Pinto Car Club of America

Got my wagon delivered today. The man who sold it to me put tires on it and loaded it up on his trailer to drop it off at my parent's house. That is where I will be working on the car until I can get it running. Then it will be moved to my apartment parking lot or my storage unit so I can work on it when I'm really bored.

This is going to be a long slow project, not much progress once it's running, since I have a daughter on the way. Once things settle down though, the fun will really begin! :D


Here are some pictures of it about 10 minutes after delivery.

Despite the obvious damage, it's actually in amazing shape for being 36 years old.

No serious rust, no door dings, door seals, window seals (minus the windshield gasket) and the lift gate seal are all still in good plyable condition!!! Light lenses are all intact and no scratched or faded glass (windshield is cracked though).

I'm very surprised with the condition of the door metal, the fenders and quarter panels behind the wheels and the rocker panels. All in great shape!

Here's what I have purchased for it so far, to get it running...

Distributor cap
Distributor rotor
Spark plugs
Plug wires
Points
Condenser
Starter Solenoid
Starter
Battery
V-Belts
Timing Belt

Here is what I have in storage for it from stock piling parts...

Headliner
Popout window hinges
Side window gaskets
Cargo Area Light
E-Brake Cable
Seat Covers
Steering Wheel
Door Panels
Door Cranks
Outside Door handles
Windshield gasket (better than what's on the car)

Here's what I still need to get and fix before I take it on the "maiden voyage"...

Brake pads, shoes, cylinders, and calipers
Master Brake Cylinder
Fuel Hose
Carburetor Rebuild Kit
Alternator
Turn brake drums and rotors
Front grill (for turn signal lenses)

I also need to drop and clean the tank, change the oil, change the tranny fluid, change the differential fluid, and check the drive line.

The little wagon's last registration expired in July of 1989 and even still has the last 70s style license plates on the front and back. The previous registered owner of the wagon passed away, and I have the death certificate and power of attorney papers to prove the car was sold to the previous owner who sold it to me, and then sold to me. I have a "rectified title" for the car from 1985. I have not found any other information other than this so far though.

From what we know, the 90,000ish miles on the odometer are original and it has not rolled over yet. I will do a car fax report to be sure though.

Dave,

Nice score!  Not bad at all!!! :surprised:

Carfax doesn't list anything older than 1981 models so there's no point wasting your time trying that.  You'll probably just have to trust the paperwork you have.

Congratulations!

Dwayne :smile:

Dave1987:  Nice 1973 wagon.  Looks like you got a real honey there.....  F.Y.I. if you're interested now or later, I restored a 1971 Ford Pinto trunk model this past summer, and came up with a few extra parts.  If you'd like them, I'll be glad to give them to you, for just the price of shipping.

#1.  I have a grille which should fit a 1971-1973 model, complete with turn signal lens.  The good part is it's a usuable grille, but bad part is it's got a small crack or break in one of the teeth.  That's why I replaced it.  I have it stowed in my attic, so I haven't seen it for awhile, but still I think a very usable grille.
#2.  I have several extra hubcaps, I think maybe 5 or 6, again, they're stowed in the attic and I haven't seen them for a while.  They all have a flaw in them, that's why I didn't use them.  I think I bought about 10 or so, just to get 4 really nice ones. Again, they are very usable.
#3.  I have the front seats out of a 1978 or 1979 Ford Pinto.  They are black vinyl with some sort of Indian type print cloth insets.  The seats are in very usable shape, but do need some attention.  The passenger seat is in very good shape, but the cloth insets even though intact, are still faded and could use replacements.  The driver's side is similar; however, there's some wearing in the far left side of the back rest, from folks getting in and out of the car all these years.  Again, the cloth insets should be replaced as they are faded.  They do not come with rails. 
#4.  A front bumper guard I think for a 1972 or 1973.  It's larger than what I really needed for my 1971, but it's in great shape.
In my travels to gain parts for my Pinto, I have found a couple of salvage yards in the area, which have some older Pintos, including wagons.  Thank heavens we have Fred Morgan which can probably help you with anything you need, but if you really need something and cannot find it, let me know...I'll check my yards here around Muncie, Indiana.  These parts I currently have are free to you, with only the cost of shipping.  If you would like me to email pictures to you I can do that with no problem; however, I recently packed for a move, but the sale of my house fell thru, and I may not be able to easily get to some of the items until spring.  Just let me know....thanks.....Larry :police:

Hey Dave Sweet. im seein some cruisen panels, tubs, HUGE set of meats, nice little stroked 351, maybe a blower peaking thru the hood.  ;D ;D oh wait thats my wagon im thinking of, just gotta get a wagon. 
nice ride though

Dave, congratulations on both your deliveries... the impending one of your daughter (I was wondering when you'll hit Daddyville!) and your wagon. While I really can't vouch for your soon-to-arrive daughter I can say the wagon you have is a beauty! Yes, she needs some odds and ends but she does look as if she otherwise aged well. I'm happy for the riches you are coming into!  :)

Wow Dave, she looks beautiful! Really doesn't look like there is to much damage. Nothing a fender and bezel and grille wont fix, and I see you already have some people that have those thing for you!!!! I am excited for you as I know what it is like to get a new Pinto!!!  ;D ;D ;D

Keep us posted on her progress!!!

Oh and I love her name!!! Perfect!! ;D

Thanks for the offer Larry! I appreciate it more than you know! I have all the hub caps in the car, Darrel, the guy who sold it to me, just had time to put one on to make sure they fit the rims he put on the car. The ones I have are in immaculate shape, no dents, just need polished! I have spare seats in storage from the bobcat wagon I striped out in the spring. I haven't had time to yet, but I will take a look at the left bumper guard and see if I can bend it back into shape. If I don't win the grill I am bidding for on ebay, I will let you know!

smallfrye, I plan to do something fun with this motor, maybe a dual carb setup. We shall see! :D

Thanks blu! I'm excited about having a wagon (still can't believe it!), and even more for my daughter!!!

Kim, it needs a bit more than just that fender, the front valance is bent on the passenger side, but can be smoothed out to look right again. I knew you would love the name for it. You car names were a great influence on it! :)

Did a bit of tinkering with the wagon today. Replaced the starter solenoid and got her to crank. It needs a new ignition switch, the one in there doesn't stick in positions and the motor will continue cranking, even when in the "run" position. Might just need to be pulled and cleaned up though.

Even though she's turning over, I can't get it to start due to lack of spark. I replaced the coil (original ford unit still in the car) but it still won't do anything! Need to trace the wires and find out what it is. I'm wondering if it's the module with the large heatsink on it that mounts to the fender wall or the coil resistor wire. Yet again, more testing will tell me more.

Found out today that the upper alternator bracket doesn't have any bolts in it! Instead it is jimmy rigged with trampoline springs and a chisel to put tension on it! Anyone got a set of upper alternator bracket bolts for a 2.0???


Was able to get the air cleaner top off (one of the studs spins with the wing nut). Thank god it has a holley 5200! It's the carb I know and have extra parts for! :D

Mounted the hood latch back onto the hood, missing one of the bolts though. Yet another piece of hardware I could use from a gracious member here!

Quote from: dave1987 on December 12, 2009, 02:38:59 AM
I have spare seats in storage from the bobcat wagon I striped out in the spring.

Dave those seat the front or rear? if it s the rear wagon seats they wont fit. i have some Blue ones for the cost of shipping in good condition if you want them. rear seats from a 73 wagon that did not fit in my car

Just the front seats from the bobcat wagon I stripped. I saw no purpose in pulling the rear seat as I never really thought I would own a Wagon! :P I did pull the upholstery off the rear seat though.

Looking for a working ignition switch now.

Pushed the wagon onto the cement driveway just in front of where it sits so I could vacuum it out and check the lighting. Here's some pictures from today!

I pulled the carpet back after vacuuming and checked out the spare tire well. Under the carpet is VERY clean!! No evidence of rust, which is a very good thing! :D All I could find was where the mat under the spare tire had stuck to the spare tire well and pulled up the paint (First Picture).

After inspection and vacuuming it all out, I put it back together, in order (second picture).

Pictures 2 and 3 show the cargo area after I vacuumed it all out. There are some tears in the carpet, but the rest of it is strong.

