Punky Manor - Vintage Stock Car - Tribute Build

Engine - The main challenge of the build ($$$)

When I first acquired the Torino race car, I discovered that I had a lot to learn about working on vintage Fords. I have owned and worked on a wide variety of cars and trucks over the years, but I hadn't worked on many Fords at all.

I knew some of the basics, like cubic inch engine sizes that Ford had produced over the years, but couldn't tell the differences by looking at them. Over the past few years I have come to know a bit more than I used to, especially about the big block configurations.

When I first started looking into an engine for the Torino Tribute build, I looked at the FE series engines, the 428, 427, even the 390. What I found was that those engines are quite sought after, and because of that they are fairly expensive.

I then turned to the 385 series big block, the 429 and 460 cu. in. engines. When I started asking around the Ford groups they suggested looking for a marine engine. Their point was that if I found and used a good vintage car engine in my race car, someone else might be looking for a numbers matching engine for a restoration project. 

With that in mind, I started searching for Ford 460 marine engines. I guess I should explain how I got to the point where I now own two boat motors. 

Back in January 2017, I purchase a Hardin Marine 460 cubic inch - 320 horsepower engine from a fellow up in Dassel, MN. I bought it for under $500 and sold enough of the extra parts to more than pay for the engine.

Below are some photos from the first purchase.

   

For the most part, the Hardin Marine engine has been sitting on the engine stand since I tore it down to the short block assembly. I started adding up the cost of the parts to rebuild the motor and it seemed like it would take me quite a while to save up and invest that much money.

I then decided if I wanted to speed the overall timeline up, I needed to find a running engine that required minimal time and investment to be ready to race. I made a random Craigslist search in the Rochester, MN area and came across an OMC King Cobra 460 cubic inch, 345 h.p. engine that had been built-up and could be heard running.

The funniest thing was, that I had plans to run down to an IMCA Old Timers gathering in Rochester a few days after I called and checked on the engine. The old boy on the other end of the line said he was planning on being at that same get-together and we could meet there. 

Below is a picture of the King Cobra 460 as it was released by OMC.

And below is a picture of the actual engine that I ended up purchasing. Directly behind it is a Ford 427 side-oiler Nascar engine (that I really couldn't afford).

Although the engine is in running condition, it needs to have a little work done before it can go into the Torino. The timing cover and water pump are specific to the marine application and will need to be replaced by stock ford parts. The cover plate for the bellhousing is also specific to the marine drive unit and will also need to be replaced.

The engine has been rebuilt by a company in Long Lake, MN that specializes in high performance marine engines, and has had a few updates done to it. The original 780 vacuum secondary Holley Carburetor has been replaced by an 850 Holley double pumper. The original intake has been updated to a Blue Thunder hi-rise.

My plan is to give the engine a makeover in order to get it to look more like a 1970's 429 cubic inch car engine. I will be painting the entire engine Old Ford blue. I have a set of re-chromed valve covers that will be replacing the finned aluminum OMC set. A larger chrome Ford style air cleaner will be going on top. And I also need to swap the existing oil pan over to the front sump version that fits the Torino. I have already purchased factory alternator and power steering brackets and will be installing them once the new timing cover has been updated.

After getting the "new" engine home, I decided that it would be a good idea to build a test-run stand for it. I thought it would make the most sense to wire all the components that will end up being installed in the race car on the stand, where everything is easier to access. Once I have everything working, I can just transfer it all into the Torino.

Below is an example of one of the stands I am using for a reference...

Hopefully I can show the test-run engine stand and some of the engine makeover process in the next post. Until then, take care!

Punky Manor - Vintage Stock Car - Tribute Build

Cabin Fever - Waiting for warm weather...

Back in late October the cold and snow blew into Minnesota. It came up on us so fast that I didn't even get the leaves raked before they were frozen in place. So the Torino build more or less got put on the back burner. I put the body panels in the shed and made room in the garage for the snowblower and the wife's SUV.

The good news is that I pretty much have all the body panel prep work completed. I have most of the parts for the engine/transmission assembly needed to test fit and check ride height.

The quick change is pretty much ready to bolt in once I pick up about $1000 worth of additional parts. I need to purchase upper and lower control arms, axles, and shocks before I can install the rear end.

So that leaves me with the dilemma of what to do on the race car while it is too cold to work outside. I have purchased a few more small items that are needed for the build. Recently, I ordered a period correct steering wheel and the last of the decals I will need to complete the paint work.

Mostly I am in the final planning stage before I start the actual build. I am a visual person by nature, so I do a lot of sketches that also have a few notes included. The visual part of this process for me is much easier to recall than just a bunch of words/lists on a page.

