Sandy's 63 Jetfire 4 spd manual

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  • #17190
    graytoad
    Participant

    We haven’t touched the motor since unloading it, likely be next week. We started some other jobs before heading south: we are installing a Vintage Air system in our 61 Fiesta wagon which was only half done when we left. That is a big job, everything has to be custom fit and there are no ‘direct instructions’ of fitting the unit to our actual car as they are universal fit. . .AKA ‘You pray the Universe is on your side as you try to figure it out’! Steve also has electric window mechanisms he wants to install in his 06 Chevy truck however I am going to ‘gently nudge him’ to put that off for now and get going on the Jetfire. Wish me luck.

    #17191
    graytoad
    Participant

    Apparently not all cars came with seatbelts so I have posted mine here. Note: ‘factory correct’ have the soft rubbery vinyl sleeve at the bottom to cover the connectors to avoid rattling. They mount to heavy duty forged eye bolts. If you look at the picture, top right you will see that there are two plates that swing to open to catch the eye bolt. Sold as an option only, they were expensive at $18.83 for the pair! Compare that to a complete electric 2 speed windshield washer system with jug and a supply of ‘special detergent antifreeze fluid’ for $16.46 (included on the Jetfire but an option on the base version F85’s) Seatbelts were mandatory equipment in cars built in North America from 1966 onward and in 1976 Ontario, Canada started to enforce that we use them. Not sure about the USA and when they became mandatory – was that ‘state’ decision?

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    #17226
    graytoad
    Participant

    TRF Tank ‘Red Button’ – thought I would post here too
    I spent many weeks working with a leading ‘3D print’ production company to recreate the ‘red button’ that goes on the top of the TRF fluid tank pressure relief cap. As the original, the button sits slightly higher than the cap when sealed and pops up prominently at 7 psi. They are color matched to an original NOS button and satin cleared for a more suitable sheen. (I do have a few unfinished if you prefer to paint your own, please specify). For those who have an aftermarket ‘standard style’ 7 lb rad cap, you can belt sand thin and glue to your cap to mimic a factory look. $25.00 UDS each plus $5.00 shipping, 2 or more shipping included. For information or Paypal payment: sandygray2018@gmail.com, Sandy Gray Orders for the TRF filter stencil or bottle cap stencil can also be included in one shipment.
    BTW: I bead blasted my original pressure cap and sprayed with satin clear to achieve that finish.

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    #17228
    graytoad
    Participant

    TRF back up bottle Lid Stencil – awaiting classifieds posting, I though I would include here too.
    When shipped new your Jetfire included an under the hood ‘back up bottle’ of Turbo Rocket Fluid – should your pressure tank run dry. The lid of the bottle had ‘Turbo Rocket Fluid’ printed on the cap but if it was lost the replacement caps were plain black. We have created a stencil to replicate that, the original printing is very small and although the hand designed font is not ‘100% exact’ – when it is installed under the hood the difference is unnoticeable. Stencils are sold as a 2 pack (in case you mess one up) with full instructions for $12.00 including shipping. For info or Paypal payment sandygray2018@gamil.com Sandy Gray. Orders for the TRF filter stencil or Fluid tank ‘Red Button’ can also be included into one shipment.

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    #17234
    graytoad
    Participant

    Things are moving forward well with the Jetfire. Engine and transmission, drive shaft, heater box & rad in so Steve decided to fill the rad when he discovered it was pouring out the side of the block. Turns out there should have been a drain plug installed by our engine builder that was not, nor was it pointed out that we needed to do that!
    I continue to be amazed how fabulous my interior is! The seat bottoms had a number of splits and tears so they were recovered by resewing a used ‘era correct’ rear seat cover from a parts car. I replaced the carpets and purchased enough carpet to recover the door card bottoms but they are such nice shape I don’t have the heart to tear them apart. You can see the difference between the deep red on the door panel vs the brighter red that is supposed to be correct. Even the custom shops can not get that deep red loop. All the rest is original to the car and a big dose of love, polish an attention brought it back to the way you see it!
    Lots of bits and pieces needing installation yet. The turbo system will be the last thing to install before fire up – which should hopefully happen next week!

