EagleStroker

Let me start this thread off by explaining this project. My grandfather put this car in my name the day I was born. It has been in the family since the 70's and has acquired quite the sentimental value among us and my friends. I wanted to build this car over my S197 since I was knee high, but due to parents safety concerns it was put on the back burner.

Fast forward to present day. My dad has been around hot rods his entire life, I'm knee deep myself, and my mother has taken interest. We sparked a plan to build a cruiser that was every day street able with a punch and some modern upgrades. This will not be my end plan for this car but I will not have the funds to do what I want for quite some time so having the car back on the road will truly be a blessing!

So the game plan. We put together a sweet little 347 stroker. It has one of our forged 302 stroker cranks a long with H-beam rods and forged 9.3 CR pistons. All of this is in a late model block with an Edlebrock top end kit. I wanted to pay the difference for the AFR heads, but I suppose that will come down the road when it's 100% on my bankroll. I have a few carbs that I can top it with for the time being but it will eventually be topped off with a FAST easy EFI kit.

Here's my only current shot of the motor:



I will continue to update this thread with pictures as I get them. First plan of attack was getting the fuel system straight. My grandfather never had the tank out of the car before it was parked at our house, but the original owner had really done a job mismatching bolts and making it a harder job than it needed to be (typical). So after a morning of tinkering I got here:









Now after taking the gas tank out to a local radiator shop and getting a quote on having it boiled due to some pretty heavy rust, I decided it was more cost effective for a new tank. I ordered a new 22 gallon replacement from Mustang1 that should be here Tuesday or Wednesday:

http://mustang1.com/shop.htm?act=sde...command=bypass

And one last shot after putting the top up. Good news is the top works flawlessly!




So, what now you may ask? I spent a good chunk of the day simply going over the car.

The Good:

Minimal rust
Fuel lines are good
Minus carpet, interior is excellent
I found a brand new dash in the trunk

The Bad:

Body lines/gaps are off.
Passenger side door doesn't open.

So that being said the first thing I need help with is the suspension. I have no idea what needs to be replaced (it seems like basically everything). I would also love some recommendations for new wheels, something in the 16-17" 5 spoke variety.

I do know on the top of my short list is a front disc brake conversion, which kits out there come highly recommended?

The ETA to have the motor in/car running is 2-3 weeks right now. A new top and back glass needs to be ordered before I can do anything else so that the car is water tight. It will then take a ride over to my local shop (BB&T) for some assistance in getting the current drive train out and transmission gone through and swapped. When someone offers a lift I don't say no! I'm hoping to be able to pressure wash and clean the engine bay for some fresh paint before the motor goes back in as well. The plan for body work is over the cooler months so that we won't lose any top dropping time!

EagleStroker

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EagleStroker

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2k7gtcs

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EagleStroker

Well today was an eventful day! Got the tank put in, only problem is it made the rest of the trunk look like crap. I know what to get to when it gets back from the shop! The trunk will end up the same color as the tank, as well as a fresh coat on the engine bay and wheel wells.

The passenger door now opens as well, a little time with a slim jim an some WD40/lithium grease did the trick nicely!

On the agenda for tomorrow is getting the motor/trans out and assessed, and getting the transmission off to the tranny guy to rebuild. I also found out that the tilt steering column may be broken, as it will not lock into its position if you put pressure on it, it simply gives way. May be time for a flaming river set up!

2k7gtcs

Good thread Robert.


You can tell she's got a good soul. She'll be a real looker when you get done.

EagleStroker

Thanks Gary it was a rewarding day considering i haven't seen it in light in over 10 years. Was a good day.

cdynaco

EagleStroker

Motor won't come out until Tuesday, I start classes again on Tuesday so I will probably pressure wash and paint the engine bay on Friday afternoon The good news is it is on the lift, it has a front disc brake conversion already, and the transmission looks to be a C5.

Falchion

Good thread! I had one like it before the forum got hacked!

Your car looks good already! It will be interesting to see what you do to it. Are you going to do a frame off restro, or just get it back to be a driver?

I replied back to your PM by the way. I was out of town.

EagleStroker

Well it has been quite a delayed update but finally some updates worth talking about. The only hold up now is the transmission before we can really finish things up!

Falchion

I like the way that engine looks!

Please keep us informed and post plenty of pics!

I've got my 65 in for paint, and some minor body work. I'm going back to the orginal "Rangoon Red" that the car was painted with.

EagleStroker

Thanks for the compliments! I'll be sure to update with more when there is more worth talking about, transmission still isn't back and I'm back on the road so we will see when it shows up.

Good luck on yours as well, paint is always the scary part for me

Falchion

Thanks! Yeah, paint is kind of scary.....

EagleStroker

Well I have an update finally, I know it's long overdue but I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for me this time! Every single electrical wire/light on this car has been replaced and it was quite a painful task!

Falchion

Love the pics! Thanks for the update!

Doogie

I see how you have been keeping busy Robert!! Keep those pics/updates coming!!

EagleStroker

You have no idea Doug! Every wire in this car (every single one) has been replaced. All the lights on the car have been replaced with new ones as well. The heat/air was shot so it got replaced with that nice set up. It seems like every time we get a little closer we find a few more major things that need to be fixed.

Such is the nature of the beast

EagleStroker

Well today was my first drive. Weather was perfect, car ran perfect, no work today, man what a day! Here is a teaser until I can go through the rest I took:

karman

Looks great.
Fantastic project.