RTFM (non-technical)

Short one here.

GUYS.  One thing I forgot to mention is this car came with some QUALITY manuals.   LOOK AT THIS. Click and enlarge it.  Look at the covers, the grease stains, you can practically smell the history and detail on every aspect of all ford cars.

Friggin Shop Manuals

This isn't your Haynes manual; this is some real-details shit.   What?  What's wrong with Haynes you ask?  I'll tell you.  My luck with every single Haynes manual can be summed up in a few pictures.

Oh sweet, I found my car I think. Hmm...I guess this fits my car, it is within that year span...

Let's say I'm looking for a simple diagram of my specific car:

What I'm looking for....

What Haynes would show:

ARG! WHAT???

Example excerpt from Haynes:

"To remove the fuel pump, remove the two hyper drive bolts.(wait what - that's not even from this year) On earlier models, they will look sort of round and has some edges on it. (yeah - that's describes EVERYTHING).  Use the stock socket size to loosen them up. (WHAT SIZE - WHAT IS STOCK? YOU TELL ME!!)  Oh, before you remove the bolt completely, make sure you do step x from figure 1.B otherwise it will damage the pump. (NOOOOOO!) "

Well these REAL manuals don't play that game.

I mean, check this out:

What you see is a section specially on my engine type.  The 429/460.  This book has a detailed section on all of Ford's engine styles.

And most important of all: IT HAS PICTURES.  ACCURATE PICTURES.  YES.

Kay.  Done with that - update this sunday when I finish making my first ever fuel line.
-Mike  (yeah, I guess I should sign the end?  What's proper blog-form for this?)

Hardline - From the Pump to the Carb

Question: WHAT FUEL LINE IS STOCK ON MY CAR???

Answer: 3/8 - inside diameter.  I think.  Well, maybe it isn't stock but that is what is on there right now.   I think?   That is what rubber fuel hose I'm currently using...and I think that is what the ghetto hardline that is half way coming out of there now is?

Either way, 3/8 is the hose I need, especially once I drop my soon to be rebuilt 460 in there.

Why am I asking?  

I'm going to run hard/steel fuel line from my "stock" fuel pump to my carburetor.  I want to eliminate ALL rubber from my engine application.   Why?

This:

That's chunks of "brand new" fuel rated hose in my carb's fuel filter.  Also, all the salty mechanics I talk with swear "the ethanol in our fuel is destroying everything, thanks OBAMA".  I have zero idea if there is any truth to that or not.  Nor do I care really, but moving away from failure prone rubber to non-expanding stainless steel seems like a kickass way to go.  Plus it will look good!

Also:

Yeah, so you can see my hardline (which is covered in ugly insulation) goes up the front of my block.  Then it terminates STRAIGHT UP IN THE AIR.  Currently, I only had the spare parts to run the stupid rubber fuel hose OVER my air cleaner so it didn't pinch off at the barb from the hardline.    If it pinches, it means I get no fuel.

Not pictured is the rubber tubing going into a glass filter, then from that going into a fuel pressure sender and finally into my carb underneath that thing.  This sucks, it's ugly and dangerous in my opinion.  Plus, I'm ALREADY SEEING SOME RUBBER DEGRADING ISSUES.  *rage*

GOAL: Bend some hard line straight to the carb.  Yeeeeaaah. 

Rules: NO BRAIDED BLUE RED AN crap.  I hate that look.   Basically something like this:

Hardline from the pump -> to a filter -> hardline to carb.  Bam.  But now to figure out all the connections....ugh, so like, here is what I got so far....

1. Fuel Pump
2. (Fuel Pump) 7/16's flare nut into 3/8 hard line
3. 3/8 hard line to 5/8's flare nut
4. ??? ??? ???????? (I DONT KNOW)
5. -8 AN fuel filter
6. 8 AN to 3/8 npt adapter
7. (already have this) 3/8 fitting to carb (with fuel pressure sender)

*Sigh*  This is hard.  So.....I'm going to be researching how to make this actually happen then hopefully commit.

