My '85 MGM, "Maisa"

[gadget73]

Could always tell people you were inspired by Oldsmobile and created a Ford 5.0 diesel.

[Arquemann]

Sigh...
Last friday I went to buy new bolts for the intake and timing cover, but they were out of stock and come tuesday I can come and get them. Well, on tuesday I drove the 45 minutes there, no bolts. Shipment's late. Left my number and they'll notify me when they're available for pickup. So 30 minutes before they close I get a message from them. No bolts yet, should come tomorrow. "Shipments usually come Tue/Wed". Well gee, I would've figured as much without the damn text.

So I'm completely stuck in the assembly. Today I did the last thing to do I could come up without having the bolts. I got myself an M20x1.5 hydraulic plug to replace the oil level sender, which still leaked internally even though I patched it. Crank case pressure must be pushing the oil through a crack in the body or just by the RTV.

Yet again, an opportunity has presented itself to me to buy a nice set of turbine wheels with center caps. And yet again I'm terribly torn about them. I like the turbines, but the bulbous center caps not as much, also I don't think they're that great on a white car, needs chrome on the wheels to stand out from all the white/gray. Pic for reference. Then again, some subconscious wannabe-originality-purist in me wants them just because that's what the car should have.

[87gtVIC]

Id still run turbines if I could..big brake life. They look so damn nice. I miss mine a lot.

[DerekTheGreat]

Love the turbskies. I don't think the center is bulbous at all. Your car would look damn fine turbskies and white walls just like that car does.

[Arquemann]

Finally got my bolts, atleast before the weekend hit!
Earlier tried "polishing" the intake manifold stud so it'd match the new zinc plated hardware, dunno how I'll protect from rusting. Just sprayed it with electrical penetrant/protectant oil for now.

Made cardboard mockups for new inner fender splash shields.

And made even more work for myself:
SPOILERshit.

I dunno why I wrote a "nice" set earlier, I hadn't even seen the condition, which is a bit rough. Center caps are alright though. 5 wheels and 4 caps. But for a hundo I couldn't really say no, it was dad's old friend selling a bunch of stuff. A whole Colony Park header panel, '88 SEFI setup and a lot more. I certainly wanted to hoard it all, but the wheels I could somewhat justify (and afford). And I want to say your opinions had no sway in the matter, it was all my stubbornness.

[87gtVIC]

Cool! Proper caps to for your year.

[sly]

More work... but that will be nice when done.

[Tiggie]

I dug the turbines on these cars. With whitewalls. Never thought I'd say that.

[gadget73]

Certain wheels want whitewalls, these are among them. RWL also looks good though. Hard to find a decent tire in either now, choices are either very cheap garbage or way too expensive and possibly garbage. I just want normal tires that arent a fortune or trash.

[Arquemann]

Certain wheels want whitewalls, these are among them. RWL also looks good though. Hard to find a decent tire in either now, choices are either very cheap garbage or way too expensive and possibly garbage. I just want normal tires that arent a fortune or trash.

I've been running Nankang N605 Toursports on this and I have nothing to complain about, ~95€ a pop for 215/75R15.
Slight nitpick is that the tread likes to pick up pebbles and they like to stay stuck in.

Whenever get around to cleaning up and installing the turbines, I'll be getting whitewalls, no doubt. Stately car and so much bare sidewall wouldn't look proper.

[gadget73]

maybe its just the size on the Conti, its very slightly different than a Panther, and it seems specific to the diesels. I'd have to look at it to see what it is but I want to say its a 225 vs a 215? something very slightly unusual whatever it happens to be. Either way, at the time I needed tires I was getting nothing I was willing to actually drive on, or stuff that I wasn't going to pay that much for. Ended up with a set of Sumitomo touring tires which I'm actually fairly happy with other than not being a whitewall.

I do need a re-balance, it picks up a vibration right around 70 mph which is of course highway speed.

[Arquemann]

maybe its just the size on the Conti, its very slightly different than a Panther, and it seems specific to the diesels. I'd have to look at it to see what it is but I want to say its a 225 vs a 215? something very slightly unusual whatever it happens to be. Either way, at the time I needed tires I was getting nothing I was willing to actually drive on, or stuff that I wasn't going to pay that much for. Ended up with a set of Sumitomo touring tires which I'm actually fairly happy with other than not being a whitewall.

I do need a re-balance, it picks up a vibration right around 70 mph which is of course highway speed.

Well, I've got 215/75 up front and 225/75 in the rear. Both the same Nankangs. Now I realized I should've just gotten all the same size...

[gadget73]

just went and looked, its a 215/70 not a 215/75. I knew there was something just slightly different.

[Arquemann]

Got the intake on again, this time I got the late model rubber china wall gaskets. What utter garbage I say!
They don't sit flat, they don't play nice with the intake gaskets, they're molded kinda bad, they're super slippery and want to slide out pretty badly.
I put permatex no.3 in the corners of the intake and let it tack up, to keep the rubber gaskets in place and mainly to prevent leaks from the corners.

If and when I have to choose between just RTV, cork or the rubber gaskets for the china walls, I'm picking cork. They play nice and make way less mess than just RTV.

[gadget73]

I have never had any of those issues. any time I've put them on they just sit in place and stay there politely. Are these the FelPro ones?