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The Coupe!

64K views 236 replies 53 participants last post by  bwkelley76 
#1 ·
As some of you know since I sold the Shelby I have a new little toy. I bought a nice little '67 coupe to romp around in and have some fun with.

Here is a BEFORE PIC for you all..






PROGRESS SO FAR...

The paint is peeling in places so I've decided to get her painted. Color is TO Be Determined. ...just a cheapy paint job this time, nothing special.

While I'm waiting for the body shop to have an opening for me in the next week or so I've been working on the suspension and gathering a few parts.

Front suspension is all rebuilt now with Drake uppers and lowers, Grab-atrack lowering springs installed front and rear, roller spring perches, shelby-drop, BIG front sway bar, Billstein "BLACK" racing shocks, T5 transmission and Modern Driveline hydro clutch setup, as well as 4 17" TOYO RA1 Race tires and black FFR wheels.

I'll soon be installing a set of 4-wheel Wilwood 12.1" brakes, Golbal West subframe connectors and a Maier Racing rear panhard bar setup, as well as a narrowed 9" truck housing and 4:11 posi, micropolished gears. I have also purchased a complete factory 5.0 EFI system with Edelbrock upper and lower (truck style runners), with 24lb injectors, C&L MAF, A9L computer, and an E-cam with 1.7 rockers, and a set of ported E7 heads.

This one is FUNCTION OVER FORM for sure
 
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#142 ·
a w e s o m e :D
 
#144 ·
Yes, suspension! My favorite part. :D
 
#148 · (Edited)
TCP FRONT-END, RACK & PINION, and WILWOOD BRAKE INSTALL

The TCP rack reuses the factory column or an aftermarket coulmn, your choice. For the '65-early '67 Mustangs that have the one-piece steering box and shaft combo it comes with a new center shaft that replaces the factory one, lower u-joints, and coupling shaft to attach to the rack down below. You will need to cut the stock column so the TCP kit also includes a retainer bearing/column cap assembly, a firewall support bracket and boot.

The stock column popped right out and slid off of the factory steering shaft that is one-peice with the box. I used a little persuasion (pry bar) between the box and the column to unseat 45 years of stick! Only took about 20 minutes and it was out and on the bench.






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Next with the car still on the ground I removed the shock tower caps and took off the strut rod bushing nuts. This allows the suspension to droop all the way down once raised on the lift. I then removed the export brace in preparation for the TCP suspension install later on.



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Here's the order I chose to do drop the suspension, steering and brakes this time around...

I usually drop all of the suspension, steering and brakes at the same time when I'm in a hurry. If you have access to a lift it can be done that way to save time.
Always keep the end result in mind though and DO NOT OPEN FLUID LINES or hoses unless you plan on finishing the job "the same day" or don't mind making a mess.
In my case I only have a few hours to tackle some things today, and I will be parking another car underneath this one overnight, so I'm being a little conservative.

So, keeping that all in mind I racked and raised the car, removed the wheels, removed outer tie rod ends and front drums from the spindles, and removed the sway bar end link bottom nuts from the lower control arm, sometimes these are on the top which makes for a messy removal(I promptly put them back on once the end-link was pulled from the lower control arm). I'm reusing the sway bar in this case so it's OK to leave it on the car, it shouldn't get in the way too badly.

Now that everything is hanging and no longer under stress I unseated the ball-joints from the spindles. ...Note the use of the side-cutters to remove the cotter-pins and the air hammer and corresponding bit at the very tip of the ball-joint studs, being careful not to damage the threads. This is my personal method of choice to unseat ball-joints and tie rod ends from spindles. ...The use of a pickle fork here would definitely prove death for the ball-joints and tie rod ends, not good if you plan on ever reusing them on another car. I'm not that fond of pickle forks either way though. You can hit the spindle with a large hammer also for a similar result, but I don't want to put big dents in my spindles in this case either.







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Now it's time to remove the center brace for access to the lower control arm bolts/eccentrics. Then I removed the lower control arms and strut rods as a complete unit.








TO BE CONTINUED...
 
#149 ·
Removing spindles an throwing them in the parts washer




Removed lower half of the steering components plus the pump and bracketry




Removing the steering box








Removed all of the upper suspension as a whole




THE HEAP IS GROWING!




Cleaning time!




Much Better!






...Really good stuff!




Sand blast time






A little blasting and paint goes a long way! (also a little random sneak peak of a few of the new parts that you weren't supposed to see until later) ;)




HERE WE GO!!!!!




...Wait, don't forget the instructions. Where's my beer?




TO BE CONTINUED.....

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#150 ·
Nice stripe and rim choice! It looks so.... familiar.... ;)

Looks good though! :)
 
#151 ·
<<<Thanks theman!