It seems like the carpet as shrunk. I can't button it down on the sides because it doesn't stretch far enough to do so. It does cover the floor well enough though.

I put the battery back in to test a few electrical things on the car. The one headlight that is on the car works fine, at least on high beam mode. It might just be the bulb though, I will replace them with the spares I have in storage to find out later though. The tail lights work, however the backup lights do not, might just be the tranny switch though. Only the driver's side marker lights work, the passenger side doesn't. The turn signals work, but need it needs a new relay and switch assembly, as it doesn't click when switched into position anymore. Front turn signal lights work too!

Needs a new switch for the lights though, have to jiggle the knob a bit to get both the interior and exterior lights to stay on at the same time.

About 40% of the interior lighting works. Half the gauge lights work, 80% of the climate control lights work, and the dome light works.

The blow works, sounds nice and strong, and not noisy!

The wiper motor is nice and quiet, no strange rattles or anything, but only the driver's side wiper arm moves. Need to check the linkage for the passenger side.


I pushed the fold on the rear bumper down with a 2x4 and a hammer. It's straighter than before! I also straightened out the driver's side bumper guard on the front bumper. The mounting tabs were bent on both the car and the guard.

Put the rest of the hub caps on the wheels.

Sprayed all the latches, locks and hinges with WD-40.

Removed all of the wasp nests in the doors and engine compartment.

I also pulled out the remains of some vines that were growing into or out of the tailgate. I found that rather odd.

sounds like a good start
phil

Wow, it is looking really good! THe carpet doesn't look bad at all! None of mine were so lucky!!

Now as far as that tranny switch for the back up lights! Watch out that puppy is around 30 some odd bucks!!! :hypno:  I didn't even think it would be that much so I told the part guy to order me too! What a shock when they came in!! I learned my lesson, I will always ask how much from now on! LOL Although I need them anyway! The thing that sucked on one car though, is that even after we put the new switch in, the lights still didn't turn on! We need to check the bulbs! I sure hope when we get to installing the other one on the Ghost, I will have better luck. 30 bucks is alot to spend to have them now work in the end!!  Your prices may be better though who knows!! If they are let me know! LOL I will have you buy my next one! LOL

Anyway the wagon is looking great!! Keep up the great work and pics!!!  ;D

I'm thinking it is the bulbs, or the car must be running for the backup lights to work. I can't find anything relating to a back up lamp switch or reverse switch at any parts stores. :( My 78, which is manual, has a backup lamp switch/neutral safety switch, which would be the $30 one you purchased, Kim. I tried to find one of those switches cheaper, but $30 was the cheapest in town, and I needed it!

The wagon is automatic. When I shift it into reverse, the lights don't come on. I will have to pop the light assemblies and check the bulbs.

Looking for 73 wiring diagrams. My Chilton's book doesn't have any in it. Need to trace the wiring from the ignition switch to the coil. Is there a ballast resistor inline? If so, is it a component resistor or is it a resistive (is that even a word?? lol) wire?

I looked up ballast on O'Reilly's website for the 73 Pinto with a 2.0 motor, and all I could find was a wire (Part # RU13)

http://www.schucks.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=BOR&MfrPartNumber=RU13 (http://www.schucks.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=BOR&MfrPartNumber=RU13)

Is that what I'm looking for??

That is a resistor wire but I would check the ignition switch first, (earlier post said it wasn't working properly)
You should be getting about 9 volts to the + side of the coil in the run position and 12 in the crank position. You can also run a jumper from the battery to get it running.
As far as the back-up lights, put something behind the car so you can see if the lights come on, then move the shifter back and forth. sometimes the neutral switch will get out of adjustment and they won't light in R.

Thank you Jim! Tomorrow I am heading over to my parents to drop the steering column and check voltage at the coil with my multimeter, so I will play with it then.

Today I cleared out some of my storage unit and put a lot of stuff in the back of the wagon. Just things that the car will be needing replaced and what not, things I have that are in better shape, etc. Lots of chrome trim, my other roof rack, the glass seals, replacement headliner, headlights, hardware, etc. Need to find some batteries for my digital camera now so I can get some better pictures of the car tomorrow!

Can't wait to see some new pix of this wonderful piece of Ford history....have fun...Larry :police:

Dropped the steering column today to check the switch. Even took the switch apart and cleaned the contacts. Nothing, still cranks in the "Run" position. I'm thinking something is wrong with the wiring.... Any ideas?? The coil is reading 4 volts while cranking in the run position, forgot to check the crank position. But 4 is really low, so I'm going to replace the coil and the switch with this paycheck.

Removed the instrument cluster..........The back white plastic........Is in PERFECT shape! :D It's still shiney and very solid! I'm thrilled that I can keep the original one in there!

I moved the shifter through all of the positions and no backup lights. Didn't have time to check the bulbs, but that's my next step. Getting her to fire is my main priority right now.

Could the bar that initiates the Starter motor be sticking ?

Not sure. Need to play around with starter solenoid a little as well.

im going to give my guess, solenoid

the reverse light switch is incorporated in the neutral safety switch on autos.

That's what I was thinking David, but I just replaced it. The old one didn't work, which is why it wouldn't crank in the first place. Maybe I got a dud?

I got a lot of work done on the wagon today!

1) Replaced turn signal cam, and lever (with the proper full chrome lever)
2) Changed out the headlights
3) Removed remnants of the front grill
4) Replaced bulbs on right side marker lights (now working!)
5) Replaced backup lamp bulbs (left side was missing)
6) Replaced door lock....plastic...chrome things
7) Tested alternator at Schucks (found out it's dead)
8 ) Removed the ghetto trampoline spring alternator tensioning....thing
9) Replaced all the bulbs in the instrument cluster
10) Found out the shifter light is burnt out
11) Got the e-brake to work! Tightened up the bolt at the handle to add tension to the cable. It must be stretched like crazy!
12) Jacked up the car and looked around a bit, found a broken mount for the transmission.

13) Got the car to crank properly!


You were right David, it was the solenoid! I guess Autozone sold me a dud, now they are questioning against replacing it since they don't replace electrical parts. I don't want a refund, just a working switch!!!  :mad: :mad: I put the one that came with the car back on and connected it properly. It cranks just fine now!

After removing the ghetto alternator mounting and found out some terrible facts about the distributor.

When going to put everything back together again, I found out an even worse fact about the alternator bracket!!!  :'( :'(

There is this bracket thing that hangs off the bottom of the transmission's tail shaft. It is bolted to the transmission with two bolts, then angles downward and hands almost right above the exhaust pipe. It's about 18 inches long (if I were to guess), and the lowest section of it is about 1.25 inches thick (also a guess). It is broken in about the middle of the lower thick section. What is this the purpose of this bracket/mount?????

First off, the distributor....

I think someone changed something on the ignition system, or it's a pertronix unit. I can't seem to find any points in it anywhere!

There is however a four tabbed "spinner", with what appears to be an optical sensor or magnet like my 78's duraspark has. Not to sure....

Anyhow, one of the tabs are broken on the "spinner" so I'm thinking I'm going to need to replace the whole unit. :(

Also, there is this weird looking module that is mounted to the firewall. The distributor wires and one wire from the battery side of the coil go into this module. The only thing I can't think it might be is a pertronix ignition module, if the ignition system was upgraded.

Does anyone know what type of distributor this is or where I can get a replacement unit from (or other cars that would have it)???

Also notice the destroyed vacuum advance from the ghetto alternator mounting.

Now the issue with the alternator bracket....Argg! so frustrating!!!!

It appears that someone over tightened the bolts and sheered them off on the head of the motor.  :'( :'( This would explain the crazy setup that was present, to add tension to the alternator belt!

What do I need to do to fix this? Is there any way of saving it without removing the head of the motor and sending it to a shop, or do I need a new head for it all together???

Here are some pictures of what the lil pony looked like after I finished up with her today! :)

Found some info on the distributor. By googling "pertronix module", I came up with a photo of a VW Bosch Distributor. From the picture, it looks identical to what's in the wagon. From what I can tell, it uses an optical sensor instead of a magnetic pickup or points.

http://cranecams.com/images/downloadable/FireBall_Ignition/Distributor%20VW%20Bosch%20w%20XR700%20XR3000%20(All%20PNs).jpg (http://cranecams.com/images/downloadable/FireBall_Ignition/Distributor%20VW%20Bosch%20w%20XR700%20XR3000%20(All%20PNs).jpg)

Also, from what I have gathered, I believe that module on the fender is an ignition amplifier.

