Congrats, Badasp! Things look fantastic - and to have gotten this far in such little time, too! Nice going.
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Congrats, Badasp! Things look fantastic - and to have gotten this far in such little time, too! Nice going.
Tonight I was able to do a few things on the build.
- I installed the Oil Filter relocation kit. I mounted it to the front cross bars as the build manual suggested. I did not like the very short screws that they sent with the mount that basically are self tapping so I drilled the holes and tapped them to accept a couple of nice allen button head stainless steel screws that I found in my stash of nuts and bolts.
-I also installed the clutch cable even though it may get rerouted once I actually have the headers here in few days...
-I also installed the water temp sensor.
Oil Relocation Kit:
Attachment 95691 Attachment 95692 Attachment 95693
Water Temp Sensor:
Attachment 95694
Looking Good Carl! Keep it up! Impressive pace of build! I need to get back over there to see it before you're finished in November!
Come on down.Quote:
Originally Posted by DadofThree
Tonight I ran all of the sensor wiring. For the most part it was pretty straight forward, and my main goal was to have as few wires as possible showing once everything was hooked up. To do this I'm running the wire harness down through the intake manifold and just bringing out the needed wire at the appropriate location. Everything went well with two minor exceptions.
1st, the water temp sensor that came with my 20th Anniversary Gauge kit is a two wire sensor. A black and white wire come out of the connector that snaps into the top of the sensor. However the Ron Francis harness only has one wire, happens to be a darkish blue wire that is marked for the water temp. Of course the other end of the RF water temp wire is connected to the appropriate wire going into the temp gauge. The pipe threads of the sensor is making good ground connection to the engine as well. But the issue is that the sensor doesn't use the ground to the engine, and must use the wire. I called Speed Hut and talked with a tech guy and he confirmed that I would have to run both the black (ground) and white (sensor) wires or create a ground. I really did not want to have ground wire on the engine so I thought about putting a ground wire in the RF Sensor harness. Really did not want to do that as I have it fully installed, taped and clamped in place...
2nd... So I decided instead to use the one wire that is in the harness that I'm not planning to use as a ground wire (Oil Temp Wire, Light Blue) Easy... under the dash, connect that end of the Oil Temp wire to one of my grounds and the other end to the sensor. Wiring completed, and checked with an Ohm meter only to find I do not have connectivity at the sensor end of the "ground" wire to ground as I should. Took a little bit of trouble shooting to find that that wire, and only that wire was not installed into the weather pack connector at the end of the sensor harness so it was not connecting to the main harness under the dash. In fact, as I was disconnecting the connector, the wire came out in my hand. I spent some time and was able to remove the innards of that pin and solder it on as the crimp was all ready crimped. Put it all back together and wallah, connectivity and all is good in cobra land. And if needed, I now have a ground wire in that harness that I can use. Of course if I every want to add Oil Temp, I'll have to run a wire.
Attachment 95746
So in these photos, all of the wires are run to all of the sensors except I still have a couple other wires to complete after I get the Oil Pressure sensor installed and Fan Switch.
Attachment 95747 Attachment 95748 Attachment 95749
I've not taken the time to post much over the past 3 days, but I've been busy... The largest chunk of my time has been working on the Electric Power Steering. I was really waiting until I had some headers to put on so that I knew where everything was going to be. So, I received a set of "In Work" headers, more on that later, kind of a secret, and was able to get a good feel for where everything will be.
I purchased the EPowerSteering.com complete kit. Everything new and ready to install. You can also see a thread about it HERE.
I will say that the hardest part of this build is finding the perfect spot for the bracket to mound and keep the steering rod straight through. The challenge comes in that you really can't line it up without cutting the steering rod and you don't want to cut it until you know you have it in the right position. I finally figured out that I could slip mount the bracket onto the 3/4" tube and move it up and down the tube until I was close and then use the actual EPS motor mount and eyeball the steering rod through the center of the bracket. Then it was outside with the cut off wheel.... chop... sparks flying everywhere and a few seconds on the bench grinder and it was done... (I actually cut it about 1/4" longer on the first cut so that I could be sure, then cut a little off at a time until I had it just right) Then once the cutting was completed, I was able to mock it all up and clamp the two halves of the EPS bracket together with some vice grips and then back outside to the welder. Some wire brush and flap wheel clean up and it was time for the POR-15. I did all of this yesterday.
