71 Mach1(Trans Am) 2" nose drop

71Rustang · Jan 1, 2024

Happy New Year everyone. Nothing like redesigning a quarter of the car to install a vintage Trans Am dry sump tank. The tank sits in the passenger torque box and then the fill goes through the fire wall into the engine compartment. So I cut apart the box,cowl and firewall until it fit(this was in a 71 Bud Moore Mustang the same way). After that I put the torque box back together buy welding the floor to the out side of the frame rail and finishing it. Then made a 1/8" boxing plate for the inside of the box so I have a place to mount the foot plate for the cage bars and then boxed in the front so it is straight so the tank fits in. Then I modified a set of Peterson 9" tank mounts to strap the tank in place. I also had to add plate to reinforce the firewall so I had places to bolt the aluminum tank brackets which I also cut apart from the original Peterson mount............now back to the trunk to install the battery box and build the fuel fill.

71Rustang · Feb 8, 2024

Me again,another update. The battery box and the mount its in is also from the Robbins Boss 302,but I did modify the mount to make it fit behind the wheel well,it's recessed into the floor so I could get enough height to install and remove a group 27 battery. The fuel filler neck and mount I made from 304 stainless steel and it bolts to the tail light panel so I can remove it to install and remove the fuel cell due to the worlds smallest trunk opening. Next I made the vent.That's attached to the quarter extension ,is 1 inch in diameter and has an AN 16 roll over valve at the cell end. Lastly I made the tunnel in the trunk lid for the fuel filler. It isn't known how Ford would have done this,since they never built the 71s,so this is my design,I think it looks and works pretty well. Till next time.....

tony-muscle · Feb 9, 2024

71Rustang said:
Me again,another update. The battery box and the mount its in is also from the Robbins Boss 302,but I did modify the mount to make it fit behind the wheel well,it's recessed into the floor so I could get enough height to install and remove a group 27 battery. The fuel filler neck and mount I made from 304 stainless steel and it bolts to the tail light panel so I can remove it to install and remove the fuel cell due to the worlds smallest trunk opening. Next I made the vent.That's attached to the quarter extension ,is 1 inch in diameter and has an AN 16 roll over valve at the cell end. Lastly I made the tunnel in the trunk lid for the fuel filler. It isn't known how Ford would have done this,since they never built the 71s,so this is my design,I think it looks and works pretty well. Till next time.....

Wow... lots of work there. Is the trunk lid functional?

mjlan · Feb 9, 2024

Thanks for the updates!

Thats a lot of work to move the fuel fill.

So at this time the SCCA didn't have NASCAR-type fuel fills? Doing a dry break style in the quarter would have been a lot easier. Maybe its because the pit stops weren't consitently done from one side of the car or the other at the SCCA venues, so having it in the middle made more sense. Or maybe they weren't adding fuel during the race or something like that?

71Rustang · Feb 9, 2024

tony-muscle said:
Wow... lots of work there. Is the trunk lid functional?

Yep,lots of work,but worth it. Yes the trunk lid opens just like it should. The tunnel for the fill neck is cut out on the bottom to allow the filler through the bottom of the lid......

71Rustang · Feb 9, 2024

mjlan said:
Thanks for the updates!

Thats a lot of work to move the fuel fill.

So at this time the SCCA didn't have NASCAR-type fuel fills? Doing a dry break style in the quarter would have been a lot easier. Maybe its because the pit stops weren't consitently done from one side of the car or the other at the SCCA venues, so having it in the middle made more sense. Or maybe they weren't adding fuel during the race or something like that?

No dry breaks until 1973 in Trans Am and at that time they changed a lot of the rules. 1970 and 71 had to use a stock diameter fill tube with stock style cap. The teams could put the fill pretty much where ever they wanted,but quite a few where in the center,some even had a fill on both sides with one being blocked of to allow it to be switched from side to side depending how the pit set up was. They always got fuel when pitting,some of those races could be 2 1/2 or 3 hours long.

71Rustang · Apr 16, 2024

Hi everyone,yes its been a minute or two. So here is where we are. I cut out the stock engine crossmember and built a removeable one. It's 1 1/2x 2 1/2,1/8 tube. The ends are cut at angles so it self centers itself and can't get stuck going in or coming out. It will make servicing the engine much easier. Next I cut out the transmission tunnel over the bell housing and made a new piece with enough clearance to remove the bell housing with a clutch inside and the headers installed. This also accounts for the engine set back. It turned out pretty nice. I made a cereal box and tape template,traced it out on some 20 gauge flat ,cut it out then bent it to fit the car. I welded and fit it as I went. Lastly I installed a new hood which took a fair amount of reshaping to fit the fenders from the scoops forward.Then I installed the hood pins where the hood bumpers used to be.

tony-muscle · Apr 16, 2024

wouldn't this make taking the oil pan off much easier?

