Any pics of the Sanderson headers ? Nice to see something other than FPA. Any comments on pricing, fit and quality? Enquiring minds want to know.
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They just fit inside the spring towers. I barely have 1/4" on both sides. If the engine isn't centered one side will hit. Getting them in requires jockeying the engine off its mounts and piecing a puzzle together, especially on the driver's side.
You will need a good exhaust man to fit your system. Luckily I found one. but it took three tries.Comment
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All bolts are 3/8" hex wrenching. This makes it possible to use socket wrenches to remove. The nuts are all 9/16" wrenching, and one collector nut on the driver's side has to be removed with a crows foot. The bolt side has to be held with a short "wiggle" extension (that one bolt is a huge PITA).
Lo and behold the collectors need 1.25" bolts. So I used the old header bolts for those. With the stainless nuts I should not have a problem disassembling.
With 180,000 psi steel I don't think corrosion will be an issue, either black or stainless.Comment
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Finally finished with the steering column rebuild. What a chore! Everything has to be done in a specific order and the repair manual, although helpful, is woefully inadequate.
In order to rebuild the flexible connector, for instance, you have to remove the master cylinder and power brakes. That requires removal of the diagonal chassis brace and the shock absorber top hold-downs. Of course the entire dash is out so that this is even possible.
The rebuild kit for the flex connector includes the rubber and bolts only, so you have to grind down the old rivets and reuse the steel castings. I parkerized the castings, acid-removed the zinc off the new bolts and parkerized them as well. There is exactly one way to reassemble the connector and still have room to get wrenches on the bolts and nuts and there are no instructions.
Brad powder coated the shock hold downs and braces, steering column, shift tube, and aluminum lower and upper collars.
I used Testor's enamel to paint the shift indicator fluorescent red by filling the little cavity with a toothpick.
I bought a new plastic chrome indicator bezel and lens. The bezel was nice but the lens had the wring color lettering and it was crooked. So I polished the old one using a cotton buffing wheel and blue abrasive. I use a steel pick to remove the old paint then filled the lettering with Testors and a paper towel to wipe off the excess. After letting it dry for three days I polished the back to remove the excess paint.
The new reproduction shift lever didn't fit in the lower collar opening so I had to grind it down a bit. The old one was not only badly corroded but badly worn from contacting the steel detent plate.
The reproduction detent plate didn't match the OE so I used the OE. All the wear at this assembly is at the soft aluminum lever.
To install the upper collar, you first have to run each individual wire through the internal chase while holding the assembly somehow. There's about ten of them. The square head hold-down bolts get loosely installed then positioned into slots as you press in the upper collar. It's basically a three handed job with room for one.
There's a nylon washer under the upper collar so don't forget that. I had to use the old one because no reproduction was available.
After that's in you have to insert the wires one-by-one through the soft plastic conduit. Three plastic clamps hold the conduit in place. You don't want it loose since the brake pedal is very close there.
Then install a C clip on the solid steel shaft, press the bearing and rubber sleeve (hand pressure only), then place the turn signal assembly, followed by the retaining ring.
I purchased a reproduction turn signal self-cancelling arms but they did not match up, so I reused the old one and am hoping for the best.
A spring goes over the shaft sandwiched by two special washers. This is all held down by a second C clip that I could not get back in, because you have to compress the spring while instally it with pliers and I only have two hands. I tried driving it with a deep socket and broke it. I'm not certain that this is needed because the steering wheel compresses the spring and holds it all down anyway.Comment
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I have the AC unit installed, grafted onto the right side of the OE heater box so I get fresh air.
The compressor is another issue. I got a kit from Nostalgic Air that came with a Sanden style 508 compressor and their fabricated bracket. It mounts to the drivers side head up above the power steering pump. Unfortunately this does not work. On factory AC cars, the PS pump is a remote unit placed on the passenger side above the alternator. There is no way for a belt to serve the AC and PS on the drivers side, since the water pump pulley is in the way.
So I called Nostalgic and between the two of us we came up with a solution. Its a little pricey because it involves a March serpentine system 19030-08, but I went for it because it will take care of my alternator issue (squealing belt) at the same time. Nostalgic agreed to take the compressor and bracket back if they would sell me the March set and a different Sanden style 7176. It also takes care of my crappy looking crankshaft pulley, and it makes the belt so much easier to tension with their compression rods instead of using a crowbar on my powder coated parts.
It forces me to get an electric cooling fan, but with the addition of AC here in the South it's probably something I would have had to do anyway. For cooling I've ordered a Lincoln Mark 8 fan, and I'll rig a two stage controller through my new relay box.Comment
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It's all in and works. Check out the clearance between the fan and the water pump pulley.Comment
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Wow, that IS nice.
