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Projects 64 Comet Build for Sema.....Its build time....

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Total Performance, Jan 10, 2011.

  1. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal


    That does sound like the style of build that would be raved over at the SEMA show. The burgundy is a great idea too. I love that color! The only issue was the RING BROS did that same build almost to a tee with the exception of the burgundy. They did theirs in red.

    The biggest issue is trying to get a build idea that is either new or that just really works. Thats what im dealing with right now.

    Not quite HAMB friendly but here are the pics of the build as a reference to all;
     

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  2. Zerk
    Joined: May 26, 2005
    Posts: 1,418

    Zerk
    Member

    I'd kind of like to see a nod to the endurance trial cars, but with big rubber, modern running gear, fuel cell with flipcap filler mounted on the rear pillar, old fashioned hood pins, very spartan interior with aluminum panels and dash, roll cage with low door area pipes, some upgraded lighting with auxilliary driving lights.
    That butterscotch-looking color they had in '64 was really nice. Red/white/black would set it off nicely IMHO.
     
  3. 30trad
    Joined: May 17, 2009
    Posts: 34

    30trad
    Member

    427 with manual drop it on its pills and custom built steel wheels for a great pro touring look and oh paint it white it will look stunning.
     
  4. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal


    Gotgas- That is such a killer engine!~ I Mlove the Coyote 5.0. They are awesome. I drove my sisters car, 2011 GT with the Coyote 5.0 and it was fantastic! I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ONE OF THOSE IN THE CAR. I cant get the right people from Ford to talk to though. The Hollywood Hot rods build above is really nice. I saw it this past year at the SEMA show and was truely stolked. Their build was on TV though. So Ford hooked em up. I'll keep trying!
     
  5. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal


    Nope, not rude at all, I feel the same way, Like I said in an earlier post. Im going to have to really budget my time to get this thing done. Some things will get a ton of time and others will be made simply to function.

    I have to think of it this way, if I have till October to get it done and running, (look closely at alot of the cars, quite a few arent even running)That gives me 9 months, remove 1-2 months for body fab paint and body if all goes well i'm left with 7 months. To build the entire rest of the car to AMAZING show stadards. This takes a bunch of time. Most cars are built in two to three year stints. The car is getting totally rebuilt in every way in about 1/2 of a year. Considering all of the factors that can and no doubt will go wrong I am left to spend time on the things that really will garner the attention. True, if I had the seat up and was showing the car without a carpet it would have been something I would have spent 3-4 more hours fitting the panel and perfectly, seamlessly making it look great. But the time goes other places. But the truth is I need to make the approx 50-70K that its going to take to build this car with my customers during the day and that leaves me nights and sundays for the remainder of the year.

    Its going to be about balance, the worst possible thing will be to get to the end of the year and Almost be done. Can we say FINANCIAL DISASTER!!!!

    So long story short, I love this build, and will do the best damn job I can to get it there in time for the event.

    By the way, here is the car that was brought by my business partner Zane Cullen, Cotati Speed Shop, and Total Performance were represented. So I can draw from the experiance of getting the other cars to the event to get this one there.

    In the Pic from left to right in front of the Merc is A.J. who works in the shop, Zane Cullen, Me and Clay Cook who is a metal master!

    Thanks for being here and posting-

    Total Perf-
     

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  6. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    One more of just the car......

    Total Perf-
     

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  7. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sorry for the time between updates. Im traveling for work and the hotels internet is snail slow, can't download pics. I will be back at the shop on Sunday to grind out some progress and i'll update you.

