The New Project: Part Deux!

[Grant Didmon]

Hi Steve
It is amazing how much you have accomplished in so little time with the Formula,I stand in awe of you,as by now if I still owned the car,I probably would have figured out how to put the key in the ignition the right side up.
Can you possibly send me some pictures to my e-mail when you get back from MCACN show?
I was having coffee with a couple of guys today that I used to work with,and the conversation got around to older cars,and The one guy tells me he has a friend that has a 73 Formula 400 that he bought new,so I am hoping to get to see it,just to see a honest to God car that someone has kept for 40 years and never got tired of it.
I have driven the new black 66 Mustang convert 1300 miles since I got it,and it included going 400 miles round trip to a Goodguys meet in Puyallup Washington,and when I got home I was reading through all the bills that came with the car again,and found one that I had missed.The Michelins on the convert where purchased in 1988,and I had just spent three hours doing 70 miles an hour on 24 year old tires.So new tires for next spring is on the agenda.
Take care,
Grant

[njsteve]

Hey Grant!
Great to hear from you.
You definitely have to dump those old tires. Anything over 7 years is beyond its life expectency and subject to failure. Thankfully I am no math whiz and can't figure out what 2012-1988 is. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Hey, we should meet up for lunch. How abut we meet in the middle somewhere between your house and mine?...say Chicago in a three weeks from today? [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]

[Grant Didmon]

Hi Steve
I wish I could meet you in Chicago this year,but just not enough time this year to make it happen.Thanks for the invite for lunch though,I will take a rain check for another time.
Grant

[njsteve]

Still without power- 5 days and counting after Hurricane Sandy.

One of the guys on the Performance Years website posted these photos of the Formula from back in 2000 when it was all apart awating the engine rebuild that finally went back together in 2004 shortly before the second owner passed away. He was the one that ran the GM of Canada docs back in 1993 when he saw the car in a parking lot and took down the ViN info.

Without any internet of my own, I am not able to post the photos at the moment.

Here is the link:

http://forums.performanceyears.com/f...01#post4770501

[njsteve]

Still no power...11 days and no end in sight. Doesnt look like I will be attending MCACN next week.

[VintageMusclecar]

&quot;Interesting&quot; report, sounds eerily familiar (?) Link

[mockingbird812]

<span style="font-size: 20pt"><span style="font-style: italic">Yikes!!!!! </span></span>[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/shocked.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

I ordered some TRW/Speed Pro/Federal Mogul L2359 forged flat top pistons and some 4340 forged steel H-beam rods. They should be here by next week, along with the bearing sets. The block is already at the machine shop getting tanked, honed and new cam bearings. The bores measured out at exactly .030 over so I am staying at that size. The Heads are getting disassembled, cleaned, and a nice valve job (if needed) by the same shop. The crank will get polished and then everything balanced together, along with the harmonic balancer and flywheel/clutch plate. I already have the new Melling 068 cam and oil pump.

Once everything is back I will let my 12 year old put it all together, just like he did last year with the 350 Pontiac from Gramma's Firebird. https://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/ubbt...ect#Post449019

So, who needs some low mileage, domed pistons and cast rods? Or that Crane camshaft? They only have around 5000 miles on them.

[njsteve]

Got the engine block back today! It only took two days for the hot tank, hone and cam bearings! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Rod and main bearings arrived today. Pistons should be here tomorrow and rods on Monday. Heads should be done tuesday, then the reciprocating assembly can be balanced which should take around a week....

[njsteve]

The forged pistons and rings arrived today!