This is the way it should have been from the beginning. Awesome job!

71Rustang · Apr 17, 2024

tony-muscle said:
wouldn't this make taking the oil pan off much easier? This is the way it should have been from the beginning. Awesome job!

Thank you. Topes car has a removeable one. It was highly recommended that I make mine removable by a few people who have road race Mustangs.

tony-muscle · Apr 18, 2024

71Rustang said:
Thank you. Topes car has a removeable one. It was highly recommended that I make mine removable by a few people who have road race Mustangs.

Agreed. I need this mod. Are the flanges 1/8" thick as well? I see that you also gusseted the LCA attachment.

71Rustang · Apr 19, 2024

tony-muscle said:
Agreed. I need this mod. Are the flanges 1/8" thick as well? I see that you also gusseted the LCA attachment.

I used 3/16 for the side plates welded to the chassis and for the end plates of the crossmember. I see no reseaon 1/8 wouldn't work. I just wanted a bit of over kill since a bit thicker would resist distorting as much given all the weld in a small area. I also put it together using 1/4 holes and bolts to weld it all together then resized all the holes to 3/8 to account for any movement. And the control arm gussets are 1/4 inch....once again over kill.

71Rustang · Jun 27, 2024

Hi everyone,it's been a while. So here's what been going on. Long story short I acquired a 70 front sway bar with Kar Kraft clevis ends for heim joints and it also came with the KK ball style frame mounts for a 1 1/8 bar. So I bought a bar for a 71,cut off the ends from the 70 bar set it all up on the car a plug welded them on the 71 bar. Then I tackled the oil pan,I decided to go with a Aviaid pan instead of the Robbins pan I have as I would have had to modify that pan so much to make it fit it wouldn't have resembled the pan it used to be anymore. The Aviaid pan fit pretty well,I just had to notch out and fill in where the big ends of the inner tie rods want to be in the same place as the pan. I also bought a seat,a tubing bender and 140 ft of DOM tube.........more to follow

Steve McMahan · Jun 27, 2024

Nice craftsmanship

71Rustang · Jun 29, 2024

Steve McMahan said:
Nice craftsmanship

Thank You

tony-muscle · Jul 1, 2024

71Rustang said:
Hi everyone,it's been a while. So here's what been going on. Long story short I acquired a 70 front sway bar with Kar Kraft clevis ends for heim joints and it also came with the KK ball style frame mounts for a 1 1/8 bar. So I bought a bar for a 71,cut off the ends from the 70 bar set it all up on the car a plug welded them on the 71 bar. Then I tackled the oil pan,I decided to go with a Aviaid pan instead of the Robbins pan I have as I would have had to modify that pan so much to make it fit it wouldn't have resembled the pan it used to be anymore. The Aviaid pan fit pretty well,I just had to notch out and fill in where the big ends of the inner tie rods want to be in the same place as the pan. I also bought a seat,a tubing bender and 140 ft of DOM tube.........more to follow

Nice jobs. What are the fittings on the oil pan for? Is this a dry sump system?

71Rustang · Jul 10, 2024

tony-muscle said:
Nice jobs. What are the fittings on the oil pan for? Is this a dry sump system?

Thanks. Yes those fittings are for the dry sump.

Sheriff41 · Jul 17, 2024

Did you see this? Looks like what you're going for.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-ford-mustang-trans-am/

71Rustang · Oct 12, 2024

Hello ,it's been a while. So here's the roll cage built with a combination of the Kar Kraft design,the 71 season updates and the current SCCA Vintage Trans Am rules. It's all 1 1/2'' DOM mild steel bent and installed by me. I also narrowed the dash 4 1/2'' to fit in between the A pillar bars. I also bought a new Corbeau GT8 seat that I tore apart to make fit the car and rebuilt it with mounts in the rear for a upper support bar,I still have to mount it. Then I built and installed the firewall trunk panel............then I took a break.

Steve McMahan · Oct 13, 2024

Continue to be in awe at your efforts. You inspire me.

Cleveland Crush · Oct 13, 2024

@71Rustang what size rubber are you running?

71 Mach1(Trans Am) 2" nose drop

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