And So It Begins - 1984 SVO Project.

[Tordaan]

The Car - Early 1984 SVO with slapper bars.
This is a zero rust car. Even raw metal undercarriage parts only show minimal surface rust. Frame rails still have original paint.

The end goal of this project is to create a car that is mostly original. Physically, I want the car to look as original as possible, with some minor performance and possibly suspension upgrades. The short term goal is to get it running and registered in CA. This car was purchased 15 years ago as a restoration project. It was parked shortly after purchase and not driven since. I has always been garaged.

The bad:

Does not start - was running when parked.
Fires with a little priming. I will start by dropping and cleaning the gas tank, checking the fuel pumps, blowing out fuel line and replacing the fuel filter. Hope this gets it running.

Passenger side frame rail tweaked.
The tire on that side sits back about 2 inches and the fender to door gap is non existent. I took some underside cross measurements from the ends of the frame rails and the body seems to be square. I am able to see a bulge on the frame rail in front of the K-Member, but cannot get a good look at the rail between the K-Member and the firewall. Where the rail connects to the body underneath, the rail is straight, but there is the usual improper jack placement dents. The door gap on the rear of the door is ok. The good news (if it can be called that) is that I talked to a reputable body shop in the area and they will put it on there frame rack and do a couple of pulls for 200.00-300.00. Hope this does the trick on this.

The exhaust system is nasty and the catalytic converter has been removed.
I need to correct all of this in order to pass smog in CA. Fortunately, I live in an exempt county, but need to pass once for the initial registration. I am looking at the Stinger 3" exhaust with a flowmaster cat. I really don't want to put a 2.25" system on the car just to pass smog inspection if I can help it. Any thoughts on this?

Evap hose connector that goes on the air cleaner is missing.
Simple fix if only I can find the part. One of those OEM parts that no one thinks to hang on to. Any thoughts where I can find one?

Cracked E3 exhaust manifold.
The good news is that I have a good E6 manifold.

Missing fog lights.
After bidding on many on Ebay and looking elsewhere for something reasonably priced, I ended up buying a pair of Cibies just to fill the hole.

Wrong steering wheel.
The good news is the center pad is correct and in good condition. I also won a bid on the correct wheel on Ebay.

Leather seats need attention.
The leather panels all seem to be in reasonable condition. The vinyl panels have torn on the stitch lines. I am hoping that a local shop can match the vinyl and repair the original seats.

Headliner sagging.
The headliner is not torn and appears to be in good condition. I am hoping that this can be glued back in place.

Now the good news:
The car has all the unique body pieces an are in good condition.

The ball joints are not excessively worn, although the original Konis have been replaced at some point. The struts are orange Konis, but not adjustable. This will get me by until I decide what I want to do suspension wise. Whatever I do, I want to be able to keep the original wheels.

Zero Rust. Some mostly minor body work needs to be done prior to paint.

This weekend, I will get pictures and get them posted. Looking forward to documenting this project.

[brsvo]

I don't know about the emission's part but if your going to mod at all the 3" is the way to go. Does Stinger make one for the 84?

[Tordaan]

They do list single 3" pipe system in either stainless or aluminized with a couple of choices of mufflers. The cat they offer for this is a Magnaflow that is OBD 2 and EPA compliant. The 84 SVO was only available as a 50 state compliant vehicle, which on the surface would lead you to believe that all you have to do is pass emmisions.

Unfortunately, CA keeps making up new rules as some tree hugger sees fit as time goes by. By the letter of the law, it appears that CA would like everything to be OEM, or otherwise submitted and approved by after market manufacturers. If this state had their way, we would be forced to turn in our cars every other year and buy a newer less polluting vehicles.

I even heard of one state construction bid where all the vehicles used by the contractor had to be newer than 2007.

Glad I live in an exempt county so I only have to go through this once.

[Tordaan]

I do believe I have found a solution for the exhaust. The Stinger exhaust I have been looking at with an Eastern Catalytic 861006. 160.00 at Autozone. CARB compliant, 3" in 3" out. No air tube, and compliant for pre 1996 passenger cars.

[rodster]

Good luck, keep us posted and looking forward to seeing some pictures.

Use the 'search' feature to help answer some of your questions and feel free to chime in on the topic you find. The sagging headliner has been discussed and don't think re-gluing will work due the old foam.

[Tordaan]

This is my Starting Point.

Hope I added the pictures correctly.

Guess I need some practice. Have the firs picture twice and can't figure out how to delete it.
804480418038804580428039804680438040

[MikeFleming]

Easier to place them in-line then they auto-size.

[Chalky]

Looks very straight and original, should clean up nicely. I like the period WA plates.

