IT'S NOT A 69 - IT'S A 70

It's called rust. It never sleeps. But I have a cure for it.

A little siding from one of the garage projects and it's good to go.

  

 Neo has no clue what he's doing. He's a real dog.

 How about some rust and stain blocker? 

It's almost a hundred degrees out there right now and I'm indoors with only a borrowed fan for a cooler. But it could be worse. I could be in the jungle and that's no fun at all.
I'm still waiting on a few parts to get this thing running. It needs an oil filter housing to replace the cooler housing that came on it. They do that a lot with crate engines installed in motor homes. I need to get cooler lines installed. The u-joints on my home-made drive shaft have the wrong caps for the yoke on the transmission.

For all of the rust and cleanup needed, I think this is going to surprise even me once it's all together. I have enough sheet metal to cover up most of the holes. Then, I need to come up with an accelerator cable. There's not enough room behind the valve cover to put the original back on.

Lastly, it's going to cost to put headers onto this 454. I found them for $100 with collectors and all the bolts. The factory manifolds are worth more than that. But I'd also like to get an intake for the spread bore carb. It still needs a freeze plug, oil and transmission fluid, oil filter, transmission cooler, and few assorted things like a couple of hoses and spacers for the alternator. I'll work on the body/exterior and interior sheet metal as well as the drive line while I wait for parts. It has been fun if not downright hot but that's how it goes.  We can do this.

Goodbye to the green machine

The 96 Tracer has a new owner. Yesterday I was prepping the car for a trip to Denver. Elle and Adam Lloyd were going to ride with Alvie and me to find a car. After I loaded tools, rotated tires and made it clean, a thought came to me. Why drive 285 miles in a car that is low maintenance and gets better than 30 mpg to get a car that does the same but not one guaranty of road-worthiness? So now I am back to a truck and a truck with a camper on it.

Somebody likes Fords and Mercurys

How much is the doggy in the window?

Camouflage

...and there's always old reliable

The Grand Marquis wagon came from somewhere up north around Longmont and we parked it at Fred's while we cleaned the glass enough to get it to Thornton. I had it up to 130 mph on I-25 and it ran just like it had never missed a car-wash. The 429 ended up in the super-cruiser. That's because it wouldn't fit in a 96 Tracer. Oh well.

Still Recovering

Twice in the last four days I've taken the truck for a ride into the City of Montrose. Olathe is just a town in case anyone asks. I forgot how fun that truck is to drive. So here's the status of this year's project.

I've broken the glass on the dash twice now. First time I dropped it on the cab floor while trying to talk on the phone and bounce ping pong balls off the wall with my mouth. Don't ever swallow one of those things. It really hurts! Twice! I silly-coned the old windshield in for the present so I can drive it down the road without deer or ducks flying through the hole you get when the windshield in not in. The other glass isn't really necessary yet. I'm not going on any monster truck cruises to Moab or Engineer Pass in the near future or eternity in this truck. I already tried Engineer once. That went worse than the ping pong ball (if anybody cares). So when I put the new glass in the dash I didn't notice until the next morning that it would have been wise to wait until the morning (when there's a lot more light than at midnight) to tighten the speedo/instrument cluster onto the remnants of the super glue I used to put the first two broken pieces together so I could blame some one besides the usual suspects of tampering with more than just ballots for County Sheriff.

Meanwhile I've managed to get most of the lights in working order, the bumper is in primer, the transfer case has a good rubber mount now and the 302 runs as smooth as a 302 can run when bolted to a 850,000 mile frame that's seen things even fish can't understand. I got Dwayne to make another lens for the speedo head this afternoon and I promised myself not to sleep walk out there after midnight and attempt the impossible one more time. For now I'll watch Hidalgo eat locusts and take my meds with a little ice cream.

Tomorrow I'll try texting without my glasses and see who all I can alarm with the same message I read this evening in tomorrow's New York Times: You're ugly! and if you want another opinion; Your mother dresses you funny!

The Ford Collection

 There's the color. That's cherry red and real gloss white. A couple of hours ago I got two kids looking for bike parts to help push the Fairmont back into the drive.




The old 302 has a bent rod from the number four hole. I'll get it back together soon so the Fairmont can move again.

 This shot is headed to Ford for their archives. The Tracer is parked to my right in the shade.

Some day I will find the picture from Fred's when we lived in Lafayette. But this is just more proof that we can stock pile old Fords forever.

The engine from the 81 T-Bird that I put into the Fairmont is now in the truck and it purrs like Mr. Alexander Maliciousness Anderson. 

