RPM PROJECT CAR 1
1 & 2: There’s obviously a LONG way to go, but it is a beautiful sight to see our ’Stang up on the lift in our very own shop. The first o der of business was to take inventory of all that is left to be done before we can coat the chassis.
PART 28 >>After three years, six shops, and more than 4,000 miles in the back of various trailers, Project aPocalypSe Horse heads back to the RPM Garage
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august 2016 | RPM Magazine
HOME AT LAST story by
L
ocation, location, location. Whether you are in real estate or building a wild full-custom street machine, there is something to be said for exactly where
things are happening. And after an oftentimes tumultuous series of shop changes and altered plans, we are thrilled to say that our project Mustang has at long last arrived in our stable at
the Nucor Steel RPM Hardcore Horsepower Garage. If you followed along last month, you’ll recall that the Horse had been parked in a local shop to finish up some
Toby Brooks
fabrication work prior to chassis coating, wiring, and plumbing. Unfortunately, our budget didn’t allow for a longer stay, so we made the tough decision to bring the car home. It wasn’t an
RPM PROJECT CAR 1
1 & 2: There’s obviously a LONG way to go, but it is a beautiful sight to see our ’Stang up on the lift in our very own shop. The first o der of business was to take inventory of all that is left to be done before we can coat the chassis.
PART 28 >>After three years, six shops, and more than 4,000 miles in the back of various trailers, Project aPocalypSe Horse heads back to the RPM Garage
106
august 2016 | RPM Magazine
HOME AT LAST story by
L
ocation, location, location. Whether you are in real estate or building a wild full-custom street machine, there is something to be said for exactly where
things are happening. And after an oftentimes tumultuous series of shop changes and altered plans, we are thrilled to say that our project Mustang has at long last arrived in our stable at
the Nucor Steel RPM Hardcore Horsepower Garage. If you followed along last month, you’ll recall that the Horse had been parked in a local shop to finish up some
Toby Brooks
fabrication work prior to chassis coating, wiring, and plumbing. Unfortunately, our budget didn’t allow for a longer stay, so we made the tough decision to bring the car home. It wasn’t an
2
3 & 4: After yanking the Kaase Boss Nine engine out, we started to prep it for coating by pulling the valve covers, water pump, and motor plate then masking it all off. We’ll be using a custom-mixed KG Coatings high temp resistant color on the block and heads, which will be incredibly durable and should look cool, too.
3
4 easy call, but after having the car here for just a few days, we knew we had made the right choice. Our first task was to pull the engine and get it ready for coating. Like the chassis and many underhood components, we will be using a specially formulated coating from KG Coatings on the engine block and cylinder heads. We sent the Supercharger Store dual ProCharger gear drive off or anodizing and a gear swap and will hopefully be able to reunite the engine, intake manifold, and supercharger drive next month—hopefully with a little color and style. Meanwhile, a number of items were never completed at
the chassis shop, so we decided to get started trying to get them installed prior to chassis coating, too. First, a couple of tabs and brackets had been installed to mount a throttle pedal, brake pedal, and an under-seat mounted master cylinder. We had discovered that none of those provisions would work, so we had to remove the brackets and clean up the bars where they had been welded. Our master cylinder required special attention. We had initially planned to run a single 1 1/4-inch bore polished aluminum master cylinder from Tuff tuff. However, as we were preparing to plumb the brake lines to
our Baer Brakes SS4+ Deep Stage system, we realized that the 4-piston, six caliper setup wasn’t going to work with a non-boosted single master cylinder. Our engine will create zero vacuum, so a standard booster was out. At the same time, the dual frame rail chassis left o room for a power steering pump to be mounted to power a hydroboost hydraulic setup, so electric assist or manual brakes were our only options. After looking at the price and reading up on the mixed reviews concerning electric assist, we knew it wasn’t an option, so manual brakes were our only choice. Unfortunately, we had already discovered
www.rpm-mag.com | august 2016
107
RPM PROJECT CAR 5
5: We started with the factory dash (bottom) that had already been clearanced to fit and measured out and marked the midline. The Hairy Glass fi erglass replacement dash has a similar shape but the corners in particular were slightly diffe ent from our factory piece, so using the midline helped ensure proper placement of the paper template we were going to make. 6: Using a piece of low-tack 12-inch wide graphics tape, we traced out the cutlines using a marker. We then transferred the paper over to the Hairy Glass unit and made our cuts using an angle grinder with a cut-off wheel and a small Dremel wheel for the corners.