Today, it was a day of focusing on the wiring for the EPS. I literally spent 8 straight hours on it, and a couple out and about looking for some wire. I chose to mount the control box on the F-Panel just above the EPS. Figure it will both be cooled by incoming air as well as look cool to spectators looking in at the engine compartment. The majority of the time was removing my "starter" wire harness, opening it up and running a 10 gauge wire from the starter all the way around to the EPS, stopping in the pedal box to insert the 60 amp fuse. Once that was done, I moved onto the control knob installation. I chose to put it on the very end of my dash, around out of the way in hopes that it will not be bumped, but still easy to adjust if desired. Each and every wire connections was soldered and then covered with heat shrink tubing. I'm not quite done with the wiring just yet as I have the control box to EPS motor wiring to complete. I have some weather pack connectors in the mail and will complete this job just as soon as they arrive. I also need to get the new spline couplings welded onto the steering arms, then I can complete the installation and tighten everything down.
Attachment 95894 Attachment 95901 Attachment 95902 Attachment 95903 Attachment 95904 Attachment 95905 Attachment 95906
Ok, so I teased the headers... All I can say at this time is that I'm working with a very well known header manufacture to build a new header that are going to be specifically for the BluePrint Engines Model H9009 Ford 302 Small Block Aluminum heads. If you look close at the headers in any of the above photos, you can see that these are just tack welded together. I'll be dropping the body on in the near future to check on some of the fitment measurements. That's all I can say for now, but this should be a great new option for anyone with the BluePrint Engine Custom Aluminum Heads on the 302 based engines.
Attachment 95907 Attachment 95908 Attachment 95910
Carl ~Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Kleiner
I was just catching up reading your build thread and saw this and didn’t see if you had yet relocated your fuel filter after Jeff’s advice. I have a fuel injected 347 and initially mounted the fuel filter in FFR’s recommenced location. I had initially mounted my external fuel pump after and below that. As Jeff stated, external pumps do not do very well pulling fuel through filters (versus pushing) and in my case, I was creating fuel tank cavitation under high G pulls and was leaning my motor out and throwing codes. Was able to use connectors from Summit to connect the lines directly in place of the filter and relocated/replaced the Ford OEM fuel filter to a billet filter from Summit in the engine bay right before the fuel rails. It made a big difference on my setup...
Chris
Yup, I actually deleted the external pump and went with an in tank pump, left the filter where I had it. Should be all good to go now... Then after all that, received my BluePrint engine and they actually sent me a Holley Red pump with the engine. I'm not planning to use it, but just in case I'll keep it for a while. I'm carburetored so the pump is a 8 PSI pump.Quote:
Originally Posted by cgundermann
Today is a light day, just catching up a couple things...
The Oil Pressure Sender. I picked up a couple small fittings so that I can keep it in close and tight to the motor and not stick out like a sore thumb. I then cleaned it up good with some acetone and gave it a blast with some gloss black rattle can. Matches the engine block. Cut the sender wire and soldered on the eye terminal, added some heat shrink and put it all together with some sealant on the threads. Checked to be sure I've got ground through the threads and called it done!
1/4 elbow w/reducer to 1/8 pipe thread
Attachment 95934
Test fit and "Before" photo
Attachment 95935
All Done! Simple, clean, and I hope functional...
Attachment 95936
Last night I finally chose and purchased my battery and installed it into the FFMetal Rear Drop Battery Box. Perfect fit. That is a really nice box that Bill and the FFMetal group make.
For the Battery I chose the Super Start Platinum from O'Reilly Auto Parts.
Attachment 96320 Attachment 96321 Attachment 96322
The measurements of this battery are exactly the same as the Optima Red Top in all the critical measurements. The size of the bottom width/length to fit into the box correctly as well as the total height from the bottom to the top of the terminals. I was able to place the two batteries side by side at the store and check all the measurements. The carry handle easily comes off and I will be able to actually just leave it in the box for the future removal of the battery. (I took it out for the photos) I plan to put a couple pieces of edge trim on the top edges of the hold down clamp to prevent any possible chance of the POS cable getting cut and shorting out. Those edges have a bit of a sharpness to them.
