North American Turbocoupe Organization



88 TC Restoration
anasazi4st Offline
Senior Member
#11
(03-30-2021, 06:34 PM)88chickentc Wrote: Had a good morning working on the frame this morning.  If I didn't get it right, it's too late to turnback now.  

I verified my measurements, and proceeded to burn all the spotwelds from the new rail to the body, strut tower, and radiator supports.  I'm very happy with the quality of this kit from Fox Rails.  If any of you guys are in a similar spot but are afraid of the welding, I'm guessing that if you buy the parts yourself, disassemble as much as you can, you could find someone to do the structural work for $1500-2000.  Not saying that's cheap, but thought I'd throw it out there.  

This first shot is to show you the crush tubes mounted inside the frame.  The kit closely matches the factory set-up.  The crush tubes are fully welded to a 12 ga plate, and then that is spotwelded to the 14 ga frame rail.  It's pretty stout.  My next head scratcher is figuring out the best way to weld the top of the crush tubes to the horizontal top plate that rests inside the strut tower.  I might need to auger out the holes in the top plate 1/8" in some spots to get at clear shot at the crush tubes.  You can also see my spotwelds through the rail and into the strut tower flanges.  I'm no engineer, but I'm thinking these are critical for strength.  You'll also notice the burn marks from the welds I did inside the engine compt through the rail and into the body of the strut tower.  


The other shots are from the engine compartment side.  You can see the spot weld locations.  I had to add to my clamp collection to make this work.  The U-clamps from HF were critical for getting a good fit into the firewall bracket at the back of the rail.  Standard c-clamps did not have a deep enough throat.


Next up is welding the top plates in, fixing the rust on the rad support, and then a front steering/suspension refresh.  

That’s a really nice setup you have there. If you don’t mind me asking, that looks like a commercial garage. How are you able to work in there, are you paying for a “bay” for your work?

I’m curious, because we had a “DIY” place like that here and it was forced to shut down, owner said the insurance cost was killing him. It’d be great to have an off-site place to be able to get your work done, free of family and other distractions, especially if it was inexpensive or, better still, free.
Another proud dues-paying member.

1987 Turbo Coupe w/T5OD, 8.8 axle, grey smoke; most options. Got it in 1991 with 41K miles: 3 turbos, 2 heater cores, 3 T5OD full rebuilds, 6 clutches, 1 head gasket, 2 Teves II ABS units, etc. later....
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88chickentc Offline
Member
#12
Slowly making progress.  Here's a somewhat recent pic after the sway bar bracket install and strut tower repair.  I've repaired the radiator support rust since this.  Now I'm reinstalling the front suspension so I can push it outside, powerwash it, coat the frame rail internals, and paint the engine bay.


Attached Files Image(s)
   
1931 Deluxe Coupe
1949 Club Coupe
1951 F-1
1971 Torino GT Convertible
1988 Thunderbird Turbocoupe
Mikey97D likes this post
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Kuch Offline
Senior Member
#13
Impressive work 88! What are you coating the inner frame rails with?
1988 Turbo Coupe, Black/Black, 5 Speed, Moonroof,  T3/T4, ported E6, 255LPH, Kirban, Stinger Exhaust, MGW shifter, K&N, Gillis valve, BP1.5, PIMPx, Koni's
1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL, 390 6V, Big Solid cam, Headers,3.89's, 4 Speed, Vast and fast
1960 Ford Starliner, 292 Y Block, 312 4bbl intake, headers, 3 Speed, slow and low
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88chickentc Offline
Member
#14
(05-25-2021, 11:27 AM)Kuch Wrote: Impressive work 88! What are you coating the inner frame rails with?

Eastwood makes an internal frame coating.  It comes with an 18" hose you can insert inside the rail.  I used it on my Torino, too.  I hope it works, but I don't plan to drive my projects during winter, so they should be OK.
1931 Deluxe Coupe
1949 Club Coupe
1951 F-1
1971 Torino GT Convertible
1988 Thunderbird Turbocoupe
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Kuch Offline
Senior Member
#15
Nice, I like Eastwoods stuff
1988 Turbo Coupe, Black/Black, 5 Speed, Moonroof,  T3/T4, ported E6, 255LPH, Kirban, Stinger Exhaust, MGW shifter, K&N, Gillis valve, BP1.5, PIMPx, Koni's
1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL, 390 6V, Big Solid cam, Headers,3.89's, 4 Speed, Vast and fast
1960 Ford Starliner, 292 Y Block, 312 4bbl intake, headers, 3 Speed, slow and low
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88chickentc Offline
Member
#16
There's always some new hurdle.  I bought a 10:1 Lares rack from LMR.  One of the metal external hydraulic lines was kinked so bad, I do not think it will flow well. Neither Lares nor LMR can provide me a good replacement line; both want me to return the entire rack.  The flare on the end is different than a brake line.  Does anyone know what this type is called?  I don't think it'd be too hard to replace with the right tools.  However, the local hydraulics company I talked to said they won't do it--no automotive work.  This should be pretty easy to fix if you know the right things to say or questions to ask.  So I'd appreciate any information you can provide to get me going in the right direction.


