Ford SS rebuild

[trike]

This is gonna be a long one!

When i first got the SS, my original intention was to just fit decent wheels,get the ride height right,and upgrade the engine by simply changing the old pinto lump for a zetec (not quite so simple!)
However, just lowering the cortina front end and fitting wide offset wheels,(8x15) does some pretty weird things to the geometry.
So decided to scrap the cortina suspension and fit a proper double wishbone set up,which meant building the whole lot from scratch,including the uprights/spindles.

        

Protech shocks, Granada mk1 5 stud hubs & 5 spoke Revolution 8 X 15 wheels.Brakes are 280mm vented discs & Hispec 4 pot billet calipers, so should stop ok!




I decided to fit powersteering as wide tyres (225's) and small steering wheels are hard work when parking etc, so after weeks of head scratching,cutting,welding,cups of tea,more head scratching & the odd bout of 'im never going to get this to work'  ,modified Subaru WRX rack fitted with sierra tie rods was finally persuaded in to the correct position.
Geometry is spot on, no steering deflection at all from full droop to full compression so zero bump steer.



I originally fitted the engine as low as possible (3" or so lower) so i could lose the horrible bonnet bulge,unfortunately in order to get the steering rack at the right height i had to raise it back up a couple of inches   so while i was at it ,decided to change the fixed engine mounts to detachable ones to make fitting/removing the engine easier.



The rear end of the chassis needed tidying and had been cut about a bit to fit the sierra axle the car came with ,so a couple of minutes with the angle grinder and:
 
No going back now!


Lots of measuring and welding got it sorted

More rigid than the original,so hopefully shouldn't flex as much!
And the sierra axle (too light) has now been been replaced with...

YEP! Jag IRS ,well actually its a daimler 420 as its slightly narrower than the normal XJS unit ,with  10x15 wheels & 265 tyres it fits nice ,although i might space the wheels out 1/2" each side.Wheels are Revolution 5 spoke split rims ,5 stud ford,so had to drill the jag hubs to suit.

Although a lot of people don't bother with them (big mistake),i decided to fit radius arms to keep everything in line & 4 torque rods to spread the load on the chassis,who knows,at a later date, 350 chevy  maybe ?....Hmmmm


Thats about it to date,welding's all done 
hopefully get the chassis off for powdercoat next week,then start putting it all together.
Just got to sort out brake system,fuel system,make a fuel tank (never TIG welded ally before ,so should be interesting!) exhaust,electrics,bodywork,interior,seats,screen,paint .....etc.....Arrrgh!!!!

[Peter]

That is a serious amount of very nice fabrication, makes me wish I had better than the humble VW kipper under the SS.
Look forward to seeing it all powder coated and on four wheels.

[Peter]

So how is it going?

[Peter]

C'mon, must have done something in 4 months,

[trike]

Well, got the chassis back from the powdercoaters, but in the meantime the company i work for has relocated. So now, instead of a nice 10,000 sq ft workshop, i now have to work in a field! no building,no electric,no nothing
Had to rent another two lockup garages to store everything,so progress will be rather slow.
However,on the upside,the adjacent field is something of a car graveyard with a few kit cars hidden away, including





Bit rough,but good screen.

[Peter]

Wow, another MkII and not too bad, I hope it is rescued and restored. Any details on it?

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[scooby]

What a blow losing that workshop, Trike. That is some seriously awesome fabrication, and this is building into a terrific thread. I hope you'll be able to get stuck in to your car again soon.

What is it you do at work - I'm guessing something to do with engineering?!

Did you have to move home to follow your work? It would be too much to hope that there's another kit-car aficionado (yes, I had to look up the spelling... ) living nearby and who happens to have a spacious workshop keen to share...?

Good luck - really looking forward to seeing what you do with your SS.

(Does the one in the field have a reg plate?)

[Peter]

If you can see your way to saving that one in the field somehow, even if only moved somewhere safe, would hate to see it scrapped or smashed.
Don't worry too much about working in a shed, I built, tuned and raced this from a wooden hut with a dirt floor, up a back lane, in Stratford upon Avon with no electricity, not even a genny.
Attachment DeletedAttachment Deleted

[Peter]

badwolf is looking for a Ford SS, maybe he can rescue that one?

[trike]

Chassis finally in its new home,now to get stuck in putting it all together.

[Peter]

That's great news, new home looks OK too. Looking forward to seeing the chassis all fitted out.

[trike]

Back axle finally in place.

[Peter]

DIFFerent, very different, but looks the dogs watsits.

[trike]

Hmmm..I thought the forum was going 'read only', didn't realise could still post.Hell of a job getting here though,all links lead to euro-nova???
Still ,got plenty done over the last few months...suspension,steering,brakes,propshaft all sorted,concentric clutch cylinder & billet steel flywheel fitted,engine & gearbox in (again!).
Spent a couple of days making the stainless steel 4-1 exhaust manifold/system,all tig welded although had to gas braze the last bit where the headers go into the collector,just no way to get the tig torch in between the pipes.
Picked up the body from my garage,so that's dangling overhead ready for fitting so i can measure up for the fuel tank (ally?)and front subframe to support the nose/rad etc.
Will post some pics soon.

[Gary]

Nice I like pictures
Don't know a lot about the SS, only the RV so your pictures are always interesting.

[trike]

Clutch cylinder in place and connected up.