Oh, Dave, it's so good to see her ALIVE! Congratulations on getting her fired up and her lights lighting. I'm hoping your sheared bolt issue and broken bracker thing won't be too hard to fix. She really is a beauty! Merry Christmas.  ;D

Well she wasn't really running, I just turned the lights on to show that it all works now. :)

Getting it started is going to be a bit of an adventure. Need to find a replacement distributor, or the parts to fix the one I've got. Then it's a matter of helicoil-ing the bolts holes on the head to get the alternator bracket back on.

Got the replacement starter solenoid exchanged at Autozone today, and picked up a new coil for it with the $20 in rewards points that I had on my Autozone card.

Making progress! Rather quickly too! :)

Great progress Dave! To answer some of your questions, the bracket hanging from the trans is a vibration damper. I have probably thrown away a bunch of them! Not sure if any of my old trannies still have them or not, if so I will send you one. Only problem is they are buried under two feet of snow! And the way the weather forcast is sounding, it's not going anywhere soon.
As far as the dist, seems to me that was on some of the '73's instead of points. Kind of an early attempt of the duraspark. Finding one of those distributors could be a challenge. Maybe take the guts out of the VW dist and swap it into yours? Or you could get rid of that set-up and put in a points dist. That would be the easiest, drop it in, one wire to the coil and you're running.  :)

So, after hours of research, I have found out some info on the distributor.

It is most likely the original distributor.

It has a Crane Cams Fireball XR700 ignition system installed, meaning the distributor has been "gutted" for it. I cannot find any info about the broken disc that I have, aside that it is called the "Optic Trigger", and it is only available with the purchase of the optic trigger installation kit. The kit includes the optic sensor, installation hardware, and 5 or 6 different trigger discs for use with different motors.

Does anyone know of ANYWHERE that I might be able to find just the discs, or just the disc I need for the Ford 2.0 distributor? I would really like to use this breaker-less ignition system if I can get it working.


If I can't get this ignition system to work, how hard would it be to convert the distributor back to points? Just purchase a set of points and a condenser and call it good?

WOW!!!! just checked your thread for the first time in days...the car is coming along nicely... Keep up the good work....Larry :police:

Dave, the pointless system IS the best way to go with your stock dist. Dump the crane system the problem is the optical trigger instead of the magnetic , install the pertronix with their 40k volt coil and if your feeling sassy an MSD 6AL box. I have that system in my 72 2.0 it works wonderfully ,the 2.0 loves hot spark the hotter the better.You will have to run a straight 12v from your switch to trigger the PES, also the Crane system needs the same 12v trigger not the stepped down 9v the points require. Hope this helps.


Paul

What about converting it back to points temporarily? Can I just remove the Crane system and put points and a condenser back in?

That would be the easiest thing to do just to get it running and moveable. If the resistor wire is missing you can run the points system on 12V, it's just harder on the points.

Sounds good. I will try to pull a resistor wire from another car at the junk yard, at least, so I can get it moving under its own power.

Now, how about that demolished vacuum advance valve?

Dave,
Are you sure the the Resistor wire is not in the harness? I know that My '73 harness that I put in my '72 still has it's R wire. (I was making my race car Street legal again) I have a Mallory Unilite pointless Dist and Coil, I just attached the Wire to the usual wiring diagram  connections and it worked fine.
My Original '72 harness was gutted for racing and had a heavy gauge wire with EXTERNAL stand alone Ceramic resistor on the coil circuit.
I also ran my car without a Vacuum advance for awhile on the standard Dist without a Problem. The issue is important only for Smog Check and Improved economy.

Hope you find this helpful, Great progress on your car!

Pintosopher

Well I got the ignition swapped out! :D

Brownie now has a new starter solenoid, ignition coil, points, condenser, plugs, wires, cap and battery!!

Now the bad news....

I had my dad crank the car while I observed the distributor rotor turn, except.......the rotor didn't turn!  :'(

Well, after removing the accessory belts, belt cover, fan AND RADIATOR, I was finally able to remove tension from the timing belt to pull it away from the crank sprocket to see what was going on. Sure enough! The teeth around the crank sprocket, on the timing belt, and torn off, leaving nothing but a smooth belt on the toothy side of the belt! :'(

I tried to remove the belt, without cutting it, but the pulley was in the way and I couldn't get it out. I couldn't get the pulley to come off, even after removing the bolt, because it's so stuck on the crank shaft end! :(

Tomorrow I will be getting a pulley puller from the parts store (rental of coarse), and a new timing belt.

Once the belt is on, timing set, and plugs gaped and installed, it should be ready for it's first start!!!! :D


Now lies the question, how do I set the timing on this thing? No marks on the belt cover like my 2.3 has..... :\

Dave, I believe the 2.0 L has the timing marks on the balancer.  The pointer is on the cover.

Little bit of a problem.....It looks like the cover didn't get bolted down entirely at some time in it's past, and well.........

The crank pulley seems to have cut through half of the belt cover and ripped the timing pointer off.  :reek:

I should have read this post before giving a verbose answer to your other post.  So you do have a 2.0.  Although not precise, you could line up where the fixed pointer broke off to the timing marks on the pulley (assumes there is something left of your front cover).  Although a cast piece, that fixed pointer is a stout piece with reinforcement ribs (must have taken some significant pounding). 

Great progress on a nice project, have fun. 

In a separate thread I started about timing a 2.0, one said that the timing marks are on the main seal assembly. I won't know until I go to put the new belt on the motor, but things are so dirty I couldn't see anything. I'll let y'all know though!

Got more work done on the car today. Had to get a three jaw gear puller from Autozone's tool rental to pull the crank pulley. After about 45 minutes of wrestling with the flimsy thing to get it to actually PULL the pulley off (it was on there pretty good!!), I was able to remove the old belt.

Unfortunately this involved pulling the condenser from the A/C system. At least it was empty so I didn't have to deal with any R-12 leakage! The GOOD side is, that I was able to blow out the fins of both the radiator and the condenser with the blower attachment for the air compressor! Nice and clean now! :D

After getting the pulley off and blowing out the radiator and condenser, I cleaned up some of the prettier parts of the motor, as well as cleaned up the pulley's a bit, getting them ready for new belts.

Here's what the timing belt looks like right now, as well as the front belt cover and the air cleaner cover. I was surprised how nice they were in for being CAKED in DIRT! Especially with the stickers still on them! You can also see the damage to the belt cover from the bolts not being tightened completely.

And here are some shots of the radiator and condenser. They are actually in great shape for being 36 years old! Even still have the stickers on the fan guard! A/C sticker is in pristine shape!

And just for record's sake, here is the manufacture date on the condenser!

January 1st 1973

Thanks everyone for your help with the timing!

Got the new timing belt in today, put everything back into the engine compartment, added a bit of gas to the carb and tried to get her started.

She sputtered and stuttered, tried and tried and tried. Almost turned over completely but couldn't quite get there. Shot a lot of soot out of the tailpipe (from the damaged muffler), but never started.

Before leaving I looked around the engine compartment and there was gas on the fender. The fuel line from the pump to the carb had burst. That would explain a lot!

Tomorrow I am going to replace that line and try her again. Keeps your fingers crossed, we're almost there! :D

Quote from: dave1987 on December 22, 2009, 11:42:48 PM
I got a lot of work done on the wagon today!

1) Replaced turn signal cam, and lever (with the proper full chrome lever)
2) Changed out the headlights
3) Removed remnants of the front grill
4) Replaced bulbs on right side marker lights (now working!)
5) Replaced backup lamp bulbs (left side was missing)
6) Replaced door lock....plastic...chrome things
7) Tested alternator at Schucks (found out it's dead)
8 ) Removed the ghetto trampoline spring alternator tensioning....thing
9) Replaced all the bulbs in the instrument cluster
10) Found out the shifter light is burnt out
11) Got the e-brake to work! Tightened up the bolt at the handle to add tension to the cable. It must be stretched like crazy!
12) Jacked up the car and looked around a bit, found a broken mount for the transmission.

13) Got the car to crank properly!

