Yea......that's what I was thinking also. I'll make sure this thing is seated properly and secure.

The 2nd timing pointer I ordered arrived and is no where near close to fitting. Sending it back already. Looks like I may be cutting some aluminum to make one. Any pointers (pun intended) on the best way to do this? Nibbler since I don't have a nice press-brake?

Hmmmm, I think I used one from the 5.8 Exploder cover I scrounged. Looks nice and even better....it fits!

Want a pic because...

It's FRIDAY!

Here's what you can see with the Exploder serp setup. My shroud might hide a bit more than yours, it's totally custom since I run a 454ci 3/4ton sized radiator (Quite a bit larger than stock).

BTW, it's a 5.8 EXPLODER cover now!! ha Soon to be 427 Exploder cover... wow, must have been a long week...
These are cheap at boneyards... powder coat if you want a killer custom look.

This should help... rotated the pic :) gotta start proof-reading text & pics!

That pointer is on the driver's side.

no its not. pic is upside down

Duh.....glanced to quick ....thanks

For those that need a pic-fix....Explorer serpentine brackets bead blasted and beautiful.

Lookin' Good!

Today I decided to cut up my original hood. I know...sad...but I really like the way the old-style scoops look. As I started out, I pinpointed the top of the carb-aircleaner bolt and marked the hood. Then drilled a hole. After that I unbolted the hood and my wife helped me unload it onto the garage floor.

At this point I contemplated how big/small to make the circle. After a bunch of measurements (and more contemplation) I decided I wanted to open up as much room as possible so I designed more of an elongated circle. There is a name for this but I can't remember it off the top of my head. I started with a sabre saw and that was a disaster so I tried my grinder with a cut-off wheel. Worked like a charm!

I decided not to cut through the braces that hold the hood together until I get the engine and everything installed. I can then go back and determine what I need to remove to clear it all.

Positioning the scoop was another tedious task but I finally got it right. I then taped it down and started drilling. I'm using the same bolts as I used on the flares....they are stainless steel allen-head bolts with a lock nut on the backside.

Sorry the pictures suck...it was dark and I don't have light directly over this spot.

At this point I have all the bolts inserted but didn't attach them with the nuts. Tomorrow I'll disassemble it, and prime-paint it black.

Paint finished....until I scuffed it up accidentally.

Question for the paint-dudes out there......Is it ok to throw a coat of wax or other product on this scoop now that it's painted? All I did was a simple rough-up and clean, then 3 coats of Rustoleum primer and 4 coats of Rustoleum Automotive Enamel Semi-Gloss. No sanding or anything.

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=395

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=12

I would wait and let it cure first. Rustoleum takes for ever to cure and set. Otherwise it would be smart to keep wax on it cause it will fade and get chalky. Looks like satin black.

Yea....I won't put anything on it for a few days. I really like the color...it matches most of the other black on the Bronco (soft top, flares, tires etc). That pic was while it was still wet so it is much more semi-gloss now.

Today my 3rd set of ARP studs arrived. I ordered the stud set specifically for use with a windage tray since the bolts that came with the MPGHeads tray weren't tall enough. I started out removing the MPG bolts and something wasn't right. They were not coming out easy....I had to use the wrench to get them all the way out and these should be able to be removed by hand! I was scared and my fear was placed well, I don't know what the hell happened but all 4 holes in the block became partially stripped. Oh !@#%#.

I found one of the original head bolts for the 351w and tried it, it seemed to work ok but the ARP studs would not screw in by hand. Hoping it wasn't that bad, I found a 1/2" tap and carefully threaded it into one of the holes in an attempt to correct whatever happened. After 3+ hours of carefully tapping, cleaning, thread chasing, tapping, cleaning....over and over again, I was finally able to thread all 4 tray studs in by hand. Crisis averted!

I modified the tray slightly more to clear the oil pump and then threaded on the nuts, added the tray, and threaded on the top nuts. It's looking like this is going to work out good!

Got the scoop mounted today....looks great with the rest of the black on the truck. I think I need to paint the grill black now.

Whoaa, flipping panic with the studs huh?! How frustrating! Glad everything worked out fine...

Don't be in a hurry on the wax. Give the paint at least a week to off-gas. At least...

Hood looks great.

Thanks. I was a little worried it would look like a big black Bronco nose...but it doesn't.

I'm out to CA with the family for vacation this afternoon so won't make any headway on the Bronco for a while. Next item to order up is the oil pan and pickup/dipstick. Gonna wait and see if I get some SummitRacing.com gift certificates first:)

Scoop looks really nice. There really is something retro muscle about them. I am proud of you for cutting a hole in that nice hood. The black accents look awesome.

Well, no SummitRacing gift cards for Xmas:(. So I bit another bullet and have the oil pan, SS oil pan bolts, pickup, and dip stick on their way. Should be there by the time we get home.

Some pics...

Started fitting the pan and pickup today. Just like everything else it needs to be clearanced. With the tray at the lowest level on the ARP studs, the pan hits the tray and the top of the studs:(. The pickup hits the tray also but I've already notched it....it also hits the stud in the pic but I sliced that one off lower.

I need to lower the tray a bit more and may need to trim the tops of the studs off .

With all the custom fitting you have had to do you will be a fully trained machinist when this great project is done !

Did some more clearancing today and spent a bunch of time figuring out what had to move, how much it could move, and then how to get it there. I found that all of the tall ARP studs hit the oil pan so I cut each one down about 3/8"...the only thing that sux about this is I lose the allen-wrench heads (you can see it on the one stud in the center lower). Once that was done, the pan cleared them fine but then hit the windage tray. So I removed the ARP nuts from the studs and got some 1/2" flat washers...one on each stud makes everything clear just right.

At this point I thought I was good to go, but then found that because the washers are 1.25" in diameter, they hit the tray and come close to the crank:( So now I'm on the lookout for 1/2" flat washers with an outer diameter of around 1". Fastenal has them but I don't really want to order online. Going to try Ace again tomorrow.

This was my first try with smaller washers...I didn't like how they sit right at the spot where the threads change.


Here are the big washers that work but you can see how they are very wide.


Here's the tray on top of the washers...it finally clears the oil pan, crank, rods, rod bolts, and oil pan pickup.

spidertrax makes some nice stuff. I had to install some wheel adapters on a new jeep last winter I installed a lift kit on. they seemed like the best thing out there because I did not feel like they were unsafe like other wheel adapters.

Airbur have you been to A&A Trading post on S Broadway? They will more than likely have your washers, and you really should get case hardened washers for those studs.

They do make some nice oil pans! I'm betting those are $$$$!

I found the correct sized washers today and mounted the tray. Got the pickup installed and test fit the pan to check pickup-pan clearance. I need 3/8" min and I'm only at 1/4" now. I'm not sure how I'm going to get any more space in there as the pickup sits right on top of the ARP main bolt nut now. I think the only way to do it is to modify the pickup tube slightly. I think cutting it and removing 1/8" would do it.

Any one know someone that could do this? I can't weld pipe.

Did you measure with the pan gasket in place? If only 1/8" is needed I would just bend it.