Reassembling 57 AGIN

[JPotter57]

Bob, I apologize for removing one of your pictures.  I had a strange error come up in the SQL, and tried to resolve it, didnt work so I removed one of your photos of the Z bar...still didnt work, so I have some more work to do on my Photo Auto-esize mod....drat.

[JimNolan]

Bob,
   Bear in mind that whatever modifications you have to make to put that transmission in your car it's well worth it. Without doubt it's added years of life to my engine, a higher comfort level to my long trips and security in knowing shifts won't be missed when I beat it. As long as you stay under 6K rpm and make forceful power shifts when racing it'll make you proud to have it.  Jim 

[57AGIN]

James:

I was really mystified about the picture and reply losses last night.  Although I did notice it occurred just about the same time you were working on another thread about picture resizing.  No apologies necessary, we all know you are doing great things to keep this site as viable and informative as it is.

Bob

[Frankenstein57]

My 57 project has tunnel clearance issues, 351W, fox mustang motor mounts, bellhousing, t-5. We cooked up a dumb idea to shim the body up at the body mounts, looks dumb as hell. Now I have to go back and fix it, and alter the tunnel. I was wondering why no one else ran into this.  Mark

[57AGIN]

Jim:

Yes, and I'm looking forward to the first run through the gears.  I probably will set my shift points a little below 6000 RPM.  Although, my dyno runs may have been done with a slight handicapping condition.  Rick's keen eye found that at full throttle (gas pedal on the floor and the actuating lever in the engine compartment butted up against the firewall) did not allow the secondaries to fully open.  That has now been adjusted and corrected, along with having installed a slightly larger jet size to richen up the leaning out at high RPM.  I wonder if it will still top out at 475 HP or go higher???  I do know the car really pulled strongly through the gears after installing the blower, it will be amazing if it will pull even harder now.

Bob
57 AGIN

[JimNolan]

Bob,
   The reason I said hold it under 6000rpm is the information I got from the UTMR bunch that I raced with. They look at a Tremec TKO 600 like it was a transmission that came out of a Geo. I usually don't wind my engine to 8000 rpm so I haven't had the problems with Tremec like they have. I'm taking a long hard look at beating my car next year. When I first started thinking about drag racing my car I thought I'd see people with hopped up classic cars from the 50's and 60's meeting at the local track to see who could win a trophy and have bragging rights. From what I've seen it's not a hobby to these guys anymore. It's a full blown obsession and all the cars are trailered. I think I'm going to stick to car shows and cruises next year. Jim

[57AGIN]

Jim:

If I race my 57 it will strictly be bracket racing.  That way I'll primarily be racing against myself.  With my reaction times racing heads up is out of the question.  I'll just allow for my slow reaction times and dial in what I think the car can do and see if I guess correctly. LOL

Bob
57 AGIN

[shopratwoody]

Drag racing was always an obsession with me no matter what yr the car was.
I went to win

[57AGIN]

Hi:

Tried posting a 2.97 MB photo labled P1220007.JPG  all I got was the following:

The website cannot display the page

Most likely causes:
  o  The website is under maintenance.
  o  The website has a programming error

What you can try:
  o  Refresh the page.
  o  Go back to the previous page.
  v  More information

Bob

[57AGIN]

Trying once again:

This time using a photo that has been resized to 260 KB and titled as follows: Engine1-20-2012adj.JPG

Bob

[57AGIN]

Hey:

It finally worked, just like James said it would, but I did have to  reduce the size.  That was a photo taken at the end of a productive weekend working on the car.  The alternator, carburator enclosure & carburator and blower have been reinstalled.  Also, we ran a variety of steel braided hoses shortened to fit properly and adjusted the throttle linkage.  Seems like when the blower was installed, not enough attention was paid to the throttle linkage, the secondaries were never opening fully.  Rick noticed this and we spent several hours figuring, fitting, disassembling and reassembling the carburator enclosure and linkage.  I wonder what the dyno results will be now,that we'll have full throttle feeding fuel to the engine?  475 HP to

Bob
57 AGIN

[57AGIN]

Well we've been making more progress on reassembling 57 AGIN:

Transmission, rear end seals buttoned up tight, the clutch & brake pedals are reinstalled, the heater & vent system back in place.  Today we reinstalled the steering column, instrument cluster, tach & boost gauge.  This coming week I think the plan is to haul the 57 back to Santini's for painting the Custom 300 trim area where the original gold anodized metal was.  Pete's going to do a fade paint job inside the trim area, if I don't like it that way it will probably end up a metal flake silver.

Meanwhile,  here are a couple of shots of where it is today.

Bob
57 AGIN

[57AGIN]

Well Guys Here's the latest:

The drive train is back together and the car rests on it's own wheels again.  Rick has fabricated a new tunnel cover that can be removed to have access to the transmission (photo attached).  Last night we installed the rear bumper brackets, the rubber gravel shield and bumper (no pictures yet).  I've made arrangements with Santini to transport the 57 back to his shop for the painting of the side trim.  Once that is done the car will be transported back to Rick's garage and we'll install the fender wells, the front fenders, stainless side trim, cooling system, front grill, deck lid, hood, etc.  Then the car is off to the upholstery shop and Rick can finally bring his 57 home from my garage to get it ready for the 2012 car show season starting with the Knott's Fabulous Fords Forever show in April.

Bob
57 AGIN 

[JimNolan]

Bob,
   That looks real good. I would like to tell you what I did to my gas pedal though. The first carpet I had in my 57 ( sewn ) I used a gas pedal like yours. The second carpet I used ( molded ) I used a 66 Mustang pedal with the metal trim ( went well with the swift sure brake pedal ) With a minumum of effort it fits the 57 pedal rod and hinges perfectly. That way you don't have to use a pedal fastened to the floor. I've had mine on for three years and never had a problem, plus it looks good. And, when you vacum the carpet you'll really like it. Jim

[Custom300Madman]

Bob,
   That looks real good. I would like to tell you what I did to my gas pedal though. The first carpet I had in my 57 ( sewn ) I used a gas pedal like yours. The second carpet I used ( molded ) I used a 66 Mustang pedal with the metal trim ( went well with the swift sure brake pedal ) With a minumum of effort it fits the 57 pedal rod and hinges perfectly. That way you don't have to use a pedal fastened to the floor. I've had mine on for three years and never had a problem, plus it looks good. And, when you vacum the carpet you'll really like it. Jim