WhitsEnd Transformation

[DuckRyder]

As I’m sure you are aware, according to the Holley Forum at least the Sniper seems to be VERY sensitive to EMI. Distributor, plug wires and alternators seem to be the common sources.

[WhitsEnd]

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3G ALTERNATOR SQUEAL IS GONE!
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My alternator belt would squeal on startup, like so many others that have upgraded to a 3G alternator but have to use a single groove pulley. I thought if I could get more wrap contact on the pulley, it should do the trick.

So, I bought an idler pulley on Amazon
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...and mounted it on the alternator / A/C bracket I purchased form tylerb43 in the Classifieds. Note that this bracket is specifically for an FE http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 11&t=68984
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Now the belt wraps a full 50% of the pulley and no squeal at all. I did have to buy a v-belt 2" longer than the previous because there just wasn't enough adjustment in the alternator.
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UPDATE ON VIBRATION
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I have eliminated any potential issue with ignition at this point and have run the engine with zero accessories to rule them all out as well. So, it has to be either the torque converter or the flexplate. Based on other quality related issues I've noted with this crappy TCI transmission, I'm betting on the torque converter, which was purchased with the transmission as a complete TCI kit.

I called TCI and they suggested to remove the studs from the converter and push it back away from the flexplate so I could run the engine completely disconnected from the transmission. I questioned why the studs would be removeable, and if the converter could still be pushed back enough, but went ahead to investigate anyway.

I got the truck on my lift and removed all 4 nuts from the converter. It wouldn't push back enough to even clear the drain plug from the flexplate, so I didn't bother trying to remove the studs. It was at that point yesterday that I realized the transmission was coming out. I don't have to tell the people on this forum that removing a C6 automatic from these trucks means either the engine is also coming out, or the crossmember below the transmission is coming out.

I originally thought the crossmember was installed using only rivets and my plan was to cut the crossmember and weld brackets in place to bolt it back in. When I saw that the connection to the top of the frame channel was bolts, I changed my mind and decided to remove the lower rivets and replace them with bolts.

Cooling lines were detached and capped off, shifter linkage removed, kickdown cable removed, starter wire removed, O2 sensor removed, driveshaft removed, exhaust removed, vacuum line pulled, speedometer cable removed and...all but 2 of the bellhousing bolts were removed. At the moment, those 2 bolts, the alignment pins and the rear crossmember are the only things holding the tranny in place. I stopped for the night and grabbed a beer and a shower.

By the way...ALL of the bellhousing bolts can be reached from under the truck. I was worried about getting to the top 2 bolts because I assumed I'd have to crawl on top of the engine. Nope. A looooooooooooong extension and a swivel was able to reach both of them, from below.
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[Manny]

Gotta love a transmission extension. Only way to work it curious to see what you find.

[WhitsEnd]

Visually, there's nothing noticeably wrong with the converter. The balance weight is in place and the hub appears to be OK, although there is a slight visual wear mark on the hub with no dimension to it. There is also considerable fluid within the bellhousing area that had to come from where the hub mates with the pump seal. However, the seal looks OK. This suggests the hub could be moving non-concentrically within the seal.
Seeing the flexplate again, I now remember that I had to deburr the bolt holes before assembling it. As a matter of fact, none of the holes on the plate were drilled or machined, they were all die stamped. The shape of the plate itself comes from stamping as well and you can see that the die has two halves that resulted in a slight mismatch, radially.
Based on the poor quality of the flexplate, my current theory is the flexplate is either out of round or not flat and imposing a resulting force on the converter. This would explain the slight wear mark on the hub, the leakage of fluid from around the hub...and a vibration.

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I really don't have the time to mess with junk, and I can't find a transmission shop within a couple hours driving distance that has a converter balancer (seriously). That said, a new Hughes 2000 stall converter, a Performance Automatic flexplate and a Timken seal will be arriving today.

Once I pull the existing flexplate, I'll check it for runout. I hope I find something...like a smoking gun

[Manny]

Hopefully nothing major just in the spinning mass in the bellhousing. Course a c6 converter has a ton of mass.

[Joshgt87]

Wow man! Just skimmed through this! Awesome build for sure!!!

Can you further explain why your not using the 4R70w? I don’t fully understand. I’m building a 76 with a 351W and a 4R70w myself. I’ve got the us shift controller on my counter waiting for parts to finish the engine.

Thanks man! Awesome work!

[WhitsEnd]

Wow man! Just skimmed through this! Awesome build for sure!!!

Can you further explain why your not using the 4R70w? !

Thank you. The FE engine series has a unique bellhousing and the 4R70w came along after the FE ceased production. This means an adapter is required. The adapter I was looking at required the use of a 10" converter or smaller and I don't like that idea for a street truck. Maybe for a high stall drag setup, but not a daily driver type of deal.