Overall, I think I will be happy with this battery and the price was nice with my military discount they can give on this battery and not on the Optima I saved about $90. Better than a sharp stick in the eye!
Just one step closer to that first start...
Can't wait man. That engine will sound great!!Quote:
Originally Posted by BadAsp427
I have a set of temp use headers that I've intentionally left off the engine as that is really the only thing stopping me from cranking it up... I have a list of things I want to get completed or re-done before that happens... Might be this weekend, not pushing it however.Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
Several little things in the fire that will all come together at one time.
- Brake Lines to front removed from foot box to first "T" to install E-Power steering needs to be redone
- Steering Rods have been sent off to welder and then E-Power steering can be put back in place permanently
- Cruise control needs to be wired up. (Installed the Control Box tonight, more on that soon)
- Want to run Seat Heaters and of course install the seats... need to be able to sit and admire the stereophonic sounds of the BluePrint 347
- May want to even put a radiator in... (minor details)
Spent the afternoon fitting the Stainless Steel 5/8" Heater Hose and control valve. First off, let me warn anyone working with this stuff, be careful where you let it slide... it will scuff and scratch just about anything that it touches.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the final results. The hose coming from the top of the intake manifold naturally wanted to lay on the top of the polished alternator so I tapped a 10-32 hole in the top edge of the alternator mount bracket and attached the hose via hose clamp. This not only keeps the hose in a nice angle coming off the intake, but it also keeps it up off of the alternator.
As far as cutting the SS Hose, it was very easy. I identified where I needed to cut it, and tightly wrapped black electrical tape with the edge for the tape on the cut line. Then directly next to that tape, I did it again with little to no gap between the two wrappings... Then I just used a cut off wheel on my grinder and slices right through it. Made for some very nice ends with very little sharp edges or spikes to get my hands.
The control valve cable from the dash/firewall fit perfectly so that I could keep the cable with a large radius bend and tight up to the heater box area.
Attachment 96385 Attachment 96386 Attachment 96387 Attachment 96388 Attachment 96390
Started on the Cruise Control install yesterday. Determined the mounting location of the main servo control box and mounted it behind the dash on the far passenger side, mounted it to the small fire wall extension. Mounting it here allowed for the cruise cable to follow along the inside of the dash and make a nice wide curve/bend through the fire wall directly behind the carburetor throttle control. The cable is actually about 3' long and after I called the tech support line for Rostra, I was told emphatically not to cut the cable shorter. So finding a nice unused hole to put it in, far away from the carburetor was a blessing. Everything installed exactly as the instructions indicated. I did have to add about 3/8" to the length of the cruise cable to give it the required "slack." Looks like it all came out really good and should work as advertised. Then today, I tackled the wiring. At first it looked really scary, almost as scary as the main RF harness, but following the instructions, I went down one wire at a time and hooked them up to the appropriate places. Most of them clamped right into the RF harness at a convenient location. Of course having just completed the dash wiring and still having the body off made the job much easier as I was familiar with where all the wires were at that I was looking for.
I mounted the control buttons on my dash just to the right of my Spedo... Not really happy about that location now that it is there. I think I would like it better if the cover was a darker gray or black to match the dash. It snaps on and off so I may be able to get a black one or perhaps paint this one and make it work. Or, it may just grow on me... Either way, with the 3 - 9/32nd holes that were drilled through the dash, it is not moving.
Here are a few photos, but of course trying to take photos of the wiring mess behind the dash is kind of futile...
