Alright, so after much deliberation and research to find out just how much green fluid I would be draining (19 quarts?! Really?) I started loosening hose clamps. I opted for the lower hose where it connects to the block for 2 reasons: 1. The drain cock on the radiator was siezed, and 2. Gravity. So I loosened it up and tried, in vain I might add, to work around the drive belts to loosen the hose. After about 30 minutes trying to work the hose free, i decided to pry it off. Working a screwdriver down in there was tough, but finally I got a steady stream. 10 quarts or so later, the flow ebbed and I realized that gravity only does so much.
Well, at least the radiator was clear for the most part as well as part of the block but I knew there was more in there. All my attempts to remove the hose were useless, and since I'm going to replace them anyway, utility knived that piece until about 5 more quarts spilled out.
As you know, the point of this was to pull the heater core. So at this point i figured most of the coolant would be away from the core by now, so i loosened the hose clamps and pulled them off. Not too much coolant there, just what was still in the core itself, and...success. The core and the bulk of the plenum popped right out.
Stay tuned for pictures. It was an interesting process for sure.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
First New Part
So, during the course of disassembling my dash, I of course needed to remove the heater/AC control assembly. No big deal, just a few vacuum lines and a couple electrical connectors. So, I removed the vac lines no problem, as well as the smaller of the two connectors. It was the larger of the two that gave me some trouble. As anyone with one of these cars that has removed this assembly can attest to, the connectors on the back of the assembly don't really follow any sort of pattern that would make sense to a normal human being. The connectors are turned in all different directions. Well, I started pulling at it, and it wouldn't budge. I wiggled it around because I figured hey, this is a 50 year old car, oftentimes things that old have a habit of being a little stubborn, but still no luck. I could tell by this point that the board that all the connectors were attached to was starting to get a little strained from the pulling, but I needed this part to come off so I persisted. I decided to give it one last try and then...a crunch. the board broke and the connector came off with the harness. Turns out, that connector was rusted into the harness.
Needless to say, I was upset. I mean, these cars are old, and what is the likelihood of finding just that part. I knew there was no way. I looked up the cost of a new assembly, and was crestfallen when I saw the $175 pricetag, and that was for a refurbished one. So I decided to pick the brains of my fellow T-bird owners over at squarebirds.org. Seems many people find the little odds and ends they need on eBay, so I figured it couldn't hurt to at least look.
I assumed my search would turn up nothing, but I'll be damned if my search didn't turn up just the selector switch and housing with the connectors, and for only $40! He only had 2 left, so I snatched one straight away. I decided it was time to go ahead and get the rest of the manuals I would need to make this restore a success, so I got a copy of the shop manual, as well as the electrical assembly manual, the wiring diagram manual, and the FE390 assembly manual. The switch arrived earlier today, and the manuals should arrive tomorrow, so I'm excited to get some more work done over the holiday.
Since my last post, I've gotten all the emblems off the car, pulled the backseat, the fender mount turn indicators, and some more of the interior and exterior trim pieces. I'm hoping to drain the cooling system so I can get the heater core and the rest of the heater/AC plenum out so I can get down to the fuse box and the rest of the vac lines and wiring. I'll snap some pictures when I finally get that done. After all the wiring and vac lines are out, it's on to the brake system. I'm going to get the front disc brake kit from Larry's T-bird and pick up a dual master cylinder and dual booster for a '65-'66 to give the car a little more stopping power.
It's finally starting to move forward, and I'm more than excited to give this bird back her wings.
Needless to say, I was upset. I mean, these cars are old, and what is the likelihood of finding just that part. I knew there was no way. I looked up the cost of a new assembly, and was crestfallen when I saw the $175 pricetag, and that was for a refurbished one. So I decided to pick the brains of my fellow T-bird owners over at squarebirds.org. Seems many people find the little odds and ends they need on eBay, so I figured it couldn't hurt to at least look.
I assumed my search would turn up nothing, but I'll be damned if my search didn't turn up just the selector switch and housing with the connectors, and for only $40! He only had 2 left, so I snatched one straight away. I decided it was time to go ahead and get the rest of the manuals I would need to make this restore a success, so I got a copy of the shop manual, as well as the electrical assembly manual, the wiring diagram manual, and the FE390 assembly manual. The switch arrived earlier today, and the manuals should arrive tomorrow, so I'm excited to get some more work done over the holiday.
Since my last post, I've gotten all the emblems off the car, pulled the backseat, the fender mount turn indicators, and some more of the interior and exterior trim pieces. I'm hoping to drain the cooling system so I can get the heater core and the rest of the heater/AC plenum out so I can get down to the fuse box and the rest of the vac lines and wiring. I'll snap some pictures when I finally get that done. After all the wiring and vac lines are out, it's on to the brake system. I'm going to get the front disc brake kit from Larry's T-bird and pick up a dual master cylinder and dual booster for a '65-'66 to give the car a little more stopping power.
