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Cleveland Quick Fix (continued)
After the intake and carb were installed we tended to a number
of unexpected fixes which were simple to knockout considering
the ease of accessibility. Being this far in, it was tempting
to follow the time-consuming path of "parts restoration".
Remember, we were primarily interested in getting the car
back on the road in a reliable condition as soon as possible.
We resisted detailed projects like sand blasting alternator
brackets and breaking out the black semi-gloss.
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The long starter cable runs from the fender well and under
the passenger side exhaust manifold. Since we were adding
headers we wrapped about 18 inches of Taylor Fire Insulation
at the right time, while the headers and alternator were
out of the way.
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Never fear, there comes a time in every hobbyist's life
when the benefit of parts hoarding comes to fruition.
We gladly used these 351 2V Hookers that had been lying
around the garage for years. Funny how it makes you feel
like you got something for free, even if you paid $200
for them 5 years ago. |
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This is another spot where it just made sense to do a
quick replacement. The soft line that transitions the
hard fuel line to the pump wasn't leaking but looked fragile.
It took just a few minutes to add a fresh piece of 3/8"
line and some new hose clamps. |
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We found a number of red flags that desereved attention
right then and
there. This ground strap shown here was making contact
without a
fastener. |
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From the looks of it, the power steering hoses were original.
The high
pressure line appeared OK, so we left it. However, the
low pressure return
line was severley craked. |
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This photo shows how badly the low pressure line was cracked.
This line is
fastened to the pump with a hose clamp but uses an intergrated
design to attach to the hard line. Either way, it was
still a low pressure line so we made the fix without purchasing
a new one. |
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By cutting and deburring, we prepared the hard line for
a double-flare. We used an inexpensive double flaring
tool from Harbor Freight. |
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The tool may be cheap but it does make suitable flares
for retaining soft line to hard line. Here the flare assists
in locating the line and prevents you
from overtightening the hose clamp to an unflared hardline.
Besides,
it's safer. The last thing you want is a hose slipping
and spraying power
steering fluid on a hot exhaust header. |
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After 32 years, the harness for the choke, coil, and water
temperature sending unit was very brittle due to its'
position near the hot iron intake. We took a few minutes
to re-cover it with electrical tape. |
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These plastic Purolator clear view filters are fine for
stock builds. This is
not the washable type, we've heard too many horror stories
about the glass
breaking when over tightened, causing fire.
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Well it wasn't the prettiest motor compartment in town,
but at least the work environment was made clean. We turned
the key and ran it for about 15 minutes to be sure everything
stayed cool, and it did. Since we were running straight
headers, we left it at that and closed the garage for
the weekend. |
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Satisfied with the result we ordered up our exhaust and
went on to easier tasks. The "Dorado" brand
295/50/R15 tires were worn and way to big for 15x7 inch
wheels. We pulled them for more appropriate rubber.
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After some crafty rapport building with the local tire
shop we successfully added new tires at a discount. BFG
265/60/R15's. See sidebar for our cost reduction strategy. |
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Conclusion
Our short-term goal was near completion at this point. Once
the exhaust was added, the Montego would be ready for the
a smog check, registration, and a trip to the grocery store
to validate its' worthiness. With a registered and dependable
ride, dreams of stroker motors and suspension upgrades seemed
more attainable from this point forward.
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 The
value of building rapport with independent and local service
shops.
There are always a number of
hidden expenses we neglect to factor in when
working on our project cars. For instance, during this phase
of Project MX we needed four new tires. Two of which we
had in the shop mounted on spare wheels and two we
needed to purchase. Our scenario meant we would need to
have a half-dozen tires unmounted and four mounted. Just
 the
kind of expense that we enthusiasts fail to itemize in our
budgets.
As the modern day business models of Les Schwab and Starbuck's
squash out indepedents, along come standard prices and unempowered
employees. Assume you pay retail price to have tires balanced
and installed on a daily driver. Depending on the tires,
you might have just spent $1000. A few weeks later, would
it be to much to ask to drop by and have loose tires from
a project car peeled off the wheels for nothing? Unfortunately,
it is too much to ask these days. Unless you go across town
and get creative with an independent service shop.
Sometime last year FM needed new tires mounted and balanced
on an F150. We went ahead and paid full price at a local
shop but made sure to strike up a conversation with the
crew leader  about
the five cars we owned. We remained anonymous by making
no reference to FordMuscle. A month later, we had the same
shop mount a pair of Drag Radials for a test fit, but not
without picking up a pizza and a six pack of Pepsi for his
crew. The result, we paid no more than the cost of the pizza
for the service.
By our third trip back we were on a first name basis with
the crew leader. In the back of our F150 sat six tires mounted
on wheels and two brand new tires for Project MX. On the
passenger seat sat a dozen chocolate chip cookies and a
six pack of Pepsi. The result, we paid nothing to have the
six tires unmounted and received a 40% discount for the
mounting and balancing of our four good tires.
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