-----END TRANSMISSION----

--- EDIT - 2/23 ----

Mickey just told me that there is such thing as tube to an adapters....this changes everything.  Expect an update late Sunday.

Note: As with every post from here on out, I will post my current car status.  It will usually hold my mental dump of all the things I'm currently working on or thinking about.  

Current Car Status:

• My 460 Rebuild:
• What: Block is in Machine Shop
• 460 Block is honed and bored out to .030 and is good to go!!
• Stock crankshaft was polished and given the thumbs up!!!
• Status: Awaiting the Kb138 pistons I ordered so they can assemble the rods for me.
• Wheel Bearings: 
• What: I have a shudder at higher speeds, I need to look at that bearing.
• Status:  Worrying about it.   Pretending it isn't there.
• Fuel Line:  
• What: pump to carb. reroute
• Status: UGH!!

Quick History

Sorry.

This blog will be a bit ugly until I can make time to stylize this myself.  So mind the template, single picture, 'babby's first internet site' look.  I figured if I don't just start doing this now, I will never get around to it.    

So Let me tell you how and why I got this car.

It always starts with Craigslist.

I saw this online and thought to myself; I've always wanted to learn how to actually do things on cars outside of changing brakes and oil...now is the time.  Time to make a trip to Tahoe.

Turns out, my buddy Bryan and I were heading up to there anyway to try some isolation chamber therapy thingy. It's some hippy thing where you lay by yourself, naked, in a dark enclosed tub of body temperature salt like water.  You float and it literally feels like you are floating in mid air.  So after about an hour of this, you start going insane with no stimuli around you.   I think you are supposed to meet your spirit animal but instead, I met the sensation you get when your bladder is about blow a gasket from that giant Gatorade you finished off before you arrived.....

Anyway, I asked him to do me a solid and help me check out that car from the ad.  He's awesome and we make the adventure.  I meet the guy and he let's me drive this thing around.  I fell in love.  It smells like gas, rumbles when you step on it and talks back to you on occasion.  The decision was made. 

So I open my wallet and nothing.  We make a trip to the ATM and the thing has a limit to 800 bucks. So between me and Bryan's two debit cards, we come up with the moneys.  We come back with a fist full of cash, make the trade and then I drive this death trap back home to Reno.

So there you go, quick story on how the beast came to be.  

In the future

In between posts of what I'm currently breaking on this Beast, I'll post pictures/stories of what I've already done to this thing.  They include:

• Rewiring the engine harness
• Several failed attempts at crimping my own spark plug wires
• Duraspark replacement
• New front and rear suspension
• Brakes calipers, pads, hoses, master cylinder and even custom made brake lines....
• Heater Core destruction!
• Radiator tube explodes and its replacement
• Rewiring more stuff.
• Planned engine rebuild, purchased new engine block, heads, headers, cam, etc etc ettc
• Control arm failure!!!
• Front suspension part II
• and more!

Pictures

Here are pictures of the Beast right after it found a new home.  Right before I discovered all the fun gems of taking over someone else's project.

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Prologue

This is 'The Beast'.  She is a 1972 Ford LTD Brougham with a 429 Big Block inside.  I think I am the 3rd owner?   She has a tow hitch.  Her original steering wheel and column are no where to be found.  The coil is powered by the accessory post.  You can start her while she is in 'Drive'.    She has bucket seats.  I have no idea what is original and what isn't.   

This is me.  Until the day I bought this thing in late 2012, the most I've ever done to a car was change the oil.  Now I'm knee deep into my first engine rebuild.

From here on out, I will document my [many] mistakes and triumphs as I rebuild this ugly boat back to its former glory.  Or whatever vision I end up having for it.

I will also be posting flashbacks as to what I've already done to the car, both on purpose and on accident.  Like the blog states; I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm learning! 

So stay tuned!