Finally!

[piece-itpete]

So how'd it work out Hillbilly?

20K Miles on her now! Rolling

Still haven't done the timing chain Did get the trans filter done, the fluid was dirty but not burnt, and the pan was as shmutz free as I've ever seen. Maybe the kid wasn't lying when he said the tranny'd been rebuilt. [nanny] Tranny definately shifts smoother, keep up on your fluid changes! [/nanny]

Althought trans fluid has gotten expensive, yikes.

Finally a beautiful weekend. Scrubbed all 8 rims (really makes me miss easy to clean hubcaps) & tires, cleaned the heck out of the 03s exterior, and polished the chrome rockers on the 85 and the grill on the 03 - shiney Also picked up another 2 channel ampp. I'm having great success buying failed higher end manufacturers products, this Mark Antony amp is 75 wpc, big, heavy, inexpensive (used), and sounds fantastic.

She's down though, the h pipe on the exhaust rotted. Loud. RRRRROOOOOMveah... RRRROOOOOMveah.... Should have it fixed in a week or two. In the meantime I've been driving the 03 daily and I'll say this. It's a really nice car, quiet, smooth, and tight. But I'd rather be driving the 85!

Pete

[piece-itpete]

Been driving the 03 for a while now. Too bad she wasn't black, I'd call her 'black betty' - because she's so rock steady.

Steer with your knee at 75 in high wind on a big bridge? No problem! Averging around 19 mostly city driving. I know from experience (my old 97) these get 27-28 highway.

So, 27 thumbs up! In the market for a used car? Give the Grand Marquis/ Crown Victoria/ Town Car a test drive.

Still rather drive the 85 though (kicks dirt).

Pete

[hillbilly]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

Best line of the week hb!

Agreed with JI, heck on them. Good luck on your search.

Pete

Still looking. I also took my son with me the other day while I was job hunting. I wanted him to see how hard it is to land a job, but so easy to get turned down. I wasted a tank of gas by leaving the sticks and trying booke oodles of garages & other places in the big city, but nary a darn bit of luck. At the end of the day on our way home I looked over at him and said, '' see why I want you to go to college after you graduate highschool son, it aint cool to be an uneducated man trying to find a job in a technical world. I have nothing on paper saying I know how to do a damn thing ''.

Oh, before I forget. While employers are raising their standards of who they'll let work for them, it seems some are lowering theirs. It doesn't help me though as I can't move to China. It isn't just Craftsman, you'll be shocked at the name of this toolmaker. It starts with one or two pieces, .. and then guess what? It goes downhill from there. Check out the Well Known & Trusted Name, and then scroll down to the country or origin.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....group_ID=23006

And this more costly offering.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....group_ID=17508

[merrylander]

Dave there has to be a shop somewhere where a man's skills are more important than show. What garage ever lets customers into the shop area anyway, none that I know of.

[piece-itpete]

That's a bummer Dave. It is amazing how much things have changed in just our time. I can only imagine what you've seen Rob.

I can't believe even Snap on has sold out.

Pete

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

I can only imagine what you've seen Rob.
Pete

Pete I have seen some strange things regarding animal husbandry, do you know that there are more horse's arses than there are horses?

[piece-itpete]

ROTFLMAO!!

Ever read 'All creatures great and small'? Right at the beginning of artifical insemination, he had the, um, tool that collected sperm from bulls. He asked the farmer to fill it with warm water, set up, um, installed it on the bull and the bull bellowing jumped straight up backward. The farmer filled it with boiling water!

Pete

[merrylander]

We watched that whole series, they did a masterful job of filming Herriott's books but of course bull penises were not for family TV. I thought the incident of Herriott fixing up the farmer who had no sense of smell with the dog who always farted was hilarious.

[piece-itpete]

Want to hear something really funny?

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

... I'm trying to get this done by the beginning of June
.....

And that was 2010!!!

Anyway I was driving it occasionally with the bad exhaust to keep it in trim and ran into an electrical problem, no spark, no fuel. After changing the distributor, coil, computer, a bunch of connectors and testing the heck out of anything I could find (a real learning experience) I gave up had it towed to a shop and - it was a bad connector.

Took it from there to the exhaust shop and had a 2-1/4 h pipe dual exhaust cat back. Reused the magnaflows, they were fine. It has a nice little growl but not excessive.

During the downtime, before it stopped running!, I finished the stereo. Some of it I did already but it's finished now. A very nice install if I say so myself, and I do , wonderful Clif components in the front and Clif totl 6 x 9s in the back. For less than $100 NOS off ebay I wouldn't waste my money on other 6 x 9s. Also two nice used amps, one running the fronts, one running the backs, a Kenwood Excelon head unit, fused 8 gauge power line from the battery to the trunk and nice distribution blocks. It really sounds good! It makes me feel like a kid but I might add a small sub to fill out the bottom end.

I've also done the timing chain/harmonic balancer/PS pump/fan clutch.

A couple comments: the chain was bad, I could squeeze it AT LEAST 1/2". It also didn't have plastic teeth, so it had been replaced before, which means o yeah the odometer is turned over for sure. The harmonic balancer looked OK from the front, but from the back it was ugly, the rubber was cracked and peeling. The fan clutch seemed fine but the new one has a different sound....

The water pump looked fine, cast iron beast, I reused it. I picked a Cloyes dbl roller for the replacement chain. The new PS pump was given to me, nice guy!

One super tip for many Fords - to remove the crank bolt that holds the harmonic balancer on, I just stuck a jackhandle over the breaker bar and hit the key a couple times. If you ever do it make sure the engine turns the right way! Can't take credit, someone else mentioned it to me

Job went pretty well, the water pump leaked so I had to redo it, and I managed to force the PS return line over the factory cap on the pump, but no broken bolts and the car runs. Runs much better actually, I didn't expect it to be so noticable. Win. Although it still has a mysterious occasional 'cough' noticeable when driving a steady speed. I can live with it.

I've been getting ready to do the heater core/blend door, it would be nice to not have the heater/cooling system fail in the winter, and the coolant smell gets old.

BUT- my interior lights have taken on a mind of their own. They come on in the middle of the night by themselves and kill the battery. It's probably the 'brain', it's got an illuminated entry system and delayed lights. I'm waiting for a NOS one I picked up on ebay. At least it's an easy change.

Then this AM, my speedo goes dead. Probably the cable. I was going to change it anyway when I did the heater core (you have to pull the dash) but darn it!

And it's hard starting when hot, the starter is probably defective.

I was supposed to have the mechanicals done, and the new top and new paint by now, and be pimpin' in style.

So, if you ever consider buying an old fixer upper, read this thread and contemplate your doom!

Pete

[d-ray657]

Wow, Pete. You have accomplished a boatload on that beast. You should enjoy the sense of accomplishment, and soon, I hope you are enjoying a dependable ride.

I would have a sense of accomplishment if I managed to change the oil.

We dropped close to a grand on the Chevy for belts, brakes, radiator, AC and other things I don't remember. The boys tell me it is running like a dream, so I figure it was worth it. They still run across people who want to buy it from them. I'm hoping that my younger son, the one who is really interested in cars, will find the time and wherewithal to restore its body.

Regards,

D-Ray