65 Fairlane pro-touring build

[Vic1947]

The Flaming River column showed up today. It has an integrated DCE Microsteer unit for power assist. My TCI rack and pinion steering is manual, so the F/R unit can be tuned to suit the driver. The steering ECU will accept a speed input, so it automatically increases the assist at slow speeds and reduces it at highway speeds. It also has a switch for manual operation that allows you dial in as much assist as you want. In addition to the column with the Microsteer unit, it came with the electronics, wiring, floor and column mounts and all the hardware. I considered sourcing a Prius or some other model column with an electric steering unit but in the end, I decided for something as important as steering, I'd pay the extra for the peace of mind. Together with the Tesla electric brake booster I bought awhile back, I'm halfway to a homemade hybrid.

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[mongocanfly]

ooooooo ...thats nice..!!!!!!!!

[Ol Blue K20]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

ooooooo ...thats nice..!!!!!!!!

X2!

[Vic1947]

USPS delivered the door seals today. This is only notable because I ordered them on 9/16/2022 - over a year ago. Thankfully, Rubber the Right Way hung in there and was able to finally fulfill the order. Hard to believe the supply chain is that fragile. Glad I didn't wait until I actually needed them. At least now they can sit in storage and get good and hard before installation.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

USPS delivered the door seals today. This is only notable because I ordered them on 9/16/2022 - over a year ago. Thankfully, Rubber the Right Way hung in there and was able to finally fulfill the order. Hard to believe the supply chain is that fragile. Glad I didn't wait until I actually needed them. At least now they can sit in storage and get good and hard before installation.

That took a hot minute.....

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

That took a hot minute.....

Amen to that. I probably waited six months for the Terminator X Max to arrive as well. Most stuff comes in pretty quickly, but occasionally there's a hiccup.

I've been welding and grinding and welding and grinding on the floorboards. Both subframe connectors are fully welded in and most of the main cabin floor pans. Cut out the tunnel and a section of the firewall so I could test fit the engine. I need to clearance a few places to make the headers fit a little better but other than that, it fits pretty well. The trans sits a bit higher than I thought it would but shouldn't be a problem. Looks like I'll need to make an extension for the shifter to move the ball further back. Otherwise, I'll be busting my knuckles on the dash. Unlike the wagon, I have a ton of room between the front of the engine and the core support. Fitting a heavy-duty radiator and a high flow Corvette fan should be easy peasy. If you squint really hard, it almost looks like a car.

[mongocanfly]

I didn't have to squint..!!!! It looks great..!!!!!!

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

I didn't have to squint..!!!! It looks great..!!!!!!

Thanks, Greg!

[Rickysnickers]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

i didn't have to squint..!!!! It looks great..!!!!!!

this!!!!

[sduckworth13]

Clean work Vic! It’s like watching the fireworks at World of Fun before the big finale on all your builds Vic! I think your attention to detail is second to none.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Clean work Vic! It’s like watching the fireworks at World of Fun before the big finale on all your builds Vic! I think your attention to detail is second to none.

Thanks Scott. Hope you're doing well.

[sduckworth13]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Thanks Scott. Hope you're doing well.

I’m doing great, two months post left hip replacement due to osteoarthritis. I feel like a new man, I went way too long in pain. I got back to work in 6 weeks.

[Vic1947]

Floor pan work continues. I got the tunnel trimmed and the front section in place. Plenty of room around the trans. Next up the middle section.

Once I finish test fitting the tunnel all the way back under the rear seat, I'll get to work on the transmission crossmember. I picked up an Energy Suspensions mount that fits the FormaCars bracket. I'm on the fence about whether to get an Alston x-member and modify it or just build my own. I may have to flip the FC bracket upside down to position the mounting pad lower - or make a spacer. I'm sure the solution will come into focus right after I've spent a bunch of $$.

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by Vic1947

Floor pan work continues. I got the tunnel trimmed and the front section in place. Plenty of room around the trans. Next up the middle section.

