1983 GL, project: Cheap Thrills

So, photo bucket is pretty much dead so the pic links are also dead. Probably means no more pics in my thread either. Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

So I pulled the pinion flange off and was ready to swap in the mustang 8.8 pinion flange.

Sure enough, different spline diameter so it's the explorer flange or nothing.

So now I'm faced with a flange that fits the pinion, but the driveshaft flange doesn't match the bolt holes spacing.

Well, I'll fix this!

I bolt my small rotary table to the drill press. Then I clamp the explorer flange to the rotary table and zero it. Then I clamp the mustang flange to the explorer flange, carefully aligning the two flange bosses together. I rotate the mustang flange until the bolt holes are centered over clear metal on the explorer flange. Clamp it all down solid and do a few more runouts to make sure everything is still true.

Once it's all good to go, I drill the new holes in the explorer flange. Rotary table makes being consistent with spacing and concentricity a breeze.

Then a M 12 x 1.75 tap puts the threads in.

Back over to the car, install and torque it to 150 lbs and bolt up the driveshaft. Works perfectly.

:)

Mini starter was ready to go in, but I need shorter bolts.

Now I'm working on adapting the magnaflow stainless exhaust to the car.the bbk h pipe is being a pita, it's just not lining up and I'm already stretching and pulling with the portal power. The over axle tubes are also going to probably need some altering due to the panhard bar being where the want to drop behind the axle.

Fun, fun, fun......
 
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well, here's some info for ya:

Got a fox? considering BBK longtubes? PLus a BBK H pipe?

Don't.

They fit together in a fox like crap.

I had to tweak the headers pretty good to fit and clear the under-hood parts and they still don't end up underneath where they need to be.

The H pipe is too long to fit with the MM front mount with for the torque arm. I've had to cut the front flanges off, section the pipe and re-weld for proper length. The bends do not line up to place the rear flange on the chassis properly, the hangars are bent wrong, The final "finger in the eye" is I had to cut the crossover pipe out as it wouldn't let hte two pipe runs lie where they would fit and clear.

Normally, I would say it doesn't fit because of all the aftermarket parts, but you would expect BBK headers to work with BBK pipes in the same chassis.

At least I only paid 150 bucks for the headers and the H-pipe. I'll get it to all work together, but what a major PITA.....
 
Well, this H pipe debacle has been ticking me off since I started yesterday and it was actually bothering me so much it set off a bout of depression.

So I'm siting here thinking about that damned H pipe, how much it's bumming me out, and how I can make it work and I've come to the decision: I have to let go of trying to "make it work" by tweaking and bending them and just cut the crap out of them, weld the crap out of them and make a custom set that actually fits.

Cutting and welding the crap out of it will also to wonders for my emotional state. Nothing like getting some vengeance tho make you feel better!

Ah well, it would have been nice if they had just bolted on and looked "slick and clean" under the car, but that's just not my Karma.

Same as always, I have to burn, bend and force the steel to my will.....:mad:
 
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After several hours of chopping welding and fitting, the crap BBK H- pipe now actually fits.

Drivers side was the worst. I had to make so many cuts to make it fit the headers and come out where it needed to end that it would have been more weld than pipe. After I had it fit, I was able to measure the angles at the ends of the worst section, cut it out of the pipe and insert a straight piece. A weld at each end beats welding up ten odd cuts any day!

In the process, the crossover pipe had moved forward about 5". That was fine as it interfered with the torque arm crossmember and had to be relocated anyways. I burned in a new crossover pipe and now all I have to do is install the magnaflow "cat back" system and add length to the end of the h pipe to meet it.

Still have some welding to do to finish the h pipe, but it's essentially done.

Side bonus was I treated myself to a 14" chop saw, which made things much easier. Was on sale at crappy for 159.00. Its not anything professional grade, but it will do fine for my purposes. I've been needing one for a long time, so no complaints there!

Once the exhaust is hung, I can do the brake and fuel lines and then I'm done crawling around on the floor underneath this thing. I'll be glad when that happens. All this up and down is killing my bad back.its also like fixing a foundation on a house: it's important and needs to be done, but it's no where near as fun and satisfying as working on something you can actually see.

Lol!
 
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Since photobucket is dead to free hosting, I'll give supermotors a try:

img_5877.jpg


Thats h-pipe and mufflers in. The h-pipe was a bbk before i had to cut the crap out of it to make it work. The mufflers are magnaflow.

