FRAME BUILD-UP PART II 

Installing the Center Section

     We left off with the installation of the frames center section, this consisted of mainly two (2) large (1-3/4") pieces of tubbing that spanned the frames center section twice, and was tied together with the same size tubing in two spots.

     With the center section now fairly complete (for now) we set our attention to the rear section of the frame, where we started the process of installing the rear end.

Installing The Rear End

     After double checking the frame once again to insure it still square and level, we started laying out the frame to accept the rear end housing and all it compo nets.  We are using a Heidt's Tri-Angelated 4-Bar Rear Suspension.  And unfortunately the Winter Quick Change isn't going to allow us to install the rear end according to the instructions that accompanied the 4-bar set-up.  The problem is that the Winters Quick Change is much wider then a standard Ford 9 Inch or similar rear end, this means the angled control bars that mount to the top of the axle housing and extend out at an angle to the frames side rails can't be installed as directed.  Instead they must be installed at a much less angle, which will take away some of the control they have over the rear end housings placement.  The bottom two (2) bars that run straight out from the axle housing to the frame rails will be OK, it's just the two (2) top bars that will be the trouble makers. 

Here you can see both the top and bottom mounts for the rear end.  The control arms are wrapped-up to help protect the shinny polished stainless steel that is underneath them.

     I decided to do the only thing I could, mount the two (2) top bars as close as possible to the center section and then extend them as best we could out to the frame rails.  While we managed to mount the rear end and to be honest, it looks just fine.  A better way may be to simply go with a normal 4-bar mount, and not the tri-angelated 4-bar set-up, it would be much easier to install.  The real trick for us was that none of the factory top-bar mounts would work on or chassis, so we ended up fabricating our own mounts for the two (2) top control bars.  At the housing end, we fashioned up a set of simple mounts that allowed us to mount the control bars in double sheer as close to the center section as we could get.  The mounts for the top bars at the frame end was a another story.  These were suppose to mount to the sides of the frame rails, and the supplied mounts were very nice looking pieces that kept everything smooth and tight to the frame.  We had to come up with a completely different type mount, one that would have to use the center section to hold the rear end housing in position instead of the frame rails sides.  We bent up a pieces of 1-3/4" tubbing that extended from the back edge of the rear most cross member over to the side of the frame rail.  We did this on both side and then made two (2) sets of upper control arm mounts.  These mounts were fab'd out of 1/4" plate and allowed the newly formed tubing to pass through the one end and bolt to the control arm at the other.

This is a drawing of the actual front mounting piece we made for the upper control arms.

Here is another drawing we used to properly configure the same upper control arms.  I find it really helps me to get my ideals down on paper where it's easier to convey what it is I want to others, it also gives me time to check things over.

You can see the entire rear end in this picture, the top control arms should be 16" from the end of each axle tube, but because of the type rear end we are using, they are closer to 11".  You can also see the new upper control arm mounts we had to Fabe up, originally they would have tied into the inner frame rails and not on the tubbing as seen here.

     With the rear end now mounted, we moved on to "C-ing" the frame.  This is were we locate that section of the frame where the rear end housing would contact the frame if allowed to compress to far.  Since we are shooting for a lowered stance, we must remove a small section of rear fame rail to allow the rear suspension additional room.  To locate the correct area, cycle the rear end housing with help, and mark the area it contacts with the frame rail.  Using this mark as the center of the area, we simply aligned the steel boxing piece and marked the frame for it's cut.  I used a plasma cutter to remove the section of frame rail, and then cleaned the area up with a side grinder.  We double checked the fit and then welded the C-plate into position, latter we will fully weld it into place.

     We now installed the rear cross-member. This was a piece of square tubing that simply connected the two (2) rear sides of the frame, and was installed directly above the C-ed section.  Since we are using coil over shocks to support the rear of the cars weight, we needed a strong place to attach the top of the shocks.  The bottom of the shocks attached to the lower axle housing bracket which also doubled as the lower control arm bracket.  The only tricky portion about the rear cross-member was the fact that it had to clear the rear axle, which happened to be to big to clear.  This meant I had to modify the rear cross-member so it had a step up in the middle.  We cut the cross member so it kicked-up at a 45° and then used another 45° piece to level it out in the area where it passed over the rear end, then used two (2) 45° pieces to again step it back down on the other side.  Because it has to be very stout in order to carry the weight of the car, I also braced the cross member very well.

