It's natural when building a hot rod to want to tackle the engine first. After all, the main question you'll hear is, "What's it got under the hood?" Nonetheless, stuffing a big mill into a car with a weak drivetrain is just asking for a trip home on a flatbed. Even if it's not as much fun, the best way to build a fast car is to tackle all the systems that'll need to hold up to the eventual boost in power. This way, you can still enjoy cruising your project while you build the new engine. In addition, you won't have to worry about exploding your tranny, grenading your rearend, or turning your driveshaft into something resembling a DNA double helix.
This is how we're tackling the '70 Ford Fairlane 500 project. Even though we are itching to up the anemic power on the big blue Ford, we decided to save the engine for last, and tackle the less glamorous systems that are critical for long-term durability. With the brakes and suspension addressed (see "Brakes of Wrath," and "Suspension in A Box," Jun. '07), it's time to work on the driveline; in our case, we are starting at the back and working our way forward. The stock 8-inch rear in the Fairlane is strong enough to handle the current power from the stock 302, but it would quickly turn into a jigsaw puzzle if subjected to the 500-plus horsepower we eventually plan to stuff under the hood. What we needed was a new rear that could easily tolerate the torment we're going to inflict upon it. Since our ride wears the Blue Oval, the choice was easy: a Ford 9-inch.
We called Strange Engineering and were informed that we'd be its first '70 Fairlane customer. We were given instructions as to which measurements to take, and soon our crate rearend was in the production queue. When the new rear arrived, we measured it against the stocker and found that it was within 1/4 inch. Having Strange do the final assembly costs a little more than ordering a box of loose parts, but it's cheaper than having your local guy do it, easier than doing it yourself, and you will know it's done right.
Break-In Notes:
* No harsh acceleration during break-in period
* Drive 50 miles then let it cool off for 30 minutes
* Repeat for the first 250 miles
* Change the gear oil at 1,000 miles
* Use 80- to 90-weight non-synthetic gear oil
* Add one bottle of posi additive, if needed
Stuff You'll Need:
* Jackstands and a jack or lift
* Tranny jack or a few extra friends
* Basic wrench and ratchet set
* Lug wrench
* C-clamps
* Double flare kit and tubing cutter
* 80 weight gear oil
* Penetrating oil (Royal Purple Maxfilm)
* Welder for brake fittings
* Solvent to clean housing
* Two cans of spray paint
(Dupli-Color, PN DA 1603)
* Brake line tubing and fittings
* New brake hoses
* Two male 3-AN x 3/8-inch fittings
* Three U-clips
* Mounting brackets for brake lines
* T-fitting for brake lines
* Lokar e-brake cable kit
Where The Money Went '70 Ford Fairlane 500: $8,100.00 Vintage Wheel Works V60 wheels: $1,179.00 Nitto 555 tires: $594.00 Mount & balance tires: $100.00 Used '70 Torino GT hood: $250.00 Paint & body labor: $250.00 Materials to paint rear valance: $15.00 New vinyl top: $119.95 Labor for top install: $250.00 Front spoiler: $67.96 Line lock with lines: $96.90 SSBC front disc brakes (PN A133-2): $999.95 Rotor upgrade: $150.00 Just Suspension "The Works" kit: $1,850.00 Credit for unused KYB shocks: -($152.00) Alston double-adjustable VariShocks: $956.00 Alignment: $69.95 Strange 9-inch rearend with brakes: $2,423.72 Lokar e-brake cable kit: $144.95 Miscellaneous hardware for rearend install: $86.44 Aluminum 3.5-inch driveshaft and parts: $470.00 Parts & labor total: $18,021.82 Sold parts from Fairlane (tires, wheels & hood): -($338.56) Total in project: $17,596.82
