Last of the V8 Interceptors.. my XB Falcon Coupe
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I got the old girl up in the air on some axle stands so I could remove the dolly I'd made for transport, this will be modified & used for the Dodge next
Then I spent way too much time looking in boxes & containers for all of the front suspension parts I need to bolt on next
First thing I've installed is power steering rack
Next up I've installed the coilover strut
Then the engine bay strut brackets & the chrome strut cap go on
It's such a joy to be installing new shiny clean parts that just fit onto a shiny clean car... I'll get into it tomorrow & finish off the rest of the front end..
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Got the rest of the front end on today, obviously I'm not bothered about front end alignments yet... I wait till the drive train is fully in for that.
I'd almost forgotten what the wheels I'd bought look like
Thought I'd test fit the engine bay bracing just because I wanted to see the chrome against the red paint...
I need to rivet the ID tags back on, so I figured I'd clean them up a bit first... so I'll just give them a quick rub over with some metal polish before they go back on
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Time to sort out the diff, lets start with the rear disk brake conversation... the company I bought the kit from had sent the wrong backing plate, it didn't line up at all
After months of trying (not kidding) I finally got the correct backing plate from them
Now I just had to remove everything from the old backing plate & install it on the new one, the horseshoe thingy is the handbrake shoe that fits inside the rear disk
Annoyingly the piston for the handbrake fouls the disk & prevents it from spinning so that needed to be clearanced
With that sorted then it was the turn of the calliper bracket itself to foul on the disk...
With that sorted then the bloody calliper itself was too close to the disk & was just grabbing on the metal plate that holds the pads in
So that simple job took way too long... but it's sorted now finally
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Now to fit the diff back into the car
I don't like the fact that these suspension brackets bolt on using U-Bolts so I want to weld them to the diff... but it's not just as simple as bolting them up as below & welding them, I'll need to fit the diff into the car & set up the suspension fully to ensure that the brackets are in exactly the correct alignment before I commit to welding
Fitting that torque tube to the front of the diff is a mammoth ballache... doubly so when you're doing it on your own, I look forward to the next time I fit it as it will hopefully be the last **** time I ever have to fit it
I have the diff in now, the trailing arms are connected up as are the coilovers, now I just need to spend a bit of time centring the diff before I connect up the mumford link arms at the back of the diff... once I have that done then I'll lower the car off the stands & look to adjust the ride height to where I want that & then I'll double check all the adjustments etc before committing to the position of the brackets with the welder
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I haven't touched this is a few weeks.. life kinda got in the way, but now I'm starting to get a bit done again. I was able to get up to NSW to catch up with Dru & to get my gearbox off him, so I have that here in the shed now
I also have been getting some more bits.. I ordered a complete rubber kit for the car
I also have a set of new brake lines for the engine bay
Another thing that's taking up a lot of time is I'm having to clean & in some cases repaint all the brackets as they just didn't look good enough to go back on. I'm also replacing all of the visible nuts & bolts with shiny new ones
I thought that one large box of Dynamat would be enough to do the interior.. I was wrong, this is as far as one box got me so I've another on order now
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Time to move on with the brakes... I was thinking of fitting the fancy under-dash booster that the company that made the suspension sell.. this bolts to the inside of the firewall & the whole unit runs east west in the car under the dash instead of being out in the engine bay. The only parts on show in the engine bay would be the two remote fluid reservoirs
Whilst it's a neat solution on the engine bay side it makes life a little harder under the dash & I'd lose the airvent on the drivers side of the car.. I could either leave it open like below & if would forever be blowing in vast amounts of hot or cold outside air into the car or I can follow their instructions & block off that opening so that I can never have fresh air vented in. Given my memories of how hot it gets driving this car in an Aus summer I don't think fitting this booster to tidy the engine bay is actually worth the lost of the drivers side vent
With that decision made I've cleaned up & repainted the old booster as it works fine & installed that & the original brake pedal assembly back in the car
I'd love to fit an aftermarket Wilwood master on, but the gap between the firewall & the strut tower is so small that you can only fit a Wilwood master if you go unboosted on the brakes.. so the only setup I know of right now that fits into an XB engine bay is the original XB set-up so I've cleaned up my old PBR master & I'll fit that for now & see how that preforms with the big 4 wheel disk brake kit on the car when I get it running.
