Tag Archives: Tools

Aluminum – Chrome 70 Mustang Brackets

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As  I start gathering the different parts for all the new mods for my ’70 Mustang one thing I’m sure of is that I want a little more ‘bling” under the hood.  I think the Ford blue engine paint with the brushed nickel look of the current intake need something to offset that color scheme.  I’d like to do most of the brackets for the power steering, alternator, and ac compressor all in chrome. However that’s not going to be possible, if I rely on aftermarket/stock suppliers, as most of my brackets are custom-made. (That’s what you get when you keep the 6 cylinder components when you do a conversion to an 8 cylinder.)  So I’m going to make do with what I can find and the rest will remain iron.

Now with the cost of all this mods looming on the horizon and having less than the average budget, I’m trying to upgrade at least the tension portions of the  Alternator, A/C and the power steering to chrome.  My goal is to replace them with heim joints w/adjustable rods between them.  These are not inexpensive and often require some modification.

So in the pursuit of this end I purchased a kit from Summit Racing for my alternator. This was an all aluminum kit and only advertised as being for a ‘stock” 302 engine.  So going in I knew that it might not work at all.  This turned out to be correct except for the heim joints and the threaded aluminum rod.

So I going to use those for the tension rod for the alternator. However, it wasn’t chrome and had a very heavy coding to make it look like brushed nickel.  The goal for this pieces was to polish it up and see how “bling” like it could look.  This would be a series of repeated sanding, buffing and polishing.

I used my Dremel, sanding disks and buffing and polishing wheel, 200 and 600 grit sand paper and Purple Metal polish, cotton rag (ok..fine it was an old t-shirt) and a vice.

Dremel buffing while and 160 grit sanding disc

Now the 160 grit disk might have been a bit much but the coating was pretty tough and the disc made quick work but did leave a few marks on the test sample that might have causes a bit more work with the lighter grits.

This is actually purple in color and gritty like rubbing compound.

In short the process started with hitting the test piece (one of the stock bracket parts that wouldn’t fit) with the 160 grit disk via the Dremel.  Next I ran the 220 grit sandpaper (by hand) over the aluminum and then the 600 grit and then with the buffing/polishing wheel via the Dremel with a coating of the Purple metal polish.  I switched it up by using some metal polish with the 600 grit sandpaper.

It took a lot of elbow grease and a couple of hours.  Here is what the test piece looks like. You can see the aluminum w/coating and polished portion.

Chrome? Absolutely as shining as chrome.

Now there are some in perfections in the aluminum and if not being careful with the sanding you can leave gouges but generally you can get this type of shine and it looks very close to chrome without the cost, just some elbow grease.

Next will be the polishing of the actual rod that will connect the two heim joints (they are already polished steel).  (I’ve already started, but you won’t see it until it complete.)

 

Heim joint on one end and the aluminum rod.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Nearly Live Goodguys’ Car Show Scottsdale, AZ

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Tomorrow (3/11/2011), I’ll be at the Goodguys’ Car Show in Scottsdale, AZ.  I”ll attempt to provide some “Nearly Live” posts from the location.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Nearly Live 71 Cheyenne

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Something about this Chevy pickup I like.

Nearly Live 1965 Fairlane 500

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Yeah. It’s a 4 Door 500 with a 289!!!

US or Metric Thread Guage

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These are handy to have around.

 

Bolt Depot - Thread Guage

So handy, I’d like  to give a couple away.

For next 3 individuals that sign up for my feed and drop me a comment.  I’ll send one of to you.

I’ll be notified of your subscription via WordPress.  In you comment include whether you need the Metric of  U.S. version.

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Happy New Year and Legal Notice

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Happy New Year.

Unfortunately I have to start the year out with a legal notice.  It seems that my writings are so inspiring(…ok…stop laughing!!!) that a few sites have decided that they would use them on their sites in total, placing ads in the middle for their profit and not requesting permission.

I enjoy writing my blog and I do it to share experiences and social interaction.

If you like it, great!!

If you’d like to share links, I’m all for it

If you want to post entire articles ask permission and I’ll send you my list of requirements for accomplishing this.

If you want to use my articles and place and in the articles, we need to talk first.

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary, New Year and Thank You.

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As we close out the year that was 2010, I celebrate the first year anniversary of Average Guy’s Car Restoration, Mods and Racing.

Over the past year, I’ve enjoyed jotting down my thoughts and experiences.  Mostly, I’ve enjoyed hearing back from readers here on my Word Press main site and in other social media.

