Author Topic: 73 Wagon Project - Brownie (Read 99555 times)

dave1987 · « **Reply #300 on:** April 20, 2011, 12:41:55 PM »

After pulling the car into the garage to begin work, I was greeted to a workbench full of parts collected and ordered to complete a large scale attack of restoration and repair on Brownie this year! While it was overwhelming at first, I slowly saw this pile of "stuff" get smaller each day.

Work started by stripping out the interior. I figured the windshield and rear defog glass would be easiest to install by cleaning everything out of the interior first. Not only the glass, but carpet was to be installed, a full inspection of the floor pans, the heater box cleaned out and motor replaced, and the headliner pulled down and new insulation installed. With everything out of the car, mobility became pleasurable for the interior of a sub compact!

With the seats removed, headliner down, rear carpet out, console out and the steering wheel removed, it was time to remove the carpet from the passenger area. I was greeted to a lot of moisture and sticky film from years of sitting in a field, and holes in the front floor pans. Nothing which couldn't be repaired with some spare sheet metal lying around though!

Once the carpet was removed the floor was cleaned with lacquer thinner to remove the sticky brown film and to see the true condition of the floors, which actually wasn't so bad aside from the front floor pans.

dave1987 · « **Reply #301 on:** April 20, 2011, 12:57:26 PM »

Unfortunately I forgot to snap pictures of the repaired floor pans in the front, I think I just got carried away with the welding and what not and spaced out using the camera.

Not sure if you can see any of the passenger side repair in these pictures. The Driver side wasn't bad at all, only surface rust! I did hit it with a rust converter paint and some black paint after shooting these shots though.

Before moving to the outside of the car to pull the fenders off to inspect the firewall, I decided to install the dash cap. First photos are of the caps bad spots before. The last shot is of the weight on the cap to ensure the silicone based glue bonded in all spots to hold the cap down.

dave1987 · « **Reply #302 on:** April 20, 2011, 01:10:50 PM »

Now, while the dash cap is setting and with the floors repaired, it was time to move to the firewall under the fenders. And what a nightmare that was! The rust repair around the firewall under the fenders is what set me back on my restoration in five days. Here are the photos. First is the driver side rust...

This rust actually started on the side of the firewall and started to wrap it's way around to the front of it, so some of the front of the firewall had to be removed as well:

Once I was sure all of the rust was cut out and surrounding areas wire wheeled free of any traces of rust, I welded in some small patches, primered it all, applied seam sealer to and around the welds and any gaps or seams found. While I was at it, I removed all of the crumbling existing seam sealer around the pinch welds and overlapping body panels, cleaned the surfaces really well and applied some fresh sealer!

The passenger side received the same treatment:

I'm not sure what happened to the pictures of the passenger side completely repaired, but I'm sure you can imagine what it looks like, extremely similar to the driver's side.

dave1987 · « **Reply #303 on:** April 20, 2011, 01:26:04 PM »

I apologize for jumping around here!

Some point between stripping out the interior and installing the dash cap I did the roof insulation as well.

For the insulation I used some all weather blue carpet padding, the same stuff my local restoration shop uses. It holds up quite well over the years as long as there are no holes in the roof!

As for securing it to the roof, contact cement is ideal. Spray on adhesive is not strong enough and the insulation will separate from the roof on a hot day, leaving you right back where you started.

With a lot of measuring to ensure the sections of the carpet padding that I cut were going to fit properly, everything was glued into place with the contact cement. Not in the later pictures that the insulation should be tucked under the rear headliner tension strap. Even after gluing the insulation up, some trimming on the sides was necessary to ensure the headliner would look correct after reinstallation .

After the insulation was in and dried enough to stay up, I hung the headliner back up. Always a pain in the rear to do correctly without any wrinkles or folds. I wasn't striving for perfection this time around, since I will be dropping it down again in the future to put a brown one in like it was originally.

To hand the headliner along the sides of the car, it must be stapled to the wood strips secured to the metal strap running above the doors/windows. To make this job easier, my dad has an electric staple gun which I only needed to buy the most shallow staples I could find.

Once it was all stapled into position, I put the plastic covers on, over the staple strips and reinstalled the plastic cover at the rear. All finished!

