4.6 being installed now

[Ford Blue blood]

Polish then clear powder coat.

[RICH MUISE]

Wasn't aware they could do a clear powder coat. Thanks for that idea. Actually I was going to a powder coat place today my local buds were telling me about yesterday. Don't they have to sandblast for the powder coat to stick? That's what they told me on the gas tank I inquired about a few weeks ago. That's why I elected not to go with it on the "nitern" coated tank.
I was also thinking I'd paint them the dark silver to match my car, then clearcoat over that with header clearcoat to make it a little more resistant to chemicals.

[Ford Blue blood]

Most of the "mag" wheels on new cars are powder coated.  Sand blasting is the absolute best surface for powder coating but....all the appliances in your kitchen are powder coater (unless they are stainless), they do not sand blast them.  Your Mac tool box is powder coated, no blasting there.  Just get it as clean as you can, bake them after cleaning, let cool a little, put the powder on and bake again.  Handle with clean gloves to keep body oils off, your finger prints will show up (don't ask me how I know this....).

[RICH MUISE]

I got in the power steering stainless reservoir yesterday. I couldn't be happier. j.a.c._specialties out of Kerman, Ca. made it for me for my particular application. His standard ebay units are an inch or so shorter, have one 6an return fitting, and a 10an bottom fitting. The bracket is aluminum. I had him add the second return fitting, and change the bottom fitting to a push on type fitting, .655 dia. to match the metric hose size on the PS pump. I did not want to alter the oem pump for the aeroquip hose that I'm using elsewhere, so having the push on fitting and keeping the rubber hose was the easiest way. It is baffled, and has an o-ring screw on cap. Anyway, like I said, I couldn't be happier, and Jaime is one I'll highly recommend. Honestly, I really don't know how he can fabricate these from stainless on a special  order basis for 125. + ship. His standard units are 55-75 depending on baffled or not. Jaime added some length to the housing to keep turbulence at a minimun due to my second added fitting.
I did tell him to vent it, not sure if I needed that, but I didn't want to hold him up machining and welding it while I found out. I figured I could close up the very small vent hole near the top of the tank if I needed it unvented. So, guys, should I leave the vent hole? You can't see it in the pic I posted, but it's in the neck of the tank, about a 1/16" dia. hole

[nonobadog]

You guys have made some great info available.  I have been researching putting a 93 mark VIII in my 58 Edchero project.  I will not offend anyone by posting my project here but I may PM you guys as I work through it.  I have read Canadian Ranchero and the wagon swap. I don't know where I will be posting my project yet.

[RICH MUISE]

Hey BadDog...welcome to the forum. Lots of great info in those threads by Canadian Ranchero/Gary and Bob Claiborn. Claiborn has disappeared from the forum, but after missing Gary for a year or two, he is back with us...and is always a great help.Those threads and Canadian's encouragement are what got me started.
Let us know more about your 4.6 project plans, and your car in general. You certainly won't be "offending" anyone by posting questions, btw. That's how we all learn. Did you happen to see the pic I posted of an Edsel/Ranchero at the Pavilion Cruise? we love pics..I suggest doing an intro in the general discusion or member's rides areas.
You've been doing alot of reading....sorry this thread has gotten so long. I will go back at some point in time and make a condensed version of it,just including the stuff that worked. What I wanted to do with this thread was include all the stuff that was trial and error,since there is very little info available on the internet that I've found. Gotta warn you with this thread...This is my first ever conversion, so take whatever I post here in that light...I am for sure no expert or long time car builder....one of reasons this thread got so long...I'm always looking for help on everything.
Rich

[Ford Blue blood]

I will not offend anyone by posting my project here but I may PM you guys as I work through it.  I have read Canadian Ranchero and the wagon swap. I don't know where I will be posting my project yet.

I'm not sure anyone would mind you posting here....the 58 is just about the exact same thing....matter of fact the Ranchero is the same fire wall back....and if we were sensitive to folks modifying their cars the boards here would be empty.

So....having said that, IMHO, post away!  As Rich said....WE LIKE PICTURES...and we do run the serious risk of learning stuff from the "new guy"!  and by the way, Welcome aboard!

[57 Ford Kustom]

What Bill said! Lol!

