1969 Firebird TA clone track car build

[jlwdvm]

That was considered. There are trade-off no matter where you put it. I would rather clean up oil from inside the cabin then have to trailer the car back home after it was scraped off the guard rail because I got oil on the tires. I thought about mounting it in the trunk, but then the oil line has to be extremely long. A large part of why they pop is from improper clamping/installation...from, what I have heard. I'm not even sure I need it since i now have the baffle in the oil pan.

[1967marti]

They are great for pre-lubing the engine and keeping wear to a minimum.
I agree with the logic of having a sill contained inside the car versus having it all over a trailers floor. I would fab up a cover for it at a minimum if you are keeping it where it is, a simple box that covers it in case it pops while you are driving.

[CA69RS]

Should be very cool when it's done

[jlwdvm]

I was thinking that very thing!

They are great for pre-lubing the engine and keeping wear to a minimum.
I agree with the logic of having a sill contained inside the car versus having it all over a trailers floor. I would fab up a cover for it at a minimum if you are keeping it where it is, a simple box that covers it in case it pops while you are driving.

[jlwdvm]

I wasn't sure I liked having the Race Pak mounted to the column when I was going to have to fab a new dash up anyway. So I started working on dash version 2.0. The Race Pak will still be angled so that I am not looking at it at an angle when seated. I will be mounting the battery kill switch in the center of the dash so it can be reached through either window or by me. Time to break out the Harbor Freight sheet metal bender.

[RogueFab]

I love your coiled hardline "uncoiling" fixture. I'm copying that for my shop. THX!

Really nice job on the car too ;)

[jlwdvm]

I removed the bracing that was behind the stock dash to make room for 1" square tubing that will support my new dash.

[jlwdvm]

Installed everythig to get a final mock up before I pull out the interior and paint the roll cage, firewall, dash, etc. I have Eastwood xtreme mat on the way for the firewall and floor. The passenger side seat is a Pro 2000 Plus, which is a little wider than the drivers seat....in case instructors are wider than me! I only had to drill 1 hole in the inboard bracket on the driver's side to be able to mount the seat with the stock holes. I will have to make an adapter on 1 side to use the Sparco mounts on the passenger side.

[813Demon340]

Any updates? Love what you did with the dash!

[bergers59]

What type of kill switch is that, a two pole or a four pole?

[jlwdvm]

It is a 2 pole Joe's Racing switch. I am also going to use a on-off switched positive terminal end at the battery.

I have made lots of progress in the last couple of months...trying to stay occupied while waiting for my '16 Shelby GT350 to get here (ordered in June). Wiring is basically complete. Initially I had a problem wiring the ignition switch since the AAW directions show that of a non-tilt column...which is opposite of a tilt. I placed quite a bit of DEI heat wrap on electrical, clutch lines, etc to protect from header heat. I made a pre-luber out of a Harbor Freight 5 gallon air tank and some fittings I already have to use with the oil cooler and Accusump lines. I was able to prime the motor up to 20psi with Joe Gibbs BR oil. Trans, gas tank, power steering, rear end, rad all filled with fluids and did a once-over on everything. I unhooked the fuel line at the rail and flushed the line by turning the key on and activating the fuel pump. After priming I took the fuel pump and ECU fuses out and cranked the motor until I got 40psi on the mechanical gauge that I installed over the filter area. Then the moment of truth...turned the key and it fired right off!

[Gil]

Congrats Joe, it's awesome !
I love your car but I'm a bit partial.
All the work you did is starting to bear fruit
we need a video !
Keep plugging away mate !
Gil

[jlwdvm]

While I am waiting for the weather to warm up so I can paint the dash and roll cage I decided to strip out all of the unused wires from the AAW fuse panel so that I didn't have unused wires coiled up under the dash. I can always add them back later if I need them. I also started laying down Eastwood Extreme mat on the floor and firewall. The engine bay is nearly done. I have to make oil cooler lines and plumb them into the cooler, but I am going to wait until after I do the first oil change. I am not getting any oil info to the dash through the ECU because of what Racepak calls "Inhanced PIDS" that my ECU has for oil sensor info. I had to buy a Racepak cable to wire into the oil pressure sensor wires from the harness and an oil temp cable-sensor that I will install into a port on the oil cooler thermostat. I can get about a 1000 other things out of the ECU, but no easy oil info to use for the dash...figures.

And after 15 months of emails, BS from A-hole car dealers, and waiting, my new family car arrived on Saturday. It was ordered June 4th, built January 4th, placed on a train car on February 7th, and arrived at a great local dealer on Saturday! It is a Track Pack car...of course!

[rchaskin]

I'm no Ford guy....but wow!! That thing looks awesome!

[rickpaw]

I'm no Ford guy....but wow!! That thing looks awesome!

+1. Actually the new Mustang is kind of grew on me.

[jlwdvm]

+1. Actually the new Mustang is kind of grew on me.

I thought the same thing. They look much better in person...and parked in my garage!

[Nine Ball]

The new GT350 is good enough for me to consider another Mustang. Last one I bought was in 2006, and it was junk.

[jlwdvm]

I was able to get the correct Racepak 5V sensor line to hook the dash into the GM oil pressure sensor. After calibrating the sensor to the dash everything works great. Eastwood Extreme Mat was placed in the driver's side so the seat could be bolted in. I am using grade 8 studs and nuts (made the studs from bolts) instead of the factory seat bracket bolts. that makes it much easier to remove/install the seat as needed. I had the scuzzy 4 speed shifter ball that I had temporarily been using and wasn't able to find a ball that I really liked. I started sanding on the ball to remove the parting lines, seams, etc and coated it with black plastic paint. For texture and grip I then coated it with spray-on bed liner. It doesn't look too bad!

[jlwdvm]

The maiden voyage.....about 30 feet.

https://youtu.be/ax2N2kAvSIY

[rchaskin]

Sounds good!!

That was a nice trick that you did to make the camera fall back so we could see the botom side....LOL