Belwo is the "real" 4bbl - 390FE I got for the Galaxie:

But before I get to that, I need to finish up the rebuild on the engine thatI thought was a 390....

I always break one of each of the original rings to use as ring space scrapers:

Here's a before and after of a cleaned piston:

The origianl intake will go back on this engine -  it'll be fine for one of my upcoming rod projects.

Don't forget to check out the website at
                        www.E-tekRestorations.com !

The patching continues....

Lots done today - if anyone is wondering how much time I have into it thus far, everything up to and including today comes to 22 hours. I think I should change the sho name to "Honest Ed's"!

SOLID!













Let there be light - LOTS of it!

Speaker hole below cut - by a butcher - I'm guessing!

Not sure why this hole was hacked into the rocker behind the fender....but it had to be closed. NURSE!

I used a small sledge hammer to pull it back out:

Last big thing in front end are these holes cut into the shcok towers. As mentioned, they where cut to access the A-arm ends in order to insert grease nipples. We'll weld them up and install angled nipples. I'm guessing hole saws and angles nips weren't invented when this was done (?)

Don't forget to check out the website at

www.E-tekRestorations.com ! 

330FE REBUILD

This 330FT mill will be a real torque-monster when we're done with it. After breaking the glaze on the cylinders with my hone tool, I chamfered the edges, oiled them up and flipped it over to install the camshaft.

With plenty of Melling Lube I installed the camshaft.....

....then checked the camshaft endplay. Barely 0.001 - a real tighty!

Tomorrow I'll install the crank and button up the bottom.

Back on the Cougar, I prepped the left side inner apron for installation. It took quite a bit of shaping, trimming and some brake-work to get 'er much closer. These 2 parts will go a long way to making the engine compartment the perfect backdrop for a well-detailed engine.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !

Front apron and inner fender sheeet metal...cont'd

After the spots are drilled out, I separate the panels (and whatever is left of the spot welds) with an air chisel. Key here is to only beat up the panel being replaced. The ones staying do get a little damage, but nothing a little hammer and dolly work can't fix.

Out with the old...

In with the new....

When you remove panels like this, it's critical to be sure things aren't going to end up in different
places after welding in the new pieces. A panel like this holds a lot of structure together - the surrounding structure can move when you remove the old piece and when you fit and weld in the new piece. One way to be sure things don't get too bent out of shape is to take before and after measurements of the front end, especially cross-ways as I mentioned previously. Another is to only do one side at a time - cut, fit and weld - before going to the other side. If you remove a who lot of structure at once, you could end up with a pretzel after all the welding heat is put in. Also - take a look at your jack-stand placement....I had mine at the front, near the rad support so they  wouldn't be in the way when I did the floors - but that puts a bunch of upward pressure on the front end - which would close this gap and make the new piece fit tight....I moved the stands back behind the repair and checked my measurements.

Below - someone over at GarageJournal.com asked if I found any other "mods" I'd have to fix....
Well, here's some major holes that where cut into the side cowl ostensibly to install some speakers. Once removed the holes where where patched with pieces of galvanized metal and secured with pop-rivets...not the worst repair, but we'll do it properly by fitting and butt-welding in solid pieces.

Even with the speakers in the hole I can imagine the driver and passenger always wondering why their feet where so cold when they drove this car!

Another anomaly are these holes torched into the shock towers front and rear. Apparently mechanics would cut the holes in the shock towers to access the A-arm end plugs, pop them out and install the grease fittings so the upper control arm pivots would stop squeaking and cut down on wear. Guess they hadn't invented hole saws yet....

Don't forget to check out the website at

www.E-tekRestorations.com! 

Gettin' busy with the Cougar.....

Dropping the rear End, exhaust and gas tank....

That's one big hole! Interesting how Stangs and Coug's used the tank as an integral pieces of the trunk floor pan. Wouldn't see that today!

These inner fender splash shields need to be replaced. Lots of dirt, mud and goop sat in there over the years...

To replace spot-welded sheet metal parts, I go around the edges with some 80 grit paper, which locates the spot welds. Then I mark the centres with a punch and drill them with about a 3/8" bit, being careful not to drill through to the next panel. Some spots need to be drilled with a larger bit, which cleans more of the spot weld out.

After drilling, I use my air chisel to separate the 2 panels. You have to work carefully so as not so beat up or cut the metal that is remaining.

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! 

Today my ultra-new BFF Julie stopped by with a whack of WD-40 products including WD-40 in the Smart-Straw can, Regular can and even in a bulk can! She also gave me some of their 3-IN-ONE oils, some 3-IN-ONE Silicone and Lithium lubes and some of the new Spot Shot cleaner. Thanks Julie!!

Perfect timing too -  as I was continuing the disassembly on the 67 Cougar.....

Of course no amount of lube will work when someone WELDS the hood hinges to the inner fender!

Stay tuned - metal work starts next!

Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com !