[snip]

Sorry if this is a noob question ... but ... I have searched the threads to no avail.

Where did you get the cam and chrome turn lever?  I've seen the cam on eBay, but no levers. Mine's missing the knob on the end.  Am I being a pessimist and assuming that my local Ford dealer will just laugh if I ask about '72 Pinto parts?

When you say you replaced the door lock...plastic...chrome things, do you mean the things you pull or the little chrome bushing that sits in the hole in the door?  Again, where'd'ya get 'em?

I'm embarking on a project of my own ... I should take the plunge and start a thread. But we've had oh about 75 inches of snow this winter already and my '72 is sleeping peacefully in a storage unit.

Taganov, you can find the lever at a salvage yard, on just about any 1980's Ford truck or full size van. I got my lever from a Ford Econoline van.

The lock pull knobs are what I replaced, I just found some nice ones in a 76 Gran Torino wagon this year. Still on a quest for the knob trim rings, haven't found a source for them yet. Every car I find that has similar door lock knobs on it has a trim ring that is part of the door panel.

The lever I found in a 76 Mustang II, also this summer. Stock piling parts has helped a lot thus far!



Tried starting her today. She almost go going but could quite grab.

I got it to run on its own for about four or five seconds with my foot planted to the floor. It sputtered and shook and putt-putt-putted, but couldn't keep going. :'(

This was with the fuel pump inlet with a hose on it, submerged in a gas can of fresh fuel.


Next step tasks.....

1) Pull valve cover (again) and check valve lash
2) Rebuild the carburetor
3) Drop fuel tank and clean it out. Also will install the plastic tank shield while under there.

Quote from: dave1987 on December 31, 2009, 06:00:51 PM
Still on a quest for the knob trim rings, haven't found a source for them yet. Every car I find that has similar door lock knobs on it has a trim ring that is part of the door panel.

The early 65-68 Mustangs use the plastic rings that you can buy from any Mustang parts vendor.  They are clear instead of white but they get the job done.  They cost about a buck a piece.

Thanks man, I know where to get replacement rings for my 78 Sedan now! :D


Well, today is a great day.

I drove the wagon under it's own power for the first time today, wow was it an adrenalin rush! Gotta get the video off my phone somehow...

Congradulations 8)  So what did you do to get it running?

Yay!!!! What a rush to get her running under her own power....Great start for the New Year.  Larry :police:

I didn't really do anything... lol

Turns out the fuel pump actually doesn't need to be replaced!

I guess it just needed to be cranked, and to curse at me a few times! lol It backfired out the carb a dozen times before it would actually start!

To get it to even ATTEMPT to run, I had to pour gas down the carb, that primed it enough to make it pop and kick until it turned over enough to start a combustion cycle. It would run a bit, then die. It did this more times than I cared to count.

I ran a hose from the fuel pump to a gas can, just to give it a taste of fresh gas, instead of the stuff that is in the tank from 20 years ago, then held the pedal all the way down to the floor while cranking it (holding the carb at wide open throttle). It was the only way to get the darn thing to start!

After a few times of doing this, it finally would idle when I slowly let my foot off the accelerator. Normally it would die about 10-20 seconds after it started, but after about two minutes of idling I revved the motor and it came back down to idle without any hesitating or kicking!

I shut the car off and let it sit for a few minutes, then started it again. It would kick then backfire but die again. So I pumped the gas pedal five or six times to prime it with the accelerator pump and it would fire up just fine!

Only problem with it, was that it smoked REALLY badly, I had neighbors giving me funny looks thinking I had started a fire on the side of the house or something! lol Not to mention it's extremely loud sound coming from both the manifold and the mangled muffler! lol

After about 10 minutes of letting it run, I decided to be adventurous and connect the fuel pump to the tank, just to see if it could run off the ancient gas that is in the tank. Sure enough, it does! When starting it with the tank connected to the fuel pump, it had a really ruff time idling, but it could keep going without any help from revving the motor. After revving it a few times to see if it would hesitate, it came back down to a smooth idle. It now starts, idles, revs, and even DRIVES with the 20 year old gas!

Now there are a few NEW problems I have found....

1) Exhaust leak at the manifold (down pipe flange I think)
2) Mangled Muffler
3) Transmission doesn't grab until high RPM
4) Transmission has no fluid in it
5) I REALLY need to get the brakes going, stopping with the e-brake isn't fun!

Yesterday after getting it to run and drive on its own, I decided to rebuild the carburetor. I bought a kit at Schucks, but it was for some other single barrel carburetor, not even close to the Holley 5200-C!! Frustrated, I dove into the container of extra 5200 parts that I had collected for my 78 Sedan. I replaced the accelerator pump diaphragm, choke diaphragm, and the float. Also cleaned off the entire body of the carb, blew compressed air through all of the passages and got a lot of the varnish out of the throttle body. Here are some pictures of it.

D3P3-AA is what the tag reads.

Certain parts of the motor have been cleaned as they were removed.

Last pic is of Brownie on the drive way. She made it up there all on her own! :D

Forgot to add....

The transmission won't grab until it's revved high, then let to decrease in RPM. It grabs momentarily, then slips, then grabs, then slips, then engages. Can't go to fast, but it does go.

Hi Dave! Congratulations on getting her running after all that down-time! I wish I could be there to help out. You really should remove the gas tank and get all that stuff out. Even if she's running on that old gas there's probably rust flakes and varnish in the tank and it could get stuck in the carb jets (the varnish).

Not to worried about the carb jets, I'll replace teh carb in the near future. As long as it can get up and down the drive-way on it's own for now. Makes things a lot easier when I go over to get other things done on her.

Dave:  Don't know if you've ever used the stuff, but I run a product called sea foam through every tank of gasoline on my 1971.  I've used this stuff for years on other cars, and I think it's a great product.  The 1971 runs fantastic!!!!!!   I use it every couple of tanks in my 1972.  Anyway, thought you may want to try it.  Have a great day...glad you've got her started and running...Larry :police:

I've heard a lot of good feedback about Sea Foam and did use a can in Wildfire before we went to Fabulous Fords Forever last year. Too bad it's a tad pricey... maybe Meanie would run better with a can in every fill-up. Lead substitute is getting pricier and scarcer (more scarce?). Damn the economy! Full speed ahead! (Sorry CB... I did just quote a DamnYankee named Adm. Farragut. )

Well... somewhat quoted... ;) :D ;D

I'll put my two cents worth in here... I think Seafoam is the greatest fuel additive ever!  I use it in all my older stuff regularly, and even run a can through the newer vehicles from time to time.  Unfortunately, as Becky pointed out, it isn't exactly cheap!  Good stuff though!

Dwayne :smile:

Went to the DMV today to transfer the title and register the car. Found out there is more paperwork needed on the seller's part. :( Will keep you updated.

Put a new alternator and voltage regulator in Brownie, got it all hooked up and the battery charges now! :D

Changed the filter and fluid in the transmission and it's got more get up and go now. Was fun to drive it down the street. :) Once I get some fresh gas in the tank, it should be much better!

Installed a new exhaust pipe clamp on the pipe in the middle of the car where the front pipe slides into the rear pipe. It's a little quieter now and doesn't smoke as much!


Got the new exhaust manifold gaskets and flasher in the mail from Rock Auto today, the rest should be here tomorrow, long list though.

Also got a user's manual, a "attention to owners of 73 Pinto" paper, and the battery warranty papers from ebay today to, gonna be fun to have all of this at car shows! :D

Still no word on registering the car, going to call Darrel (The one who sold it to me) about the progress on contacting the previous owner's wife.

Got a lot of work done on the wagon today!!! :D

My friend Chris showed up today to help out with the Wagon. We went to AutoZone today to pick up the muffler I had ordered, then out to the junkyard to get a season pass and see if there were any Pintos out yet. No Pintos, but I Found some "Built Ford Tough" floor mats for the 78 Sedan, and we got him an e-brake handle for his Jeep. After that we headed over to my parent's house to work on the Wagon.

Started off by unbolting the exhaust down pipe from the manifold, a big task in itself. Once that was off, we unbolted the muffler and worked it out past the drive shaft. Got it about half way out before we got stuck on the gas tank. Once we dropped the tank, the rest of the exhaust came out fairly easy, while still maneuvering it past the drive shaft.

