37 Ford build--IE: old Header issues thread /37 Ford/5.0/GT40P heads

[randyr]

Whooooopppeee !!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations. Parts look pretty good.

Nice thing with using SPI epoxy is that it is a sanding epoxy. You can easily (well, kinda easily) sand out those runs and dust then recoat. You can also do like Shine, use it exclusively as a build 2K instead of having another product to fool with. I prefer the high build as the epoxy gets really tough after a couple weeks - though you do need to do a full scuff if you wait 24-48 hours after application to put anything else on it, i.e. 2K/BC-CC

Yeah, Thanks, Dave, I think there are places on my fenders that are too rough to use the epoxy as the sole building source. I'll have to use a skim coat of filler and some high build 2K to get them really nice. I've been reading a lot on the SPI forum about all the do's & don'ts. I've been thinking about using the SPI bedliner as undercoating. At what point do you think I should spray that on? I'm guessing after I finish the body work but before I apply the BC/CC, right?

-Other Dave, thanks for the kudos!! I've read a lot of great recommendations for the SPI products, include Dave's (IC2). This is the first time I've used the epoxy but given the reviews, I don't think I can go wrong with it.

Feels great to make a little bit of a progress for a change. I hope the neighbors go out of town more often. As long as I can keep the SoCal clean air natzis away while I'm doing these little spray jobs, I'll be happy!

[Dave Severson]

Parts look great, Randy!!!! Think I'm going to switch to SPI when I'm done with what I have on hand now, everybody raves about the quality and durability!!!!

[34_40]

Well Alright Randy! They look great in the pic. Always a milestone when the primer goes on!

[randyr]

Well Alright Randy! They look great in the pic. Always a milestone when the primer goes on!

Thanks, Mike!!! from ear to ear!

[IC2]

Some good folks on the SPI forum - I just don't do much more then lurk occasionally as I get too tied up here and one other site for my auto fix.

The SPI bed liner is supposed to be great stuff though I haven't used it. I did talk to Barry one time about it to use on my truck but didn't pull the trigger. As far as applying it - for sure use his gun. I did mine with 3-4 spray cans, Duplicolor, I believe, about 8 bucks or so each from Advance after I painted it but before assembly. Overspray is almost impossible to remove and of course I was able to find a couple holes where my masking off wasn't too well done. If I were to do it again, it would be before BC/CC paint, making sure that items like fender and panel flanges were not coated.

Again, lookin' good

[35fordcoupe]

Very cool Randy!! I'm trying to figure out where you're at now...once you finish spraying the epoxy do you have much left to do before spraying the color and final assembly?

[randyr]

Very cool Randy!! I'm trying to figure out where you're at now...once you finish spraying the epoxy do you have much left to do before spraying the color and final assembly?

Hey Robert, I wish I could say I'm about ready for paint but alas, I can't. I had all those body parts sand blasted a while back then did some preliminary pounding & welding before shooting the epoxy on them. At least now they are protected from rust, etc. I still have to skim coat them in some areas with filler then seal them with more epoxy after I get them blocked out. I still have to finish stripping the body, too and a whole bunch of other stuff.

How's your car coming along?

[35fordcoupe]

I feel like we have spent most of the year playing with our wiper/sunroof motor problem. There just wasn't enough room for both. We didn't want to cut up the wiper kit only to still not be able to make it fit so we gave up and ordered a SPW kit then realized we would need to drill new holes anyway and we liked the New Port kit better. So we moved both holes one inch to the right, cut into the roof structure to fit the wiper motor, cut up the upper wiper linkage to clear the sunroof motor and welded up the first holes. Everything clears now except we still haven't gotten the sunroof to power. We have seen the gear turn out of the car so we know it will work it's all just being difficult. I blame the German wiring . We have done some other things here and there, but nothing that shows progress. We're hoping to wrap some things up for the winter. Then put in the insulation, window channels, windows, etc, etc. before getting it inspected this spring and driving it for a while before tearing it down for interior and paint. We aren't in a rush for interior and paint..maybe not even next year. I would rather just enjoy it for a while.

[randyr]

I feel like we have spent most of the year playing with our wiper/sunroof motor problem. There just wasn't enough room for both. We didn't want to cut up the wiper kit only to still not be able to make it fit so we gave up and ordered a SPW kit then realized we would need to drill new holes anyway and we liked the New Port kit better. So we moved both holes one inch to the right, cut into the roof structure to fit the wiper motor, cut up the upper wiper linkage to clear the sunroof motor and welded up the first holes. Everything clears now except we still haven't gotten the sunroof to power. We have seen the gear turn out of the car so we know it will work it's all just being difficult. I blame the German wiring . We have done some other things here and there, but nothing that shows progress. We're hoping to wrap some things up for the winter. Then put in the insulation, window channels, windows, etc, etc. before getting it inspected this spring and driving it for a while before tearing it down for interior and paint. We aren't in a rush for interior and paint..maybe not even next year. I would rather just enjoy it for a while.