Attachment 96398 Attachment 96399 Attachment 96400 Attachment 96401 Attachment 96402 Attachment 96403
Yesterday and today I completely redid my brake lines coming out of the foot box and reservoir set up. I replaced the line coming from my MC to the rear brakes at the foot box as I had it running outside of the foot box. Bought a couple new brake lines and ran the rear down the inside of the foot box over along side the inside wall and out of a hole in the front corner. That was then able to connect up to the rest of the line going to the rear. Also reinstalled the front line going from the MC to the "T" by the DS wheel. I had to remove it to install the Electric Power Steering and decided to go with a new piece there. I also removed the single reservoir and installed two separate ones and replaced the red hose with some nice shinny black hose. Built a mount and have them on the 3/4" rail just in front of the foot box. Today, filled the reservoirs up and filled the system with some brake fluid. Pumped and pumped and the bleed the brakes all around starting at the PS rear and coming up to the front... Hard brake peddle... but not before needing to replace the cross over line under the trunk. While I was pumping in brake fluid I discovered a leak at the PS rear connection. It was one that I did the flare on so after 3 attempts of tightening it, I just decided to go get a pre-made piece and re run it. What a pain it was... job completed and no leaks. Hard Peddle and I think they are ready to go.
Attachment 96498 Attachment 96499 Attachment 96500 Attachment 96501
Filled the 347ci BluePrint Engine with the Blue brake in oil provided and required by BluePrint engines. Filled the filter and let it sit and continued to fill it until I had nearly a full quart of oil in it. Installed the filter, and put the total of 7 quarts into the engine. Checked the dip stick and it was just a tad over Full.... Next, Following BluePrint Engine's instructions, I removed all of the spark plugs and also the dust covers over the exhaust ports (No Headers Installed just yet) and I then connected up the battery and cranked the engine over for about 30 seconds... It spun so smooth. While I could not see Oil Pressure on the electronic gauge during the actual spin, I could see it jump up to the pressure and then fall down when I returned the key to the "run" position. It was up at about 45psi as it slowly dropped back down to zero with the engine not spinning.
Pretty Exciting!!!
Attachment 96528
Next I installed the radiator, hoses and overflow bottle. I had to run to the parts store and search through their supply of preformed radiator hose to find one in the right size with a 90* turn. I needed this to come off of the top of the engine and stay below the hood. Mission accomplished and the rest of the install went pretty smooth. One thing, in the build manual it states to mark the radiator and the frame at the center point and then mount it 5/8" off set. The photo shows the radiator being moved 5/8" to the drivers side (left side) my radiator is as wide as the frame rails and I was not able to move it really either way and still bolt it to the mounts. I guess if there is a problem, I'll have to deal with that at that time.
Attachment 96503 Attachment 96506 Attachment 96507 Attachment 96505 Attachment 96508
So I went back to the manual and the next step is to install the roll bars and the seats... The roll bars will be easy as I have all ready done the fitting and drilling. Just need to put them back in (as I connect the 3rd brake wires) and then the seats.... I'll tackle those this week... then the manual says to start up the engine and check for leaks... Oh Yeah,,,, it's getting real...:cool:
I don't recall the exact sequence from the manual, and maybe you've read this on other forum posts. But don't mount your seats until the body is fitted. It's a tight fit at the back corner by the door latches, and you want the body in place to get the proper location for the seats.
Thanks Paul. Just another reason to drop the body in place!Quote:
Originally Posted by edwardb
Ok, I did not get a ton of stuff done today... I just could not stop looking at the car... LOL
So I installed the BBK Headers that FF sent me... Need to install the side pipes. These headers are temporary for first start and some go carting... I'll be installing some new headers later...
Attachment 96587 Attachment 96589
I also removed all of the blue painters tape that I had on the fire wall and drivers foot box front, and a few other places. Man this is pretty... I'm only waiting now to get my steering shaft back from the welder and installed and I'll be able to drop it to the ground. I also ordered the Breeze Radiator Shroud that I will install before I put the coolant into it. And that is the end of what I need to do to be able to make the first start and perhaps a drive around the block.
Attachment 96590 Attachment 96591 Attachment 96592 Attachment 96593
Also installed the Roll bars with some bright red LED 3rd brake lights that I installed a few weeks ago.
Attachment 96594
Looks great, Badasp!
