Author Topic: "palomino", the turbo swap in progress (Read 16967 times)

Ironman · « **Reply #30 on:** August 26, 2008, 09:01:32 PM »

Well I'm definately no pro,.. but I'm thinkin it would take one heck of alota force to bend that clutch arm.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #31 on:** August 27, 2008, 08:08:08 AM »

I'm making a WAG that there is a difference between Pinto and Fox levers and that I got a Pinto lever mixed in with a Fox bell. Parts numbers should be coming later today.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #32 on:** August 27, 2008, 10:51:54 AM »

Here are the numbers:
Throw-out arm: D4ZA-7515-BR
Bell Housing: D4ZA-6394-AD

I think they should be a match, circa 1984.

Pictures later today when I get down to my Big Mac in Omaha to munch them.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #33 on:** August 27, 2008, 07:28:22 PM »

Well, I was buttoning up some odds and ends while I'm still waiting for the solution to my clutch problem.

Here's a close-up of the throttle bell-crank that has had the top 1/4" rounded off for hood clearance reasons.

Another look at the turbo to VAM bellows. This is before I take the turbo or manifold back out at some time in the future. Note to future turbo swappers: put the starter in first and then install the manifold and turbo.

The vacuum tree from a Merkur mounted on the driver's fender well.

Not much clearance between the water pump and electric fan.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #34 on:** September 04, 2008, 05:49:34 PM »

Found out that there are different lengths of clutch pivot balls. Fortunately, I had a longer one in a '80s hydraulic bell. I swapped it in and apparently all the clutch stuff now fits and works.

Shimmied the transmission in. Used a 17mm 3/8" socket with a u-joint and a loooooong extension to reached the top two bolts on the bell housing. The altered rear tranny bracket got warped during all that welding, so this project is stalled again until I straighten the thing out on the hydraulic press at work.

Also another dumb problem: the shifter smacks against the console and won't engage the odd numbered gears. Any cures for this?

Ironman · « **Reply #35 on:** September 04, 2008, 10:13:30 PM »

Thaty looks like a T-5.

From looking at the photo, I would try taking the shift lever stub out of the top of the tranny, heating it to cherry (not orange),.. bending it just a little,.. maybe 1/4". I'd make the bend Imeadiately below the lower bolt hole for the shifter. From the looks of it you could lock the stub in a vice and use the shift lever itself as a fulcrum. After you get the correct bend, heat it again to make sure its cherry, then quench it in dirty oil. (dirty oil is a slower quench than clean oil for several reasons) . I think if you dont quench, it will probably aneal and be too soft.

There might be better ways to tackle the problem, thats just what comes to mind.

after closely looking at the picture, I see what looks like aluminum poured around the base of the shift lever, probably better off using something eles to do the bending. The thing that was nice about using the shifter was it would prevent any possible distortion to the bolt pattern during bending. A lot of force will be required when bending "cherry" as opposed to "orange"

Or,.. fore go all that and figure out how to move the console forward! :smile:

CHEAPRACER · « **Reply #36 on:** September 04, 2008, 11:30:03 PM »

Quote from: dholvrsn on September 04, 2008, 05:49:34 PM

Also another dumb problem: the shifter smacks against the console and won't engage the odd numbered gears. Any cures for this?

I had a guy who worked with me once that would probably think the easiest way would be to relocate the firewall and engine rearward 2 inches, shorten the drive shaft, and estimate $68.00 labor for 3 days of work to do it.

Ironman · « **Reply #37 on:** September 05, 2008, 10:22:32 PM »

Quote from: CHEAPRACER on September 04, 2008, 11:30:03 PM

I had a guy who worked with me once that would probably think the easiest way would be to relocate the firewall and engine rearward 2 inches, shorten the drive shaft, and estimate $68.00 labor for 3 days of work to do it.

Hmmm.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #38 on:** September 11, 2008, 06:00:40 PM »

Straightened out the transmission mount and got that bolted up, along with the driveshaft, and even got the safety switch wiring patched up. Now to find a connector to hook up to the reverse light switch.

Cut out the floor hole for the shifter, added a 2" filler in the back, and the frame from the Merkur that the shift boot clips over. Have the console temporarily removed until I figure out a solution to that.

Here's with the shifter boot installed.

Here I hit the next impasse. I removed the turbo to get to install the starter. I'm wondering if there's a way to wiggle it in without dropping the rack or unbolting the engine mount and jacking the engine up.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #39 on:** September 26, 2008, 07:25:22 PM »

Found part of the last impasse, some 2.3 Ford starters are longer than other 2.3 Ford starters. Installed a shorter variety of starter that's better painted than the one in this picture.

The T-5 safety and reverse light pig-tails spliced in place of the former the C3 transmission pig-tale, to mate up with the World Class T5. As an Electronic Technician by trade, I solder and heat sink as much of this stuff as I can.

The Merkur down-pipe kludged to mate with a mom&pop shop exhaust that came with the car. Will be upgraded to 2.5" or 3" pipes after I get this running and when I feel like spending the money. (Enough with spending the money, already!)

