December 2004
January 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
February 2006
July 2007

December 2004

After months of deliberation and a lot of emails and phone discussions I decided to buy the WLR. I paid a 30% deposit on the kit and the wait started. AGM's original estimate on shipping of the kit was late February 2005, in the end because it wouldn't ship until June.
At the same time I started looking for a suitable Engine block, at this point I was looking for a 1974 or earlier Ford 302 block since it would make registration easier.
I located a 1974 302 locally, it was already partially stripped and it was relatively simple to finish the job. I decided that I would have the engine professionally built, I dragged my block down to an engine builder (RPM in Concord, CA) they had been recommended by one of my neighbors. At the time RPM were pretty backlogged but I was in no rush so I told them to take their time.

January 2004

Don and John at the engine builders calls to talk about the engine. The block I sourced had been cleaned, magnafluxed and sonic tested. A couple of the cylinder walls were thin. Given that I was really looking for an engine that I could withstand relatively high rpm, we started looking for an alternate block. Initially we looked at finding a 67/68 Ford block since these were said to have somewhat thicker cylinder walls, however Ford it seems reused casting numbers in the 70's making it difficult to discern if a block we were chasing was really a 67/68 or a later block.

We'd talked earlier about aftermarket blocks and I had been initially reticent to go that way, partly because of expense and partly because it would make it more difficult to register the car. After further discussion I agreed that they should get a Dart block for me to look at, the difference between the after market block and the OEM Ford block is dramatic, you can see the difference in the cylinder wall thickness just looking at it. That coupled with the 4 bolt main bearings versus 2 on the OEM block sold me and we could move on.

June 2005

The Kit has finally shipped, I've been in constant contact with AGM over the entire period, and they have been very responsive. There were some initial delays because of problems with their chassis supplier. Later I also chose to add a delay so that they could make some changes to the chassis that significantly increase torsional stiffness. Those delays coupled with the timing of available shipping and were in June.

The engine is pretty much complete (see the engine page).

The kit should arrive at my door around the middle of July, but it's pretty much moot. I work in game software development and I will have very little spare time until the game I'm working on is done (around October).

July 2005

July - 5th - Crate arrives in LA, and it randomly selected to be XRay'd talked to the shipping company, filled out a couple of forms and faxed them back, not very exciting, but should being delivered soon!

July - 14th - Apparently the crate has cleared customs and should be being transferred to San Francisco in the next couple of days.

July - 28th - After a lot of messing around, I have a delivery date July30th. There was apparently a mix up in the shipping, the car was supposed to be shipped to my residence, but for some reason the shipping company has it down as a business. The net result I'm renting a forklift to move the 1500lb crate off the truck.

July - 30th - Delivery!!!

August 2005

August - 13th - Things are progressing slowly, I've removed the suspension and diff which were put in place loosely for shipping. Since some of the bolts used to hold the parts loosely were the wrong size, I ordered some metric bolts for when they go back in.

My transmission arrived. I finally decided to go with a T5, I'd toyed with a number of options including a T56 and various Richmond transmissions, but the simple fact that I know that the T5 fits was the final decider. In a Mustang the T5 is only good for about 350hp but that's in a 3500lb car and most of the failures are from people drag racing. However if it does prove to be fragile G-Force transmissions does a replacement gear set said to be good for >600.

Having done the parts inventory it was apparent at least some pieces were missing, most notably the dashboard. Having exchanged various emails with Alan at AGM we came up with a list of the missing parts. Alan is having these parts shipped out to me.

The first task in the build is going to be working out how to make it all fit, first and foremost is mocking up the engine and  getting the engine and transmission mounts in.

The motor mounts I bought aren't going to work (not that I really expected them to), they are simply not tall enough, however the half of the mounts that bolt to the engine should work out, so I just need to come up with something to replace the plates on the side. My current thought is two pieces of angled steel.

Once I get the transmission mated to the Engine and I can see how things line up in situ I'll mock something up out of wood or card and use that as a template.