[nonobadog]

Thanks I appreciate it.  Some forums get real "focused".  I will try to get some pictures in my profile in a coupe of days.

[RICH MUISE]

Got to work on the '57 for a bit this week. I made some brackets from really light weight tubing fo the PS fluid cooler and did a check fit. Now I need to take it appart and repaint. I also got the custom made reservoir mounted...I wish everything was that easy. Just had to transfer the original mounting holes to the new bracket. Fit was perfect...the oem rubber supply hose to the pump just pushed right on like it was made for it (it was come to think of it). The oem mounting holes were actually on two fingers that the new reservoir just nestled right in between. The finish on the tank when I got it was a light grained surface which I played with for a while to see how much work it was going to take to polish it up. I think too much..it'll take hours, particularly around the two inlets. I think I'll just settle for a clean skotchbright look. It'll be a good project to do while watching a ball game.

[RICH MUISE]

got the cop valve covers cleaned, painted, and all new gaskets and grommets installed. Glad I did this..found out the #5 cylinder was leaking oil into the spark plug well, so 2 birds killed with one stone. I painted them with a spray bomb color close enough to the body color. I'm still working on the coil covers...hard to get a real consitant polish on them without actually being able to take a flycut on the top surface to remove the casting skin, but I'm not going that far..so they'll have to do with 80% happy.
I went to the salvage yard yesterday and pulled a ps reservoir bracket off a '98 Mark viii. When I actually remove the coil packs, it will leave a big heavy cast aluminum bracket that mounted both the coil pack and the ps reservoir, so the cop mark viii bracket will get rid of that extra bracketry.
The coil cover in the pic is actually the passenger side I just layed on there to see how it looked..haven't polished the driver's side yet. I'm not going to do the cop harness until after I get the engine running, so I'll just plug the spark plug wires in thru the cop valve covers for now.
Today I'll get the passenger side cover installed and see what I need to do to hook up the relocated pcv valves/smog stuff.

[Ford Blue blood]

Nice work guy!

[RICH MUISE]

Thanks, Bill. I got the passenger side cover put on yesterday. I've got a half dozen little projects now to adapt everything to/around the new covers. The egr sensor connector no longer has enough room, so I've got to move that up. The bracket that held the intake plenum strap will not fit over the aluminum coil covers...etc, etc.

[RICH MUISE]

Got all the pcv/crankcase adapted to the new valve covers. I had to shorten the driver's side tube  quite a bit, so I just cut the tube ends off and connected them with a short length of rubber tubbing. This was the tube that went into a tee at the throttle body, and I did not know where the other branch of that tee was hooked up to...I had just cut the tube when I pulled the engine. I found out it went to a crankcase vent canister mounted under the fender..not needed, so I'll replace that tee with just an elbow. The driver's side oem hoses and fittings fit just fine with the new valve covers..just picked up a new moulded rubber elbow fro the Ford Dealer to replace the old one that was cracked. Don't think I've ever got a part before from a Ford dealer for 2 bucks!
I used the old air plenum bracket off my spare engine to modify the bracket I'm using to make it tall enough to clear the billet coil covers.
While I had my intake plenum off, I finally remembered to check my gas pedal to make sure I had full throttle when down to the floor...and I do not, so I've got to modify that some more. I'm using the Mark viii unmodified throttle cable and gas pedal. I had made a 5/8 plate to mount under the gas pedal, but apparently I need to go to about an inch so the pedal has enough travel to get full throttle before it hits the toeboard.
Edit...The throttle pedal arm was not hitting the toeboard. The pedal assembly has to be more in an upright position than the angle on the '57 toeboard. The pedal bracket was leaning so far back, the arm was bottoming out on it's own bracket. I'm in process of modifyinng the bracket so that it is wedge shaped..should do the trick.

[RICH MUISE]

Nailed the throttle linkage. I cut off the mounting bracket from a spare assembly and welded it to the modified one in a wedge shaped. Got it installed with the nylon spacer and it's just where it needs to be...full throttle just as the pedal arm touches the carpet. I am using this with a traditional floor style pedal as well..sounds screwy, but looks more traditional, and looks better as the gas pedal matches my brake pedal...and operates smoothly