    Total Perf-
     
  8. A Chopped Coupe
    Joined: Mar 2, 2004
    Posts: 1,133

    A Chopped Coupe
    Member

    Really love the idea and the direction you are going with the car.
    I had a 64 Cyclone that was a drag car back in 70, and drove it on the street. I loved the car and it was a terror with a mod'd 289 HiPro, factory top loader, 9" and 4:89 gears.
    I am partical to drag cars and am bring a 70 Maverick B/SM car back to the way it was at the 1979 Winternationals in Pomona.
    I would like see a real deal 427 Med Riser with 6spd or even better would be an SOHC motor in it. I know Denny Aldridge of Aldridge Automotive up in Portland had a coupld of each although I heard he is selling or closing the shop soon. As for the rear end, I'd like to see a 9" with slider ladder bars like my B/SM car has. As for the big wheels and tires, I'm just not a fan of "tunner" stuff, and nothing bigger than 16"/17" wheels with some nice big and littles. As for the body, leave it mostly stock and the hood really needs to be funtional.
    Here is a picture of my 64 Cyclone as I bought it, and a picture of my Maverick in 79 at Fremont, CA when Greg Nichols owned the car (he built the car) and one back in 79/80 on the trailer with a very nice Ford tow car, one of me at the Redding Dragstrip this past year.
    I will certainly watch this build.
    I wil be at SPD in Sacramento to talk with Chris about headers for the Maverick tomorrow, is your shop close buy, if so maybe I'll give you a call and stop by with Strombergs97 if you have the time.
    Thanks for sharing this build.
    John
     
  9. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Thanks John, I really appreciate your input! Please repost the pics, for some reason they didnt go through. Im down in the Salinas, Monterey area. Your welcome to drop by anytime!
     
  10. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    O.K. Here is a bit of what the car has been going through recently. These pics may be a bit out of order though here they go....

    I finished stripping the exterior trim, engine and trans, soft trim, headlight and tail lights and anything else I could get off.

    Removed the steering as well as the, side glass and window assemblies.

    The car is completely naked.

    At this point I welded up all the holes that I needed gone on the sides of the car(172), its a ton of them. This process took me quite a long time so I didnt warp the sheet metal.
    Here are a few pics, i'll have to use a few posts to get you a bunch in there. Here goes..
     

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  11. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Here is a few more from the weekend and today.......

    After we got all the goodies out of the car we sent it to the paint shop this afternoon for its new look. Psyclone will be gone for at least 1 month and should be no more than two. She will get painted inside and out as well as the engine compartment.

    While Psyclone is away i'll concentrate on the engine build as well as aquiring the components for the brakes and suspension.

    The engine will be mine to build. I have yet to get any response from the honcho's at Ford for any help on the build. SOOOOO, it looks like its up to me. That's fine too. I actually love to build the powerplants behind each of the projects I do. It makes me feel way more bonded to the project. Off to the drawing board I go, remember its gonna be something awesome that I can still drive 500 miles if I wanted to.

    Catcha soon!

    Total Perf-
     

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  12. ClearSpot
    Joined: Aug 20, 2009
    Posts: 941

    ClearSpot
    Member
    from Michigan

    Looking Good!
    Progressing nicely
     
  13. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Thanks Clearspot! I really appreciate it.

    Total Perf-
     
  14. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 1/2 months till completion

    Alright guys heres the progress as of lately. The PSYCLONE has been at Precision getting a facelift for the past week or so. They will have the car for another 6-8 weeks. In that time i'll be able to aquire a Engine / Trans to make awesome, as well as iron out the front and rear suspension. I have to be very realistic about this process, remember the customer and the pocketbook is mine. Who needs to eat and sleep, lol.

    I came home from the shop last week and watched another outline of a SEMA build unfold over the course of about two years in one of those "big" shops that they usually cover (I won't use names here, I don't want to piss anyone off). They sat down with the customer, layed out the build and started getting the checks and making calls to have the drivetrain and suspension dropped off at different increments during the build. That being said they barely finished before the event. I surely am not sour grapes about their situation. I know quite a few of those "shops" and those guys worked very hard to get where they are and have tons of talent and vision. I'm just not there yet. Why do this in less than a year than? Well, because I wanted to prove that someone with a good amount of skill and vision with a bit of luck and lots of help from his friends (thats you!) could get this thing slammed out and really stand tall at the end. Project PSYCLONE is the "everyman" car build that we can all be proud of, and thats the focus of the build. I'm gonna rock this thing guys, it should be rad!

    So now that we know I cant just pick up some 30K aftermarket block and have it delivered and plug it in just to start it up and cheer, lets get to the good stuff.

    The only thing that i'll be subbing out is the body and paint to Precision Automotive, the seat and door panels upholstry, trim to the Bumper Depot and thats it so far. Don't get me wrong-if I get a phone call or a message saying, "hey, i wanna hook you up!", im not gonna hang up. HINT HINT!

