What did you do to your car today?

[machattack]

I worked on my car today trouble shooting my climate control system. I took the car out of park so I could get the radio bezel off.  I have a B&M Quicksilver shifter that sits right up against the center stack when in park. When I was done I forgot to put the car back in park.  I went to start it up and was pumping the gas when the engine fired up.  I got it stopped about 2 inches from my workbench.   Talk about puckering up the old sphincter muscle and dam near having a heart attack.   My neutral safety switch was working after my rebuild.  I had added a a/f gauge to the side of the shifter cover a few weeks ago and I must have moved or bent the switch when I had the cover off running the wires. I will definitely be fixing it tomorrow.

So.......today is a new day, you made it 24 hours. Have you had a bowl movement yet?  

Happy to here you stopped short of disaster.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Well the 1973 Mach 1 did start today after sitting for 16 months I think it was. Blew lots of rust out the exhaust. Was watching it idle, which is way too fast, and gas line was leaking at the carburetor connection. The super expensive stuff from Marti. The I.D. of the hose is way too big for the fitting so I put two clamps on. Of course it had rained early this morning but neighbor let me use their paved driveway to load into the trailer.
Trailer needs to be about a foot wider but 8'6" is a big as they go for car hauler. Tough for a 73 year old to climb out the window.
So off to the P.I.T.S. show tomorrow hope the old truck can make the trip.
Got to round up a few tools to take just in case.

 

[Kilgon]

So.......today is a new day, you made it 24 hours. Have you had a bowl movement yet?  

Happy to here you stopped short of disaster.

It took about that long for it to loosen back up.  :biggrin:    I did get my switch fixed today.  It's a micro switch and the way it is mounted makes is easy to knock it out of adjustment if you are working around the shifter with the cover off.  Will have to check it from now on anytime I have the cover off. 

 

[tony-muscle]

Started the car in the garage for 5 minutes, but not driving since it has no suspension. First time since early November. Started right away but sounding a bit rough.

 

[jakosaur]

So I broke down and ordered the replacement panels for my left rear fender. Now I just need to learn how to weld sheet metal. I think I'll start tearing apart my old rusty charcoal grille that nobody wants to pay $20 for, and weld it back together a dozen times until I get it right. My friend will lend me his MIG, but I will need to get wire and gas. This will be fun... Any advice on what to put on the metal after welding? Should I slap on some POR-15 and then high-build primer?

 

[turtle5353]

So I broke down and ordered the replacement panels for my left rear fender. Now I just need to learn how to weld sheet metal. I think I'll start tearing apart my old rusty charcoal grille that nobody wants to pay $20 for, and weld it back together a dozen times until I get it right. My friend will lend me his MIG, but I will need to get wire and gas. This will be fun... Any advice on what to put on the metal after welding? Should I slap on some POR-15 and then high-build primer?

If you're welding in a new quarter panel, then you don't want to use por 15 on the outside. Under the wheel housing or inner fender is fine but not on the outside. I always seal everything up with epoxy primer.   I do my metal work, then my mud work, then epoxy primer, then high build primer. Re shoot the high build any where you sand through when blocking till you get it nice and straight. Then shoot a sealer/ epoxy primer, then base coat, then clear coat.  Tons of steps for a nice paint job. 

 

[computercarguy]

Second piece of the puzzle has arrived!

 

[Stanglover]

Well, today the conversion 3 point seat belts finally arrived from Wesco Performance..........or so I thought. I ordered from Wesco's website, which is not the best as finding the options I wanted were not clear, to me anyways! After many emails back and forth, I got the order sorted. What I ordered was the 3 point retractable seat belt with long 8" sash guide, the long "C" bracket that bolts behind the retractor and the 11" sleeved buckle with starburst buckle as an extra cost item. 

Then I got a phone call from UPS at 8 in the morning a couple of days ago, (Who the heck is up at 8 am when retired!!) wanting money for brokerage fees and taxes. Now, this is where it got interesting, The shipment was not coming from Wesco in California at all, but Seatbelt Solutions in Florida. Not only that, they had it addressed to me c/o Wesco Performance, WTF!

To pay the bill to UPS (on top of the shipping already charged), I had to "sign up" with a UPS account. I could not do it the simple way and just pay through PayPal. 

Anyway, long story short, I got the belts today and as it was unusually warm for March, I decided to get them fitted. The retractor and the C bracket along with the upper long sash guide, literally took minutes. Trying to get the center sleeved belts in was another issue. The curvature is totally wrong for our Mustangs and as the sleeves are blow molded, no way to reshape them. Trust me, I tried and I have 35 years experience working with plastics. In the end, I dumped using the sleeves except for about 3" to cover the bolt anchor to the tunnel. The result is really good as now, the shoulder belt does not cut across my neck as before. There is no twist on the shoulder belt, not like a previous set I bought that did not fit to my satisfaction. I do find it a bit harder to locate the belt to pull it across and buckle up, but some of this is due to bad shoulders and the need to get used to them. (The belts that is)

In conclusion, the long sash guide is a really good idea especially for us shorter people. The center buckle part, I would like to see about 3" longer, but it is acceptable as is without the sleeve. Another little mod I needed to do was to trim the top sash cover because it would not stay in place. Oh well it's not "concours" so who cares.