This is a nice shot of the rear cross member, notice how it had to be kicked up to clear the rear end when the rear suspension compressed.  The square tubing on each side are there to keep the rear end at ride height, without using the shocks which would be hard to protect during set-up.

     Next up was the Anti-Roll Bar some might know it as the Anti-Sway Bar.  Either way, it's job is to keep the car level while cornering and to help keep it planted during take-off. We decided to mount it over the rear axle and made some brackets that allowed us to attach it to the rear cross-member.  This gave us a great place to mount the bar but also helped to stiffen up the rear cross member as well, space is very limited on our Project COBRA'33.  The way this Anti-Roll bar works is it uses a piece of steel tubing, to span the distance between the levers or "ears".  Inside this metal tube is another metal tube, this one attachés to the two (2) "ears" and they have rods that attach them to the lower control arms.  As you go around a curve, the body has a natural tendency to lean toward the outside of the curve, this body roll is UN-wanted and is the job of the anti-roll bar to correct.  The rods that are attached to the "ears" at one end and the lower control arms at the other, fight this tendency to lean by pushing back on the rods and hence keeping the body upright.

Separating The Body From The Frame

     This turned out to be a rather lengthy process, the bolts holding the body to the frame were well worn and covered in rust, which was to be expected.  But as worn as they were, several shots of WD-40 got most of them to break free.  I was surprised actually just how good the threads were on many of the bolts.  The real problem was the many carriage bolts they used.  The metal surrounding the square bolt head was just to thin and worn to hold the bolt from turning, which left us no choice but to torch the nuts off from below.  It worked out great, because all the important bolts and screws that held the floor and body on came out, which allowed us to save the floor supports and other important areas.  Just remember, when torching anything on an old car like ours you have to respect certain areas like the fuel tank, and any other area that might support combustion.  We could not remove the fuel tank till the body was off, so I made sure any work in that area was done with the up most amount of safety and prudence.

A crowning moment for sure....Seperating the original body from it's frame was a major accomplishment for our project.  For almost 40 years I had only known the '33 to look one way, with it's body on.

     Once the stubborn bolts were torched off, the body lifted right up.  We used under lift support jacks to raise the floor.  We would lift it up with the jacks about 1" and then slip in a small block of wood to keep it up.  We did that all the way around the car, to make sure everything was loose and clear.  With that done, we lowered the car and allowed it to rest on the shop floor, then swung the lifting arms in so they could lift the body on the window frames.  This worked very well, and the body was easily lifted from the frame, and the frame was rolled out from under the body.  Now we could roll in under the body our cart we made especially for supporting the body.  It fit great and we secured the body to the cart with a couple of bolts, just for safety.  I was amazed how nice the cart held the body, and how easy it was to roll around.  I would recommend building something similar to our cart to anyone rebuilding an old hot rod.

This is the body cart we fab'd up, it is adjustable and can even come apart for storage if need be.

The body support arms shown had to be shorted by 5-6" before we sat the body on them.

     While the body was on the ground, we also took the time to remove the canvas top and the metal strapping from the roof.  I figured it was coming off anyhow, and why not do it now rather then latter, since it allows in so much light.  Which can only make it better when we start working on it latter down the road.

I suppose for it's age, it's not in to bad of shape?  But there is an awful lot of work ahead.

What Mess Have We Gotten Into !!!

     Well in the beginning I told you we would work through the good and the bad together, learning from our mistakes and passing along all the information.  This is where we get to make fun of our selfs and laugh along with everyone else.  Our frame was bought new from Horton's Hot Rod Shop, we paid them and they payed ASC to drop ship us a pair of 1933 Ford frame rails.  They arrived by truck and were set aside for a short while till we could start our project.  Being rookie's we overlooked several important areas of concern on our new frame.  For starters we never sat our frame rails down and measured them for accuracy.  We just assumed they were right.... Strike 1.  We also never lay-ed the rails out and made sure the flanges were correct....Strike 2.  And we never checked to see if the curvature formed into the rails were right...Strike 3. 