[Tordaan]

Unfortunately, I live in CA now.

Got started today. Confirmed that the in tank pump is dead. Also, I knew the fuel gauge was not working. Dropped the tank. That was fun. there was nearly 15 gallons of very dark 14 year old fuel in the tank that I had to siphon out.
Once I got the tank out and the old pump and sending unit removed, I further confirmed that the fuel pump is truly dead. I also confirmed that the sending unit is dead. O'Reilly's has both the in tank and external pumps listed, so I ordered the in tank pump. Late Model Restoration has the sending unit, so that is ordered as well.
The tank is a real mess. When I first looked in it, I thought t was all but rusted out. With a paper towel on the end of screw river, I discovered that it is just deposits that wipe off leaving a clean surface. My big challenge now I to get all the crud out of the tank. I think I'll try hot water and detergent first since that will be the least destructive.
I guess I will see what new challenges lay ahead of me tomorrow.

[MikeFleming]

I just happen to have new SVO fuel tank sitting in a box in my garage that I'm not using. It's all shiny inside and out.

Just sayin'.

[Tordaan]

After getting a better look at the tank, I see there is a lot of rust. Thinking a new tank would save me a lot of time and future issues. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so anal.
Mike,
Is the tank you have NOS or after market? PM me with info and asking price.

[MikeFleming]

Not NOS but new, never installed (or removed from box). Made by Spectra Premium Industries, #F12B. Comes with the fuel pump/level sender lock rings. I may have some new o-ring seals somewhere (would need to search).

It's been sitting in a box in the shoip for close to a decade.

[Tordaan]

Well, my neighbor who restores 60's cars, said he could take care of restoring the tank for me ( he uses my Kubota to shovel droppings from livestock on a regular basis ). Waiting to see the results of this.
While waiting, I replaced the totally deteriorated rag joint.
I have a new in tank pump on hand, a new sending unit, vent, filler tube, fuel filter and all the rubber parts on order.
Thinking about the fuel lines, I am thinking about using a pump oil can to run carb cleaner or something like Seafoam through the lines and let it soak, then blow it out.
Tomorrow,I will change engine and transmission fluids in anticipation of starting the engine for the first time in 14 years, hopefully by the end of the week.

[Tordaan]

Change the engine and transmission oil, and ran seafoam through the fuel lines. I think I have the fuel lines pretty well cleaned up. Cranked the engine to get new oil through it and the turbo. Found I have a serious oil leak ro the turbo oil return line. The leak is at the block connection. Look like this is going to be a pain to get to. Looks like if I drop the starter, I might be able to get to the connector to see if I am lucky and it is just loose. If not, I am thinking about getting the Stinger oil lines, unless someone has a better suggestion.

[MikeFleming]

You can almost easily get to that from the rear (charge cooler and downpipe off) using a short 7/8 (iirc) offset open-end wrench. Jut take it one flat at a time. Alternately get to it through the lower support brace support on top the flex line where it exits the V using a crowfoot and 6" extension.

Beware of most aftermarket drain line solutions. They're VERY difficult to get installed, especially ones with several AN sittings in the hose, and usually are a much smaller drain diameter.

[Tordaan]

Got to the fitting with a crows foot. I was able to snug it up a bit, but still have a leak. I cleaned the area and it looks like it is leaking at the block. It looks like the only way to deal with this is to remove the bracket. Not sure if this can be done without removing the turbo.

Since the manifold is cracked and I have an E6 and a rebuilt T3 to put on the car, I think I will wait until I do that to further address this leak. I am worried about breaking bolts or studs while removing the manifold.

I will wait until I get the fuel system back together and the car running before I tackle this project.

The most time consuming part of this project is waiting for parts to arrive.

[grntRUDD13]

I've been fighting that same leak on my 86 for a couple years now. I've tried several different remedies but none have completely worked. This last time I double gasketed it which so far has been the best solution. Still drives me crazy though. My next option is to try one of the aftermarket solutions.

[Tordaan]

Well, I got the fuel tank back in. New TRE Performance 255LPH fuel pump, new sending unit, new vent, new filler tube an new fuel filter. Bypassed the rail pump. Fuel pressure comes up to nearly 40 psi and holds whle cranking an kind of running and after the ignition is turned off. The problem is that it tries to start and may run, sound like maybe 1 cylinder. It did run and held rough idle once. Not smelling a strong fuel smell at the exhaust, so thinking injectors. After sitting or 5 years, could they just be not passing fuel? Is this something I can clean, or since they are 30# injectors,just replace them now. My end goal is around 275 to 300HP.

I do have another complete intake with fuel rail and injectors. If I can test these spare injectors, I could put them in to get the car running to a point where I will at least know what I have to work with.