Attached Files Image(s)
   
1931 Deluxe Coupe
1949 Club Coupe
1951 F-1
1971 Torino GT Convertible
1988 Thunderbird Turbocoupe
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Jeff K Offline
Administrator
#17
Maybe head to the local junk yard and pull a "new" line off a FOX Tbird or FOX Mustang?
Jeff Korn

88 Turbo Coupe: Intake and exhaust mods, T3 turbo at 24 psi, forced air IC, water injection, BPV, Ranger cam, subframes, etc., etc.
86 Tbird 5.0 (original owner): intake, exhaust, valvetrain mods, 100 HP N2O, ignition, gears, suspension, etc., etc.
11 Crown Vic Interceptor
14 Toyota Camry (wifes car)
95 Taurus GL Vulcan winter beater
67 Honda 450 Super Sport - completely customized
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anasazi4st Offline
Senior Member
#18
(06-10-2021, 03:51 PM)88chickentc Wrote: There's always some new hurdle.  I bought a 10:1 Lares rack from LMR.  One of the metal external hydraulic lines was kinked so bad, I do not think it will flow well. Neither Lares nor LMR can provide me a good replacement line; both want me to return the entire rack.  The flare on the end is different than a brake line.  Does anyone know what this type is called?  I don't think it'd be too hard to replace with the right tools.  However, the local hydraulics company I talked to said they won't do it--no automotive work.  This should be pretty easy to fix if you know the right things to say or questions to ask.  So I'd appreciate any information you can provide to get me going in the right direction.

I looked in Ford’s Shop Manual, Volume B Part 1. Ford just calls that a High Pressure Line, nothing else specific. You are correct in that it is much different than a brake line fitting.

I’d bet that NAPA or even Rock Auto might have a replacement part. The problem is, since it is a high pressure line, I’d think hardly anyone other than a machine shop would have the necessary tools to attach that fitting properly. Jeff’s suggestion is probably the best choice.
Another proud dues-paying member.

1987 Turbo Coupe w/T5OD, 8.8 axle, grey smoke; most options. Got it in 1991 with 41K miles: 3 turbos, 2 heater cores, 3 T5OD full rebuilds, 6 clutches, 1 head gasket, 2 Teves II ABS units, etc. later....
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88chickentc Offline
Member
#19
Sorry for going silent on you.  I'm working more this summer than I expected.  More parts I suppose, but no time to install them.

So, I got the bulk of the suspension on, pressure washed the Bird, and painted the engine compartment satin black.  It looks pretty good, I think.  Now I'm going to start replumbing the brakes.  After that, I'll drop the engine and tranny in to see if I can get her to work.


Attached Files Image(s)
   
1931 Deluxe Coupe
1949 Club Coupe
1951 F-1
1971 Torino GT Convertible
1988 Thunderbird Turbocoupe
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88chickentc Offline
Member
#20
(06-14-2021, 08:49 AM)anasazi4st Wrote:
(06-10-2021, 03:51 PM)88chickentc Wrote: There's always some new hurdle.  I bought a 10:1 Lares rack from LMR.  One of the metal external hydraulic lines was kinked so bad, I do not think it will flow well. Neither Lares nor LMR can provide me a good replacement line; both want me to return the entire rack.  The flare on the end is different than a brake line.  Does anyone know what this type is called?  I don't think it'd be too hard to replace with the right tools.  However, the local hydraulics company I talked to said they won't do it--no automotive work.  This should be pretty easy to fix if you know the right things to say or questions to ask.  So I'd appreciate any information you can provide to get me going in the right direction.

I looked in Ford’s Shop Manual, Volume B Part 1. Ford just calls that a High Pressure Line, nothing else specific. You are correct in that it is much different than a brake line fitting.

I’d bet that NAPA or even Rock Auto might have a replacement part. The problem is, since it is a high pressure line, I’d think hardly anyone other than a machine shop would have the necessary tools to attach that fitting properly. Jeff’s suggestion is probably the best choice.

Thanks for looking.  I took the line up to a specialty shop and they said run it that way.  They looked and said enough fluid would get through for the rack to work successfully.  It wasn't completely crimped shut, maybe 20-25%.  We'll give it a shot.  I'll let you know if if fails.
1931 Deluxe Coupe
1949 Club Coupe
1951 F-1
1971 Torino GT Convertible
1988 Thunderbird Turbocoupe
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