Not much progress lately. I'm still trying to drill out the seatbelt bolt, but my 3/8" bit is pretty trashed, and my shoulder doesn't tolerate pushing on that drill very long. I need to order a pack of 3/8" drillbits.
I've been painting interior pieces, and every time I think I'm nearly done I find another stash of parts I've forgotten to paint. I think I'm down to the door panels and rear carpet.
I am at a crossroads as far as the motor is concerned. My big plan is to swap Way Cool Jr's nice 350 into Roscoe. It's a 4-bolt main block with Vortec heads, a big lift, short duration cam, and 9.7:1 compression. When I towed Roscoe home, the engine had more than enough power. However, I'll need a transmission, and I'd really like a 6L80 to aid the 350 in towing duties while also improving mileage. The transmission controller is $900, and I'd still need to keep the Holley Sniper to run the engine. I could keep the Sniper with WCJr and get a Holley Terminator X Max for Roscoe, but then I'd need an intake setup that will work with the X Max, and the X Max only controls 4-speeds, and not the 6L80. I could just do a complete 6.0/6L80 swap into Roscoe, and I have to admit it's tempting, but I'd rather have a small block in Roscoe and an LS in WCJr if it's getting relegated to toy truck status. If I do swap the 350, do I take the opportunity to go through it again? Port the Vortecs and punch it out to a 383? Then again, LS3 heads are only $600! I could build a 600hp 6.0, but I also spotted an LS3 on FB for under 3 grand. An aluminum block would be awesome if I try to get WCJr down to 3000 lbs. But I already have plenty of parts to make a new SBC build for WCJr easy, and I have a line on another 4-bolt 350 block. AAAAACH!
Too many options, but typing this out helps clarify my decision.
Roscoe's getting the 350 out of WCJr, with the Sniper - it looks like the intake manifold is seeping at the china wall at the back of the motor, so swapping it will give me a chance to fix that. I'll be hunting down a 6L80 and a controller to go with it. That's a solid plan, front to back. I'm not going to punch it out or remove the heads. Once WCJr is down, I'll need to get Roscoe up quick. This is probably six months to a year down the road.
WCJr will get a fresh small block engine build. I'd like for it to get punched to a 383 with some AFR heads and a cam that makes the current cam look small, but that's at least a $4000 motor, and if I'm spending $1500+ on a transmission and controller for Roscoe, while also trying to get the funds together to replace the Mustang, that's going to be a while.
Still, that won't stop me from looking ahead. The Chickasha Auto Swap Meet is tomorrow, and I think I'm going to be on the lookout for a decent Super Victor manifold and some 1 3/4" primary long tube headers.