The starter is installed along with the turbo and a lot of other stuff. (Too much complexity for one stupid little Pinto!) Next time, I will cobble up a ground cable, fix a water leak, and hopefully finally start this up one year and one month after I started this swap.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #40 on:** October 03, 2008, 08:54:47 PM »

Finally got the turbo EFI 2.3 buttoned in the Pinto and got it on all fours. Even inflated the tires and cleaned the windows for good effort while waiting for Bob the Mechanic to show up. He's been some expert advice and adult supervision on this project. It turns over, but the electric fuel pump doesn't switch on and there's no spark. Not looking forward to trouble shooting that on my next two days off. Will probably start with the off-brand relays where the Pinto electrics splice into the XR4Ti Electronics and then follow the Merkur Manual from there.

Any turbo Ford experts here that can help me out?

dholvrsn · « **Reply #41 on:** October 07, 2008, 05:59:09 PM »

I got it started at around 4:15 this afternoon! Yay! Yay! Yay! :afro: :lol: :afro:

The previous problem was that the fuel pump relay wasn't plugged in right and the hot wire to the coil wasn't connected.

It's running rough as is, but I hope to dial it in and tune it up tomorrow.

Ironman · « **Reply #42 on:** October 08, 2008, 01:15:15 AM »

VERY COOL!

dholvrsn · « **Reply #43 on:** October 08, 2008, 10:11:45 PM »

Youtube link:

The cheesy sound makes it sound more like a D-21 then it does an ex-Merkur.

WIll dial it in and get it on the road next time.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #44 on:** October 16, 2008, 06:39:46 PM »

I dialed in the TPS, spliced in some new fuse links, and put the grill and hood back on, plus some other odds and ends. At least nothing really rubs against the hood. Had to kludge the clutch cable using a hose clamp as a spacer to get the thing to shift. The brakes still aren't working right after a couple of bleeds, but I got it on the road and took a short drive down to Moore's shop, because I just had to tell somebody, and back. I even got three pounds of boost going up their hill!

I will probably replace the master cylinder next time and figure out why the gas gauge quit working for no reason. I wish that this silly crap would end and just let me drive this. This project is running too late and too long and I want to clean out the shop and other things.

At least the car has nice lines, despite being and old cheepmobile with weathered paint and spotty primer.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #45 on:** April 09, 2009, 08:21:01 PM »

This project is in long digressive overtime because of a broken spring and bad brakes.

Was up at the farm on Tuesday and Wednesday, working on the Pinto and sending off der Merkurs. Merkur is rumored to be pronounced Furdt Zierrrra in its native German. There is still spotty snow in the hills lingering after the late season dusting from a few days ago.

The guys came all the way up from Kansas City to get what's left of the Merkurs after I picked over the turbo Pinto worthy parts.

I did have daydreams of putting the biplane spoiler on the red Merkur and fixing it up with a Red Baron motif with a broad white boy-racer stripe* with "Der Iron Krosses" in them. Tiny silhouettes of Spads and Sopwiths painted on the driver's door. along with a certain beagle and his doghouse.

A while ago, I removed the rear axle of the Pinto because of a broken spring.

* Would that be a "Krautboy" as opposed to a "Riceboy" or even "Wheatboy"?

dholvrsn · « **Reply #46 on:** April 09, 2009, 08:22:46 PM »

While the axle was out, I installed a Posi differential with the help of Bondo Bob. After pounding and pounding to get the final bolt out of the front spring hackle, I finally started to get it back together. I hope to button it up next time that I'm up at the farm.

Pinturbo75 · « **Reply #47 on:** April 09, 2009, 08:56:07 PM »

nice progress, wont be long now till its a dd.

dholvrsn · « **Reply #48 on:** April 09, 2009, 08:59:32 PM »

A dd?

71pintoracer · « **Reply #49 on:** April 09, 2009, 09:11:10 PM »

I'm guessing "daily driver"

dholvrsn · « **Reply #50 on:** April 19, 2009, 08:07:38 PM »

The two days that I was up in Soldier, I did two days of work on the Pinto, plus two half days of nuisance chores for my Mom. With that and a disrupted sleep pattern, no wonder it took me a little while to recuperate.

Little known fact is that the front eye bolts on the rear Pinto spring get torqued to an even 100 foot pounds. Unless the car is up on a hoist, and I don't have one, it takes a lot of grunt work in an awkward places to tighten them.

Replaced the emergency brake cable with one that didn't hang and screwed the show adjusters waaaay out. The brakes finally work. Very well too, and I'm not used to power brakes in a Pinto. The rears lock up halfway easy on gravel.

Once I got the rear buttoned in and the battery charged up, the engine started right up after sitting for the winter. The computer even kicked down the EFI idle properly.

Both the fresh engine and posi differential are still tight. The rear tires grumbled as I took a tight turn while backing up the Pinto. There isn't enough weight back there to make the differential clutches really slip.

Had fun roaring up and down the road until a lack of hood clearance knocked the throttle cable off the bell-crank and I limped back home idling in second gear. I'm going to modify that bell-crank.

Next time I'm up in Soldier, I'm going to get the turn signals to work again, change little plastic gears until the speedometer read right and other shake down things.

dave1987 · « **Reply #51 on:** September 06, 2010, 10:18:41 PM »

Any updates on this?

I'm considering getting the throttle body assembly from the turbocoupe at the junk yard in case I decide to go EFI some day, but, will I still have hood clearance issues?

dholvrsn · « **Reply #52 on:** September 07, 2010, 10:25:22 AM »

Most of that stuff has been fixed and I've been driving it around Omaha and between Soldier and Omaha for the past two summers.

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Author Topic: "palomino", the turbo swap in progress (Read 16967 times)