Tag Archives: Car Collector

1970 Mustang – Replacing my Pillar Post Moldings Part I

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If you searched and found or followed my posts on restoring the dash-board of my ’70 Mustang, then you might recall my planning/scheduling issues.    

As I was taking the old dash pad off, I realized that I hadn’t order the plastic pillar molding.  When I finally called a few Mustang parts supplies places I found them all to be out of stock and they had to put them on back order.  They did finally come in and it’s taken me a bit to actually find the time to replace them.  Well, this long 4th of July week, I’m at least going to get started.  (I have also do the valve cover gaskets as well.)   

So here again is what I’m replacing:   

Yeah..had to get creative to keep them on.

 

Pretty?

 

Now the new molding comes in any color you want as long as that’s black.   You’ll need to paint the proper color.  If you have the specs for you car you’ll easily find the interior color and places like National Parts Depot or Mustang’s Unlimited have the paint for the job.  I had to do this with a replacement armrest.  Which was horrible – replicas all came square and my Mustang’s armrests are rounded and have the overstuffed look like a leather sofa or overstuffed chair.  (I ended up pick up a use one in good shape and painted that..I think it was tan originally.)   

Oh..sorry…I wandered!!!   

The first think you have to do is prepare the plastic for holding paint.  The guys at National Parts Depot recommend SEM 38353 Plastic/Leather Prep. I’ve used it and it seems to do the trick.  Pretty simple….Spray surface, pay attention to recessed areas, wipe with clean cloth.  Use some gloves if you have office worker hands and put out the cigar while you using this stuff.   

SEM 38353 Plastic/Leather Prep

 

Sticking with the SEM brand I purchased a can of Universal Color Coat.  I used this paint on the aforementioned armrest and it lives up to the “Flexible Coating” label.  My Mustang’s interior is VP-15945 Vermillion.   

SEM Universal Color Coat

 

So next up I’ll do the prep and the paint.   

Molding

 

Thanks for reading.   

Tim

Abandon Car Pics Contest Win a DVD

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Hey..I’m still looking for abandon car pics. Email them to me timsweet@cox.net  or drop by Average Guy’s Car Restoration, Mods and Racing facebook group.  Pls include a general location.

I still have two DVD’s to give way!!!  Here’s my latest.

1939 Packard.  Originally from Texas, it got left here in AZ and now sits outside Boot Hill in Tombstone, Az.

1939 Packard.

 

1939 Packard Originally from TX.

 

Still got the flat head tucked under the hood.

Just needs a little TLC on the interior...yikes!!!

Wrenchin’ Tip – Priming a Holley 6/16/2010

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YEAH!!!!  I know!! Where have these been…right?  Sorry, but I think I’m back on track. 

My Mustang has an old school 4 barrel Holley and although it starts pretty quick after a few pumps of pedal to get the mechanical fuel pump to push gas where it needs to be.  But if your old school muscle car or race rod sits for a while or you swap carbs often, you can spend some considerable time cranking on the engine.  This might seem like no biggie, but it can cause lobe failure on a flat-tappet cam. 

For my Holley there’s a better way.  

You need to locate your float-level sight plugs.  

Holley - image not from my mustang

 

A different configuration

 

Take a plastic squeeze bottle….  (Do you really need a pic of a squeeze bottle?)  Well just in case… 

Bottle Pic you don't need!!!

 

this type works the best…. and fill the float bowls with fuel until it trickles…(very little trickle…no fires…please.)  

Float Bowls

 

 This should be enough fuel to allow the fuel line to fill from the tank.  According to the specs a Holley can run 45- 60 seconds on full bowls. 

Keep your cam safe!!! 

Thanks for Reading 

Tim

Auto Factoids for 6/6/2010

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Here ya go:

1928 Plymouth Code Q

7/7/1928 First Plymouth is made, some research suggest that it was actually  built on June 11, 1928.  It had  engineering code (or model) Q and had a 4 cylinder engine.  Check out the video on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGfwjTI1ahA

6/10/1951  A Jaguar wins the 24 hours Le Mans – it was a C-type version of XK120.  Here are a couple pics:

Jaguar at a race

XK 120 C

C Type

6/10/1927 – The Graham boys purchased what was Paige_Detroit Motor Cars.  The Grahams started out as farmers and glass bottle makers.  One of  the brothers invented a rear axle that would allow converting Ford car platforms in to light duty trucks.  Oh they are still in business – owning/running Madison Square Gardens and hosting sporting events.

Graham-Paige auto

6/11/1955 Horrific crash at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Here are the details from History.com

Prior to the race, Levegh complained that the course was too narrow near the pit-stop area and the grandstand. This observation proved prescient. As Levegh was racing for the lead near the pit-stop area, he swerved to avoid fellow racer Mike Hawthorn s Jaguar as it moved toward the pits. Levegh s car, going about 150 miles per hour, came up too fast on Lance Macklin s Austin-Healey and was catapulted upward. The car crashed into the grandstand and its exploding parts went straight into the crowd. Levegh and more than 80 spectators, packed into the grandstand, lost their lives in the fiery crash.