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    #17241
    JimNoel
    Participant

    Sure looks GREAT! Really nice work…….

    #17266
    graytoad
    Participant

    We have had a super productive 2 weeks. Yesterday we got the turbo on. No one told us that bolting on the turbo/getting at some of those bolts would nearly cause a divorce as well as trying to figure out where everything connected to. The factory must have had some special tools or hired people based on how small their hands were. We survived but not without some serious cursing. Thank goodness for all the ‘tags’ Jim Noel added to help us sort this out!
    Today we got all the other little things done that needed doing in order to fire up this baby! Everything installed, everything checked, fluids added, engine primed: ready to go! The big oval air cleaner ‘can’ is just sitting there as we need to be able to squirt gas into the carb. Once cleanly running, we will drop it into place to protect the engine from any inhaled junk as we need to run it for about a half hour to break the cam in properly.
    Wish us good Karma: it is always a bit nerve wracking the first time you fire up a new/rebuilt engine!

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    #17332
    graytoad
    Participant

    Wow, I am so behind in posting here! I apologize for that: I do want to have our progress on here to help others should they have any concerns. We finally started the Jetfire in November (2020). We were so fortunate to have our good friend Terry B who is a ‘mechanic by trade’ and a classic car guy join us for the occasion. So glad he did as he helped us with a few problems including a coil situation: and we learned ‘something new’ about coils today in the process. Jetfire’s have so many tubes and connections: so many places for leaks so it all seemed so daunting. Yes, we did have some troubles and leaks but thankfully none directly related to the Turbo’s connections. Everything sorted out, ran the car for about a half hour or so ‘breaking in’ the cam. We did not get the brake fluid filled and bled so a test drive will be another day. We did not have any muffler, just a 4-5 foot section of exhaust pipe connected to the header pipe and I was surprised how much sound the turbo supresses. I certainly do not need to purchase a ‘quiet’ muffler when we get to that job!

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    #17334
    graytoad
    Participant

    I mentioned I had replaced the carpeting but did not elaborate. No one makes carpet sets for the 4 speed cars. The problem is that the 4 speed cars have a much larger shifter tunnel/hump than the automatics. All the car bodies started out as automatic floor pan configuration and if a car was ordered with a 4 spd manual the smaller hump was cut out. That job was done ‘rather roughly’ making you question if in fact you do have an actual ‘factory 4 speed’ car when you first see it. The hole is irregular and the larger hump was overlapped and welded in and sealant putty is troweled on. Further to the lack of availability of the 4 speed carpet set, the dark red of the factory carpet is also no longer woven (we ran into this same problem with out 61 Fiesta wagon) however the red that is available coordinates well with the rest of the red interior. So, I ‘bit the bullet and ordered a set of 63 ‘automatic’ carpets and hoped I could make them work. I also ordered extra carpet to recover my kick panels and the bottom edge of the door card that is carpeted. We completely lined the floor of the car with Dynamat sound deadening mat as well as an additional heat reflective product on the firewall and into the foot well of the floor board area.

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    #17336
    graytoad
    Participant

    Since I knew the hump area would be an issue, I started at the dimmer switch for alignment as that hole was cut out at the factory. I then used the heal pad and mass backing placement to install around the gas pedal stud. I used washers and vice grips to hold everything in place as I went along as well as bolts into the seat hold down nuts in the floor. I figured I would have to do some artful snipping to make the carpet fit the hump area, but it was not really a problem and although it ‘does not fit like a glove’ and am happy with the result. How ever the overall fitment of the carpets is very disappointing. The back seat carpet that has nothing to do with the front seat is the worst fitting piece. None the less, the carpet is in done and it looks reasonably good, unless you look really closely.

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