B3R Garage: Grandpa Go Fast's F100 is up and Running

This 1970 Ford F100 has undergone a lot of surgery and cosmetic repair. Take a look at where Gradpa's super Ford has come from and where it is right now.

B3R Garage: 1970 Maverick Update

After a bit of a brutal 2014-2015 winter the Mad Scientist noticed a small rear axle leak. Instead of tearing apart the axle and simply putting it back together, the Mad Scientist to the opportunity to make a little drivetrain upgrade. He went ahead and replaced the stock rear gears with a new posi-track differential. There are not too many better improvements that can be made to a street machine that having both tires spin in the same direction at the same time. Currently, the Ford 302 small block may not be producing the amount of power we would like. However, this upgrade will likely make a future power upgrades significantly more noticeable. Let us know what you think of the current upgrade.

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: A Break in the Silence

Well B3R Garage’s plan for the next few months was to simply ride out the winter months by enjoying family while the cars stayed cooped up in the garage. However, the Mad Scientist came across some information that turned out to be too good to pass up. Over the year the Grandpa Go-Fast has not been getting around too quickly. Every truck he has ever owned has been sold and to top it all off he broke a hip a few years back. Well, my Grandpa has always had a thing for classic cars and the Mad Scientist’s find fit the bill well enough.

B3R Garage: Polish and Shine

The Mad Scientist's 1970 Maverick has always been quite photogenic. However, following the painting process the paint began to quickly fade. In many areas such as the trunk and in the middle of the doors, hazy grey spots began to emerge. Needless to say we where not to happy with what was going on with the paint job. Regardless, the Mad Scientist decided to take the Maverick to a few shows and visit those who helped provide parts for the car. On one of the Mad Scientist's visits he was informed that he should simply continue sanding the car until the haze went away. After painting the car the Mad Scientist and I decided not to do any sanding because we thought that it might actually scratch the paint job. However, we were assured that sanding the car after paining it was exactly what was needed to be done in order to get a "car lot" shine. As it turns out, lacquer is like a hard-candy shell that is meant to be sanded in order to get it to shine. After spending a few hours in the garage with a 1500 and 2000 grit sand paper the car revealed a shine the Mad Scientist and I did not know that it had in it. So if you have recently put garage paint job on your car don't be afraid to give it a good sanding a few weeks later to bring out the shine you really want. According to the Mad Scientist his best results came when he laid a garden hose on the roof of the can and sanded areas where the water would continue to flow down. His method allowed for the paint to be "polished" without rubbing the fall-off back into the paint.

B3R Garage: An Old Cam Fixes a New Problem

My 1984 Mercury Capri has been the cause of many headaches over the past few months. There was a time where I could hop in and turn the key and the car would start. However, after a few times of starting the car it appeared as though the timing would change and the car would backfire out the exhaust and the intake. So, I invited a family member down to look at the issue. As it turned out the $240 Edelbrock (part #7122) cam and lifter kit I installed had burnt out. This really made me mad. The Mad Scientist and I followed the instruction to the "T" for installing it and took liberal lubrication to the extreme. However, the third piston lobes and lifters seemed to grind down to a smooth cave in a matter of a few operational hours. I ended up pulling the Edelbrock cam and lifters, just to put back in the original cam, and some over-counter lifter. With the old equipment in the car runs like a champ. Unfortunately, I am lacking the power I was promised and expecting from Edelbrock I can at least go down the road.

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: 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: Shaving Shock Towers

The Mad Scientist has decided to put his 1970's Ford Maverick under the knife again. So far the pre-modified can lighting setup was cut from the rear and replaced with a Torino tail lights. The rear bumper was fabricated from a Ford Mustang rear bumper and all visible exterior mounting bolts were shaved. The engine going into the car currently will be a Ford 302 small block with mustang shorty headers  and a C4 automatic transmission. However, the Mad Scientist has recently got the concept of bigger blocks on his mind. So instead of simply dropping the small block into the the Maverick, the Mad Scientist did a little homework and found out what it would take to put a larger block into the car. As it turns out, the process requires shaving the shock towers!

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: 1970's Brakes & Interior

Over the weekend the Mad Scientist and I where able to install the new rear brake parts. Unfortunately,  finding and speaking with knowledgeable representatives at your local auto parts store can be a hit or miss endeavor. For the most part, when we speak to someone about finding parts for the Maverick the representative freezes in panic when we mention that the car is from the 70's or that it is a Maverick. Probably due to the younger generation not realizing that there where indeed cars before they were born. (who knew?)

Regardless, the Mad Scientist and I were able to acquire some brake parts from our trusty NAPA store. Over the weekend we were able to install new brakes on the refurbished 8" axle. The brakes took a little longer that expected due to some lacking parts. However, we were able to scavenge some working parts off of some Granada front drum brakes in order to make the instillation a success. As far as the brakes are concerned the 1970 Maverick only needs three brake lines measuring a few feet in distance.

This weekend we did not stop with installing brake parts. The Mad Scientist took it upon himself to enlist some help from his personal interior fabricator (his mom). At a month before her 70th birthday the Mad Scientist's fabricator/mom was teaching the Great Grand-children how to Snowboard. (This is no joke. Those Grand-children are mine.) Anyhow, the rear bench seat in the 1970's Ford Maverick was tore apart, painted, re-padded, and re upholstered. The back of the newly refurbished back seat also sports a snazzy Ford logo as well.  

Along with finishing some simple projects, there where some projects that where just getting started. We took the time to remove the interior heater motor, squirrel box, and wiper motor. We also removed the shock tower supports and began wire-wheeling the doghouse.

B3R Garage: Approaching New Years

Over the last week I took some time off over the holidays to visit Fabulous Las Vegas. Now that I have a slightly refreshed sense of motivation, I am ready to start  really digging into the 1970 Ford Maverick Street Strip Build project. Before my vacation the Mad Scientist and I had left off with having completed the rear quarter panel, and tire well repairs along with fabricating a bumper.   The Maverick also received a little body work in the rear in order to accommodation a larger Ford Torino tail light due to a previous owners botched body job.

Although I was out for a while the garage was not entirely quiet. The Mad Scientist stayed behind, and chipped away at some of the lighter work that still needed to be done to the 1970 Maverick. In my absence the underbelly, inner trunk, and floor boards where thoroughly undercoated to prevent any future possibilities of rust damage. The Mad Scientist also took it upon himself to remove the old 7" rear axle. The small axle will soon be replaced with a completely gone through 8" axle from a 1971 Ford Grabber. The Mad Scientist also sanded and primered the rear louvered bumper cover and front valance. 

With so much done in my absence there is really little to be done to make the Mad Scientist's 1970 Maverick a real ground pounder. The list of items to still be completed included installing the new rear axle, fuel cell, engine, and transmission. We will also need to do some minor floorboard repair and modifications for properly fitting the Tenzo Racing seats. 

Keeping in mind that most of B3R Garage's work is done in just a few hours during the weekend, we are planning to have the car-at least-up and running by late February. I guess you could call it a resolution.