As I’ve related before, my Cougar was stuck at an incompetent shop for four enraging years.
The shop I’m taking it to for the mods is highly competent, but not cheap. The shop rate is $190 per hour. It’s the CA Bay Area, and nothing’s cheap.
The incompetent shop aligned the car twice. It still tracks very slightly to the right. There’s a bit too much play, I’m down to replace the bearings, but I still think the Borgeson will be an improvement. Also, fewer leaks, etc. This the bearing my fixed column needs?
The Holley fuel injection is not reliable. A member of our club had this installed and his car often sees a flatbed when it won’t start. Catalytic converters don’t make a car quieter - mufflers do.
I fought a stalling issue with mine for a year and half. This was version one sniper xflow. Fixed it with relocation of the msd6al to behind the battery box. Now that it doesn’t stall, it is finally reliable. Would not recommend for someone that can’t tune it themselves
Borgeson will give a better steering ratio and a simpler PS system, without CV and ram. It can still clash with your headers and clutch z-bar. Maier does a similar kit for more money. Unclear if the Maier box is better. I assume the 70 hoses by default will run the ‘cooler’ route away from the exhaust.
Did you read through all the potential problems with the Sniper?
I have installed them and been called in to troubleshoot a couple of others. I have one on one of my cars snd I will do a second car hopefully soon.
The problem is that the shop is incentivized to cut corners if the are working against a fixed price. Or you have a DYI install where the owner doesn’t know what has to be done correctly or even what matters. So in both cases the fix is to remove the dumfuckery and correct the installation. ChatGPT got it mostly right. However it didn’t spell out the details.
I run steel fuel lines using short sections of high pressure rubber line secured with fuel injection rated clamps. The power wire for the fuel pump must be large enough to avoid voltage drop to the pump. The power cannot drop as you turn the key from run to cranking. A relay can save a lot of grief. You must have an alternator with sufficient output at idle to support the total load present. I won’t go into the details of shielding spurious RF but that is a factor as well
Failure to do the complete job is the cause of failure.
100% the cause of most issues with the sniper system. I’ve installed two myself and it’s not just a 4 wire hookup that is advertised, while yes technically it runs with a simple install there is much more involved then one might think. I knew this going in and made appropriate adjustments to my install and it’s been good.
While yes there are now more things on your car that could potentially cause a “break down” if it’s installed correctly you minimize these issues greatly. The positives far out weigh the negatives IMO.
Personally I would avoid adding cats to the exhaust. They will cause you more headache then they will help. One of the bonus of running efi was a drastic cut down in exhaust smell. It still has some but nothing like a carbed motor.
Looks like the shop knows what they need to buy, I would only say if you decide to do the ignition, they can order the sniper 2 as a kit and save you about 900 dollars. Their parts total for the sniper setup with fuel pump and tax is $3231.
Here is all of that straight from Holley for $2340 to your door. Maybe you can order it and save some of that cost? That also includes the Sniper PDU which to me would make the wiring much cleaner.
Remember as a shop they will have a markup on their parts too, it will almost always be higher then what you can find online. Depending on the shop they may or may not let you supply the parts needed. Its also common practice if the customer supplies the parts the labor costs may be higher as well
Yeah, i saw that, but that bundle is only good for the 302, 8.2 inch deck height. Mine is an 9.2” deck height Cleveland. If the shop is a big Holley customer, maybe it can work a deal? The shop owner said, however, that he didn’t find Holley was attentive to their shop customers.
If you align the car to the stock specs it will wonder at high speed. The factory specs were designed so grandma could park her manual steer 6 cylinder mustang. You need a lot more caster. The Shelby 1” drop is worth doing. The pulling to one side provided your car doesn’t have accident damage would be a result of not enough caster and many shops will put a bit more in on the one side to make it track straight on a pitched road. The borgsen steering is fine, but if you know what you are doing the factory setup works very well. I think you are going to spend a lot of money for what you will get. That shop see you coming a mile away. If I was going to go this route I’d sooner swap in a late model engine/transmission setup with the OE electronics. What you are doing is putting lipstick on a pig. It all will be somewhat better, but when it breaks you will be again paying and think about it all you got is 1980’s throttle body EFI. Biggest bang for buck is gears. Swap to a set of 3.91’s and the 4r70w make the biggest difference. $9,000 is a ripoff. A 3.8 core is $250, good rebuild with the police car converter $1,000, the controller $900, $150 for the mount, $100 for the shift rod. If you going to have someone do the install $2,000 should be plenty. Of course in this hobby you are better off learning how to do this stuff yourself or just go by a late model car. Guys spending $50k -$100k on shops for cars worth $40k.