Man's Second Best Friend

I know I've had stranger pets like the skunk and Deputy Dog (I think he was psychotic) and the turtle that the kids thought was dead so they buried him. But this little guy came in to say hi, hopped back into the laundry room and waited for the Mr. Alexander Alouicious Anderson. So should I relate progress on the truck? It was a long day at it again but the overload springs are gone, the bed is almost ready to cover (I'm going to use OSB and paint it), John Watterson brought his grinder with the BIG wire brush, and I raised the whole body up almost 4 inches. 

When I looked at it after I raised the bed in the rear and the cab, the doors, hood and fenders all line up almost perfectly. I'll get seals for the windshield and back glass then make a seat for it. I might have it on the road next month. So anybody up for toad legs?

Ford Truck

Who wants to hear the story behind this truck? Those who know me are more than aware of how long this has been around. When Dave Mossburg and I got to Shiprock to pick it up I was a little disappointed with the rust. But inbetween the Jeeps I'm working on now, I have found some time to clean the old Ford up some more.

First off, don't surprise yourself too much. This is a short wheel base styleside 1961 Ford unibody with the large wrap-around rear window. The tail gate has been rusting on the Navajo Rez behind my brother in law's old place for longer than the truck sat at Buck's in Shiprock. The 302 is from a 1970 full size Ford passenger car. I had it in a 1969 Ford Ranchwagon. That is another story.

About 25 years ago a friend gave me a bell housing from a 300 6 cylinder Ford used for his power plant for a lumber yard. It fits the frame and I already had motor mount stands for a 390 ( two in this truck) and a 352 my brother Bob put in it the very early 70's.

In 1988 I put a 223 six cylinder from a 59 Fairlane into it to replace the 262 I swapped for a 1968 Mercury 390 I had in my 65 ragtop and then in the truck. Then I traded some model 80 Scout parts to a fellow in Ouray for the running gear from a 1960 Ford F100 4 X 4.
It was really quite easy mainly because Bob helped with drive shafts.

Later on I found a 75 F250 4 X 4 and put the New Process 4 speed, a much better Dana 44 front and a 60 rear (4.10 and 4.11 respectively) and rebuilt my 302 and that's what you see now.




I planned to do this ten years ago. It was going to be my 50th birthday present to myself. Now, back in my possession is not just the truck but, a new reason to look forward to 70. Although I cannot certify the mileage on this old Ford but after 7 engines ( 3 sixes, 2 390's a 352 and the 302, I feel confident that the original 9 inch rear (3.70's) had more than half a million miles on it when I put the 1960 9 inch (3.89) and 3.92 front in it. Until Colorado started using salt in the sand, this truck had hardly any rust. I've been at this off and on for the past month and all I can say is my yard will have plenty of iron after I'm finished with this.
But this is not the whole Ford story. I have photos of many old Fords and Mercurys I've owned and restored. We restored 3 Mustangs from the 65-66 stash of my friend Scott in Denver. I also restored a 72 Maverick plain jane 302 three-speed but my kids (I helped, too) blew the top of the radiator off on the Navajo Rez before the turn of the last century.

Right now I am waiting for cash for a radiator. It was gone when I picked the truck up last month. The seat, from a 62 unibody,  needs some help. But I've cleaned and primed about half of it now and when I get the carb back in shape I'll fire it up so it can be moved.


So for all you Ford fans stay tuned. Somewhere in my collection of pictures I have another picture of this Ford before I removed that straight axle with the bad kingpins. It was parked between 2 Mercury station wagons (a 69 and a 70), my red 69 Ranchwagon, Fred's 73 Montego, Bobby's 62 Ranchero (later on a 4 X 4 itself on a 1968 Wagoneer chassis) and the dogs. We also made a 1960 Econoline into a 4-wheel drive and that was one of the coolest rides I've ever been in. We put a little 200 six-banger in it with leftovers from another Scout and a three speed ford transmission. Bobby also put a 1976 Chevy Vega camback wagon on a Scout frame with a 305 small block, turbo 400 with quadratrack transfer case and 4.88s front and rear. Top speed - 45 mph. But it would do it in a few feet. 


I like my Fords and Mercurys and one in particular which I should not have traded but I had to have a 57 Chevy. I traded a 54 Merc Monterey with a 390 and a 3-speed for it. There is no comparison to the two.

















