2024: What are you doing today?

[wayne petty]

Today like most days i am not doing anything ... surfing and answering reddit mechanic advice forums..

 I am feeling bad about something that happened a few months ago. that really was not my fault..

 a friend with a 66 fairlane after several engines over the past almost 20 years had a AFR headed 347... he finally let me help him dial in the carb and the timing. he likes to listen to forum help too much..  i noted that the air cleaner stud was wobbling in the carb so i made him get out his box of fasteners. the only 5/16-18 nut was a brass one from a ford starter relay i had him put it on and tighten it.  i did not stand up and take the wrench from his hand (bad knees and a broken foot Prevent me from doing much standing or walking) i should have checked the tightness.  but i did not.. he called about 2 weeks later. the engine high revved and the air filter fell off then the engine makes a thumping noise when he restarted it.. the air cleaner fell off the carb.. i ask where is the jam nut.. its not there.. the air cleaner stud came out of the carb again... if he had 2 nuts i would have had him lock them together on the stud  then snug it into the carb..  347 destroyed.  top of the forged piston chewed up .. small dent in the cylinder wall.. AFR head chewed up.. it revved so high the keepers came half way out of another valve retainer.   he got a replacement engine from some carolina shop.. it is a dart block 363 with afr heads and it cost 15K+.

 i just feel * guilty.. nothing i can do about it. i should have taken the wrench from his hand and double checked it.. 

 and for IdriveJunk.. yes.. if you run across a GTO absolutely if you can.. do it.. i sold my 66 GTO in 1985. am still kicking myself for that . at least i still have dreams about driving it. roaring thru the citrus groves on highway 126 between Santa Paula and Santa Clarita (magic mountain) when it was still a 2 lane winding road..

 i put 6 engines in that GTO in 5 years and learned how to build a really bullet proof engine..
 engine 5 needed to be replaced.. not because it blew up.. but because i let some friends drive it at the drag strip i worked at. they did an over 8,000+ RPM burn out in first gear on street tires for the whole 1/8 mile.  they cracked the block thru the lifter valley.. down the area above the number 3 cylinder wall .. thru the lifter bores and oil galleys and up the number 4 cylinder wall area.. i was truly amazed when i pulled the intake and found that crack that explained how i could get coolant in the oil pan and oil in the radiator.  and no the last 2 engines were Not Pontiac.. somebody had given me a 402 BBC from their 70 or 71 malibu as it leaked oil everywhere.. who ever built that used no gasket sealer anywhere. 

 i have to get back here more often..

 glad to see its still up and running..

[WZ JUNK]

It is so good to hear from you Wayne

[58 Yeoman]

It's been too long since you've been here, Wayne.

[enjenjo]

Agreed. It's always entertaining. And educating too.

[idrivejunk]

Howdy Wayne. Abandon ye all hope of me getting a GTO, I have. When the 455 starts ticking, I've driven my last V8. Honestly I believe I already have my last car, no matter how hard I work.

Trunk pan is screwed down in the 73.

[416Ford]

Good to hear from you Wayne. It's bin awhile.

[idrivejunk]

So far, so good. On the 73 trunk and tub stuff. Starting to look more fresh.  

[WZ JUNK]

I nearly wrapped up the fitting of the sheet metal for the yard art project.  The sheet metal I used was from 4 different vehicles and of different years.  It turns out that not all years of square body Chevrolet trucks have interchangeable sheet metal.  It was a learning experience. I plan to finish up in the morning and then start paint prep.

[idrivejunk]

Well theres 73-80 then 81-2 then 83-7, bumper-wise. But I thought doors ran 73-87. Paint sounds awful fancy though.

Heres a peek ahead at the instruction book picture for the Mustang tower notch kit. The top bend can be altered to suit if desired. Other pic is for comparison. Chop chop, hack hack, whittle whittle.

[kb426]

Matt, is the front getting macpherson struts?

[idrivejunk]

Matt, is the front getting macpherson struts?

Well, see... uh...

The site...

https://www.gatewayperformancesuspension.com/vintage-ford-front-suspension-kits

...is broken or? The "shop now" links lead to an error page rather than further details. But that company had a done coyote 73 Mach at SEMA and boss is working with them directly on all these things.

So all anybody gets is those little pictures. Which show a strut / shock thats fairly slender. Whether or not theres a bearing on top, well... I am assuming / committing nothing until we see the suspension. Supposedly bolts in but y'know how that goes. I am thinking next week we may be able to stab the mill and see where we are at. But you are not the first to ask that question. I'm just the bodyman.

[kb426]

As I remember with my feeble brain, the fox bodies were marketed with a modified mac strut and it looks similar to the Gateway link so I'll go with that.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

RV parts are arrived. Spring equalizer, between the axles and connects the front and rear leaf springs together.  The Olde part is the blue unit..  WHich is an upgraded aftermarket piece that our 5th wheel came with.

I bought bushings that were suppose to fit the blue CRE3000  unit. Guess what? The bushings do Not fit the blue unit. I looked harder and can not find proper bushings, so I bought the Dexter brand gold unit.

The gold equalizer piece is heavier, appears much stronger.  5 year warranty on it? Virtually Nothing in the RV market is warrantied for 5 years.

Another update on this rebuild will come  later.  I am installing some cross braces on the frame spring hangers too.

  ...

[kb426]

Tony, do rv's not use Dexter torflex axles?

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Tony, do rv's not use Dexter torflex axles?

That design axle seems used on horse trailers, car trailers.  Not common on the RV world that I have seen. There are a few independent axle designs for RV as upgrades. Still use a type of leaf spring and slider design for heavier RV.

I have seen a few single axle RV trailers  with torsion axles.

My 24 foot 1990 open car trailer has torsion axles under it