The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

[horsewidower]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

True, but an SVO arm is actually even wider. But only about .25 if I remember right. I'll have to go back and check the Mathis book.

[BBR]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Did some reading..... I knew SVO's were odd balls, but man, they are ODD BALLS!!!

Did find this though:

Contact Roberto2000 on the SVOCA Forums website. He is a Ford Engineer and has developed a method of machining out the old balljoint and pressing in a new, greasable balljoint with boot.
He also will clean up the arm and POR-15 it.

[horsewidower]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Thanks

Yep they have a bunch of unique stuff on them.

[horsewidower]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Another great weekend on the car.

Changed out the lock cylinder and ignition switch. I'm amazed at how those simply changes fixed a number of electrical glitches. Car finally idles without cycling.

Also fixed my cobbled up water cooling on the IHI turbo. These cars come with Garrett T3s but I've put on an IHI: cause I had it lying around, and it works great for a daily driver, almost no lag.

[Darren N.]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Nicely done! Those fixes, while not big jobs in themselves, make driving your car daily just that much better. I haven't made many changes to my Vic but the little things that have increased its reliability have made the world of difference.

I'm looking forward to the day when I can make an SVO Mustang or Turbocoupe T-Bird my DD. Until then, I'll keep enjoying your DD and race car builds ;D

[horsewidower]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

You know, I was going to comment on the "adventure thread" about driving an '86 SVO as a daily driver. But it gets to be less of an adventure with every fix.

[horsewidower]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Big long weekend wrenching on the car, I think a total of 20 hours. I'm still tired.

The Hoser has 300,000+ kilometers on it (about 180K miles) and the front suspension was all original. Which means that the Koni struts, bushings etc were shot. Driving down the road was like boating over the top of a gentle prop wash. Any bump set off a set of diminishing oscillations. So this weekend I yanked the front suspension completely out.

What went in was a set of Koni Yellow sport struts, which were shorter than the original Koni. So I had to put in the matching shorter Racecraft springs.

I searched through the sets of SVO control arms that I had and found the two that had the least wear (SVO ball joints are not replaceable, the stupidity of Ford in the '80s when it came to maintenance items is evident on a number of vehicles)

I figured out why the brakes sucked, the rubber bushings for the sliding pins had turned into goo, the calipers were riding on the outside rim of the rotor. So I installed a set of stainless steel bushings for the pins, in place of the goo.

Cause I had to go to a shorter spring on the front, that meant that I needed to change the rear springs, so I installed the matching racecraft springs back there. The car rides about an inch lower all the way around.

While in the back, I decided to cure the interference problems between the 3" exhaust and absolutely everything!! Things get crowded when you have an over the axle 3" that also has to clear the Panhard rod mount. I changed the direction of a couple of bolts, pulled the back half of the 3" and went at it with a rosebud torch and a BFH, had to also dimple the gas tank (didn't use the rosebud for that, for obvious reasons!)

Put everything back together and took it for a ride. Wow what a difference. With nothing banging on the exhaust, and no "pots and pan" clanging from the front end, it was fantastic. Oh, and it stuck going around the corners for the first time, WooHoo.

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Nice!

Some of those "invisible" repairs are the most satisfying, especially getting rid of bangs and clanks.

[horsewidower]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

I'm currently torn between a couple of approaches to quieting the interior noise. Its still at an ear-bleed level.

One go to a quieter exhaust. Now why would I do that! I like the fact that I pull into a parking lot and it sets off car alarms. Plus the low backpressure 3: is just what I need for furture horsepower upgrades. Of course that will just make it louder.

So, sound deadening is probably in the future. Downside, it'll add weight. So I'll need more horsewpower to make up for it. I think I can do that.

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Think one of those SVO motors will fit in a GTV?

Bob, as you know horsepower overcomes all ills.

Dynamat going to be the noise reducer?

[horsewidower]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Actually there are some better products. All of them seem pretty expensive. Looks like a multi phase project, stop the vibration, absorb the remaining sound and then use a barrier. I want it eerily quiet. Eventually. I'll probably start with the rear hatch area and under the rear seat.

Here is a pretty definitive comparison of some products:

http://www.dctra.org/files/1974_TR6_Carpet_Install/Sound_Deadener_Showdown.pdf

A 2.3 would fit in a GTV if we could make the GTV rear wheel drive. A little welding and wiring and you're there.

[horsewidower]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Man I must have been smoking dope replying to the GTV query. An alfa GTV is rear wheel drive. :

Just finished up on the heater core R&R. Talk about designing a damn near unservicable part. Sometimes I think engineers should have to work in the service department of a dealership before they are allowed to design cars. Plain stupidity.

You basically have to tear out the instrument panel and everything to the firewall, pry apart the heater box (cause you don't want to disconnect the AC lines and lose any of the pricier than gold R12) pull out the nasty old heater core (which requires two people, one to pry the other to negotiate the core out) and put it all back together. I look like I've been in a fight with a badger.

No wonder when I was picking up my new core, during the first rain of the season, there were two other guys in line getting ready to do the same thing. Nobody wants to do this work.

Bob

[STINEY]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

I have felt your pain. You have my respect, and my sympathy. The engineers deserve to be boiled in leaky antifreeze for their blunder.

Look familiar?



My badger bites have all healed with barely any visible scarring, hopefully you have similar results!

[horsewidower]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

Oh, no, you've lived the same nightmare!!

[BBR]

Re: The Hoser, '86 Canadian export Mustang SVO

I'm not even going to hook up the heater hoses on mine for fear that it will leak. lol