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Since I've gone with the standard brake set up that means I didn't have to rebend the factory formed lines I'd bought, so fitting them up was nice & easy.... I opted to throw away my old clips & install new shiny undamaged brake line clips
Now if you're wondering why the two lines don't run side by side sharing the same clips it's because that's the path that the clutch hard line would take if the car was a manual, I need to figure out what the holes & that depression in the firewall are for between the two lines, if it's not going to be in the way of anything I think I'll rebend the lower line which is the front half of the rear line & have it share the same clips of the front line for neatness... or maybe I'll just leave it & let it eat away at my OCD forever.
I've also cleaned up the headlight buckets & the bonnet catch striker plate & installed them...
I've also cleaned up & fit the braces that bolt to the outside of the shock towers under the arches... I was thinking of leaving these off as I assume they where just splash guards of a sort, but they are double skinned & bloody thick metal so I've done a bit of digging & it seems that they are structural so they definitely need to go back on
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My new Dynamat box rocked up so I finished installing that
I think I might peel off the original foam from the roof too & put this stuff on the roof as I now have a load left over. Also thinking of putting it inside the doors too
Spent a heap of time stuffing around centring the diff housing, not the easiest job to do on your own.. but I got it to within 1mm & the adjustability in the rear mumford links will take that out easily when the diff goes back in for the first of the last times
Pretty happy with how this looks with the wheel sitting at where it will probably be the final ride height
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Next job is to convert the rear suspension brackets from being U-bolted to the diff housing to being welded to the diff housing, so out the diff came again
First I weld the brackets to the leaf spring pad
This is a very slow process as I want to put as little heat as possible into the diff housing, so I weld a section & then leave the whole thing for 15 or 20 minutes until it's all at room temp again before welding the next section. I've cut the vertical supports that I'll add so it's tied to the housing & not just the spring pad
These will be slid in either side of the housing tube & welded to the flat of the bracket as well as the tube, just need a little more ground off the bottom to have them sit centered
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I've been a bit lazy on this & I've been helping a mate do some home remodelling so I'm not as far along as I thought I would be. But it's not a race so I don't care... I finished welding the brackets to the diff, I also took the time to modify the rear mumford link ends. The original design I'd bought a few years back had a solid mounting design for the rear mumford links
Their new kit uses a bracket for the mumford links to bolt into that can be adjusted up & down for height like the front brackets for the coilovers do
My plan was to cut off the rear of the bracket & weld on a drilled section like you see at the front of the bracket here
Now that that's done, I have a lot more adjustability for the rear suspension... of course this will mean it takes even longer to get it all set up right later... but that's a problem for future Dave.
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The next step is to clean up the diff, paint it & then rebuild it.. right lets see if we can get thru this post with little to no sniggering as we are adults here... so Muscle cars have different Diff's... in the case of my XB I have a 9" (stop it!) these are renowned as being one the tuffest unbreakable Diffs you can get... but for 700HP or what will really do the damage the Torque figures of 594ftlb (805NM) that this thing made on the Dyno it will eat even a 9" if it's internals are stock. With this in mind I whipped out my 3rd member... honestly that's what Ford call the centre section of a 9" diff...
This thing is stupid heavy... I could get it rebuilt with tougher internals but I'll see what the cost of a pre-built drop in 3rd member is, just need to work put what final ration I want to run now that I have a 4 speed gearbox & not a 3 speed.
I was going to write a section on how you can easily tell if you're 3rd member is a real 9" or not... but the short version is that it has extra ribbing...
The Axles will go in the bin as well as they are stock 28 spline items.. depending on the guys at the diff shop say, I'll be going 31 spline at minimum, maybe even 33 or 35's depending on cost & if they think the 31's won't cut it.
The cleaning up of parts to bolt back on is an ongoing process... I dug out the wiper motor & I think you'll agree that it cannot go back on in this state
Turns out that these are made of unobtainimum like so many parts for this car, but I found a guy in Sydney who restores them... & wow does he do an amazing job...