I'm still waiting on a bell housing and clutch fork for the transmission, so it might be a couple of weeks before I get the engine in the engine bay for real measurements.

I did take some initial measurements of the engine bay, and based on the location of the transmission mounts, I think it's going to fit, There will however be a clearance issue with the hood, which doesn't really come as a surprise. The WLR has a large composite floor piece that is bonded to the frame towards the end of the build. That prevents mounting the engine below the bottom chassis tubes and isn't going to leave me much in the way of "wiggle room", so once I get as far as bodywork, it looks like I'll have to make modifications to the hood.

August - 21st - A particularly unproductive weekend, I now have all the pieces to assemble the engine and transmission. Or that should read had... I had a minor issue reading the torque settings for the pressure plate bolts. Apparently 70 isn't between 12 and 24 (don't ask!). The long and short of it is I snapped one of the bolts and spent the best part of the weekend getting what was left of it out without damaging the flywheel. Luckily the only losses were the fasteners, which I've ordered another set of and a my time which isn't worth very much :).

I did manage to pick up all the fasteners to get the transmission and the engine mated. The thing that threw me was that the fasteners on the transmission side of the bell housing are all metric and the ones on the engine side imperial.

Also tried the engine mounts against the block only to discover there is an interference issue because of the larger Dart block. I considered grinding material off the mounts, but after measuring I'd have to have ground significantly into the weld area to make it fit. Looking at it further I determined a 1/4 inch spacer between the mount and the block was enough to make the mount clear the block.

Once the replacement fasteners arrive I should be able to get the transmission and engine mated, so hopefully it'll be test fitted next week.

September 2005

September - 3rd - Got stuck at work last weekend (deadline time), so no real progress, there was a bit of a problem, having received my replacement fasteners from Summit and installed the clutch I decided to test fit the bell housing and starter. Only to discover that the block plate was the wrong one. Doh!

So the clutch and flywheel had to come off again, I dropped by RPM the following morning and talked to John he got me the right one the following day. This time I test fitted the bell housing and starter before fitting the flywheel and clutch. Everything lined up so I remounted the flywheel and clutch for the third and hopefully final time.

Since I'm not stuck at work this weekend I am determined to get the engine test fitted and the motor mounts at least mocked up, the first part of that was mating the engine and transmission. Not exactly rocket science... Splined shaft goes in splined hole, only problem is that you have to get the damn splines lined up before you move the damn heavy transmission. I did it without any help, (not what I would recommend), the engine on the cherry picker and the transmission on a workmate. Took me the best part of two hours to get in lined up and in place, and my back is not going to want to thank me for it. Having said that it's all in one piece not and I feel like I've achieved something.

September - 4th - First major problem.... Tried to test fit the engine today and after a couple of hours of messing around this is what I ended up with.

I was really expecting to be able to get it further back.

But that's as far back as it going to go if I'm not going to have interference with the clutch fork and I need at least another 2 inches to get the oil pan past the front chassis cross member.

Swapping to a rear sump oil pan might solve the problem, but I'm not sure, I need to get the engine about 3 inches further down, which means finding a pan that's 5inches or less at the front, that might mean going dry sump, which I was hoping to avoid. If I can find one it work it means another trip to RPM, and finding a pan that will actually fit the dart block. Last time John had to machine one of the main bearings to get the pan to fit.

Even with swapping the pan I'm not sure I have enough clearance at the front for the water pump and alternator. Since it's a 3 day weekend there's nothing I can do about it until Tuesday anyway.

Other options are to chop the chassis. Since it's so close to the suspension mounts I'm not sure structurally I can remove the front tube without relocating a number of the surrounding tubes. I can place extra bracing under the engine, but I'm not sure this is enough to offset the loss of the front tube.

I could cut into the plate in the tunnel and put some sort of bulge in there to clear the clutch fork, but the foot wells are already narrow and I'm not sure  how that would affect the chassis, it'd probably buy me an inch or so. I could also shorten the clutch fork.

