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Hayden Rapid-Cool Transmission Oil Coolers
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Performance Automatic Transmission
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Episode Transcript

(Pat)>> You're watching Powernation!

[ engine revving ]

(Frankie)>> We just gave the Granada about 400 more horses to play with. All that extra power demands some serious upgrades. [ Music ]

(Pat)>> Today on Engine Power we are getting back on one of our favorite projects that we have done in a while, our 1977 Ford Granada Ghia. It's even Vista Orange. Now we brought this car in because it was a low mile car we just could not live without, and we chassis dyno'ed it and it made dismal power. So, we pulled the engine and made a couple of street modifications to it to spice it up a bit. Check it out! [ Music ] [ engine revving ] [ Music ]

(Pat)>> It didn't like wide open throttle.

(Frankie)>> It was a little rough. Definitely starting to miss there. Not bad though, 101 and 185 pound feet.

(Pat)>> It made triple digits!

(Frankie)>> That's not bad. These things made like 120 or 130 stock. That's what they claim.

(Pat)>> When most people think of their favorite cars from the '70s the Granada does not often make the list, but honestly we like almost everything about it except for the underpowered engine. We've decided to make this Ford a sleeper of sorts adding a stroked 347 along with several other high performance upgrades.

(Frankie)>> We removed the exhaust, transmission, and finally the engine. The tear down went great until we discovered that the block had been bored 60 over and our new pistons are 30 over. Fortunately, we had a 30 over block from a previous project. With the donor block in the Sunnen SV-15 we torque plate honed it for proper piston skirt clearance and cylinder finish, opening up the bores by one and a half thousandths. In case we decide to run a power adder the rings were gapped at 26 thousandths on the top and 28 thousandths on the second. Then we assembled the 40-32 alloy forged Mahle pistons and the Eagle 5.400 long forged H-beam rods. Finally, the rotating assembly could come together.

(Pat)>> A custom ground billet solid roller camshaft was next. Intake duration at 50 thousandths lift is 248 degrees with the exhaust at 260 degrees. Lobe separation angle is 110 degrees. The cam was degreed at 105 degrees of intake centerline, which is four and a half degrees advanced. Comp solid roller lifters, AFR Renegade 205 cylinder heads, 6.850 long push rods, and Jesel 1.6 ratio shaft rockers completed the top end. After installing an Edelbrock Victor Junior intake manifold and a Duralast water pump we camouflaged all of the aftermarket parts on this engine with a patina paint job. Then we headed to the dyno cell. [ engine revving ]

(Pat)>> That sounds like a real engine right there. [ engine revving ]

(Frankie)>> 531.2 horsepower and 443.5 pound feet.

(Pat)>> That's nice!

(Frankie)>> Peak power happened right at 7,100. Our plan of maybe quieting this down might not work as well as we think. We get that a lot. People think that single planes can't, they're not street manifolds, or you can't put a big carburetor on a street engine. I think this thing's gonna run just fine.

(Pat)>> It's gonna run just fine the way it is, and it's gonna be a lot of fun in the old frame rails of the Spicy Granada there.

(Frankie)>> Good day!

(Pat)>> Happy times!

(Frankie)>> Now since you last saw our 347 we got it off the dyno, off the dyno cart, and onto a regular engine stand. So, it should be ready to go right in. The only problem we're gonna run into is the headers are not gonna fit in the car. I've already measured it. We're gonna have figure something else out. We did have some concerns from people that this wasn't going to be a street engine with a solid roller and the single plane intake, but it's going in a streetcar and it's gonna run just fine. The headers on the engine are just for use on the dyno. So, we'll remove them. This gives us clean access to the old, worn out engine mounts, which need replacing. [ drill humming ]

(Frankie)>> Since this is probably gonna be the last time the engine gets dropped in our car, we wanted to take a minute and replace the motor mounts because these are looking a little worse for wear. The rubber is starting to crack and deteriorate, and with all the extra power we're gonna be making we don't want to risk having a worn motor mount fail and the engine moving around inside the engine bay. So, we're gonna put a new set on, and we get them from RockAuto dot com. It's really easy to find. We just broke it down by year, make, and model. So, we searched for a '77 Ford Granada, picked a 302 option, and there were several options. These came at a great price, and they're gonna do a great job of keeping our engine in place but not compromising that street ride that we're looking for. All we have to do is take the old bracket off the old mount. We're gonna get it prepped and painted to match, and then we can get them bolted on the engine and get it slid into place. [ drill humming ]

(Frankie)>> Several coats of black engine enamel will prevent corrosion on the brackets. These mounts were roughly 10 dollars a piece. So, we'd be foolish not to replace them. [ Music ]

(Pat)>> Up next, we've said it before and we'll say it again. If something doesn't fit make it fit.