QuickTime told me they would be producing an adapter bellhousing in about 6 months, but I was at the point that I needed to pull the trigger. I believe that product has now been released, but I've heard it also uses a small"ish" converter. If I didn't think I would ever tow with my truck, I might try it. In either case, the bell has to be cut off the 4R70w to use the adapter, but that isn't a big deal.

Another factor for me is this truck is for my daughter to drive over the next couple years. When she goes off to college, I plan to play with the truck a bit and build a bigger motor. I may put a 5 speed in it at that time. Undecided.

In your case, the 4R70w was offered in a small block version, so you can bolt and go! It would be my first choice, in that situation.

[DuckRyder]

I’m interested in what you think of the Hughes converter, mine has an ATI that is pretty tight and selections are thin...

[WhitsEnd]

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Well, the torque converter and the flexplate were changed out last week. I am not happy to report that the vibration is still present. I'm at a loss on this one. The complete driveline and accessories have been ruled out. Ignition has been ruled out. I see no evidence on a single plug that indicates any misfire. I don't hear anything in the exhaust.
I'll have to start considering a specific event taking place either due to turbulant flow or vacuum/pressure that could be causing a misfire at a specific range. Or maybe coolant is getting pulled in from a gasket slightly until the pressure drops enough in the intake. I'll have to have my daughter hold it at 1700 rpm while I do some investigating. Perhaps I'll hear something at the exhaust. Maybe holding at 1700 for a while and then cutting off the ignition will show something on the plugs.
I really thought it was mechanical...of course, I haven't changed the balancer. Maybe my brand new balancer is no good? I doubt it, my I'm running out of possibilities.
I would think a valvetrain issue would be present at all rpm, and it runs too well otherwise. Probably worth pulling the valve covers anyway.

Well, this sure was fun...

[WhitsEnd]

REAR SUSPENSION DROP
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While I have the lift tied up with the truck and the other two cars out, I decided it was a good time to drop the rear of the truck to get a proper stance. Before doing so, I almost talked myself into adding spacers above the front struts to bring the front up instead. If it were only an inch or so, I would have done that, but 3 inches would have raised the suspension to the point that it had very little drop-out remaining and really wouldn't have been running in the designed range of the shocks.

So, my plan of action was:
1. Replace the rear spring perches and remove the overload spring. New perches are preferred over adding shims for the change in pinion angle and the overloads would be touching in the front during normal driving, once the spring hangers were raised.

2. Remove the forward spring hanger, rotate it 180 degrees around the lower set of bolts and re-install it. This moves the eye of the front spring about 6" higher and drops the truck about half of that.

[WhitsEnd]

The first order of business was to remove the U-bolts. I'm reminded again of how clean this truck is. I imagine most 48 year old U-bolts would have to be cut off. These came off with no drama. After a quick cleanup with a thread die and some assembly grease to ease their adjustment later for pinion adjustment, it all went back together, with the new perches and without the upper overload leaf.

The spring perches were not welded to the axle tube yet. Once the truck is sitting at ride height, the pinion will be measured and adjusted by rotating the axle. Then the U-bolts will be locked down and the perches welded.

These perches came from Calvert Racing and I've used them in the past. They are laser jet cut so that tabs are left in place to give a perfect gap for good weld penetration. They are awesome for drag racing, because they won't collapse in the rear under compression. They are bent from a single piece of steel, but left to be welded during install. I welded the ends up before installing.

Old vs. New: Old perches were cut off with the plasma cutter and remnants were ground off with a 40 grit flap disk.


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And back together, without the top overload spring. Yes, those are the original U-bolts.
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[WhitsEnd]

This drop is called a "half flip" by some, because the hanger is flipped, but not raised to its fullest extent.

First order of business after removing the hanger (I did one side at a time), was to weld the nut on the inside for the spring bolt. Normally, the nut is exposed on the outside, but the final position in this case will deem the head of the bolt inaccessible, because it will be up against the frame and no longer hanging below it. So, I put the nut on the inside and welded it, allowing the bolt to be inserted from the outside.
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[WhitsEnd]

Grade 8 bolts were used in the two lower holes to locate the hanger. I decided to weld the rest of the hanger instead of drilling another set of holes in the frame. Two SAE Grade 8 1/2" bolts at 17,000 pounds of shear strength each is more than enough, from a strength perspective. The weld is the cherry on top.
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[WhitsEnd]

I didn't like the look of the long ears hanging below the frame, so I got busy with the plasma cutter. This also allowed a better weld across the bottom of the bracket to the inside, at the lower edge of the frame.

Here is a pic from the passenger side.
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