B3R Garage: The beginning of Project Bonnie and Clyde

Finally getting Started one of the two 1966 Ford Mustangs. Over the past two weeks The Boss, The Mad Scientist and I were able to completely rebuild the front suspension.

 

B3R Garage: Two weeks of fun and productivity

The previous weekend I mustered up the courage to finally take the Capri on a drive outside the neighborhood. July 26'th marked the date of Orland Indiana's Vermont Settlement Day's and The Mad Scientist convinced me to make the trip. Conveniently, the day also marked the firs American Legion car show in Orland. After a few days of pulling the car out of the garage and making a few laps around the neighborhood I began looking for a way to put the hood back on the Capri. I rummaged through the shop and came across what was left of a cutting wheel that was just enough to cut a hole large enough for the air cleaner. Everything seemed to be going really well in the Capri until we were about two miles outside of Orland. As it turned out, for some reason a roll pin sheared off in the distributor separating the rotation of the bottom of the distributor from the top. The Mad Scientist yanked the distributor, rolled into town and got some help from Bill's Towing before shooting back down the road and dropping the dizzy back in the block. When I hit the key the car fired right up and I was able to drive the rest of the way into town. Better yet, I was even able to watch the parade and head on down to the car show at the American Legion to look at other people's really awesome cars.

B3R Garage: Still hammering away at the 1970 F100

It has been a few months since we have updated anyone on the status of Grandpa Go Fast's 1970 Ford F100. The project has been slow going, but the entire suspension is completed and a little work still needs to be completed on the body and engine. To paint a better picture, the entire frame is painted, new brake drums, brake lines, shocks, along with drive shave u-joints and bearings.

As far as the body of the truck goes; the cab, doors, front fenders, hoods are primered and ready for paint. The truck bed is still in need of a little work. A large bend in the front of the truck bed has been hammered flat again, the mounting runners have been repaired with new steel, and the underside of the truck bed has been undercoated with rubber.

The engine and transmission has been installed, and all wiring from the cab forward has been gone through. Not only has the engine been put in, but on Grandpa Go Fast's birthday we were able to jump into the cab-turn the key-and literally fire the engine-We had a bit of Carb leak.  The engine will still need a little tweaking but because there is only headers installed on the engine at the moment, we were unable to keep the engine running long enough to make any final adjustments.

B3R Garage: F100 Update

Over the past month and a half the Mad Scientist and I had to take a break from the mad dash of tearing apart Grandpa Go Fast's 1970 Ford F100. The setback was due in large part to the weather and a small part to a reduced level of financial capital for the rebuild. However, I am proud to announce that the entire bottom of the truck cab has been rebuilt and/or had sections such as the cab mounts replaced with new parts from LMC Truck. We have even been able to mount the cab to the frame as well.

Although the original big block 360 engine was not  usable, we were able to throw together a Ford 302 Small Block from an 1970 Ford Fairlane. Like the truck itself, the engine was entirely gone through and rebuilt. An old small block C6 transmission with overdrive was also pulled out from under the shelf to go into Grandpa Go Fast's new ride. In addition to fixing up the body and drivetrain, the entire interior of the truck had been refurbished with diamondpate and new fabric. Images of the current updates will be provided in the near future.   

B3R: Garage GoFast 302

We would love to have kept everyone following up-to-date over the past few weeks, but we here at B3R have been up to our ears in snow and ice for quite a while. However, before the snow completely piled us in we were able to get a little done in the horsepower garage. We spent a little money and purchased a universal Ford 302 rebuild gasket kit. We pulled a 1970 Ford 302 off the shelf, put it on the engine stand and began the teardown and rebuild. Like all Ford motors that have been put together thus far, Grandpa GoFast’s Ford 302 for his F100 was painted Ford Blue. 

Take a Look...

B3R Garage: Spinning the Wheels

Over two weeks ago I found myself, my wife, and the Mad Scientist cruising down the interstate in my '84 Mercury Capri at a more than reasonable rate of speed. Unfortunately before the ride was over the oil pump drive shaft decided it no longer wanted to participate and SNAPPED!  It was fun while it lasted. I won't lie, it is a great feeling to have been able to tear down a car and build it back up in less than a year. In fact, the Mad Scientist and I not only rebuilt one car but two. Due to a rapid shortage of funds, my poor Mercury will have to sit in the garage for a while longer. On the plus side my replacement RPM cam and lifter kit from Edelbrock was received just last week. Soon enough the winter season will be upon us and I'm not too sure that I feel safe testing the limits of the Capri in snowy conditions. So, it is likely that my 1984 Mercury Capri will simply have to sit in the garage until summer. It is looking as thought the winter project this year will be pulling the motor yet again in order to install a new oil pump drive shaft and my replacement cam and lifters.