[ drill humming ]

(Pat)>> We are back on Engine Power installing a 347 in our Granada. Miss the hood ornament by 30 thousandths. This road race front sump oil pan wasn't designed specifically for our Granada, but it fits like a glove. And since the rest of the engine is dimensionally identical to the one that came out earlier, we have little trouble getting it into place. There we go! It's just the pan. [ Music ]

(Frankie)>> Go ahead. Jumped right in there, right?

(Pat)>> Jumped in!

(Frankie)>> Well it came out. So, it should go in. Now comes the hard part.

(Pat)>> Now this was the point where we know this will be the most difficult part, headers.

(Frankie)>> Not a lot of people make performance headers for a Granada.

(Pat)>> Right around none. I don't know what I'm doing with this.

(Frankie)>> We have a set for a '75 through '77 Maverick. It's probably gonna be close but we won't know for sure. There might be some differences but we'll see.

(Pat)>> There's gonna be some differences. Probably the steering is the biggest concern, right. This side looks pretty common.

(Frankie)>> That side has the starter in the way. We'll see!

(Pat)>> Get them out and we have ways to make them work.

(Frankie)>> Gonna have to!

(Pat)>> We found these Hooker one and five-eighths inch primary headers at Summit Racing Equipment. They have a smaller primary but a longer tube than the dyno headers we used before. [ Music ]

(Frankie)>> I don't know if these are gonna fit.

(Pat)>> I already don't like this.

(Frankie)>> They're not gonna come that way that's for sure.

(Pat)>> Before you do that pull a plug out.

(Frankie)>> Well I think what we're gonna have to do is jerk the engine back up. Try to wiggle them in with the engine, and we'll pull the plugs just so they don't get hit.

(Pat)>> Just so they don't get broke. Not the most popular car to put a set of headers on. So, I understand why we're having so many problems.

(Frankie)>> Not a lot of performance parts for a Granada if you notice.

(Pat)>> In a perfect world we would just build headers for it.

(Frankie)>> It would take a good amount of time, but we could make some big primary headers that fit really nice. We're just trying to do it maybe a little bit simpler way. Kinda use what we can get. Cherry!

(Pat)>> That is not bad right there. That's because it's got that 950 on it that we're gonna run on the street.

(Frankie)>> That 950 makes good power.

(Pat)>> The big problem people have with carburetors is they think they give too much fuel. When you step on the gas and whip the blades open it wants to take a big gulp of air, and it has to have fuel that goes with it. That's where you run into a lot of your stumbling problems. Problems with the carb when it doesn't do what it's supposed to.

(Frankie)>> A lot of times people don't realize how much the idle affects the transition, and they'll get the idle a little bit off.

(Pat)>> If you get the idle circuit off it will absolutely kill the transition, and even partial throttle stuff's pretty easy but if you stomp it down and it doesn't do anything there's a couple of things you can do to make it work. This is gonna work just fine. I'm getting distracted by plugs. That's the easy part. The hard part is getting the header to work.

(Frankie)>> We hook up the hoist, try and slide it in there with the engine.

(Pat)>> We'll jack the engine up.

(Frankie)>> Give that an attempt, and if that doesn't work then we'll start cutting.

(Pat)>> I think we're just gonna start cutting but we'll give her a shot first.

(Frankie)>> We have to say we tried. Now we're stuck. [ metal clanging ] [ Music ]

(Pat)>> It's hooked on this one.

(Frankie)>> I've got to go the other way. It's in, ish! It's in the right spot. Right now the engine's forward an inch and the headers are lined up and hitting the firewall. I think we're gonna have to cut these back two tubes out cause the ones that have that weird "L" cause they're just gonna run into the firewall.

(Pat)>> Why don't we pull that thing back out, cut those tubes off, stick it back on, and then route some tubes?

