[napster]

Thought I might update the progress on my ’73 T/A resto mod. With the virus problems my mechanic/engine builder can spend more time on my project. Here are some pictures he sent me recently.


The first set show the brakes which that will go underneath the 15x7 rally II’s. There seem to be extra material on the rims which require a spacer to clear. You will notice that the studs are short and longer ones have been ordered from Wilwood and will be installed once they are received. I may have to reduce the size of the tire. Mechanic saw a possible problem with rubbing. I’m running a 255/60/15 all around right now. Won’t know if that will have to change until the engine is in and the car is on the ground.

[napster]

The second set shows the engine getting ready for placement. Just need to get all the firewall items put in….master cylinder, power brake booster, reservoir for the hydraulic clutch , etc…..

[JC455]

Looking good! SO happy to see a Poncho mill under the hood- too many guys 'resto mod' them w/ LS's.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Wow
that engine is too pretty to hide inside of an engine bay.

Gonna be a Killer Car

I had 255/60/15 on 15x7 R2's on my 73 for a while.
It was faintly lowered front & rear.
Mild rub on full turns in parking lots, was easy enough to overcome. (just don't turn to full lock)
Hope it works out for you, that is the best looking size combo.

[napster]

Well, it seems the pandemic is taking its toll on driveshaft companies. The company in Florida my mechanic uses usually has five employees. Over the last month only one guy is doing the work of five. The dimensions were checked before it was to be shipped and it was found to be a 1/2 inch too long. This was over two weeks ago. Now it seems the company is sticking to it's guns and says the shaft will be shipped this Friday and will arrive at the shop on Wednesday of next week. I'll believe it when I see it. This has been going on for over a month.

My mechanic checked with another company he use to deal with and they are running into the same problems. The owner told him to start from scratch right now would take three weeks to get a drive shaft.

[napster]

Originally Posted by JC455

Looking good! SO happy to see a Poncho mill under the hood- too many guys 'resto mod' them w/ LS's.

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

Wow
that engine is too pretty to hide inside of an engine bay.

Gonna be a Killer Car

I had 255/60/15 on 15x7 R2's on my 73 for a while.
It was faintly lowered front & rear.
Mild rub on full turns in parking lots, was easy enough to overcome. (just don't turn to full lock)
Hope it works out for you, that is the best looking size combo.

Thanks both of you for kind words.

[napster]

The latest update is the hood. When I got the car the hood was fine. The information I got on it indicated the original owner ordered the hood bird and later had the decal removed and the bird painted on the hood. The car was sold to TA specialties in Miami. Once there the painted bird was removed and again replaced with the hood bird decal. Once the car got to me via Texas everything seemed fine.

I sent the car off to a restoration shop in upstate Connecticut. What a mistake that was. They screwed up the engine and put a bow in the hood. I got the car out of there in a hurry. After the car was back in my hands for about six months I noticed some funny things were happening with the paint under the hood decal. So I decided to have the hood taken down to bare metal and the bow addressed at the same time.

Here is the result.

Still waiting for the drive shaft.

[70UglyBird]

LOVIING this build! Info on the radiator fan setup? And the valve covers?

[napster]

Originally Posted by 70UglyBird

LOVIING this build! Info on the radiator fan setup? And the valve covers?

'70UglyBird,

Thanks for the comment. BTW, I'm following your build as well. It's look'in real good!!!

Valve covers - Here is where I started:

https://butlerperformance.com/i-2445...tegory:1234744

It starts out with a blank top. I used some of the logos and other items Bulter shows on some of their other valve cover offerings. I added some items I came up with.
They have a person put it together on paper and they send it back for your approval or for more tweaking. Once approved they use a laser to put the design on the valve covers.

Not cheap! I ordered the ones on the engine in this thread in June of last year and they were $650.00. I ordered another set in November of last year and they went to $680.00. The only change was the 496 to 461.

If you want to go for a set ask for Anthony Duncan. He was a big help and nice to work with.

I don't want to get timed out so I will address the cooling fans in another post.

Later,

Jim

[napster]

Engine was finally put in the car today. Not completely setup, but at least it is in the car.

[napster]

Latest updates consist of Power steering, fuel, fans and cooling systems are complete. Brake system is also complete.

Next week is on to the installation of the T-56. Will be interesting to see how much of the transmission tunnel has to be cut. This is a change from a turbo 400 to manual Tremec 6 speed.

I have read some threads that say not much cutting is done and others that say a lot of cutting is necessary. We will see.

[Gator67]

Originally Posted by napster

Latest updates consist of Power steering, fuel, fans and cooling systems are complete. Brake system is also complete.

