gregaust

LOL , yes , I forgot those radio adverts . Sure was a few years ago now . Early 2000's I'd say 

We did it years ago     The old RDP ute , Factory clevo block from the wreckers ,  C302B heads , 2 x 88mm Turbos  1273 RWHP . It went on to run 8.50 
That factory block never let us down . And i can verify it was every bit a factory clevo block..  Was grouted to welch plugs . The only thing in the block was some fretting of the main caps @ 8200 rpm  
 
That same day I got to take  that car ontrack for powercruise . It was fast  
 
1273rwhp Ford BA Xr8 Ute by RDP Motorsport USA - YouTube
 
Ford Ba XR8 Twin Turbo Ute at the Drags Testing Built by RDP Motorsport - YouTube
 
Twin Turbo Ford XR8 Ute by RDP Motorsport - YouTube

As much as I hate to admit my association with this lol  But it sure was a learning curve back then .. But all relevant to this conversation here .
 
This was the same block prior to turbo's. Again factory clevo block , lots of nitrous 
 
World's Fastest Cleveland Powered Ford Cortina Streetcar by RDP Motorsport USA - YouTube

We did it years ago     The old RDP ute , Factory clevo block from the wreckers ,  C302B heads , 2 x 88mm Turbos  1273 RWHP . It went on to run 8.50 
That factory block never let us down . And i can verify it was every bit a factory clevo block..  Was grouted to welch plugs . The only thing in the block was some fretting of the main caps @ 8200 rpm  
 
That same day I got to take  that car ontrack for powercruise . It was fast  
 
1273rwhp Ford BA Xr8 Ute by RDP Motorsport USA - YouTube
 
Ford Ba XR8 Twin Turbo Ute at the Drags Testing Built by RDP Motorsport - YouTube
 
Twin Turbo Ford XR8 Ute by RDP Motorsport - YouTube

We did it years ago     The old RDP ute , Factory clevo block from the wreckers ,  C302B heads , 2 x 88mm Turbos  1273 RWHP . It went on to run 8.50 
That factory block never let us down . And i can verify it was every bit a factory clevo block..  Was grouted to welch plugs . The only thing in the block was some fretting of the main caps @ 8200 rpm  
 
That same day I got to take  that car ontrack for powercruise . It was fast  
 
1273rwhp Ford BA Xr8 Ute by RDP Motorsport USA - YouTube
 
Ford Ba XR8 Twin Turbo Ute at the Drags Testing Built by RDP Motorsport - YouTube
 
Twin Turbo Ford XR8 Ute by RDP Motorsport - YouTube

my oil filter thing came from the usa ,says suits 335 series and big block ,this is going on my 400 ,couldnt find any company here that does them ,also has a big allen key hex to screw it in,im also back at work ,i got my old job back i started on monday and things are looking up,now i can think about a roller cam and spend a bit more where it is needed.

XD calipers are different to XE and XF calipers. and the mounting plates. 
for converting a drum diff, i'd just find a disc brake diff whole. 
if you want or need a good hand brake.. keep the drums
 

Even between XE-onwards disc and drum setups, the mounting flanges are different. The bolt pattern is the same but one is turned 90 deg to the other, meaning that housings are brake-specific.

I have spare what I believe to be an XD or earlier housing with the iron calipers, ventilated discs and big bearings, and the bolt pattern is different again. It looks more like a 9" pattern (square vs later rectangular). Not even the axles are compatible from the XD one to XE, so like what Dean said, best to get a complete assembly with parts that are already working together (even if it needs rebuilding) and go from there.

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That has come up real nice .. 

Here is another HOLY GRAIL part i managed to buy this morning ,its a c4 pan fill big block bellhousing,these are very rare in australia and a s*** one goes for about $500 but since covid and not many people going on parts runs to the usa they are almost imposible to find ,i paid $700 for this one and suits a clapper type starter motor so the seller tells me,so now i can fit a c4 to my next 400 build and not worry about will shifters fit or extractor clearance and weight compard to a c6 also tailshaft length and the c6 zaps a fair bit of power,it bolts to any big block pattern 429/460 or 351m/400 and uses std 164 flywheel and converter .

Paint job came out well i spend about 1hr masking up and then after final coat take all tape off and use thinners and rag to wipe off any overspray if any at all,we might even put the cam in later as its easy to guide it in from underneath with no crank in the way

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I figured that soft alloy won't hurt anything in there, but probably a good idea for those who aren't rough-as-guts like me. Another option is to unbolt the housing from the motor and do it separately, that way the pinion and shaft are out of the way of the hacksaw. I just turned it upside down and hit it with some brake clean, called it good.

The Bendix is generally pretty well sealed, after all the starter does cop a bit of clutch dust over time.

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Header clearance



Drag link/pitman arm



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i found another 400 block in gc,std bore,im going to grab it in the morning,then lets get the 400 cranking.

I also scored 9 std bore clevos they all need cleaning and de rusting quite a good selection from 1973 to 1982 i figure to just clean em up and maybe sell a few becoming hard to find in std bore

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i scored a rare single plane manifold by edelbrock for the 400 very hard to find even in usa,called a streetmaster made in the early 80s ,this is one of those holy grail parts that you cannot find in australia,bought it off usa e bay never used edelbrock streetmaster single plane intake manifold,paid a fair bit for it but fk it ,should get deliverd in about a month.

Cleaned and painted the tranny plate this one is a big block pattern

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Got 1 head painted ,i dont mind the dark blue

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I use that on transmission cases . Comes up nice and really looks very similar to the alloy in parts that are clean as original. And it lasts nice 

I use that on transmission cases . Comes up nice and really looks very similar to the alloy in parts that are clean as original. And it lasts nice 

Pic

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Can sandblast , then use VHT or Duplicolour alumium paint looks pretty natural.
Vapour blasting is good and can leave natural 

Can sandblast , then use VHT or Duplicolour alumium paint looks pretty natural.
Vapour blasting is good and can leave natural 

Ford did some funny things back in the day, they developed the FMX from the BW and used a Ravigneaux planetary set, but produced that box alongside the C4 and C6 which used a completely different Simpson planetary set. Then, when they were done making the FMX in the late 70s, they developed the AOD from it while the C4 and C6 were phased out. So in a roundabout way, the FMX design predated, then outlived the other gearboxes that were supposed to replace it.

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I like the FMX's , they are a good trans . Back in 2004 I put one in a mates car more as an experiment , with a 502 stroker, 550 HP , 580 ftlb.. It's still there to this day