Great progress Carl, your doing a fantastic job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RR20AC
Thanks....Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteMeindl
Really nice work Carl! Can't wait to hear it start up. And when you do the video, get the close up and wide angle of that beast running! Now, let's see if I can magnify your pics to steal, I mean borrow some ideas....:)
Just let me know if you need any specific pics... Glad to take them for you...Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
You know I will. Thanks partner!!Quote:
Originally Posted by BadAsp427
Ok so as the title says.... All I Need Is Gasoline (for 1st start) Tonight I received my Breeze Fan Shroud and installed it. Very easy, drilled 6 holes and installed some SS pan head screws and lock nuts and it was installed. While it was all clean and looking pretty, I put some SharkHide to the entire radiator and fan assembly to make it shine like new for a long time. I then put in 3 gal of 50/50 coolant to fill the system. Had one hose clamp that I did not tighten and leaked a little until it was tightened. Also grounded out the wire going to the fan and confirmed that it works.... and boy does it work...
Attachment 96690 Attachment 96691
Next I installed my pretty, shinny, side pipes and tires/wheels.... It's always fun to get up into the rafters to get parts down... I plan to put the build on the ground on Friday afternoon and move it around in the garage so that I can get it out of the garage door and most likely I'll fire it up.... I'm very confident it will be a good first start as the motor came straight from the Dyno at BluePrint engines. I'm also confident of my wiring and do not see any reason to have any issues. (famous last words, right?)
Attachment 96692 Attachment 96696 Attachment 96697
Added a little Meat.....
Attachment 96698
I can feel the anticipation - there's electricity in the air waiting for the 1st start!! :) Good luck, Carl!
It's amazing to me that you've built this so fast! I took this photo of you Aug31st when we first met. Only two months ago! Amazing!Attachment 96716Attachment 96717
Excited for you Carl! Looking forward to the video!
Well today was the big day... I was planning on doing this tomorrow, but weather tomorrow looks to be bad and did not want to start up in the garage. So First things first. I started this with all settings exactly as I received it from BluePrint Engines. No adjustments of any kind were made to the engine for this 1st start. I followed the instructions and pre lubed the engine by cranking it over without spark plugs and without the ignition hooked up. I was able to get about 50psi Oil Pressure during this pre lube operation. The engine is filled with yellow 50/50 coolant and the 7 qts of BluePrint Brake in 30 Weight Oil.
I put in about 1 gal of gasoline, hooked up the elect fuel pump, and as you will see in the video, pumped the carb a couple times and the BluePrint Engine fired up after only a couple of cranks. I wish that I had stereo mics hooked up to the camera so that you could here just how awesome this thing sounds. I ran it for about 10 minutes after the video stopped and allowed it to come up to full temp. The fan came on right at 80c/178f and then turned off at 75c/167f
I'm excited to be past this awesome milestone after only 75 days of building. I started this build on Aug 19th 2018.... I'm even more excited about the next steps in the build as I start putting it all together.... I will have some Go Cart time, but I do not plan on a lot... More videos will follow.
So without any more chat.... Here is the 1st Start Video of BadAsp427's 20th Anniversary Factory 5 Roadster #8690 on November 1st 2018. Enjoy!!!
:::::Be sure to watch to the end.... At first it is in fast idle with the choke but at about 1:50 I drop it down to 800 RPM idle and that is when it sounds awesome::::: what a BadAsp lope....
https://youtu.be/HRwpZfBFiWs
wooooohoooooo!!! Congratullations, Carl - that is awesome!! :)
That never gets old. Congrats!
This video was taken simultaneously with focus on the gauges during the entire run. But it is also directly between both exhaust pipes so you get both sides at once... :-)
https://youtu.be/oTtoYpbyWuI
Just had to listen to this again on the computer with bigger speakers. Sounds great Carl. NOTHING like the sound of a pushrod engine!!Quote:
Originally Posted by BadAsp427
I'm so impressed with the engine. BluePrint Engines sent me a very nice piece. The sound in person was awesome... Now I just have to start putting together the small stuff... seats, interior, lights, etc.... But one big thing is that I do not have my steering rod back from the welder just yet... (held up with FedEx) so I can't gocart it...Quote:
Originally Posted by cv2065
Congrats and sounds great!
Congratulations From The Dark Side!
It Sounds Very, Very Healthy!
Well done. Congratulations. It’s alive.
-Steve
OMG!!!! Sounds soooooo good!!! Congratulations!!!!
