Well, my donkey is back on the road and is fully drivable. So far no parts have fallen off.
It has a totally unstressed feel to it, and plenty of pickup. It starts and idles good, It will do city traffic 30 mph in fourth without missing a beat, and I’ve had it up to 75 mph, which is already 20 mph more than the top speed in the former configuration, and there is lots of pedal left.
So this effectively ends project phase 2, in which I wanted to update the car to a more modern drive train to make it better usable in the 21st century. It is my only car (luckily my work is at bicycling distance) and now can be used again for domestic duties, the grocery run, things like that.
Of course there is a lot of work that still has to be done, but phase 3 will have a more relaxed rolling resto feel to it. No more pressure to get it moving before winter.
To do list: adjust valve clearance, renew brake oil (a constantly burning red light to remind you that you’re only running on one brake circuit doesn’t make you want to push the car to its limits), I’ve got no speedo now because the Scorpio’s T9 has an electronic sender, I’m using the nav for speed.
Fuel gauge is still not working OK, have to take a look at the instrument cluster voltage regulator.
Turn signal canceling lip to the right is broken, horn buttons on steering wheel are broken, safety belts keep locking up.
I want a new exhaust sytem and the list goes on and on.
But for now, many many thanks to everyone (especially Blaine) for their help and interest in this project, the feeling that even silent viewers are looking over your shoulder makes you want to push on and get things done, and I’m happy with what I’ve achieved; theoretically 28% more horsepower, fuel injection, 5-speed, no weight gain, and all on a budget.
From being a youngster, I’ve always dreamt of doing an American “Hot-Rod” style engine conversion, and no matter how small, this was mine.