Oh well I guess that's me done for the weekend, other than pulling the transmission off again :/

September - 5th - Someone on www.locostbuilders.co.uk suggested that I could use a concentric throw out bearing from a Saab 900 and hence go hydraulic and loose the clutch fork.

A friend planning a build in Australia also suggested grinding the slot for the fork forwards and Z-ing the existing fork which could also work.

With those ideas in mind I decided to pull the clutch fork off completely and see if that was enough to make it fit.

The pictures tell the story

Close but not enough.

Plenty of room up front now, but still no go on the oil pan because of the gussets at the side of the front cross member On the plus side I'm pretty sure that without the fork, any rear sump pan will clear since it pulls the front and side edges in significantly.

I'll talk to RPM tomorrow and get Johns take on it.

September - 17th

No work on the car last week, Engine was with RPM, I discussed various options with John including modifying the existing pan. The modifications would have had to be significant and the internals of the pan where the mods are needed is complex. As a result we elected to go with a new rear sump pan.

Rather than just swapping the pans we decided that it would be better to test fit it in the chassis on my old 302 block, the result below.

It Fits!!!!!!

As you can see it has plenty of clearance. So much in fact that it surprised me. I didn't bother doing much more than get it in an approximate position to confirm the fit. The position in the image is based on 4 inches of ground clearance. This pan is actually 1/2inch shallower than the other as well. I'll likely still need to Z the fork or use a hydraulic throw out bearing but at least the engine is going to fit.

I'll drop the pan back at RPM on Monday and hopefully have the engine back for a real trial fit next weekend.

October - 16th

I got the engine back from RPM, a couple of weeks ago, but I've been waiting for some bits and pieces (water pump, alternator and pulleys) to arrive.

I made up a couple of stands to get the chassis 6 inches off the ground and the engine 4 as suggested by AGM. After some farting around I got the engine and trans in and they basically fit.

There are however a couple of clearance issues that concern me

The first is easy enough, the oil filter interferes with the spring for the suspension

A remote filter kit will solve that issue.

The larger issue is clearance for the belt and pulleys at the front of the engine.

It's actually a bit more than it looks in the image.

After I took these images I realized the 2x4's I was using for the "stands" were in fact not 2x4's. That moved the engine another 1/2 inch lower, and I decided I'd live with 3.5 inches of ground clearance so that was another 1/2 inch. I also managed to relocate the engine back another 1/2 inch or so.

On the plus side with the new engine placement and the 1 inch spacer I had to use to have the engine mounts clear the block, it looks like the aftermarket mounts I bought will actually work with just some minor trimming.

Net result is that I can get the Water pump and crankshaft pulleys on with plenty of space. The remaining issue is mounting the alternator. Right now I just can't see how to mount it and have the pulleys/belt work.

If I can mount it very close to the block, it will JUST fit on the passenger side, but I don't know how well it will survive there.

The only other option I can see currently is above the frame, either reasonably central or off to one side. Both have at least minor issues with running the belt, and both make the engine considerably taller near the front of the frame, likely leaving me with more bodywork.

I also considered building what would amount to a pulley extension for the alternator, so I could mount the body of the alternator further back, but I think it will end up being more complex than I want to deal with.

If I can find a smaller alternator that would help things a lot.

I think I will take the time and mock this up in CAD, and see how the various options look.

February - 18th

Been a while since the last update, my project got pushed into Q1 and that meant no time for the car for a few months. Updates should be a little more regular from this point.

I've decided to try using a racing type alternator they are very small, but only produce about 50 amps. Given I'm not intending to fit a stereo or anything that will draw a lot of current, I should be OK. By my calculations full beam headlights, and windshield wipers are cutting it rather close though. If it turns out to be an issue I'll have to come up with something else.

I've been working on getting the engine mounts cut to size and welded in.

The first problem was cutting the mounts, apparently 1/4 inch carbon steel is pretty hard stuff. I tried all sorts of things, bought a cutoff saw that wouldn't do the job either and ended up using a cutting wheel on an angle grinder freehand then grinding down the last couple of millimeters.

