Car Running Countdown

Not to mention the dashknobs and letter tips thread. It's actually hard to figure out unless you start on page 1.

 

It's kind of like driving in the back country, you never know where the road turns, you just know you're going to get there... Might as well make some friends along the way.

 

Yeah but we keep getting LOST

 

Do we know where we're going?

Oh well the cars have good heaters.

 

I think they went thata away.

 

Back to the top of the list

I'm just posting to make it easier to find this one too. When I'm done all the non-roller parts of this restoration and these here, I'll use the Thread Tools menu, then 'Show Printable Version' and print them for my Project Binder and if ever there's a dispute with the Insurance adjuster... hehehe!

 

Here's where I left off - December 10, 2007.

I had the Alternator in, but HandyAndy's blew up, so I lent it to him until this week, while his was getting rebuilt. In she goes tomorrow.

I've got to seal the tailgate window with the window sealant. I missed a spot in a corner. It's on good everywhere else, but I must've been shivering that day.

I'll reassemble the steering column tomorrow too. I can't paint inside the house, my wife is really allergic. I hammered the original one too much and collapsed the collapsible column. It's only a friction fit, but the donor car was identical, so I cleaned it up, ready for paint and then reinstallation on Tuesday (1 day to dry), while I get the electrics and dash back in.

Then the headliner and plastic trim.

I've got to drop the gas tank and get the old gas out (it's probably like Jello after this long (November 2006 - two winters?). Might as well clean it out and POR-15 it while I'm at it.

Finish the upholstery on the door panels on the cooler days and get the tank back in, fill 'er up and crank 'er up.

That's the plan anyway.

 

it was darn near 70 here on Saturday!! ...so whats the hold up?

 

We just hit 50 F and 55 MPH winds at the same time! Same tomorrow. The yard is drying up nice though.

 

I'm sure glad that countdown clock is starting up again. Boy you have long winters. Ours was over 2 months ago. Leaves out on the trees and roses have been blooming for a month.

whew! I'm glad I wasn't holding my breath.

 

I'm glad too. I wouldn't have a place to visit in Ridgecrest.

 

Swapping My Bench seat to Bucketseats

I was thinking I should put this in a separate thread, but it really is specific to Fox-bodied 1978 to 1986 Ford mid-sixed passenger vehicles.

Fairmont/Zephyr Wagons were only made from 1978 to 1982, even though the 2 and 4-door models went to 1983. Mercury got the Mid-sized 1982 Cougar wagon which became the 1983 Marquis wagon. Ford got the 1983 LTDII wagon. From 1984 to 1986, there was the Baby Lincolns, and Marquis, and LTDLX Fox cars. No wagons.

The buckets from the 1978 Donor Sedan need upholstery really bad and they are red (nylon/vinyl). The owner must have scooped a rear seat from another sedan, because the fabric was all velour. He had cheapie seat covers on them, but the back seat was fine.

The spacing for the two bucket bracket mounts:
1978-79 Buckets (maybe up to 1980 - I don't know): 12" hole to hole width distance (floor mounts) and length (front to back mounting hole distance) 16-3/4"

The 1982 Zephyr Buckets are 14" hole-to-hole width distance and the same spacing front to back (16-3/4")



This is the fabric from the 1982 Zephyr:


Here's what they look like installed in an 1983 Marquis Wagon:




And here's what my original Bench seat looked like:


I'll take pictures of the mods (Before and After) to the brackets or floor mounts and post them later. There are a couple of issues.

The inside bracket mounting holes are fine, and they'll serve as the location guide for the door-side (LH/RH) mount hole relocation. There's a dimple on these 1982 rails brackets to adjust/drill/bend slightly, and then I have to beef up the underside for the rear mounting bolt (door side), or I could find myself part way through the windshield.

I will do progress pics over the weekend.

 

Yeah, I'll start with the post above and then just cross-ref to the new one, in here. How's that?

 

About Dang time:banghead3: Glad to see you going on this Stormin'