Although the Capri has had little street time, the Mad Scientist's Maverick is still out on the prowl. If you are ever in the fort and happen to see bright blue 1970 Maverick with a three barrel carburetor scoop sticking out of the hood, you can probably bet that it is the Mad Scientist. If you are driving by, make sure to give him a "Thumbs-UP", and if you have time to stop be sure to let him know what you think of his ride. Although there where many ups and downs in building it, it turned out to be a lot of fun. Make sure to look out for the Maverick at the local cars shows as well. Perhaps the Capri will make it next year.

B3R Garage: The 84 Capri Project Hits The Road

It has take quite a while, but it has happened. My 1984 Mercury Capri has finally hit the road at an acceptable speed. Over the past two weekends I have been able to jump in and cruise up and down the road in my neighborhood a few times. Doing so was convenient for calibrating the carb and testing the transmission. However, this weekend I felt comfortable enough to leave the neighborhood and head down to the local gas station. Prior to leaving I conveniently fixed a slight battery charging issue by replacing the original 1982 alternator with a fresh one. So, the trip went well. I know that the hood is still missing (I need a hole in the middle of it so that it will fit), but below is a small clip of the '84 Capri getting warmed up for the short ride.

B3R Garage: All new Still Issues

The 1984 Mercury Capri was intended to be a work in progress. However, I did have a time-frame in mind that I would like to have been driving it! Over the past few months I have been spending my weekends traveling to the Mad Scientist in order to work out the bugs with his 1970 Ford Maverick-leaving the Capri on the back burner. While helping the Mad Scientist, I would put as much spare time as I could tinkering with my Capri. Unfortunately, I could not figure out the idling issue on my own. So, I had to recruit some help from someone willing to travel just to see the engine. I called Pep!

B3R Garage: Driving the Maverick Home

That's right everyone. The Mad Scientist was able to drive his 1970 Ford Maverick out of the operating room and take her home. Unfortunately, the carburetor needs a little work and the car needs a set of front tires, but the car was able to make it 13 miles across town without too much trouble.

So what does it all mean? Will we hear about the Mad Scientist's Maverick in the weeks to come?

B3R Garage: Lifting the Carb

A whole lot has happened to the the Mad Scientist's Ford Maverick this weekend. First off, the Mad Scientist went ahead and sprung for a 1" carburetor lift plate in order to raise the carburetor scoop up height enough to avoid resting on the HEI distributor. I am not going to lie, putting the lift on his intake was significantly more of a task than I had doing the same process on my Capri. However, in just about an hour we were able to raise the roof on the newly installed street/strip carburetor scoop.

If you have been paying close attention to the pictures of the '87 truck block dropped into the Maverick you might have guessed that the Uni belt pulleys on the Edelbrock water-pump and crank might cause an alternator issue. And you would be right. So the Mad Scientist took it upon himself to drop into the nearby Pick-it-yard (takeapart.biz). He climbed up in an old Ford and walked out with a handy dandy uni-belt pulley, some hood rubbers, and window trim clips. He then went ahead and swung by the nearby NAPA and bout a new alternator, and had the employees put the used belt on it so that it would work with the current pulley setup. Pretty crafty huh!

The Mad Scientist even went so far as to acquire a handy dandy band new radiator cooling fan. Unfortunately, the fan requires that it be put on the front of the radiator (behind the bumper). As it turns out there is not a log of room there. The room that is there is currently occupied by a trim bracket. Bummer! But don't worry everyone! The Mad Scientist and I are no stranger to chopping off unneeded pieces (check out the shock tower chopping section) and/or fabricating what we need. So, hopefully the new radiator fan will be going in this weekend.

The only thing that still seems to be missing is the exhaust. The Mad Scientist has his eyes set on a pair of Lake Pipes from Jegs.com, but he may just throw together some of the spare pipes with a couple of over-the-counter mufflers just to be able to roll down the road a little earlier.