This past year I’ve seen the page views on this “one man” blog go from just a couple per week, to nearly 1500 a month.  Not bad for a non-commercial blog, with no paid advertising.  So THANK YOU.   I hope to hear from and read your comments and views in 2011.

What’s coming up in 2011?  Mods on the ’70 Mustang, tweaking of the LS2 on the 07 Corvette and I’ll continue with the Auto Factoids in their new format.  You will see more mini engine series,  kicking off the New Year one of my favorites Chevy’s 283  and there will be more racing events, test ‘n’ tunes and Mom and Pop racing teams highlighted.  There will be more contests and DVDs to give away and  project updates from readers. Oh…I’m coming out with the Average Guy’s 2011 Calendar look for that on-line.

It’s going to be a fun new year.

To you and yours – may 2011 bringing nothing but happiness and joy.

Happy New Year.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

You need WHAT in your garage? Really?

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O.K., I don’t do this too often on this blog but every now and then I have to point out something I think is just ridiculous.

I do a lot of reading.  A disproportional amount of that reading is car magazines. (To my son:  Yes I will get to the two Stephen King novels you bought me…promise!!)  In fact, I get so many car magazines that it’s difficult to keep up (sounds like a New Year’s resolution is in order).  They stack up and my wife’s patience goes the opposite direction with my messy side of our shared office and piles here and there of unread periodicals. (O.K.  so that New Year’s resolution may turn in to a  ‘CLEAN IT UP’ New Year’s directive, in which case, failure to comply would not be an option.)

In the course of all this reading I’ve become familiar with a lot of writers and their styles (some I communicate with via email or social network).  You also gain a  general over all tone of their respective magazines.  With the exception of  my favorite writers at the mega car publication company (SHOUT OUT TO) Hemmings (I refer to them as “They Who Do No Wrong”) who seem to be pretty down to earth and hug the middle line pretty well, it’s clear that some car magazines want to project a blue-collar image and others a blue blood image.  Every now and then, the blue-collar want-to-be’s do grab a seat on the snob express and leave us average guys going.”..W..T..H(family blog)!?!?!?!…..REALLY!?!?!?!”

My inner lawyer cautions me to not use names of magazines and writers, of course suing me would pretty uneventful, you might end up with a 70 Mustang coupe and a 302 and that’s about it.   My inner writer says “If you ever want to move your writing anywhere other than on this blog, do not insult the established press.”  My inner wise-ass (still family safe, I believe) wants to poke fun by name at both (magazine and writer). Normally my inner wise-ass wins.

So I am reading the latest Car Craft, Jan 2011 (yeah, it some how ended up on top of the pile) which I considered a blue-collar magazine, lots of get dirty articles and useful techie stuff and not just shiny  pages, shiny paint and expensive wheel. Well apparently I missed the fact that they were moving to a new location (probably in a back issue I haven’t gotten to yet..if I can find my Car Craft pile again”).  All I can say is “WOW” and  “the Auto Magazine business must be paying good”, because their new garage is to die for!!!  Really, how did they ever survive without an ocean front garage in El Segundo, Ca. where, while you are on your lunch break, you can catch a bite to eat, a Pepsi and a wave ???!!!!!  With a few more earthquakes my Arizona home might one day be ocean front property.

O.K., fine,  so a quick Google shows the Car Craft garage address isn’t actually on the beach and really location isn’t  my point.  What is, is the article that Mr. Douglas Glad wrote in the “Front Man” section – “Man Cave”. Specifically a couple of items, he believes are necessary in a garage.  He states “…every car guy’s garage needs the basics to be useful and a good place to get away from school, diapers,….”  Hey, I get that, I was a stay at home  Dad for a while and sure, you must have the tools to get the job done.  I was really interested to read what he thinks we average car guys (I just tossed in the “average”) need in our garages.  But at the next paragraph’s bold heading, I stopped and said “What?”  I then scanned the other six paragraphs’ headings and was dismayed, but I read on hoping I could salvage something from the piece.

First critical piece of functional equipment was a….MIG welder?  Nope. How about a parts cleaning machine? Nope.  How about a flat screen T.V.? Yes. But according to the article, it doesn’t have to be huge.  So what’s next? I’ll just list them:

1. A movie collection of guy movies – I have an AM FM radio and CD player (old), most of the stations are static interrupt by parts of a song or commercial and the player skips. I’m normally so wrapped up in what I’m doing it just becomes white noise anyway.

2. A wall collage – If there is that much space on my garage wall, I’ve got some nails and stuff to hang from them and a Hemmings’ Muscle Machine calendar.