(Frankie)>> We hate to cut up a new set of headers but since they don't fit in the band saw the easiest way to do this is with a Forney abrasive cutoff wheel. Anywhere you make a cut make sure to leave enough clearance to weld all the way around the tube. [ saw high pitch buzzing ] [ Music ]

(Pat)>> Now that our two pipes are cut out, we can get the header in there and see what we have to do for routing. We also went ahead at the same time and cut out the collector flange because there will probably be some interference on the floor. When you're doing something like this where something is not actually designed to go into what you're using for it takes a delicate balance of precise measurement and brute force to sometimes make things work. [ hammer banging ]

(Frankie)>> It should fit now!

(Pat)>> Now that the floor is precisely massaged to what we like we'll get it back in and see what's up.

(Frankie)>> After dry fitting the replacement tubes, the headers are removed and tacked. Then they're put back into place for a final check of fitment before they are fully welded. We'll also weld a stainless V-band onto the collector to replace the piece we cut off.

(Pat)>> Even though this particular set of headers was designed for a different application they seem to go into this side extremely easy.

(Frankie)>> That's good cause this side took a lot more work, but we have our tubes welded in. We have some O-2 bungs to monitor O-2s stand alone, and we also have V-bands on the end so we can build our exhaust back from there. This should slide in now, but we are probably gonna have to put the transmission in before we bolt it in for real.

(Pat)>> So we'll go up in the air and jam her in there. [ mechanical humming ]

(Frankie)>> Up next, the 347 receives an upgraded transmission that's built for action on the street.

(Frankie)>> We're gonna be replacing our stock C-4 with an upgraded one, but before we can do that we obviously have to install the flex plate. Because this engine makes the power level it does and turns a high amount of r-p-m, we opted for an s-f-i approved flex plate in our transmission kit. We're not necessarily gonna do any racing with the car, but it's just a little bit of extra insurance for us. We're also gonna need some quality fasteners because of that power level and r-p-m. So obviously we turned to ARP fasteners and got their flex plate bolt kit. This are made from 87-40 chro-moly and they are heat treated to a tensile strength of around 180,000 p-s-I, which is gonna be much stronger than the stock fasteners or even a grade eight from the hardware store. They come with a great instruction sheet that tells you everything you need to do. So, we have ARP Ultra Torque Lube underneath the heads, and we're putting some thread locker on them before they're installed and torqued down. We also went ahead and got one of their bell housing bolt kits. We've put ARP Ultra Torque underneath the heads and on the threads. These are gonna be much stronger than the stock ones, and as an added bonus the head is a little bit smaller. So, it's easier to get to when you're trying to get them installed. All we have to do is get the flex plate on. Then we can get our torque converter and transmission slid into place. [ Music ] We'll put blue thread locker onto the bolts before they are torqued to 85 pound feet. [ Music ] This is the transmission we're gonna be using in the car. It's still a C-4 but it's been upgraded is part of a Performance Automatic Street Smart Package that we found at Summit Racing Equipment. The car is still gonna be used on the street. So, it has their street/strip valve body, which is a full automatic valve body. So, it'll work just like the stock one, but it's gonna have increased line pressure and firmer shifts. It also has heavy duty clutches throughout and their billet pro shift servo and billet cover. It comes with a deep cast aluminum oil pan, which is gonna be stronger than a stock steel one, have increased fluid capacity, and a drain for easy servicing.

(Pat)>> The Street Smart kit also came with a new dip stock, a mid-plate, the flex plate we just installed, and a matching torque converter. This converter is an 11 inch and is rated for 2,500 r-p-m stall speed. Ours will be a little bit different than that because stall speed is directly dependent on vehicle weight and how much horsepower the engine makes. We will also be filling the entire operation with some Hot Shot's Secret Adrenaline NS Nano Shift Racing Transmission fluid. We're not trying to fill the converter. We're just putting enough in to avoid starting it dry. [ Music ] It's critical to make sure that the converter is fully seated. Otherwise, the transmission can be seriously damaged during installation. [ Music ] Since the performance automatic is the same model as our old transmission, we know it'll fit just fine.

(Frankie)>> Wiggle and push! Wiggle and push!