Pictures to come in an edit. Supper time!

 

[tony-muscle]

Well, today the conversion 3 point seat belts finally arrived from Wesco Performance..........or so I thought. I ordered from Wesco's website, which is not the best as finding the options I wanted were not clear, to me anyways! After many emails back and forth, I got the order sorted. What I ordered was the 3 point retractable seat belt with long 8" sash guide, the long "C" bracket that bolts behind the retractor and the 11" sleeved buckle with starburst buckle as an extra cost item. 

Then I got a phone call from UPS at 8 in the morning a couple of days ago, (Who the heck is up at 8 am when retired!!) wanting money for brokerage fees and taxes. Now, this is where it got interesting, The shipment was not coming from Wesco in California at all, but Seatbelt Solutions in Florida. Not only that, they had it addressed to me c/o Wesco Performance, WTF!

To pay the bill to UPS (on top of the shipping already charged), I had to "sign up" with a UPS account. I could not do it the simple way and just pay through PayPal. 

Anyway, long story short, I got the belts today and as it was unusually warm for March, I decided to get them fitted. The retractor and the C bracket along with the upper long sash guide, literally took minutes. Trying to get the center sleeved belts in was another issue. The curvature is totally wrong for our Mustangs and as the sleeves are blow molded, no way to reshape them. Trust me, I tried and I have 35 years experience working with plastics. In the end, I dumped using the sleeves except for about 3" to cover the bolt anchor to the tunnel. The result is really good as now, the shoulder belt does not cut across my neck as before. There is no twist on the shoulder belt, not like a previous set I bought that did not fit to my satisfaction. I do find it a bit harder to locate the belt to pull it across and buckle up, but some of this is due to bad shoulders and the need to get used to them.

In conclusion, the long sash guide is a really good idea especially for us shorter people. The center buckle part, I would like to see about 3" longer, but it is acceptable as is without the sleeve. Another little mod I needed to do was to trim the top sash cover because it would not stay in place. Oh well it's not "concours" so who cares.

Pictures to come in an edit. Supper time!

Interesting. I wonder what kind of sleeve cover you got because mine fit very well. I am curious about what you are saying that there is no twist. I just got mine as well but the belt coming out of the sash extension needs to twist half a turn. We may need to post pictures. BTW, mine is also not that easy to pull out since it locks as you pull. This dis not happen w/o the sash.

This is not the best picture, but this is my center buckle:

 

[Stanglover]

Interesting. I wonder what kind of sleeve cover you got because mine fit very well. I am curious about what you are saying that there is no twist. I just got mine as well but the belt coming out of the sash extension needs to twist half a turn. We may need to post pictures. BTW, mine is also not that easy to pull out since it locks as you pull. This dis not happen w/o the sash.

This is not the best picture, but this is my center buckle:

View attachment 49771

That looks to be a different sleeve, Tony. The one I have holds the buckle away from the seat. I looked at installing it backwards, but no go there either. In short, these sleeves have too much curve to them. A bit annoying. 

As for the belt through the sash, I had to reverse the passenger side one, then it was correct. It may just have been assembled that way OR they are all made as driver side belts if you get what I'm saying.

 

[Stanglover]

A couple more pics.

I trimmed the old caps to fit better. 

 

[tony-muscle]

That looks to be a different sleeve, Tony. The one I have holds the buckle away from the seat. I looked at installing it backwards, but no go there either. In short, these sleeves have too much curve to them. A bit annoying. 

As for the belt through the sash, I had to reverse the passenger side one, then it was correct. It may just have been assembled that way OR they are all made as driver side belts if you get what I'm saying.

View attachment 49774

I see. I can't remember if mine were straight. I agree that it will fit our seats if they were 2-3" longer, but not a huge deal.

 

[tony-muscle]

That looks to be a different sleeve, Tony. The one I have holds the buckle away from the seat. I looked at installing it backwards, but no go there either. In short, these sleeves have too much curve to them. A bit annoying. 

As for the belt through the sash, I had to reverse the passenger side one, then it was correct. It may just have been assembled that way OR they are all made as driver side belts if you get what I'm saying.

View attachment 49774

I found an older picture of mine. They were curved the other way. 

 

[tony-muscle]

A couple more pics.

I trimmed the old caps to fit better. 

View attachment 49775

View attachment 49776

My sash has a plastic sleeve. The belt has to twist about 90 degrees to go over the shoulder. In your case I assume the sash will take some of the twist. Can you post a picture of it over your shoulder while you are sitting?

 

[Stanglover]

My sash has a plastic sleeve. The belt has to twist about 90 degrees to go over the shoulder. In your case I assume the sash will take some of the twist. Can you post a picture of it over your shoulder while you are sitting?

Tony, yes, I was planning on doing that pic, but continuing in the original post. 

I thought from the pictures on Wesco, that there was a cover over the sash, but when I looked closer, it didn't. I was not able to find the set you got. Who did you buy from?