6
that a single master cylinder simply wouldn’t adequately actuate 32 pistons on our dual rear caliper/single front caliper setup. Seemingly out of options, we asked around. Good friend George Norvich of Norovich’s Custom Pro Street Cars suggested a dual master cylinder pedal available at most any speed shop. The dual setup allows
appropriate bore sizing to properly actuate the four calipers out back (1 inch) and the two up front (7/8-inch), and the adjustable balance bar eliminates the need for a proportioning valve. It was exactly what we needed. Before we could mount the pedal assembly, though, we needed to fit and mount the Hairy Glass fiberglass 2005-
2009 Mustang dash. We started with the factory dash first and created a paper template to transfer the cage provision cutouts over to the new dash. After what seemed like a few hundred trial fits, removal, trimming, and trying to fit again, our dash fit perfectly. The Hairy Glass dash served a number of purposes, but in all it was a fantastic solution
www.rpm-mag.com | august 2016
109
8
RPM PROJECT CAR 7
9 7 & 8: Here, you can see one of our problems: the factory dash was designed for a large squared-off trim that surrounded the factory steering column. However, with our race-style 1-inch O.D. steering column, we were left with a gaping hole in the dash that loosely resembled Mickey Mouse.
110
august 2016 | RPM Magazine
9: Further complicating things, the factory gauge cluster panel also didn’t leave a clean option for mounting our high definition LCD gauge panel from Zada Tech. Although we probably could have fabricated a replacement filler panel to band-aid the problem, the lightweight and more spacious fi erglass dash from Hairy Glass was a sleeker fix
RPM PROJECT CAR 10
11 10 & 11: Probably the hardest part of the whole install was figuring out whe e the fabricated steering column opening needed to be cut. We used the factory dash to determine the approximate intersection point, then cut it out using a hole saw. After filing it a bit versize with a round fil , it was ready for fitment
112
august 2016 | RPM Magazine
12 13 & 14: The dash was installed and removed a few hundred times (give or take) in order to get the fit just right. Unlike the factory piece with provisions for the fusebox, our Hairy Glass piece was smooth and clean.
12: We discovered that the throttle pedal provision that had been fabricated onto the trans tunnel wasn’t going to work, and the under-seat master cylinder provision wasn’t, either. As a result, we had to cut out the only two pieces of tinwork that had actually been installed in the car along with the mounting brackets that had been welded in place.
13
to several problems we had in the dash area. First, obviously the unit is much more lightweight (just 3 pounds) than our factory dash (35 pounds). Also, the small diameter fabricated steering column would look somewhat silly poking through the large square
opening in the factory piece, and the stock gauge provisions weren’t going to work with the Zada Tech LCD panel we will be using. However, most importantly for our application, we needed the room. We will be installing the dual master cylinder
14
F-3X NEW ES CX F-3 W D N E RODU C PS! PE U H + O 0 P ,500+ HP ! 3R 3,50
(913) 338-2886 • www.procharger.com (913) 338-2886 • www.procharger.com
Our industry-leading, extremely rugged superchargers have helped customers win more Our industry-leading, extremely rugged superchargers have helped customers win more records and championships over the past 15 years than every direct competitor combined. www.rpm-mag.com | august records and championships over the past 15 years than every direct competitor combined. No matter your class of choice, call us today to take your racing and winning to the next level. No matter your class of choice, call us today to take your racing and winning to the next level.
2016 113
RPM PROJECT CAR 15: The dual master cylinder brake pedal and the DC Electronics electric power steering assist are now ready for install. 16: We will be installing the plumbing for the braking system with parts from Fragola next month, too.