It took longer in the shipping up to him & back down to me than it took him to do the job... he got it on a Wednesday & he sent me the pics of the finished on the Sat... it's been mechanically sorted too... not just cosmetically
This week, my plan is to clean & paint the Diff.. then I'll go make a trip to the diff specialist place near me & see about ordering a new 3rd member with what ever gearing I finally decide on & some shiny most likely billet axels... I also plan on getting the dash out of it's safe storage space in the house & see what issues past Dave just wrapped up in a blanket whilst saying f*ck it... that's Future Dave's problem, need to chase my painter up too.. if I can get the boot hinges & the rear lights back of him I can put the back half of the car back together...
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Finished painting the diff housing
I also got my new diff parts this week... I've got a new tuff billet Detroit Truetrac 3rd member, I decided to go with 3.7 gears as I have a .667:1 4th gear in my AOD trans so that should give me good acceleration & yet still allow the RPM to be low when at speeds over 100kph
I also got a new set of 31 spline billet axles to go with the new centre
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Hopefully this is the last time I have to build out this diff, it's really not a one person job... but the 3rd member & the torque tube are on now
I'm still waiting on delivery of two gaskets for the diff ends, so I can't put the axles back in yet... but I installed the housing back in the car
I think my plan now will be to put the wheels on & then push the XB up onto the hoist to finish the assembly & also to make it easier for me to do all the final suspension setup as I can't be f*cked laying on the floor under the car any more... so next job will be to finishes a few little bits on the GTO so that I can move it off the hoist before putting the XB on it.
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I was laying on my back under the car working on the rear suspension when I decided f*ck it I'll move her onto the hoist now... I was holding off on this as there where a few little jobs I've been waiting on parts for for the GTO that I wanted to get finished before I moved the GTO off the hoist, I've been waiting many many weeks for these parts & without them there are two small leaks, one is power steering leak & the other is a trans fluid leak.... I saw an Instagram post from David Freiburger of RoadKill fame which simply stated "Don't make it right, just make it run" & I realised that I haven't been driving the GTO just because it will leave two 5 cent drips of oil under it when I park it up... so screw it , I'm just going to drive her & top up the fluids as needed until the parts I need get off back order & finally rock up....
On went the wheels, this is the first time since 2015 I think that she has sat on her own wheels with no stands or rotisserie or dolly frame... nice milestone
With that decision made, I played my fave game that is Muscle car tetris.... so everything came out of the shed so that I could clean the floor
With the help of Mrs_XB the XB was pushed up onto the hoist
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The Camaro now lives in the corner, I should be ready to start on that project early to mid next year I reckon...
The Challenger now lives in the middle of the shed, I just need to modify the transport dolly I took off the XB to fit her & then she should be off to stay with my painter from end of Jan'ish... so get ready for that thread to become the panel work prep & painting pic spamming thread that this thread has been for a lot of this year.... unsubscribe now, you have been warned
The GTO will live under the XB for now when I'm not working on the XB... I'm thinking I might buy a second 4 post hoist to help with storage this year before the Challenger comes home
I'd just slapped the axles in & the wheels on to move her here, so I have to finish centring the diff as it couldn't be done with the car in the air on stands I discovered, really needed her weight on the suspension to do that right.... so next jobs will be (note, I'll probably get distracted by a squirrel & these next jobs listed below won't get done in this order if at all)
1. Center the Diff properly
2. Set the ride height
3. Pull the axles back out & fit the new axle seals & gaskets
4. Start running the fuel & brake lines
5. Install the dash whilst the doors are off & the glass is still out
6. Put some hanging panels back on so the car is heavier & that completely screws up the ride height you set in step 2
7. Re-do step 2
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Decided to fit the new axle oil seals to the diff housing today
Step 1 is to remove the old seal, there is a great slide hammer puller tool for this job that makes it really simple to do
I don't have one of them... but what I lack in proper tooling I more than make up for in brute force & ignorance... so I'll just use my seal pick to remove it
Man that was a battle to get out... it was proper fused welded in place, but I won in the end
Very happy now that the new shiny seal is in
Now hopefully this will be the last time I install the rear disk conversation... I doubt it, so this will be the first time I install them for the last time... yeah, lets go with that for now
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I'm really loving how my wheels look...