Same motor we’re getting. I was worried about the sound at idle... needs to sound bad A, and it sure does!!!
Man you sure flew through your build. We took delivery 7/31 and the body is still on the chassis, (life interrupteus) and still waiting for B/O parts lol
You’ve done a great job!!!
Kurt
Today was a long day... for a task that seems like it should not be that long, I managed to spend 98% of my 12 hour day to day working on the seats. I started off by finding that because these seats have been in the box since May of 2015 that the bare metal frame was rusted up pretty bad (surface rust) so the first thing was to put a coat of POR15 on the frame. Of course that took a couple of hours to dry, and while that was happening, I installed the seat heater pads into the seat cushions. They fit perfectly with the only cutting I did was to round off the corners to fit into the furthest in position. After the POR15 dried, I put in the heater pads for the seat backs, making the same top corner cuts.
Attachment 96832 Attachment 96833 Attachment 96834
I also ran a 10g wire from the fuse box to the trans tunnel for the seats... This called for cutting all of my zip ties for the rear harness and putting the wire inside the harness. Once I got to the appropriate point, I split the wire off to get power to both sides. Drilled a small hole and inserted a rubber grommet and passed the wire through into the seat area. I wired the 10 amp inline fuse and put a disconnect plug on the power wire. I also fabricated a couple nice small brackets to hold the seat heater switches and mounted them down on the inside of each of the seats on the side of the trans tunnel, out of the way, but easy enough to reach and view the power light as needed. The red power wire and the control wire from the switch will both be under the carpet when that is completed. The ultimate goal for the wiring is that I can remove the seats just by disconnecting two wires, the + power and the control switch, all the rest of the wiring harness will go with the seat. I then hooked up the battery, and sat in the seats while watching the NASCAR race with a nice warm tushy and back... you know, kind of a therapeutic break from the build.... the seat heaters work great.
Attachment 96835 Attachment 96836 Attachment 96837 Attachment 96838
Received my modified steering arm back from the welder today. I had to cut out 9"+/- out of it to install the Electric Power Steering unit. So now the entire EPS is installed, and tested... works fantastic while sitting in the garage. Exactly as advertised... Could be the best $599 I've spent on an upgrade. Well except perhaps that BluePrint Engine...
I purchased the EPowerSteering.com complete kit. Everything new and ready to install. You can also see a thread about it HERE.
But before I did anything, I followed the rack centering instructions posted here in the forums. And then I loosely installed the steering wheel onto the steering shaft. Then, as I put the EPS in, I was able to index the steering wheel in what should be a straight up and down configuration when I'm actually going straight. Having 3 spline joints in the system that made it fairly easy to get pretty darn close. Final alignment will be the real tell...
Then after tightening down all of the attachment points and connecting the wiring that I had prepared a few weeks back I removed the upper steering shaft out of the car. I sanded the top (rear) half of it so that I could paint it with my dark gray that matches the 20th Anv frame powder coat. After a couple coats and letting it dry, I then installed the upper shaft down into the lower shaft along with the 2 little wavy washers. I also put some standard wheel grease on that shaft so that it would slide in easily now, but more important to prevent rust and in hopes of it being able to be remove easily later if needed. On the wheel end of the shaft, where the aluminum hub slides onto the steel shaft, I put some aluminum anti-seize on there and then put the bolt in and pulled it down onto the shaft. I was then able to sit in the seat and like telescopic steering slide the shaft in and out to find the exact location that I was comfortable while sitting in my "relaxed" driving position. Locked down all of the set screws in the bearings as well as the splines and I think it's all but done. I will still pull out the main steering wheel bolt and put some locktite on it to call it 100% done. The steering feels very tight with zero play in the wheel side to side...
Anyway, here are some photos of the steering system completed.
Attachment 96934 Attachment 96935 Attachment 96936 Attachment 96937
QUESTION: in this photo, am I missing anything as far as a beauty ring or something or is this the way it is designed to look?
Attachment 96933
If all goes to plan, I will do some ride height and alignment adjustments tomorrow and then Wednesday (weather permitting) I'll take it out for a very short, quick test drive.