Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Hey guys, it's been a while! Several months ago, my white Tbird (Stella) was the victim of a hit and run while she was parked at my apartment complex. Needless to say, I was not thrilled. I recently decided that it's time to get the paint and body finally redone, but as always, things snowballed and my to-do list has grown:

Stuff that needed to be done:
- New header panel (done)
- New front and rear bumpers (done)
- New drivers side front fender (done)
- New paint (done)

Ugh, the shocks and struts are worn out! Lets just repla..............no, screw that! I have a better idea:
- 11" Front disc upgrade (done)
- 8.8 disc brake rear swap w/3.55s (done)
- Maximum Motorsports street coil overs (done)

Came across this little gem and seems perfect for my plans for the car:
- Megasquirt PnP ECU (done)

While we're here, why not:
- TC Steering wheel (done)
- B&M Precision short shifter (done)
- Fog lights (obtained. Install coming soon.)

Here are some current progress pics!

Gathering Parts
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12509371_10153879355398024_5366978910131465280_n_zpsqhqvmzwx.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12540897_10153879355493024_9048913963840029894_n_zpshlpfxqky.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/1918258_10153879355573024_6064946517800527960_n_zpswu9ssreb.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12495210_10153879355478024_6028293893098748310_n_zpsaq8xjj88.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/10410727_10153879355603024_3715631272087621845_n_zps70nmfm4i.jpg)
Got the whole e-brake assembly (and corresponding brackets) as well.


Put the old wheels on and took her to the body shop yesterday morning
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12509281_10153896804678024_3935652308307484387_n_zpsphsc0hi8.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12522937_10153896804703024_1987926001017188279_n_zpszpx6hbyg.jpg)
Wont miss the yellowed bumper

So What cha gonna do with the turbo coupe, just store it and drive once in a while? Wish I would have known you were looking for parts. I still have my wrecked bird that has a good driver fender and rear bumper, new looking grill, doors, trunk lid.... I was the guy you met a few years back with the burgandy  one and went to Paul Ceiners car show...

On the bright side rust isn't an issue where you live. Should be fairly easy to repair.

I remember! Ugh I'm sorry to hear about your car :( . You still in the NC area? I'm in Charlotte now.

Once this project is done and I get some other life things done (neeeeeeeeed house with garage!), the TC will be undergoing a repaint and rebuild process; the engine needs to be regasketed, the clutch system needs some parts (front bearing retainer, clutch fork/throwout bearing etc) and new paint. I plan to keep it a stock cruiser and have the white Tbird as the "lets throw mods at it" car.

Still got the rust free, straight, clean driver side fender? I'm looking for one for my "crash parts" stash. It's the only front end piece I'm missing.

Shipping to Chicago might be tricky.

King, are you going back with factory paint color or changing it up a little? Cant wait to see more pics after its all done.

Factory color, base coat/clear coat, redone pin striping as well.

Progress at the body shop!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12439013_10153916971023024_7262752354036161282_n_zpsu10v8qa6.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12573185_10153916970953024_3001931128653482671_n_zps5p6shag.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12644909_10153916970968024_7727571262333729913_n_zpswupc3di3.jpg)

The fender in the photo is the one I told you about!

I figured. Of course now I could buy it from you :hick:.

My Thunderbird isn't rusty (it's from California). The problem is finding rust free sheet metal for spare parts up here.

Keep us updated, I always liked your 'bird!

New pics from the body shop!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12651144_10153934080883024_6028914001244829858_n_zps5yuufo6b.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12644662_10153934080753024_4650540375628119314_n_zpsikgyc8lw.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/12669446_10153934080768024_1240052541604909414_n_zpsvvudznnr.jpg)

Still needs a few odds and ends like painting the molding black, but I'm getting excited! I've never had a Tbird with decent paint before :hick:

Clean !!! Looks great.

Lookin GOOD    : )

Nice!

Looking good :)

I actually kind of like the molding in white.

Got the car back on Friday and it looks amazing!

(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10338845_10153937217378024_4426743756815528657_n.jpg?oh=3589aabfe66990254a6daee3ee66e897&oe=5738DF5B)

(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12670153_10153937217508024_2972835066141537313_n.jpg?oh=82e68a20c13cbe7cc467c8048f3536c4&oe=576BEA8C)

(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/12651103_10153937217673024_1778685524768390853_n.jpg?oh=3dc26b675e9ee929365371a9008d6c0a&oe=572ADD0B)

The body shop did a wonderful job and even threw in great details like repainting the black mirrors, door handles, window trim etc. They touched up the black paint on the emblems, sprayed all the inner fender wells and the underside of the car (gas tank, frame rails etc). So now that paint is done, I'll soon be ordering the coil over kit from Maximum Motorsports along with new front and rear control arms. Stay tuned!