If you are interested in the Mad Scientist's 1970 Ford Maverick, be sure to keep checking in and occasionally check his Squidoo page under the Maverick tab above for more information and videos to come.

B3R Garage: The Capri gets a Scoop too!

Sorry if we have not been keeping everyone up to date with B3R happenings over the past two weeks. The Mad Scientist and I have had our fair share of issues placing the last few pieces of our cars back together. In fact, both of our allegedly good transmissions have turned out to be needing rebuilt. But that is another story for another day. Today, I want to inform everyone/(anyone interested) that I will be chopping a handy dandy hole in my hood in next few weeks to make room form a brand new carburetor air cleaner.

Check out the Capri's new Air Cleaner.

B3R Garage: The Mad Scientist's Tranny Troubles

The Mad Scientist has cut, chopped, and welded his 1970 Ford Maverick into submission. We have finally been able to completely drop in the Ford 302 sb into the Maverick using truck mounts. We wired up the starter, and bypassed the transmission lines. However, as easy as cutting into the Maverick was it was about time it cut back!

The Maverick strikes back!

B3R Garage: Troublesome Timing Issues

When you begin to near the completion of custom car that you have never done before all of the tiny kinks and imperfections tend to reveal themselves. For my 1984 Mercury Capri, the problem laid in my inability to understand why my Edelbrock 1406 four barrel carburetor would not idle at all.

Why won't my Edelbrock 1406 idle?

B3R Garage: Fuel Line Upgrade-Old, Modern, & New

     Year ago when the Mad Scientist was young the normal method for installing fuel lines in any and all cars involved hard rubber hose and steel hose clamps. As the years passed much of the rubber hoses were replaced with steel fuel lines. At the current time there is yet another alternative to automotive fuel lines available known simply as AN(Army/Navy).

     Due to pressure issues with common rubber hoses, routing issues with steel fuel lines the 1984 Mercury Capri will be getting a fuel pump to carburetor fuel line upgrade. Currently, the fuel line from the Edelbrock fuel pump pours into a Mr. Gasket adjustable pressure regulator and gauge before actually entering the carburetor.

     Although the paperwork for the stock replacement Edelbrock Fuel Pump states that it should not require a pressure regulator, it produces approximately 7.5-10 lb. of fuel pressure before entering the pump. The issue is caused when the information about the Carburetor (Edelbrock 1406) states it should have no more than 6 lb. of fuel pressure at any given time. Therefore, a pressure regulator was needed to reduce the flow of fuel into the Edelbrock 1406 carburetor.

Unfortunately, the rubber fuel line coming from the pump into the fuel pressure regulator continues to leak due to excessive pressure and weak hose clamps. Therefore the foxbody Capri will be getting an AN -6 fuel line and fitting upgrade from the fuel pump to the carburetor.

B3R Garage: The '84 Capri Finally Hits the Ground

For a few weeks now my 1984 Foxbody Capri has been giving the Mad Scientist and I issues. However, over the weekend we were able to finally bleed all of the brakes and run the car through the gears while up on jack stands. We were even able to have the car idle on its own for the fist time ever. It was kind of nice to get out of the car while it ran and walk down the road a little just to see how it sounded from a distance.

Unfortunately, after a few time of letting the car idle for several minutes it would eventually die. After this occurred several time the car became very difficult to start and would not idle at all. I could not figure out why my Edelbrock Carburetor would not idle at all. I tried a few thing to hopefully remedy the issue but had no luck. On thing I did was included a fuel pressure gauge following my fuel pump to ensure I had enough fuel pressure. I also put a 2.5" spacer in between the carburetor and intake because it seemed as though I only had the issue after the car got up to running temp. Unfortunately  none of my attempts seemed to fix the issue. So I will eventually be swapping out the Edelbrock Carb for a known good one, and will eventually take the Edelbrock Carb apart for a rebuild.

Here is the video of the car Idling on the ground for the first time.
* I'm actually listening to the Radio in the car.

B3R Garage: 1970 Ford Maverick Update

After a week of waiting the Mad Scientist and I were able to acquire a new heater core and windshield wiper motor for the Maverick. Awkwardly enough Ford Maverick's without A/C have more expensive heater cores than those without. Who knew. Regardless, the folks down at the local NAPA store was able to provide us with a heater core and windshield wiper motor.