Once we dropped the tank we dumped the old gas out (about five gallons worth), which was bright ORANGE!  :hypno: However, there is absolutely NO rust in the tank at all, from the areas I can see, at least. Surprised the heck out of me, considering my 78's tank is rough and pitted inside, and the Wagon's is spotless, pretty much new!

After emptying the tank we pulled the vent valve and the fuel sender, and replaced the seals on both, and the filter screen on the end of the fuel pickup.

Once the tank was done, we took the back half of the exhaust (pipe with the muffler attached) down to Boise Muffler and had them weld the new muffler onto the pipe, weld the old rear mounting bracket onto the new muffler, and cut off the old pipe clamp were the two halves of the exhaust join (since the bolts were mangled, I couldn't do it myself).

Took the new exhaust back home, dropped the drive shaft, put a new filler neck seal on the tank, then installed the muffler half of the exhaust back on the car, which took a third of the time since we didn't have to maneuver it around the gas tank and the drive shaft. Once the exhaust was hung back up, we put the tank back on, then replaced the universal joints on the drive shaft and put that back up.

After all of that work, we took a break, got some dinner at McDonalds, and filled up a gas can with five gallons of gas and headed back to the house to start the wagon on it's fresh exhaust system!

Brownie runs so much better on fresh gas, doesn't stink nearly as bad, and is SOOOO much quieter now! There is still a leak where the two pipes join, but I will have to play around with that a little. Might just weld it all up myself, we shall see.



I was hoping to install the new thermostat and replace the output shaft seal on the transmission while I was down there, but I ran out of time. Perhaps next week I can get down there to pull that seal, then replace the thermostat and do the front breaks.

She's getting close people. I'm trying to get her ready to go for this year's car shows!

Congrats on getting your wagon and getting to drive her, Dave!

I miss my wagons (all four of them). I'm still sad the 79 slipped away from me last summer.

Kudos for all the effort you're putting into that wagon!

Chuck :afro:

Thanks Chuck! Was wondering where you were! :P Haven't heard from you in a little while.

Brownie still needs some toying with recovering the dash pad, think I might play around with it.

Need to find another Registered Ride sticker to....

List of completed tasks today:

1) Rebuilt rear brakes, reusing the shoes (still good)
2) Replaced master brake cylinder
3) Replaced brake stop lamp switch
4) Replaced turn signal flasher relay


First question, how come my front turn signals don't work? They were working fine before the stock flasher went out, but now only the rear ones work with the new flasher installed. The lamps are good, they come on when I turn the head lamps or interior lighting on. The hazards also do not work. :(

Second question, are the ball joints supposed to have nipples on them for a grease gun? I was looking at them while I had the driver's side disassembled and it appears there are bolts screwed into place where there would normally be a grease fitting.


I only got half of the front brakes done today. It was getting late and taking to long to clean the rotors, so I will get the passenger side done later this week. WOW there is a lot of rust on them!  :hypno:


Now some pictures! :D

1) Original master brake cylinder - Will be restoring with new seals and a cleanup/paint to have as a backup unit
2) New master brake cylinder - Should be stopping great after I'm done with everything! :D
3) Dirty drum brake assembly on driver's side before replacing hardware. - Took forever to clean up!
4) New wheel cylinders! - Originals were no leaking, but better to be safe than sorry!

I didn't realize that the 73 disc brake assembly was SO much different from 74 and later models! I pulled the wheels off and looked at it in sheer amazement of how complex it is compared to what I'm used to working on. I'm still trying to figure out how all the springs come into play...

While I had the rotor on the driver's side off for cleaning, I put new grease on the wheel bearings, tightened them up and replaced the cotter pins. Should be nice and solid now!


5) Clean brake drum backing plate! - Original paint on them is still very nice!
6) Bendix brake drum component. - The oval logo is the "FoMoCo" stamped logo on the part!
7) Reassembled brake drum with new hardware, reused shoes. - Will replace shoes when I can afford newer ones. These should be good for a little while longer though!

8) How badly rusted the front brake discs are. They clean up very nicely, it just takes a lot of time, even with the pneumatic die grinder with the wire brush attatchment! - Will have a photo of it cleaned up later.

Lookin good dave!

as for your question about the ball joints, sometimes there is no grease fittings installed but all you have to do to install one is remove the bolt and screw in a grease fitting of the approprate size. Had to do that on one of the U joints on my car.

Thanks Matt, I will see if I can find some that will fit, tomorrow, while I'm at the store picking up the front shocks I ordered for her!


Tuesday I finished up the passenger's side of the brakes. Just cleaned it up enough to get her GOING. Detail work will happen later.

1) The Porter Cable pneumatic grinder with wire wheel attachment that I used to remove the rust from the Rotors.
2) Another wire wheel type attachment that I used to clean up around the edges.
3) The inside of the rotor after cleaning
4) The outside of the rotor after cleaning

I was able to bleed the rear brakes on my own with some hose and pliers, but I didn't have enough hose to do the front brakes and everyone at my parents was sleeping, so tomorrow (Thursday) I will be finishing the brakes, replacing the transmission output shaft seal, and installing new shocks on her. Maybe the grill from Larry will be there and I can complete her outside appearance! After that it's just a matter of getting the title sorted out with the auction company the guy I bought it from is dealing with right now.

5) New brake pads on the left, old pads on the right
6) Brake pad wear comparison - wow, they really wore the old ones down!
7) Reassembled brakes - Clean rotor, new pads, lubricated pad ends and caliper contact surfaces. Newly greased wheel bearings to!

Lookin good Dave!

Update from last Friday, the 19th. Finally got some time to post some pictures while Tia sleeps. :)

Pictures showing my 78 Sedan's old rear shocks (still good) mounted to the 73 Wagon's leafs/body. As Wittsend (Tom) discussed in another post that they do fit with a bit of modification, I decided to try it out myself.

I noticed that the wagon does sit lower in the back than it does in the front. I do not know if this is due to the shorter sedan shocks, worn leaf springs, or just the fact that I have the back of the car loaded up with a bunch of parts. One of those suspicions will be eliminated once the car is cleaned out! :P

Also, Larry sent me the old grill from his restored 71! The wagon has a face again, just need to paint the grill silver again and it should look attractive from the front again! :)


1) Upper mount on driver's side.
2) Lower mount on driver's side. - You can see all the metal bushing washers I stacked together to serve as a spacer.
3) Entire shock mounted in car. - With the car on jack stands, it still doesn't extend completely. Still about 1.5" of extension left!
4) Motor after I replaced the valve cover gasket and cleaned the valve cover. - Original Paint! :D

no pics showed up man? where are they ? lol working hard on that car. Wish i could do the same. I will get to just gunna be a while

got it fixed sorry man! :)

looks good bro.

Tomorrow I will try to get a picture of Brownie and the blue 78 together. Probably some nicer pictures of Brownie by herself to. :)

Might be able to get some pictures of the wasp nests, butterfly cocoons, spider nests and termite mounds that are ALL OVER the underside of the car!  :rolleye:  :mad: The only things from that bunch that give me trouble are the termite mounds that seem to be stuck darn well to the body and cross member. Not big ones, just about 2 inches in size, but still annoying.

Dave:  So how's the car coming along.  I'm missing your updates.  Is she running pretty well now????   Are you taking her out cruising?????  LOL   I'm ready to get my Pintos out, if it's nice this weekend, I'm taking the 71 out to get some Ice Cream!!!!!!   Have a great day.

Larry :police:

I'm still waiting for the title and registration stuff to clear so I can begin driving her. :(

Lookin good Dave. Did you ever get the group pick of your two? Hope you got the title issue straightened out.

I haven't yet. I will be trying to get one this Sunday before I do the axle swap on the 78. I'll see if Sarah (my wife) would like to drive it into the culdesac so I can park the 78 next to it and get a good shot. :)

Title is getting closer every week. All that is left is for a revised version of the power of attorney papers on the car to be notarized, and then to get into the DMV with Darrell so we can get her transferred over!

Dave, good JuJu sent! ;D

Picture update of brownie:

Here are the wheels that came with the 73 wagon axle I bought off craigslist. Unfortunately someone painted them metallic blue, but I will keep them around as extras in case I need one later down the road. One of the tires are still in great shape as well, so it will serve as the spare for the wagon as well! :D

And finally a few pictures of Brownie next to the 78 Sedan! :D

Very cool dave, my mom had a wagon like brownie, think it was a 72. Was a daker brown though.