Looks great ... I wasn't sure on the TC header with Lx/Sport grill, but now that I see it I like it.

Thanks! I had seen a Tbird many years ago on Cardomain with the Sport grille and TC bumper and I liked it, so figured I'd try it on mine. I'm pleased with the results. It'll look better once I get a set of fog lights for it too. I also plan to get a Mach 1 chin spoiler for the car soon.

(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/12688192_10153937217398024_3617757905414794246_n.jpg?oh=998f443ccb62bb716d2def6db1a9a0a3&oe=5725CCF8)

Nice job, looks amazing

Looks great :). I like it.

Get some Marchal fog lights in the bumper and it will look even better.

Your hood lines up pretty  well with the header, which I feel is rare for all of these cars LOL

very cool; I like all the little air inlets on the front of these thunderbirds. It would be cool if the 87 cougar's had a few more front fascia characteristics other than the bumper "grin".

Looks great!

Looks really sharp.

Ever think about stripping another grille and painting it white, too?

I did it to my white 'Bird back in 2005, and thought it looked tits. :D

Here's mine. I did a really good job painting it, the spots are bugs and stuff LOL

(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l110/fordtruckfreeek/vehicle%20pics/1988%20Thunderbird/bodycolorgrill.jpg) (http://s94.photobucket.com/user/fordtruckfreeek/media/vehicle%20pics/1988%20Thunderbird/bodycolorgrill.jpg.html)

I have thought about doing that; I have a spare grille I may mess with.

Looks very nice.

So last weekend, we started going through the 8.8 to see what needed to be replaced/fixed/etc. Didn't take long to find carnage...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/72C4025B-3AA6-4972-A4CD-B1C2E899C97F_zpsotkw0f8u.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/30E3D903-83EF-42FF-B7B5-7F240520D9E6_zpsw2apju7e.jpg)

Apparently the calipers were frozen and bad things happened. New parts were put on order so that this weekend, the real fun could begin. Axle bearings and seals got replaced, put in new gear oil and gasket, new rotors, calipers, pads, etc. Did lots of grinding, wire-wheeling and cleaning. Even had to take a torch to one of the caliper pin brackets to get the pins loose. With everything painted up, I just had to mock everything up to see how it'd look...

Before:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Facebook/Stella%2020/10410727_10153879355603024_3715631272087621845_n_zps70nmfm4i.jpg)

After:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/E20D485C-005D-4731-826B-637D9BB78174_zpsf9ngq3vw.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/31EA16EF-8CB9-4B99-BFD5-23A86647A203_zpsjuakufcl.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/E7A8B132-4949-428E-B726-B7A31FBAC3B3_zpsjewwftk2.jpg)


Also, I had been in contact with Maximum Motorsports for the last few weeks to put together a general gameplan for my suspension. We finalized everything this past week and I put my order in, which includes:

Koni shocks and struts
Front coil over conversion kit w/springs
Front control arms
Thunderbird Caster/Camber plates
Thunderbird Rear lower control arms w/adjustable spring perch
Rear springs (stock location)
Steering rack bushings
Axle bushings and install kit

Luckily I've got a set of Chuck W's shock mounts, so that should help smoothen the process as well. The order should ship in a couple of weeks, at which point it's going to be like Christmas all over again. In the meantime, there is still a lot of prep work to be done, so stay tuned!

So you're the other guy who has the Maximum Motorsports adjustable rear control arms on order. I ordered a set of the extreme duty adjustable rear control arms last weekend. I noticed they were on back order and called in. Turns out they ran out and had to make more. I should get the arms in about two or three weeks. Maximum Motorsports told me there was someone else waiting on the arms as well. Turns out it was you.

Haha! Actually, that wasn't me because I just ordered mine on Thursday. So that mean's there's an intruder :beatyoass:

If I bought a used rear axle from anywhere up here and it looked like the before picture I'd probably leave it as-is because it's a "survivor" :rollin:

Car looks great. Should be like a whole new machine with all those upgrades you have going on. Did you go with the heavy duty or extreme duty rear lowers? Would like some feed back about how the extreme duty's feel as far as harshness goes.

Thanks! Yeah I'm looking forward to seeing how the car responds to the whole new suspension and brakes. I plan to start taking it to occasional auto cross events this year for fun. As for the control arms, I just got the regular heavy duty ones. I don't have any plans for super high horsepower.


