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Topic: 84 Tbird project (Read 16613 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #30 –
Right on man! I was gonna offer up mine from my 88 sport. I'm just about to pull it within the next few days

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #31 –
Quote from: 5.0 tbird – on
I'm planning on running  a duraspark ignition. I have a 1985 Mustang distributor and a blue connector duraspark box, but how do I need to wire this up in this car since it came with TFI ignition? Is there a diagram?
The TFI and Duraspark coils have different primary coil resistances. So use the Zephyr coil.
The Duraspark requires an external ballast for the coil. The TFI does the coil current regulation on EEC IV.
Rockauto.com shows the same 61" ballast resistor wire used on all three engines used in 80 Zephyrs.

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #32 –
Thanks for the info! The Zephyr does have the resistor wire, but I think I'm gonna use a ballast resistor with a mounting bracket on the Tbird.
Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #33 –
The fuel lines are unfortunately right where the passenger ler will run and you may experience some plastic fuel line melt.  At least that was my experience with my '83 when I converted it to a 5 spd and dual exhaust.  It did not fail but I was working on the car and noticed the lines looked funny.  Probably would have gone much longer but I am not a fan of fires under cars.  I simply wrapped the fuel lines in header wrap with the stainless ties and it stayed that way for over five years at which point I converted the car to a carbed 302 and ran all new fuel lines and routed them away from the exhaust.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #34 –
Winter weather has been slowing progress on the Bird working in a carport. Last weekend was a bust with sleet and snow. Yesterday was still cold, but at least it was sunny so we pulled most of the parts we need from the Zephyr. I'm pretty sure the only thing left is the front struts.



Parts we pulled from the Zephyr yesterday:

Pioneer 3.5" speakers
Pioneer 6x8" speakers
Mustang shifter
coil
Duraspark box and wiring
Equus oil pressure gauge, temp gauge, voltmeter
Sunpro Tachometer
speedometer gear
throttle cable
headlight bulbs
Mustang power steering hoses
Mustang GT front sway bar

Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #35 –
Got the Mustang floor shifter installed today! I used a shifter trim from a manual Turbo Coupe and improvised with some dense foam to fill in the gap until I come up with a more permanent solution, but I think it looks right at home. All that's left now is installing the front sway bar and power steering hoses then we can drop the motor in.
















Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #36 –
My Dad got the Mustang front sway bar and the new power steering hoses bolted on the other day, and today we dropped the motor in!





I also pressure washed the double hump transmission crossmember to get it ready















After we got the motor and trans bolted in, we pressed new u joints in the driveshaft and installed it. The driveshaft came from an 87 Cougar 5.0, and it's a nice fit.





I picked up a few new parts too!



Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #37 –
Making some headway and pretty  quick.
It's Gumby's fault.

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #38 –
Yesterday we had great weather; it was 70 degrees and sunny here. So we decided to set in on the exhaust first. The exhaust is a Mac off road H pipe for a Mustang and Dynomax Ultra Flo welded lers with turn downs from the Zephyr.

We also installed the Mustang exhaust brackets, which bolted right on both sides. The Mustang exhaust brackets move the rubber hangers about an inch further toward the back of the car than the Tbird bracket is, but it didn't matter in our case because the exhaust came from the Zephyr which is a longer wheelbase than a Tbird.

The H pipe fit fine, but the lers are gonna need new wire hangers because the wire hangers are too long and too far back so the lers are hanging too low and the rubber hangers are being pulled towards the back of the car by the exhaust. So once we get the car running I'll need to stop by a ler shop and get new wire hangers made. The passenger side ler is an inch away from the fuel lines so hopefully that's far enough away to stop them from getting too hot.



















I also hooked up the wiring and speedo cable to the transmission. I didn't have to cut the trans harness even though the AOD and C5 use different connectors thanks to a harness from the Zephyr. From the factory, the Zephyr had a 2.3 and a C3 which uses the same neutral safety switch as an AOD. So it came with a short adapter harness from the factory. Tbirds and Mustangs might have the same adapter harness for an AOD or C3 in TCs.

