The Land Yacht - '68 Sport Fury Convertible build

[thrashingcows]

The 440 in the 66 will drop right in on the subframe on the 68...no issues at all. And in my opinion it is not easier to swap subframes....that is a ton of extra work for no gain. I pulled a 440/727 from my parts car 71 300 4dr and dropped it right in the hole on my 68 T/C wagon (previously robbed of it's original 440/727), no mods or changes required....even used the 71 radiator and shroud....again direct bolt up with no mods.

 

[AdamH]

Had a chance to look at the motor more closely. Dated '71 but the is stamped H440 HP2. Tells me it came out of a '72 something or other.

Also found the fender skirts To he '66. One original to the car and the 2nd is blue. Both in great shape.

 

[AdamH]

Started prepping for the motor pull by unbolting the exhaust and driveshaft. very cool that I found the Certicard. My wife and I spent some time searching for the original owner. I think I found him. More to come on that part.

 

[Mr C]

Great project. I'd leave the 68 gold for sure. Looks great.

 

[Fratzog]

Thanks for keeping us posted. You will have a very nice ragtop when you are done. Wouldn't you need a different drive shaft for the 727?

 

[AdamH]

Yep - the driveshaft is shorter since the 727 is longer. Two rebuilt ones came with the red car so I'm good there.

 

[AdamH]

been awhile since I have posted. Little did I know that here in NC if you buy an antique car that has never been registered here before that the Highway Patrol has to inspect it before the title is issued by the state. I've owned a number of antique cars but they have all been local to me. Upon finding this little tid bit out (after realizing I hadn't received the title yet) I was told that for my county I have to take the car to them. Some counties will come to your house. Well during this time I had taken out the entire interior to do some floorboard patching so the car wasn't drivable.

Got the floors done and slapped a seat in it and took it to the station. It easily passed inspection (they check to ensure it's not a chop-shop job / VIN plates switched) and I was issued the title. Now I get to work on it again. While I trusted the seller and the overall condition of the car I couldn't stomach the idea of spending lots of time and $$ on a car without the title in hand.

Installed the new wheels and tires. I went with Foose 18" wheels with the rear being wider and Cooper tires. Tires are same height as stock but much wider. A buddy is coming over this Saturday to help with the engine / trans swap. Now the fun begins. Exhaust shop will come in to play next week.

Also ordered a vanity plate for it along with one for my Jeep Scrambler. After owing 37 vehicles in my lifetime this will be the first time I have ever paid extra for a vanity plate.

 

[AdamH]

Foose wheels =
18x8 front with 225/5018 Cooper ZEON tires
18x9 rear with 255/45/18 Cooper ZEON tires

 

[traintech55]

Glad you got your title issues straight. I am the same way, hate to put a penny into a car unless it it in my name.

 

[AdamH]

Been quite some time since I’ve posted. Been busy with life and finishing final small details on my Scrambler build.

Currently I have 3 issues to fix:
1. Overheating. I need to determine what’s the best route to go. When I did the engine swap (318 - 440) I was able to also swap over the radiator. From reading here I guess that means I now have a 22” radiator since it bolted easily up to my original support/yoke? So should I get a 26” and whatever it takes to get it to fit? Or are there other options to achieve the same goal with a better 22”? Also need to check what thermostat is in it. It’s a non-A/C car FWIW
2. Charging system. Fingers crossed the alternator is just bad. Need to check
3. Trans. This is an aggravating issue to say the least. TF727 that came in donor car with receipts of **** kit install and “gone through”. Well I have no reverse and after a couple of try’s to adjust it still no dice. Guess it needs to come out for a full rebuild.

Oh well. If these things were easy everyone would have them right?!?!

 

[polara71]

A 22" radiator came with 440s unless you had A/C . I larger radiator probably doesn't hurt. I have the 22" in my 383-4 car and never hga d an over heating issue, even in summer traffic

 

[AdamH]

Thanks for the quick reply. I looked at some aluminum options in the 22” size. If I were to get one of those with another row I wonder if that’d work?

What size thermostat should I run?

 

[traintech55]

Been quite some time since I’ve posted. Been busy with life and finishing final small details on my Scrambler build.

Currently I have 3 issues to fix:
1. Overheating. I need to determine what’s the best route to go. When I did the engine swap (318 - 440) I was able to also swap over the radiator. From reading here I guess that means I now have a 22” radiator since it bolted easily up to my original support/yoke? So should I get a 26” and whatever it takes to get it to fit? Or are there other options to achieve the same goal with a better 22”? Also need to check what thermostat is in it. It’s a non-A/C car FWIW
2. Charging system. Fingers crossed the alternator is just bad. Need to check
3. Trans. This is an aggravating issue to say the least. TF727 that came in donor car with receipts of **** kit install and “gone through”. Well I have no reverse and after a couple of try’s to adjust it still no dice. Guess it needs to come out for a full rebuild.

