HM-2037 Build Thread

[Paul Proefrock]

Just a heads up - Make sure you can reach-unconnect-connect ALL bulbs, connectors, fittings from the Bottom side of the dash

With the body removed, it is very easy to access the wiring and equally easy to hook something up that you won't be able to reach once the body is on.

You can guess why I am aware of this

[Redstang69]

I will check that and try to arrange everything that way. It's looks a little messy because I'm leaving enough slack in the gauge "bundle" and ignition "bundle" to be able to pull the dash back and then unplug them.
I had intent and hopes of being able to make the dash removable with the body on, but when I went to trim the top lip off I noticed that the studs I used are as long as the lip is deep so there really wasn't any benefit to trimming the lip off. I'm doubting the dash will be removable.

[Redstang69]

Looking for a little help on the turn signal install.
I feel like it should probably slide on the collar further than it is. Bob W sent me a pic of his and it looks to be on a little further than what I'm getting.
The lever is only in that position for the picture

[Paul Proefrock]

That looks about right, but a tip - don't rely on the make-believe clamp/set screw to hold everything in place. It will fail the first time you use the switch.

• The hole in the body of the switch needs to be a tight fit on the hub extension. I found if you cut a piece of .040" thick aluminum, the depth of the socket wide and long enough to completely wrap the hub, it will help tighten up the fitting.
• Replace the fake clamp concept with a regular set screw. Push the switch all the way on and locate the arm where you want it then spot thru the setscrew hole and make an indent in the hub for the screw to tighten into.
• Search this forum for the modification to add "cancellation" to the switch. It's a modified 3/4" collar that will turn your signals off when the steering wheel goes back to center

This is a link to a page on my site that outlines all this: https://65shlb.com/steering-column-install-mods/

Paul

[Redstang69]

Paul, thanks for the feedback and link to your site, I always forget about it.
Reading about adding the cancelling collar helps make it all make sense now. I was envisioning the switch assembly sliding further on the mount (piece with the bronze bushing), but if that were the case then the cancelling mechanism wouldn't work.
In the second picture you can vaguely see where it looks like Hurricane welded a collar onto my bushing mount. The powder coat is all sanded off. Looks like I'll need to paint that since so much of it is showing.
I might end up having to order another steering shaft. Since that's how the turn signal switch mounts, the steering shaft stops much further up/sooner than what I had originally planned, so I'm short where the spline shaft mates with the u-joint. I might get enough out of collapsible part of the shaft, but it might put the u-joint into an interference with the headers again.

[Kamal]

Looks correct to me. I don’t know how much detail I put in my build thread, but I had to re-do the steering shaft and buy a new solid D tube. It was extremely cheap and came pretty quickly. Great feeling getting the steering wheel on. Starts to look so cool.

[Redstang69]

Decided to drill more holes last night and route my oil pressure line and the brake light switch wires, neutral switch wires and speedometer cable. Got that done and wiring hooked up so I temporary hooked up a battery and put power to stuff. So far so good. Cooling fan checked out, heater on all speeds, high beam relay and indicator and starter solenoid.
Might dive into this turn signal switch stuff this afternoon.

[Redstang69]

I've been inching closer to a fist start. Got my wiring completed minus the horns and obviously the lights. Here's a pic of where I mounted the turn signal control box (bottom left corner of the pic), it's just on the 2x2 of the upper frame. Also the high beam relay is there also on the 1x1. I chose these locations mainly because it allowed the wiring to lay/route kind of naturally with the lengths that it came with since the wiring had connectors premade onto them. I'm sure it looks like a mess to you guys in the pic but in person it's pretty tidy IMO. Everything is bundle with it's associated components and everything also has enough slack so the dash will pull away some. As Paul advised, all the connectors are in the one area to the left of the steering shaft and will be accessible, minus the ignition switch connector, it may be more challenging.
I also ordered some 161 bulb LED replacements to try out. The bright white ones are the LEDs, the greenish ones are incandescents with a green boot from auto meter and the dimmer tach is a clear incandescent. Not sure what I'll go with yet.
After having an issue with a brand new starter from Rock Auto, I got another one (reduction style) from O'Reillys and test cranked the engine a couple times and all sounds good. Primed the oil pump and engine, set it at TDC and set the distributor. Now I'm waiting on my new FST carb to show up this week.
Also hung the side pipes today. Pretty straight forward. Fitment was a little tricky, I needed to bend the driver's side mounting tab down some to allow the pipe to fit up decent. Will probably need to bend it a little more.
Finished the turn signal switch. It looks like Hurricane did the mod that you guys recommend. After tightening the provided screw once, it stripped the threads. I got a 1/4" x 1/2" set screw and tapped the hole and drilled a countersink spot in the steering shaft mount and it's really solid.
For those wiring that switch, the yellow/red wire from the switch goes with the green wire from the Haywire harness.
However, since the hub doesn't go down as far as I thought I think I'll have to buy another longer shaft to lengthen things so the u joint and set screw will clear the headers 

