First post - 69 Galaxie in NoVA

Yeah R12 is still being hoarded by older mechanics. Despite dye and sealant though, the AC is apparently weaker today, so I guess that will be at the top of my list. They spent today in Chicago, leaving for Cleveland in the a.m.

Rear springs look a little saggy?

 

Thanks for the invite Jim. I see you have a Passat wagon same as me. Ours is the least reliable VW we've ever had, which is more than a few! 4Motion automatic was a bad decision on my part. Wife may just end up driving the Green Machine, heheh.

 

Green...from the pics...id say ..'nice buy'..

as for the wife....i d say excellent choice

and a great intro!!
pal...yur 3 for 3:banana:

to the place my fellow Ford bretheren

 

Might be something as simple as a few new O rings hopefully. No other weird noises, clunks, knocks reported yet? If that mechanic had R12 left, its a better refrigerant than R134a actually, I bet he was the type that would have gave the car a good look over prior to her leaving.

 

Is she keeping a fuel log? Wondering about gas mileage, is it a 2 barrel or 4 barrel 390? I see they'll be passing near Sandusky, OH(Cedar Point!). My great grand parents lived there. He worked for the railroad I believe. That would have been about 1910's/20's.

She'll be in the mountains between Pittsburgh and home I'm guessing? By that time she will have a good idea how well the brakes respond and can watch/listen/feel for any change. Temp gauge running ok in this summer heat?, can another 69 big Ford owner weigh in on where the needle should be on the gauge(if its so equipped)?

Checking oil, power steer, and trans fluid at fuel stops? Coolant in radiator and brake fluid, belts, hoses in the AM's before starting out?

http://mapq.st/Muns3C

 

Awesome wagon! Welcome (from another newbie). Looks like a nice, clean ride. As you can tell by my screen name, I'm a little partial to Fords...

 

I really appreciate the warm welcome from everyone! The 390 is a 2bbl, and the previous owner had already treated the car to recent brakes, master cylinder, and tires. Wife did text me asking fuel tank capacity, which I think is 24.5 gallons, so hopefully she is remembering to track mileage. She's already been instructed to check the fluids at each fillup. No luck so far finding any 40wt oil, so 30 will have to suffice if she ends up adding any. I asked several times about things like radiator hoses and belts while talking to the p.o., so I know they've been at least checked recently. Of course, 100-degree days on I-80 are a lot different than idling around Milwaukee, and then there are the Pennsylvania mountains to contend with tomorrow. Could be a pretty miserable day if the AC is totally spent. At least the rear window can drop down .

We used to drive the same route between Detroit and Breezewood, then to Winchester, when I was going to school in Michigan. Very familiar with the different hills and tunnels. In fact, the most (in)famous journey was the time I bought a '66 F100 here in northern VA, and attempted to drive it to Detroit after Christmas break. It was my first experience with sludge in the fuel tank, and it stranded me on the PA turnpike in a snowstorm. Needless to say, buddies had to come to the rescue, and my young wife was not to pleased when I parked that heap in the driveway! Good times.

 

No, no, no! Danger, Will Robinson!
Your Ford wagon does not have air deflectors for the rear window, does it? Without them, an open rear glass on a wagon could possibly suck in carbon monoxide from the exhaust (negative pressure area). Mid 60's big Ford wagons had built-in air deflectors in the rear pillars, but the 69's didn't have them.

You're probably Ok with the back glass down at low speeds, but not at highway speeds.

Marshall

 

Good catch. This one has a deflector across the top, not sure if it is designed to function the same way or not. In any event, she has the paper temp tag taped to the rear window, and doesn't want to roll it down.

Zero AC as of this morning, gonna be a hot couple of days

 

Couple of random pics from today, they are headed toward Cleveland on I-80.





I think I see the fuel gauge moving in this pic

 

Poor old Ford! You mentioned 40wt oil? For the engine? Surely Ford spec'd a multi viscosity oil, 10w30 or 10w40 more than likely for those engines?

 

I was using short-hand, it will be a multi-vis oil for sure. Previous owner has been using synthetic, which I'm a believer in also. Whether it is needed or not is debatable....BUT....she didn't use a drop of oil yet according to my wife.


Here they are filling up outside of Cleveland. She got 14.11 mpg.

 

14.11.....not bad with her lead foot I suppose,lol. If she can hypermile some, would be interesting to see how high she can get the mileage? So are you planning to keep using synthetic oil if PO was using it? I've heard that its not the best to change back and forth? Others might be able to chime in with some info?

 

Welcome from another lead sled

Welcome, enjoyed the pics, your wife has a heavy foot! Mine does to. Even though it is a Ford it is good to see another '69 out there and running.

 

Well? Has the family and the new long roof made it back to the barn yet?