What have you done to your wagon lately? (Let's keep the thread going!)

Thanks! I’ve got a bunch of details in my introductory post. It’s a 79 factory 4 speed Malibu that my dad bought as a father/son project back in the late 90’s. Everyone lost interest in it over the years until I got it out of storage and tore it conpletel apart lol. I’ve got a brand new Richmond super t10 transmission and a homemade shifter (so I could use the original hole in the floor and keep the bench seat) going in place of the original saginaw 4 speed. It just has a .030 over 350 in it. 20 years ago we put a bigger cam, Victor jr intake, and bigger carb on it when we put a 9 inch rearend with 4.56’s in the car. First thing I did when I got it out of storage was get rid of that ridiculous rear gear and put a 3.89 in it. I also threw a set of 195cc AFR eliminator heads on it recently. Hoping to have it ready to go before summer comes

 

Washed it and drove it all weekend…

 

uummmmm ya ...its been 10 years...and I havent done much sept washing and driving
I blew up the motor in the 68 about 8 years ago...new motor has been sitting in the garage about 6 years

PS; never retire unless you have to !! you get less done

 

Just swapping in a new starter and while I'm at it cleaning up brackets, side of the block, etc.

 

painted the exhaust manifolds, took the square exhaust tips off and put turn downs on. kept bluing the bumper

 

Took only 10 months to get the four door seals for the Ambassador. All originals were mostly in pieces.

 

took off exhaust tips and replaced with turn downs, was bluing the bumper

 

After one front started sticking last summer, and the rears would no longer stay in adjustment, I put all new brakes on my Cruiser. Along with the rear disc swap, which would be the 5th time I’ve done it on these cars. I would have done the swap years ago, but wanted to get the most life out of the existing brakes first. Almost ready for the 80s show in Minnesota this coming weekend.

I also picked up #5 of these wagons a couple weeks ago for cheap, from a friend of a coworker. 1990 Celebrity Eurosport. Only got 50k, no rust on top or bottom of the unibody. Has some hacked wiring and a big vacuum leak, needs radiator and tires and a door ding fixed. I’ve been eyeing this wagon running around town for the last 6 years, and now it’s mine. I’ll tinker with this one as time and funds allow, and hopefully take it to the 80s show next year.

 

A/C clutch went on the wagon a couple weeks ago, new compressor & drier arrived this morning so I spent the day swapping them out and now the car is resting over night with a vacuum pulled to check for a good seal at both compressor & drier before I charge it tomorrow.

Old comp, I'm thinking about getting a new clutch & seal kit for it and keep it as a spare for either car.

 

I've been having a bit of a time trying to finally fix the fuel lines right on my 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis.

The lines gave out in 2019, I fixed them (kind of) in 2022, but they were too big and they didn't deliver enough fuel. I then downsized the lines, but a line then popped off at the tank.

Well, I've finally taken the tank off and found that the hose was scrunched against the body of the car, but it took time to figure out that I was supposed to put the lines at these hose-holding sections at the top of the tank. Once I finally did that, I put the tank on again and the lines by the tank were still big enough to leak, so now I have to take the tank off again.

I didn't work on it at all this last week, it was the previous week when I probably took the tank off 8 times in a week.

After the tank's on and not leaking, I have to take the car and wash it off, then it needs to sit outside for a while since I need a place to work on Mom's 2001 Impala which has a leaking head gasket, but while I'm there the valve cover gaskets need replaced and probably a bunch of other things should also be replaced at the same time.

... Oh, and some other time I can attempt to replace the oil pan gasket on the Wagon, which is going to be interesting. That'll have to wait until the Wagon can be inside, because 1: the oil has to come out, and 2: I have about 1 inch, if that, to get the pan off and the new gasket in. This is a pan that doesn't come off unless you take the engine out, or so it seems, since it has 2 drain plugs.

 

You ought to be able to take the motor mounts (maybe transmission too?) and be able to lift the motor up high enough to free up that oil pan. At least enough to clean in and install gasket if not completely remove it?

 

YOU WILL FAIL!! The job is not for the faint of heart, even in a professional setting with a lift. It's a 4 piece gasket which includes rubber seals for the timing cover and rear main as well as 2 cork side gaskets. I did one without pulling the engine and would never do another. It's a very complicated process which I won't go into but it took me a lot of Yankee ingenuity.

 

Do you think it would be easier to just pull the motor then? Then at least you could replace the rear main while you were at it?