Thanks Robert!

Brownie actually IS darker, the paint is just so oxidized it looks more tan than anything!

The axle I bought of craigslist was from a 73 wagon with 27,190 and 1/2 miles on it! The drums and shoes are in immaculate shape, and will proove to be great spares for Brownie!

I think the brown wagon had the 2.0, but man it was alot more faster and powerful than the 2.3 in my 77 CW.

Looks like you're really getting the car together Dave. I like the pic of your two together. They look great together. Can't wait to see both in restored condition.

Robert, Brownie has a 2.0 w/AC! :)

Yeah, I can't wait to tack up the headliner, buff the windows clean, polish the paint and clean out all of the parts and junk in the back!

Everything that is in the back of the wagon is stuff I will be putting ONTO the car, spare interior parts to swap out, and random stuff from the 78 Sedan that I have been to lazy to take back to my storage unit and store properly.

Brownie's suspension hates me right now, I have the replacement axle for the 78 in there to!  :o


Thanks Matt! Brownie still has a LONG way to go, but she's drivable once the title is figured out, and all the safety equipment works minus the lap belts. Need to free the retractors on them and then we'll be set for a maiden voyage! :D

Dave:   Brownie is looking good, the pictures of the two together are excellent.  Good luck in the restore....Larry :police:

Thanks Larry! Your grill is in the back of the wagon with the rest of the stuff, on the TOP of the pile so nothing gets broken. I just haven't had the time to do anything with it since it's at my parents, about 7 miles from where I live. :(

Quote from: dave1987 on March 29, 2010, 01:25:37 PM
Thanks Larry! Your grill is in the back of the wagon with the rest of the stuff, on the TOP of the pile so nothing gets broken. I just haven't had the time to do anything with it since it's at my parents, about 7 miles from where I live. :(

Dave,
I think you've hit the nail on the head regarding location.  My Pinto is parked at my mother's house (8 miles away) which, while certainly close by, makes working on it much more difficult.  If it were here at my house, there would be times when I might have a spare thirty minutes or so that I could run outside and do something.  With it over there, it takes me nearly that long to drive there and back!  Oh well!  That's what I get for buying a house in a subdivision!  I own six vehicles - three of them stay here, the other three at my mother's!

Dwayne :smile:

Brownie  73
I just got the engine out of my '73 wagon. In the process of tearing it down I found that not only was my crankshaft gear badly worn but that the cam shaft gear was very loose. Seems the arbor on the gear was elongated nearly allowing nearly a full tooth of play meaning that the cam was never in time. Considering the age of your car, mine too, you might want to check that the valves aren't hitting the pistons. I don't even know if that's possible but being that far out of time will certainly cause running problems

Stuwil, the car actually runs very well! I was surprised at how well it ran for sitting for over 20 years! EVEN ON 20+ year old GAS! :o

She actually idles smoother than my 78's 2.3 does! Kind of sad, considering the 78 just had it's motor rebuilt a little more than 30,000 miles ago.

Bought some el' cheapo brown rubber floor mats from walmart for brownie today.

Also got a pair of wiper blades for her. Picked up two tubs of Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound, one tub of Polishing Compound, and a bottle of Chrome Polish that I will be using to clean her up for the road. Got some more microfiber towels for it all to.

I've got some Meguires caranuba wax that I will be using to wax her with once she's all polished and she should shine like new. Then it's just a matter of making the dents look nicer until body work can be performed (might be a long time until that happens, I want Tia to help! :))

Dave, I noticed you got a tub of Turtle Wax rubbing compound and a tub of (Tuetle Wax?) polishing compound. Why didn't you get TW wax too? I just recently bought TW rc and wax, and I swear by TW wax out of a can. Just wondering... ;D

I don't mind using the rubbing compound and polishing compounds from turtle wax because they are dirt cheap and do a great job. However for an actual paste wax, I prefer the Meguires high end stuff. The wax I use cost $29.99 per tin when it was new (blue tin), but is now discontinued because it "deteriorates the o-zone", so they say.  ::)

I spoke to darrell just now, good news!

He will be dropping off all of the paperwork at my work tonight and tomorrow morning I should be able to get down to the DMV to get a temporary registration until the new title comes in! YAY! :D

YAY! Good for you Dave!  ;D

Quote from: dave1987 on April 15, 2010, 02:31:48 PM
I spoke to darrell just now, good news!

He will be dropping off all of the paperwork at my work tonight and tomorrow morning I should be able to get down to the DMV to get a temporary registration until the new title comes in! YAY! :D

Congratulations, Dave!!!

Dwayne :smile:

why dont you try clay bar for the cleaning?

Thank you becky and dwayne!

Not to worried about cleaning it quite yet. Later in the future though, I plan to.

The Paint is HIGHLY oxidized. I will do one fender and then take a picture so you guys can see the difference. The paint looks like a semi-dark beautiful shiny brown when polished, but looks almost like a light dull brown as it is. The difference is amazing!


Got the paper work for it today, should be good to go now!

Tomorrow (Friday) I will be going to the DMV in the early morning to get the temporary registration, then go to my parents to free up the driver's side seatbelt, install the grill, and fix the turnsignal cam. I will then drive it back home to my apartment! :D

For plates, I have to wait two to three weeks for the new title to arrive in the mail, then Darrell and me will go to the DMV together to TRUELY finalize it all! :D :D :D

Rock on! Hope DMV doesnt give you any hassles.

Hi All,

I'm posting for Dave.

BROWNIE IS OFFICIALLY ON THE ROAD!!!

Dave called me from the gas station where he was filling her up!


EXCELLENT JOB DAVE!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

WAY TO GO!!!

Dwayne :smile:

Thanks for posting for me becky! Glad you got my message and I didn't call the wrong number. lol

Drove her around all day, the 78 might be getting jealous! lol

Monday it is supposed to get up to the high 70's, I'll see about polishing the glass on her then. Maybe I can fix the windshield wipers to...

Need to find some way to temporarily keep the headliner up since it obstructs the rear view...

Plan for Monday:

Investigate wiper problem.

Fix passenger side seat belt retractor

Install spare (black) headliner

Buff glass


Maybe in a few weeks I can get some sealant to replace the side window gaskets with the good ones I pulled from a wagon last year. We shall see. If all goes well, Friday I can start buffing the paint!

Yay!!!!!  It sounds like things are falling into place on your wagon.  I cannot wait to see the pictures.......  Good luck!!!  Have a great weekend.....Larry

Awsome Dave!!!!!

Got the chance to do some work on Brownie today! :D

Replaced the old door panels that were falling apart with some black ones I had around as spares for my 78. They actually don't look to bad!

Also removed the old headliner that was falling apart at every seem, and tearing left and right. I installed the black headliner I pulled from the 77 bobcat wagon I parted out last year. It's in great shape for a used headliner, it's in one piece and very solid!

The new headliner and the door panels look great in the car, and actually make the car feel much more home like! :)

Here's a couple pictures of the headliner. I stored it in a tube so it wouldn't get damaged, along with the bows that came off the bobcat wagon.

It was very easy to remove the old headliner and install the new one. I just need to glue it down along the windshield gasket and it will be in all tight!

It got dark before I could take any pictures of the headliner installed, but I will tomorrow.

Before finishing up for the night, I fixed the retractors on the front seat belts and they now work great!

Here's a shot of the car at night at Albertsons as well. I was returning a redbox movie and she looked really nice in the parking lot by itself with a lot light gleaming down on her! :)

Tomorrow I hope to clean up Larry's grill and get it painted, as well as buff the glass on the car and make it easier to see through! lol

I might be able to clean up the inside some to, we'll see.

Dave, the black on ginger actually looks good! I like!  ;D

Quote from: blupinto on April 19, 2010, 12:06:26 AM
Dave, the black on ginger actually looks good! I like!  ;D

Me too!  It's a much more appealing color combination than you might think!  It has been my understand however, that in order to install a headliner, the windshield must be removed.  Is this not true of the wagons?

