690 is gettin' done - Page 5

mreid · #81 (**permalink**) 10-16-2011, 04:21 PM

So, I finally got a chance to spend a few hours in the garage yesterday and today. Yesterday I installed the bumpers:

Didn't get a picture of the front, however, I also completed 95% of my undercar exhaust on the driver's side. This is the very difficult side as the master cylinders, steering shaft, and most problematic dropped footbox is on this side.

First I welded the bell flare that mates to the ball flange on my headers:

Then the drop pipe to get the round pipe tight up against the floor where it transitions to oval pipe:

Followed by the oval pipe with a 30 degree horizontal bend to line up with the flowmaster muffler:

Then the oval to round transition to the muffler and muffler:

Now I just need to weld up a hanger for the muffler and fit the tailpipe. I'm stoked that it actually fit so well!

Avmaviator · #82 (**permalink**) 10-16-2011, 07:05 PM

Looks great Mark, great job! Don't you love welding upside down, under a car? heh. The pipe looks really nice and tidy, like a pro built it

mreid · #83 (**permalink**) 10-17-2011, 07:18 AM

Thanks, man, but I fit it, mark it, trim it, and then remove it, tack it, test fit, remove it, and final weld. I burned up an msd box on a previous project by welding on the car and while I know I could disconnect the box, I actually get a better result this way even though it does take a little longer. Today, the passenger side...

mreid · #84 (**permalink**) 10-27-2011, 07:08 AM

So I snapped a couple of pictures of the wheel well foam. These are from the driver side rear. It came out pretty well, but I still need to run a hot knife along the edges for a perfect finish. I also have a couple of questions.

Should I also cover the rear aluminum splash shield and fiberglass interior panel where it is exposed in the wheel well?

xlr8or · #85 (**permalink**) 10-27-2011, 09:02 AM

Covering the rear splash panel will help a lot with noise as most of the pebbles and road junk will bounce off of it.

The car is looking great.

Bobcat · #86 (**permalink**) 10-27-2011, 10:21 AM

mreid ... just curious , I heard on another forum that Dr Gas had gone out of business . Looks like someone had some bad info . They make great stuff don`t they ? My F150 has his crossover , pipes etc ... and the system works great .

Bob

mreid · #87 (**permalink**) 10-28-2011, 08:06 AM

Not out of business, Bob, just very slow! However, their products are top quality and worth the wait.

Back to the exhaust, is this better?

Amazing what you can do with BBQ grill paint!

kgs365 · #88 (**permalink**) 10-28-2011, 08:45 AM

thats perfect!

dallas_ · #89 (**permalink**) 10-28-2011, 09:34 AM

Mark, that's fantastic.

Awesome is an overused word, but certainly applies in this case.

Really nice work and looks great.

Avmaviator · #90 (**permalink**) 10-28-2011, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgs365

thats perfect!

+ 1. Now go weld the other side

mreid · #91 (**permalink**) 10-28-2011, 03:49 PM

Just finished the other side. I'll paint it tomorrow and install it for the final time! That's one big check mark!

Thanks for all the positive comments. Anyone want a pair of stainless tips?!

mreid · #92 (**permalink**) 11-14-2011, 02:11 PM

It was 75 degrees here today and I was sweating bullets! I pushed 690 out of the garage and poured 6 gallons of gas in her belly.

I got the wife to come out and run my only video camera (iphone 4), so the pictures and sound aren't great, but she started right up and scared the bejeezus out of Andrea:

I got the base timing set to 14 right now and still need to adjust the carb, but I couldn't believe how quickly it started! It's a little louder than I expected, but is really sweet with a little gas. Oil pressure right at 60, temp came up to 180 and sat solid, with a lumpy idle at about 950. That's the good news. The bad is that it sounds like it is missing slightly (may be carb tuning), I have a tiny fuel leak at a fitting I can't get any tighter, clutch has air in the line, fuel pressure and oil temp don't work, and worst of all, the battery is not charging. Nevertheless, I'm completely stoked!!!

Avmaviator · #93 (**permalink**) 11-14-2011, 05:55 PM

That is fantastic Mark! Congrats, you have done some good work! Sounds really nice.

JBCOBRA · #94 (**permalink**) 11-15-2011, 06:19 AM

Awesome Mark!

Fullchat289 · #95 (**permalink**) 11-15-2011, 06:39 AM

Congratulations, Mark! Love the "unsure how this is gonna go" look on your face before cranking the thing over...lol. Love the sound, too!

- Allen.

mreid · #96 (**permalink**) 11-15-2011, 06:54 AM

Thanks, guys, it sounds awesome!

Allen, I wasn't sure. While the engine had run on the dyno, lots changed since then. Also, the first time I tried to start it, the MSD box was off (does "on" mean theft protection is on or MSD box is on?). Once I turned the switch "on", as you see it started right up and the timing was only off by about 2 degrees (lucky distributor stab).

I'm going to troubleshoot the charging circuit today. I found this on fordification as it has been at least 10 years since I worked on a car with an external voltage regulator.

Charging System Troubleshooting - FORDification.com

DPILOT · #97 (**permalink**) 11-17-2011, 03:57 PM

Mark,
Great build! My 289/FIA #698 should arrive next wednesday. I'm sure pumped especially
after seeing yours. Where did you get the front bumper guard and rear bumper? I would
like to put a pair on my car also. I'll send pictures as soon the car arrives.
Thanks for your help.
Dave

mreid · #98 (**permalink**) 11-17-2011, 06:50 PM

Dave, I got the front 289 style bumper from Cobra Restorers ( cobrarestorers.com ). The rear I found on ebay and it was the only one I found where the tubes were part of the bumper, so an easy install. One thing to be aware of, the Kirkahm uses 3/8 fine thread and most of the aftermarket uses 7/16 coarse threads. It just means you have to do some extra work, but not a really big deal. Good luck with yours and post lots of pictures!

BMK · #99 (**permalink**) 11-18-2011, 10:41 PM

Pushed out of the garage - whoaa great news..

The exhaust looks great.

mreid · #**100** (**permalink**) 11-19-2011, 06:40 AM

Bernie, last time I started one of my projects in the garage, the wife had a fit when the kitchen filled with rich exhaust fumes. Plus, with my build history, you never know when it bursts into flames on the first turn of the key!

Yeah, the exhaust came out great. Just have to add those polished tips and all done...