     Looking back, in all honesty I'm not sure how much we could have checked, and I suppose one would think that the new frame rails would or at least should be right.  But since it's the responsibility of the builder to make sure these type of things are in fact right from the start, I guess we messed up?  I did look the frame rails over, and remember thinking they sure do have a lot of bend in them.  But I had nothing to compare them to, the car was still on the frame and you can not really see the frame structure that way.  I should have and could have checked the frame for square, that is making sure the channel section was square with the rest of the frame rail.  But I didn't...and so here we are.  We started on the frame by first making stands that would attach to our welding table and firmly hold the frame in position.  This was done to keep the frame level, in position and at the right height.  We also started the frame work by bolting on a new rear frame cross member, and a fabricated front frame cross member, both were needed to keep the frame square with itself and to keep the frame rails the correct distance apart.  So far so good.  The next thing we did was to start installing the frame's center section, which was made-up by sections of round tubbing.  These set the correct distance the center of the frame was apart from itself, and located several items like the brake pedal and so forth.  Next came the rear end, we "C" ed the frame and installed the modified triangulated 4-bar which set the rear end.  The anti-Roll bar was installed and the fuel tank measured for it's much needed sectioning.  Then we turned our attention to the front of the frame, we wanted to install the Heidt's Super Ride front end, and the first thing in doing this was to install the front cross-member.  Here is where we ran into trouble.  We had noticed the bow in the frame looked odd, while we were working on the rear-end but didn't think to much about it.  But once we moved to the front end, there was no denying that something was way, way wrong.  The more we looked the more we found wrong, and the more we found the worse it got.  The frame makes a gentle bow around the body till it gets past the doors, then if quickly changes inward then bows back out for the engine and back in at the front.  But our frame was much different then what was under our car, even with the body on, you could now till something was very wrong.  We stopped working on the frame and took a long time off, partly because of weather, and mostly because we were upset.  Upset with ourselves but mainly with the manufacturer, if there ever was a second grade of frame, then this had to be one.  Once we noticed the problems, the more we checked the worse it got.  The rails now clearly were not formed all the way, they were shy of 90°, and it really showed.  The bow in the middle and the bow in the engine compartment were not fully formed, which gave the frame a odd looking twist.  While we quit working on the frame, we fixed the fuel tank problem, and sealed it.  We wired the engine and transmission, installed the fuel injection system and the new blower, got all of the wiring harnesses ready and installed the shifter and E-brake system on the trany.

     This helped, but all the time we were thinking about the frame in the back of our mind, and it somehow diminished what we accomplished.  We finally got back on track, once the first good warm-up came.  We worked on getting all the body bolts out, and pretty much stripped the body.  Then we made a body cart and finally that body was off.  Now for the first time, we saw what the frame was suppose to look like and wow, was we surprised.  The frame was even worse then before, now that I could see them side by side, there was so many differences it looked hopeless.  I felt sick, the more I measured the worse it got.  We had been working from a blueprint I got from one of the more popular companies, and almost every measurement they had given was off, and off by a mile (at least in the frame world).  Now I was totally sick, not only was the bow and twist of the frame off, now I find that all the important measurements we took to layout the frame and it's center section were off.  I was mad, disgusted and took the week off from working on the mess.  How could this be? Why was the print so far off? How was I going to get this thing right?  When I found out about the measurements, I nearly cut the thing up and started over, this time with the original frame.  I didn't think it would be in very good condition, so this is why I went with the new frame to begin with.  Low and behold, I get everything apart and find the original frame was in perfect shape, nothing was rusted, only a minor problem on the front left frame horn were someone had a slight fender bender.  It looked fantastic next to frame zilla, which looked worse then ever now.  We took another week off and thought about what we could do to get this thing right.  The frame was only $950.00, but the man hours and materials to bring another frame to this point was huge.

