Car Running Countdown

Sure! I didn't know that. I'll use it to get the final column lengths before install. There's probably other good trivia to, hehehe!

 

Hanging headliners? Mine has the hoop type (Granada, Torino models from the 1978-79 Mexican models), whereas the US/CDN models got the cardboard backed vinyl. Well the sound-deadening felt does sag a bit after 30 years (even women can't fight gravity! ), but with a headline it's easier to fix.

I had the body sealer adhesive out (white creamy stuff from Pro-Form) and brushed (gobs) it into the metal roof and stuck them back up. The problem with a spray adhesive is all the clean-up you'd have to do afterward.

Anyway, I got a lot of detailed and small pending issues cleaned up and installed.

1) New Hood liner installed.

2) Hood to body bronze ground clip installed.

3) Antenna A-pillar clip replaced and installed (avoids lost signals if it isn't rattling around. Why wouldn't they have installed the antenna on the driver's side? Less likely for kids to grab them and bend them.

4) Engine to firewall wiring looms going in. (Since mine has an AC heaterbox, some of the wiring passes through behind it, so I have to get those through first.)

4a) I've got a Cruise control and I'm swapping from the 302-V8 gas-pedal linkage to the 200 CID inline Six linkage. So I got the 2-part Speedo cable, and gas-pedal linkage in. You can do that very well if the Heater box is in.

5) Adjusted driver's door gap with Andy's help, before fastening the Fender Liner. I tried doing it myself last fall, but that door was too cold and heavy to do right. Aligning is a TWO-man job!

6) Emergency brake pedal and cable installed. There's a 1" diameter pass-through grommet about 3 inches long to protect the metal cable sheath. It goes through the driver's side lower firewall. You have to get in about half way, behind the sound deadener. I used a bit of varsol to wet it down and PRESSED it through. Otherwise the pedal bracket won't line up with the mounting bolts. And tightened up the new emergency brake cables.

7) Steering column bracket to A-pillar. Don't tighten up the power brake booster until you get this brace in! I literally had to loosen every connected bolt (steering column, column-to-body bracket, column shifter support to column, etc.) to get that thing lined up and bolted in. Major effort. And tighten them all back in. If I was a young buck, able to jump tall buildings, and twist myself into a contortionist pretzel, it would be fine, but my muscles tell a different story this morning.

8) Sound deadener. The same molded/rubberised 3/8" thick insulation material that goes at the firewall/cowl also goes under the back seat. Wagons are a bit different. They have a thinner (5/16" thick heavy pad that goes first. Sedans have one that goes up behind the backseat rest and into the first few inches of the trunk. I kept the sedan unit, as well as mine, to see if I could use it. It fits right in, on top of the Wagon sound deadener, and might provide a bit more sound deadening value. I may have to trim and glue it to the flat molded stuff bonded to the floor rise behind the fold-down seat. With the 302-V8, there was always a bit of a rumble (new exhaust), but if this reduces it a bit more... good.

We're getting rain early this evening, and most of tomorrow, so I'll get the heaterbox and dash wiring looms and the new sound deadener in the foot regions of the floor. I bought some Evercoat sheets to replace the old broken ones. The carpet has its own 3/8" thick felt underneath.

So I'll post the details later.

 

AC/Heater box is back in. Tbirdsps and I have now both gone through this on these Fox wagons. I had the rubberised cowl insulation pad from the 2 door donor. It didn't have AC. It doesn't have the grommets for the firewall mounting holes. My heaterbox was made in Mexico and has the 'Calidad' inspection stickers. Generally, it looks the same as the one in the shop manual, except that the case material looks like a different grade of plastic - more durable/thicker.

Anyway it went in fine. I plugged the AC hose inlet to the dryer (I took the dryer rad out, so that I'm only running the heat/defrost/normal air venting. I'm glad I kept the bigger box. It moves more air through more vents. The blower is more heavy duty and more powerful.