I wouldn't doubt it :P

I ordered them. I'll let you know. I plan on launching the car at the track which is why I went with them.

When MMS (Jack Hidley) helped to set up my suspension package they recommended the extreme duty. I went with the heavy duty, it was the only recommendation that I didn't follow, was concerned about the NVH with no bushing at all. So let me know what you think of yours also. I have yet to get mine on the road.



There are some pretty rough roads around here so I am looking forward to what you think of them on the street.

No exciting updates this week; mostly just cleaning up parts and doing more prep work. Next weekend is going to be dedicated to running the e-brake cables and whatever leftover time will be spent probably dropping the old 7.5 rear.


Ah ok. Jack recommended the regular heavy duty RLCAs for my car since it's primarily a street car; the setup overall is on the softer side of things to keep it comfortable to drive, but should provide a huge upgrade over the stock stuff. I'll definitely report my results :)

My occupational auto class in highschool, we were all assigned jobs for a final 50% of our grade. They all had to do with a school restoration project on an old 60's truck. While everyone else got to do the bed or engine or learn how a trans went together, I was given a wire brush and an old, old heavily rusted rear end. After 3 months of wearing out wire brushes I told the teacher I was done even if the rear end wasn't. He pulled out a wire wheel and had it looking new in 5 minutes, and then gave me a paint brush and some really heavy lacquer paint. I was so pissed off I transfered out of the class.

That's the only thing I can think of when I see a shiny painted rear end.

Still nothing super exciting, but things are happening and it's getting close to the exciting stuff.  First of all, the last two weekends have consisted of running the new e-brake cables and gutting out the rear suspension:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/851A2468-D586-49D5-B4FC-E5575667E3E5_zpsqwikk7ey.jpg)

Adios, old 7.5. You've done well
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/7AB641A0-F2CD-45D0-9F1C-460479D68B4A_zpsnx1lfjmz.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/76623E86-F528-4CFD-9D6E-B5A2E797B96B_zpsupgwgn0v.jpg)

Replaced the upper control arm bushings with some "specialty" tools
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/BE373A38-E78C-49F7-9464-45804854AB66_zpsnndximwl.jpg)

Made some steel sleeves to prevent any distortion of the control arm
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/B6A6884F-D427-4146-AB59-A166ED043DDB_zpsfzcjalpk.jpg)

I told myself I was taking this pic to show all the rear suspension removed...but no...it's because I love how the gas tank looks now that it's painted
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/4862EE23-4AB3-452C-9043-FBE1AF124306_zpssmcj6art.jpg)


Oh yeah, got a new shifter too:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/8BE33ED3-D1C7-4448-95A8-457267CAF48C_zpsuuhsvjzs.jpg)

I also ordered one of these:
https://www.diyautotune.com/product/megasquirtpnp-g2-eec4a8-for-86-93-ford-mustang-5-0/


Next weekend will consist of taking apart the front suspension and doing a few things to help freshen up the transmission. At which point the car is pretty much ready to accept all the new parts.....whenever they finally arrive. Stay tuned! :)

Following this closely. I'm having a TC rear swapped into my bird this week also. Having a couple issues but hope to be going soon.

What issues are you having?

You still waiting on the Maximum Motorsports lower control arms? I've been waiting over a month for my set. I called Maximum Motorsports this week and they hope to ship them sometime this week. I hope.

Yeah, I'm still waiting also :( . If I can get it by the end of next week, it should be fine. Any later than that and it will be holding up progress.

Double post

Still have low peddle after bleeding the brakes. Is there a difference in a TC prop/valve and my stock valve?

If you need a TC proportioning valve, I have one I can ship you for $30.

Yes, the prop valves are different. The TC prop valve directs more fluid to the rear brakes. You can either get a factory TC prop valve (which is a simple swap out) or an aftermarket adjustable prop valve, which requires modifying your stock one. I opted for a factory TC prop valve.

This is the best way with a Turbo Coupe rear axle.

I took the easy way out. I just swapped in an 88 Cougar XR7 8.8. All I had to do was swap the 10" drum brakes from the 7.5 rear over and I was good to go.

Dosnt the TC pv have 3 lines where my Bird with drums has 2?

This is a photo of one out of a 87/88 Turbo Coupe.

As a FYI my set of rear control arms from Maximum Motorsports shipped today. I should get them by this coming Wednesday. Yours should be shipping soon I would assume.

Yeah I noticed my card got charged today and called them and they said the order will be shipping out today or tomorrow. There's also apparently the potential that this is the last set of control arms that they make for our cars :(

Yeah they told me they don't expect to make anymore as the demand is low. They even took them off their website.  I think they would make more if you asked them as they have the plans for the arms.

