Firewall Re-inforcement plate

[GOOSE]

I figure you will have these things down pat by July. Any chance of you going to the rally and bringing a few to offer? You noted the prototype to be 16ga material. Any idea what gauge metal Ford used and what size you plan to use in the end. I'm sure seeing your product in person and having an OEM to compare it to would be very convincing as to what we want under our dash.

 

[freebird01]

I figure you will have these things down pat by July. Any chance of you going to the rally and bringing a few to offer? You noted the prototype to be 16ga material. Any idea what gauge metal Ford used and what size you plan to use in the end. I'm sure seeing your product in person and having an OEM to compare it to would be very convincing as to what we want under our dash.

my prototype is only 16ga cause it was what i had laying around and was itchin to use the PC. the original ford part is somewhere between 14ga and 12ga. when i measured it was like right between. i plan on erroring on the heavy side and making them fro 12ga.

I doubt ill be able to make the rally but i plan on having these available before the end of march. your close enough that if you would want to stop in on your way out your more then welcome to.

the original looks like its powdercoated too which i probably wont do mainly for cost sake. i will just be painting them black.

i will take some better pics of it once i get the final product and have my camera at home. i left my camera at work cause i used it on a job recently and just forgot to take it home

 

[Sycostang67]

I would pull the one out of the 85 to loan to you, but since I ground it up a bit, it's not quite original anymore. I'll swing by my dealer today and see if they happen to have any. It was in stock when I got the last one, but that was 2-3 years ago. I have the part numbers in the garage somewhere, guess I'll go hunt them down.

freebird, do you or anyone else have a pic of the bracket you are making installed? I was looking at the bracket in my 93 and at your prototype and noticed they are a lot more different than I thought. I'm just having trouble picturing it in my head.

 

[freebird01]

I would pull the one out of the 85 to loan to you, but since I ground it up a bit, it's not quite original anymore. I'll swing by my dealer today and see if they happen to have any. It was in stock when I got the last one, but that was 2-3 years ago. I have the part numbers in the garage somewhere, guess I'll go hunt them down.

freebird, do you or anyone else have a pic of the bracket you are making installed? I was looking at the bracket in my 93 and at your prototype and noticed they are a lot more different than I thought. I'm just having trouble picturing it in my head.

i got a small plate comming (thanks mel!)

no i do not...yet.... i will soon though.

 

[IH_444]

but i plan on having these available before the end of march.

great, let us know a price once you get some made. I will probly just buy one since I have a lot going on and not the spare time to make one at the moment.
You're already 2 steps ahead- design and prototype.

 

[The Warden]

Did I misread some of the posts, or are people saying that the "little" and "big" kits need to be used together? ...I was under the impression that the "big" kit was a standalone, but I could certainly be mistaken.

I'm definitely interested in a plate once you've got the "production line" going may as well take some preventative action, eh?

Thank you for all of your hard work

 

[sle2115]

I think it's great you are working on this! The price is what it is, and anyone that needs one will hopefully support your efforts.

Tim, the small kit is a pre-flex preventative measure, the large kit is for when the firewall is flexing. They are not used together. I've installed both, many times, and the garage I moonlighted at did them for the local Ford dealership (small kit) as they sent about everyone to him, spent many evenings installing them.

Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

 

[Agnem]

The small plate will be in his hands tomorrow according to FedEx. I just shipped it.

 

[franklin2]

I think it's great you are working on this! The price is what it is, and anyone that needs one will hopefully support your efforts.

Tim, the small kit is a pre-flex preventative measure, the large kit is for when the firewall is flexing. They are not used together. I've installed both, many times, and the garage I moonlighted at did them for the local Ford dealership (small kit) as they sent about everyone to him, spent many evenings installing them.

Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

Does the small plate bolt on the inside of the firewall or the outside? When I did my swap, there was a small gold plate that went around the two master cylinder bolts on the inside of the firewall. I didn't know if this was a standard plate they always used, and the "small plate" was added on the outside, or this plate was the "small plate" and had been added by someone along the way.

 

[freebird01]

yes the small plate goes where your describing. it sounds like you have one already. this bracket would take the place of that and brace the firewall out even further.

 

[The Warden]

Okay, cool....that's what I was thinking. To me, it makes sense to go ahead and skip the small plate and go straight to the big guns...OTOH I'm a firm believer in overkill

Thank you again!!!

 

[sle2115]

Okay, cool....that's what I was thinking. To me, it makes sense to go ahead and skip the small plate and go straight to the big guns...OTOH I'm a firm believer in overkill

Thank you again!!!

I agree fully, but the big plate is substantial! That being said, I've never seen one fail if the small plate was put in place before it failed. I've seen them where the clutch master cylinder hardly moved, but there was a crack, and I've seen them where you'd have wondered how it stayed bolted to the firewall!

I also agree Ford should have had to replace this on their dime, but that's just me. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to when they fail, the last one I did was on an 89 F250 4X4 gasser that had next to no miles on it, like under 30,000 and it was cracked. That was when the truck was only 8 or 10 years old and it belonged to one of the guys that worked for me at the parts store. His went all at once, he pulled in and about ran his truck through the front of the store.

 

[Sycostang67]

I got a deal on a 1990 F-250 4x4 460/5spd several years ago, becuase the water pump was leaking and he thought it needed a clutch. He didn't have a title but I only wanted parts anyway. The firewall was ripped hence the clutch was fine, went 156k miles though. I drove the truck onto my trailer for $700. When I saw the firewall though, I was swapping the 5spd into my 85 so I threw a plate in there to prevent it from ripping.

 

[freebird01]

well thanks to Mel i am now in possession of a small reinforcement plate as well temporarily.

can you guys tell what Mel does for a living hahahaha

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sorry man when i opened it i had to laugh. it was VERY well packed lol.

Here is a pic of the original. I am currently working on my profile so i can try cutting one. the small jog is gunna be fun though...

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[franklin2]

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That doesn't look like the small gold plate that I have that mounts on the inside of the firewall. That looks like it might mount on the outside. I am assuming on the small plate and the large plate, the two holes on the "L" bolt to the lip of the firewall, underneath the hood rear seal area?

I have been wondering also if an adjustable pushrod for the clutch master cylinder may be mandatory for either one of these plates. Granted the plate is not that thick, but it will space the master cylinder out from the firewall, and considering there is a ratio between the long pedal arm and the short pushrod arm, it probably would make a noticeable difference in the pedal position where the clutch takes hold. I believe I read somewhere that most brake pedals have around a 6 to 1 ratio, and I bet the clutch system is at least that. So multiply the thickness of the plate by 6, and that's how much difference there would be in the clutch pedal travel.