     With nothing to loose, we started by taking very precise measurements from the original frame, and comparing them to the one we were building.  Now that we knew where we had to be, it was much simpler.  Luckily the back quarter was OK, the frame was good up until it came down from going over the rear wheels.  We ran a center line down the frame and figured out what needed to be where.  We started from the back and slowly made our way forward, one body bolt hole at a time.  To move the frame out meant breaking the tack welds on the center section tubbing.  So we would grind down the tack welds and then use a port-a-power to push the frame in the right direction, stopping exactly where we wanted. First let me say, the only reason this worked was we originally drilled holes that closely matched the outside size of the tubbing we were using for the center section.  We then ran the tubbing inside the holes and allowed a small amount to penetrate past the frame walls, it was this that allowed us to move the frame rails out and still have some tubbing in the frame to work with. If we would not have done this, the complete center section would have been a throw away, all the pieces would have been way to short, maybe something to remember when you build your frame? We worked our way forward and got every body mounting hole back to the right place, now with that out of the way we had to tackle the front of the frame and it's odd twist.  We moved the rear of the frame, we also corrected several areas there that were not right, and had the frame looking very good up to the cowl mounting point.  To get the rest of the frame in, we had to address several problems.  We needed to make two more supports, one in the middle of the front section and one at the very front.  These were needed to hold and also measure the frame, since we were going to use large amounts of heat, we had to know were we were, where we needed to be, and how to make sure the frame does what we want it to and no more.  The supports gave us this.  Next we needed to find away to take the twist out of the frame rails.  They were both twisted outward, with the right one worse then the left.  To do this we made four brackets, two sets that would work together to twist the frame.  What we came up with was a simple but heavy duty bracket that simply clipped over the frame rail and then tied together at the bottom with a section of 1/2" all-thread rod.  We heated the rails and twisted the frame back to where it needed to be.  It took several cycles of heating the frame rail, applying force with the brackets and then letting it cool.  Once the frame rails were pretty straight, we worked on the bow.  It was more of the same, heating the frame rails, then taking the port-a-power to move them were we wanted and then letting it all cool back down.  After several cycles, we got everything exactly where it needed to be.  The frame was perfect and all the tension was relieved.  We then installed the front cross member, and radiator supports.  Was that a good feeling or what?  Stepping back and looking at our newly re-worked frame.  Everything was now right, and the two frames side by side looked identical.  This is where we needed to be, and where we worked so hard to get.  I could have left this little blunder out, but I wanted everyone to see that yes mistakes do happen, and yes you can over come them if you just don't give up. 

Installing The Engine And Transmission

     The frame was now as good as new, and we were ready to move on. First on the list was installing the engine and transmission. I had originally bought a old 4.6L Ford V-8 to use for the fitting.  I didn't want to use the now shiny and new engine fearing it would get damaged.  But by the time we were ready to fit the engine to the frame, there were so many changes made to the engine and transmission, that the old engine just would not work.  So we loaded the new engine up to the lift and installed the new 4R70W transmission, and sat them into the frame.  This wasn't all that easy because our frame sat on top of our welding table, which was already 30" high.  We got the engine into position and quickly found several items that needed to be addressed.

It's a close fit but it does fit!   We sat the engine down in the chassis as far as we could, on the right side it's down to the AC compressor and on the left side after removing the engine oil cooler, it's down to the alternator.  My old welding jacket was donated to help keep the engine clean.

     On the engine, the headers and the engine oil cooler were problems.  The engine oil cooler was expected, I thought we might have to replace the engine oil cooler but I was waiting to see.  The headers was a different story, the passenger side header was grossly interfering with the transmission .  Not sure if this was the way it was suppose to look or not, but the collector looked to be cocked, like it was not on right before they welded it up.  We would have to deal with this problem later, after the motor mounts were in.  The engine oil cooler was easier, we simply removed the cooler and this allowed the engine to drop further down into the frame.  Moroso makes a nice looking adapter plate which allows you to remove the engine oil cooler and it's mounting plate and replace the plate with theres.  This gives you a way(AN-12) to direct the engine oil both in and out of the engine, along with a fitting (AN-16) for the engine coolant.  I also bought the Moroso remote oil filter mount, it is a very nice looking piece.  All told the damage from removing the engine oil cooler, to a remote oil filter/cooler with all hoses and fittings, a little over $700.00.

Moroso oil cooler adapter and remote oil filter mount.

     For the Transmission, more of the same.  The top and forward center section cross piece was interfering with the transmission.  This meant we would have to section out a piece, and re-do it, no small deal.  We cut out the center of the cross-member (about 15") and positioned the transmission so it was centered in the frame and about 3° down from level.  Now that we were where we wanted to be, we started on the engine supports.  I used a 1-3/4" suspension piece for the frame end of the engine support.