That's it for now, will try to post more tonight, but most likely will happen later in the week. Off to work!

dga57 · « **Reply #304 on:** April 20, 2011, 11:58:45 PM »

It's really looking good, Dave! :surprised: Can't wait to see what comes next!

Dwayne :smile:

dave1987 · « **Reply #305 on:** April 21, 2011, 01:21:37 AM »

Thanks Dwayne! A lot was done to the car this year, a lot of things that I normally wouldn't have had finished until a year or two down the road, but the five days I took off of work and 14-16 hours a day really sped that up!

Next up, windshield install!

While the glass installed wasn't new, it was undamaged aside from a small rock chip to the right of the rear view mirror (left from the outside). Other than that it is in great shape! A huge difference from the original windshield which was cracked six inches in from the passenger side, 14 inches up and then traveling another 18 inches across to the driver's side. The crack had been there so long that the lamination on the glass started to separate!

Removing the windshield was pretty easy. However the original gasket, or what was left of it, was so dry that it was literally as hard as plastic! I could not cut the gasket around the outside of the glass as I did for my 78 sedan, instead I had to chip off a corner of the gasket, then take a putty knife between the glass and the gasket on the outside and slowly chip/pry off chucks of the gasket until the glass was completely exposed and I could push it out from the inside.

The original windshield was trash, so I folded it in half and tossed it in the trash.

Here is Brownie without her "glasses" on.

Once the frame was cleaned up from dirt, left over PVC tape from the original windshield sealant and loose paint removed, the frame was primered and painted black to protect it from rust.

Next up was to apply the new gasket from Steel Rubber onto the replacement windshield like so:

Having a helper makes this so much easier. If you have ever put a gasket on a windshield yourself you know why (it tends to slip off one side of the windshield while you are wrapping it around the other side unless you have someone holding it in place). My friend Joel from work helped out with the glass install(s).

Two very important tools to keep around for gasket windshield installs. A 90 degree angle pick, and 550 cord which is basically parachute cord. I use a 50 foot length of it, plenty to go around and should last me a lifetime of windshield swaps! The average DIYer could get away with 25 feet easily. Here is a picture of the pick I use:

Once the windshield with the gasket attached was ready, the cord was stuffed into the body channel of the gasket and overlapped along the bottom. Then the windshield was lowered onto the car with the bottom channel first. With my assistant lightly pushing down on the top center and on the outside surface, one side of the cord was pulled out of the gasket from the inside, then the other side of the cord was pulled out, removing the overlap of cord and allowing the gasket to properly seat along the bottom of the window frame.

Once the bottom was finished, the sides were next, one at a time. With the assistant pushing in and down again, with just enough pressure to keep the glass from popping back out, I pulled the cord out of the channel from the inside, around the passenger side corner, using the pick tool to help pull the gasket lip around the frame and to the inside. Using the pick helps to keep from tearing the gasket with the cord or tearing the gasket against the pinch weld of the window frame while pulling the cord hard around the 90 degree corner.

The same was repeated on the driver's side and then the top. The top was the hardest, as the windshield is already 70% on the car with the bottom and left and right sides of the gasket already around the frame pinch weld, it makes it hard to push the windshield down enough to pull the cord out on the inside along the top. With enough determination and pulling strength, the cord came through and the gasket flapped over the pinch weld!

Once the gasket was around the windshield frame, it was just a matter of pulling the gasket against the body from the inside to ensure the entire glass sat tight.

After fitting the gasket and glass tightly, I took the urethane based all weather curing sealant and pumped it around the wind shield between the body and the gasket, then shoving it into place with a putty knife. Once the trim was installed after the sealant was applied, I lifted the gasket along the glass on the outside with the tip of the calking tube and shoved some sealant between the outside gasket and the glass to ensure any water will not travel between the two.

Here is the "new" glass installed!

Notes for any of you planning to do your windshield yourself...

If you have a nice glass shop like I do, you can purchase two tubes of this urethane based sealant for about $25 and 550 cord from any army/navy supply store.

The sealant should be put in an over at warm temperature before use as it is EXTREMELY thick and hard to pump. Even after warming it takes a fair amount of effort to dispense it. This isn't grout sealer we are dealing with!