We finally finished tearing down the suspension this weekend and have the car pretty much ready to accept the new Maximum Motorsports suspension which should be arriving Thursday.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/E41CC58C-E392-46C6-9149-0D83267078A3_zpswzyxqsce.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/7BADB716-3888-454C-BB64-84A4ABDB08B7_zpsy4sf4798.jpg)

Ordered a set of Hawk HPS pads for the front and rear

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/38006EDD-8DDD-49C9-9810-298774559EA8_zpshfwcbsxc.jpg)


I've also been finishing up other odds and ends, getting the other pieces to play with after the suspension and brakes are complete:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/90B7DB0F-A940-459E-B5EF-14BA45296AE4_zpsvajigej1.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/CB554A82-EB21-4F36-8DC4-472BAF51C55C_zpshbwd7mua.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/FA8A7FB5-295D-4DEF-B4C9-7185A522189E_zpscijeytck.jpg)


Things are coming along nicely. Next weekend, the gameplan is to get the shifter swapped out and do a fluid change on the transmission, then hopefully have time to start assembling the new suspension. The fun stuff is almost here! :)

How about CHE, know if they are still making arms for our birds? Wonder if they are as good as Maximum Motorsports....

CHE does still make them as far as I know, both lowers and uppers for the rear. During my discussions with Jack Hidley about the suspension setup, I did inquire about the CHE control arms. The issue in a nutshell is that installing rear control arms with regular polyurethane bushings increases binding in the 4 link setup in our cars, which prevents it from properly adjusting to different amounts of ride height/roll angle/etc. The MM RLCAs have a specifically designed 3-piece bushing to account for this and it is recommended to instead leave the stock rear upper control arm and simply install new rubber bushings.

More detailed statistics can be found here: http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=902398&postcount=5

More brake pressure to the rear wheels? Why on earth would you want that? #BurnoutsMatter

With all that cardboard on the garage floor, it looks like you need a creeper!
  :)

Haha we actually have one, but don't like how much it narrows down the amount of working space.

How old is that SmartTV? Still working good? I've seen a couple for free on craigslist locally, apparently half of the LED's in the backlight fail and many are left with the upper or lower half of the screen "dead" and it's a PITA to replace them.

Still working great in the downstairs living room. The YouTube app is a bit cumbersome but that's my only complaint with it.

Megasquirt eh? I'm curious as to how it will work out for you.

I'm looking forward to it. My car, like many other Fords of the same era, has had a history of hard-to-track-down engine control issues, so I wanted something that will help make those things go away/be easier to diagnose (I hate relying on ambiguous codes. Just show me what the engine is doing). It also doesn't require any hacking of the wiring harness, so it's easily reversible. Also, it opens the door for pretty much any normal engine modification without having to convert to MAF. The PNP ECU was expensive, but the multifaceted impact it will have should be well worth it. Expect many posts about the ECU once the suspension and brakes are sorted out; my dad and I will be tinkering with it quite a bit.

In other news, some more stuff arrived:

The fog lights I got turned out to be a perfect fit. Yes, they were NIB OEM, but not for a Tbird ;)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/86ED8424-2FCB-4F8D-91B7-A3F2610859D9_zpsysxfzttl.jpg)

New 11" rotor compared to the old 10" front rotor. Also looks like the front wheels will sit about half an inch further inward, which is great.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/9AAD7685-23BD-460D-82CA-8DFC3F571AB8_zps1zjhtnax.jpg)

New Mustang caliper compared to the old Tbird caliper.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/B3775FD5-2C2D-4067-AAD3-C53BCCAE0B60_zpsqxwahjoy.jpg)

The only issue I have with the PNP Megasquirt is that it's not sequential EFI but instead batch fire. Good luck with it. It should be pretty user friendly to tune.

For the first time in 6 weeks, the car is finally going back together.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/D650786A-8E62-4043-A6AF-5F0B92775E30_zps04i8lvhk.jpg)

Took the transmission out to install a new shifter and put Royal Purple Synchromax transmission fluid in.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/2E7704D4-B6AE-4E8D-BE10-47AB4DDD393A_zpswzogjgmz.jpg)

Finished assembling the rear axle.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/DE8DE8A1-1D69-400C-9AEA-4B75B47E2A32_zpsstplemmr.jpg)

And finally, the rear suspension bolted in. Still need to wrap up a few odds and ends, but things are moving forward nicely.