Dwayne :smile:

It is true, the headliner would normally be tucked under the top windshield gasket and around the pinchweld. However the way I cut the headliner out of the car at the junk yard, it will glue up just barely under the windshield gasket and still look great! :)

Quote from: dave1987 on April 19, 2010, 01:52:39 PM
It is true, the headliner would normally be tucked under the top windshield gasket and around the pinchweld. However the way I cut the headliner out of the car at the junk yard, it will glue up just barely under the windshield gasket and still look great! :)

Works for me! ;D

Dwayne :smile:

Here are some shots of the headliner in the car. It isn't perfect, but neither is the headliner. It will be replaced with a NEW one eventually, for now this is better than the brown one that hung down on my head an obstructed my rear view mirror.

First two photos are off the headliner from the front to the back.

Third photo is the front area of the headliner.

In some of the first photos I posted of the car, you can see how bad the windows were. Even after wiping them down twice with glass cleaner and a microfiber towel, they were still cloudy and oxidized. So I used some Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound on all the windows, and WOW what a difference! Brownie has better glass than my 78 Sedan does!

1) Rear side window (passenger) cloudy before cleaning.
2) Rear side window (driver) clear after cleaning.
3) Driver's window clean and clear!
4) Driver's side windows all clean and reflective again!

While I was out working on polishing stuff, I figured I would try the Turtle Wax Chrome Polish on the front bumper in some badly oxidized spots. It really does make a huge difference. Hard to capture on camera, but here's a spot I did to see how well it would come out.

The Last two photos show one of my most favorite things about the Pinto Wagons. The way light, objects and landscaping reflect off all of that glass is just beautiful, isn't it? :)

Dave,

It's looking better and better all the time!  I can't wait to see how the paint polishes out!  Keep up the good work!

Dwayne :smile:

WOW!!!! That's all I can say.   The glass looks incredible.  Thanks for sharing the procedure with us, it's a great tip!!!!  Keep up the good work, it's nice to know another Pinto is loved....

Larry :police:

Thanks Larry! Your grill is the next thing up! :D

Need to wash it down real good, remove the turn signal lenses, JB Weld the cracked spots and then Primer Paint and Clear Coat it back to silver. :)

Dave:  I'm just excited on how great the wagon looks in your profile pix.  Keep up the good work, I'm sure once you get the grill finished, it will look great.   I'm glad you saved this great piece of Ford history.
Larry :police:

I'm going to try and run down to my storage tomorrow and pick up the fragments of the old grill and replace the broken fin on the grill you sent me, Larry. I used some JB Weld to fix the grill where it cracked along the bottom. Once the broken fin is replaced, I will paint it up and get that part finished.

Wednesday I'm going out to Caldwell to get a windshield out of a 78, if it isn't the glue in type, and a few other things for both Pintos.

I'll keep ya'll updated!

Dave:   Great!!!!!!! look forward to it.  Larry :police:

Been driving Brownie around for a few days now. Getting some nice comments and thumbs up from other drivers! :D

Question:

The cluster turn signal indicators don't seem to work, nor do the hazard emergency lights. I cannot find a fuse blown for those lights, and I cannot locate the hazard flasher unit. All the exterior lights work just fine, just no indicators on the dash. Any ideas?

are the bulbs in the cluster blown?

Nope, bulbs are good. I even swapped the rear of the cluster out for the one in my spare 73 dash and it acts the same.

cut wire?

how clean er the contacts for the bulbs? it took me several tyrs to get all of mine clean enough to work. an the hibeem indicator still dont  but i can live with that.

Dave, you probably already know this, but the turn signal and emergency flashers are behind the dashboard to the right of the dash emblem accessed through the glove box. ;D

Phil, I'm wondering if it really could be the bulb sockets, but EVERY OTHER light works EXCEPT for the turn signals on the cluster!

I found the hazard light flasher, got a new problem now.....

I put the new flasher in and pulled the switch to activate them and it STILL does nothing! :( Fuse is good to! -.-

Dome light not working now, argh, electical is such a pain! :(

Was going to buff the paint today but it started to rain, got the top of the passenger side fender done, wow a lot work work it is!

I moved to the inside of the car when it started to rain and decided to clean up the dash a bit with a tad of polishing compound and it came out great! :D

Since i was in there and it was still raining, I decided to pull out the A/C ducting, radio, dash cluster, glove box and climate controls and replace the wiper linkage, as well as repair the climate control switch. Working on the linkage at the moment.

Since I have the dash apart, I've pulled out the dash wiring harness and will be putting the one from the spare 73 dash I bought with Mr. Tadakichi's axle. All the wiring seems good, hopefully it will help to sort out some issues!

Keep at it Dave, it will all work out.

All interior lighting works now! YAY! :D

Replaced the entire dash wiring harness, which includes the seat weight sensors, door light switch and dome like wiring as well. I had a spare 73 dash and I parted it out a few nights ago. The harness came in handy! :)

Turn signal indicators, cluster lighting, seat belt light, dome like, wiper switch illumination, everything works great again!

The hazard lights work again now to, so no more troubleshooting that part.

Next up on the electrical is the backup lamps, which I think is wiring, but COULD be the neutral safety switch to, not entirely sure though, we will see.

I pulled the climate control assembly to repair via Fred's way of fixing it. Need to get a 1 1/2" diameter 3/8" deep freeze plug so I can complete it, then everything inside will be in working order minus the brake light indicator, but I have a replacement switch for that which i will be changing out soon to.

Yesterday I cleaned and polished the interior panels in the cargo and rear seating area. Hopefully that will get rid of some of the dust that flies around when the windows are down, and cuts down on some of the smell.

Pulled out the cargo area carpet and removed the spare tire to wipe out any dirt/mud underneath and rid of any possibly smell that might be lurking under them.


Odd part here...The metal trim at the back of the cargo area that hides the wire harness for the taillights, it runs across the bottom of the rear door seal.....I pulled that up and there were a lot of wood chippings, just like coarse saw dust, under it from left to right. I don't see how it could have gotten in there since the metal trim doesn't allow much entrance to as much of it was in there. I'm wondering if there was a pest infestation in this car at some point in time.

Finally got the pictures of the wiper linkage fix off my digital camera.

The first two pictures show where I had to attach the linkage from the motor to the wiper posts. The one I pulled from a car on craigslist was missing this section, so I just used the original section and some brass screws with loctite on them to hold the pivot to the arm. So far so good!

The last two pictures show why the old linkage was no good. Where the passenger side wiper post is secured to the linkage, the metal had split. I don't know HOW this much damage could have occured, perhaps frozen wipers during the winter time and the PO never deiced the windshield before starting the wipers

Any how, it looks like the wiper posts could be welded back to the linkage. I'm highly suspecting this issue with my 78's noisy wiper system, just not as severe. I will have to drop the linkage on it some time to check it out and weld them back on if it's the case.

Looks like Brownie is moving right along.....I cannot wait to see some more pictures....

You have found a true Ford Treasure!!!!!

Larry :police:

Took it out to Caldwell to pick up the rest of the Wagon parts I bought a couple weeks ago and the bumpers for my 78. Ripped the cargo area carpet from the top of the seat while loading stuff in. :(

Now to find some nice cargo area carpet....

Dave:  My upholstery shop is going to replace the carpet in my 1971 next month.  I wasn't happy with the carpet I bought and installed.  They said they can match the carpet nicely, and form fit it to fit my Pinto.  Maybe your local upholstery shop could match your carpet, and custom fit it for your cargo area.  Good Luck!!!!!! Larry :police:

I've got carpet samples from SMS Auto Fabrics that match, I was planning to get the passenger area carpet from them like I did with the 78, but they don't carry cargo area carpet.

Dave:  Too bad they don't carry the cargo area carpet.  I just ordered some fabric from them for the 1977 Pinto Squire Wagon my parents purchased last month.  I received it this week, it's a perfect match.  What a great find locating them.  I will probably need other fabric in the future, so I have a great source now.  See ya...have a great day!!!! Larry :police:

Glad to hear SMS can help you! :) They also carry original seat, door panel, and headliner material for my 78 and the 73!

I went to The Home Depot today and picked up some Rust-Oleum "Professional - High Performance Enamel" in flat brown (239112) to repaint the interior plastic panels. It's a fast drying, high coverage industrial spray paint. I think with some good cleaning and coat of primer to the panels it should hold up pretty well! I will be doing a coat of clear on it after application as well just to protect it a bit, but I think it is going to come out pretty darn well!