    Heres the plan to this point, I have a bad habbit of changing my mind in the middle of things.
    PSYCLONE has had a fucus of old meets new from the beginning, I want that to carry on in every aspect.
    PSYCLONE will be Wimbledon White (not white, this is a yellowy creamy color)- an awesome color that harkins back to the days of high performance factory cars. The side trim and badging will be gone. The front and rear trim will be redone in its original finish of either chrome, anodized or the stainless will all be polished by me. Yeah - I hate polishing-. The rear will have the blacked out panel like the factory did. The ram air snorkel hood will stay and be functional. The engine compartment will be black. The interior will be black. Its gonna look sweet! I have some awesome ideas for that but you'll have to wait till the inside gets closer. Think old cyclone meets 2011.

    Drivetrain;

    I want to drive this car for 500 miles at a time so a huge big block will not be on the build plan, not to mention the mods that would be needed to the front end would be both extensive and time consuming. Though to keep the vintage vibe I will opt for another tride and true option that will be awesome and awe inspiring as well as functional.

    I will build an (Inglese) 8 port (elect) injected forged 331 C.I. roller Ford with a FAST engine management system, Comp Cam custom grind, Aluminum water pump, stainless steel roller rockers, aluminum heads, Cloyes timing chain, Melling H- Duty pump, ARP hardened pump shaft, Hardened comp cams pushrods, comp cams roller lifters, MSD ignition, MSD Coil, MSD distributor, Dougs Headers - coated, Professional Products 50 oz dampner, Aluminum radiator, natural finish 120 Powermaster alt, March pulleys and a killer set of F.E. Valve covers.

    I want it to be a raspy little screamer that will growl with the big blocks and fry the crap out of those tires. For those of you that know me well your probably thinking I would have done a blower car or a big block. PSYCHED ya out. It'll be a great engine build.

    I will build the tride and true Ford AOD for the car with a B&M shift kit. Very straight forward and matter of fact. It will have a driveable torque converter in it.

    I will build a killer suspension that will be roughly based on the original front design but will have Ride Tech Shockwaves to drop the hell out of this thing. I know its not totally traditional guys but its old & new, ill make it cool, you'll see. The Ride Tech shockwaves never really drop the front enough so im gonna work on some custom A-arms to get the front down lower, no lower, lower, perfect.........Out back right now the plan is to remove all of the rear suspension and run a triangulated 4 link with Shockwaves.

    I will build a Ford 9 inch with 3.89 rear gears or so. Im not sure what wheels to go with yet. I would like to get some 7" wide wheels on the front and depending on the amount of rear sheet metal work I will need to do, 10" wide in the back. I really dont want to relocate the rear frame rails and relay the trunk floor, very time consuming. Though a mini tub and trimmed and reinforced frame is surely an option at this point.

    I'm going to rewire the car with a Painless kit.

    For the brakes I will put Wilwood on all 4 corners.

    There will be a new RCI fuel injection fuel cell going in as well.

    For the steering i'm gonna drop in a Total controll rack in the car. Non power. I want to keep all but the alternator off the front of the motor, no power pump.

    Thats what i'm thinking so far guys, I'm gonna roll over to the body shop tomorrow and grab some pics of the car in progress. I'll post em then.

    Total Perf-
     
  15. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    By the way.....I had that whole thing above typed and my friggin fingers hit the refresh button and guess what..........yep...........gonzo.........dammit! Anyway, im going home now.........
     
  16. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 1/2 months till completion


    When I got over to the body shop the camera batt was dead. I've been taking a ton of pics of the build so far. I'll get some on there very soon. They're stripping it panel by panel at this point. Cool!

    Total Perf-
     
  17. mattrod68
    Joined: Jan 22, 2007
    Posts: 517

    mattrod68
    Member

    I stopped by the body shop earlier today. Cant even recognize Psyclone. Gonna be a show stopper when it's done.
     
  18. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal


    Thanks a ton man, I appreciate all of your time and insight.

    For everyone who's following, Matt has a shop across the complex from me and the poor guy has been asked to crawl under, around and all over the car for me to ask his opinion. There will be a bit of him in PSYCLONE as well. Thanks for all the input man.
     
