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S197 3V Fabman's build; How did we get here? Build Thread

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302 Hi Pro

Boss 302 - Racing Legend to Modern Muscle Car
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Nice.

I like how you clocked your tach mounting at what looks to be 7,700 - 7,800 RPM’s at high noon. I suspect that ‘high noon’ is your max shift point?

After installing my Ford Racing gauge pod, i reclockef the oil pressure, oil temp & coolant temp gauges to high noon at normal operating readings.

A quick glance & I know all is well when the red needles are all pointing straight up. Keeps me from having to read the gauges.
 
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Fabman

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Nice.

I like how you clocked your tach mounting at what looks to be 7,700 - 7,800 RPM’s st high noon. I suspect that ‘high noon’ is your max shift point?

After installing my Ford Racing gauge pod, i reclockef the oil pressure, oil temp & coolant temp gauges to high noon at normal operating readings.

A quick glance & I know all is well when the red needles are all pointing straight up. Keeps me from having to read the gauges.
Actually, I don't typically clock the gauges, even though that's been a racers trick since....forever.
I Just don't like the way it looks. So I ordered a tach that had 7850 rpm at the top. This is the ONLY one that does.
Both the 10 grand and 8 grand tach are laid out differently, and so are the various other styles available so I got this one specifically for that reason. I gave up some features that I would like to have had and I paid quite a bit more for it, but it's what I wanted, so that's what I got. It has top RPM recall like my old stock car tach's I used back in the day so I can hit a button and see the highest RPM I hit in any area on the track, hit another button and clear it and go again. Highly useful on an oval track and I'm sure its going to come in mighty handy on the road course as well, especially since I am now using a totally different motor that winds much higher. Better than bouncing off the rev limiter until I learn the exact sound of redline.
At some point I will adopt the use of a data collection system but at this point I don't have the hardware or the know how.
This old fashioned approach is going to have to do for now.
For now.
 

Fabman

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Fabman

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That cup holder may not be just for coffee................water, right Fabman..............:)
Back in the day I had a cup holder in my stock car and put a big sports bottle w/straw in it to cool off on track. It was a big yellow one with my shop logo and 800 number. (this was before email was a thing) After the races I would fill it with beer and hand out sports bottles and hats and wait for the calls to roll in on Monday. We ran a different track every 2 weeks all over the western states. Whipping ass and then handing out a business card that you could drink from was the best advertising ever.
 
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Fabman

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Or it could just be the socket lost and found.
Actually, its where I keep my shifter, except that it seems to be missing at the moment.
Probably ran off with my 10mm socket.
 

Fabman

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Now you're talkin!!!!!!
It was the 90's. Alcohol, loose women and cowboy boots were in ample supply....ah to be young again!
 

Fabman

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My memory may fade in and out but the good times will always be clear...........................Triple wink. ;) ;) ;)
Some things we'll never forget, others we pretend to forget.;)
 

Mad Hatter

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Fabman, car is looking better and better!! In the end what are your HP and weight goals? It might be somewhere already in this thread, buts its pretty long now!! and... Am getting old, So I may have asked this before!
 

Fabman

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Fabman, car is looking better and better!! In the end what are your HP and weight goals? It might be somewhere already in this thread, buts its pretty long now!! and... Am getting old, So I may have asked this before!
I estimate (big guess here) about 450+ whp and hopefully 100 pounds off the nose.
Definitely not the numbers I'd pick but probably not too far from what I'm gonna get.
 

Fabman

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Here's a closeup.

116455552_10158662288633535_7466384904368198238_n.jpg
109789416_10158662652198535_7496941333396490598_n.jpg
 

Mad Hatter

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I estimate (big guess here) about 450+ whp and hopefully 100 pounds off the nose.
Definitely not the numbers I'd pick but probably not too far from what I'm gonna get.

Is that in comparison to the previous super charged beast weight?? all the gear for the S/C was only 100lbs?
 

Fabman

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Is that in comparison to the previous super charged beast weight?? all the gear for the S/C was only 100lbs?
The blower and associated support pieces weighed 120 pounds. I took a stab at how much the water might weigh and said 20 pounds. So maybe 140 pounds. This new motor has no blower but it has a 12 quart pan and a large oil cooler And lines, plus the intake manifold and air box have to be figured in be cause those items go back on. I‘ve also gone to an SLA suspension and my suspicion is that it’s somewhat heavier than the strut setup so it’s possible I may not save much weight at all.
 

Fabman

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A potentially lighter nose and SLA. You may not need brakes. Lol
She will definitely drive a bit differently.
track time this year?
I'm also considering changing the trans. I have a Tremec Magnum XL 2.97 low gear trans.
I want to either purchase a new 2.66 Low gear trans or have my trans modified to change the ratios.
Not sure which way I'm going to go as my trans is still basically brand new. Probably had less than 500 miles on it.
Kind of rubs me the wrong way to spend a bunch of money on it swapping out gears when its not that much more to just buy a damn new one. If someone wanted to buy mine I would be willing to sell it, I just can't see throwing the guts away from a brand new transmission.

As far as the new setup goes, yes it will be a whole new car, the rear is getting some setup changes as well so I am basically jacking up the body and sliding a new car underneath it. I'd like to get it out ASAP but virtually nothing has happened in within the timing I would like. Lots and lots of waiting on other people/vendors. So we'll see what happens.
 

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