After this weekend the entire interior of the Maverick should be completely done. With that being said the car really only needs a few more pieces to reach completion. Unfortunately  the Mad Scientist's truck decided to keel over and die (hopefully for the last time. ). So the Maverick build budget was slightly cut into in order to fix the Mad Scientist's Aspire long enough to get the Maverick done. Although the Maverick street strip build will not stop the build, but it will be extended a little longer.

No offense to anyone following B3R Garage, but it is likely to be in your best interest not to buy a Chevy (s10).

B3R Garage: '84 Mercury Capri Update

The 1984 Mercury Capri foxbody project has proven to be a bit of a tough pill to swallow for some time now. The recent issue I was having with the car was that the stock replacement starter shorted out. After a bit of research, I came to discover that most stock replacement starter bought at your local auto parts stores a re manufactured with used parts. bummer. Fortunately, I was able to come up with enough funds to buy a new replacement. The new starter is a Mini High Torque Starter from Summit Racing.

The process for installing the new starter involved pulling the engine yet again due to installing long-tube Hooker Headers. So, over the weekend the Mad Scientist and I disconnected the transmission mounts and hoses, drained the radiator, and removed the radiator. The radiator was removed to prevent unintentional damage when pulling up the motor. After the motor was pulled the new multi-position starter was set to optimal positioning and installed.

Additional parts installed included pre-bent transmission lines from Cool Tubes, and a new mechanical fuel pump by Edelbrock. The pre-bent tubes where installed to make sure that there was no real possibility of transmission fluid leaks in the near future. The Edelbrock fuel pump was installed to make sure that the new carburetor was receiving enough fuel to power the modified engine.

To finish the car off a set of 23" Jones Glasspack Straight pipe mufflers where installed along with the a modified Hooker down-pipes. Instead of keeping the original exhaust the Mad Scientist and I went ahead and installed 2.5" side-pipe exhaust tips that expel just before the rear tires.

With the exception of installing all of the interior components, and installing the front bumper clip the car is essentially completed. Although it is nearly done, I am sure that the car will undergo various changes in the near future including upgrades to suspension, and inter/exterior design & paint. So keep in touch in order to see some of the new images and videos of the 1984 Mercury Capri. This is one custom car.

B3R Garage: 1970 Maverick Custom Interior

After about two weeks the 1970 Ford Maverick's interior carpet was finally delivered. Conveniently, the carpet came at just the right time. Previously in the week the Mad Scientist and I were able to fabricate seat brackets for the black Tenzo Racing seats, all of the dash pads were recovered, and the headliner was restored.

This weekend the Mad Scientist and I will be looking forward to finally dropping in the carpet, and getting started re-installing the heat ducts, dash panels, trim panels, and front and rear seats. Keep and eye out because shortly we will be posting pictures of the newly upgraded 1970 Ford Maverick interior.

B3R Garage: 1970 Maverick Update

It has been about one month now and the 70's Ford Maverick has come a long way. over the week the Mad Scientist and I were able to tear out everything from under the dash. Not only was EVERYTHING removed but we were able to undercoat (rubberize) everything as well (including our clothes, shoes, hands, hair, and anything else we touched). The Ford 302 sb was fitted to check for potential clearance issues as the motor is from a '87 truck of some kind. Seat brackets where fabricated to help level the custom Tenzo Racing seats that we will be putting in as well. I guess you could say that the 1970 Ford Maverick is at the same point my car was in during the final stages of its completion. There are only a few more weeks before the February 12th (Mad Scientist's Birth Day). I wonder if the car will be derivable by then.

B3R Garage: Craigslist Win!

Craigslist has been arguably one of the most used online services for buying and selling product locally. For most individuals, Craigslist may even be seen as a very lucrative source for finding parts for their particular project car or truck. However, in our neck of the woods Craigslist is more commonly used by companies than individuals. Therefore, it may be exceptionally easy for some to find parts for their 1984 Foxbody projects or Mavericks, but it is not for those of us here at B3R Garage.

Over the life of the '84 Capri Project build I have only had the ability to come across a broken T5 transmission that would fit in my ride. This was true until this last weekend. Over the weekend I came across a Craigslist post pertaining to chrome rims. Although I had a vision of what my Capri should look like I could not turn down a set of chrome rims for only $125. So I took a look. Conveniently the rims where in great condition and accommodated the 4x4.25 or 4x108mm lug spacing needed to fit.

With a set of new rubber and a little bit of chrome polish I am sure these rims will do just fine.