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Lite-Weight -- 1983 Mustang Coupe (Notchback) Log
#003 March, 2003
Since
the motor has been installed it is now time for the endless details
necessary to insure safe and respectable quarter mile jaunts down
the track. We like to call these details the “laundry list”
because they’re seemingly never ending. Other
Articles in Series
1.)
Setting the steering shaft length- The Flaming River adjustable shaft was
not long enough in its as purchased form. The engine in its set back form
did not provide adequate clearance with the upper joint and our MAC 1 ¾
long tube headers. We have also noticed that on other occasions the shaft
length with aftermarket K-members was also too short. A call to Flaming
River was in order. As it turns out a longer piece of stock was available
and it costs only $10 ($17 w/shipping). This remedied the problem and we
are now ready to move on again. Note: additional clearance can also be
obtained by loosening the four nuts that hold the steering column to the
pedal assembly with a helper prying on the shaft in the engine compartment
to gain a bit more distance between the shaft and the header. 2.)
Next we installed the manual brake adapter plate, which simply fits in
place of the factory power brake booster. These adapter plates are
available in the aftermarket from Auto Specialties and other suppliers.
Our plate was an original Ford piece sourced from an early 80s Fairmont
with manual brakes. The master cylinder we use is a part which goes all
the way back to our original Mike’s Mustangs project car “88LX”. The
master is a 1988 Ford Ranger unit, which I previously had seen installed
on a Roush car about ten years ago. The lines on this master now exit
facing the fenderwell instead of towards the engine bay, which makes for a
much cleaner appearance of the lines.
FORD
RANGER MANUAL BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER The
female flare lines out of the master are now standard American flare
lines, no more metric bubble flares. At this time we now eliminate the
factory proportioning valve and replace it with a Summit adjustable
proportioning valve (sourced by Wilwood) teed into the rear brake line.
The front lines will be teed from the Hurst roll control unit (line-lock).
Simply put – the front fitting off the master, which controls rear brake
action, now feeds directly to the adjustable valve and to the factory tee
on the rear axle housing. The rear fitting on the master, which conversely
feeds the front brakes, goes directly to the input side of our line loc
where it then comes out the two output ports to each of our front
calipers. This makes for a nice touch in lite’s engine compartment.
FLAMING
RIVER STEERING SHAFT ASSEMBLY 3.)
Next we will be starting on our fuel system. We will be using a Summit 8
gallon fuel cell for this car. Since this is a trunk car we will have to
fabricate a divider to separate the trunk area from the passenger
compartment. This is necessary as a NHRA rule prohibits the fuel and/or
battery from being within this area. NHRA also mandates a shield be placed
around the exposed portion of the fuel cell which protrudes through the
sheet metal of the trunk floor. By the way, did we mention that you should
never embark on a building a drag car without the aid of an up to date
NHRA rulebook!
Coming
soon – We will continue with more details of lite’s fuel system
from pump to lines to carb and much more. Stay Tuned! |
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