So Late Model picked up the bill for the heads being decked and surfaced and sent out the parts to do the head swap. The work was completed shortly before Christmas and the engine went back in.....




...buuuuuuttttt the tensioner on the driver side decided to be apart of the party and the chain jumped during initial startup and the valves met the pistons


sooooo out came that motor and then I got fed up and sick of my car being down so I bought a longblock from a '99 Cobra to swap in


but then some of the rod bearings started making noise. So out came the K-member and oil pan for a quick fix. Then the steering rack decided not to be apart of the party so that same Cobra donated its rack.


so by mid January I was able to enjoy the car, aside from a few coolants trying to make WAP block adapters work on a Teksid


so I thought everything was fine though.....

 

so I grew tired of the coolant leaks and constantly filling the coolant bottle and decided to tackle one weekend. Everything got sealed up, I bled the system and then discovered this


the leaks were masking a real problem with the engine, another blown head gasket. Cylinders 1,2 and 3 were filled with coolant

so all I had left from the original Mach motor at this point was the bare block. So I decided to **** all the bad luck and do a proper forged build but keep it budget minded. So, the WAP block was sent to the machine to be honed and cleaned. The Cobra longblock was pulled and the crank and heads were tapped for the project. Boss 302 connecting rods were ordered from Tousley Ford. My buddy who sold his Terminator project donated a set of 03/04 pistons. Main bolts were upgraded to ARP studs and the EGR will be deleted







so where do I stand now? I'm currently assembling the engine for installation on sunday. During the Cobra block swap I had the trunklid painted and the rims were sold for DD Mach 1 rims

 

NAUGHTY PONY!!!! Bad mustang! it took a P1$$ on your driveway!! LOL!!!

Sorry that you are having the issues with the engine!!! glad to hear your getting a good forged build though!!! I too have been slowly working on my Mustang and building (and planning the engine build) my self! if you have any suggestions you should jump over to my thread and post them Love all the pictures and progress you made with your Mach1! keep up the great work! good read too!

 

the messenger pigeon that Rock Auto uses for shipping finally arrived with my bearings last thursday. Friday, the fun begin. The shortblock was assembled and checked over. Saturday it became a longblock and the cams were timed up. Sunday, the longblock was sealed up, mated to it's trans and reinstalled into the Mach. Sunday night, the Mach was awakened and breathed once again.

 

Very nice to see you got it to breath again!

 

Nice! Did you sleep any over that 3 day period?

 

**** that's a whole series of suckage there! Glad it looks to be coming to an end.

 

alittle lol

There is light at the end of the tunnel!

 

well, it's been a minute but I figure I better update this build thread.

the whole **** reason I've been in this mess has been that wonderful SVE radiator. I'm currently on #3 as of this writing. Well, that one started leaking as well. Called Late Model, the SVE's are out of stock til June because they changed the design on it. It was too rigid and wasn't allowing for flex. Thankfully, they stepped to the plate and sent me this:



a shiny new Fluidyne radiator at no addition cost. Thanks LRS for stepping up after the hell I've been through. I received it back in April shortly after I got the Mach running.

Well, the Fluidyne is installed and keeping the Mach nice and cool. Big props to Late Model Restoration for stepping to the plate on this. After 4 months, I can proudly say the Mach is coolant leak free. Onto to the bad news, me and the Mach are no longer residents of Florida. We now lay our head in the state of Georgia as me and the wife have called it quits. It is what it is, her choice, whatever. Cars are more loyal than *****es. Mach mods are been on a stand still. Just some new rubber and a set of new headlights to see at night a little better in the Georgia hills. But I got some plans coming soon, trust me Now how about some pics?

Last Orlando pic


First Georgia driveway pic


Made a trip in August to PA for the American Muscle show



Got a photoshoot done afterwards




and that's where I'm at

 

Nice You'll be fine in time. I'm on my 4th marriage The newest one is always better than the last one