WL: 1987 Merkur XR4Ti

[Coupelx]

Some of you will remember the silver merkur Hibs used to have. I recently purchased it from him. it will become my daily driver/ open track car.

pic for content:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/merk1.jpg

motor is setting in car as of tonight
more tomorrow when im sober

[Grey03GT]

Bibs? to much drinky drinky.

[82355]

Hibs.

Martin

[Kelvin]

what martin said

[Coupelx]

yea drunk.

[Hibs]

That steering rack is clean as ****. You like the new inner/outer tie rod ends and boots? i forgot to mention that.

[Johnny]

bout time!

[Gentoo]

pics you feg

[Coupelx]

The front end of this thing is clean and tight as hell. Thanks for the awesome deal Hibs.

We got it started tonight. Runs perfect. I am waiting on some driveshaft pieces and a dipstick for the transmission.

in the last 2 days i got done:

put front brakes together and bled the system
clean up motor and swap turbo out for larger t3
swap transmission over
dropped the motor in with the new motor mounts
wired the motor
figured out all the coolant lines and put in the radiator
made up some custom radiator hoses
hooked up misc stupid ****



Need to finish:
find bolt for speedo cable
buy and install electric fan
mount trans cooler
make up a new turbo oil line
hook up the wires for the guages but i need to find out what is what to do this.
install badass 3in exhaust.

Hibs- does the front end need to be aligned or is it close enough to drive it for a bit?

my buddy is bringing over his camera so i dont have to torture with crappy cell phone pics.

[Hibs]

The front end will need an alignment. Also, it needs to be torqued properly now that the motor is installed. Merkur's have a weird front suspension, you have to have it torqued with the motor in and it sitting on the ground (or a drive on lift). So make sure to do that before you try driving it. I'm going to get that CD out to you tomorrow with the repair manual, it has the proper torque procedure.

[swaggy853]

i used to have one of these, sold it for $150 ran fine, i had no idea at the time what it even was. Im gonna go see about kicking myself in the ass now.

[MadmaX]

I sold an AE86 for $200, 1UP'ed!
Posted via Mobile Device

[Coupelx]

didnt know that. thanks for the heads up.

got the 3in exhaust on today. sounds awesome. had to loosen up the sway bar to get it on so thats tight now.

got a yoke and guibo coming. maybe i can drive it this weekend!

[Gentoo]

didnt know that. thanks for the heads up.

got the 3in exhaust on today. sounds awesome. had to loosen up the sway bar to get it on so thats tight now.

got a yoke and guibo coming. maybe i can drive it this weekend!

i want a ride, hit me up on msn sometime lol

[matt]

WTF PICS!!!!

[Coupelx]

tommorrow. my tard friend lacked a camera today and i only have cell phone for pics.

heres the pile that donated the motor. i believe it appeared at a few races...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/052408_104600-1.jpg

yes thats a ford ranger pulling it.

[Coupelx]

another for reference- a honda's true place :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/020208_014400.jpg

[Gentoo]

weaksauce

[Paul_N]

I sold an AE86 for $200, 1UP'ed!
Posted via Mobile Device

i hate u now

[MadmaX]

i hate u now

You where probably 10 years old at the time. You couldn't have driven it anyway.

[Coupelx]

i got it drivible and insurance on it and have put 14 miles on it :D

i got the electric fan and thermostat switch put in along with the 3G 140a alternator. put the grill and hood back on and did the 'zip-tie' mod to the damn dipstick.

pics compliments of francis:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v107/HibsLX/1987%20XR4Ti/87-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v107/HibsLX/1987%20XR4Ti/87-3.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v107/HibsLX/1987%20XR4Ti/87-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v107/HibsLX/1987%20XR4Ti/87-1.jpg

nothing has changed since these pics. that thats soon to change....

tomorrow is clean and detail the interior and underhood.

[MadmaX]

What's wrong with your dipstick?

[Coupelx]

it pops out and sprays oil everywhere. i need to put some valve seals in this *****.

[MadmaX]

Lol. I guess.
My lima never did that on 20lbs.

[Coupelx]

60 miles and counting!

the temp guage reads hot but the cooling system doesnt seem to build alot of pressure. but the car doesnt seem like its over heating? swapped out the radiator cap with the one from the mustang to no avail. i guess though if it aint broke, fix it till it is....

[Burntz]

try a new temp gauge? or a new coolant temp sender

[Coupelx]

The latest pics of the car, clayed, waxed and polished!
i am going to build a lip on the inside of the cutout on the grille since it needs to be re painted anyways.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/062108_143500.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/062108_143501.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/062108_143502.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/062108_143503.jpg

[toom1h]

I'd simply check the thermostat

[Gentoo]

x2 on the t-stat

[Coupelx]

thermostat is new and the radiator gets hot. /2 on the t-stat.

[DSMMIKE]

new parts can be bad........

[Coupelx]

the radiator gets hot, water is flowing.

[Coupelx]

verified the the car is only running around 200F so thats good. i attempted to make the fuel gauge work to no avail but i did get the tach to read correctly, only to have the speedo come unplugged. THEN i attempted to stop the power steering pump from leaking, only to have it leak more. i am giving it one more try tomorrow, if it still leaks i am ripping the power steering off and gutting the rack. **** this leaky **** :pissed:

epic. fail.