  They are plenty strong, and the insulators are more then strong enough for the job.  This I mounted by using two pieces of metal, cut into a triangle 3" x 3".  For the engine part, we started with the

Energy Suspension's Polyurethane engine mounts, and to that I drilled out a 1/4" thick piece of steel to fit over the one large stud in the engine mount.  The plate was roughly 4" x 6" and was used to fasten the engine mount to the engine support.  To fasten the two together, I used three (3) small pieces of 1" round tubing.  The whole thing took but a few hours till they were tack-welded up and in place keeping the engine centered in the frame. 

This is a very close rendering of the engine supports we built.

     For the trany mount, we used a section of 1-1/2" round tubing along with a removable transmission mount that we bought with the center section.  This end took much more time, because we had to repair the cross-member before we could make the mount.  To bridge the gap where we cut out a section for the transmission to fit, we bent a piece of 1-1/2" round tubing and formed a bow that allowed the trany to fit while repairing the cross-member.  To support the transmission, we used another piece of 1-1/2" round tubing, and bent it into a U, using 4" x 4" plates on the ends.  These plates had matching parts that allowed one plate to be welded into the frame and the other welded to the end of our U bend, with this arrangement the U bend is easily removed from the chassis.  So, when and if the transmission ever needs to be removed, we just UN-bolt the U bend with 4-3/8" bolts on each side and out it comes.

Above is a great shot of what we had to do to the center section to get the transmission to fit.

 Fitting Out the Frame

     With the Frame now as good as new, we turned our attentions to the rest of the job, what I call fitting out the Frame.  This just means getting all the small projects done, now that the big ones are over.  These small project include the brake system, oil cooling system, transmission cooling system, inter-cooler cooling system, and exhaust system.

Engine Oil Cooling System

Above is the Moroso Oil Filter Relocation Adapter for the Ford 4.6L engine and the Moroso Remote Oil Filter Mount.  Both are very high quality products, and both are used on our car.

     If you remember, we had to remove the engine mounted oil cooler.  In it's place we mounted a B&M Hy-Tec engine oil cooler and a Moroso remote engine oil filter mount.  Both were mounted to the drivers side of the frame, in the middle section of the frame.  Space is very valuable on a project as this, and many times you have to be very creative to figure things out.  We mounted the oil cooler flat about 2" down from the floor board.  Small square tubing was used to make the mount and bracketing, and we ended up with a clean functional look.  The Moroso oil filter mount was mounted back by the rear end locating arms.  We turned the mount on it's side and fashioned a simple mount out of 1" round tubing, that also tied into the exhaust and drive shaft loop.  Constant attention has to be paid to the system and it's needs as you install these various mounts.  You need to think how the lines and hoses will be run, protection from road Debera, serviceability, and mechanical strength. As stated earlier our engine oil cooling system uses AN-12 fittings and hoses.  These are extremely large fittings and take-up a lot of room, same goes for the hoses.  The minimum bend radius is much more then a more common hose size of say An-6 or An-8.  All these specifics need to be addressed, you need to closely simulate the route the hoses will take and if possible, use the correct fittings that will be used to terminate the hoses.  Engine oil hoses also operate under very high oil pressure, it is very important that the hose be routed as natural as possible.  This means the hoses should not be kinked or under any pressure or binding.  Once the engine oil pressure comes up to speed, the hose will want to straighten themselves out if in a bind, this will put an undue amount of pressure on the hoses and eventually lead to a problem.  The hoses should also be not only well routed, but well supported.  You want them to stay in there predisposed area of operation, not allowing them to hang down and get into trouble.  Use quality hose clamps, they make very nice aluminum billet hose separators and clamps that come in a verity of sizes and styles.  These clamps look great and help protect and route the hoses.  Another great way to secure the hoses is with rubber coated loom clamps, these clamps are made of steel or stainless steel and have a thick  rubber liner that separates the hose from the clamp, making a safe and very secure method of securing the hoses or lines.  On large hoses like the engine oil cooling hoses, I would support the hose no more then 12" apart.  These major system hoses are fare to valuable to leave UN-supported and UN-protected.  A quality rubber coated loom clamp and a 10/32 x 3/4"  SS button head screw would work very nicely as the fastener for the hoses, use a SS washer under the screws head for better retention.

Oil filter mount tucked up tight in the chassis for protection and ease of changing when service is needed.  Filter mounted to closely reassemble finished chassis.

