WhitsEnd Transformation

[WhitsEnd]

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Meanwhile, I'll be figuring out what to do about a C6 trans with a splined output going in a long wheelbase truck that previously had a bolt on yoke on the transmission.

The bolt on yoke is required when the driveshaft is split and has a slip joint and carrier bearing. I think I'm going to mount the motor as far back as the slots in my mounts will allow and measure for a single driveshaft. The tranny is a long tail shaft unit, so I may get away with it.

I'm considering shortening the bed about a foot anyway, so eventually the carrier bearing will be deleted. May as well do it now.

[WhitsEnd]

Still waiting for my new shafts to arrive, should be here today.

The flexplate bolts did arrive, although I'm constantly puzzled my Summit's use of oversized packaging. This very small, flat package was shipped in a large box with air pillows. I guess to protect the hardened steel bolts?

[WhitsEnd]

After sending my original order to Tacoma Smith Brothers finally got a set of adjusters to arrive here in Virginia.

The stock rockers required some work to provide a nice flat seat for the locking nut. Without doing this, the adjuster is prone to break from side-loading.



Here, the adjuster is installed and you can see the oiling holes in the factory rockers. The rear hole is fed by a groove on the inside bore that feeds from 6 O'clock to about 2 O'clock. This means it's VERY important to do 2 things:
1) make sure the rocker shafts are installed with the oiling holes facing DOWN
2) put the cup on the pushrod, NOT the adjuster. Otherwise, it won't retain oil.

[WhitsEnd]

I want the front end on the ground when I drop the motor in, so I ordered new sneakers from Tire Rack and got them installed on the PI rims.

This is not a road course vehicle. I went with decidedly truck-like sizing of 245-65R 17. I like the look. The only remaining question is how much will the front end drop with the motor and trans installed. Again, I don't want the front end super low. Pulling about 100 pounds out of the motor with aluminum heads, intake and water pump should help.



The wheels look so good with the side trim, I think they will remain black. I was originally going to paint them red, along with the roof. I think I might just leave it alone.

[cdnwillyg]

I have to agree they do look right with the trim. I don't think you will have any issues with the tires on the front once the engine is in, I'm running 265 75/16 and they work fine.

[Bullitt74]

Those wheels look great!

[WhitsEnd]

Been a while since I've updated and I don't have a ton of time at the moment.

Motor and tranny are installed. No drama at all.

FPA ceramic coated headers arrived and are installed.

Custom pushrods are in hand.

Power steering pump is currently on the bench and being re-sealed and painted.

Power steering cooler arrived, along with hose and hose ends to build the hoses. Also bought an adapter fitting to attach a -6AN to the pressure side of the power steering pump. As long as we're on the power steering theme, I ordered a kit to adapt -6AN fittings to the stock Ford fittings on the steering rack (NOT cheap!!!!)

Removed the 2 piece driveshaft and measured for a single 4" aluminum shaft. Good thing it came in at 71.5" because Precision Shaft Technologies won't build one longer than 72"! Later, if I still want to shorten the bed, this will make it easier.

Oh, and I bought a set of original Cal Custom valve covers from a forum member that was selling a parts truck.

No pics at this time, but probably in a couple days.

[6t6merc]

I plan to emulate your installation of the CV crossmember to avoid too much drop. I'm concerned this might negatively affect the steering geometry. Do you have or anticipate any problems?
I've got all the pieces for electric p/s. Did you consider and reject that option?
Eric

[WhitsEnd]

I plan to emulate your installation of the CV crossmember to avoid too much drop. I'm concerned this might negatively affect the steering geometry. Do you have or anticipate any problems?
I've got all the pieces for electric p/s. Did you consider and reject that option?
Eric

Now that the engine is installed, I have no concerns at all. I've taken a lot of weight off of the engine, but it's sitting right where I wanted to end up. Not sure if that is due to the removed weight or the CV springs not settling down yet, but it looks good. I'll probably post a picture in the next day or two.

This tells me that I won't have to flip the axle above the rear springs to get it to match. If the front springs take a set, the most I could see dropping the rear is an inch or two to match. I'm saying this without having the fenders, hood, support and bumper back on it yet. Maybe it will drop more than I think. Still, I don't believe it will be enough to warrant flipping the rear to match it.

If it does drop more than I want, I'll add spacers above the front coil units to get it back where I want it. These are popular for guys wanting to raise the front of a modern truck that has a higher rear. It's just a simple spacer with studs.

With regard to your comment on geometry, there is no issue because I made the mounting points for the lower control arms lower as well. As long as the frame is level front to back, the geometry is unchanged from a Crown Victoria.

I didnt see the advantage to electric power steering because I have plenty of room for a hydraulic pump. The pump was readily available with Ford brackets and the CV rack is fully integrated, so it was a no-brainer for me. I did some things different with my power steering and you'll see that in my next update.

[6t6merc]

Thank you for responding. I saw one CV swap locally that was done very tidily, and had a frame notch for the rear axle. However, the builder failed to consider everything that could go wrong and found that the axle housing interfered with the box floor. Not many of us want to modify the box just to allow the axle to fit.
Never heard of the spring spacers. Interesting to know.
The electric p/s will clean up the top of the motor and make the belts simpler. Cheaper too, although I can't be sure about that until I'm deeply into it...
Eric

[WhitsEnd]

OK, first, a couple shots of the FPA Tri-Y headers. These have the upgraded flanges and Stan goes out of his way to provide a good product. Collector flanges are included and this includes the mating flanges to weld to the balance of the exhaust system.

Plenty of room in this application.







Plenty of room around the starter. I think I'll even snake the starter wire between the #3 and #4 tubes.

[WhitsEnd]

Next up was the power steering. I bought a very old unit from someone on the FE forum that included the mounting bracket that I wanted. There are several types of FE steering pump brackets and some of them incorporate the A/C compressor. Since my compressor will be mounted low on the opposite side, I wanted the simple aluminum bracket.

I pulled the pump and bracket apart, cleaned them up and painted the pump housing. While waiting on the rebuild kit to arrive, I started building the hoses using Russel Powerflex line and fittings. These old pumps don't like heat, so I also mounted an 18" aluminum cooler on a bracket stretching between the rails and attached using the sway bar attachments.

All the lines are -6AN. Attaching them to the Ford rack was made simple with these fittings I found on Amazon. Im not crazy about the colors, but apparently these fittings are most commonly used by the Ford Focus tuner crowd. "nuff said.

[WhitsEnd]

After the pump was assembled, the lines were finished to size and everything was assembled. The low pressure side transition from -6AN to rubber hose isn't very sexy, so I hid it behind the pump bracket. This is the first time I've used this brand of hose, so I'll reserve judgement until they have a few hundred miles on them.

[WhitsEnd]

Here are a couple shots with the oil filter installed. It's a little tight, but the filter can be replaced easily.

[WhitsEnd]

Once I was satisfied, I pulled it apart to paint the bracket and then re-assembled. Here is a shot with the power steering wrapped up...except for a belt.