4.6 being installed now

[RICH MUISE]

Had 4 guys over the house this morning from my buddie's garage...got their opinions on stuff while they were here. I found out those 2 chambers are baffles..kinda work like a muffler. So, they are coming off. I'm pretty sure at this point also I'm just going to run a K & N filter setup on the inside of the Engine compartment and not go thru the inner fender. Also it looks like the battery would be better in the trunk area, so I may give up on trying to squeeze it in up front. Next I need to figure the condenser lines and which direction to go with those.
So anyways those are the things to be worked on next, at least I've finally got a gameplan...it'll be interesting to see how or if the gameplan changes as I actually proceed.

[BWhitmore]

Rich - mounting the battery in the trunk is a good solution.  I would run the cables under the car using insulated tie downs on the inside of the frame with a battery shut off switch.  Installing the cables inside the rockers could present problems(corrosion, accessibility), etc. in the future. 

[RICH MUISE]

A little progress....got my condenser mounted, well 3 of the 4 brackets. Also started on reworking the Mark viii air intake. I notched the back end of it to fit under the firewall ledge as posted in previous pics. I checked my tube of por-15's por patch and it says for plastics, an adhesive as well as seam sealer..great. I started by "tack welding " a piece of window screen on with a hot glue gun. This kept the screen in place while the por patch set up. I got two thick layers put on and sanded a bit. It wasn't completly set up due to the cold weather. but I could tell it was going to work really well to get an acceptable finish on the reworked areas and is sticking very well to the plastic housing...won't be a problem feathering a good edge so I can get it painted or powder coated. I also closed up an 1 1/2 dia hole where I cut a tube off. I used a metal hole cover and bent it to shape, then gobbed a bunch of por patch around the clips and snapped it in. Likewise, a 1/2 x 1 1/2 rectangular hole where I cut off an air chamber I didn't want was also plugged with the screen and por patch. It may take a week or so to get another few coats put on and dried enough to finish with the cold weather.

[RICH MUISE]

after two layers and a bit of sanding. I'm gonna get a third layer put on this morning. Unlike por-15, por patch has a good shelf life after opening. This tube is at least a year old.

[RICH MUISE]

Got the final coat of por patch put on the air intake a few days ago..too cold in the garage to sit and sand on it now, so it'll get set aside for a while and on to the next project.
Next project: gas tank and fuel pump. I got my gas tank in from Auto city Classic. I ordered the Ni-terne finish, my only concern was if it would cause a problem similar to welding galvanized (I'll never do that again), and it does not. It welds really well with no fumes that I can tell.
I thought I had ordered my fuel pump and installation pan from Tanks inc two weeks ago, but on checking on the order last week, discovered I apparently never finalized the order. Funds were getting short anyway, so I reordered just the installation pan for now. I'll reorder the pa-4 pump next payday!
The pump is going to require 1 1/4 clearance at the top of the tank to avoid clearance issues with fuel lines and the trunk floor when the tank is mounted. The pump also requires a minimum of 6" tank depth. I Dykemed and  layed out the tank, using the weld-in pan from Tanks Inc to scribe the cut lines, then used a piece of 1 1/2 angle to scribe the cut depth. After cutting the opening, I Dykemed the weld-in pan and used the tank to scribe those cuts.
Got it tacked in yesterday..ran out of shielding gas for the welder, so had to stop. The pan is set at 1 5/16 from the top, and that leaves a depth of 7" to the tank bottom..so all appears to be well in tankland.

[RICH MUISE]

By far the most tedious part of the job was the deburring and cleaning. Lots of burrs and grit from the cutoff tool. I used a plastic coated magnetic pick up tool to 'sweep' the inside of the tank thoroughly..got most of it. Also a lot of blowing out with an air nozzle. I then soaked new microfibre towels with  brake cleaner and gave the inside a thorough wipe down. After the welding is done, I'll do a final cleaning. Tanks Inc. recommends a really strong magnet inside the tank with at least a quart of WD-40 to slosh around. I guess the idea is when any loose stuff passes the magnet suspended  in the WD-40, it'll stick to the magnet. Sounds like a good idea to me. I'd follow that up with a rinse of Gasolene before installing the tank. Probably would also be a good idea to change out the fuel filter after the first tank of gas.
I also ordered new Stainless gas tank straps. They're made well, but not too pretty...yet!
I cut off quite a bit, btw, from the weld in pan..it comes as a 5 sided piece large enough for a sender as well if needed.

[gasman826]

Serious tank surgery!!!!!

When it was open, did you add a surge box?

[RICH MUISE]

What's a surge box? If it's the same as a baffle/tray setup to prevent air from getting in the pickup tube with low fuel, it is part of the Tanks inc fuel pump setup. If it isn't, I didn't.
Also got the welding done. I've got to do a leak check tomorrow. Or...I could just wait til it's all done and see what happens when I install that flame thrower exhaust. Had a bit of a time fixing the blow-thru, but finally got it. I had no problems with blow-thru today at all. All in all, I was really pleased with my welding. I was able to get a nice small bead, but with good penetration. In the past I've had trouble getting a small weld, but for one thing, I welded inside so I wasn't contending with the wind blowing away the shielding gas. I also played with the wire feed controls a bit so I was able to get a nice steady, but slow feed for a change. Love that sizzling sound when things are going right. I'd weld about 3/8 of an inch and stop, but keep the torch there until the red glow went out, then another 3/8 until I got all the way around. I ground off most of the weld, but I'm not going to try and get it flush. A close look at the ground area shows no breaks, cracks, or voids in the weld. I'm happy with it.

[Ford Blue blood]

Nice work, looks like you got that "wire/heat" thing figured out!

[RICH MUISE]

Thanks Bill...now, if I could just afford a helmet so I didn't have to weld with my eyes closed.

[Ford Blue blood]

Save up for a decent mid range priced auto dim.  Best money I spent with respect to patch panel work!

[RICH MUISE]

Actually got on of those years ago..but a cheap auto dim. I just use the eyes closed excuse cause my welding never looks pretty. I do need a better helmet though, at least want to borrow a good one to see if visibility while welding is any better than what I've got already. Can't tell ya how many times I've wandered off a seam thinking I was right on it, but ended up laying down a bead 1/4 off to the side.

[RICH MUISE]

I need to plug up the oem fuel line hole..does anybody know offhand what the thread size is? I think it is a 1/2-20. It is not a 1/4 npt or 1/2 -13. If I could just find my thread gages...need to clean up my shop.
I also need to figure out whether to use the new vent location in the fuel pump assembly, or plug it and use the oem location.

[RICH MUISE]

The unused oem fuel line port/fitting is 1/2-20. Picked up a allen head set screw and set it in with sealant.
Also just did a leak test on my welding. All good except the seam area where I went back to fix the blow-thru. I was hammering on that area a bit, so it doesn't surprise me. To check for leaks I used laquer thinner with a little dykem added for bluing so I could see it.
Back to welding after I let the lacquer thinner evaporate thoroughly. After I get that fixed, I'll por-15 the seam from the inside for insurance. Yes, the por-15 is recommended for sealing gas tanks.

EDIT..........DO NOT por-15 the inside of your tank. Not enough tooth, the por-15 will eventually come off.

[RICH MUISE]

Got it rewelded and checked...no leaks...Yeah!! I ground some of the weld off to clean it up a bit, but left most of it on this time. I por-15'd a test patch on the cutout piece to make sure it sticks with the Ni-tern coating. I'll let it dry overnight and check it in the a.m.