6/12/1954 – Packard offers the first tubeless tires.

6/12/1975 – The last Chrysler Imperial was made.

1975 4 Door Chrysler Imperial

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Steve Sears 1992 Ford Ranger XLT and Paint

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Steve Sears is one of the readers of this blog and owner of a 1982 Mercury Cougar Station Wagon (again..I love this car). 

But that’s not all, Steve does a lot of his own work, including this unique paint job on his 1992 Ranger. 

Here is his recent project. 

The before: 

1992 Ford Ranger XLT

 

Tim, 

  

I completed my project last week and thought you’d like to see it.  I painted my Ranger with a roller.  I only did six coats of each color, usually 8 – 10 coats are required.  I like to call the color Haze gray underway and white.  I spent 26 years in the Navy so I thought the gray was appropriate for me. Ha Ha.  It’s painted with rustoleum mixed with mineral spirits in a 1:1 ratio thus the many coats required.  The body prep is the same as any other type paint job except that a primer is not used over the whole truck.  I only spot primed the bare metal and over the bondo used to fix parking lot dings.  It took a full 8 days to complete the project including the paint on the topper.  I have to wait a few weeks before buffing out for a full gloss.  For that I’ll just remove the mirrors and the bug shield on the front.  The process is well documented on the web over the last 10 years or so so I won’t repeat the process.   

  

I thought your readers would be interested. Finally I have the truck looking like new again.  It’s a 1992 Ranger XLT that I had bought new on April 24, 1992.  It has the 2.3 liter four and a five speed tranny.  The picture labeled 019.JPG is the before shot is attached.  

And the after photos: 

After Pic 1

  

After Pic 2

  

After Pic 3

Thanks very much for sharing it Steve.  (A roller?  Wow!!!!)  

  Drop me your comments!!!! 

Thanks for reading 

Tim 

Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant Tour…AWESOME!!

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I attended the Bowling Green Assembly Plant tour today.  It was really!!!!! awesome!!!!!

Corvette Assembly Plant Bowling Green, KY

 

The walk from the parking lot to the plant was filled with the smell of new car.  They must pour it out of every chimney and window.

They were building the Z06’s, ZR1 and Grand Sports…a lot of Grand Sports!!! (that is a damn nice car!!!) Amazing!!!!    Sorry no pictures were allowed.

Seeing all the parts everywhere and the hanging panels and frames…was a sight to be hold.

The tour was pretty quick..well maybe an hour…but I could have hung there all day!!!  I lagged behind the tour group and spoke with a couple of the workers.

At one stop, where they fill the newly married body, chassy and engine with fluid, the tour guide was going blah, blah, blah and I was looking over the cars and one of the guys walked over asked me if I had one picked out yet.  He said they seemed to be selling a lot of GS’s.  I asked him about the fender stripes and he said they normally just get tossed in the back and the dealership installs them.  He asked me if I liked the wider body and I said what’s not to like!!!!

We watched them marry up a Zo6’s mufflers, while another guy stuck in the tail lights and then on to the chassy.  Tire position was at a stop.

Actually got to watch a new Grand Sport come off the line and run over the ‘suspension’ activation section (floor) and then into the section where they align the headlights.

We  got to see a Z06 enter the final test chamber where they run 200 + tests in two minutes.  This one passed.

It was MOST EXCELLENT!!!! (Wayne’s World).

The NCM was good, but the plant tour overshadowed it…by far.   I’ll post up pics from the  NCM in the next post.

corvettte assembly plant

Auto Factoids for Week of 5/23/2010

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Few major milestones this week. 

Brooklyn bridge opened for traffic on 5/24 1883 and the Golden opened 5/27 in 1937. 

Race car driver Mauri Rose was born 5/26/1906 currently in the racing hall of fame, placed second in the 1927 Indy 500.  Actually won the Indy in 1941, but that was a tough victory, spanning two Maserati-powered Elgin Piston Pin Specials cars, after the first one had mechanical issues.  He tossed a fit and the car owners pulled one of the other drivers on the time from the race and give Rose that car. 

The Pin 

Elgin Pin

 

What powered that thing? 

Power Plant

 

The first Kaiser-Frazer was produced 5/28/1946 – cars weren’t sold until 1947. 

1947 Willow Run Plant

Mustang Hose Woes

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I was about to start the pillar moldings mini project when I ran into a couple mechanical issues.

About a week ago the Mustang began squealing when pushed to high revs.  That normally indicates one of several problems.

1. It could be a water pump

2.  It could be the power steering pump

3.  It could be a pulley

4. It could be a bolt that was holding the alternator bracket to the engine worked itself out and was in contact with the fan belt.

5. It could be a combination of the any of these.

Now the Mustang did, every once in a while, drip some fluid from the power steering control value but it wasn’t a huge deal.

