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: Another Three Hour Tour on the S.S. Minnow

After a few years of the Boss watching the Mad Scientist and I hammer away on the '84 Mercury Capri, '70 Ford Maverick, '70 Ford F100 Long-Bed Custom, and now a '69 Ford F100 Short-Bed, she has decided that it was about time for her to get her own.

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: Getting the F100 up and Running with Down Pipes

Grandpa Go Fast's 1970 Ford F100 has taken much more time to get to where it is as than any of our other two projects. However, the Mad Scientist and I were able to get the massive monster over to the finishing garage to better prepare it for paint and the road.

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: Grandpa Go Fast's F100 Good and Bad Shakedown

Well, the Mad Scientist has had some time to tinker with Grandpa Go Fast's 1970 Ford F100 the over the past weeks. As it turns out the old truck will need quite a bit of work, but nothing the Mad Scientist and I where not prepared for. So, it just so happens that the Ford 360 Big Block has significant pitting and rust in the cylinder walls making the block currently unusable.

This leaves us-currently-with two options. 

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: 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: Labor Day Weekend with Auctions America

The Mad Scientist and I took off this weekend to attend an annual even known as the Auburn Car Auction. The even started in Wednesday and went well into Sunday evening. The even had helicopter ride, Monster truck rides, a motocross show and hundreds of cars. Conveniently we were able to walk through a very large automotive parts swap meet and view acres of cars and parts that where for sale. As expected, many of the cars where classic in nature. However, there where some one-off customs that made our eyes really open up. One of the more interesting automobiles was tagged "Twice Blown Deliveries".

Here are some of the cars and carts we ended up looking at while we were out of the garage for the week.

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: 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: 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: A Surprising Resolution

As you may know the Mad Scientist has been driving his 1970 Ford Maverick around for almost a month know. Interestingly enough, he has been doing so with an unidentified Ford 302 block with a Frankenstein Holley carburetor. That's right the carb was put together with parts from three different carbs! Unfortuantly the car would move but the secondaries would never open up. So, we never knew exactly what the old car could do.

That was until the Mad Scientist went out and nabbed a brand new 600 cfm single pumper Holley of the shelf. He threw the new carb on and guess what! The car sounded like CRAP!. It would idle real nice until he put his foot anywhere near the pedal. This was confusing to say the least.

After about two weeks of insanity checking the timing, replacing sparkplug wires, spark plugs, and the distributor cap and rotor the Mad Scientist had enough. He was about to push the old car into the back yard and tarp it over for good. Until he got the idea of removing the valve cover and watching each of the valves open and close as he manually cranked over the engine.

As it turned out, the timing was off. Way OFF! What the Mad Scientist and I though was a standard Ford 302 block (With regular firing order 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8) was actually a Ford 302 HO motor (with a firing order of 1-3-7-6-5-4-8) .

I won't lie, this discovery simply blew my freaking mind! Just one week before the Mad Scientist put on the new carb we where out driving though town. Granted we where only going about 35mph the car still sounded PERFECT! It was quite, smooth, and not backfiring.

Now that the Maverick's kinks have been worked out and we know everything there is to know about our little Maverick, the car drives smooth and has no problem breaking the 100mph in a relativity short distance. If we could just get the back tires to stop spinning when we hover over the gas pedal we might even be able to get the front end off the ground!

B3R Garage: An unfortunate turn of events

Yesterday was one of Orland Indiana's reestablished car shows. The mad scientist and I had been working feverishly on the weekends of the past few months in order to get are Ford powered tire squealers ready for the event.

B3R Garage: The Capri nears the Finish line

My 1984 Mercury Capri has seen a little neglect on the site in the past two months, but its progress continues. Unfortunately, I had a little transmission problems. As it turns out the current header setup requires that the entire engine and transmission be pulled every time the transmission needs to be removed. So, over the past two months the Capri has been completely dissected once again. The radiator, motor, headers, and all were once again removed in order to get to the tightly packed in transmission. The transmission was taken down to a local transmission repair shop to be completely rebuilt.

After just under two weeks the transmission was returned. However, after shifting it through the gears while it was in the car; it appears as though the shift kit was put in wrong! Go figure. On the plus side, I was able to gather enough hardware to put the cars interior trim back in, install the door panels, and even the glove box. I won’t lie, it is kind of nice being able to put my arm on the arm rest once again.

Tasks still at hand include fixing a minor power-steering leak, tune the carb, check the timing (yes again!), sand down the front bumper – primer it – paint it, and finally install it. As it turns out Orland Indiana has started having a car show in town ever third Tuesday of the month. I would like to get the car up and ready to go before the following week, but it may not happen. The Mad Scientist’s 1970 Maverick will likely be making the event. So, if you are interested in checking it out make sure you are in the area. If my Capri makes the deadline you are sure to hear B3R cars long before you see them. Hope to see you there.  

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?