3. An art school grad’s, air brushed wall art – Same As Above

4. Electrical – 220 – Now I can get behind that.  Right on!

5. Trosley Car Portrait – First WHAT!?!? Then…Same as 2 and 3.

So I’m taken back. My image of a greased smeared blue uniform shirt wearing, lay a wrench on it, magazine, has been crushed.  Has Car Craft gone soft?  Do they out source the work and just drive  the finished project in for photo ops?

Am I shocked and dismayed or just jealous?  The latter!!!!

I dedicate this to a follow car guy who I purchases some used parts from a while back. Bill is restoring his dream car  in a 3 sided building in the mid west, where in the winter,  he normally has to shovel snow out of the way to work on it. You rock.. Bill!!!

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Aftermarket – Oh… Nuts…. and Fastners for ’70 Stang

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While I’m currently working on the project plan for all the modifications, I still get the urge to spend a beautiful winter’s day doing some wrenching.  Oh…here in southern Arizona you wait for winter days like today, Sunny and near 70 degrees…oh yes..perfect day for being outside and working on your projects. ( Don’t hate me ’cause I’m warm!!!)

Modifications pending, there are still little things that can be done.  A few weeks ago I noticed a loose fender bolt.  Now normally these bolts are screwed in to clip/slide on nuts (some times called “short nuts” but I just couldn’t put that in the title) that are slid over the edge of one of pieces you need to hold together.

 

Slip-on or Short Nut

 

So if a bolt becomes loose it is often the cause of vibration, and if left unattended you can actually loose the slip-on nut. Unless…..it doesn’t have one and a traditional nut has been used.

A while back I ordered a couple of bags of bolts and short nuts for my Mustang and today I decided to spend a few minute and replace the loose one and check the others.

What I found was a bit odd.  Three of the bolts on right fender (do I have to say right “front” fender? I hear that all the time, but I grew up knowing that fenders were in the front and quarter-panels  were in the rear.) did not have the short nuts, but rather the tradition bolts.  I checked the left “front” (just in case) fender and found them to all have slip-on nuts.

I can understand that some where in the 41 year life span (Oh…incidentally..I’m technically the 3rd owner, with the to previous owners beginning a mother, daughter combo)  of my ’70 coupe that someone took it a part, lost the slip-on nuts and yes it was just a driver car so that’s possible.  However, on closer inspection I noticed that the normal slots that would allow the assembler to slide the short nut on were not there for the three bolt holes at the front of the fender (or at the front of the front fender….ok sorry, enough of that).

 

Square Slot that allows for the installation (Left of the bolt)

Bolt Holes without the slot.

So I wondering how much after-market parts are actually on the my Mustang.  When I had the car repainted, we did discover that the right door was replaced (paint underneath was blue) so why not the fender?   The options I have are to, remove the entire fender and if the holes are not blocked by aftermarket fender then I’ll have to consider using the traditional bolt and nut or I’d have to cut the slots.

 

Now that’s not the only aftermarket issues I discovered.  Those two bags of bolts and short nuts…..yeah..they aren’t the right size.  Although the are sold as “fitting 1968-1970 Mustangs” the original are 1/2 ”  nuts and these are  7/16″.  Well yeah..they’ll fit…heck there are all kinds down the street at ACE Hardware that will fit too!!!

I’ll follow-up on this later on.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Mod Decisions for ’70 Stang – Update 12/7/2010

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What you will see unfold in these updates is an exercise in project management for the modifications.  When I originally scoped out the components for the 302 that replaced the 250, I used a similar process, but very detailed.  I wasn’t overly concerned with improvements other than what a dropped in 302 would provide over that tired old straight 6. (Clearly..I left the 3 speed manual trans in it.)

But this time it’ll be different.  There is a lot to do and unlike the previous rebuild, money will be tight and free time limited.  The main goal I have is to keep the car in operation in between stages of modification.  This will take a clear and well laid out plan, where issues similar to the installation of the dash pad before the pillar post trim arrived (doh!), could be more than just a cost in time.

Below is a high level sketch of what I’d like accomplish with the Mustang.  I’ll update this list with more details as I figure which brands, sizes and the like that will be used.  Over on my Facebook pages I have already received some feedback and suggestions and I’ll post these up here in some cleverly titled entry.

So give me your suggestions or opinions and as the progression goes even tell me if you don’t like the choice and why.