Well, Saturday I went to start her and the battery was dead.  It’s over 3 years old and I had left the lights on the day before and had to have it jump started.  So off to the auto parts store I went and pick up a new 3 year battery and stuck it. When I started the engine up, it made the squeal and I decided I needed to fix this, before the pillar molding.

So with a neighbor revving the engine I noticed the bolt protruding from the water pump/block ( it passes through left side water pump housing in to the block).  With the revs the fan belt would flex and briefly hit the bolt.   This bolt was “custom” made when we were fitting everything up to reman’ed long block and was about 7 or 8 inches long.

It took a bit to get that back in place, had to loosen up the alternator’s other two supports and toss a little loctite on the threads and she was good to go…..almost…..

Yeah….option #5 above was the correct answer BTW.

Started it up and there was still a squeal – not the same squeal but clearly an ‘accompaning’ squeal.  Shortly after that a power steering hose let go and well liquid does what gravity  make it do and I spent the afternoon cleaning the driveway.  So there went my allotted time for Saturday.   So replacing both hoses seem the best way to go and they’ll  be in today.  Right now it’s at the shop down the street, I had no time to undertake this task at the moment, will be traveling the next couple weeks.

One of my travels takes me to the National Corvette Museum.  I’ll spend an entire day there which include the assembly plant tour.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

V8 Reference Book

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I grab every book I think is useful in any of my hobbies.  I happened to be at the mall the other day and had some time kill and wonder down to Borders books store.  Pick up a book entitled “Ultimate American V-8 Engine Data Book” 2 Edition  by Peter Sessler, published MotorBooks.

This book has engine identification codes, component casting codes, internal dimensions and specs, and power and torque ratings.

It goes back as far as 1952 and covers Fords, GM, Mopar, and AMC, Packard and Studebaker.  It includes big blocks and small blocks.  There is a lot of information.

I learned from this book that all of the engines possible for the Corvette in 1984 were rated @ 205 hp.  The CFI was the main power supplier, but it also had listed a couple TPI’s (engine suffix code ZFC), TBI (engine suffix code ZFJ – supposedly for export only) and a 4v for California (engine suffix code ZFF).

They also inform you of the transmissions that go with the engines.

There are listings for cylinder heads parts or casting # as well as intake and exhaust manifolds as well.

I think this one is worth the  $30.00.

This is a great transition to introduce an up and coming feature for this blog.

I love engines…(duh).  To me the history of development, what was used when and where and maybe even why can be fascinating.  I’ll be tossing out specs and the like and hopefully some, ” I would have never guessed that” information.  Now, I don’t have this all in my head, it will be researched stuff or some experiences. (My 1974 Torino was a good case study..tell you the story soon).

Thanks for reading.

Tim

SCCA Event 4/25/2010 Auto Cross Part III

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So let’s get to my runs.  As I mentioned, there were 2 sets of runs, one for time and points and one for just time.  Each was five trips on the course.

One thing they have you do is of course walk the track which is to get you someone familiar with the corners.  I walked it twice.  Once on my own and once with the novice “coach”.

This is my second auto cross.  If you’ve been a constant reader you might recall that was on Jan 25 2010 and it was mainly corvettes. We rented the area and set up our course.  I did fairly well there for my first time.  But this course was different.  A lot tighter corners in a row and two sets of very tight slalom.  Nothing a vette couldn’t handle with the proper speed and a good surface..this was not a good surface, however.

My first run was a darn right awful.  I look like some crazed speed demon with a severe hatred for orange cones. I over drove every tight corner.  My second run wasn’t much better, I didn’t even hit the first corner and then a took a cone for a ride under the vette. 

So now I feeling like a knucklehead.  I had the oldest car there and maybe the one with the most torque, but certainly not the most horse power.  My third run was better and I took along one of the novice coaches but I still had a CD (course deviation) on the backside by missing the second slalom set of cones.  I dropped off the novice coach and my 4th and fifth runs were clean as far as CD’s go but I still got a cone on each run.

So here is how it end up in the first set of 5 runs.

 84 Chevy/Corvette BS
1. DNF
2. DNF
3. DNF
4. 56.355
5. 54.616

My next runs were much better.  I did have on CD and I did get a cone, but the times were getting better. The 5th run below I took a cone and spun on the back side of the course.

1. 51.643
2. 53.146
3. 52.622
4. 51.645
5. 54.188

So I ended the day with the following times and points.

PAX Time         Points

46.260              753
43.575                  796

PAX time is like a handicap in golf, it takes the class of your car and the skill level reduces your time to keep you somewhat competitive.

Not bad for my first real “formal” event.

By the end of the I was worn out.  That is a lot of driving, in the heat (ok..only 88 degree..little hotter on the course). 

The vette performed perfectly, no over heating issues (one of my biggest fears) and nothing broken, did have to rub out a few cone marks….but I showed them whose boss!!!!

You’ll notice a lack of pic or vids on this one, didn’t have my son along as a camera man, and when I wasn’t running they put you to work resetting cones.

If you want to see the scores go to  http://www.azbrscca.org/results/index.php and you can review the results.

Thanks for reading.

Tim