My '85 MGM, "Maisa"

[gadget73]

If you ever read some of the factory NVH fix stuff its honestly not much different than what you did. Usually involves putting tape or foam between parts so they can't touch or something equally hacky.

I have an exhaust fan at work that the guard rattles like a bastard on. The fix we came up with years ago is a piece of stiff cardboard wedged between the edge of the two sections of guard so they can't bang against one another. We had an auditor tell us it looked bad and should be removed. I yanked it out so he understood why it was there. The suggestion was dropped.

[Arquemann]

If you ever read some of the factory NVH fix stuff its honestly not much different than what you did. Usually involves putting tape or foam between parts so they can't touch or something equally hacky.

Dunno what's really hacky about that, sounds about right for NVH / insulation improvements. Even the "high end" is all about stuffing every hole shut with sound deadener and all contact surfaces are lined with foam tape. I mean of course I'd appreciate the factory stuff not falling apart in a way that is causing annoying noises, but the repair / improvement recipe is probably the same anyways.

[Arquemann]

Went back to the part-out CP last weekend, mainly to take the indicator stalk. Got it, then sat on a stump across the Colony Park like Rodin's Thinker and thought about if there's anything else to take. Didn't figure out anything else to take, so I took a couple pictures.

Here's one of the inside roof (mainly for myself). Considering the headliner noise goes away when the headliner is lightly pressed, it'd probably be the headliner that's rubbing on the crossbrace. Maybe less likely to be the droopy insulation that's above the crossbrace. Or maybe the noise is the insulation tightly between the crossbrace and roof and the light pressure is enough to shut it up.

[Arquemann]

She's back! And damn it feels good!
Filled her up with some fresh gasoline, fired up and ran fine on the old stuff anyways.
Tires seem a bit louder than I remembered, they are getting kinda old actually.
No Exxon Valdez underneath the car, resealing the engine seems to have exceeded my expectations.

This summer's to do list doesn't have much so far:
- Trans oil change
- Fix the tape player / cassette adapter noise
- Leaky Y-pipe flanges
- Wagon fender braces
- Improving frame VIN visibility
- Greasing the U-joints (if they can be greased)

[DerekTheGreat]

Fine lookin' Mercury you've got there. I dig the wheel covers.

[Tynnerstroem]

Nice to see that car season has arrived with you guys as well neighbour! The car looks great.

[Arquemann]

Thanks fellas. Car season is kinda here, though thu-fri night brought about 5cm of snow, which mostly melted away yesterday. And then last night brought another 5cm of snow, which is also now mostly gone.

Yesterday was the first cruise night of the year for Maisa, some observations:
- Tires were quite low, but even after airing them up the tire noise seems louder than it was.
- Front suspension squeaks on speed bumps and such again, pretty sure it's the sway bar bushings again.
- I upped the main jets to 60s on thursday (which I should've done last year), kinda need to upsize the idle air bleed restrictors too. Still really cranky in cold weather.

- Right side door speaker is dead, dunno when that happened. I get to take off a door panel again, yay...
- The cassette adapter is still squeaking so I took it apart and lubed it today. Still noisy, slightly less squeaky.
- Automatic temp control seems to be working really well suddenly.

[Tynnerstroem]

They don’t call it Aprilväder for nothing, probably the most frustrating time of the year. At least during the midsummer evening you know it’s going to rain.

Do you also have to have the VIN stamped into the frame? You’d think that the window one would be sufficient but apparently not. The inspections here are kinda anal about it and you’ll be hit with a €60 re-inspection if it’s not visible enough.

[Arquemann]

Do you also have to have the VIN stamped into the frame? You’d think that the window one would be sufficient but apparently not.

Yup, it is required and inspectors check it. A full frame vehicle is made of the body and frame, unlike unibodies. That's why the frame is tied to the VIN.


Anyways, yesterday was cold and windy, but today was almost t-shirt weather so I fiddled some more with the carb. I had 0.52mm wire as idle air bleed restrictors, which I replaced with 0.6mm wire today. That should richen up when very lightly on the throttle. And then re-set the idle again, which I left a wee bit on the lean side. We'll see how it handles cold starts and how smooth it idles.

Also took off the pass. front door panel to see what was wrong with the speaker. The spade connectors were just a bit corroded, cleaned them up, snugged them a bit tighter and sprayed some protectant oil on them. Works fine again, what a fuss.
The threaded holes in the plastic arm rest switch plate are 99% to being completely fuckered, they're already mostly stripped, cracked, epoxied together to keep them splitting further. Next time I need that door panel off, I'll have to do something to the threaded holes.

While I was in there, decided to fix a itty bitty rattle the door sometimes has. Because might aswell. So I spent the next 15 minuteswondering what the fuck was rattling in there, which ended up being the sliding door lock tab on the switch plate. Then spent the next 25 minutes fiddlefucking with the switch plate to stop the lock tab rattling in there. Felt tape was too thick, cloth tape would roll over and bunch up. Ended up bending the metal backing piece a wee bit and then lathered both sides with vaseline, that'll keep it from rattling.

[kishy]

Car season has been in the process of arriving on this side of the planet as well. Nice to see things waking up in other places too.

About that VIN - I was not aware that these cars have a VIN marking on the frame from the factory. Am I mistaken? Or was yours engraved/stamped at some time in the past maybe when it was imported?

Fiddlefucking - been there, done that. Actually sort of currently doing that.

[Mainemantom]

It is a partial and can be located in various hard to find places. Manufacturer, insurance and law enforcement use only.
I used to do vin verifications many years ago.

[Arquemann]

About that VIN - I was not aware that these cars have a VIN marking on the frame from the factory. Am I mistaken? Or was yours engraved/stamped at some time in the past maybe when it was imported?

I think it's an EU thing. Needs to be there to register a full frame vehicle. The full VIN is stamped on the outside of the frame in front of the right front wheel. Some cars I've seen it behind the wheel. Good spot for visibility, but not for longevity.

[Tynnerstroem]

Yes my Roadmaster had it just behind the left front wheel - you had to turn it fully at the inspection to see it. It's such a weird place to put it because as Arquemann says, it's very visible there for about ten seconds. I think that on the Suburban my dad has, it's stamped on the middle of the frame somewhere.

[Arquemann]

In my quest to clean up the engine bay, I removed the soup can and master cylinder cap and dug out my recently acquired wagon fender braces (which there's apparently 4 of and not just the 2 top ones I have).
Attacked them with a mix of stripping discs, scuff pads and wire brushes. Then some 1k etch primer.

A weird thing happened with the soup can, which I've never seen before. The seam area on the side of the can made my etch prime disappear. Primer turned out well otherwise, but around the seam the paint laid on fine, but it the stuff underneath started showing through after a while, even after a couple coats. Didn't run, didn't boil, just poof it's gone.
Hopefully top coat will stay on it fine.
EDIT: Top coat did go on well.

[87gtVIC]

I have encountered that before. But sharpie and etch primer.