelands, and other engines, a longer duration may be desirable for the exhaust, depending on what the engine will be used for. It also provides a starting point for torque convertor stall and carburetor size. It's also fun to just play around with, to see what happens when the variables are changed. If anyone sees anything that doesn't look right, or a value that seems unreasonable, please let me know.
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Power steering pump - How-to-restore-tutorial

Hey guys, now it is time to go over the power steering pump - it is the Thompson-style one which came usually with our 71-73 cars. http://abload.de/img/dsc_1404e8bdd.jpg You need: - pulley-puller toolbox for deinstalling and installing the pulley http://abload.de/img/924_0ghutz.jpg - lot's of elbow grease for deinstalling and installing the pulley - power steering kit with new seals http://abload.de/img/dsc_1429pjjuu.jpg - some fine brushes for your drilling machine for paint stripping - fine sanding paper for cleaning the pump shaft - rubber hammer - common tools out of your garage toolbox - satin black laquer for the original look - it seems that most of the 71-73 pumps were originally black - some f-type fluid - good...
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How To Upgrade 302 to a Thermostatic Clutch Fan

Thought I would get this out here since it is a pretty easy upgrade and only takes about 20 minutes. The direct drive fan works great for cooling but isn't exactly performance friendly. Upgrading to a modern thermostatic clutch fan will net a few easy horsepower and quiet down the engine a little bit also. Also it gets the fan a little further into the shroud which IMO makes it less of a danger to fingers working in the engine bay. Direct drive fans hurt...... Parts I used are below. Derale 17" 6 Blade Fan #17117 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/der-17117 Hayden Fan Clutch #2710 http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hda-2710 4 Fine Thread 5/16x1" Bolts to bolt the clutch to the water pump 4 Course Thread 5/16x3/4" Bolts to bolt the...
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How to Rebuild a Ford 9 inch. Part 2

As with any thread that is Thrown Together some information is left out or forgotten. This post will add more information to the tools needed to service any 3rd member. Basic tools: 1) First off your going to need a selection of Brass Tools. Brass hammer http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y377/72hcode/ford%209%20inch%20part%202/100_3118.jpg Brass punch set. http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y377/72hcode/ford%209%20inch%20part%202/100_3117.jpg if you have a vice brass inserts would be a good thing. The reason is brass will not damage the hardened steel of the differential unit. there is a reason gun smiths love bass tools and you should too. the biggest mistake i see is people using cold chisels or hardened steel punches or...
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How to compression test the engine

When performing compression tests, it's imperative that the tests be done with: -A fully charged and properly rated cranking battery -Engine warmed up to Operating Temperature if possible (Test can be performed on a cold engine as well, I prefer the warmed up engine method) -All Spark Plugs Removed -Plug wires on Spark Tester or grounded with jumper leads -Throttle plate at the WOT Position Insert compression tester into #1 spark plug opening, and crank the engine until the reading no longer rises. Record reading. Repeat above step for each cylinder. Compare numbers. They should be +/- 5% of each other. You can take it a step further by squirting a little oil in each cylinder through the spark plug hole and re-test to check the...
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How to Rebuild a Ford 9 inch.

How to Rebuild a Ford 9 inch. This is the Second iteration of my blog entries on Rebuilding my Ford 9". Originally this was a rambling collection of thoughts and multiple posts. I've tried to cobble everything back together since the original entries were lost. The Goal is to walk you through my story and how i went about solving the problems i had, and to reassemble my blog into a more coherent post, and to help you take a 3rd member apart and put it together again. How this all started: in 2007 i went through an extensive rebuild of my car in an effort to make it road worthy. I had my share of engine problems but the drive train of my car was in decent shape. I was encouraged by friends since I was already pulling the engine out...
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FMX to AOD Swap

So, finally the Mustang is back on the road. Maybe some of you noticed the update on my "idle pressure to high" thread. It turned out it was a stuck valve in the valve body. Once that was taken care of everything went smooth. I'm gonna post both the effect of the swap and the parts we needed (and did not need). The latter is important because the Internet is full of "you need this" and "you don't need that" and in the end we were none the wiser. Before we start, let me remind you some basics on my car: It has a 351W from Ford Racing, the stock FMX and 8 inch rear axle. All the info below was true for MY car. Don't blame me if it turns out to be different on yours. :) The suppliers listed below are the ones I bought from. There are...
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Tech Tip: Larger Oil Filter

Here's a quick tip for using a larger oil filter on Ford V8s: If you currently use the standard FL1-A1 1 quart oil filter, you can also use the larger 'truck' filter that Ford used on the '89 F700 429 truck engine. The FL1-A1 is ~4.75" long the truck filter is ~6.4". The truck filter has the same bypass valve pressure (8-11 psi) and flows 7-9 gpm but holds roughly 50% (13 oz) more oil. Manufacturer specs on the FL1-A1 vary between 4 gpm and 7 gpm, but the truck filter is rated at 7 or better for all manufacturers. Large filter part numbers: Wix 51773 NAPA 1773 Purolator L40017 Fram PH977A Motorcraft FL299 FleetGuard LF697 The cost of the larger filter seems to vary from $6 to $11 depending on brand and...
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Fuel Tank Repair

How to repair a leaking, dented gas tank. I could have purchased a new tank for $120 plus freight. But I wanted to see if this tank could be repaired. The repair took 6-8 hours. First thing is clean the fuel out of the tank and flush it until all of the fumes are gone! Here is the tank with dents and holes. This picture you can see where the factory seam weld was. Take a zip cut wheel and grind a grove just on the inside of the existing seam weld. Only grind threw the top sheet metal on all four sides. The sheet metal will turn blue as it thins out, Don't grind into the bottom sheet metal. Take a cold chisel to separate the top sheet metal. Pull the top and bottom apart. Here you can see the bottom lip. Here...
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