Oh hey, a thread.
Last night, I was a party to some Woodward cruising in a sort of mismatched group of cars: C6 Z06, Suzuki Alto Works, alternately my 84 Town Car or a Volvo 240 wagon, and a Family Truckster replica.
I was told we'd be going back today and there was also a likelihood that the Family Truckster would make another appearance, so I decided to wake up my wagon and bring that. The car is in driveable condition but does have a short to-do list, some of which isn't really minor/low impact.
Went through a basic health check:
It started effortlessly. Took it for a spin and found no issues. Fluid levels should be monitored but otherwise the car is back in the rotation for a while I think. Will try to fix a few things before RADwood/Concours d'Lemons but I wouldn't feel awful just rolling in with it as it is now.
Some months ago, I picked up a 1982 upper-trim LTD grille. I put that on the wagon. I like aspects of both grilles and can't really pick which one I prefer. The Mercury bumper doesn't match but it seems like the earlier grille maybe works better with it.
Honourary mention, the Greenlight 1:18 model:
...anyway. We didn't end up going to Woodward tonight, but this car is now mobile again, and the Lincoln may be on a little hiatus.
I did try to get eyes on the problem with the fuel filler neck. When the tank is half full or more, right turns will cause a smell of fuel in and around the car, and looking in the fuel door will reveal wetness below the cap. The seal on the cap looks good, so I figured maybe a rust pinhole on the filler neck. I pulled the filler neck out as far as is possible without loosening the tank straps, but found no evidence of a hole, only where the fuel has washed away the undercoating I had put on it before. It sure looks like it has to be the fuel cap allowing the leak to happen.
I went through my stash of stuff and found a different cap, albeit not any better looking, and we'll try that for a bit. I'll see about getting a new one.
Last night, I was a party to some Woodward cruising in a sort of mismatched group of cars: C6 Z06, Suzuki Alto Works, alternately my 84 Town Car or a Volvo 240 wagon, and a Family Truckster replica.
I was told we'd be going back today and there was also a likelihood that the Family Truckster would make another appearance, so I decided to wake up my wagon and bring that. The car is in driveable condition but does have a short to-do list, some of which isn't really minor/low impact.
Went through a basic health check:
- Engine oil full and healthy looking. Is about 1000km over on the change interval, but as I noted in a recent reply above, leaks had me replace a significant amount, and it's also synthetic, so I'm just going to keep an eye on it and run it for a while.
- Coolant is nearly full and healthy looking. I do believe this leaks from a water pump bolt and was prepared to quickly pull it out, put sealant on it then slap it back in, but I couldn't identify for sure which it was, and the coolant level was full enough to make that a messy proposition.
- ATF checked when not running and cold: looks great, and eyeballs to about the right place on the stick (very high) for when engine is not running. Will recheck hot at some point. The o-rings at the radiator trans cooler fittings leak enough to make a mess but not lose a lot of volume of fluid.
- Brake pedal feels about right, tires look great, all body electrics working properly. I currently have one good Group 65 battery, which has been in the Lincoln (though it originated in this car), so I took that back for this car.
- I put a new air filter in it, as the old one was looking kinda gross.
It started effortlessly. Took it for a spin and found no issues. Fluid levels should be monitored but otherwise the car is back in the rotation for a while I think. Will try to fix a few things before RADwood/Concours d'Lemons but I wouldn't feel awful just rolling in with it as it is now.
Some months ago, I picked up a 1982 upper-trim LTD grille. I put that on the wagon. I like aspects of both grilles and can't really pick which one I prefer. The Mercury bumper doesn't match but it seems like the earlier grille maybe works better with it.
Honourary mention, the Greenlight 1:18 model:
...anyway. We didn't end up going to Woodward tonight, but this car is now mobile again, and the Lincoln may be on a little hiatus.
I did try to get eyes on the problem with the fuel filler neck. When the tank is half full or more, right turns will cause a smell of fuel in and around the car, and looking in the fuel door will reveal wetness below the cap. The seal on the cap looks good, so I figured maybe a rust pinhole on the filler neck. I pulled the filler neck out as far as is possible without loosening the tank straps, but found no evidence of a hole, only where the fuel has washed away the undercoating I had put on it before. It sure looks like it has to be the fuel cap allowing the leak to happen.
I went through my stash of stuff and found a different cap, albeit not any better looking, and we'll try that for a bit. I'll see about getting a new one.
It's like someone got crazy with the JC Whitney catalog.
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