Engine oil Cooler is on the drivers side along with the remote oil filter mount.

Transmission Cooling System

Above is the B&M Hy-Tek cooler we used on our project car

     Probably the most overlooked system on todays cars and trucks is the need for extra transmission cooling.  Weather it's your one ton diesel truck that will pull the trailer your hot rod will travel in, or it's the hot rod itself, the transmission cooling system is the most overlooked system today.  I know many people that complain there automatic transmission went south, but still refuse to up-date the truck with a quality transmission cooler.  Why?  I haven't the foggiest.  It seems very simple to me, if you lost a transmission pre-maturely and only replace the transmission with a new or re-built unit, it will only suffer the same fate again.  Automatic transmissions are wonderful pieces, and in large trucks they make towing and hauling heavy loads a joy, but automatics by there design create huge amounts of heat.  This heat is normally transferred to the automatic transmission fluid, which then is transferred to the car or trucks engine coolant system via the radiator and it's built-in transmission cooler.  Under the best of conditions I have found the stock system to be adequate at best, under the load of a heavy trailer it's simply a band-aid.  The answer is very simple, if you want your automatic transmission to live, install a better cooling system.  I have done a reasonable amount of research on heavy duty truck transmission coolers, and even sell a few kits for the Dodge trucks, so I feel confident when I talk about transmission coolers.  On our Project COBRA'33, we will install a external transmission cooler in addition to the radiator mounted transmission cooler.  Again the cooler of choice is the B&M Hy-Tek Cooler with it's built in thermostat and electric fan.  I have used these many times and also offer them in the kits I sell, they work great and the quality is second to none.

     The routing for our automatic transmission cooling system is, the hot fluid will exit the transmission and go to the radiator mounted transmission cooler, then it will leave there and enter the auxiliary cooler and then exit the auxiliary cooler and go back into the automatic transmission.  The reasoning behind this routing is simple, the automatic needs heat to fiction properly, so we go to the radiator first and pick-up heat on cold mournings and cool weather.  This heat is necessary to thin the fluid and allow the transmission to shift and operate smoothly.  Ideally, you want the automatic transmission fluid to raise to the 140°-165° range, and by using the radiator to speed up the warming process, you get better performance.  Once everything is up and running normally, the radiator now becomes a cooler and not the heater like before.  It's job is to keep the transmission as cool as the engine coolant temperature which is most often around 190°.  As things progress and the transmission has to work harder, it produces more and more heat, till eventually the radiator can not keep up with the demand for additional cooling, this is where the axillary cooler comes in.  Under normal cooling conditions, the B&M cooler will lower the fluid temps some 25-40°, but once the on-board thermostat rises above the 180° mark the electric fan switches on and the transmission cooler suddenly becomes a super cooler and really takes the heat out of the transmission fluid.  This cooling fan automatically stays on till the transmission fluid temperatures drop below 165°.  In my studies, I found capacity to be a very important factor.  Too much capacity and the fluid never gets warm enough to operate normally and too little capacity and you never are able to cool the fluid enough.  These B&M units I use, both in the kits I sell and on Project COBRA'33 are just the right size, and they allow the automatic to operate in it's optimal operating range.

Here we see the drivers side done, the engine oil cooler and remote oil filter are mounted, as is the brake master cylinder, booster and pedal mount.  On the passenger side, the inter-cooler water cooler is mounted and the square tubbing is in place to mount the transmissions oil cooler.  You can also see the rectangular mounting plates we made for the front cross-member and the transmission support plate that also UN-bolts.

     Our transmission cooler is mounted on the passenger side, midship on the chassis.  We ran some small (3/4" ) square tubbing along the bottom of the center section rails and used it to mount the coolers (the transmission cooler and Inter-cooler cooler are mounted together).  The position, roughly 2 inches down from the floorboards will allow sufficient air flow thru the cooler while keeping it tucked up tightly and out of harm way.  The hoses and fittings for the transmission cooler will all be An-8 (1/2"), this is much larger then the normal factory lines (5/16"), and will flow the coolant better.  All our coolers are supported the same way, with 4-1/4" SS bolts and fender washers.  The factory holes are large 1/2", so the fender washers are necessary.  We drilled and taped the square tube for 1/4-20 bolts and they make great mounting surfaces.