I then did the other time-taking task on installing the new Sound Deadener pads onto the new painted floor finish. These are good quality replacements for the original pads. There are better acoustically tuned pads, but this isn't a Rolls Saloon. I used the Evercoat Q-Pads - self-adhesive and easy to trim and fit.
http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=50

I wanted to lay them down and let the normal daylight heat soften them up to fit them better into the dips in the floor. It's patient work - and the floor has to be clean - stick-on clean!

After the rain goes, I'll finish 'forming' them into the floor grooves. These pads cost about $33 for each 6 pads. I only replaced the broken, dried up 'tiles' (15" X 15" X 1/8" thick), with 12 tiles. It would have taken two more packs of 6 to replace the entire passenger area. Another 5 for the cargo area. I was lucky that they weren't in bad shape.

There aren't too many 'patient-work' tasks left.

A) Wiring harness at dash
B) Dash and Instrument panels
C) Interior moldings and belts
D) Final tweaking of door levers
E) Carpet and Seat install
F) Engine compartment electrical hookup
G) Fluids and Tuneup

And probably a dozen things I can't recall.

 

It's Ford Fox-bodied info specific to the Dash installation and heater core replacement on models with AC (Air Conditioner) heater boxes. If you're doing a full restoration or replacing the heater core, this beats the manuals HANDS DOWN!!!

Here's the Dash/Instrument Panel removal - pictures of course!
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthread.php?t=52798

The same Sticky author wrote the AC Heater core article - and pictures!
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthread.php?t=20497

And he also posted the pictures separately for the heater core sticky, here (I think he owns a T5 tranny shop.):

http://www.thompsontransmission.com/techarticles/Heatercore/

 

Definitely 'patience work', today!

I had to reinstall the steering column brackets to double-nut the main column supports and put the A-pillar to column at the right angle. Found the home for another mystery brace, and laid out the instrument panel wiring harness.

Then I started reassembling the plastic instrument panel and all the metal supports and brackets on that too. I'm really tempted to make a metal dash - the plastic frame is made of styrene and after 29 years, really brittle.

Tomorrow, I'll get the wiring nailed down.

 

Cruise Control Day! What a plumber's nightmare!

I had the manual for this model of CC from Rostra (16R) as a PDF. It was installed in the donor car with this 200 CID (3.3L) engine, so at least all the parts were there. The donor installation was an aftermarket butcher job, so I had to drill through the firewall for the wiring, but it installed fine. I'll have to set it up, once all the wiring is installed.

Also had to drill for the optional Tailgate De-Icer circuit (Mexican cars don't have that option). And got the dash armed up with the screw clips and switches (rear wiper/washer, especially) and dash speakers, and a few other brackets.

Other than that, no whoop-tee-do progress for today.

If there's any hot tip I can give, its this: Get a camera and take pictures, especially if the donor car is even a bit different. Ford isn't big on showing where to cut new firewall holes, and that can be critical for wiring and heaterbox issues. AND label everything, and store it separately (I used old tobacco cans and cereal boxes for the parts, and eggcrates for the screws and clips. What a time-saver! Imagine going through an old 5 gallon pail for every little odd ball clip! I'd go nuts!

 

Cruise Control Day 2! This unit got the 'optional' speed-sensor (on speedo cable) but it took me a while to find the wiring cable to it. Anyway, after that I had to double-check all the remaining 3/4" holes through the firewall, which meant checking all the manuals to see what else had to go through. It wasn't in use. It's the pre-drilled hole for a clutch cable to pass through... whew!

I had to make a mounting bracket for the Cruise control amplifier box - it was hanging loosey-goosey in the donor. Now I can get to it for adjustments and not worry about the darn thing rattling around like a loose marble.

Then the Front/Rear - Left/Right speaker wiring got new connectors at the dash wiring. Then I tried the cassette door - it was jammed shut. Peeled it open and it wasn't properly positioned. reinstalled it and all was well.