Once I got one cut to size it I used it as a template for the others, I'm sure my neighbors must hate me with all the grinding recently ;)

I then welded  a piece of 1/8 inch steel plate between the two pieces for lateral support (not that there should be much lateral load on them).

The second problem was that I had the frame powder coated (that was particularly bright), so I had to get the powder coating off the plates the engine mounts will be welded. Initially I tried wire brushes and sandpaper which were pretty much a waste of time. I did a bit of research on the web and it turns out paint stripper will remove powder coat, so a quick trip to the local hardware store, apply wait 15 minutes, scrape and no more powdercoat.

So I have one mount finished and ready to be tacked into place, and I was hoping to get them both welded in this weekend, but the gas regulator on my argon bottle just gave out and the local welding supply store is only open until 1p.m. on a Saturday. Oh well guess it'll be next week.

February - 21st

Yesterday was a holiday apparently (presidents day) so the welding supply place was closed...

Anyway picked up a new regulator this morning and welded up the other engine mount. I then put both back into the car and tacked them in place, next I need to pull the engine again to give me the space to weld them in properly. I hate pulling the engine in and out, but it's a necessary evil, I'll see if I can get it out tomorrow, and get the mounts welded in.

Then I need to figure out something for the transmission mounts.

I also need to slightly modify the diff mounts, since the diff currently doesn't clear them on one side.

More pictures coming once I get the batteries in my camera charged.

After that I need to start thinking about steering, brakes and wheels.

Running the steering linkage might end up being a bit challenging, and I'll probably need custom headers to clear the linkage. Once I relocate the oil filter I'll have a better idea.

On the wheel front I'd like to run something as big as 18x10 at the rear, but since the Sierra Hubs are 4x4.25 it limits my options. I have a couple of inquiries into manufacturers that do multi piece wheels to see if they can provide something that large with a 4 bolt pattern

On the brake side I ordered some Mustang Cobra  rear calipers, these seem to be pretty close in design to the Sierra and Audi/VW ones that most locost builders seem to use, and the price is good $200 for the pair with pads. I'll still have to come up with some discs and custom mounting brackets to make them work.

Motor mounts tacked in place, you can see the removed powder coating.

Not a lot of clearance with the tunnel, but it's more than it looks, about 5-7mm on each side. I figure the motor is likely to move the chassis with it. If it turns out to be insufficient I'll have to modify the chassis.

As you can see the bottom Diff holes are not aligned and the diff isn't horizontal.

It's not really clear from the picture, but the interference issue is in green circled area, it should be pretty easy to cut the mount around it and weld in a piece. However looking at it more closely, I thing that if I address the green area then I'll have an interference issue above it (circled in blue), so I may have to cut a fair amount out of the bracket. The other option is just to notch the bracket in both places and then possibly weld something over it to reinforce it. I'll probably notch it first and see how much I have to take out. Or I could just grind down the outside of the diff housing, but I'm a bit reticent to do this.

February - 24th

Pulled the engine, welded in the engine mounts inside and out, although it was pretty awkward to get in there, and put the engine back in. Currently I'm supporting the transmission with a floor jack, but the mounts are supporting the engine. Off to the local hardware store this afternoon to see what I can find for the transmission mount, if there is nothing that will make it easier, making something out of plate should be pretty easy. It looks like I just need to come up off the frame rails and fill a 2 inch or so gap, the holes in the transmission are tapped, so I'll run 2 M12 bolts from below into the transmission. I need to find some sort of bushing.

I'm getting pretty good at this  pull the engine out put the engine in thing, probably a good thing since I'll likely have to do it many times yet. I was really worried about getting the engine mounts lined back up, but the whole thing just dropped more or less straight back into place.

Been looking at the diff issue further, and I think I might be able to get away with bending the brackets out slightly, the interference is really minor, I doubt I have to move the bracket more than a couple of mm to make it work.

