70 duster: updating, and a no-dough pro-touring makeover
sdo i pretty much lost a day yesterday to the oil pan, and only NOW realized why. it is up and in, though, and the new gasket, celaned bolts, cleaned pan, etc is all in place and happy.
reason i lost a day that i just discovered? i put the rear baffle in BACKWARDS. yes, backwards. counterintuitive, i know. so i wound up trimming, test fitting, trimming, test fitting, grinding, filing, etc. all because i put the stupid thing back together backwards.....
picture of the pan gasket. be carfeful. this turns out to be the magnum pan gasket, just in a different box. something i learned after getting it all back together. heres to hopiong it dont leak....
picture of 7 years of abuse, 10k miles, etc on the POR15 engine paint. this is after going through the parts washer to clean it up.
i started out thismorning getting the stuffing knocked out of me by my bellhousing. no lie, my ribs still hurt. put the bell up on the workbench to drill the new mounting pattern (had to make a center punch out of a grade 8 bolt tp get the exact center of the hole). drilled it out step by stem to remain accurate. got the 1/2 inch gear reduction makita out, and started reaming for the final size. when the drill got caught, i had a good enough hold on it that it rotated the bell into me with a good amount of force. on every hole. only after getting done, i thought about putting it on the floor and standing on it to prevent that. so take the tip from me.
also got the nuts welded to the inside today. (no inside bellhousing shot...)
i had another aw, shoot moment. when my machinist and i turned down the front bearing retainer on the tremec, we used stock small block four speed retainer dimensions. unfortunately, that is NOT what the lakewood requires. apparently i nefver noticed this when i built the drivetrain last time. the lakewood has one thats about 1/2 inch bigger, or the same size as a big block trans. luckily, the giy that bought my four speed had an adapter ring that came with one of his lakewood bellhousings. cost me 20 bucks, but the alternative was to buy another retainer, have it overnighted in, and then have it machined. just not gonna happen for less that 150 bicks. so the adapter it is!!
i finished the day out by starting to make a nice, precise, HUGE FREAKING HOLE in my floor. this was a very scary and difficult thing to do, as i hate, hate, hate cutting cars up. but, there was no way around it thius time. also removed the 4 speed hump at the same time, or the hole would have been considerably smaller.
tomorrows plan is to build my adapter for the poly trans mount to the tremec pattern, and test fit. hopefully it goes well and i can make the mating semi permanent tomorrow, and start putting the car back together. then making a floor.....
michael
sdo i pretty much lost a day yesterday to the oil pan, and only NOW realized why. it is up and in, though, and the new gasket, celaned bolts, cleaned pan, etc is all in place and happy.
reason i lost a day that i just discovered? i put the rear baffle in BACKWARDS. yes, backwards. counterintuitive, i know. so i wound up trimming, test fitting, trimming, test fitting, grinding, filing, etc. all because i put the stupid thing back together backwards.....
picture of the pan gasket. be carfeful. this turns out to be the magnum pan gasket, just in a different box. something i learned after getting it all back together. heres to hopiong it dont leak....
picture of 7 years of abuse, 10k miles, etc on the POR15 engine paint. this is after going through the parts washer to clean it up.
i started out thismorning getting the stuffing knocked out of me by my bellhousing. no lie, my ribs still hurt. put the bell up on the workbench to drill the new mounting pattern (had to make a center punch out of a grade 8 bolt tp get the exact center of the hole). drilled it out step by stem to remain accurate. got the 1/2 inch gear reduction makita out, and started reaming for the final size. when the drill got caught, i had a good enough hold on it that it rotated the bell into me with a good amount of force. on every hole. only after getting done, i thought about putting it on the floor and standing on it to prevent that. so take the tip from me.
also got the nuts welded to the inside today. (no inside bellhousing shot...)
i had another aw, shoot moment. when my machinist and i turned down the front bearing retainer on the tremec, we used stock small block four speed retainer dimensions. unfortunately, that is NOT what the lakewood requires. apparently i nefver noticed this when i built the drivetrain last time. the lakewood has one thats about 1/2 inch bigger, or the same size as a big block trans. luckily, the giy that bought my four speed had an adapter ring that came with one of his lakewood bellhousings. cost me 20 bucks, but the alternative was to buy another retainer, have it overnighted in, and then have it machined. just not gonna happen for less that 150 bicks. so the adapter it is!!
i finished the day out by starting to make a nice, precise, HUGE FREAKING HOLE in my floor. this was a very scary and difficult thing to do, as i hate, hate, hate cutting cars up. but, there was no way around it thius time. also removed the 4 speed hump at the same time, or the hole would have been considerably smaller.
tomorrows plan is to build my adapter for the poly trans mount to the tremec pattern, and test fit. hopefully it goes well and i can make the mating semi permanent tomorrow, and start putting the car back together. then making a floor.....
michael