Am I off base with my thoughts, or am I maybe on the right track?

[MikeFleming]

Did you bypass the in-tank fuel pump power resistor wire and add a larger ground cable?

It's a very good idea to feed a 10ga power wire from the fuel pump relay t o the in-tank pump harness - or extend the larger gauge p[ower wire from the chassis-mounted pump to the tank mounted one..

[Tordaan]

I was just looking at the Ford shop manual and it shows an injector diagram. It shows an injector filter screen in the top of the injector. The manual says that if this screen clogged the injector has to be replaced. Is this, in fact the case, or can these be cleaned?

[Tordaan]

I did bypass the resistor wire. I am planning on extending the inline power feed to the tank pump, but haven't yet done so. anxious to just see it run:)

[Tordaan]

Also, I found a way to test and clean the injectors. I'll do this to the spares and clean out the spare fuel rail and put that on the car tomorrow. Hope that does the trick. Want to take the car for a ride around the neighborhood tomorrow.

[Tordaan]

Today, I got the upper intake off and got the injectors out. Using a valve stem as a connector with a modified cap with the straw from a can of carb cleaner glued into it, I was able to test and forward and back the injectors. I activated the injectors with a flashlight battery s I could spray cleaner through in both directions. One of the injectors would not even open, and 2 were clogged to the point f just dribbling gas through. Between the injectors from the spare intake and the ones in the, I believe I have good set. New O rings, new gaskets for the intake and I am ready to reassemble tomorrow. Since I have room to easily change the plus and wires, I'll do that as well.

Can someone tell me what this is and what it does. I cant find any reference in the shop manual.

[svono50]

That is the fuel pulse dampener. It's purpose is to 'smooth' out the fuel line supply pressure, since our injectors are batch fired rather than sequential like on our V8 bretheren. I have seen folks run with and without and haven't heard of any direct ill effects of running without it, FWIW. I have run my car without it for a while as an experiment and didn't notice any difference, so it was put back on. Earlier models, like yours, have an adjustment screw on the top, while later units don't have any external adjustment capability.

[Tordaan]

I seem to remember someone saying this would be easy. Oh, now I remember. It was me talking to my wife.

OK. New plugs, new wires, new distributer cap, new rotor, new fuel pump, new filter, injectors cleaned and tested. Will not start at all unless you hold the throttle to the floor. It will try to start and maybe run a second or so sometimes, but will not continue to run. Fuel pressure comes immediately up to 43 lbs when the ignition is turned on then drop to 38 lbs. When cranking, it goes back to 43 lbs and stays there with some pulsing when it is trying to run. Read the codes ad I get a 23, 26, and 67. Don't know how valid these are since the car has never really run.

Also, when I pulled plugs before I got the the injectors back in, they all seemed to have gas on them. Maybe the injectors weren't as bad a I thought, although 1 was completely dead.

[MikeFleming]

Code 23, TPS Out of Range, means that at some point int he TPS movement it has an open or shorted spot. Replace it and/or repair the wiring to/from it.

Code 26 means the MAP (BAP) in the SVO) is out of range. Probably a defective sensor and/or wiring ro/from the sensor. It's on the front facing side of the right hand shock tower. Swap it with a known good one.

Code 67 means that the Premium/Unleaded switch is in the Unleaded position. You cna safely ignore this as it cannot cause a non-start condition.

The non-start sounds like you have a large air leak between the VAF and the throttle body. Go over all the hoses from the outlet of the vane meter to the throttle body. and make sure there are no large air leaks in the intake manifold system - such as the large vacuum takeoff hose that goes to the firewall vac tree and onto the brake booster.

[Tordaan]

IT"S ALIVE!!!!

Running for the first time in 15 years:)

A stuck vane air flow sensor was the culprit. A little piece of crud had it stuck open.

Starts instantly, nothing ugly coming out of the exhaust, idles very smooth at 1100 RPM an the only code is 67. Code 67 has something to do with the octane switch (I guess shop manuals are good for something other than leveling tables). Sounds really good. Couldn't be happier.

Next is the severe oil leak from the turbo oil return line at the block. Tightening it did not help, and may have made it worse. I think I will see if I can get it off to inspect it. If the flare is messed up, maybe it can be re-flared or I could replace it with a spare that I have.

Once that is done, then it is off to the frame rack for a little massage.

[Tordaan]

Thanks for the help Mike. Most of what I know about this car I have learned from yours an all the other posts on this forum.

[MikeFleming]

Party On, Wayne!!

Glad to hear it's ALIVE!