Inter-Cooler Cooling System

     Our Ford 4.6L DOHC V-8 is supercharged by a Eaton M-112 supercharger.  To cool the incoming air, they use a water/air inter cooler, this helps reduce intake air temperatures, which helps build more horsepower, and control detonation.  The system uses a special intake manifold that houses the air /water inter cooler.  Air that is forced down into the manifold by the supercharger is heated from the tight confines of the supercharger lobes.  This pressurization and heat generated from the compressor, heats the incoming air to fairly high temperatures, which do nothing but rob horsepower and cause detonation.  To control these temperatures, Ford designed a system that uses water (coolant) which runs through a radiator (inter-cooler) and extracts the heat out of the pressurized air.  To operate efficiently, you need to remove the heat in the water, so thats where our inter-cooler cooler comes into play.  We will use the same cooler, B&M Hy-Tek cooler that we used for the engine oil cooler and for the transmission oil cooler to cool our heated inter-cooler coolant.  Mounted next to but a few inches to the rear of the transmission cooler, our inter-cooler cooler will be mounted up tight to the chassis and well protected like all the other coolers are.  The only difference between the other coolers and this cooler is instead of cooling fluid or oil, we will be cooling water or coolant.  Just like what is in the radiator, a mixture of water and antifreeze.  To move this coolant from the intake manifold to the cooler and back we Will use an electric pump, the same pump the Ford factory system uses on the 2003-2004 Ford Mustang Cobra.  This small Bosch coolant pump will be mounted along side the passenger frame rail and close to the cooler.  The hoses and fittings will be AN-8 and we will need to install a small mixing tank somewhere in the engine compartment.  This tank will allow trapped air to escape and gives us a place to add coolant and check on the level of the system.  We will seal the tank with what looks like a standard radiator cap.  The system is fairly complicated, it must have a thermostat to control the cooler fan's action and ultimately the systems temperature.  We will also need a way of controlling the coolant pump.  As with the other systems, we had to give a long hard look at the way the hoses would be routed and how the fittings would work with the space confinements we have.  This system like the transmission oil cooler will be AN-8 size hoses and fittings.

Overview

      We've taken the time to lay out our cooling systems so each one will work, and work in the limited space we have.  All are mounted to the bottom of the center section tubing, and all are only 2" from the floor boards.  With the spacing provided we should have plenty of air circulation for the coolers, but we will insulate the floorboards heavily to prevent the heat transferring to the inside of the car.  Of all the systems the engine oil cooler is by far the most important, and has been given the needed extra attention it deserves.  The extra large size of the hoses and fittings make for some very special mounting and routing precautions.  All the coolers are the same size and brand, B&M Hy-Tek coolers, and all are wired the same way where they will operate in the automatic or manual mode.  We will have dash mounted switches that will manually turn the coolers on, and they all will have dash mounted warning lights.

Installing the Exhaust System

     To some installing the exhaust system now might sound a little odd, but the truth is if you want a working exhaust system, one without surprises and added on gimmicky looking brackets, then now is the perfect time to install it.  I had but a few major requirements for the exhaust system: 1. I wanted it to be tucked up tight under the frame. 2. I wanted as many supports as it took to get the system stout. 3. I wanted the exhaust system to look like it received equal care and consideration, I did not want it to look like an after thought.