I found a picture of Bob's first 58 SW with the 332. He raised a lot of hell on the streets of Denver with it.Then he bought Becky Lynn, his wife, a used low miled 68 Torino GT with a 302 C-4 automatic and that last about a month so he put a 410 Merc with a hot Crane cam in it with the big Ford top load 4-speed. I turned a 13.18 with a blown right rear tire in it one afternoon east of Denver. So many stories from years past.


We stuck that cam into a 65 Merc 390 I gave my buddy Ed for his 59 Fairlane. The 292 he had was used up so we changed out the whole deal That car was dangerous. Keeping tires on it was one thing but the first time we started the headliner shook loose and my teeth fell out one at a time until I stopped racing everyone with it. Last I saw of the car was in Dick Wyatt's storage lot on South Raritan under an old cottonwood tree. Had to have been when my boys were little. No hang on. Thomas was a baby. Mike came along the next year (1977).




So from the pictures here I assume we can all tell that there are some very usable parts on this old Ford. This had an engine heater on it when my dad got it in 1968 or 69. My grandpa bought my dad a 69 F-100 240 six banger and automatic so we put a 302 with a C-6 in it.


Hard to believe if you look at the box of wiring that all the switches, wiring, lights, cigarette lighter and all fit into a small box. The tail lights are the only thing still left on the truck.


But it's all fun for me. I am in my element again. Two years ago I swapped out a 1981 Thunderbird and my my 1981 Ford Fairmont a custom ride. It now has a 302 and AOD with split bench cloth interior, tilt wheel and Pink Floyd album cover on both sides.


I should like the truck to be my patriotic ride. And there are still tow more Fords I haven't mentioned. I have a 96 Mercury Tracer I drive around in and a 1989 F-250 4 X 4 with an efi 351 Windsor. It has less than 55,000 original miles on it. The interior has been well taken care of.




So I believe I should rest a little this Memorial weekend and then make the Ford go again this next week. Enjoy the photos. More are ready for copy when I get some time.

It is the same one.

 Before and after. It's getting there. I have to get the Jeep done soon but today I'll get the steering column cleaned up and put the wiring in. But the Jeep is first.

The Unibody Will Live Again

I know Dave thinks it a waste of time and I know he wouldn't give $50 for this. But he also thinks they film all of Google Earth in a Hollywood studio. I was a little disheartened when I walked past it at Buck's and didn't even recognize it. The last 13 years were not nice to it. But, I see all that is missing is the radiator, one split rim and tire, the headlight (headlight window is in the front seat), the ignition key, an old radio and the primer I put on it 16 years ago. Dave drove from our traffic stop just north of the casino. A Montezuma County Sheriff's Deputy, who was going to give me a speeding ticket in Towaoc until he discovered my two year expired driver's license has been suspended since 2010, just made Dave drive and gave me all my papers back with no ticket. I was just happy that the engine, transmission, transfer case, Dana 44 front and Dana 60 4:11 rear is still in it. Dave doesn't believe anybody would offer what some have for this one. It really needs help though. I will have to strip it down to the frame and completely redo the cab/box. But, first things first. We have a Jeep that needs an engine. I will attempt to get the 302 in the truck to run or tear it apart and clean it - whichever is needed. It will run again. We stopped at the truck in Cortez so Dave could eat a burrito. I had a coke and off we went. 

And Another Project

The operation is moved indoors for the day.

A very small child's bike.

How small?

This will be pink and purple/violet or my second favorite color ultra-violet. (First favorite color - infrared)

And again, one of my bikes from two summers ago shows back up with flat tires and ruined brakes. It's back together again for round 2.

1939 Girl's Schwinn

 This is my winter project. I have about four hours into tearing it down and scrounging parts. The reason for the picture of a sprocket and chain is simple to me but I wonder how many people know the difference by looking. This is called a "skip tooth" because they were made for smoother pedaling. Two links are close together then there's a tooth roller. The rear hubs have half as many teeth on the sprocket as well. 

 I brought this home from Shon Well's place last fall. I will look for tires but for now I'll use the modern 24" steel wheels until I can clean up the old Schwinn S-5 wheels. I'll send those to powder coat and look for a set of fenders that will fit fat tires. I have the rear but no front and the rear isn't that good. But I've made worse looking fenders than that look like new, too.

I have saved pedals, saddles and hand grips from old Schwinns and I even have an old heart front sprocket but it's not a skip tooth. I'll come up with something. Lastly, I need to make another Schwinn label for the seat post. Pin-striping I can do but I don't do illegitimate trademarks well. I do have an acquaintance that for $50 and a case of beer we could have a 450 SEL Mercedes  for a joyride this weekend.


Check back for progress later.