 

[Stanglover]

I found an older picture of mine. They were curved the other way. 

View attachment 49792

Tony, I think I now see the issue. Yours are mounted as the manufacturer intended, but do not fit our tunnel position as intended. I did try both ways and was not satisfied with either option and why I decided to scrap the sleeve except for enough to cover the anchor bolts.

 

[Mister 4x4]

Today, I took Frank out to get his annual inspection for registration, and decided that since it was such a nice day, I’d stretch the ride home out a bit and swung by the Vietnam Memorial at the airport. Since I have a cool new phone, it was such a nice day, and I’d always wanted some pics like this, I figured why not?

I've always wanted a pic like this.  Perfect day for it.



My favorite of the bunch - I love 3/4 views of these cars!



This one makes the hood look really big, and those are indeed bug splats on the windshield.  Time for a bath!



One of these days, I really need to get the trunk lid aligned... along with the doors, too.  Good job, body shop.



All that glass in the rear, and still can't see sh!t out the back.  Oh well, unless I'm backing up, I really don't care what's back there - LOL!



Sorry it's been so long, but we've been a bit busy.  Mom passed on 14 Jan - her medical issues finally caught up with her... at least it was peaceful and quick.  The day after, my pal Dave showed up and we swapped the engine, transmission, transfer case, drive shafts, exhaust, steering column & brake pedal assembly from my Jeep to his new project (after I pulled all of the same out it), and a week later he took it home to Phoenix to start in on his own Jeep project.  Now I need to finish tearing down the engine for the machine shop, rehab the transmission and transfer case, rebuild the steering column, clean up the brake pedal assembly, and put it all back together, along with paint the new YJ top and 'paddle handle' doors Dave brought me, install a new carpet kit, update the stereo, (re)install the A/C, and rebuild the TJ seat brackets for my CJ-7 to be road-worthy and ready for the future.  I'm planning on retiring in another 7 years, so I'm hoping to have all my major projects out of the way by then so I can just enjoy my toys going forward.

Here's the link to my Jeep blog with all the gory details of the engine swap so far:  http://mister4x4.net/mister4x4/category/jeep/

 

[1sostatic]

Yo -- first pic looks like you've a chopper stuck to your tin lid 

Sorry to hear about your bereavement   :classic_sad:

I'll happily align your trunk lid for you -- just send the car to my address  :thumb:   - you can have the loaner whilst we take a darn long time making the adjustments :biggrin:  

 

[Don C]

Sorry to hear about your loss, 

Today, I took Frank out to get his annual inspection for registration, and decided that since it was such a nice day, I’d stretch the ride home out a bit and swung by the Vietnam Memorial at the airport. Since I have a cool new phone, it was such a nice day, and I’d always wanted some pics like this, I figured why not?

I've always wanted a pic like this.  Perfect day for it.

View attachment 49833

My favorite of the bunch - I love 3/4 views of these cars!

View attachment 49834

This one makes the hood look really big, and those are indeed bug splats on the windshield.  Time for a bath!

View attachment 49835

One of these days, I really need to get the trunk lid aligned... along with the doors, too.  Good job, body shop.

View attachment 49836

All that glass in the rear, and still can't see sh!t out the back.  Oh well, unless I'm backing up, I really don't care what's back there - LOL!

View attachment 49837

Sorry it's been so long, but we've been a bit busy.  Mom passed on 14 Jan - her medical issues finally caught up with her... at least it was peaceful and quick.  The day after, my pal Dave showed up and we swapped the engine, transmission, transfer case, drive shafts, exhaust, steering column & brake pedal assembly from my Jeep to his new project (after I pulled all of the same out it), and a week later he took it home to Phoenix to start in on his own Jeep project.  Now I need to finish tearing down the engine for the machine shop, rehab the transmission and transfer case, rebuild the steering column, clean up the brake pedal assembly, and put it all back together, along with paint the new YJ top and 'paddle handle' doors Dave brought me, install a new carpet kit, update the stereo, (re)install the A/C, and rebuild the TJ seat brackets for my CJ-7 to be road-worthy and ready for the future.  I'm planning on retiring in another 7 years, so I'm hoping to have all my major projects out of the way by then so I can just enjoy my toys going forward.

Here's the link to my Jeep blog with all the gory details of the engine swap so far:  http://mister4x4.net/mister4x4/category/jeep/

Sorry to hear about your loss.

A lot of moving parts in 4x4s. We've had several over the years, Jeeps, Broncos, Bronco 2, and I still have an F150. Several engine swaps and drivetrain upgrades included.

Good luck on your retirement, I "retired" 8 years ago, but they talked me into working part-time from home, and I keep getting drawn into new interesting projects. When the two I'm working on now are done, so am I. 

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Not today but the other day. I put a set of Manufacturer's license plates from Michigan on my 73 Mach 1 going to the PITS show. Not one single person noticed them, lol. I got from the son of a retired Ford engineer that carried them home. Well worn from being taken off and on so much going on test and prototype cars headed to the street in 1973. The M in the tag number makes it a Manufacturer's plate.