     I think I meet all three of my initial request.  We started working on the exhaust system right after all the cooling systems were finished.  As you might recall, earlier I mentioned we had a problem with the headers and them interfering with the transmission.  The passenger side header was severely kicked in at the collector, like I stated earlier It looked like it was cocked when the guy welded it up at the factory.  I used quality BBS headers and to be honest they were designed to fit the 2003-2004 Ford Mustang, so maybe they needed that crocked collector?  But it was clear, we didn't, so I sat about to fix it.  I new right away the fix would require alot of force, so we could do nothing till the new motor supports were ready.  With them fitting correctly and welded out completely, we were now ready to fix the headers.  My fathers first thought was to heat them and then pull them were they need to go, but I didn't like that ideal.  the headers were coated with a ceramic chrome coating that would look like crap if I put that much heat on them.  My first chose was to just pull the header away from the transmission.  It needed about 2-1/2" to clear everything and be were the other side was.  The hardest part was pulling the headers without hurting them.  I took a 6 foot lifting sling and doubled it around the header and used my port a power to push the header away.  My biggest concerns were the aluminum heads that the headers were attached to and the motor supports which we just built.  I could make a new support with out much effort or money, but a new head or worse new block would require much of both.  To tell the truth I was very surprised, the header moved very nicely and the engine supports did not even flex with all the strain squarely on them.  We moved the header right on over to where it was suppose to be without incidence.  No cracks in the header welds on the collectors or the head and no movement out of the supports or transmission mount.  Now with the exhaust running straight we could finish the rest of the system.  We started from the front and worked our way to the rear of the car, doing both sides at the same time.  We started with a adapter that went from the ball type joint on the headers to 2-1/2" tubbing.  Then a small extension piece and then the cut-outs.  These are simply a section of tubbing about 18" long with another piece welded to it at about a 30° angle.  They allow you to run the normal exhaust out the rear, but also offer the second system for running an open exhaust.  we left the second exhaust system alone for now, but they are in a position were later we will run them back and then out under the running boards.  Right after the cut outs, we installed the mufflers and after that a small section of tubbing that kicked up at a 45° so the exhaust followed the rear axle better.  To that we used another 45° piece and that straightened the exhaust out so it came straight out from under the car, and we positioned it with the tips in place. 

Everything is up tight to the chassis....the outlet above is for the cut-outs and will extend down the side and out under the running boards.

The above pictures show the routing and support of the Stainless Works Hot Rod Exhaust Kit.

 In all there were three (3) supports per side to make, and all supports used the same Stainless Steel piece from Stainless Works. 

A quick rundown on the brands we used:

Borla made the Hot Rod Exhaust System, a universal 2-1/2" dual exhaust system complete with mufflers. 

Flow Master made the Header Collector Ball Flange kit. 

Dyno Max built the cut-outs we used and they also made the X-pipe that we would have used but room didn't allow. 

QTP built the electric powered cut outs we will install latter. 

Summit Racing supplied the exhaust system hangers, but they look exactly like the ones Stainless Works makes, they also supplied the weld in Oxygen sensor bungs. 

Stage 8 was the guys we went to for the locking header bolts.

BBS supplied the ceramic coated full-length headers.

And finally Walker made all the band clamps used on the system. 

     Everything was stainless steel and if time permits, we will polish it all out later.  While the hot Rod exhaust system certainly supplied us with what we needed in terms of tubing, we didn't use but a 1/3 of the kit, which makes me wonder if you couldn't save some money by just purchasing what pieces you need and not the whole kit??  Something to thing about for sure.

Drive-line

     We've had the rear end installed for some time, and if you remembered we used a triangulated 4-bar set-up from Heidt's.  The frame brackets are still only tack-welded in place, and will remain so till we strip the frame back down and weld everything out.  The only thing left to do on the rear end is install the bump stops over the "C" section we cut into the frame.  The "C" section was installed to allow the rear axle more room upon compression.  I will install the bump stop so the bumper is about half way down in the "C" and positioned centered in the "C".  We used a small U-shaped tab, with a 3/8" hole in it.

Polyurethane bump stop

     With the rear end set, and everything important run, I feel very confident that I can finally take the drive shaft measurement.  To simulate the car in it's normal ride height, we left the braces on that we made that will hold the axle in it's ride height position, which according to Heidt is 13-1/2" or the suspension compressed 1-1/2".  I decided to go with Denny's Drive-shaft and contacted them about the proper way they used to measure the correct drive-shaft length.  What they proposed was to measure from the very back portion of the transmission case to the flat side of the pinion yoke.  Our measurement came up as 38-3/4".  They have several other important measurements they need and provide a very nice measurement sheet that will guide you through the process.  In my case, I already knew the pinion yoke is a 1310 unit, and the transmission slip yoke is for a 4R70W Ford Automatic Transmission.  There is a difference between the AODE and the 4R70W so make sure you state the one you have.  Denny's felt a 3" aluminum drive-shaft would work just fine so that is what we purchased, roughly $400.00 shipped.

   This will end this section on the frame build-up.  After we take everything apart and weld out the chassis, we can re-assemble the frame and start fitting the body to it.  Till then thanks for watching.

Please go to Frame Build-Up Part III