What? What? It's hard to make any sense of this without pics!

Hey Robert, thanks for the update! I forgot you were putting a sunroof in there. I'm sure keeping the overhead wipers would be a challenge with that. Did you keep the crank-out windshield or seal it in? Did you consider moving the wipers down on the cowl? Just curious.

I still have the crank-out windshield on my 37 and installed the SPW wiper kit many years ago. I mounted the motor down in the kick panel and ran the cable up thru the roof pillar. It works great except I don't think the wiper studs were mounted at the correct angle with the windshield because the wipers would always fly out at highway speeds. I will correct that in this re-build.

Anyway, post up some pics if you get a chance. Would be great to see what you're doing....

[35fordcoupe]

Sorry, Randy I don't doubt it's hard to follow without pics. It's hard for me to follow We are keeping the windshield crank and cowl vent so running the wipers below wouldn't work too well. The holes for the New Port kit don't come out symetrical over the windshield. The passenger hole ends up just past the middle of the windshield which is right where the sunroof motor is. So moving everything over and a couple other slices took care of it.

I think we have it now, but it has just been one problem after another . Buying the SPW kit where the passenger side would have come out way further over and the motor down on the cowl would have worked much better. The New Port kit is a good kit for a stock application though. It comes with nice chrome escutcheons for the outside which make the angle the splines come out of the roof fool proof (I hope! we'll see if I have the highway problems). You could tell it was a kit designed for a 35/36 versus the SPW universal kit.

[randyr]

Sorry, Randy I don't doubt it's hard to follow without pics. It's hard for me to follow We are keeping the windshield crank and cowl vent so running the wipers below wouldn't work too well. The holes for the New Port kit don't come out symetrical over the windshield. The passenger hole ends up just past the middle of the windshield which is right where the sunroof motor is. So moving everything over and a couple other slices took care of it.

I think we have it now, but it has just been one problem after another . Buying the SPW kit where the passenger side would have come out way further over and the motor down on the cowl would have worked much better. The New Port kit is a good kit for a stock application though. It comes with nice chrome escutcheons for the outside which make the angle the splines come out of the roof fool proof (I hope! we'll see if I have the highway problems). You could tell it was a kit designed for a 35/36 versus the SPW universal kit.

I just looked up the New Port kit and it looks pretty sweet. I haven't heard of them before and don't think they were available when I bought my SPW kit. Like I said, I've always been please with the operation of the SPW except for the fly away wiper blades. I think I need some escutcheons with the proper angle so the splines are perpendicular to the windshield.

BTW I could make sense of what you wrote, I was just giving you crap about not posting pics because that's what I do to the others....

[34_40]

BTW I could make sense of what you wrote, I was just giving you crap about not posting pics because that's what I do to the others....

And I wasn't going to say a word about it!

[IC2]

Randy - we WANT pictures. We ALWAYS want pictures.

I'm even going to post a few of the engine compt. changes I've made over the past 3-4 weeks (the ones I alluded to a while back) to bore the troops, maybe even tomorrow

[35fordcoupe]

Alright alright...I know I enjoy other's pictures so I'll stop being lazy. I have a few on my work computer now so I'll put those up, but I am going to do it in the "everyone who is building a car" thread even though I see this one has finally become "public" . It isn't very exciting stuff, but progres none the less! When it rains we'll be ready

[IC2]

OK - in a never ending quest ....... (Dave, stop the BS)

I made some engine compartment changes to clean up some things that I really didn't care much for after a couple years.

This is what it looked like the picture order WILL come out different, but that's the forum software so you will have to mentally sort them out

DSCN1748.jpgDSCN1746.jpgDSC_0076.jpgDSCN1750.jpgDSCN1747.jpg

Next the 'update' without that Coolflex upper hose and the high mounted alternator. I also went to the wide spread terminal style MSD distributor cap on the small diameter billet distributor. I lost that small dia. advantage, but since I had some evidence of cross firing, should correct the problem.

The alternator bracket is a Skip White ebay special - bracket and spacer are fine. The supplied bolts were useless as was the very long turnbuckle. My $40 bracket became a $60 challenge with a homemade turnbuckle and some McMaster Carr bolts. I shouldn't complain as the complete bracket arrangement is a Wyseco, used by Summit, March and Proform at much higher prices.

I took off the Cool-Flex upper radiator hose which I really didn't care for the day I installed it. Speedway has a steel version that I 'V' notched to match the radiator and engine, rewelded, added a couple pieces of their silicone hoses and some Gates shrink fit clamps (one side of the hoses so far until I 'prove' my welding doesn't leak)

The coil has been moved off of the top of the intake to a new bracket.

To me, that engine looks "cleaner", less cluttered

There are a few more updates, like remove that convoluted wire harness and replace it with nylon braiding, remount the trans dipstick, machine polish the aluminum, but winter isn't even officially here yet .......