I was a bit surprised by the diff clearance issue, so I dropped Alan at AGM an email about it, hopefully he'll get back to me this week.

February - 25th

I visited the local auto store and picked up a couple of Transmission Mounts

The left hand one is from a mid 80's 5.0 Mustang, the right hand one from a late model 5.7L Camaro.

The Camaro one is almost exactly the right height to just weld a horizontal bar across the lower tunnel tubes, the Mustang one has the correct bolt spacing to fit the transmission... <sigh>

I have a couple of options, weld the plate for the mount across the bottom of the lower transmission tubes and use the Mustang one. The issue here is that the bolts from the bottom of the mount would protrude significantly below the floor, requiring a couple of cutouts in the floor to accommodate.

My second option is to weld something to extend the top of the Camaro mount, drill out the appropriate holes in the new plate, and then mount a plate with a slight bend across the top of the bottom tunnel rails.

I'm currently favoring the second option.

February - 26th

Alan from AGM got back to me on the diff issues and sent some images of his steering setup that I'd requested.

As you can see the bracket on Alan's car is somewhat different, but it looks like he also had to modify it to fit the Cosworth diff. As soon as I have the transmission mount sorted out I'll see how much of the diff bracket I have to grind, I don't think it will end up being much.

On the steering linkage, Alan is running a single UV joint, and the image show a suggested method to re-rout with an additional joint. The routing of the headers is interesting also, I was considering running inverted headers, ideally running the pipes over the frame rail, but I could also probably do something similar to what's in the image.

Back to my build

I'm done with the fabrication on the transmission mounts, well minus drilling some holes.

Not exactly my best ever piece of welding.

The Bottom piece will be welded across the top of the bottom tunnel tubes, it drops the mount down just over an 1/8 of an inch, which should give me some play to add washers to get the transmission at the right angle. I'll drill the extended top piece to match the transmission (once I pick up a 1/2 inch drill bit), I'll trim both pieces to fit once I have it bolted in place, and can get accurate measurements.

Unfortunately I'm back at work tomorrow, so it'll likely be next weekend before I can get the mount in place.

July 4th

 OK more than a short break between updates.

I did take a break from building, but nothing like as long as the break in posting.

It should be noted that it's extremly easy to become paralysed by lack of information, in my case I spent months looking at brake options and pricing custom brackets. In the end I bought some VW golf mark IV calipers for the rear (they're cheap, light and close to a direct replacement for the sierra units) and some Wildood dynalite calipers for the front. I'm using standard focus discs on the rear (these appear to be identical to sierra rears) and focus SVT's on the front. I had to make or buy custom brackets to make the fronts work, even without a milling machine this actually turned out to be relatively simple, in the end it took me 3 months of  deliberation and about 3 hours with an angle grinder and a drill press.

I'm now very close to a rolling chasis, I was really hoping for this weekend, but I moronically destroyed my inner tie rod ends because I really didn't think through the front geometry before I pulled out my hacksaw. For some reason it simply didn't occur to me that my steering rack wasn't centered when I mounted it, so I "fixed" what appeared to be a set of threads that were too long on the tie rod end with only one side of the suspension mounted. Not my brightest move all things considered, I've ordered a set of Merkur inner tie rod ends, but they won't be in until next week, hopefully then I can finally get the car on it's wheels.

Next up brake lines and the steering linkage.

July 15th (quick update)

 New tie rod ends arrived, so I could get the car on its wheels. I ended up shortening them slightly and it looks like thre is still some slight toe out on the fron wheels, I'll leave it for now and worry about it when I can turn stop and go :p In retrospect I might have been better off shortening the spacers.

All it can do is roll forwards and backwards, but it feels like I actually accompished something. 

No major issues getting it on its wheels, the fron calipers were just touching the wheel, I spaceed them out 1mm with a set of washers for now. Once the body is in place I'm sure I'll want to add spacers so the wheels fill out the wheel wells, but that's syill a ways off.