[Hibs]

no need to gut the rack, just disconnect the lines and leave it.

[82355]

It's an automatic???

Martin

[coop]

with a 3500 stall

[82355]

Who cares? That much ugly and an automatic???

Martin

[Coupelx]

i think it looks awesome but...eh. its getting a 5 speed as soon as funds allow. its a bit of work in these cars.

Francis- do you know if i can get just the o-rings for the reservoir on the pump? thats my only problem. seems pointless to replace the whole pump.

[Coupelx]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/062708_171001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/062708_171000.jpg

in between the rain...

[Coupelx]

the pos that donated the motor...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/052408_104600-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/052408_125700.jpg

[Hibs]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/062708_171001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/062708_171000.jpg

in between the rain...

Is that just primer, or did you leave it that color?

[Coupelx]

its grey trim paint.

[Hibs]

its grey trim paint.

gotcha....

**** me, you shoulda done this....

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=945106

[Coupelx]

the paint matched the bumpers perfectly.


i had wet dreams of pulling the TT 5.o out of the mustang and putting it in the merkur. :hmm:

[Hibs]

the paint matched the bumpers perfectly.


i had wet dreams of pulling the TT 5.o out of the mustang and putting it in the merkur. :hmm:

I found a guy that makes 5.0 swap mounts.

[Coupelx]

dont tempt me :lol:

[Coupelx]

Big update (with pics tomorrow)

I have ordered and will be receiveing the following-

http://www.clutchnet.com/photos/S_4button_solid01.jpg
custom built for very little chatter.

new pressure plate pilot bearing and flywheel

cam seal

cv boot to replace one torn one

new metal cased valve seals

roller cam and followers

pilot bearing


also got the parts car up here and pulled the t9, pedals and other misc stuffs out.

for those who have done pedal swaps in mustangs- **** that ****. the merkur is 2 nuts, a bolt and 2 clips and the pedals slide right out. thats IT.

[Hibs]

so you putting in a T5 or the T9?

and did you waste your money on a ranger roller, or man up and buy a BOPORT cam?

[Coupelx]

T9. Got it torn apart tonight and gone through and a few things changed. going out in a few to swap pedals, speedo cables and the clutch cable over.

its my daily and dont have $350 for a boport. though its definately in the future. i picked up a ranger roller for $50 and possibly an FMS adjustible sprocket so i can retard the ***** about 4*. normally i would have just stuck with the cam that was in the motor currently but it has 1/4in or better worn off each lobe. i got a bigass magnent for the oil filter to catch as much of the **** as possible. also switched to royal purple since i had a case of it setting from my 5.0 and i only change the oil in it like 3 times a year.


check your paypal n00blet. have you heard if the title was sent yet? gotta plate this biotch so i can order my custom plates for the 5.0;.

[Hibs]

Got the paypal, thanks.

I haven't heard back from Mike besides the one e-mail telling me that he had the title. I told him to send it to ya, and give him your address. So it should be on the way.

Sucks that the cam in there was worn. I guess a ranger roller is better then OEM.

[Coupelx]

20 years of shitty oil will do that. gives me a chance to freshen up the 160k top end. although the only time it smokes is on the first start of the day. just a puff. a compression test showed 150+ on all 4 cyl. which is on par with a freshly rebuilt 2.3t. and from the looks of that cougar it was every bit of 160k original too.

just waiting on the clutch. im calling tomorrow because it hasnt been charged to my card and i havent received a shipping confirmation. :pissed:

[Coupelx]

Pics:

new parts!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072408_132000.jpg

Man Pedal installed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072408_132100.jpg

box of gears
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072408_132200.jpg

and the car in its current state :(
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072408_132201.jpg

[MadmaX]

progress!

[Coupelx]

Indeed! I took the afternoon off and am about to venture into the world of cv shaft boot repair. hopefully all the ATV shafts i did at my previous job were good practice.

one more pic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072408_133800.jpg

[MadmaX]

ranger cam's better than a worn out slider I guess. and cheap!

it's totally worth getting something better down the road though. got an adjustable gear yet?

[Coupelx]

i am looking for a affordable adjustible gear. eventually im going with one of Boport's new cams but i need to get rid of the wornout pos thats in there first and this was cheap. ill get pics when i tear it down tonight compared to a good condition slider.

[MadmaX]

fyi, on the ranger cam my SVO LOVED 4 deg retarded.

And by loved I mean lost no power anywhere and felt way better up top. They're so worth it.

[Coupelx]

Finished up the topend today.

new timing belt/tensioner
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072608_165700.jpg

cam
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072608_165701.jpg

collapsing the HLA's to install the followers
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072608_175000.jpg

timing set installed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072608_192200.jpg

all installed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072608_193500.jpg

top end buttoned back up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072608_200900.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072608_201000.jpg

still waiting on the clutch :(

[Hibs]

Indeed! I took the afternoon off and am about to venture into the world of cv shaft boot repair. hopefully all the ATV shafts i did at my previous job were good practice.

one more pic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/072408_133800.jpg

CV shafts are easy to rebuild. just clean clean clean with parts cleaner and brake clean, then give it a final spray down of brake clean. put in fresh lube, new boot and you're set. i've rebuilt lots of them. takes a good 2-3 hours sitting at the damn parts cleaner bench though. i guess with it being like $10 for a boot kit, a lot better then $100 on a new cv shaft.

