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A deadline has been set, the race is on! '53 Cranbrook


rolnthunder

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Hit a milestone! The 5.0 is bolted in and under its own weight! I spent all day cutting, welding, grinding and more welding. I was able to get my dad over to help for a little while which helped out a lot. 

 

Driver side bracket. I scored the plate in two places, bent it and welded it back together.

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Brackets welded in with gussets all of it is 1/4" plate so I dont see it going anywhere. Im thinking about completely boxing in the passenger side mount to keep dirt from collecting but I could just drill a hole. 

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Starter has plenty of room as well as exhaust (passenger side)

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Still have to do a bit more cleaning up but evey thing clears and the oil filter has room too. (Drivers side)

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TaDa!

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I will be using an electric pusher fan most likely in case you are wondering. 

 

Next thing will be making the cross member for the T5 and finishing the shock mounts on the rear axle. 

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long nights at work and feeling a bit under the weather has kept thing at a crawling pace the last few days. I did manage to venture into the garage for a little bit this afternoon. I made a trip to lowes to pick up a sheet of plexi glass for the sand blasting cabinet and was able to finish cleaning the s10 tail housing. I then bolted the transmission up dry just for mock up. A then made a bracket for the cross member. not much accomplished but progress is progress. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

A lot has happened since the last post. so here we go.

 

-Transmission was bolted in place and the cross member was made and welded up. To accomplish this i had to cut into the floor a bit.

- Started the front disc conversion that utilizes the stock hubs (after they are separated from the drums) and 95-01 explorer rotors and calipers. You may have seen a thread about this conversion I believe it was brought back up last week. Everything is going smoothly with it so far!

- I sourced a mustang pedal assembly from the same uncle who has helped me out with a few other parts so far. So yes I will be converting it to a hanging pedal set up, mainly for ease of driving and how simple it will be to hook up the clutch and throttle cables.

 

Dad is newly retired and came over today to help out. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have accomplished nearly as much today so thanks Dad!

 

Pictures!

 

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The hole actually grew a bit from this.

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The crossmember was made in 3 pieces. The center section can be unbolted and removed to allow for the easy removal of the transmission. The two sets of flanges that unbolt from each other were not welded in squarely. To fix this we cut the center section in half, sleeved it with a piece of smaller tubing inside, squared up the flanges, plug welded it and the fully welded the pieces back together. In the end it all worked out and the crossmember is stronger that it was before.

 

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Action shots of Dad helping with the crossmember.

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Checking the paper bracket template.

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Cutting the brackets out with the plasma cutter didnt work like we had hoped. The machines max capacity is 1/2" and it didnt really want to cut 3/8". So we called it a night and tomorrow ill have the brackets cut out for sure.

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Edited by rolnthunder
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Had a rough day in the garage. Everything that could go wrong did. First the band saw blade kept jumping off, then the grinder I use on everything gave out, then I tarted breaking drill bits, then finally the drill press fell apart. Luckily I was able to fix all of it, it jut took way too much time out of my day. The band saw blade was just a test of patience. The grinder had a brush that had fallen apart. I used a spring from a ball point pen and had to drive across town to my parents to get my soldering iron but was able to repair the broken brush spring. Then I spent a good while sharpening the drill bits I broke. Finally the chuck fell off the spindle on the drill press. After trying to "press" it back on with a hammer, I finally welded it back on and was finally able to get on with the days tasks...

 

 

One bracket cut

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Both bracket welded together to clean up the edges and have them match.

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All holes were drilled and everything was test fitted. Still need to do ome fine tuning and it will be good to go once its all cleaned, painted, and plumed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I havent posted in a while so here is an update. Over the last 2 weeks or so life has really been throwing some curveballs.

1. Jesse lost a diamond out of her ring. 

2. On the way to get the ring a 3 deer decided to jump in front of my truck.

3. My truck was towed from in front of my friends house. (HOA. Thats why I will NEVER live ANYWHERE with someone else telling me what I can and cant do at my own house!)

So needless to say I have had my hands full.

 

Despite all of that I have found some time for the 53.

1. I made the adjustment bracket for the alternator.

2. Test fit the radiator all is well and I need to come up with how to make the brackets.

3. Corrected the pinion angle with shims.

4. Scored a set of hanging pedals that are also from a mustang so all the cables will work perfectly.

5. A friend gave me a nice 12 gallon aluminum fuel cell for helping him go buy a car. So that helps the budget! 

 

No pictures for once but more progress should be made tomorrow.

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Sucks about your truck, at least your project is moving forward. My exact sentiments....."F" HOA's......NEVER!!!!!!