Looking good :)

I got my maximum Motorsports rear control arms in over the weekend: http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?39501-Rear-suspension-project

The spherical bushings on each end are fine on the street. The only draw back is more differential noise. If you end up tearing the poly bushing on the chassis end see if Maximum Motorsports will press a spherical bushing in its place.

Also were you adding a panhard rod to your setup? I'm thinking about adding the Maximum Motorsports piece to my car next year.

I may install a panhard bar down the road, but it requires shortening the shock tower by 2" according to Jack Hidley (I'm currently using Chuck W shock mounts). I didn't do it this time around due to budget constraints. I also need to get upgraded sway bars at some point. What did you end up doing for subframe connectors?

My subframe connectors are 1"x2" steel tubing welded to the frame rails. Nothing fancy.

Ah ok. What about the quad shocks you mentioned? Were they mainly straight replacements or was there a noticeable handling/ride difference?

The quad shocks were just Gabriel replacements. With the Maximum Motorsports arms I doubt they are needed but they fit so I let them be.

A lot of folks have said that with good c/a's, the quads are a waste of weight and space. lookin' good dude, keep it the hell up. :)

Well they fit with the tires I'm running so I let them be. They aren't hurting anything. If I didn't have new ones I probably would have left them off.

I'd have kept them on my Stang if they'd cleared the tires,  the FoxStang's smaller wheel wells LOL

Nice progress, keep us updated!

Big update from this weekend! Got the front suspension put together, bled the brakes, and outside of finding out that I need a new steering rack, everything went smoothly. The best part is that we were able to get the car set down on the ground to really get a good look at it. I haven't adjusted the ride height outside of whatever we set everything at while putting it together, but honestly, I quite like it where it is. Might adjust it slightly, but not much.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/81817981-20F9-440D-BD2D-4F87B99C78F7_zpsbeinxsau.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/C629312B-DF53-48E0-8E0D-0493DA1A4BE3_zpsyq40fsrd.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/83587BEA-D56A-4122-B2C5-0BD10973A2BA_zps51ys72qf.jpg)


And, you know, I gotta make sure my baby niece is raised the right way :) . She's clearly my niece, because immediately after being removed from the driver's seat, she started crying. I definitely know that feeling.:burnout:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/2A029460-7D4A-42BD-B981-2563739D2594_zpstsnmzyyp.jpg)


So next week will entail putting in the new steering rack along with new tie rod ends and sway bar links, button up/adjust the emergency brakes, adjusting the ride height, corner scale the car and a full alignment. After that....it'll be time to take it out on the twisties!

Looking good.

Ride height is nice as well. I wouldn't go any lower. Mine sits about 1/2" higher.

Thanks! I thought it was pretty awesome that we set it on the ground for the first time and it was already right at the ride height I was aiming for. There's some fine tuning to do, but I like that it both looks good and won't undermine the car's usability on the street.

What front springs on your coilover setup did you end up with14" 175#???

You don't want to go too low or you'll worry about bottoming out over bumps. I think your car sits about perfect right now.

Have you tried bouncing the car with the new suspension yet? When I installed the Maximum Motorsports rear control arms and 98 Mustang GT springs the rear on my car barely moves if I try to bounce it up and down. I push the rear down and it bounces back up with no jiggle. Side to side movement is gone as well. You would think the rear would ride much too firm but it's actually quite nice. The rear is planted firmly and the ride actually improved. I think you'll be very impressed when you drive the car. Your front end setup is better than mine. I've just got Moog 8598 springs and 04 Cobra front a-arms. The rest of the front is stock replacement parts.

They're 12" 275lb springs. From what I've read, this seems to be a good middle ground front spring rate. After weeks of discussion with Jack Hidley at Maximum Motorsports about the plans for the car, the setup I ordered is what he recommended.

http://www.maximummotorsports.com/Hypercoil-Coil-Over-Spring-275-lbin-12-2-12-dia-12B0275-P240.aspx


Agreed on the ride height. I've also ordered some tools for doing a DIY alignment, so once I get a feel for it, I may even run a different configuration for the track vs the street.

Yeah we did a bounce test and holy  is it way stiffer on both ends of the car! I'm really excited to take the car out this weekend and see how it handles, especially after your feedback on the rear control arms. All of that along with everything else done to the car should make it quite the capable corner carver. I'll certainly be posting feedback next week on the setup. The following weekend after that may entail a 200mi road trip through some mountainy roads :)

After the drive report back. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the difference all the suspension work has made.

Haha yeah, I'm chomping at the bit to finally get to drive it haha. Also, there's a slim, but certainly possible chance that I'll get to run it at an autocross on the 24th. Fingers crossed!

Wow amazing build so far!

Well...this is the big update you've all been waiting for...