15
16
114
august 2016 | RPM Magazine
pedal along with an electric power steering assist from DC Electronics. Neither of these components would have fit beneath the considerable under structure of the factory dash, so the ’glass unit was undoubtedly the way to go. With the dash loosely fit, we are now ready to fabricate the mounts for it along with the brake pedal/master cylinder and the electric power steering assist. While we are at it, we will also try and weld in the missing seat belt tabs, wheelie bar mount, and possibly even rework some of the front bars and begin plumbing the brakes with components from Fragola Performance Systems. Then we will try and get the car certified and then be ready for coating at long last. The good news is all of that is now under our control. With some luck and a lot of hard work, this pony just might start galloping soon. Stay tuned!
SOURCES Hairy Glass www.hairyglass.com 904.751.3459
KG Industries/Gun Kote www.kgcoatings.com calvin@kgcoatings.com
Zada Tech www.zada-tech.com info@zada-tech.com
DC Electronics www.dcelectronics.co.uk 704.230.4649
Fragola Performance Systems www.fragolaperformancesystems.com 866.337.2739
2
3 & 4: After yanking the Kaase Boss Nine engine out, we started to prep it for coating by pulling the valve covers, water pump, and motor plate then masking it all off. We’ll be using a custom-mixed KG Coatings high temp resistant color on the block and heads, which will be incredibly durable and should look cool, too.
3
4 easy call, but after having the car here for just a few days, we knew we had made the right choice. Our first task was to pull the engine and get it ready for coating. Like the chassis and many underhood components, we will be using a specially formulated coating from KG Coatings on the engine block and cylinder heads. We sent the Supercharger Store dual ProCharger gear drive off or anodizing and a gear swap and will hopefully be able to reunite the engine, intake manifold, and supercharger drive next month—hopefully with a little color and style. Meanwhile, a number of items were never completed at
the chassis shop, so we decided to get started trying to get them installed prior to chassis coating, too. First, a couple of tabs and brackets had been installed to mount a throttle pedal, brake pedal, and an under-seat mounted master cylinder. We had discovered that none of those provisions would work, so we had to remove the brackets and clean up the bars where they had been welded. Our master cylinder required special attention. We had initially planned to run a single 1 1/4-inch bore polished aluminum master cylinder from Tuff tuff. However, as we were preparing to plumb the brake lines to
our Baer Brakes SS4+ Deep Stage system, we realized that the 4-piston, six caliper setup wasn’t going to work with a non-boosted single master cylinder. Our engine will create zero vacuum, so a standard booster was out. At the same time, the dual frame rail chassis left o room for a power steering pump to be mounted to power a hydroboost hydraulic setup, so electric assist or manual brakes were our only options. After looking at the price and reading up on the mixed reviews concerning electric assist, we knew it wasn’t an option, so manual brakes were our only choice. Unfortunately, we had already discovered
www.rpm-mag.com | august 2016
107
RPM PROJECT CAR 5
5: We started with the factory dash (bottom) that had already been clearanced to fit and measured out and marked the midline. The Hairy Glass fi erglass replacement dash has a similar shape but the corners in particular were slightly diffe ent from our factory piece, so using the midline helped ensure proper placement of the paper template we were going to make. 6: Using a piece of low-tack 12-inch wide graphics tape, we traced out the cutlines using a marker. We then transferred the paper over to the Hairy Glass unit and made our cuts using an angle grinder with a cut-off wheel and a small Dremel wheel for the corners.
6
that a single master cylinder simply wouldn’t adequately actuate 32 pistons on our dual rear caliper/single front caliper setup. Seemingly out of options, we asked around. Good friend George Norvich of Norovich’s Custom Pro Street Cars suggested a dual master cylinder pedal available at most any speed shop. The dual setup allows
appropriate bore sizing to properly actuate the four calipers out back (1 inch) and the two up front (7/8-inch), and the adjustable balance bar eliminates the need for a proportioning valve. It was exactly what we needed. Before we could mount the pedal assembly, though, we needed to fit and mount the Hairy Glass fiberglass 2005-
2009 Mustang dash. We started with the factory dash first and created a paper template to transfer the cage provision cutouts over to the new dash. After what seemed like a few hundred trial fits, removal, trimming, and trying to fit again, our dash fit perfectly. The Hairy Glass dash served a number of purposes, but in all it was a fantastic solution
www.rpm-mag.com | august 2016
109
8
RPM PROJECT CAR 7
9 7 & 8: Here, you can see one of our problems: the factory dash was designed for a large squared-off trim that surrounded the factory steering column. However, with our race-style 1-inch O.D. steering column, we were left with a gaping hole in the dash that loosely resembled Mickey Mouse.
