The replacement...

Stunning!!!

Be sure to check that TV kickdown cable.

mike

 

Yup, already inline for tomorrow!

 

Gee Patrick, we could nearly be twins now. Looks good. Are you going for a set of the turbine wheels or something else to replace the wires?

I have a friend nearby that owns an 89 Country Squire. He had the same problem with the wood trim that surrounds the vinyl. He actually played around with wood stain and fixed it himself. It turned out nicely.

 

Actually, I've tossed that idea around somewhat. There are three pieces on the Ford that have the vinyl woodgraining completely off, and half of the remaining pieces have either partial stripping going on, or are bent a little, or both. For the sake of a look with continuity, I've considered stripping the covering off the remaining light pieces. Right now, the car is a solid 20-footer. I may wait until Spring to do something about the trim.

I have very, very few Ford parts in my shop, as I am a Mopar guy; and this is my only Ford product. I was looking for a part for my truck when I came across four Ford wire wheelcovers I'd forgot about, shoved under a shelf. Found one was near perfect, so that one replaced one that was on the wagon that was missing the center medallion. Gotta like that!

About replacement wheels...I'm looking at three possibilities to replace the stockers and the wires. One is to use the chrome steelies I had on the Merc with the whitewalls out; second is to use a set of 1980 Chrysler wheels that I've had for several years, or third is to roll with a set of 17" Ford Bullit wheels off an '06 Mustang, with the spacers that would be required for that offset wheel.

We'll see what happens!

 

Have a look at my thread in the woodgrain restoration section. It was very simple to remove the vinyl with some sandpaper and fix the woodgrain with a bit of Tremclad(Rustoleum) paint. I was blown away by the difference fresh woodgrain made in the look of my Buick.

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14007

 

Lots of good info there. It looks like I'll follow your instructions there, as the woodgrain sides are really in great shape. Very good!

 

I don't like those Chrysler wheels on the Cordobas and Miradas they probably came on, but they would look boss on a Panther wagon!

 

Those came off my old '80 T&C wagon, but were also available on J- and M-body Mopars in 1980 and 1981.

 

Got a small problem on the new wagon...At idle or just above idle, there is a noticeable miss that you can feel, and also hear at the tailpipe. To me, it sounds like a plug gone/going bad, or perhaps a plug wire. Occasionally, there is a slight bog on acceleration from a stop. It's probably time for a complete tune-up - plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and fuel filter. I put some fuel/injector treatment at the last fill-up yesterday, so I'll see if that helps any. The car has sat for a number of months with very few miles put on it. I've put a little over a hundred on it so far.

Looks like this will be the Saturday project. Add to the to-do list, along with winterizing the ZTR mower and other shop tasks...

 

First thing: Check for vacuum leaks! Those old hoses will crack in the damnedest places. If it is not obvious, use a propane blow torch, turned low and unlit. Run the nozzle around any connections, including the upper and lower intakes. If the idle goes up, you found the leak.

 

Vacuum leaks are a possibility, indeed. One thing I hate about '80s cars in general is the plethora of vacuum lines! Might be worth the effort to replace all of them. Buy bulk hose and replace, one at a time, until all are done.

 

I'll echo the advice already given to check for vacuum leaks. Your symptoms sound identical to those I recently had on my '70 Caprice. I chased those symptoms with a full tune up, including fuel filter. Symptoms got a little worse after doing all of that, and it was then that the v-leak was confirmed. Once it was fixed, he ran beautifully. :2_thumbs_up_-_anima