  19. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 1/2 months till completion



    Here are the pics that I had promised;

    Total Perf-
     

    Attached Files:

  20. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 1/2 months till completion


    What I was doing over the week was trying to secure a solid engine for the PSYCLONE. Just so happens I found one that is still attatched to its AOD trans from a H.O. 5.0 Mustang. Perfect! Here are a few shot of this greasy mess. Now its time to tear it down and send it off to the hot tank and Mag.

    So from This ole' 260 C.I....



    Total Perf-
     

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  21. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 1/2 months till completion

    To This.....

    Not much to look at now but trust me. I'll make it awesome!

    Total Perf-
     

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  22. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 1/2 months till completion


    The H.O. 5.0 is pulled down and has went to the machine shop. I should be able to get going on the rebuild by this weekend. Hoping that I have the parts by then. National Parts Warehouse, my supplier is really lagging though when it comes to getting the parts I need. Im probably going to go to SUMMIT Racing. There always really fast and good with sending the correct stuff. On the parts list is;

    Forged short block assembly,(Inglese) 8 port (elect) injected forged 331 C.I. roller Ford with a FAST engine management system, Comp Cam custom grind, Aluminum water pump, stainless steel roller rockers, aluminum heads, Cloyes timing chain, Melling H- Duty pump, ARP hardened pump shaft, Hardened comp cams pushrods, comp cams roller lifters, MSD ignition, MSD Coil, MSD distributor, Dougs Headers - coated, Professional Products 50 oz dampner, Aluminum radiator, natural finish 120 Powermaster alt, March pulleys ....

    Get out the check book.

    Im also ordering the stuff for the AOD from B&M and Performance Automatic. If that comes first i'll do the trans rebuild first.

    Its a race!!
     
  23. mattrod68
    Joined: Jan 22, 2007
    Posts: 517

    mattrod68
    Member

    just keep your fingers crossed and repeat "the sponsers will kick inat some point, the sponsers will kick in at some point"
     
  24. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    I'll try the repeating thing. I had to add up some reciepts today and, well, OUCH.

    Total Perf-
     
  25. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 1/2 months till completion


    O.K.-
     
  26. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Oops, sorry I pre-posted. Anyways, I've got the block back from the Machine shop. The little block checked out OK and is ready for my personal once over before I start to assemble it. I usually go over all of the mounting serfaces and bearing areas to make sure all of those areas are good. I'll be checking out all of the tolerances and making sure the cleaning and reaming of the oil drain back areas I did before I sent it off are good. So that's what I'm going to do. Here are some pics of the process.
     

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  27. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 months till completion

    Had some issues with the Clevite bearings once I put the crank in. It was a bit to much drag as I rotated the crank. That thing should be very effortless when it rotates. Made sure I put the bearings in the correct way, yep , good there. Ruled out and issues with the crank journals. So I had to get some new bearings sent over. There went three days on the build.... Just got them late today. I'll drop them in tomorrow.

    Total Perf-
     
  28. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Heres a teaser guys for the PSYCLONE powerplant. More pics to come. If this doesn't say old meets new I don't know what does. This thing is sweet! Gotta love 8-port injection!
     

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  29. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    By the way;

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 months till completion
     
  30. Total Performance
    Joined: Jan 4, 2011
    Posts: 1,496

    Total Performance
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Sema Deadline 10-1-2011

    Dateline 7 months till completion

    The car is getting ever so much closer to being out of the shop. It looks great, though the guys wish they could have a bit more time to do some extra stuff. The way things look though i'm goung to need the car back to get rolling again.

    The engine short block is together. The bearings seemed to have machine flaws in them. Though my supplier didn't want to replece them so I just pomied up for new. I stayed with Clevite because they are a great company. Everyone has an off production issue now and then. The new bearings went in perfect. Now its time for heads and the rest of the top end. I'll post picks of that process too as I decide, so very soon.

    The trans and B&M kit went together great. It was a very straight forward rebuild. Luckily I had a good low mileage doner.

    Here is the actual manifold I will be placing on PSYCLONE. I LOVE IT AND CAN'T WAIT!
     

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