It's finally starting to move forward, and I'm more than excited to give this bird back her wings.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Some photos
As you can see, it needs some work. Thats alright though. I wanted work. Check her out, she wont look this way forever.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Making Strides
Well, it's been a couple weeks since my '64 Thunderbird was delivered to me from Texas. A dream of mine, restoring a car was something I always wanted to do, but never seemed to have the time or money for. Now that I'm out of the military, I have the opportunity, so I scoured the internet for something fun to work on.
I found the car on eBay, a car that ran and drove, but needed some serious help, for $2000. The body appeared straight, the engine was supposed to have been rebuilt, and it was Samoan Coral with a Wimbledon White top. I couldn't pass it up. So I bought it, thinking it would take a couple grand plus paint to get it back into pristine condition.
Dear God, was I wrong.
Upon delivery of the car, it was difficult to see what I was actually dealing with since it was 1AM, but as far as I could tell, the body was in god shape. The paint was bubbled in a couple places, but no rust underneath it, and no deep rust in any of the usual places, just a little surface rust around the deck lid seal and hood seal, no big deal. Since it was so late, I decided to just roll it off the trailer and park it in the driveway, no sense in cranking that 390 in the driveway and waking up half the neighborhood. So it sat for the night, and I went to bed.
The next day is when I really started to notice how much work I had ahead of me. I got everything opened up and checked the inside. The interior is completely shot. What was beige has seen its better days. The vinyl on the seats was cracked and weathered, the console trim was in the trunk, no carpets, and all the dash components were gone. I found the gauge cluster in the passenger floorboard, the wiper/vent/map light assembly in the rear floor. I went to start it to move it into the garage, but when I turned the key, nothing happened. I called the seller and asked if there was some special way to get it to start. Apparently there's an issue with the slide away steering column where you have to find a sweet spot. Once I found it, it started right up.
After pulling into the garage, I started removing the plethora of parts from the trunk, to include: side skirts, various trim pieces, and other miscellaneous pieces. All told, there were probably 100-200 individual parts that were not attached to the car. No problem, wanted to replace most of it anyway. It was then that I decided to check out the data plate inside the door. I didn't see it at first though, because it had been painted over. Turns out Samoan Coral is not the original color. It was Medium Beige Metallic. Bummer.
So far, it's been a trial to pull out the interior. The wiring is toast for the most part. Broken/cut wires all over. Lights don't work. This is going to be a complete overhaul. Vac lines in engine compartment need to be replaced, as do brakes, master cylinder, booster and lines. Shifting mechanisms need replacing, a complete interior makeover, and looks like that non-factory paint job is coming off. It's a project for sure, but one that will be a lot of fun. I'll post some pictures soon.
I found the car on eBay, a car that ran and drove, but needed some serious help, for $2000. The body appeared straight, the engine was supposed to have been rebuilt, and it was Samoan Coral with a Wimbledon White top. I couldn't pass it up. So I bought it, thinking it would take a couple grand plus paint to get it back into pristine condition.
Dear God, was I wrong.
Upon delivery of the car, it was difficult to see what I was actually dealing with since it was 1AM, but as far as I could tell, the body was in god shape. The paint was bubbled in a couple places, but no rust underneath it, and no deep rust in any of the usual places, just a little surface rust around the deck lid seal and hood seal, no big deal. Since it was so late, I decided to just roll it off the trailer and park it in the driveway, no sense in cranking that 390 in the driveway and waking up half the neighborhood. So it sat for the night, and I went to bed.
The next day is when I really started to notice how much work I had ahead of me. I got everything opened up and checked the inside. The interior is completely shot. What was beige has seen its better days. The vinyl on the seats was cracked and weathered, the console trim was in the trunk, no carpets, and all the dash components were gone. I found the gauge cluster in the passenger floorboard, the wiper/vent/map light assembly in the rear floor. I went to start it to move it into the garage, but when I turned the key, nothing happened. I called the seller and asked if there was some special way to get it to start. Apparently there's an issue with the slide away steering column where you have to find a sweet spot. Once I found it, it started right up.
After pulling into the garage, I started removing the plethora of parts from the trunk, to include: side skirts, various trim pieces, and other miscellaneous pieces. All told, there were probably 100-200 individual parts that were not attached to the car. No problem, wanted to replace most of it anyway. It was then that I decided to check out the data plate inside the door. I didn't see it at first though, because it had been painted over. Turns out Samoan Coral is not the original color. It was Medium Beige Metallic. Bummer.
So far, it's been a trial to pull out the interior. The wiring is toast for the most part. Broken/cut wires all over. Lights don't work. This is going to be a complete overhaul. Vac lines in engine compartment need to be replaced, as do brakes, master cylinder, booster and lines. Shifting mechanisms need replacing, a complete interior makeover, and looks like that non-factory paint job is coming off. It's a project for sure, but one that will be a lot of fun. I'll post some pictures soon.
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