I decided to put a add on Craigslist for a 350/700R4 to see what's out there. 2 hours later got a call from a guy telling me he had a 350 crate motor with a rebuilt 700R4 it also came with a new Holly 670 street avenger new MSD distributor a torque starter a new edelbrock water pump and a edelbrock intake. Went to look at it sure enough it was all brand new, the crate has never been started. He told me he had to many engines already plus he decided to put a big block in the car he was building. Anyways I brought it home for $750. I finally got one of those deals you only hear about, it finally happen to me
Rico, Congrats on finding "one of those deals..." Looks like you made out like a bandit, just in time to treat yourself to some holiday loot!! Looking forward to following the progress of the install. With photos, of course. Damon
Thanks guy's now I have my power plant, but there's still a few things I have to get for it. One is the power steering. Not sure what to buy since I have the Mustang II with the rack-n-pinion steering. Any thoughts how to do that and what to buy for the connections with the hoses from the power steering to the rack-n-pinion? I'm going to order my stuff tomorrow probably from summit racing. Huger headers, aluminum alternator, Bosh spark plugs, MSD coil, fuel pump not sure if electric or mechanical. Can't wait to get that engine started. Rico
nicely done! What a sweet score- I will now refer to you as THE GUY as in THE GUY who scored a killer drivetrain!
Merry christmas ! That's great , I keep telling you alls to beat the bushes... I like the rocker boxes too . I vote for electric fuel pump , make damnsure you get the 2 ~ 3 PSI one , no " pressure regulator " jazz as those simply DO NOT WORK satisfactorily .
as usual... Nate is spot on! Call or email on those Craigslist ads that are a month or two old. Once the initial flurry of people inquire (you know- the spammers), there's so much ON places like CL stuff just gets "old". A couple years back I replied to an ad for an engine and trans, in neighboring Vermont. It took almost 2 MONTHS to schedule a time for me to go and look at it. The guy was HORRIBLE about getting back to me- but in the end, I scored a complete late-model 5.3L engine and a 4L60E for less than I was willing to pay for just a tranny. As a bonus, upon closer scrutiny of the engine, I discovered it had been REBUILT. So, the motor I bought from a vehicle with 97K had a rebuild during its life.
power steering, etc Rico, there is a T-Bird rack and pinion that will bolt onto the Mustang II frontend that is powered. Speedway has these as well as the lines and pump. Don't forget to check on the pressure regulator that is suggested to be installed when using these racks and a Chevy pump. I saw on another post you were asking about a new radiator. I put a V8 and a Turbo 400 tranny in my truck and used the 'stock radiator'. I took the rad to a shop and had it repaired/updated. It works well. I also installed and electric 'pusher' fan and a separate tranny cooler. I have never had any heating problems, even with the heat here in AZ. Roger
Cheap Engines It never ceases to amaze me how often I find late model , low mileage four bolt main 350 SBC engines in Pick-A-Part , $200 each . Rebuilt trannies too . 454's too but no one wants those anymore because they suck $o much fuel $$$$ . It's all out there if you but look . I see those $500 all aluminum radiators all the time , they're $49.95 plus any old junk radiator for a core . sadly they're all in Hot Rods so the hose connections are not where I can use them in my I6 work rigs .
Nate, I bought a Holley mechanical fuel pump was that wrong? It was $80, but it's rebuildable.and warranty for life
What is this pressure regulator? I was going to buy a power steering pump from summit which it's called a p-series and they also sell the lines with the fittings that go straight to the Mustang II? Is this wrong too?
The t bird rack is supposed to be a higher pressure rack, closer to the output of the gm pump. Some people say the steering can get jerky with the m2 rack. I have not had this problem yet. There is a thread in choke fitting to reduce the flow, also there is a trick to cut off a coil from the spring in the pump, I have not tried so I cannot verify.
Mechanical Fuel Pump No , you did very well ! . Rebuildable mechanical fuel pumps are very good indeed , well worth the $ . I use them . The only benefit of a mechanical fuel pump is : if the truck sits a week or more , you'll have to crank it a while before the pump primes up and fills the carby , allowing the engine to start . My solution for this is to add a cheap electric fuel pump right near the fuel tank and power it via a momentary push button under the dash ~ I hop in and depress the button , listen to the pump clatter , when the pump loads down I know the carby's bowl is full , I release the button and start the engine normally . Now you'll be known as the guy who scored the killer driveline deal -and- took the time to carefully build his rig so it's safe and more fun , less fix . -Nate
Thanks Nate, well I bought some block hugger headers and put them on. There ceramic coated got them at summit. Putting the money where I think it will do most good, little speedy but I think it will be worth it in the long run because ceramic won't change colors like the steel will. Also I just installed my under the floor brake assembly, funny thing is the brake lever rubs against the top of the floor opening. Is this common? What should I do to fix this? Cut a little on the top of the hole? It does look good though.
I do have the rubbers, wasn't going to put them on until the cab was painted. Think they will raise the cab that high? I tried putting two washers under the cab on both sides, but it didn't change anything much. The lever rubbed, just not as much.
You may find that your rear cab mounts need the new bushings. My brake pedal will rub a bit, my rear cab is drooping. I have the kit, just not the time to do it.....too busy working on other people's rides. Bringing up the rear and putting the fronts in will bring it up more than you think.
Not knowing what to do first since it's my first restoration from the ground up. That was one of the first things I did. Guess I'll wait to see what happens maybe it will be better after the rubbers are in place. BTW, when I take the cab off the frame to prime and paint do I have to take the brake assembly back off or can I take the brake lever off by itself? It was awkward to say the least trying to install it and wondered if the lever would come out without removing the whole thing? Rico