The sealant is EXTREMELY MESSY! A lot of paper towels and lacquer thinner is what I recommend for cleaning up, and an orange citrus type wipe to clean the car's paint with, before it dries.

Get a box of 100 pairs of disposable gloves when working with this sealant. As stated it is messy and hard to get off your hands once it's dry. I doubled gloved and changed out pairs whenever they broke. I still managed to get some of it on my hands!

And most important, this will save you a lot of headaches, be sure to apply a generous amount of the sealant in the corners of the glass! The corners are the weak spots on these gaskets since they don't truly fit TIGHT. Water tends to pool up in the corners and then work it's way around the body and into your car. The curve of the firewall and dash allow the water to drip from various locations and tracking down a leak will drive you insane. SEAL THE CORNERS WELL!

Use glass cleaner to lubricate the window frame and the gasket. This helps immensely for slipping the gasket lip around to the inside of the pinch weld! It is a MUST, without it you will find yourself pulling extra hard to get the cord out of the gasket channel and possibly tearing your new gasket!

dave1987 · « **Reply #306 on:** April 21, 2011, 01:37:05 AM »

Next up, the rear defog glass. This was a donor glass from a station wagon I helped to part out on craigslist. I did not buy a new gasket for the glass, as I have a few good station wagon rear glass gaskets and I chose the best of the three. A great deal of care should be used when reusing a gasket, even if it seems plyable. It will tear much easier than a new gasket will, with little effort.

Install is the same as the windshield gasket. I have pictures of how the cord is inserted in the body channel of the gasket though. This is slightly harder to do than the windshield since the tailgate is nearly vertical.

Here is the glass with the gasket already on it, and the cord already inserted into the body channel of the gasket.

No overlap anywhere around the gasket except for at the bottom, just like the windshield. This is how far the cord should be inserted into the body gasket:

And here is what the overlap should look like in the body channel of the gasket along the bottom of the glass:

When the cord comes back around on each side of the gasket, it should be about this far from the end after the overlap on each side:

Lube up the window frame with glass cleaner, this helps the gasket slip around the pinch weld of the window frame, and to lessen the chance of tearing.

Don't forget to spray the gasket with glass cleaner as well before starting the install!

Once it was installed I sealed along the top and sides of the glass, since it is nearly vertical, to keep water out. Glass installed and finished!

Fred shipped me the wiring for the defog system, as well as all of the electrical stuff I would need, like the relay. Installed it all and routing the wiring was pretty easy, then it was just a matter of making contact with the rear grid and grounding it using the same strap that came with the glass.

dave1987 · « **Reply #307 on:** April 21, 2011, 01:40:11 AM »

I will post more tomorrow, I hope this has proven helpful to some of you!

dave1987 · « **Reply #308 on:** April 21, 2011, 09:29:48 PM »

Time to post the last of the pictures...

I suppose we can start with the rear shock absorbers. While I had a good set on the car, they were not made for a station wagon. I was using the old shocks off my 78 sedan since they were still good, and I heard of another member using sedan shocks on a station wagon with some spacers between the shock and the mount due to the length differences.

I noticed the rear of the car was lower than the front with this setup, so I opted to purchase new monroe shocks made for a station wagon. The rear of the car now sits at the correct height and you can see the difference between sedan shocks and station wagon shocks below. Quite a difference in length if you ask me!

Next up, motor mounts. These would be a hell of a lot easier to change if, A) The transmission was removed from the car to allow more room to jack or lift the engine up, or B) I had an engine hoist to pull the engine upwards.

Trying to jack the motor up from beneath and then wedge the motor mounts into place was a huge challange. It took me nearly three hours to do the driver's side mount! I found that holding the bracket on the motor on with one bolt, then rotating it and fiddling around with the mount to get everything in was actually the easiest in my case. The passenger side went on in about 45 minutes.

I also replaced the transmission mount, all of them with new units. Far less noise when the car is running, and a lot less vibration!

I cleaned the carburetor really well and performed a rebuild with new parts. It cleaned up really well and runs a lot smoother now that it's been rebuilt!

I use a chemical called Chem-Dip to clean my carburetors. It is a mix of several different cleaners, some of which include acetone, mineral spirits and some heavy duty degreasers. You can just imagine how powerful this stuff is, choked full of acids.