110
august 2016 | RPM Magazine
9: Further complicating things, the factory gauge cluster panel also didn’t leave a clean option for mounting our high definition LCD gauge panel from Zada Tech. Although we probably could have fabricated a replacement filler panel to band-aid the problem, the lightweight and more spacious fi erglass dash from Hairy Glass was a sleeker fix
RPM PROJECT CAR 10
11 10 & 11: Probably the hardest part of the whole install was figuring out whe e the fabricated steering column opening needed to be cut. We used the factory dash to determine the approximate intersection point, then cut it out using a hole saw. After filing it a bit versize with a round fil , it was ready for fitment
112
august 2016 | RPM Magazine
12 13 & 14: The dash was installed and removed a few hundred times (give or take) in order to get the fit just right. Unlike the factory piece with provisions for the fusebox, our Hairy Glass piece was smooth and clean.
12: We discovered that the throttle pedal provision that had been fabricated onto the trans tunnel wasn’t going to work, and the under-seat master cylinder provision wasn’t, either. As a result, we had to cut out the only two pieces of tinwork that had actually been installed in the car along with the mounting brackets that had been welded in place.
13
to several problems we had in the dash area. First, obviously the unit is much more lightweight (just 3 pounds) than our factory dash (35 pounds). Also, the small diameter fabricated steering column would look somewhat silly poking through the large square
opening in the factory piece, and the stock gauge provisions weren’t going to work with the Zada Tech LCD panel we will be using. However, most importantly for our application, we needed the room. We will be installing the dual master cylinder
14
F-3X NEW ES CX F-3 W D N E RODU C PS! PE U H + O 0 P ,500+ HP ! 3R 3,50
(913) 338-2886 • www.procharger.com (913) 338-2886 • www.procharger.com
Our industry-leading, extremely rugged superchargers have helped customers win more Our industry-leading, extremely rugged superchargers have helped customers win more records and championships over the past 15 years than every direct competitor combined. www.rpm-mag.com | august records and championships over the past 15 years than every direct competitor combined. No matter your class of choice, call us today to take your racing and winning to the next level. No matter your class of choice, call us today to take your racing and winning to the next level.
2016 113
RPM PROJECT CAR 15: The dual master cylinder brake pedal and the DC Electronics electric power steering assist are now ready for install. 16: We will be installing the plumbing for the braking system with parts from Fragola next month, too.
15
16
114
august 2016 | RPM Magazine
pedal along with an electric power steering assist from DC Electronics. Neither of these components would have fit beneath the considerable under structure of the factory dash, so the ’glass unit was undoubtedly the way to go. With the dash loosely fit, we are now ready to fabricate the mounts for it along with the brake pedal/master cylinder and the electric power steering assist. While we are at it, we will also try and weld in the missing seat belt tabs, wheelie bar mount, and possibly even rework some of the front bars and begin plumbing the brakes with components from Fragola Performance Systems. Then we will try and get the car certified and then be ready for coating at long last. The good news is all of that is now under our control. With some luck and a lot of hard work, this pony just might start galloping soon. Stay tuned!
SOURCES Hairy Glass www.hairyglass.com 904.751.3459
KG Industries/Gun Kote www.kgcoatings.com calvin@kgcoatings.com
Zada Tech www.zada-tech.com info@zada-tech.com
DC Electronics www.dcelectronics.co.uk 704.230.4649
Fragola Performance Systems www.fragolaperformancesystems.com 866.337.2739