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The rear axle wasnt centered with the shims installed. The alignment pins were 1/2" while the holes in the shims and spring seat are 3/4". to solve this I used small pieces of 3/4" .120 wall DOM and everthing fit like it should.

 

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After using my friends plasma cutter I decided I needed one of my own. I ended up purchasing an Everlast PowerPro 205s. Its a TIG/Stick/Plasma. 200 amp AC/DC TIG, and 50 amp Plasma. It came in this afternoon and I was able to play around with the TIG function. I have never TIG welded before in my life so dont laugh too much. 

 

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The welds are very dirty because I had the scrap piece laying on a 2x4 and it pulled the sap and everything else out of the wood. I have to build a welding table here soon. I dont thing ti was too bad for only watching a few youtube videos and 30 minutes of practicing. The goal is to be able to weld some aluminum here in a few weeks in order to make the fuel cell I have work with a factory mustang in-tank fuel pump. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Work has slowed to a crawl, life has really been getting in the way lately but here is some progress.

 

I added another hole in the 15 gallon fuel cell my friend gave me so I can use a factory in tank fuel pump from any efi 5.0. This saves me several hundred big ones. Im waiting on my weld in hose barbs and AN fittings to be able to finish it. A gasket will be made also. 

 

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94-04 Mustang pedals were also installed. I will be making adjusters to lower the pedal height slightly to a more comfortable position.

 

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The rear brakes are all mounted and ready to go minus the pads and brake lines and having the rotors turned. I ended up having to use the bolt on brackets and made spacers fore the caliper brackets. everything fits nicely now and will use all 94-04 brake components.

 

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I was working on the engine today and discovered a problem. I was under the impression that the block I had was a roller block. It ended up being a flat tappet which derailed everything. I made a quick trip to the engine shop and I decided to have them build me a roller block. I was told that I should have it within a week or two so now Ill have a brand new shiny engine! 

 

Also I have been doing some major parts collecting this week and so far I have been getting some really good deals too! I was able to score a brake master cylinder and booster, radiator, wiring harness, shorty headers, and two ford ranger wheels that clear the disc brake conversion in the front. The best part about the wheels are that they accept the original wheel covers! So far the goal to have it looking original is coming along nicely. I was really worried about the wheels and wheel covers not working out but Im super excited that I was able to find some wheels that work perfectly! 

 

I have also ordered new front floor pans and most of my fuel system parts are in. I have plenty of work to do and Im quickly running out of time!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Its been a few weeks and things have been moving at a pretty steady pace just nothing that is real exciting to look at. Both the fuel system and brake system are in place. The brakes are functional except the parking brake which will require some custom linkage. The fuel system is waiting on the engine. The new engine is here but I am waiting on the bolt kit to arrive so I do not have to play the bolt game. It should have already been here but the original order failed to go through. I have also ordered port-a-walls and they are in. As soon as the engine is in place ill decide on tire size have them installed. Later this week I will begin the electrical system. I have been working on the engine harness in what little spare time I have. 

 

P.S. the fiance told be that if I wanted the car in her bridal pictures I had 3 weeks... that was a week ago... It may not be pretty, but Im truly racing the clock to have it move under its own power by April 12th. Wish me luck and feel free to come by and help!

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Not sure how many "hot rod" guys are following along but this is my hot rod/ resto-mod. But this isnt a stock 302 build (technically 5.0 since it is EFI). Nothing super radical but its certainly a vast improvement over stock. 

 

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Ranger wheels with Plymouth hub caps will be used up front.

 

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Edited by rolnthunder
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Wish me luck and feel free to come by and help!  Hey, get the mechanicals safe, throw a blanket over the seat, do a '50s used car polish job (wash down with lacquer thinner to remove the oxidation) on the exterior, and you should be good to go.  No one cares about rat rods vs stock, we just like the individual processes that take place.  Do put small tires on the front for a slight rake and a wind foil on the trunk lid.  LOL.
 

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Unfortunately life has decided to throw a few more curves. Last Saturday Jesse damaged her engagement ring again and I had to use the cash that was set aside for crucial items on the car to have the jeweler fix the ring within a week. With 3 diamonds gone, the band bent in several places, and cracked, the car will not be moving under its own power on Sunday. However I have been able to take a break and I have been polishing a few items such as the upper and lower intakes and the valve covers.

 

Tomorrow evening and Sunday reinforcements will be coming by to help get the engine and trans in. 

 

56 days till the wedding. Im sure Ill make it in time at this point. but these last 3 weeks really pushed me along. 

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Please excuse the sideways picture. I was having difficulty rotating it. The intakes and valve covers will not be polished to a mirror shine but mainly a brushed type finish.  

 

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