| Radiator test fit and custom upper radiator hose |
|
This is the test fitting of the Griffin radiator including the custom fan shroud with the Flex-a-lite Syclone
fan. The 16" electric fan will move up to 2500cfm of air through the radiator. Also seen is the "custom" upper
radiator hose. The stock hose would not work since the Griffin radiator has a 1.5" boss for the upper & the stock
hose is 1.25". Coming up with the new hose took some searching through the gates catalog at the local parts store along
with some trial and error.
| Modified thermostat housing left, stock on right |
|
Since the new radiator had a 1.5" boss for the upper radiator hose we had to make it work with the 1.25" boss
on the thermostat housing. This was done at Pritchards Radiator Shop in Griffin, GA. They simply cut off the original
boss then brazed on a 1.5" boss. It took longer to find a new radiator hose to work than it did to modify
the thermostat housing. The modified housing is pictured left of the stock one to show the difference.
After being painted in Eastwood Extreem Chassis black epoxy coat, the modified housing actually looks stock.
| Billit turbo support side view |
|
This custom billit mounting bracket was designed and formed by Bob Pais. The bend in the aluminum was done
with 8000lbs of force in an arbor press. A metal jig was welded together & strategically placed under the aluminum.
Once placement was verified the pressing began. As I was told, "that is how the joggle was made in the
aluminum". After all was said and done the bracket was exact and the jig was mangled scrap metal. Once mounted, it
will attach to the back side of the turbo inlet. From there it will hang down & attach to an angle iron "ear" that
mountes to the engine block at the front of the passanger side motor mount. The "ear" and the billit are attched using
2 stainless steel allen bolts which pass through the two and into a custom nut plate behind the aluminum. This should
help to relive the wieght of the turbo off the header collector.
| Custom altenator bracket side view painted |
|
This custom built steel piece was made for the altenator. It is left over from the last motor in the car.
Since the altenator was upgradded to a 3G style Ford altenator, a new mounting system had to be made. This was built
by Jim McLeod of Griffin Auto Clinic. This pic was after it was repainted in Eastwood Extreem Chassis Black Epoxy coat.
|
 |
| Cooling and intake setup |
|
Here you can see the custom shroud made for the Griffin radiator and the 16" Flex-a-lite Syclone fan mounted
for test fitting. The polished aluminum cold air intake box by the passanger fender can also be seen in this pic.
See the close up pic of the intake box for more details.
| Foxbox cold air intake system polished |
|
The cold air intake box was purchased through Chicane Sport Tuning of Torrance, CA. Normally they are powder
coated but I opted to polish the box to match the rest of the polished aluminum. Assembly of the box was accomplished
with flush mount aircraft crush rivets. This gave the pieces a cleaner look, plus once everything was polished the rivets
blended in nicely. The end result of the foxbox is a less obtrusive air intake system which also allows for a more direct
intake flow. The box will be held in place using Zeus fasteners for quick easy access to the K&N airfilter.
| Billit turbo support front view |
|
Here is the front view of the turbo support. The angle iron "ear" piece was painted using the Eastwood
Extreem Chassis black epoxy paint. The mounting points for the "ear" and the billet piece are seen in this pic.
The pieces were test fit & the aluminum later polished. Not seen is the custom nut plate as it was being cut a little
more for motor mount clearance.
| Custom altenator bracket side view painted |
|
This is the engine block side of the altenator bracket. It needed to be spaced off the engine to allow
clearance between the valvecover and the bracket. This was accomplished by simply welding some 3/8" washers to the engine
block side of the bracket. Though, after seeing how the turbo support turned out, I may have to change this to a billit
aluminum bracket later.
| Custom altenator bracket front view painted |
|
This side profile of the altenator bracket allows a better view of the washers that were welded to space the
brack away from the valve cover.
|
|
|
| Throttle body polished inside and out |
|
The stock throttle body is going to be used to start. Here the inside of the throttle body can be seen
after polishing inside and out. The mounting for the butterfly was also modified. The stock mounting screws were
replaced with stainless steel allen screws. They were cut to length so not to protrude into the incoming air.
The threads were then given a coating of Loctite red thread locker. This will ensure they do not vibrate loose &
get sucked into the engine.
| Griffin radiator, shroud and fan polished |
|
Griffin radiator with custom aluminum shroud and Flex-a-lite Syclone fan installed. The end tanks, fan
motor cover and shroud have all been polished. The cover for the top of the radiator is made of stainless steel an it
is also polished. Once the car is running we will determine if the shroud needs pressure relief holes to allow more
air to pass while the car is moving.
| Griffin radiator mounted |
|
Griffin radiator mounted with the custom stainless steel top piece which secures the radiator & covers the
ugly top of the core. Three chrome 1/4-28 button head allens secure the radiator cover to the core support brace.
This was accomplished by installing nut serts to the core support brace. The back side of the cover attaches to the
radiator through the shroud and into the lip at the top of the core using three chrome 5/16-18 button head allen screws.
The radiator has been protected on the end tanks, top and bottom, using foam rubber adhesive padding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Stock AC compressor being primed |
|
Well I thought about replacing the stock AC compressor since I didn't want to deal with the hassle of refinishing
the old one. After searching for a new compressor, and found it is no longer made nor can it be rebuilt, I decided
it was worth it to refinish it. There are new compressors made that can be custom mounted. However, I was
not into modifying my polished bracket nor did I want to deal with the hassle of fabing a new bracket. So after some
intense wire brushing a surface, paint stripping and surface prep I began the priming and painting. As with everything
else, it was primed with Eastwood Extreem Chassis Black Primer and then painted with the epoxy coat paint. Not what
I wanted to do but it turned out nice.
  After begining work on the AC, I decided to begin polishing the AC belt tensioner. It turned out nice after
removing all the costing markings minus the part number. However things weren't so great soon after. As you can
see the cracked housing. After mounting the tensioner & AC I decided to test fit the belt. As I turned the
tensioner I heard a SNAP! I saw nothing at first. Upon
closer inspection I saw where the casting on the tensioner cracked. Right where the internal spring protrudes.
As I gently removed the tensioner, the casting finished cracking. Now I am wondering if this car was really meant to
have AC?!
|
|