I dropped the fuel tank (to make it easier to work on the tail pipes) and found it was rusty inside and a fuel weep at a rusted spot on top of the tank. Well, need a new tank now too. Not too much of a surprise, it is the original one free m 1983 after all!

To put it plain and simple; the magnaflow tail pipes don't fit with the panhard bar mount.

The drivers side is close, it just needs to be lengthened at the top of the over-axle part by about an inch
and it will work fine.

The passenger looks to be much more involved. We'll see how it goes, but its not going to be a fast process.
 
Driver side tailpipe is in.

Luckily, it did not require modification.

But the pipes are barely engaged at the slip joints and could have used about another inch (maybe two) of length in the mid pipe. Since the H-pipe is already cut up, i may take it back down and add an inch or two to that.

The tail pipe also wants to rotate inward and down, but I think that's due to a hanger up by the muffler that seems to be bent down when it should be bent up. The rubber hanger on it ends up parallel to the ground which makes it to want to drop. I may bend it up when everything is fully installed to see if i can make it make more sense for holding the pipes/muffler up.

Now for the passenger side.

This should be fun as i have to drop the panhard bar chassis bracket just to get the pipe in place and then put the bracket back up to see if the pipe clears it.

Fun, fun, fun...

Why did i start this project again?

;)
 
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Passenger tail pipe is in.

But it ain't pretty.

I had to cut the top of the over axle bend and add an inch.

Then, at the bottom of the over axle piece where it makes a 90 and heads rearward, I had to beat it in to clear the panhard rod frame bracket. It's nearly half diameter.

Oh well, it's on and I'm going to bed. I may look at it in the future to see if I can replace the dimpled section, but right now I've just plain and simple had enough of it!

;)
 
Slept on it and have a new plan.

I'm going to order some pre-bent 2 1/2 exhaust pipe:

$_12.JPG


and reroute the piece over the panhard bar bracket.

Basically, I'm going to chop it off just above the bracket, weld on a 90, then another 90 to point it back down again and a third 90 to rejoin the rest of the tail pipe.

I'll see if I can get a pic up later on which should make it obvious what I'm planing.

The Magnaflow pipes are stainless, but I'm just going to use regular pipe to fabricate the bend. The car is going to essentially be a garage queen except for dry/sunny summer days, so I'm not worried about rust and whatnot. Even if it does get some rust on it, it's not going to be enough to make a difference to anything. My estate will be selling the car before it ever gets to the point where it's a concern......

;)
 
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Started doing the rear bumper today. Pulled the 83 off and slipped on the 87 gt.

My magnaflow pipes would need a hole cut in the bumper. I'm not really feeling that look.

A cobra bumper would be the easy answer, but I can't find anyone that will ship it cross border, or sell one and ship it at less than an "OH MY GOD!!" price.

So tomorrow, I'm going to modify the GT rear bumper to clear the pipes by cutting it straight across. The side skirts I'll cut up on an angle to match the rear height.

Then, I'll fit and bond the "lip" back on to the cut pieces to give it a finished look.

If I'm still worth my salt with body work, it should mostly look like an oem cobra bumper when I'm done.
 
Man you are doing a fantastic job on that car.loving the thread.

You would be an awesome guy to have around a custom build. You seem to always come up with a good solution for that situation that creeps up.
 
Rear bumper is cut, at least to the basic shape:

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/www.supermotors.net\/getfile\/1117359\/fullsize\/img_5977.jpg"}[/IMG2]

img_5978.jpg


Not bad, not bad at all!

Need a little refining and to have the little lip/roll bonded back on the bottom edge (for strength).

its touching the tail pipes, but its also sagging a bit since i only have it on loosely. I'll probably still have to put a small arch over the the pipes just to give it a little extra clearance and a little bit more visual appeal.

It's not a cobra bumper, but it's damned close.

And it didnt drain my bank account either....:)
 
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Couldn't resist hanging the front fender and the rest of the plastic to get a better look at how it will all go together when finished:
[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/www.supermotors.net\/getfile\/1117362\/fullsize\/img_5980.jpg"}[/IMG2]
[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/www.supermotors.net\/getfile\/1117363\/fullsize\/img_5981.jpg"}[/IMG2]


I did have to hang them to put them back in to proper shape (polyurethane will take a set in whatever direction it is twisted if left too long), but it was mainly so i could see it and get a little motivation to carry on.

Looks pretty good IMHO.

Gonna look super cool tearing up an autocross course!

:)
 
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Starting to take shape, going to look good when all done.
You can for sure say its custom built.
 
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