[Cman]

After getting my car to my friend’s shop (free CAA tow) 2 weeks ago I finally got the car back with the exhaust done. It sounds pretty good even with my stk. 351W engine from my parts car swapped into my 78 car formerly with the six.

He had some other work to finish which is why it took him this long to get to my car but I’m happy it’s done and it looks wicked.
He had to do some modding with the rear frame rail where the rear trans mount bolted to it and he also modified the actual rear tranny mount (almost like converting it to a double hump x/member on the frame and the mount) for it to clear the 3” pipes from the collectors. I had to bring him the second mount from my 78 car for him to do the mods.

The pipes go back to 2 Dynomax Super Turbo mufflers (16” case, 3” in and out) with a crossover and exit out each side all mandrel bent with no kinks anywhere. I wanted the pipes to exit out the back ala 5.0 but there wasn’t room on the left side for the 3” pipe to run all the way to the back. (the gas tank is offset towards the left so that setup was next to impossible without moving the tank, something that I wasn’t willing to do at this stage)

I drove it home last night and also went out for a rip later in the evening and it feels good. I hear a lot more noise with the headers which is expected and it has a nice idle (almost like it has a cam) when sitting at a light. The tranny shifts great (very firm when I got on it, nice when I take it easy). I still need to install my tranny cooler which is this weekends project. Water temp was 180’F and never went above that (with Milodon Alum. high volume WP and 3 core rad). Oil pressure was 50 psi. after the oil heated up with long highway drive but at idle it was around 10psi. (I feel it’s a bit low but a quick stab with the throttle brings the pressure right up to 50 almost right away) so it’s probably no big deal. I seem to think that this engine was probably rebuilt at one time but there’s no way to confirm that.

The GF gets her shot at driving it today and we’ll be racking up some k’s on it for sure this weekend so we’ll see how it is with more time behind the wheel. Stay tuned.

 

[ghettostang]

 

[Cman]

my driving impressions after getting the car back for a week........no bad at all.

I sorted out my stalling and fast idle with the 2 bbl. when cold (wouldn't idle when cold) and now the idle on the 2 bbl. steps down as the engine begins to heat up. I had to buy a new heater core early in the week since last weekend it was raining hard and the core went south on me (FOG CITY)(the denting on the pass. side firewall to make room for the headers did it in). I installed it on Fri. and now I have heat with clear vision.

I do notice a possible loss of low end torque because of my exhaust. The stk. 351W engine doesn't seem to me to have the same get up and go that it had when it was in the parts car (with a stk. single exhaust and convertor), however when you're cruising on the highway the engine really wants to pull (going from 60mph to 80+ is almost effortless, the exhaust really helps here), too bad the handling just isn't there (I find the frt. end bounces a lot on small bumps because of the extra weight of the V8 and I probably need shocks too which I will do soon). It is still miles ahead of what the 6 cyl. could muster up so right now the car does move pretty good.

My cooling system has no trouble keeping this engine at 180' no matter what.....stop and go, highway, anything......my guage needle has yet to see the other side of 180'. Now that I've installed the tranny cooler, it actually is a little below that (needle doesn't even hit 180 when driving now, only in stop and go traffic).

Right now I need to sort out a water leak in the trunk (will pull out the rear interior tomorrow) and put some tunes in the car (it has the factory am/fm radio with 3 speakers, 2 in back, one in the dash but the rear speakers are shot). Before I sent granada #2 to the scrapyard high above 11 years ago I pulled out the Clarion am/fm cassette with eq and built in amp and the two 100W speakers I had in it and that will be going into "PS" next week so I won't have to listen to the major noise the exhaust makes anymore.

As of right now I tend to think that the car will provide trouble free motoring for the GF and myself and my future plans are to drive this car on a trip to the States in a few months and return with some alum. heads for the stage 2 engine. THAT would be a good test for the car and my wrenching skills.