OK HERE WE GO...

First step is to remove the factory spring locator plate from inside the shock tower. You can use the spot-weld drill/bit provided with the kit or whatever method works for you. When you are done removing the plates be sure to clean up the area and paint it so it doesn't rust.















Installing the upper coil-over mounting plates is super easy, just mock them up and hog/drill out any of the car's factory holes that need it. THERE IS A PASSENGER AND DRIVER'S SIDE PLATE and they are marked "D" and "P" The markings are hard to see since they are laser-etched and then powder-coated.

In my case all but one of the holes on each plate lined right up to the shock tower. Do the same with the holes on your factory or aftermarket strut tower brace to make installation easier. Your brace will bolt right on top of the coil-over mounting plate. ...In order from top to bottom you will have a shock tower brace, TCP coil-over mounting plate, factory shock tower, and finally underneath will be the TCP lower retainer plate followed by lock-nuts and washers.













Now on to the lower control arms, eccentric eliminators, and strut rods. Make sure to use anti-seize on strut rod adjusters and also if you're running a TCP rack & pinion make sure the LCA bolts you use are long enough to incorporate mounting of the rack. My kit came with 2 sets, one was included with the rack and one with the LCA's. Both sets ended up being the same length in my case but it's still a great idea to check.









Be careful not to damage the Zerk fitting on the LCA when installing the arm.






Remove collar/sleeve from factory strut rod mount





When installing the strut rod bushing to the car you need to read the instructions carefully, you will need anti-seize for the big threads and loc-tite for the small retainer bolt. TORQUE SPECS ARE MANDATORY. ...Very clever engineering was put into this part, I LIKEY.










Zerk fitting aligned accordingly for service.








Lower coil-over perch is directional and doubles as the nut to mount the strut rod to the LCA.








Steering stop will be adjusted later





TO BE CONTINUED...
 
#152 ·
...Continued


Upper control arms go on super easy. Mine are the straight shaft instead of the drop-down ones since my car already has the 1" UCA (Shelby) drop holes drilled.







Aligning/clocking the cotter pin holes so they line up with desired position (not pointing right at the spindle which makes it impossible to install and remove them later.




Spindles go on next








Now it's time for the coil-overs. Setting them on the lowest setting really helps make the job easier. USE LOTS OF ANT-SEIZE ON THE SPANNER THREADS AND DONT FORGET TO LOOSEN ALLEN LOCKS. I also opted for a set of spanner bearings which make the adjusting job easier and protect your spanners from wear.









(Note the sneak-peak of the rack & pinion mocked up in this pic)










Manual Rack & Pinion Install. Friendly advice; READ INSTRUCTIONS AND DO NOT DEVIATE WHATSOEVER or you could ruin your rack.

Clamps install in a certain order and will require shims to the frame. A drive-on lift is the best option so the chassis isn't in a bind or slightly tweaked. The instructions go over a few troubleshooting scenarios if for some reason you install it wrong and put the rack in a bind with the frame.











If your column isn't installed yet you can move the rack by hand to see if it is binding or making noise, etc. The instruction manual will help you do the job correctly, hopefully the first time.







TO BE CONTINUED....

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#153 ·
Continued...

Time to modify the factory steering column to work with the TCP manual rack. The parts come with the kit so all you are out is your time/labor on this. The other option is to buy their tilt column which is made by "Ididit". To keep cost down I decided to go this route although the Ididit column is really nice.

Once again the instructions are really helpful. There are a few things you will need to know like how to adjust/shim or cut to obtain the right end-play on the shaft.









Measure and cut the old column to the length specified in the instructions. I used a hose clamp to make a straight cut. After cleaning up the cut end of the column I used a file to clean it up and then I painted the lower portion to avoid rust. Then I installed the supplied retaining collar onto the column.










End cap/shaft support bearing assembly slides right onto the end and then it's attached with 3 sheet-metal screws (good idea to mock up shaft and steering wheel before screwing this to the column)





Now insert the supplied steering shaft and attach the steering wheel. The top half of this shaft is identical to factory and will reuse the original nut, spring and collar/bushing. I installed the wheel and set up the turn-signal cancel geometry and column to bell clearance, etc.

