Here are a few of the pages I have made over the past few months:

Quick Change - Coil Perch Location

Rear End Mount Location Jig

Radiator Support and Hood Hold-down

Sheet Metal Welding Clamp

Shifter Linkage Bushing

Transmission - Shifter - Bellhousing

Front End Sheet Metal Work

Calculating Total Weight for Ride Height

As soon as the temps start to rise and the snow is melted away, the real fun begins. I am hoping to actually move the Torino to my home garage where I can actually start on the build. I am trying to decide if that journey should included a stop at the local sandblasting shop for some clean up.

Until next time, take care! 

Punky Manor - Vintage Stock Car - Tribute Build

Frankland Racing - Quick Change Rear End

The Torino that I traded for the Tribute build came equipped with a stock 9" Ford rear differential (shown below). This rear end would have probably been adequate for what I am going to do with the car, but Punky had a quick change rear end in his Torino, and I want to match it as close as possible.

Back in 1947, Jim Frankland designed a rear end for racing that would allow a way for the racer to quickly adapt the gear ratio to match the conditions of the track. Thus Frankland Racing Supply was born. 

All that was required to change the gear ratio was to remove 6 bolts from the back cover and swap gear sets. It also required draining and refilling a small amount of gear lube which is separate from the main reservoir.

Many dirt track racers in the 1970's (including Punky) were using these rear end differentials in the Late Model class.

I kept my eyes open and found a few quick changes online that might have worked. The price range was from $2000 - $3000 for a new one, to $500-$800 for a used unit. I was out on FaceBook a while back and someone posted an image of a Frankland that they were looking to sell. He said he would let it go for $250 and I jumped at the chance to go pick it up.

Back in May of 2018 I ended up driving down to Springfield, MO to pick up the Frankland. Apparently it had been used in a sprint car, so the center section had been offset to the left quite a bit. 

 The first thing I did was to build a stand to hold the rear end while I tore it down.

Then I soda blasted the center section.

Next up, fitting and installation of symmetrical length axle tubes, and replacement of all hardware to grade 8 fasteners.

For a few different reasons, I decided to pick up a donor rear end to get the required Ford 4-link mounting brackets to transplant onto the quick change. The main reason is that I don't have the race car at my shop yet. A second reason is that I thought that it might be a good idea to have an additional rear end around in case something breaks in the future.

So I went out to the "local" restoration auto yard and picked up a 1972 Mercury Montego 9" housing. 

Then went through the fairly complex process of cutting off all brackets (after building a jig to hold them in their factory locations), and then welding them onto the quick change.

The Frankland Quick Change is now almost ready to install in the Torino Tribute. I still need to purchase new Spohn brand upper and lower control arms ($450.00), cut-to-length axles with pressed on bearings ($300), rear disc brake conversion kit ($280), and a few other additional parts.

My next little project is to get the final exterior body panels ready for replacement. Take care until next time!

Punky Manor - Vintage Stock Car - Tribute Build

Headlights - Who Needs Them - Part 2

In my last post I discussed how to fill out the raised portion of the headlight buckets. I also pointed out the gaps that were present in the headlight and fender extension area. This post will cover what I did to cover the voids created when the stock chrome light bezel is not used.

Once again I made a paper pattern using white poster board. I then scanned the white pattern into my computer and created an outline file using a program from Adobe called Illustrator. I used the outline file that I created to cut a 16 gauge sheet metal flat blank. Once the blank was cut I used various diameters of steel tubing, channel stock, and small vise grips to hand form the sheet metal to match the headlight openings.
  

I added small tabs (shown below) that could be wrapped around the backside of the steel headlight frames. These will be tack welded in place once the final fit has been established.

Here is the new "roll formed" steel filler fit to the upper valance panel and headlight frame.

In the photo below, I have inserted the aluminum headlight cover. Once the front valance assembly has been mounted to the front fenders, and final fit is set, I will rivet the headlight covers in place.

Here is the front upper valance panel and fender extension assembly. I am still in the process of designing the grille that will eventually be installed. I am thinking of using a wide wire rod mesh in the grille area with finer mesh or screen in front of the coarse mesh.

The last time I had a good look at the old Torino front end, I discovered that the radiator support was in pretty rough shape. It appears that someone cut off the end of the passenger side of the support. It also looks like they pulled out the body bushing mount hardware and welded the radiator support directly to the frame rails.

So I did a little search and found a radiator support on a junked 1972 Torino over near Willmar, MN (about 2 1/2 hour drive each direction from home). The Gran Torino front end was changed dramatically in 1973, so I was limited to a 1972 Gran Torino only.

It took a little work, but I got the support pulled out of the old green Torino. I was also able to get all the mounting bracket that I will need to mount the headlight assembly to the rest of the car.

After taking several photographs, I stripped all of the brackets off and took the part to a local sand blaster and got it cleaned up to raw steel again.

After returning from the sand blasting shop the support got a couple coats of self-etching metal primer.

Finally a couple coats of black VHT Roll Bar and Chassis paint were applied.

Next up I think I will cover the progress I have made on the Frankland Quick Change rear end. I have spent a few months and a couple dollars getting the rear end ready to go in the Tribute Torino. Take care for now.