Once I finish test fitting the tunnel all the way back under the rear seat, I'll get to work on the transmission crossmember. I picked up an Energy Suspensions mount that fits the FormaCars bracket. I'm on the fence about whether to get an Alston x-member and modify it or just build my own. I may have to flip the FC bracket upside down to position the mounting pad lower - or make a spacer. I'm sure the solution will come into focus right after I've spent a bunch of $$.

You are in good company here. I've experienced the phenomena on more than a few occasions.

[Ol Blue K20]

Looks awesome! Of course I didn't spend the$$$

[joesscamaro]

Looking awesome! Nice and clean!

[Vic1947]

Thanks everyone! I decided to take a pass on a prefab crossmember. Just looked like nothing would fit without major surgery. I began by flipping the trans bracket upside down to get the Energy Suspension mount hanging below the floor pan. Next, I made a drawing of the driver side extension that will hold the 1.25" x .188 wall tubing and will eventually bolt to the poly mount. You'll notice it has a pass thru for the exhaust. Lastly, I cut the pieces out of some material I got from Metal by the Foot. All total, I'll have about $50 in the crossmember which is a sight better than an unworkable part from a vendor. Next up will be to duplicate the extension for the passenger side, build the cross bar and weld it all up.

[SCOTI]

I like your start/direction of the trans x-member mounting.

What manufacturers aftermarket trans x-member/s were you looking at? I figured someone (pro-touring type of vendor) made something decent for the early Ford stuff that might work/adapt across multiple platforms.

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Very nice fab..!!!

Thanks, Greg.

Originally Posted by SCOTI

I like your start/direction of the trans x-member mounting.

What manufacturers aftermarket trans x-member/s were you looking at? I figured someone (pro-touring type of vendor) made something decent for the early Ford stuff that might work/adapt across multiple platforms.

Thanks, hopefully it will come together like I envision. I was originally thinking about the Chassisworks universal x-member because I liked the machined ends. But the drop was just too much for the space it goes in. I could have cut it up and maybe made it work, but the end style wasn't really worth it. So, I went out on Summit's site and searched for transmission crossmembers and came up empty when looking at the design/materials/cost for most all of them.

Part of my dilemma is that I want to use the subframe connectors as the mounting points and not the rocker panels or the floor. That said, the floor will play a small role in all this. When I mocked up the fab'd extension on the passenger side, it hit the underside of the floor. Not a lot, but enough to be a problem. For several weeks now, I've been unhappy with the front floors. They look like a patchwork quilt and not in a good way. The interference with the trans extension was enough to send me over the edge. So today I made another trip to Metal by the Foot and picked up some 16ga panels and when I got home, I cut the offending area out of the driver side. I'll build clean panels from scratch and kill two birds with one stone. It will give me the clearance I need and scratch my OCD itch.

[SCOTI]

Gotcha.

I didn't know if your intent was to follow the Sled Alley arrangement like they used on several of Stielow's Camaros (that utilize the DSE front/rear suspension set-ups). Def allows getting the x-member where you want it vs being a low point under the car.

[mongocanfly]

Very nice fab..!!!

[Ol Blue K20]

Nice! Keep going......

[Vic1947]

Originally Posted by Ol Blue K20

Nice! Keep going......

Thanks, Dale, I haven't thrown in the towel yet.

Here's the welded x-member. Shot some primer on it and covered it up with the floor pans. Outta sight, outta mind.

[Vic1947]

Still tunneling...

Cut out the old tunnel back to where the forward edge of the rear seat sits. I then mocked up a straight length of 5/8 tubing along the projected centerline of the trans. It's going to be a tight fit, but I think the driveshaft will clear with a few degrees of down angle. The intermediate tunnel is pretty close to where it needs to be but I'll have to scab some sheetmetal onto it to reach the floor like I did on the front section. Cut cut, fit fit, weld weld, hammer hammer, grind grind, cuss cuss, repeat.

[boonedogs72]

Nice work!!!