After that I got the Mustang throttle cable installed while Dad hooked up the power steering hoses and put the radiator fan on. We have a fan shroud from an 87 5.0 Cougar, but he installed the Mustang shroud so I'll swap those out next time.





Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #39 –
Maybe something like this around your fuel line would help protect it from the ler. $30 for 3 feet is a bit pricey but better than melted fuel lines. Nice progress, looks like a really solid car.

https://www.thermotec.com/products/sleeving/express-sleeves

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #40 –
Well with Coronamania going on seems like a good time to get away and work on the project car!

First thing got the correct fan shroud on. It's from an 87 Cougar 5.0











Then I took ya'lls advice and wrapped the fuel lines in DEI cool tape. Better safe than sorry. The pics make it look like it's touching the ler, but it's not.





I had some seeping around my rubber valve cover gaskets so I picked up some valve cover tabs and put them on.







I don't know what happened to the switch panel trim piece on this car, but it was bent and half the paint was gone so I peeled it the rest of the way off and painted it with satin black and Dymo labeled the words on it. Then I straightened it out and reattached it. Not the greatest, but it's better than it was until I do something else.





After that we set in on getting the gauges in. We made three holes in the lighter panel for the gauges, and it tuned out pretty well except we got let down by a wobbly harbor freight hole saw. So they're not exactly even, but they fit and it's good enough for me. The oil pressure and temp gauges are hooked up, and the lights are wired up, but the voltmeter will have to wait until the battery is in so I can find a switched power wire.











Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #41 –
No pics, but I did some "social distancing" aka working on the car this week. I finished getting it ready to run. I started it up and it ran for 30 seconds until it ran out of fuel. When I first hooked up the fuel line I ran some fuel out of the line to see which one was the feed line, and it pumped out a quart of fuel in the pan before I turned the key off. The motor isn't getting fuel to the carb, but the pump is running. You can hear it. I thought it might be out of gas so I put a few gallons in, but it didn't make any difference. So I'm thinking the pump might be running, but not pumping fuel or the little hose between the pump and the hanger busted. If I unhook the line and run the pump no fuel comes out now. We gently blew some compressed air back through the line and air blew out of the filler neck.

I ordered a new low pressure pump and strainer and a new filler neck seal so next time I'll be dropping the tank and replacing the pump. Then we'll go from there.
Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #42 –
My money is on the fuel line between the pump and the pickup/fuel sending unit.  That notoriously rots out and causes this issue.  If you do not know the age of the fuel pump then its a great idea to replace it.  Also, I believe the amp draw on that pump is in the 10A range so make sure you have adequate wiring and all the connections are clean.

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #43 –
I set in on the fuel pump today and guess what? You were right about the hose! It was decrepit.

















After I got the fuel pump done I changed the trans filter and put on a Summit Racing transmission pan with a drain plug.











After that, I started it up and made a short video

Startup video

It's running, but there's still plenty of work left to do.





I also picked up a couple parts from Facebook Marketplace





Matt
1984 Thunderbird - 89 302 HO, GT40 heads w/ Trick Flow springs, E303 cam, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake and 600 cfm 4bbl, Mustang headers, Jegs o/r H pipe, Dynomax lers, Mustang AOD and shifter, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, 3G alternator, Mustang front and rear sway bars, KYB 87-88 Turbo Coupe shocks and struts, and 11" front brakes.

1988 Mustang GT - GT40 heads, Explorer intake, 70mm throttle body, 70mm MAF, Crane 1.7 rrs, E303 cam, Kirban Kwik shifter w/ Pro 5.0 deluxe handle, aluminum clutch quadrant and firewall adjuster, o/r h pipe, Dynomax lers, 3G alternator, aluminum radiator, and 3.27 gears.
 
1986 Cougar 5.0, 1989 Mark VII LSC 5 speed, 1980 Mercury Zephyr 4 door (sold)

Re: 84 Tbird project

Reply #44 –
Glad it was that simple and sounds good man!

83 351W TKO'd T-Bird on the bottle


93 331 Mustang Coupe - 368 rwhp