Here is the carb after the rebuild and mounted back onto the intake:

One last thing fixed was the alternator bracket. When I first became the owner of this little station wagon, the alternator was "secured" with trampoline springs and twine, redneck was putting it mildly!

I managed to get the bracket to stay in place with one of the three bolts. Why only one? Because the previous owner managed to sheer off the other two bolts in the head by over tightening them, leaving only tiny threaded studs which were to far in the head of the motor to grab with any tool.

So I purchased a set of easy-out bits to perform the bolt stud extraction. I drilled a 7/64 hole in the center of what was left of the bolt in the head of the motor, then took the easy out and twisted it into the hole I drilled, as hard as I could. Then taking a 90 degree angle cordless drill, I put the easy-out in the drill chuck and reversed it. The stud came out without a problem! Here is what was left of it compared to the size of the bolt I replaced it with (nearly the same size as the original bolt):

The other bolt hole was to mangled to salvage, so I drilled it out slightly larger and re-tapped it. Since it was bigger, I had to use a different bolt. Not only larger in diameter, but also metric instead of english. Here is the difference:

dave1987 · « **Reply #309 on:** April 21, 2011, 09:49:50 PM »

That was it for this year's major work on the car. The only thing left is the swap out the rear axle for the 28k mile one that came off my 78 Sedan. I plan to swap the water choke for an electric choke like my 78 Sedan has, as I have a spare and the water choke is so corroded I can't adjust the element position without breaking the bolt!

Here is the only interior shot I have of the car right now. It doesn't show much, but it shows some of the carpet and the new dash cap. Big changes.

Here is the view other driver's see the most. Complete with PCCA white vinyl sticker and a registered ride sticker!

That's all for now folks! This summer I will do a complete photo shoot of the car as I have done with my 78 Sedan in the years past, so stay tuned the next few months for some good shots of the car!

dga57 · « **Reply #310 on:** April 22, 2011, 01:58:50 AM »

You accomplished a lot in a short period of time... you should be very proud of yourself and Brownie!

Dwayne :smile:

dave1987 · « **Reply #311 on:** April 24, 2011, 09:44:23 PM »

Thanks Dwayne. I'm proud of the work accomplished, that's for sure. Brownie was cooperative through it all as well!

New problem came up today, however. No more reverse! The original transmission did this before it stopped giving me forward gears, which I have right now.

I'm ordering a super rebuild kit for the original transmission tomorrow so I can swap the transmissions out next month. I will be installing an external transmission cooler as well, instead of using the radiator.

I also think I may have figured out the issue with excess radio static while the car is running. I will be taking the alternator in to be tested some time this week, as well as replacing the voltage regulator. Hopefully that takes care of the radio.

Registration is due next month, that's the easy part!

dave1987 · « **Reply #312 on:** April 26, 2011, 06:01:01 PM »

I ordered a Pioneer brand Super Transmission Rebuild Kit. It includes the bands, steels and frictions (clutches) and all common wear gaskets and seals (which includes all of the o-rings and gaskets). I won't know if I need to get a shim and spacer kit until I tear the transmission down and see if the #9 thrust washer has ripped the tanks off or not. I plan to do the #9 thrust washer oiling mod to the case while I have it apart to aid in more oil flow to the rear of the case.

I also ordered the Haynes Ford Automatic Transmission Overhaul Manual (Techbook Series) online which should arrive on or around the same time the kit does, which should help immensely with specifications and clearances of things, as well as aid with areas I get stuck with during the rebuild.

I'm waiting for a new vacuum modulator to come in from O'Reilly's Auto Parts. They had one in the store but couldn't find it, then they ordered one from the local hub store but it was the wrong unit in the right box! Let's hope they get the correct one from the Salt Lake City hub!