Now it's time to set the end-play (telescopic play) so that your steering wheel and its shaft do not slide up and down (in and out) in the column. I installed the retainer clip at the bottom and then checked my clearance at the steering wheel-to-column bell top. Because there is a spring trying to pull the shaft outward this can be a little tricky. Once the correct position is obtained check the clearance between the shaft support bearing and the clip. Make sure the column cap and support bearing are ALL THE WAY onto the column. Determine if you need to cut more off the column or add shims to make up for play. Once you get the column close to the right length you can screw the bearing support down. In my case I needed almost 1/4" of shim so I found a nut that fit perfectly. ...hey it was free and available. lol














Now It's time to install the column and the lower steering shaft and u-joints into the car. I removed the old boot and installed the supplied boot and mount bracket as per the TCP instructions. These parts are universal from 65-69 as far as I know, and some cars may require you to drill new holes. My holes did not line up so I centered the assembly and drilled new holes. The column then slides in and bolts to the dash like normal. The slip-on support collar that was put on the column earlier slides down in-line with the boot and bracket and you screw the set screws into the collar.

















TO BE CONTINUED...
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#154 · (Edited)
...Steering lower shaft and u-joints. First I taped the steering wheel to the column in the exact center position (would have been better if I had a nifty centering stand like the alignment shops do). Then I centered the rack & pinion as well. Next I installed the u-joints and cut the provided DD shaft to length. Finally, I used loc-tite on the allen set screws and tightened everything up.
























Now it's time to install the bump-steer tie rod kit. First thing I had to determine is which holes I was to use for the inner tie-rods. The rack instructions say one thing and the bump-steer tie rod kit instructions say another. I determined that my car uses the inner ones. As far as the adjuster sleeves anti-seize is your friend so use it generously. At some point you will follow the directions in further detail to measure and eliminate bump-steer by moving around the bushings that make up the custom outer tie rod ends. For the initial setting I put the single largest bushing on the bottom and the combination of smaller ones on top, and made them equal on each side. The inner tie rods are a little tricky since there is nothing to keep them from spinning internally. In my case I peeled back the boots and grabbed the tie-rods from the very back-side. The other thing that is kindof tricky and/or easy to overlook is the cotter pins can rub the rack boots if you don't keep their profile low enough.















So that pretty much wraps up the suspension and steering. Make sure to lube everything, set the coil-overs to your specs, and get a proper alignment that makes sense for your combo.


Next up is the Wilwood front disc brakes.


TO BE CONTINUED...
 
#155 ·
When installing the U joints on the DD shaft, I've always dimpled the DD shaft so the set screw will be locked into the shaft. It doesn't take much, just a small dimple in the DD shaft. It will make the joint a little more rigid.
 
#156 · (Edited)
Good point that has not gone unnoticed and it's something that can really help if they loosen up. I have done that on a few customer's cars in the past and it's on my mind as something I may do on this one if need be. Not something I was wanting to spend the extra time on at 2am when I put this one together though...lol.

There are a number of little incidentals and upgrades that I will be doing on this setup once I verify I'm in love with it or not. For example maybe actual Borgeson joints instead of the ones included in this kit and/or an upgrade to an Ididit tilt column. These u-joints are a little clunky.




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Well guys, last but not least here is the Wilwood brake install. SUPER SIMPLE AND EASY TO DO! The only thing that one needs to know is that although the parts "look" the same, the 1968 kits put the caliper on the back side when the 65-67 kit is on the front. I got my kit with a group of about 5 kits for other cars in the shop so my instructions were nowhere to be found. I downloaded a set of instructions online and they were specific for 1968. So funny enough I started out putting mine on wrong...lol. I figured out soon enough that my brackets were on backward. Oops!

Here's the RIGHT WAY to put it all together...





















NOTE the black rotors. This is a coating Wilwood puts on that keeps them from rusting and allows for correct seat-in on the brakes. It's some kindof mystery goo that actually works well for both purposes. Some people's first reaction is to take this coating off with abrasives or chemically. I've experimented with leaving it on or taking it off on various vehicles, spent time on the phone with their tech department about this a few times, and have learned the benefits of leaving it on. One or more of the cars that we removed the coating on ended up needing pads prematurely on the front due to noise/sqeaking. ...may or may not be the reason but on this car I left it on the rear and now the front and I followed Wilwoods break-in procedure to the letter. I've had great results just leaving it on. The brakes make some HORRIBLE noises when coming to a stop during the break-in process and if one can suck it up for a few minutes it goes right away and once the brakes cool they are good to go!






The brake lines were easy enough with the right hardware and adapters. The 14" Wilwood line kit I bought was too short but had the right adapters for -3 AN stainless braided brake hoses. I bought a set of 18" ones from the local parts place and they were perfect.












FINAL PICTURES!!!!.....

THE INSTALL IS DONE FOLKS! I hope everyone enjoyed this, it was a lot of work doing this solo and taking pics along the way but I figured many people can benefit from my efforts. Thanks for the encouragement and comments along the way! More pics and topics as the car progresses further and then some more fun stuff when I get her on the track. As the car stands now it handles, steers and stops phenomenally. I am still dialing in the car and I can't wait to get her out on the track and really give her a workout ... weather, time, and funds permitting. :)



















286.jpg photo by bwkelley76 | Photobucket

 
#157 ·
I'm diggin it! I would imagine its going to be a night and day difference.
 