Lets be honest, it’s not about the money. It’s about what we enjoy. For me it’s the creativity of making something modern work on something old. I’ve done a lot of what’s been mentioned here. I’m running Holleys first generation of TBI before Sniper was a thing. It has worked flawlessly for approx. 10 years now. Installed a 4R70W trans I rebuilt my self and install valve body upgrades tether to a Quick 4 shift ECU. Global West complete front suspension with electric PS pump to R&P setup. Triangulated 4 link in the rear with RideTech coilovers all around and the list goes on. Thing drives like a slot car now and I love it. But all that said I have had my fair amount of challenges with all this. But that’s what I love doing as much as driving her. Can you make it work….
Felis_Fidelis - one thing you might want to add to the list down the road is a larger AMP Alternator to handle the extra draw..
Think we are being honest here. Are more projects that never get finished because the owner runs out of money and/or interest. Most here are not millionaires with money to burn. Putting more into something than it will ever be worth is a personal decision. These are 50+ old cars. I’ve seen retromods that frankly change the car to something totally different. To me updates for drivability or hotrod it can understand. Making changes that makes the car something totally different is a loss a lost of the experience of what made these cars what they were. Should never loose sight of why people like them in the first place and what the time period represents. Each to their own, but there is a whole industry that has been built up all about “better” and to help you spend a lot of money.
My two cents get the parts from the shop if anything go wrong, they would have to cover any warranty issue. instead of the catalytic converters look into resonators I think magna flow makes some I have used them in the past to quit down a load exhaust. in the end get it done and enjoy driving it.
I’m looking to make all the restomod improvements to be enhancements, to bring out the original intent of a 1970 Cougar XR-7 convertible M-Code. I’m all about the 351 Cleveland engine, and want to showcase its potential. That’s why it has roller rockers, Edelbrock aluminum heads and manifold. That’s all partly to compensate for CA’s 91 Octane Ethanol-laden gas. The Holley Sniper 2 EFI will help it deal better with the lousy gas, have it idle better with the cam, and give better throttle response. The exhaust will be cleaner. All will enhance drivability, enjoyment, and show what a 351 Cleveland can do.
I’m going with Sanderson shorty headers. This will keep it more stock appearing, and the shop tells me the only place I’d know the difference with long headers is a dyno.
The Borgeson steering is simply a better steering box, and won’t be visible save for hoses no longer hanging down and leaking. It’ll be safer, and less wearying to keep it straight in the lane. Never heard of anyone regretting a Borgeson.
I plan to really use the car. I get a kick driving it around, because it seems to make everyone happy. It doesn’t do anyone any good to have it in my garage, totally original, but only good for token use.
I’m looking forward to the catalytic converters, it’s a trick learned by the garage I’m taking it to. Cuts down on the droning noise, and cuts down on exhaust fumes.
The MagnaFlow Standard Grade Co Universal Catalytic Converter 53956 isn’t that expensive, is high flow, should cut down on noise, and will reduce auto fumes. What’s not to like?
I think you have sunglasses on. The borgeson steering is OK but the chinese made copy of a generic motors pump is leaky crap that will disappoint you. There is not a good reason for catalytic converters that is some hogwash.
I’m getting Power Steering Kit Part#:999024. It’s U.S. assembled.
All Borgeson power steering boxes are assembled and tested in the USA from globally sourced components and have a 3 year warranty.
Is this the Borgeson steering that’s OK, or the Chinese made copy of a generic motors pump?
Borgeson has been manufacturing these conversion steering boxes for at least 15 years. If they are leaky crap, wouldn’t that have caught up to them by now?
years.