Tomorrow I am off to the junk yard to get some tires for my sister's car until she can afford new ones from Les Schwab. While I am there I am pulling a transmission cooler from a late 80s light duty pickup to replace the radiator based cooler the station wagon has right now. I think that most of my metal flakes are coming from the oil cooler, and killing the transmission I have in the car now. I'll post pictures of the fitment of the replacement cooler I get. I can test length of it on one of the Mustang II's at the junk yard since the radiator of the 2.3 mustang II is the same size as the Pinto. Wish me luck!

apintonut · « **Reply #313 on:** April 26, 2011, 08:22:02 PM »

nice work looking good

dave1987 · « **Reply #314 on:** April 26, 2011, 09:59:27 PM »

Thanks man! I got your email of the pinto show flyer. I got some guys here at O'Reilly's Auto Parts to post it on their peg board for customers to see!

Wish I could make it...If time off were not such a pain to get.......

dave1987 · « **Reply #315 on:** May 24, 2011, 08:56:11 PM »

I finished rebuilding the C4 automatic transmission and it works flawlessly. It gave Brownie some more get up and go and got rid of some odd vibrations to! Here is the thread about the rebuild.

http://www.fordpinto.com/your-project/1973-c4-rebuild-and-upgrade/

I also changed out the rear axle for the 1973 28k mile axle I used momentarily in my 78 Sedan. It is also a 6.75" and also a 3.41:1 gear ratio, just has less than 1/3 of the miles the original axle had and it's 100 times cleaner!

Take note that I never did anything with the original axle in Brownie. I never popped the cover off or even checked the fluid quality (there was plenty in there when I stuck my finger in the filler hole). I would say it got a good 93k miles for no maintenance!

During the swap I used the original brake drums instead of the ones that were on the replacement axle, and I used the new brake hardware and shoes I put on the car last year. The only different things is the axle housing, differential assembly/carrier, axle shafts and backing plates.

Photo 1 - Old axle

Photo 2 - New axle!

dave1987 · « **Reply #316 on:** June 22, 2011, 01:33:14 AM »

Brownie got her first bath in at least 10 years today!

She also got her first set of BRAND NEW shoes (tires), in at least 15 years today!

She got her paint all polished up (finally) and even a nice fresh coat of caranuba wax tonight!

Detailed her interior, including a good vacuuming and application of Meguiar's vinyl & rubber protectant on all plastic and vinyl surfaces.

She's shiny and ready for summer fun!

Only a few things to finish up before she's FINALIZED for the car show, though. I want to swap out that A/C condenser for an actual transmission cooler from a ford Bronco or F-150, just for the peace of mind that the A/C condenser isn't restricting flow to much. That's $30 to pull one from the junk yard and have it cleaned out before installing it. It will go in place of the condenser and I will be using the same lines/hoses to connect it to the transmission.

Then there is the tail lights. I want to mask everything off and paint around the taillights where the flat black originally was to finish the "well maintained" look of the car. She has polished & waxed paint as well as repainted emblems, why not complete the package with the appropriate black accents?

Tomorrow I am working, but I plan to take the spare tire back to les schwab because they didn't put the best of the old tires on the spare rim like I asked them to. The spare in the car was in there when I got it, and looks like it was used ONCE, however it is dry rotted and flat.

She's starting to become quite the looker! I can't wait to take it on my regular cruise route soon and see how she handles mild hills. She drives smooth, looks smooth, and is quite comfortable to drive!

dave1987 · « **Reply #317 on:** June 28, 2011, 07:15:48 PM »

I removed the stainless "mudflaps" off the car today. No luck getting the road tar and rocks that have been on them for years though, so tomorrow I will try wire wheeling it off at my parents while I am picking up some beds for the kids. They are pretty easy to straighten out as well. With some chrome polish I think they will come out nicely!

I also ordered two brown vinyl lace on steering wheel covers for the car off ebay. They are NOS vintage covers, are are going CHEAP at $1.95 ea. plus shipping! $8.95 for both!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vintage-Lace-On-Steering-Wheel-Cover-Brown-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem41595f6ba7QQitemZ280672299943QQptZVintageQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

dave1987 · « **Reply #318 on:** August 10, 2011, 11:45:47 PM »

Update on Brownie!

I replaced the rear transmission seal for the drive shaft yoke yesterday with one that has a dust boot on it. It doesn't spray oil all over anymore, instead it deposits in the boot of the seal and drips out the weep hole, but it's better than it being slung all over the exhaust and smoking like crazy like it was before.

