1973 Ford Gran Torino

[super noob]

Seeing as I had the shifter it was test fitted into a spot where I could reach everything and I decided to mount the switch panels to the roof, the fact they look cool is about all the motivation I need to keep them there!

If the lights annoy me I'll just stick some black out tape over them in order to bring the brightness down a bit, one modification I'm making though is to turn up a knurled piece of billet on the lathe for the cranked lever.....should hopefully finish this off tomorrow

 

[super noob]

Many many parts arrived last week and something tells me these silencers are just going to be there so I can show the MOT man I've got something fitted!


The Strange Engineering quick release hub is a thing of beauty, lovely machine work on it and the wheel will mean I can get in and out easily with the new seating position. The stock Torino wheel is stupidly big and deep dished compared to this Grant one and I've now got the laziest speedo install, just plug in a positive and hook it up to the gauge......no fiddling about working out what drive gear I need to match my tyres and rear end

 

[super noob]

For anyone wondering.....the 73 Gran Torino steering shaft is:

A) a ******* to get out
B) solid
C) will not work with a Strange quick release out the box.

I was not aware of the above as no ones ever done it before but I was happy to take the risk.

Best way I found to do this is as follows

Take the strange adaptor piece and turn it down from 16.5mm to 10mm over the length of 14mm. This leaves ample wall thickness as the wall isn't structural it's just for locating the part.

Your steering shaft wall thickness is the weakest part of the system so the thicker you can leave that the better. Notice the chamfer V size created to fill with weld, this is what matters for securing the shaft to the stub.

Heavy chamfer the end at 45*

Drill the steering shaft out to 10mm and again chamfer as above.

Line up the centre of the strange adaptor to the marked position for steering centre on your shaft. You have to do this with the shaft in vehicle prior to removing.

Slide the two together, tack and check alignment before tacking the other side.
Re check to make sure it's straight and true and then TIG it all up! A pipe rotator makes life a lot easier.....I didn't have one!

Oh and remove the bearing first....I now need to fit a new one. Luckily they're easy to fit from above or below as the shaft is the same diameter and uses a circlip on the bottom and top to secure it.

A new bearing and I'll be ready to reinstall in the car, I've ordered this through Steve so should have it next week I hope


Oh and before anyone starts bitching about welding steering components, if it's good enough for the NHRA, NASCAR etc. And it's an SFI approved part it's definitely safe enough.....bikers have been doing it for years with their forks too






















Disclaimer. If you can't turn the material or weld....don't do this with a drill because it will be sh*t. I make no promises that this will work for you, screw it up at your own cost

 

[super noob]

I also picked up some 150x80x5mm which should be plenty strong enough for the frame work of the Torino's new bumper.....I've dropped it back off at the metalworks for them to chop it and drop it 60mm as I don't have a band saw to use or a folder to make up the caps

I haven't really designed this to be a crumple zone....but then again I've still got a bull bar to manufacture as well so

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Seeing as I had the shifter it was test fitted into a spot where I could reach everything and I decided to mount the switch panels to the roof, the fact they look cool is about all the motivation I need to keep them there!

If the lights annoy me I'll just stick some black out tape over them in order to bring the brightness down a bit, one modification I'm making though is to turn up a knurled piece of billet on the lathe for the cranked lever.....should hopefully finish this off tomorrow

How does the shifter work, it looks like alot of levers for a 4 speed box?

 

[super noob]

How does the shifter work, it looks like alot of levers for a 4 speed box?

Its a lot of levers for a 3 speed box!

Essentially its designed to confuse people but its the best shifter you can get for racing as it turns any box into a Lenco. You've got a standard shifter then a lever for each gear too

 

[Maker]

You've got a standard shifter then a lever for each gear too

At the risk of sounding a bit thick, why is that better?

 

[super noob]

At the risk of sounding a bit thick, why is that better?

Ok so on the right you have the little lever, that selects P, R, N, D, 3, 2 and 1

However if you want to go racing on the strip or if you like manually shifting you pull the little lever down into 1 and it moves all three long levers forward. Now you can't miss a shift as you go through the gears

Pull the first long lever and that takes you from 1-2, pull the second 2-3 and then when you get to the end of the strip or the lights pull the third and that puts you back into neutral.

You can't go into the wrong gear by mistake

 

[Maker]

Interdasting, can you get them with more than three levers?

 

[super noob]

You can get 4 levers if you have a 4 speed box but thats it, I might get bored of this one in a year or two and replace it with one of his ratchet shifters

 

[Woody.v8]

Interdasting eh

 

[super noob]

Finished turning the new gear lever handle today. Little burr at the bottom due to the tap but nothing I'll notice so I've removed the sharpness but haven't faced it off again to avoid damaging the knurling in the chuck

 

[Maker]

Nice handle, but what were all those calculations for?

 

[super noob]

Thermo fluid dynamics. Don't ask because I'm struggling with them too!

 

[super noob]

Torino's new bumper is about 90% done now!

Looks much better with the drop section, just need to add the corner pieces and we're a bullbar and mounts away from being complete!

Suitably beefy and somehow still a lot lighter than the original....for now

 

[super noob]

After spotting rust in someone else's thread I decided to go hunting in the same spot.......found some and then had to remove the windscreen! I didn't break it this time though

I don't think I'll be re installing the chrome as that just leaves a gap for water. So the screen will hopefully be bonded in and then tinted deep black to make the whole car a bit stealthier, with it bonded in too it means the seal is far better than the rubber gasket

Only upside to this is that I can try out my new TIG welder

 

[super noob]

New helmet better be good.....I've paid less for cars in the past! First 9100xxi in the UK apparently

And I've got my matched gauge set sorted, if anyone wants to buy the spare Autometer Sport Comp 2 let me know!

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Was that the calculation for the volume of a tornado funnel? ..sorry just curious - been 20 years since I did that stuff! Is there a second integral from 0-2*(Pi) floating about on another page maybe? Nice work too on the car....looks like Christmas came early on the car parts front!

 

[super noob]

I can't remember haha, I've slept since then!

I think it was the calculation for gas expansion in a constant pressure environment

 

[super noob]

New sheetmetal gauge panel sorted, just need to drill holes for idiot lights, gauge panel mounting screws and the gauges