Fall 2004 Mechanical Stuff

It was only a matter of time before we needed to address some of the mechanical issues.
The first was the control arm and ball joints.
We found the Power Steering Control Valve and Control Valve leaking. We also found a very small hole that had been rubbed into the Control Valve Hoses. Always check your clearance!
Then we moved to the motor. It was a mess. Lots of leaks, dirt, wrong hoses, and plain out ugly.

This was the first of the engine repairs.
There was a lot to take my time and resources.
I decided to try and clean as we repaired.

We had a few over-heating issues so I pulled the Radiator and put in a four row.
I also replaced the heater core at the same time. The clips around the interior heater box were very fragile and I ended up replacing them all. I kept the wrong hoses for now. They will be a part of future efforts.

The water pump was leaking so when I removed it, I decided to do the Timing Chain too. While in the midst of this "clean-up" I decided to replace the stock 2 barrel carb with an original Autolite 4100 4 barrel carburetor. I purchased a stock Ford 4 barrel intake and spacer. The conversion went well. I picked Pony Carburetors for the purchase place of the 4100. They did a great job on a great restoration. The carb looked and ran great. ( so we thought...more when we get to Aug. 2010) Here is the new Intake and Carb, a bit of paint and a lot of cleaning. To my surprise the change of carb and intake did not have the effect I was hoping for. I was looking for a big performance improvement but that will not happen...for now. The compression was really poor in two of the cylinders. No way to go after that now.

The engine compartment was still a sore spot to me but the budget for the car was blown after these changes. I wanted to pull the engine and do the compartment properly. That will not happen for a few years. The project will take a back seat for a bit.