We spent the weekend buttoning things up; installed the new TC steering wheel, centered it with the new steering rack, buttoned up the console area etc.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/15826930-0AB2-4AAF-B8C3-8FE54D75099E_zpsh8fz86xg.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/5CB97CBB-7084-49E5-AA06-A27351A41298_zps3foh7plx.jpg)

So, I want to stop here real quick and give some attention to a mostly overlooked part of the project, but one that is not to be underestimated in its impact (more on that later). Obviously, the TC steering wheel is a major upgrade in terms of comfort and grip, but in that top picture, see how there's an OEM lower shift boot fitting nicely over the shifter? Well this was one of the reasons I bought the new shifter. See, when the T5 swap was originally done like 8 years ago, the T5 I got came with an aftermarket shifter on it that had a huge ring on top for shift stops; it also had a large, bulky connection where the shifter handle was bolted to the shifter. These two characteristics caused major issues when it came to properly sealing the interior from the hot air underneath the car, so on nice days with the windows down, hot air would come blowing through the console despite our best efforts to seal it. The shifter was also so large that it would push up against the plastic shift bezel, which made an annoying creaking sound. These are both somewhat small things, but as you all know, it's exactly these types of things that prove to be the most annoying. So when we were going through this project, I decided that I wanted to work out all these types of issues I've had with the car. I shopped for shifters and found one that didn't have the bulky shifter handle connection nor the bulky shift stop ring. Old/new comparison:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/T5%20swap/T5.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/D650786A-8E62-4043-A6AF-5F0B92775E30_zps04i8lvhk.jpg)

With the new shifter, we were able to use a completely unmodified OEM lower shift boot to properly seal the interior from the hot air underneath the car.

Anyways, moving on...we hit a stumbling block on Saturday when we were unable to fix a leak in the passenger side rear brake line; turned out that the brand new rubber line had a badly machined inner  where it connects to the steel brake line. And obviously, auto parts stores don't exactly keep TC-specific parts in stock. Luckily, we were able to find a local store that could get us one by Sunday at 4:30pm; not ideal, but better than the other two stores. One of them wanted 10 days, the other wanted 3. Since I can only work on the car on the weekends since I live an hour and a half away, that was a big break for us.

Late Sunday night, at around 8pm, we finally pull the car out of the garage and went on the first test drive (no alignment or anything yet :P ). Within 20 yards of leaving the driveway, we get stopped by a very shady, likely drug-addicted person wanting to pay us $20 for a ride about 30 minutes away. I reply, truthfully, "I don't even know if this car is safe to take around the block right now, much less 30 minutes away." The person says some derogatory comment and I drive off, glad to be away from that. The ride goes without issue, aside from the alignment being way off.

After such a long weekend, I was exhausted and ended up taking yesterday off to run some errands. I first got the car inspected, then took it to get aligned. I was concerned about taking it somewhere to get aligned with the specialized suspension setup, but figured that if I could get it done, it would save us a lot of time. So I take it to a local shop with the measurements I want; the guy puts the car up on a lift, looks around, then comes to me and says "Sorry man, I can only adjust toe. There doesn't appear to be caster or camber adjustment on here." In my head, I'm thinking "Oh jeez...this isn't going well." I tell him that the car does have such adjustments, but they're under the hood. So he lowers the car and I show him the caster/camber plates and how they work (maybe I should have been more clear before they pulled the car in, but things moved quickly and I didn't have a chance to pull anyone aside. I mentioned the car's C/C plates at the counter, but they probably didn't notice or something). Thankfully, the mechanic ended up being very patient and did a great job getting the alignment to the specs I wanted and the car drove great afterwards.

After that fun time, I "accidentally" made a few wrong turns around town and ended up doing several loops. The first things that became really apparent were: "Wow this steering is sensitive!" and "Holy  this transmission has NEVER shifted this smoothly!" The transmission has never shifted great for as long as I've had it, but now with the new shifter and Royal Purple fluid, it feels fantastic. I did stop by the paint & body shop that had worked on the car back in January; I figured they would really like to see their work now that the car is in a more complete form, and one of the guys who put a lot of work into it didn't get to see the finished product the day I picked it up.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/E194ADA5-EE4D-4857-BC21-CF50CA9574FA_zpsfhohytu7.jpg)

I didn't really put the car through its paces yet though; I wanted to wait for my dad to get off work so he could enjoy the car's first real run with me. That's really where the fun began. Dad gets home from work, we eat dinner, then leave out at around 6pm to go find some twisty mountain roads. We're both happy to find that the lower shift boot is properly sealing now and the car is driving great. We make a quick driver change right before getting to the good stuff:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/52A3B232-7FFB-46C2-9129-DC6F1F60DA50_zpsszhtunpj.jpg)

