1969 Ford LTD Country Squire- Restoration

Fiberglass Trim

Will do as soon as I receive the part this week.

Phil

 

Sounds great, and thanks for sharing the other photos. Did you compare the sample woodgrain that Stripeman sent with the unexposed original woodgrain on the tailgate? The tailgate woodgrain appears to have more red in it, but that could simply be a trick of lighting.

 

Stripeman vs Original (faded) woodgrain

Here's the Stripeman sample against the faded front fender woodgrain.


When I return home, I'll put the Stripeman sample against the unexposed tailgate woodgrain!

Phil

 

As crazy as it seems, the 69 and 70 dash pads are 2 different pieces. They mount differently and the 70 has a recessed area for an emblem.
When you really start comparing the 69 and 70 big Fords, you will be amazed that despite the fact they look almost the same, there is almost nothing that is an exact interchange. I believe that the roof skin, hood and possibly tailgate shell are the only pieces of shared sheet metal. They were two very different cars.

Your Squire is a great car. Definitely worth bringing back. These were , and still are, such good looking cars. They ran pretty darned good with the 429, too.

 

Thanks for the info!

Tony,

For sure there are a lot of sheet metal, lighting and interior component differences. I didn't remember the dash pad having the inset for an emblem, but that seems right. I do know that the front seat head rests were different. Front fender lower lighting was different and the engine displacement plate was gone in 1970. Basic sheet metal and drivetrain seem to be the same.

My end goal is to also have a 1970 LTD Country Squire with the 429 4-bbl. Plenty of time for that in the near future.

Thanks again,
Phil

 

Anyone know exactly how the SS roof edge trim is removed fro the 69 and 70 Country Squire wagon? Must be an internal clip or something. I doubt they are glued in place. Not easily removed is my guess. Thanks, Phil

 

They snap on over the drip rail. You have to start on the inside edge at one end and carefully pry the molding off, a bit at the time. Work back and forth. It can be done but it is also easy to ruin the stainless trim, so take your time. They sort of roll on and over the drip rail and snap into place. So taking them off is a reversal of the process. There are no other clips or adhesives used. Sorry my explanation isn't terribly clear. Hope this is helpful. Main thing is to slow and be gentle.

Tony

 

Back to work on the 69 LTD CS Wagon

After a long hiatus, I am back to work on the 69 Ford LTD wagon. I had decided to spend some time cleaning the original paint. I don't think its been polished in 45 years. Lots of surface paint is missing and the exposed steel shows some very light rust. Ah. Patina.

I have a fluid leak in the front brake cylinder. The reservoir keeps loosing fluid, but there are no obvious spots on the floor. Brake pedal now drops to the floor. Hard to believe I was driving it on occasion last fall.

I'm not going to pursue the full restoration until next summer. That way I can concentrate on building a barn first I have a preliminary drawing.

Phil

 

I just spent $1,600 for brake work on mine. There was a lot of rust throughout the system and it was leaking in multiple spots. The shop decided to switch it to DOT 5/silicone brake fluid.

 

69-70 LTD CS brake system

Doug,
Ouch. But I suppose it is as expected for a 44 year old vehicle. Probably prudent to switch to DOT 5/silicone fluid. Did you replace all the brake lines and cylinder reservoir too?

ps. I just sent the fiberglass trim piece to you this morning. You should have it by Friday. I sent a separate e-mail to you with tracking number.

Phil

 

That sounds great! I will be on the lookout.

They replaced the master cylinder, rebuilt the proportioning valve, new rear cylinders, brake shoes, resurfaced the drums, new front calipers, and replaced the rear grease shields and bearings. They said the steel brake lines looked ok, and the rubber hoses were also ok; I'd had those replaced at some point in the past. (The rubber hoses are apparently difficult to find, but there are places that will custom make them.)

The tricky thing about DOT 5 (from what I've read) is that even though it doesn't absorb water like regular brake fluid, moisture can still get in the system through the atmosphere (there's a vent hole somewhere in the braking system; maybe in the master cylinder). Over time, water can build up in places and "puddle" in the braking system, also causing corrosion. So, DOT 5 still needs to be flushed and replaced periodically, just like regular brake fluid.

Overall, though, I think going with the DOT 5 will be better, long term. We'll see.

 

Adding AC/HT to a non-HT 69 LTD Country Squire

Whoa! What a challenge. Turns out the firewall between the internal and external AC/HT plenums is different between a factory equipped AC wagon and a factory equipped HT only wagon. Then there is all the necessary (and different) wiring, vacuum connections, etc. I will likely post a link soon to something like Photobucket so that you can see the progress (and heartache).

Just an interesting fact: to get the heating system (fan, interior and exterior plenum boxes etc) out, I had to remove the hood, right fender, right front passenger door and most of my dash interior. What a task...

Phil

 

I had no idea it would be so much work to convert a non a/c car to a/c. I can see how getting the wiring and vacuum connections right would be a nightmare.

I've never had to replace the heater core in my car; it sounds like it won't be a fun job if/when it goes bad.

 

The heater core is readily accessible for both AC And non-AC cars. Anything beyond that (say a fan motor) is tough!