I am waiting for the local parts store to get the tail shaft bushing I ordered, in. I will have to see if it's fits more snug than the one that came with the rebuild kit. Also I need to get a shop to install the front u-joint and yoke onto the aluminum aerostar drive shaft I have, that way I can see if the vibration is the drive shaft falling apart or not (it has the rubber between the two drive shaft tubes).

Today I drove brownie over to my parents to wash her up and detail her. Much better than all of the dust that was there before! Her paint is still nice after the TR-3 treatment as well. Finally some updated pictures!

dave1987 · « **Reply #319 on:** August 10, 2011, 11:49:42 PM »

The pictures of the interior are not COMPLETELY accurate! The seat covers are NOT PINK! lol They have some sun bleach but they really are not pink, I swear!

Not much left to do to make it comfortable to drive. I am looking to track down a modern style dual knob cassette deck to replace the 20 year old Sears unit that is in there now. To much static in the radio to make it worth turning on. Need to get some new brake shoes as they are nearly gone, and figure out the drive line vibration once and for all.

I may be toying around with the Crane Cams electronic ignition that came with the car as well, maybe I can fix the broken shutter wheel.

dga57 · « **Reply #320 on:** August 11, 2011, 12:15:31 AM »

Brownie just keeps looking better and better!

Dwayne :smile:

r4pinto · « **Reply #321 on:** August 12, 2011, 12:41:37 PM »

Lookin good Dave! Send some of that elbow grease my way for Harold II

larjohnson · « **Reply #322 on:** September 01, 2011, 01:39:21 PM »

Brownie looks fantastic!!!!

dave1987 · « **Reply #323 on:** September 17, 2011, 02:11:48 AM »

Brownie served me well during the time the 78 was out of service for it's front end rebuild. I figured I would honor that with a few semi-decent pictures at dusk while dropping off some extra parts at storage.

My phone does super craptacular pictures when there is no sunlight, so photoshop was helpful in replicating the actual colors and lighting. The grainy look is just the crappy phone camera.

Pinturbo75 · « **Reply #324 on:** September 17, 2011, 08:16:36 AM »

thats a really sweet lookin wagon........

dave1987 · « **Reply #325 on:** September 26, 2011, 11:22:23 PM »

Stopped by the fabric store today and bought some black and brown vinyl to make a cargo cover with. Will be hemming in the sides 1" and adding a metal zinc plated ring in each corner and one at the front center of the cover. Then it's just a matter of figuring out how to mount stretch hooks to the inside without drilling or modifying any of the interior panels or sheet metal.

Will post pictures later this week. It should be interesting, but it will cover up my valuables and the speakers when I do the stereo swap later this year, keeping the appearance pretty stock looking.

dave1987 · « **Reply #326 on:** September 28, 2011, 12:02:12 AM »

Going to take the vinyl to my parents and see if my mom can run in through the sewing machine to hem the sides in an inch for me. Bought her some heavy duty needles and heavy duty nylon upholstery thread. Hopefully it works, otherwise I'll be paying the upholstery shop to do it, which I would hate to do.

dave1987 · « **Reply #327 on:** October 08, 2011, 02:06:22 AM »

Well I found myself a nice Bernina sewing machine at the thrift store for $97.34! It is a 1971-1982 model of the Record Electronic 830. After some practice runs I will be doing the hem work myself for the cargo cover.

The blower motor seized up on me this week, so I went to car quest today and they now have one coming in from IL for $60 w/freight. Hopefully this will be the last blower motor I have to install on it for awhile. I just need SOME way of defogging the windshield this winter!

dave1987 · « **Reply #328 on:** October 14, 2011, 02:10:20 PM »

Installed the blower yesterday before the date with the wife, and it didn't even come on!

Got back in today and found a blown fuse from when the old motor seized up. Problem fixed! Blows good air flow again!

Now who wants to make a bet on how long this one will last? lol

dave1987 · « **Reply #329 on:** October 16, 2011, 06:37:38 PM »

Looks like next spring/summer I will be refreshing the motor. Piston rings, oil pump rebuild kit, and a new pan seal. I may put off rebuilding the head until then too. Need to get an engine stand and rent a hoist....

News:

Current Classifieds

Author Topic: 73 Wagon Project - Brownie (Read 99555 times)