We make it to the twisties and the suspension work really shows up. The car is riding very nicely; it's firm, but certainly not rough or jarring in any way. It's very eager to dive into a corner - you move the wheel and the car follows your input with an alarming quickness (it actually took some getting used to, after all those years of sloppy steering). Body roll is a thing of the past. Grip through the corners seems to get better the more you push it; it feels like it just wants to dig into the pavement and not let go (and this is with the Konis all on soft settings). I honestly didn't expect the car to seemingly handle as good, if not better than my GTI; the GTI seems to want to understeer when you really romp on it, but I didn't get that feeling at all with the Tbird. The brakes were certainly a huge difference as well. I remember driving my GTI around all day, then switching into the Tbird and feeling almost scared of the awful brake distances. Granted, the brakes are obviously still not as good as on the GTI, but they definitely feel up to the task now. Overall feel is MUCH better and I'm actually confident going into a corner or even dealing with unexpected traffic movements. I get to the end of the twisties, turn around, and dad takes a shot at it, loving all the same things that I mentioned. On our way back, we stop by an old friends house and chat for a while. We take a ride in his 67 Chevelle SS with its freshly installed 427 big block, then return the favor with a ride in the Tbird.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/C2204C81-39A7-47D0-8F40-15067609463B_zpsaa8jlgwb.jpg)

After that, we stop by my uncles house for a few minutes and get home.....aaaaaaaaaaaaand it's 9pm. Ooops. :D . What a way to end my extended weekend! I'm extremely pleased with the car and absolutely cannot wait to take it out on a track and see what that suspension really has in store. Next weekend we're going to tackle the Megasquirt ECU and hopefully iron out a couple of kinks with the engine before going on a roadtrip to Tennessee if the weather holds out. Stay tuned!

TL;DR - New shifter was an overlooked upgrade, but a huge one nonetheless. Had a few....interesting....encounters along the way. MM suspension is absolutely incredible. 4 wheel disc brakes FTW. Car looks fantastic (though I may be biased). Next weekend is going to be Megasquirt ECU and hopefully a Tennesee road trip.

I'm glad all your hard work paid off and you are elated about how well it turned out!  Ive been kind of bored with my car but following your thread here has helped snap me out of my funk.  It makes me want to tear into my car and finally build a stout motor for it!  Thanks for the inspiration.

Man, I completely understand that feeling. Before this project, it had been about 5 years since the last real change to the car was made (the 306 build). As I partly eluded to in my previous post, the car was littered with small annoyances and it got to the point where I wasn't excited to drive it any more. Then, with me living in an apartment, it just sat outside under a car cover and I couldn't really work on it and clean it constantly like I used to. Especially after it got hit in the parking lot, I was done. I hadn't even checked this forum in ages at that point. After a few months, I started feeling terrible about the whole situation and wanted to make it right. Seriously, go back to the first post in this thread and look at the pics of the car when I dropped it off at the body shop. The car just looked sad :( . So I made it a goal back in January to rid the car of all the annoyances and finally build it the way I had always wanted to back in high school and college, but never had the money for. It rejuvenated me and was one of the best decisions I've made in a long time. The last couple of months, I've spent my weekdays planning and daydreaming about the build (well, when I wasn't at work, of course hehe); it's been a lot of fun. It even had nice side effects like bringing me back closer to the family, especially with my baby niece having just been born in December (not that I wasn't close to my family, I just hadn't been visiting as often). I'm glad that I've been able to pass that inspiration along and I look forward to the build thread (....you're gonna do a build thread, right? :P ). I also think this has given my dad the bug to hop on the bandwagon and get some work done on his Chevelle for the first time in many years. We'll see :D . Next winter, I plan to do a similar process with the Turbo Coupe and get it back to tip top shape as well.

Awesome build thread. Car turned out great. I guess now it will be on the streets more and under the car cover less :cool:

Thanks! And hopefully it won't only be seeing time on the streets, but on the track (or autocross course) as well :)

Very nice. Looking forward to hearing some track stories, or vids even.

I think we have a lot in common!  I dreamed about building my car up in HS/college and never had the money either.  I've slowly modded my suspension, driveline, etc as time and money allow since around 2004 (see sig).  About the only thing left is to build the motor and get new upholstery/carpet (interior is actually nice though for 19x,xxx miles).  I actually just sold a tractor project of mine for a tidy profit and have been really considering a mild build with the cash.

