Yesterday was supposed to be the day when the engine and transmission came out, but it turned out to be overall frustrating. I borrowed an engine hoist with a leveler, but it only had three of the four attachment brackets that bolt to the intake manifold. So I called up Tim to borrow his hoist. I got it loaded in the truck myself and also took a hoist plate from him so I could bolt that to my intake to hook the hoist hook to.
On the way back to Jay's, the back doors on his truck topper came open and the plate (that had the bolts and washers in it) fell out onto the highway. I pulled over and miraculously found 3 of the 4 washers AND bolts (I had about 4 seconds to look on the highway each time before I'd have to move for a car). As luck would have it, I could not find the fourth bolt or washer. So that meant when I was ready to hoist I'd have to make a trip to Lowe's, it was already 2 pm in the day, and Matty had come up to participate/help me and he was at Jay's waiting for me too.
The day continued to stay pseudo-miserable. It was rainy and cool enough to bring you to just a shiver. We took off the tranny fluid drain pan and got fluid everywhere BUT the oil pan I had set underneath, resulting in a catastrophic red mess beneath the car. It looked like a person was killed under there. This happened BEFORE all the rest of the things were disconnected from the transmission, so that meant this is now what I was working in. As I was sitting in this under the car, I would see an occassional mouse climb out or in. Not comforting when you're laying inches beneath a drive shaft and don't really have a place to go.
We then pulled the carb only to find that it had four small studs coming out of the manifold that attached it, which meant I was not going to be able to bolt the lift plate...which meant this engine was not coming out today. I'll have to pick up a cradle and balancer from Tim and resume this in a week.
Everything else still happened successfully...we lifted off the hood, unbolted the engine from the mounts, removed the drive shaft, disconnected all attachments to the transmission, unbolted the transmission from the support (but kept the support bolted to the bottom of the car until we're ready to take it out), unbolted the exhaust manifolds from the engine, and disconnected any miscellaneous wiring or hoses connected to the motor. As it sits now, the engine and transmission are now only merely sitting in the car, attached to nothing. I have a final on May 4; after that I'll be able to pull the motor and transmission and start getting deep.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
D-Day...Welcome Home.
Today this exquisite piece of classic machinery finally found its way, via a car hauler, to its new home in Jay's garage (Jay lets me keep my cars there). Compliments to Tim French again, for helping me to get it from point A to point B. It rests in the same location with blue, the 78 LTD II, also in the middle of a resto (which has been downgraded with the entrance of a pony car). Currently on this lot now resides a 1967 Mustang, 1978 LTD II, and Jay's 1966 Lincoln.
My parents adopt a zillion kids; they probably have about 30 hundred kids they've adopted now I bet. And I know their anxiety when they have to wait and wait, sometimes years, for the UPS guy to finally arrive and deliver their new package. Well, when I have a new vehicle come rolling in to town, I get the same feeling. I am proud, happy, nostalgic, and most of all--excited--because chances are I've been [im]patiently waiting for the day to happen. Chances are I've already picked out every single part I'll buy, five times over. For the Mustang, I already know everything I'm going to do, and I even have a notebook of parts, cost, website I found it, and part number.
I should give a little background on this project. Say two months ago I had no idea I was in the market for an old Mustang (I actually was not). And if someone were to tell me I'd be the owner of one by summer I'd tell them 'good story.' Buuut it turns out my crazy former roommate Adam was moving to Taiwan and was literally selling every one of his possessions...including this old Mustang he had with a seized up motor last driven 6 years ago. I figured it was in crappy shape and I had a low figure in my mind that I'd be able to get it for. Now I was the crazy one for even considering this. I found myself next actually visiting the car, and looking at it (being quite impressed at the condition...the metal was solid and no rust was to be found...this was a California car), and then I found myself saying I'd buy it, and then I was handing him a check for $3200. I marveled (cynically) at the thought of my 27 year old self with 3 vehicle titles in his possession.
Anyways, these stories are dumb and nobody actually cares about them. The purpose of this blog is to serve as my record and documentation of this restoration, and also as a place where people can see my progress.
So for now, let's close with a picture of THE purple 1967 Mustang on a trailer:
My parents adopt a zillion kids; they probably have about 30 hundred kids they've adopted now I bet. And I know their anxiety when they have to wait and wait, sometimes years, for the UPS guy to finally arrive and deliver their new package. Well, when I have a new vehicle come rolling in to town, I get the same feeling. I am proud, happy, nostalgic, and most of all--excited--because chances are I've been [im]patiently waiting for the day to happen. Chances are I've already picked out every single part I'll buy, five times over. For the Mustang, I already know everything I'm going to do, and I even have a notebook of parts, cost, website I found it, and part number.
I should give a little background on this project. Say two months ago I had no idea I was in the market for an old Mustang (I actually was not). And if someone were to tell me I'd be the owner of one by summer I'd tell them 'good story.' Buuut it turns out my crazy former roommate Adam was moving to Taiwan and was literally selling every one of his possessions...including this old Mustang he had with a seized up motor last driven 6 years ago. I figured it was in crappy shape and I had a low figure in my mind that I'd be able to get it for. Now I was the crazy one for even considering this. I found myself next actually visiting the car, and looking at it (being quite impressed at the condition...the metal was solid and no rust was to be found...this was a California car), and then I found myself saying I'd buy it, and then I was handing him a check for $3200. I marveled (cynically) at the thought of my 27 year old self with 3 vehicle titles in his possession.
Anyways, these stories are dumb and nobody actually cares about them. The purpose of this blog is to serve as my record and documentation of this restoration, and also as a place where people can see my progress.
So for now, let's close with a picture of THE purple 1967 Mustang on a trailer:
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