Brakes and Suspension:

– Upgrade to 4 wheel disc (Brand and size TBD)

– Replace front and rear stabilizer bars (Brand and size TBD)

– Control arms already replaced

– Rebuild power steering

– Shocks already upgraded

Exhaust:

– Add cut-out before mufflers

–  Extend tailpipes to exit rear

No other changes anticipated

Interior:

– Addition of upgrade dash and interior lights

– Possible upgrade of all gauges

– Replace front seat belts with 3 point harness

– Carpet replaced

– Seats re-upholstered (upgrade to Leather/Cloth?)

– Paint lower doors

– Tilt steering wheel (Flamming River?)

Training:

Transmission

– Option 1 – Manual 4 speed with Hurts shifter

– Option 2 – T5 5 speed

– Rear Differential * Unsure if upgrade is possible or required

Engine:

* 302 stays

– Replace intake (Brand and size TBD)

–  Replace 650 Holley (Holley 750 Avenger)

–  Replacement of heads for more  performance (undecided)

–  Add custom mounting and tension for Power Steering/Alternator

–  Remove Fan and replace with electric

–  Add more chrome to engine (but not too much Bling..hate too much Bling)

Exterior:

Paint stays except:

– Blacked out rear light deck

– Black  Hood stripe (1970 Boss 1970 302 or 1970 Mach 1) – See images below – What do you think?

– Blacked out grill

– Black Front Spoiler

– Black side Boss 302 Stripe (w/o the Boss) (dependent on hood choice)

– Magnum 500 wheels (newer version, not originals)

Hood lay outs:

Mach 1 Hood...Perhaps my favorite...currently not considering adding a scoop

Boss 302 Hood lay out

O.K., let’s hear your thoughts.  They will automatically appear to the right of this posting and I’ll add the good ones in the update posts.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Readers comments and suggestions:
Byron McElfresh December 6 at 9:09pm Report
I seen your asking for advice on heads for a 302. I built a 302 that was .040″

over bore, The larger hyd. roller ford performance cam, used edelbrock rpm

heads, i did a little clean up and evened out the valve bowls, flat top

pistons, a 750 holley Street advegner carb, rpm intake, 1 3/4″ headers, and it

made 416 hp at 6000 rpm, and 349 tq. on the dyno. in the 60 Falcon with 3.73

gears, and a 4 speed,( the guy really needs an auto trans or get a shifter that

won’t granny shift speed wise!!!) But he still ran a 12.61 at gateway.

Wow, that’s pretty good. My 302 is bore .030. Hooker headers and 65O holley. I

wasn’t planning on changing out the cam. Now the rear end great. I just can’t

do the automatic trans though!

Byron McElfreshDecember 6, 2010 at 11:43pm
Re: Hi Tim,the 302
lol-the reason I think the guy should o to an auto trans is the ultra slow

shifts he makes with the old toploader! It’s a very painfully slow 2-3

shift!!!You can almost hear the multiple double clutches! yikes! lol

Tim Sweet December 6 at 10:11pm
good point

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Philip Daly December 6 at 8:58pm Report
351w

Tim Sweet December 6 at 9:36pm
Thanks Philip, But won’t that reduce compression? How much would you gain with

351w heads?

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Terry Wallace December 6 at 8:47pm Report
Ford Motorsports usually has some really great deals on 302 old school engines.

I would check there first. When it comes to flow numbers im finding through my

own testing at my machinists shop,,,,,most numbers are bullshit. beware and

test flow numbers using a reputable shop.

Tim Sweet December 6 at 9:35pm
Thank Terry. I’m with you on the numbers game…happens a lot even with

Corvettes. Regards

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Bill Rice December 6 at 8:46pm Report
Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads, Great gains in HP and Torque.

Tim Sweet December 6 at 9:42pm
Thanks Bill – what do you think those number might look like over a 302, bore

.030, hooker headers?
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Corvette Hangout December 6 at 8:28pm Report
C&C aluminum heads with small chambers to get higher compression larger valves

and install 150 shot of nitros.. CorvetteHangout

Tim Sweet December 6 at 9:44pm
I can get behind the higher compression..but I haven’t decided on NOS yet.

Thanks.
_————————————————————————-
Fatherlarry Monaco
‎1969 and 1970 Boss 302 heards and intake will work great.

Tim Sweet That was a thought I had as well.
2 seconds ago · Like

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Roy Oberg Aluminum is the way to go, go with a smaller combustion chamber that will give you more compression and less chance of spark knock.
about an hour ago · LikeUnlike
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Tim Sweet ‎100% on board with the smaller chambers.
2 seconds ago · Like