(Pat)>> That's in! [ Music ] We used several different types of a-n line and fittings when building engines and hot rods, and that can vary from straight rubber line, line that has a nylon outer core and sometimes steel wire inside, to straight stainless steel braided hose. AN fittings and lines were created back in the World War Two days for aerospace and the military. They were designed to couple hard lines and flexible lines under high pressure. It is a 37-degree flare, which is a metal on metal fitting, which keeps it from leaking. Now there are several different ways that these go together. From standard push in, to push in with a crimped fitting. Also, the standard screw together ones. These are sometimes very difficult to get together. We found a 100 percent better way of assembling them from a company called Cool Tools. They have designed specific fixturing for the a-n lines, which holds the fitting securely and are able to screw them together in about 10 seconds for a leak free seal. They also designed this really slick vice fixture for holding both the line and the crimp fittings so they will slide together easy so you can get them crimped up. There are a bunch of different choices for whatever you are gonna be doing. So, if you have any questions about that you can always consult the experts at Summit Racing Equipment. Up next, we take care of our Granada's cooling system.

(Pat)>> The Granada's stock fan is getting replaced with one designed for higher r-p-m. It will function the same but provide an extra measure of safety. [ Music ] [ drill humming ]

(Frankie)>> We found this aftermarket radiator for a '70-'75 Granada that almost drops right in. [ drill humming ]

(Frankie)>> The only thing we needed was a hose adapter that we got from Summit Racing Equipment. [ electric ratchet humming ]

(Frankie)>> We're upgrading the transmission cooler lines with a set of custom Earl's flexible a-n lines. Because this is a performance application that we're gonna be running on the street we're gonna be adding an external transmission cooler. The higher horsepower output and the higher stall speed of our converter are gonna add more heat into the transmission fluid. So, we went to Summit Racing and we found this Hayden Automotive transmission cooler. This is really nice because it looks and feels o-e, and all we had to do was build this quick bracket that uses some factory holes. We also cut a big hole in the back for air to go through, and we tried to make it as small as possible so it doesn't restrict flow to the condenser or the radiator. The front line out of our transmission is the feed line. So, it will come out, go into the radiator transmission cooler, and then it will come out from there, go into the top of this, be cooled even further before it comes out the bottom and is returned to the rear of our transmission. [ Music ] This transmission cooler came with a set of radiator zip ties to mount it but we sleep better at night and have the extra gratification of building a solid bracket that will last forever. [ Music ] [ electric ratchet humming ]

(Frankie)>> You know, we don't work on cars a bunch but when we do one of my favorite tools to use is an electric ratchet, and this quarter inch drive high speed electric ratchet from Matco Tools is awesome. It's nice and compact. So, it fits in tight spaces. It's only about 11 inches tall, and the patented head is about one inch wide. It's got a bunch of cool features, like a variable trigger so you can start out slow to get the bolt started and then run it in at high speed. It also has a directional light so you can actually see what you're working on. Its compact design comes from the brushless motor, and with the gearbox it delivers a maximum torque of 30-pound feet, but it still has a maximum r-p-m of 320. So, you're not standing around waiting for bolts to thread in and thread out. This is one of those tools that if you're working on cars is gonna make your life a ton easier, and if you want to get one of your own you can talk to your local Matco Distributor or go get one at Matco Tools.

(Pat)>> Some people prefer gasoline power, some prefer diesel power, but no matter what you drive if you don't take care of your fuel system it could develop problems later on, and that will definitely hurt performance. Hot Shot's Secret has two version of their extreme fuel treatment that can keep you going down the road. Starting with their Diesel Extreme. This is a premium six in one diesel additive, and it restores throttle response, cleans injector tips, reduces the need for d-p-f regeneration cycles up to 50 percent. It exceeds top tier detergency requirements, and boosts cetane ratings up to seven points. Their gasoline extreme removes deposits from the valves and combustion chambers, is a powerful injector cleaner. It will increase mileage up to 7.9 percent, which is third part verified. It also will stabilize ethanol, dissolve gum and varnish in the system, and smooth out your idle. Best of all, they're booth backed by a 100 percent money back guarantee. We've made a ton of progress on the Sleeper Granada today. Next time you'll see this car it's getting a stronger rear axle, a neighbor friendly exhaust, and some power enhancing chemicals.

(Frankie)>> To learn more about anything you've seen today please visit our website.
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