And I made one more bracket to support the radio, ashtray bracket, and the bottom of the plastic dash frame. The main support bracket from the brake support had no metal bracket to attach to. Both cars got aftermarket radios at some point, and the installers threw away the key dash-side support. Anyway, its done and should help to keep the old dash frame from cracking, again.

I'll take pictures when we get another sunny day - rain for the next two days, at least.

 

Here it comes.......

 

It's been too gray outside to take decent pics, under the dash. It's our rainy week(s). Wheat farmers need the rain, what can I say?

I'll get some extra lights out, maybe later today, after the drizzle, and get some shots. I figured out two more F.U.C.B.s For Unknown Car Brackets! One is a dash frame support at the Driver's door frame, and the other is the radio bracket. Not one picture in the manuals, and not one website Dash Sticky anywhere (Fox-bodied cars) showing the darn things.

 

That's one reason I bought another one Norm, so we'd have sumthin' to look at after we forgot how we took it apart.

 

I'll remember that as my CRS gets worse... I hope!!!

 

Dash brackets and Cruise Control Installation pics

RoadKing wanted pics. We got pics:

First of all, the AC system is not reinstalled, just the heater/defrost. I don't have the AC compressor for the Six. The Donor had the regular heating system, but lacked the extra dash vents. I've got the rest of the system for the V8, but I'll hang onto it for a swap for the right one for mine, maybe.

I used dense carpet underlay foam and then a layer of tire tube to seal off the old cutout for the AC unit in the firewall.



The Cruise control unit under the hood is installed the same way it was in the Donor car. Looks weird but it worked.



This is the location recommended in the Ford Manuals for the Mustang II Cruise control, for Ford's own system, so I checked it out and this aftermarket (Rostra unit - model 16R) fit right in the same place with my special bracket. I still have to bend the lower tabs toward the firewall. I placed it so I could make any adjustments (3 types) and the wires would be safe, AND that I could access any brake pedal bolts for the E-brake and the power brakes.



This is one of those Mystery brackets (took it off in 2006, painted it and scraped off the paper part number tags, but kept it with a box called 'Dash Parts'. It holds up the rear of the radio/ashtray center-dash support. The mystery part is that it doesn't show in any Ford Manual. The one in the manuals only shows one end and it doesn't look the same. It's from mine (1979) and the Donor didn't have one. The manuals are for a 1978 Ford.



This Mystery Bracket is the Driver's side dash frame (plastic dash) swivel pivot. The dash has a metal side bracket that mates up into that silver coloured bracket. I didn't have a camera when I removed it, but I kept it with my 'Dash Parts' box.



And that big black brace that runs from the top hole, goes to the steering column/brake pedal bracket. This one should go on when you reinstall the power brake booster. I had to WIGGLE (move with muscle) it many times once I figured out where these mystery brackets went. Even it was a mystery bracket until I tested it everywhere under the dash, checked for old bolt marks, etc. Major PITA, but there it is. The Interval wiper control and wiring bolt onto it, and I guess it was Ford's Early version of an Airbag defense for a sideswipe - gives the driver a bit more protection from being totally squashed:




The rest of the progess report will come after Andy and I pick up his new baby (1978 Farimont Wagon) on Thursday/Friday.

If you don't think a camera is a must have in your toolbox, think again. The hours you'll save, especially since these big, full restos run far longer than an elephant's memory, will far outweigh the cost. I'm organized, but a camera would have really solved some mysteries, a LOT FASTER!!!

 

Thanks TBird. I was scanning that bracket for the hood release bracket. Thanks for the tip.

You have no idea how much I'd like to build a cleaner dash from aluminum. This brittle plastic is a major PITA. You just move it a bit to torque down a small screw and it sounds like popcorn. :banghead3:

Yeah, I cleaned up and rust painted everything, down to the fasteners. Figured I'd have to look at it a few times more before the car melts from roadsalt!

 

Stormin' You are doing a great job with your car and will last for years.I would say that road salt doesn't stand a chance.