More pics! More PICS!Member, Sons of the American Revolution
CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
From: Royal Oak, MichiganComment
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The March 2-belt system was about 1/3 the cost of their single belt system, but of course it extends the front of the assembly another inch towards the radiator. To gain clearance I tilted the radiator right into the front frame member, and incredibly the top radiator frame slid over the chassis frame without modification. Two small screws hold it in place. Measuring the length of the fan and motor, I found it has about 1/2" of total clearance.
The fan shroud had to be cut about 1.25" down then notched, and the bottom flange slips under the radiator frame, then the top slips over the top of the frame. The shroud mounting bosses just get cut off. The unit covers all of the radiator except less than an inch on both sides. It's a **** near perfect fit. The top of the shroud gets screwed to the frame, and the bottom gets zip-tied in, although I could have used long machine screws, probably #10s.
In retrospect, I should have left more of the shroud on top and bottom. That would have left more shroud to attach to the frame.
Set up on the bench the fan drew about 24 amps. Once I got it in place and wired with #14 wire it draws 37! Way more than a much more expensive aftermarket unit. Standing in front of the radiator in shorts you can feel the air rushing over your legs. I'll have to increase the wire size to #12.
The fan turns freely with about 1/4" clearance to the radiator, but while cranking at 37 amps it deflects the shroud and sucks itself into the radiator and rubs slightly. The solution is simple though, I'll just tilt it back a bit and get closer to the engine.
My son is making a controller for it that will read the voltage from the engine sender and turn on the fan to 25% at 185F. As the temperature rises higher the unit will increase fan speed incrementally using variable frequency, with a goal of maintaining 180F.Comment
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Some small modifications here. The 1/8" white plastic vacuum connector (just above the T on the valve cover) comes from the base of the air cleaner. There it tees to two smaller hoses, and they connect to soft foam donuts that seal around the vent holes for both fuel bowls. I'll have a long rubber tube back the the vapor canister in the trunk. I'll also have the tank vent to that canister, and a third, larger collector at the top of the fill pipe.
The black wire chase (crosses the N on the valve cover) is from a temperature sensor located in the air cleaner, located ahead of the filter.Comment
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Here we go, a picture before the OE shroud was put on. This is the best view of the March Performance serpentine system. I ordered my kit with an -08 suffix, meaning powder coat black instead of clear.
Oddly, the numerous spacers with the system are either clear coat aluminum or what we call here "superchrome", which is actually an aluminum pigment in the powder coat.
The alternator is high on the left similar to OE. The kit includes a billet fan and dress-up cone on the pulley. Below that is the AC compressor. It's a Sanden "peanut" style to achieve clearance from the passenger cylinder head, which of course is about 2" closer to the belt that the driver's side. Between those is the fixed idler.
On the right side, again near the OE position, is the power steering pump. Brad painted it with an industrial enamel. It's a Saginaw type off a early 70's Chevy with a 5/8" shaft and keyway. It's not nearly as nice as the Eaton that it replaces. The pulley wobbles a bit on the shaft, and according to March that is unavoidable on that type of shaft.
The belts are tightened with stainless steel heim joint couplings.Attached FilesComment
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Here's another shot of the nearly complete engine bay. On the lower center you can see my custom heat exchanger for the choke. I's a short length of soft copper tube wrapped 180 degrees around the header collector and fastened with a large stainless steel hose clamp. Cheap and effective.Attached FilesComment
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First of all, forget using #12 wire and go with #10AWG. #10 is good for 30amps continuous, you're pushing 37amps. Fuse it for at least 40amps. Starting current for motors is 400% of Full Load Amps until the shaft starts rotating, then current comes down. Fans can be on for quite a long time and the temps under your hood are extremely hot. This isn't like house wiring, this is extreme service. You have volatile chemicals with extreme heat under the hood. Buy wire with insulation spec's greater than 90-degree C. That's about 195 degrees F.
Cooling fans don't cool the engine. In fact they have NOTHING to do with the engine. Their sole purpose in life is to cool the radiator, and only when it's necessary. In our Michigan winters, my cooling fan rarely ever comes on but my engine is up to heat and the heater blasts hot air.
Do not confuse the temperature gauge sending unit for radiator temp. The thermostat stays closed until the engine comes up to heat. That doesn't mean the radiator is hot.
BTW, what happens if your coolant level is lower in your radiator? Liquid still gets sucked into the pump from the bottom, so the radiator does not usually operate completely full.
Alright I brought you around the barn, now let's nail this... The radiator needs its own temp sensor, mounted about in the middle of the radiator, not at the top. When the middle of your radiator gets hot enough, the temp sensor energizes the cooling fan (usually through a relay). When coolant sheds enough heat the fan shuts off.
Tell your boy he can run the fan at a reduced speed depending on RADIATOR temp, not engine temp. Some folks continue fan operation while the engine is off. I do not, and I think that's a recipe for danger. I want nothing draining my battery when the key is shut off. - DaveMember, Sons of the American Revolution
CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
From: Royal Oak, MichiganComment
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