[grntRUDD13]

That is the fuel pulse dampener. It's purpose is to 'smooth' out the fuel line supply pressure, since our injectors are batch fired rather than sequential like on our V8 bretheren. I have seen folks run with and without and haven't heard of any direct ill effects of running without it, FWIW. I have run my car without it for a while as an experiment and didn't notice any difference, so it was put back on. Earlier models, like yours, have an adjustment screw on the top, while later units don't have any external adjustment capability.

The one in my car died, no fuel was going through it. So my car is without. Seems to run just fine, haven't had any ill effects from it that I can tell. I tried looking online as none of the local auto parts places carried them, but the only ones I found were kind of pricey. Brings up a good story of the guy behind the counter at the auto parts store I went to for a replacement telling me there isn't such a thing though.

[MikeFleming]

All SVOs came with LOTS of parts that never existed. It's how we roll.

[Tordaan]

So, now I have another question. The front struts are Koni, but not adjustable as far as I can tell. The Koni part number is 8641X 1006. The Ford part number is E4ZX-18A084-AA. i have seen a couple of other threads about this Koni part number, but not sure if this is the OEM part that came from the factory, or a ford replacement part. I was always under the impression that all SVOs came from the factory with adjustable struts. Did some early 84s come with non adjustable? I also have tire rub marks on the struts. A little suspicious.

[MikeFleming]

If it's a real KONI, it has an adjustment on the top. Original ones had the D-shaped adjuster and most rebuild/newer replacement ones have the later flat-blade style. If someone changed the cartridges out to aftermarket, then all bets are off. Look to see if the upper nut plate is still welded on the strut body nut. Bottom two have the stock nut plate still attached, top one does not.
8078

KONI never provided replacement cartridges for these struts, which are specific to the SVO.

[ccmcelroy]

The one in my car died, no fuel was going through it. So my car is without. Seems to run just fine, haven't had any ill effects from it that I can tell. I tried looking online as none of the local auto parts places carried them, but the only ones I found were kind of pricey. Brings up a good story of the guy behind the counter at the auto parts store I went to for a replacement telling me there isn't such a thing though.

I found a nos one a year or so ago and it was pricey. I bought it just because I knew I hadn't seen any for sale anywhere.

8079

[MikeFleming]

Note the extremely tight, narrow, square crimps in the hardline that the push-on fuel line retaining clips attach to.
8080

[Tordaan]

Thanks for the strut info Mike. Looks like I will be looking for struts now. I see Koni is again selling an SVO specific strut.

[Tordaan]

Mike, you were right about the struts. Looks like the previous owner installed aftermarket cartridges. Koni lists 8741 1054 as an SVO specific replacement. I think I will go with thesee unless someone knows a reason I shouldn't

Today, I removed the turbo so I could remove the bracket that was preventing me from seeing seeing why I had such a severe leak in the turbo oil return. I found that the line was cross threaded into the Brass fitting. Fortunately, there were only 2 threads engaged at the top and none at the bottom. The flair in the line is good, so I just need to clean up the threads in the fitting and reassemble.

Since I had the exhaust system disassembled to this extent, I decided to see if I could get the exhaust manifold bolts loose since I have an E6 to replace the cracked E3. I got all of them loose without breaking any. Question: Does anyone have any suggestions for removing the EGR line from the exhaust manifold? It is really stuck. Also, can I use the old manifold bolts, or should I replace them.

[Tordaan]

Another question. When I put the oil return fitting back in the block, should I use a few wraps of Teflon tape?

[MikeFleming]

should I use a few wraps of Teflon tape?Yes - standard procedure on tapered pipe threads.

No tape on the tube nut/flare end - that does not seal on the threads.

[rodster]

IT"S ALIVE!!!!

Running for the first time in 15 years:)



A little late to the party but CONGRATS!!!! :cool:

[Tordaan]

Well, I'm back at it. Removed the turbo and manifold. Fixed the turbo return line oil leak. re-assembled with an E6 manifold. Everything went together with no issues. Cranked with ignition lead off to insure oil to the turbo. Started instantly. I guess I did something right. Drove the car around the neighborhood a bit to see how it runs. Boost comes up and pulls good for stock. My cop neighbor gave me the evil eye. Actually he is a friend and has been following my progress, so all is good.
The really good news is that after a couple of days parked in the garage, there is not a drop of oil from any part of the car on the floor.

I am going to replace the passenger side door, since it has a substantial dent. I found a door in excellent condition at the pick and pull today. Once this is done and the hinge pins are replaced, it is going to the frame shop for frame alignment.

I am concerned that the K Member may be bent. I have heard that if that is the case, it cannot really be straightened. If that is the case, I guess I will need to find a replacement or go with some optional front suspension.

[Tordaan]

Just got the front of the car up in front and the K Member is definitely bent. Any hope or should I start looking for a replacement?