512bb

February 1, 2020

Odometer - 11,231 (6,979 miles)

This week I commuted in the Boxer literally every day, deliberately varying my route to and from work and putting myself in a variety of driving conditions. Each morning I worked with Josh Hill, making adjustments based on the way I felt the car had performed overnight. At this stage we have the tune dialed in very nicely and the car is a ton of fun to drive. Darien had previously rebuilt the suspension with new bushings and Konis all round, so the car handles beautifully. I have now driven the car in heavy traffic, in darkness, in light traffic on country roads and in hot and cold weather. I am delighted to report that absolutely everything works! AC, heat, lights, windows, door locks - everything. The car runs reassuringly cool in all conditions, never reaching the midpoint on the gauge. Hot oil pressure at any rpm off idle is >5 bar (about 80 psi) dropping to around 3 bar (44 psi) at hot idle.

The only thing I did not care for when I started driving the car daily was the automatic cold start mechanism. Although the system works as intended, turning itself off when the car reaches operating temperature, I was typically several miles into my commute before the idle dropped from an annoying 2k to a normal 950 rpm. With the cold start system disconnected the car still starts easily with a couple of pumps of the accelerator pedal, and will hold a comfortable, unassisted idle after warming through for just a few seconds, so disconnected it shall remain. It's possible that people living in a colder climate might find the cold start system useful, but here in Austin, the car is much better without it.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago we installed a new Quick Silver exhaust system, complete with headers. I like the guys at Quick Silver in England and have installed their excellent exhausts on several of my personal cars in the past, but I have to say this particular system was unbelievably challenging to install on the 512. Quite frankly, nothing fit or lined up out of the box. We ended up cutting away and re-welding all of the pipes from the silencers and basically re-making the rear pipes, wasting a bunch of shop time in the process. When we finally got everything fitting as it should, the good news is that the system looks and sounds great. Next week I will strap one of the GoPro cameras to the back of the car and see if I can record some Quick Silver music for you!


Using the mobile twin AFR analyzer to test air/fuel mixtures out on the open road


Preparing to install the Quick Silver exhaust


Note new suspension bushings and Koni shocks	Old headers were quite rusty





New stainless QS headers fit nicely


Exhaust itself was a challenge to install, but the finished result was worth it	Look for some video and audio next week (spoiler alert, the new pipes sound great)

January 26, 2020

Odometer - 10,939 km (6,797 miles)

We spent some time tuning the 512 BB on the Dyno this week, so I decided to put some miles on the car over the weekend. A tough job but somebody had to do it!

We have been fighting a slight hesitation under load between 2 and 3,000 rpm, so we played variously with linkage, jetting and ignition timing. Although we improved things significantly, there is still a slight 'flutter' at cracked throttle that needs more investigation. The good news is that under normal driving conditions the free revving flat 12 is almost never below 3 grand, and above that number it is absolutely sublime. In fact the revs climb so fast that you have to be careful not to blow past the indicated 7,000 rpm red line.

Another job we did this week was to secure the driver's footwell carpet. Previously the carpet slipped underfoot every time I climbed into the cabin - which was a complete pain (literally) for someone with as many creaky joints as me! It is amazing how much more enjoyable this 15 minute job has made the car.

First impressions of the new Quick Silver headers and exhaust are extremely favorable. The car now has a wonderful rasp, especially at higher rpm. I will try to record some audio/video in the next week or so.


Ford versus Ferrari in the Team CJ Workshop	Certainly one of the thirstier cars on the fleet!


512 BB is one of the better driving cars of the 70's





Fabulous 6,000 original mile interior	View along 512 bonnet notable for distinctly raised sections above the front wheels


Fuses conveniently located at the back of the glove box	I found clock adjustment instructions on this tag inside the glove box


Inspiration for 2005 Ford GT door panels that came more than a quarter century later?


Driver's footwell carpet previously slipped underfoot	Now secured with two discreet studs


My leather cleaner and balm of choice	Dash moisturized with Auto Glym balm