Next week is on to the installation of the T-56. Will be interesting to see how much of the transmission tunnel has to be cut. This is a change from a turbo 400 to manual Tremec 6 speed.

I have read some threads that say not much cutting is done and others that say a lot of cutting is necessary. We will see.

I had to cut quite a bit of the tunnel to fit a T-56 in my 70. But I have a DSE subframe, which pushes the engine back 1", so may get away with less surgery. Some cutting will be required unless you're OK with the transmission tail pointing downwards. I bought a tunnel cover piece from Speedtech, but my sheetmetal guy went ahead and fabricated one before I had a chance to tell him.

[napster]

Another update....still don't have the car.

Electrical gremlins are at it again. Also, it seems the quality of replacement parts can be categorized as junk.

Here is my point. The fuel gauge was bad and replaced. Only to have the same problem with a small amount of gas in the tank and the gauge is pegged all the way to the right. The gauge was tested and found to be OK.

Now it turns out the replacement sending unit that came with the Holley sniper gas tank kit was bad. Hope Holley doesn't give us a problem with this. I have heard people had problems with their customer service.

[napster]

Originally Posted by grd777

Nice vids. Boy I want a garage like that ,do u rent or own those garages

Rent. P&Z didn't like my plan and did not allow the variance I needed. Had to go in a different direction.

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

Quick question, where did you source the door handle color coded stickers?



.

My memory is a little fuzzy on this. I know it was discussed with the restoration shop I had the car at for awhile to paint some stickers and cut and apply. However, I attached some pixs of the door handles. It looks like the door handles were painted.

Originally Posted by Gator67

Great thread! Really makes me want to get mine moving along again.

Thank you.

Two questions:

First, trying to decide between the CVF and March systems, and wondering what influenced your decision?

I have the same belt system on another car and had no troubles. I think the March system looks better than CVF.

Second, how did you get the engine call outs made?

Had them made by a person on this board. Sweet Judge. Owns Jerry's Printing in Bridgeport, CT. (203) 384-0015.

[vertigto]

Awesome...quite the powerplant.

[napster]

‘70UglyBird,

Here is the continuation to the above post:

Fan setup - Well I have to consult with my mechanic on the details, but it is a unit sold by Griffin. Both the radiator and fans are sold as a unit. I have a bigger version of the setup in my 1970 GTO. It is bigger for the GTO since it can accommodate the additional size.

I can tell you about this portion of the fans. I have two backup systems to the main power going to the fans. I’ll tell you why later on. The first backup is if the main power stops working to the fans there is another power setup that will let the fans work at 50%. Since I am now a gauge hawk, I will see the gauge creep up and I will know something is up and it needs to be addressed. The second backup is if the temperature gets to 220 the power will be shut off to the fuel pump.

Here is why I have two backups for electric fans. A few years ago I had a 461 stroker built for one of my ’78 S/E’s. After I had the car for less than two days I fried the engine. Not something I like to talk about.

Anyway, the fans stopped working and since I wasn’t watching the gauges it was too late when I saw a problem. The temp gauge was pegged all the way to the right past the 260. I thought it was a faulty gauge as I had the gauge changed for a bad oil pressure reading. The gauge was not in error. When I looked at the FAST LED read out it showed 255. That is a reading from the intake manifold. The other gauge in the dash was setup to the block.

The car got me home, but once I shut it off steam came out of the shaker, air extractors and front grills. Total carnage. The fans stopped working. The setup on that engine was a radiator and fans from two different companies. Forget about the fan company paying for a new engine.

Once the engine was torn down it was apparent the block took the brunt of it. The top of the block was magnafluxed and it lite up like a Christmas tree. There was no need to do the bottom of the block.

Now I'm a gauge hawk.

Later,

Jim

[Stuart]

Neat to see a restomod that will retain the 15" wheels. I don't mind 16" or even some 17" wheels but when they get bigger than that the proportions are all off.

[napster]

Originally Posted by Stuart

Neat to see a restomod that will retain the 15" wheels. I don't mind 16" or even some 17" wheels but when they get bigger than that the proportions are all off.

Originally Posted by vertigto

Awesome...quite the powerplant.

Thanks Guys!

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

In one of the pictures of the master cylinder , you can see the #16 casting ID on the SuperDuty455 heads . SWEET

All the mounting/bracketry assembly and accessories on the front of engine look super ultra mega deluxe.

[napster]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

In one of the pictures of the master cylinder , you can see the #16 casting ID on the SuperDuty455 heads . SWEET

All the mounting/bracketry assembly and accessories on the front of engine look super ultra mega deluxe.

Baron,

Thanks for the nice comments.

Jim