My Dad also has a Chevelle ('72) that he lost interest in when I was a little kid.  Other than a short stint where I got it on the road when I was in high school until about 2004, it's sat in his garage.  I wish something would pique his interest but after this long, I doubt it.  He had a '69 with a built SBC and 4 speed that he has always regretted selling.  The '72 just never could satisfy him, lol.

Yep sounds about right. My dads Chevelle is quite nice with a 383 stroker and a 4 speed, but it's been in the same condition and setup for probably 8-9 years now. Dad and I both agree that she is way overdue for some upgrades, even moreso than Stella was before this project :)

Well, this past weekend was the final push to get Stella sorted and ready for her maiden voyage on Sunday. Wrapped up several odds and ends, then got to install the Megasquirt PNP ECU:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/932756F9-41BB-467E-B596-BDA702F2F912_zpssadpky3c.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/741FDF50-0D8B-40F8-8002-F457F61F05B3_zpsurqi6ss2.jpg)

Everything was as advertised. The install took less than an hour, and that was including a firmware flash that I did because there was an apparent bug in the pre-loaded firmware (3.3.1) that would cause some cars (including mine) to rev up to 2500-3500 for 3-5 seconds on each startup. When flashed to 3.4.2, the issue was cleared up and all was good. What a difference the ECU made! The idling issue the car has had for years is gone, no more part-throttle hesitation and no more strange throttle deadzone that we could never track down (and yes, I had tried installing someone else's stock ECU a couple of years ago. Did the same thing). There is still some tweaking to do as the car runs rich, but the car's enjoyability has certainly increased big time with these issues out of the way.

The cherry on top was that we even had time to install the Mach 1 chin spoiler. Unfortunately it's hard to show off in pictures, but I really love how it came out:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/F24F3DC4-450C-4B12-BED0-C1308992E91B_zpsovwppv1c.jpg)

Something else I wanted to do was recreate an old photo of me with the car 10 years ago. Lame, I know, but I wanted to do it anyway :P

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/meandtbirdsmall.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/C0E1FA26-8506-4F8B-A3F3-3801B9439DC4_zpsfbiq5dp7.jpg)

Anyways, Sunday morning was roadtrip time! Headed out to Tennessee to hang out and watch some friends fail at an autocross. The whole trip was around 600 miles and was a great way to break the car in and really get a feel for the new changes. With each mile, I became more and more impressed with the suspension. Even cruising at 70-75mph on a bumpy highway, I could feel all the nuances of the road but I wasn't getting beaten outside the head with them either; it was a perfect mix of firm communication and controlled comfort. With that aside, I took some time to take photos during the trip,

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/3B8136FF-544C-433A-AFCB-A6CCC81EEC12_zpsppejgcqs.jpg)

Just for the sake of fun, check out this ride height before/after:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Car%20shows/stellaparked.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/D06CA043-C8CF-44FD-B93A-1A13F895E51C_zpsggkimktw.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/9E4030AD-0FFE-4CE6-921B-F219C6A26A82_zpsryl2ntxt.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/kingcars/Stella%20overhaul/85613E2C-65B4-4E13-88D7-D0059677DE91_zpsio6xjhbx.jpg)

All in all, this project was much more than just throwing some upgrades at the car. It was about ridding the car of all the things that have annoyed me for the longest time. Over time, such things suck the enjoyment out of the car and that's what was really happening in my case. I was preferring my other cars because they drove better. It was time to fix that, and that goal has certainly been achieved. It's been a long time since I've thoroughly enjoyed the car like this. I didn't have to worry about the idle issue causing the car to stall, disliking the steering wheel grip, getting hot air through the console, sloppy steering, insufficient brakes etc. It drives like a proper, well sorted car.

Great job!!!

The car has turned out great! Looks really good with the new suspension under it.

Wow it is a lot lower!  Looks really nice!

The car sits nice and low now. Looks great. Your hairline appears to be sitting lower as well :shakeass: Ah the joys of aging.

Congrats on getting the car the way you want it. I finally feel I've gotten my Thunderbird to that point (well asides from the Dart 363 I'll never be able to afford). It's nice to just be able to get in the car and drive without worrying what the next project will be or improvement to make. Enjoy it :)

Thanks guys!


Haha yeah...as time goes by, the car gets prettier and I get uglier :P . Oh well.

I totally agree. It is a rather liberating feeling. Granted, there are still some projects I'd like to tackle down the road (the only major one being an eventual 5 lug Cobra brake swap; the rest are minor weekend or afternoon jobs) but overall the car is fulfilling the vision I have had for it since high school and all the little annoying idiosyncrasies are finally gone.