[Redstang69]

I need to order an air cleaner. Looking at this one but it says it's a 12" oval https://www.usrpc.com/product/r2215bk/
My hood opening is 10" oval. Anyone have a reference for if the air cleaner sticks up into thae hood opening and if so how far?

[Kamal]

If you scour the web and ebay, you'll find a ton of stuff, some good quality and some cheap.  I think you need to decide what look you want, as the functionality will all be similar at our power levels.

I first bought the large oval Cobra air cleaner, but there was no way it was going to fit with the Windsor, without hacking the back of the hood.  Not just trim the back lip of the hood, but cut into the bonded support area.  It also sat right on my distributor, which is the larger MSD version.

So I found a drop/offset air cleaner bottom for a 14", and I am able to fit the 14x3 and it sits under the hood, not into the scoop area.  Pics to come on my build thread.

Finally, I am worried about some possible RFI issues with the Holley Sniper in my initial running of the car, and my 14" steel air cleaner getting right near the distributor is a possible red flag if I indeed do have the issues.

I do know that there is a 13" that provides good clearance to the distributor, and I believe between the offset and the drop versions, it would also fit under the hood.  This is all considering the 351W engine, which is taller than the 289/302.

[Redstang69]

Good info and thanks for sharing Kamal. I have the recessed base on my mustang, but it's got a 4160 style Holley. I put a 4150 style FST on the Cobra and have a 351 also. I'll pull the air cleaner off the mustang and see how it fits up on the Cobra as a reference.
Carb is on, linkage is fine and fuel line is done. Getting the linkage right was tricky for the amount of travel I needed.

[dawger]

During bodywork stage I prefitted the air cleaner that I wanted to use, modified the hole to work with it. It also runs into the webbing on the back of the hood that would have to be notched if I run the taller filter, with the standard filter it works. I am running a 351 Cleveland with a quick fuel carb on a 1 inch spacer due to the distributor is the tall style and without the spacer there is no way it would work. Luckily for me the spacer was in the plans to use from the engine builder and I have approximately 3/8 of inch of clearance between the top of the cap and the bottom of the air cleaner.

Michael-

[Redstang69]

I'm an extremely pumped to say that tonight I successfully hit the "first start" milestone tonight. The fuel rail I got had a plugged port for a fuel pressure gauge that ended up being loose and I had to tighten each of my T bolt coolant clamps a little more.
I was hoping to do a go kart also but my clutch must need a little more preload because it's not releasing quite enough. Just little things to work through.
Oil pressure was 60-65 PSI, water temp came up and the fan kicked on, oil temp came up to about 210°F. Had to tweak the idle mixture screws some and the timing. Next time I'll throw a timing light on and vacuum gauge to fine tune those things.
Great feeling to hear it run after striping a junk yard engine completely down and rebuilding it on my own.

[dawger]

Congratulations, on your milestone. I was so nervous when pushing the start button for the first time that people would have thought I drank a few too many POTS of coffee. Once it finally roared to life I was elated with joy that something I had assembled and built breathed life.

Michael

[Greg K]

Congrats Ben...after hundreds of texts back and forth, glad you have gotten to this milestone, but save the revving for the Walmart parking lot, that's what women find attractive! HAHA