Oh well. If these things were easy everyone would have them right?!?!

OK lets address you issues with a little more information,
1. Overheating, does it overheat all the time, or is it good at idle, then overheat as you are driving. If it overheats all the time look at the thermostat A non A/C car should be a 180 degree unit. If it overheats as you are driving have the radiator looked at by a shop, they can clog up at the bottom and restrict the coolant flow.
2. Charging system, Good place to start is having it tested, when correct you should get 14 to 14.5 volts at the battery at idle with everything off.
3. No reverse in trans, Time for a rebuild.

 

[AdamH]

1. since I don't have reverse I have rarely driven it since the engine swap. but yes, it will run hot just sitting still. Thanks for the thermostat info. I'll grab a 180 and swap it in. I'm not sure what's in it now since the previous owner of the parts car had the 440 rebuilt before installing it but even if it's a 180 thermostat these things are so cheap might as well grab a new one versus testing the old one. I also have a receipt from the owner of the parts car that the radiator was checked and had a re-core. However the radiator is the stock one from the '66 which was a factory 383 non A/C car. running the numbers on the radiator (2582959) shows it was the original one. Would it be a 2-core? It does get hot down here so upgrading to a 3-4 core probably isn't a bad idea. Also, neither the stock 318 radiator in my car nor the set-up in the parts car included a fan shroud. I guess what I am trying to say is that I'd rather fix this in one shot so wondering what makes the most sense.
2. running at idle I only have 11.8 volts. Battery was new 3 months ago. The alternator was new when the engine was re-built so less than a year old. I was wondering if maybe the regulator is bad.
3. shopping around for a good trans builder now

 

[AdamH]

Just realized I didn't provide an update on what happened to the '66. I couldn't bring myself to sell it as a driving vehicle due to the condition. The pics made it look 100x better than it was. From the back of the doors to the rear bumper was swiss cheese with I don't know how many pounds of bondo. The sub-frame had patches on top of patches on top of patches. The thought of someone driving that thing on the street scared me.

-I sold the 318 and 904 to a guy building an old 30s Dodge 4-door.
-Stripped the interior and sold it to a local guy wanting to turn his '66 Fury I into a Sport.
-Sold the carcass to a local body shop who have plans to build it into a vintage drag car. Last I heard they had done quite a bit of work on it already building an entirely new sub-frame and starting on a motor.

For me this was the best plan to use the '66 versus scraping it yet trying to keep everyone safe. I sleep better at night at least.

 

[AdamH]

Still battling overheating issues.

New 3 core aluminum radiator and new 180 stat. New upper and lower hoses with wire to prevent collapse

Took it out on a 85degree day and after about 10 mins temp gauge was pegged hot. Pulled over and upper radiator hose was swollen. Couldn’t even come near touching the top of the radiator it was so hot. After letting it sit for about 10 mins I went home. Pulling into driveway it was pegged again. I carefully pulled the line from the overflow bottle and almost half a gallon of coolant ran into the bucket I placed under it.

I read about a bad head gasket could cause this. I don’t see any coolant in the oil but I know that’s not a fool proof check.

What should be my next steps?

 

[1970cat]

do you have the proper radiator cap (with overflow) and is it functioning properly?

 

[traintech55]

Still battling overheating issues.

New 3 core aluminum radiator and new 180 stat. New upper and lower hoses with wire to prevent collapse

Took it out on a 85degree day and after about 10 mins temp gauge was pegged hot. Pulled over and upper radiator hose was swollen. Couldn’t even come near touching the top of the radiator it was so hot. After letting it sit for about 10 mins I went home. Pulling into driveway it was pegged again. I carefully pulled the line from the overflow bottle and almost half a gallon of coolant ran into the bucket I placed under it.

I read about a bad head gasket could cause this. I don’t see any coolant in the oil but I know that’s not a fool proof check.

What should be my next steps?

Yes a bad head gasket could cause this problem. A quick check before you pull your engine apart. Remove the thermostat, and refill with coolant. Run the engine with the radiator cap off, if you continually get bubbles out of the radiator start to check deeper into the gaskets.

 

[AdamH]

do you have the proper radiator cap (with overflow) and is it functioning properly?

what cap do I need? When I ordered the radiator the guy asked for the application and then put the package together. Sorry but already at work now and don't have the specs with me.

EDIT - was able to pull up my purchase on-line.

Champion Cooling aluminum 3 row radiator with 16lb cap included. overflow tube is attached to the neck on the radiator. since my car is non A/C should I be using a 13lb cap?

 

[AdamH]

Yes a bad head gasket could cause this problem. A quick check before you pull your engine apart. Remove the thermostat, and refill with coolant. Run the engine with the radiator cap off, if you continually get bubbles out of the radiator start to check deeper into the gaskets.

Maybe I can try that today after work.