Project Brandy

[cage]

Ran out of time, all it needs is some fluids and we will see how it goes.

[rkmiller73]

Thanks for the photos and write up! I am anxious to see how it runs and where you mounted the controller.

I am really thinking twice about this for my c4 auto Mustang.

[cage]

I will let you know how it runs when I drive it which should be soon. I am running 3.90 rear gears so it is muchly needed. As far as the controller goes it is just wired up on the floor with the rest of my bits waiting to finish the centre console so I can’t help with the mounting on that for a little while however I am not a huge fan of the look so I have gone to something a bit different which I will mount in the centre console where I can reach them easy. They light up around the edge when engaged.

[Dwayne]

Are the buttons from Bluewire?

[cage]

No, billet automotive. Some of the best service I have had for a long time. He is in Newcastle. High quality and quick response times.

https://billetautomotivebuttons.com

[nassi]

Nice work guys and I do like those switches.

[Husky65]

Yeah Billet Automotive are the bomb, I have slowly been replacing all my buttons with theirs. Good to go.

[rkmiller73]

Awesome switches. 100 X better looking than the GV standard stuff.

[Ausjacko]

I kept the GV square boxy looking thing but, as I said before, have placed it to the bottom left (still LHD) of the cockpit so not many notice it. I used a marine toggle switch (with the black rubber boot) for the on/off mounted under the front lip of the centre console lid so even fewer people notice it.

Those switches look very nice.

[cage]

Well a few weekends ago I planned to button everything back up in the engine and go for my first drive since installing the GV. Reinstalled the headers, connected everything like coil etc, filled all fluids, double checked everything and went to start her up. Dead as a door nail...nothing.

Shit! I was by myself too which is always scary. Ok, battery I thought. 11.8V at the battery so that is enough certainly to at least turn it over. Can’t be that. Then I remember my inhibitor switch on my C4 has been playing up. Fiddled around with that a bit and repositioned then went again. She turned over. Phew.

Now, it won’t fire up it just kept turning over. Ok, spark then. Did the old timing light trick on the leads and getting spark. Ok, fuel then. Absolutely no fuel in the bowls and I can’t hear the fuel pump. Why would the fuel pump not be working all of a sudden. Didn’t go anywhere near it. Borrowed the battery charger and connected straight to the fuel pump and it kicked into life so nothing wrong with the actual fuel pump. Maybe wiring then, which is not my strength.

You wouldn’t remember but Hybrid wired up the fuel pump onto my ignition on my request for safety reasons and I had no idea what he did, haha, so phone call to Hybrid. After 20min we were both scratching our heads until I found a cut wire in the harness that I missed. We had to cut it to get the wiring loom out when I took the motor out (wrong flex plate remember, my f’up) and I forgot to join it back together. Joined it back together and we had fuel. A few attempts at starting and she fired up. YES!

Ok drive time. Drove it 20m out of the shed and it slipped out of gear. WTF, finally somehow got it back into reverse and back on the hoist. I was thinking inhibitor switch again but to be sure thought I would make one more phone call to Hybrid as can the inhibitor switch make the car jump out of gears or was it only for start up.

The phone call basically went like this...
Me, “Hi Jeff, my car sucks, keeps loosing gears”.
Jeff, “did you put fluids in the gearbox?”
Me, “of course I did Jeff what do think I am, a dickhead.”
Jeff, “did you fill it up while the car was started?”
Me, “no I did not”
Jeff, “yes your a dickhead”
Me, “fair call, goodbye”

So started the car and it took at least another 3 litres I reckon, bloody hell. Drove out the shed and the first thing I noticed was how smooth it was with the right size flex plate. So happy as from the minute it went into the car I knew something was wrong and it was very uneven. Not anymore and it is beautiful.

Put the GV in auto, got to 80k’s and she shifted into overdrive in auto and a very big smile went across my face, dropped down under 80k’s and it dropped back, perfect. Put it into manual mode and shifted just the overdrive gear manually, perfect again. Drove it back to the shed very pleased. Will need to spend more time with it but so far I am super impressed with the overdrive gear. Will report more after I spend more time with it.

[Husky65]

Good stuff. At least you are set now in the transmission department for the rest of your life.

[cage]

Let’s hope Husky. Maybe I need to start thinking about a supercharger hey, haha.

[Ausjacko]

Great news! I am pleased I had the GV for the trip to Perth. Changes very smooth but the manual disengagement is a bit clunky, auto disengagement is fine. Still could use a taller diff ratio...
Cheers
Jacko

[nassi]

They are a great addition.

[rkmiller73]

Sounds great!

I still cannot believe Ford didn't put in an overdrive back in the day.