I think the final ride height I go with will be just a little lower than what you see here
I spent a good while messing about with the adjustable links on the suspension & I've got a real good baseline setup now that will be easy for me to do a final adjustment once all the weight of the panels, glass, interior & the stupidly big 144lt fuel tank goes in
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I've been waiting on some parts I'd ordered & also on some of the last small painted bit from my painter to put some more of this old girl back together. I want to get the hanging panels back on this month... for two reasons, one it will just look awesome & I'll feel like I've made a big leap forward & secondly it'll free up the 2nd spare room in the house that's just full of panels.
My old door striker plates are worn & look crap.. so I had ordered a new set
The holes needed re-tapping as the new hardware just couldn't screw in
Small step forward, but every small step forward gets me closer to driving her again
I still need to remove the old soundproofing from the inside of the roof... this is probably asbestos for all I know... I was going to use the same dynamat I'd used on the floor but then I'd watched the latest Project Binky episode & the comments they made about the heat causing the heavy tar based matting to sag I've opted to follow their lead & install the foam based matting instead.
Got the rear boot hinges back painted so I've installed them now
I have the boot hinge springs painted too... not sure how I'll get them installed without scraping that paint off, but that's an issue for future Dave
The only thing stopping me putting the boot lid back on right now is that I can't find the boot latch... I think/hope that it's a small part I forgot to get back from my painter, I do have a spare somewhere "safe" so worst case I'll pull the shed apart looking for that, then I'll need to clean it up before installing it.
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Speaking of latches that need cleaning... I need to get these door latches cleaned up before I can put them back in the doors & then I can fit the doors. I'm not sure what the best way to clean these will be, please let me know if you have any good ideas on that. Right now I'm just using carb & throttle cleaner & a stiff brush. I was thinking of getting them plated but I assume I need to take them apart fully to do that & I don't want to do that as they are pressed rather than screwed & bolted together.
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Spent a little bit of time in the shed today, so I've installed the new thicker front sway bar now
I haven't tightened up the new end links yet, I might drop the engine in tomorrow to put weight on the front end & then I'll tighten then up
As I'm sure you've worked out by now, I don't really have a plan as to what order I'm putting parts back on... I'm just winging it really, so I decided to install the dash frame next mostly because it's sitting on the floor in the spare room in the house & it's miracle that it hasn't been damaged yet... also I've been putting off the wiring side of the rebuild & it's probably time to at least start looking at that & I need the dash in for that.
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I went to install the go pedal next, but I was missing two holes for the bracket on the right hand side of the linkage
Jumped on a video call with my mate Brad & he was nice enough to head out to his shed & show me his XA that's a bare shell right now... turns out that Ford just used ugly self tappers as the factory installing method... see pic of Brads below.... so me being a dickhead I assumed they where just some holes made by a previous owner & I'd welded them up... bugger
Measurements taken from his, I set about drilling holes so I can use a nut & bolt & not a self tapper to install mine now
With the holes drilled, the go pedal is now fully installed... I'm not happy with the look of those bolts but they where the only ones I had to hand that fit, but I'll replace them with something that looks less shite later
As I have no plan, I've no idea what I'll be doing tomorrow.... but I'll be doing something
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I had her out in the sun yesterday as I was working on the GTO & I think I've changed my mind as to the order I'll be reassembling her now. I had planned on finishing the wiring & a lot of the interior like carpet & headliner etc before putting the hanging panels back on.... but now I think I'm sick of them taking over a whole room in the house & I feel that putting the boot lid & the doors back on as a minimum will be a big physiological boost to my work ethic to getting more done as she'll look like more of a car... might call my painter & see when he can come around & help put the panels on.
Or am I being stupid & should I leave the panels off for the next few months until I finish all of the interior etc???
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Time to clean up the under guard splash shields & install them along with new rubbers too
One set of rubbers just clips onto the radiator support panel at the outer edge
The steel sections bolt up behind the front wheel
The old rubbers are stapled onto this metal.. so I'll have to unpick that & then reattach the new rubbers once I have the steel cleaned up
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Ok... to make up for that dull update, here's something shiny.... got my custom radiator & thermo fan setup today
This rad is 4 core so it's thicker than the factory 3 core unit, so the factory top & bottom brackets won't fit... so I'll have to make up some of my own to fit this
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