Clutch bleed nipple mounted where it's easy to get at



Trailer brake cables modified to fit.At around £15 each,a lot cheaper than having them made.

[trike]

Making up the stainless exhaust system




Tight fit but just enough clearance for some exhaust wrap.

[Peter]

I'll get the forum back to normal.
Really nice work

[Gary]

That clutch bleed nipple external, now that's an idea I like.

[trike]

Been busy last few weeks making the front subframe to support the nose as it was a bit droopy,resulting in some nasty cracks between the front wheel arch & headlight recess



Radiator in place.
Top radiator mount(not in picture)bolts on between the inner arches once the body is in place.Made from aluminium bar,i was quite pleased with the result as i've never TIG welded ally before.Given me the confidence to make the ally fuel tank myself.This will be wedged shape to fit in low down behind the rear bulkhead ,ahead of the rear wheels rather than the usual position perched on top of the chassis above the axle.



Air con condenser & battery tray.


Camera angle makes it look a lot lower than it actually is,about 6" from the ground at normal ride height.

Started on the plumbing,no room in the engine bay to mount the header tank high enough to work properly,so will have to fit it at the rear in the 'dead'area just behind the rear window under the boot lid as that's the highest practical position.Bleeding the system should be interesting

[Peter]

Getting withdrawal symptoms Trike. Some serious engineering skill gone into that build and would love to go somewhere towards that standard on my car but time and cash rule I stay with the VW setup as much as possible. Waiting to see the latest.

[Deleted]

hmmm love the work that is done on this SS certainly a topic that I will follow

[trike]

Got a few bits done over the last few weeks.Mostly plumbing, fuel lines , brake pipes, steering hoses etc.

Had to make up a manifold to match the hoses to the ford A/C compressor



However a slight miscalculation meant the hoses were going straight up, right where the carbs should be ..DOH!

Quick re-design got it sorted


Finished the handbrake cable & made up the handbrake relay


Once the body is on I can figure out where to mount the handle, an old school Daimler dash mounted item. I was hoping to hide it away under the dash to one side but doubt if i'll have room. May have to fit in the center of the dash or console and make a feature of it.

Remote oil filter fitted


Apart from a few hoses, heater etc. and electrics, its all there. Coil pack, power steering reservoir, fuel regulator, will have to mount on the inner wing once the body is on.
Starting to get a bit tight spacewise






Next job is to finish the exhaust and make a start on the fuel tank

[Peter]

"Just knocked up an A/C adaptor" , that is a great bit of engineering on it's own, nearly as good as mine not. I just wish I had the faciliies as there is a lot of stuff I would love to have as 'billet alloy' instead of cheap metal parts. I was pleased to be able to do the throttle pulley system and the alloy alternator pulley is great. Luc, (diy) did a great job on the 'baseball' billet indicator and wiper stalks.

[neilsmith]

I am looking forward to seeing the car with the body on. The car is looking really well put together so far.

[trike]

Quite a bit done over last few weeks.
Steering column had to shortened at the bottom and lengthened at the top to get it all in the right place.





Handle under the column is the pull type handbrake temporarily in place.

Steering linkage made, Ford transit U/J at the top & Subaru U/J to match the rack.





Made a support strut for the carbs which also came in handy as a mount for the coil pack & breather tank



Engine wiring looms all made & ready to fit.

Discovered the original wiper motor is only single speed, probably from a rear tailgate so replaced with something better,



and pantograph system



Both arms had to be shortened to get it to fit & the bottom arm is adjustable so i can alter the wiper blade angle to match the windscreen pillars as opposed to straight up & down.
Haven't powered it up yet so not sure of the sweep angle but can easily alter the linkage to get it correct.

[trike]

Fuel tank almost finished.
Waiting for the fuel sender to arrive so I can figure out the mounting hole position before welding the top on.





As the exhaust runs quite close to & under the passenger footwell, some heat shielding fitted to stop things getting a bit too 'toastie'
Ended up doing the whole bulkhead to make it look neater, a right PITA job to glue on, and as the floor pans extend down either side of the exhaust,i'll have to add shielding there as well.
Probably end up doing the whole tunnel.
The two pieces of ally angle either side are there to fix the rear of the inner wings.
It really bugs me to be able see through the wheel arch and straight out the other side (common kit car issue) and just dosen't look right.

[Ben]

That's a serious amount of work but the suspension and steering mods will be worth it I have large tyres and you need strong arms to steer at low speeds and the ride is a bit hard to say the least with Cortina suspension . Don't loose the bump on the bonnet its a feature of the SS that makes it stand out we recon it looks like a baboons face lol

[trike]

What with Stoneleigh and a little 500 mile round trip last weekend up to north yorks to pick up a horsebox (camper),Yep another project...I haven't got much done on the car. Still trying to finish the fuel tank.

Just can't seem to successfully weld the last few pin holes. So.... I've decided to use one of the liquid tank sealers (POR15)on the inside, just waiting for it to turn up and give it a go.

Picked up a few bits and bobs at the show, including some LED rear lights, so spent the last few evenings making up some mounting pods,6 in all, that will be recessed in, corvette stingray ? style.

[Peter]

Like it, that's going to look good, always liked the 'Corvette' look.

Know what you mean about projects, a year plus and I'm still trying to get the last two bolts out of the Bergman 400 so I can strip the engine for a new crank.