[Coupelx]

yea they arent bad just time consuming, i did the ones on my honda accord and have done several atv boots. i need to get the car back on the ground so i can do it.

[Coupelx]

clutch will be here monday and the new guibo will be here wednesday or so.

yesterday i modified the ac condensor and its accompanying fan from the parts car to be used as a heat exchanger for my air/water intercooler. Mounting it all up and remounted the radiator with new rubber mounts. i also now have a horn as the horns are attached to the a/c condensor brackets and they had been removed from the car also. ive also been playing with ideas on what to do with the cut out opening on the grill. i like the smooth look of the stock grill but need the cut out to move air across the heat exchanger. so much to think about.....

today i decided to hide the engine harness behind the false firewall. hibs will know what im talking about. i wont have pics until i pick up my new HTC Touch on monday :D only had to make one hole and i used a grommet off the parts car to finish it off. looks completely factory. i also re-loomed alot of stuff and started cleaning off the rest oil residue from my little incident of the breather check valve being in wrong and pressurizing the crankcase. oops

[Coupelx]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Fraggster/IMAG00041.jpg
:lost:

[Coupelx]

back from the dead eh?

after some searching i have found a gm 7.5in limited slip differential. someone figured out that with a little machining to the carrier it bolts right in. pics later today as im off to the machine shop.

[turbodaytona87]

So does the 2.3l head not have cam caps, its just slides in?

[Coupelx]

So does the 2.3l head not have cam caps, its just slides in?

that is correct. there is a retainer plate on the back tower that fits in a groove.


bought one of these setup for progressive injection.

http://www.rjcracing.com/SMC_Alcohol_Injection/fullkit.jpeg

[Coupelx]

back from the dead, eh?

lots has changed including figuring out that the stock turbo does not last long at 24psi so it was time to go bigger.

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs505.snc3/26556_336885176403_594081403_3611523_2167947_n.jpg

heavily ported lower intake and 4in tubular upper with 60mm throttlebody.
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs405.snc3/24517_348043326403_594081403_3642770_6444114_n.jpg

holset H1C, stainless centermount header, 35mm wastegate
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs458.ash1/25170_350915221403_594081403_3647377_587653_n.jpg

[Hibs]

Nice! I miss this car... I saw another XR4Ti sitting outside some shop the other day. It was black, way faded paint, flat tire, some dents/scratches. Bone stock, auto. I was thinking I could maybe snag it up for a few hundred bucks. Tracked down the owner, he was some middle eastern guy, he tells me it's his little project but he would let it go for the right ammount. I asked him how much, he said $4,000. I just laughed in his face then told him he was crazy.

[Coupelx]

**** that would make mine a 10k car!

i gotta work on the rear suspension this summer. going to repaint the cladding too.


there has been a few forsale here in the midwest. i wanted to snag the one on here but really dont have a place to put more project cars. you still have your ranger?

[Cobra Commander]

Sweet!

[Cobra Commander]

back from the dead eh?

after some searching i have found a gm 7.5in limited slip differential. someone figured out that with a little machining to the carrier it bolts right in. pics later today as im off to the machine shop.

What is it out of?

[Coupelx]

some kind of gm 7.5inch 26 spline rear end. 80's era. its been in there for over a year now with no problems :D

[Coupelx]

Just thought I would drop this off here...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs563.ash2/148496_453788221403_594081403_5574802_5270566_n.jp g


Rebuilt 70's 2.3 block with forged flat top pistons
stock head with roller cam and FMS adjustible cam gear

heavily ported lower with custom 3inch tubular upper
65mm throttlebody

stainless tubular header
holset WH1C
38mm external wastegate
full 3inch exhaust
8UA ECU
35lb injectors
programmable Accel 300+/375+ ignition
AEM wideband

SMC alcohol injection controller
Alcohol Injection Systems 200psi pump
#3 and #7 nozzles.

[sn95.0]

Badass

[jangus]

Try not to blow this motor up, eh? That thing should scoot pretty well.

[Coupelx]

Try not to blow this motor up, eh? That thing should scoot pretty well.

oh it does. i put the cam gear on it and have the boost at 17 or so. it boogies.

[jangus]

My ranger cam with the t3/t4 hybrid likes to run 4 degrees advanced. With a stock T3 it liked to be 4 retarted. It made a noticeable difference. Try moving it around and see where it likes to be.
BTW, when are you going to post some burnout pics?

[Coupelx]

My ranger cam with the t3/t4 hybrid likes to run 4 degrees advanced. With a stock T3 it liked to be 4 retarted. It made a noticeable difference. Try moving it around and see where it likes to be.
BTW, when are you going to post some burnout pics?

when i have someone to run a camera! check your phone, n00b.

[gtpspeed]

Real men drive 96 mustangs.