#158 · (Edited)
It is! The car is a joy to drive. All-in-all I really like the setup. If I had the extra funds I would have opted for the power rack though. I've had to get used to the much stiffer steering versus power. It's not so bad when the car is moving, just at low speeds. The 14" slippery wood steering wheel doesn't help I'm sure. I'm upgrading to a 15" wheel with a rubber or vinyl grip soon.



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Finally found the right wheel ...15" leather wrapped Moto-Lita. :) Found it used and picked it up for a great price!










LOOKIE WHAT SANTA BROUGHT! ...Rears to match the fronts. :)




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Happy Holidays everyone! Here are some updated pics of the undercarriage and trunk, as well as my new rear double-adjustable Varishocks. The shocks are a HUGE difference over the Bilsteins and I LOVE the adjust-ability.



I think once I learn the "recipe" I'll be able to race this thing on the auto-x and the drag strip all in the same day. Can anyone say biathlon? lol



...Props to Varishock for a really cool product.





Anyone ever done this? ...The joys of building THEN PAINTING! (Backward I know) In a perfect world it would now be time for disassembly, paint, then reassembly. Call me lazy, or maybe skilled? ;) lol..







Hah! just in time for the Holidays! ... I just realized this thing looks like the sleigh from "A Nightmare Before Christmas" ".......on Dancer, on Prancer, on Edelbrock, Quick-Fuel, and " ....wait, I think I'll stop there I don't want to break any copy-write infringement laws. ;)































 
#163 · (Edited)
Thanks, the wheels are late-model FFR's 17x10 and 17x9, tires are Toyo Proxes RA1, 235/40/17 front and 275/40/17 rear.




I had Wilwoods on my FFR Cobra and safety wired the hats to the rotors.
I used Loc-Tite on the hats.




Saw this ride over on CAfords... I absolutely love this coupe. gives me inspiration for mine.
Thanks. Most of all I'm happy to inspire!
 
#160 ·
Looks great. I love the stance and the wheel choice. Did you by chance put safety wire on the bolts connecting the rotor to the hats? I have a Wilwood set and they said to because of the dissimiliar metals (aluminum had and steel rotor) will loosen over time. Someone else said they don't use anthing and a third person uses thread locker. I did the safety wire thing with mine.
 
#161 ·
I had Wilwoods on my FFR Cobra and safety wired the hats to the rotors.
 
#164 · (Edited)
Gear oil everywhere! ...Yikes, I refilled my rearend, about 1/3 way up the axle tubes as required, so that my tapered style/submerged axle bearings would have enough oil, and what a mess the next day! My garage floor and the undercarriage of the car looked like the Exxon/Valdez oil spill. Turns out after driving the car and getting things hot, the gear oil was siphoning out from the breather hose which is located at the top of the axle tube.

So, here's my quick-fix for that problem. ...After this addition I drove the car real hard and luckily no oil came up into the container the next day or that night, so I should be good. ....I may replace this with a smaller and nicer separator later on. If anyone has ever run "set-20" tapered bearings before they might understand my woes here. I also will need to install a new fill-plug and maybe a drain plug on my rear axle housing one of these days, since the factory 3rd member "fill hole" does not allow a high enough oil level for tapered bearings. To gain the correct oil level I literally had to fill the diff through the vent tube and check the level as I went. ...Annoying.



 
#165 ·
I hope everyone had a good Superbowl Sunday? Time to start getting our shop ready for the big Sacramento Autorama this month, then it's off to the Goodguys Pleasanton Show with the Mustang next month! The goal is to get her out there and hit the autocross for the weekend and see what she can do! :)
 
#166 ·
I hope everyone had a good Superbowl Sunday? Time to start getting our shop ready for the big Sacramento Autorama this month, then it's off to the Goodguys Pleasanton Show with the Mustang next month! The goal is to get her out there and hit the autocross for the weekend and see what she can do! :)
I spent the Superbowl in bed next to a bottle of Nyquil. Probably how the 49ers spent Monday. :pirate:

But enough of that nonsense. We (Lino and I) expect to see you at some SCCA events so we can compare our PAX times. S.C.C.A. Sacramento Solo2 events
 
#167 ·
Just read this whole thread! Wow! Nice work!
 
#169 ·
Man, a RPSS setup would be sweet. The g-Bar is a more plush ride but the pushrod with the torque-arm is the ultimate for handling and just looks so menacing under the back.

Wrong year but you get the idea.
 
#171 ·
I kinda like the sticker look... but still like cleaned off look. Post some vids of that coupe carving it up!
 
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