I also bought a can of the "Great Stuff" foaming insulation to repair the dash I have in storage. It just has one crack in it about a quarter in wide to the right of the gauge cluster, other than that it's perfect! I'm probably going to pick up a few cans of the SEM "dye" paint from the auto body shop to paint the dash, door panels and headliner though.

I will be dropping the black headliner that is in the car right now to install the blue one I pulled from the wagon in Caldwell, since it doesn't have any patches in it, and I removed it with the windshield out instead of cutting it at the gasket. I will be replacing the headliner when I do the windshield and gasket to ensure the perfect fit and installation.

After this it's just interior carpet and some nice seat covers and the interior will be quire comfortable and stylish! :) :P

Now the weather just needs to hurry up and become nice for a decent amount of time so I can finish buffing and polishing the paint and chrome. Hopefully it will be ready for Roanne's in Emmett on July 18th!


Making progress, this project is on a roll!  :fastcar:

Definitely on the right track with everything. SMS sent me PERFECT samples of my interior materials. SEM is great for color coating. I will warn you however that using spray can enamel on your plastic panels is NOT a good idea. Petroleum based products love to eat plastic.

If you prove me wrong, awesome, but your BEST choice for covering the interior panels IS the SEM color coat. I did my rear panels and they look awesome, without any effect whatsoever on the plastic.

Spray can paints, unless specifically formulated for plastic, are a bad idea.

Chris

I have learned that proper primer and prep of plastic parts is the most important. I used to do computer case modding, lots of plastic parts painted, and always had great long lasting results with these procedures.

I am using a plastic "adhesion" promoter type primer. A few coats of that and then the paint. I've used it on the 78 for the A/C shield and the radio bezel without any ill effects. The radio bezel was painted a little over two years ago and still holding up well, color wise and structurally.

Here are some photos I found on my phone that I forgot to post....

Larry, here is your grill painted silver! :D I have yet to repair the broken tooth, but I just couldn't stand the black grill on the brown car, it just seemed like there was no grill at all when it was black!

The last two are some shots of the dash. I cleaned it real well, then filled the split with the foaming insulation stuff. Does it expand or WHAT?!

Here are some more shots of the dash's split repair. I have decided to just fill the crack, paint over it and leave it be until I can get a nice cap for it. I figure the cap is the better way to go, so I don't have to repair splits again through out the years of it's life. It is flat and true now, though.

The last two are of the interior panels. They are sun faded, nearly white on the wheel well tops, but still in one piece and straight. Hopefully by the end of Monday I will have them finished! :D

On another note, I replaced the washer bottle with one I pulled from a Bobcat wagon last year. The pump in the original one no longer worked, but the replacement one does! New bottle, with a cap in one piece, and a pump that works, what more could one ask for when it comes to cleaning the windshield on the road? :) :P

Dave:  The grille looks fantastic!!!!!!  I know what you mean about the grille being black; however, for some reason when I was younger I painted the grille on my 1971 Pinto black. Guess I thought it looked cooler back then.  When I restored my 1971 I got from Reed last year, I did the same thing to it's grille.  The grille in my 1971 does look great black, but I don't think it would look as good on your brown wagon.  Anyway, your grille looks good painted silver, hope it's working well for you.  Have a great day...Larry :police:

I regret to inform you all that Brownie's progress has come to an end.

Finances are out of control and I need to get things settled, Brownie is going to have to go to a better home, hopefully she won't be cut up for a race car.

I am selling brownie.  :'( :'( :'( :'(

Quote from: dave1987 on May 19, 2010, 01:04:04 AM
I regret to inform you all that Brownie's progress has come to an end.

Finances are out of control and I need to get things settled, Brownie is going to have to go to a better home, hopefully she won't be cut up for a race car.

I am selling brownie.  :'( :'( :'( :'(


So sorry to hear that, Dave.  Maybe you'll be fortunate enough, with all the work you've done on her, to realize enough cash to help you settle things once and for all.  Good luck!

Dwayne :smile:

Thank you dwayne, I appreciate your understanding of this situation. I have posted a classifieds ad stating all the work done to the car and what still needs to be done to it.

Dave,

I know it doesn't help much right now, but try to look at it this way... you are young and there will surely be many opportunities in the future to replace the Pinto you must sacrifice now. 

Dwayne :smile:

Yes but parts in the future might not be as readily available as they are now (as if they really are today! lol), and it's going to cost me a lot more later to do this again if Pintos (and I'm sure they will) become more popular and more recognized as classics! :(

Dave:  I hate to hear about you selling Brownie, but you still have the 1978!!!!  That's a great car!!!!  Sometimes life just changes, and we have to make sacrifices.  I too have considered selling my 1972, which is the one I've had two years.  Not for financial reasons, but simply because I really don't need it, since I have the 1971 I bought from Reed.  I'm not going to rush into any decision yet, but who knows, in a year or so...the 72 could go.  If so, I'm gonna make sure it goes to a good home.  If not..then it'll be my kids someday...lol   Good Luck!!!! just look at it this way, a Pinto door isn't closing, a new one will open in the future.  Have a great day...Larry :police:

Quote from: dave1987 on May 19, 2010, 01:53:11 AM
Yes but parts in the future might not be as readily available as they are now (as if they really are today! lol), and it's going to cost me a lot more later to do this again if Pintos (and I'm sure they will) become more popular and more recognized as classics! :(

As that happens, more and more parts will be reproduced.  That's why restoring a Ford Model A today isn't nearly the challenge it was 40 years ago!  You're right, it will cost more... but you'll probably find yourself with a lot more disposable income also.   As Larry noted, at least you're not Pintoless!

Dwayne :smile:

No bites on the wagon yet, I'm half hoping it doesn't sell!

A gal called me off of Craigslist asking about the wagon, was thinking of buying it if it was her old wagon. Turns out she used to own a yellow cruising wagon back in the day. I directed to FordPinto.com to have a look around as cruising wagons pop up from time to time here.

Quote from: dave1987 on May 22, 2010, 09:20:32 PM
No bites on the wagon yet, I'm half hoping it doesn't sell!

A gal called me off of Craigslist asking about the wagon, was thinking of buying it if it was her old wagon. Turns out she used to own a yellow cruising wagon back in the day. I directed to FordPinto.com to have a look around as cruising wagons pop up from time to time here.

Was the lady from Bend, Oregon? 

actually lives in nampa here in idaho.

Brownie is now sporting new Idaho plates with a fresh registration! 8)

Fixed the license plate light, the wire pulled out of the socket on the previous owner and was wrapped with electrical tape. I cleaned the glass lens and soldered the wire back to the electrical contact inside the light socket. I replaced the bulb with a new one as well, works great! :D

Put some temporary dark blue seat covers on the driver and passenger seats, looks better now, and more comfortable to sit in, also installed the repainted better dash pad, and I currently have the center vents removed so I can replace the dash speaker with a working one so the radio will be functional again.

Took the wagon to the store down the road and the exhaust pipe separated where it joins under the passenger seat, damn is the car loud running a straight pipe! lol

Time to call the muffler shop!

Baked bean can and a couple hose clamps  :o, lol did that to my CW when I was 16 and it lasted for years lol  :o

Dave,

Am I correct in assuming you've decided to keep Brownie after all?

Dwayne :smile:

I honestly don't think she will sell around these parts, so I'm treating here like she'll be mine forever. :) I'm half hoping the car doesn't sell at all. If it does, well, we'll see....


Thanks robert! I'm going down to the exhaust shop tomorrow to have them weld teh pipe together but I'll use the baked bean can idea to hold the pipes together until I get there!

Quote from: dave1987 on May 25, 2010, 12:37:56 PM
I honestly don't think she will sell around these parts, so I'm treating here like she'll be mine forever. :) I'm half hoping the car doesn't sell at all. If it does, well, we'll see....


Thanks robert! I'm going down to the exhaust shop tomorrow to have them weld teh pipe together but I'll use the baked bean can idea to hold the pipes together until I get there!

Well then, I'll send good Ju-Ju that it all works out however you WANT it to!

Dwayne :smile:

Got an appointment with the muffler shop tomorrow morning at 11 AM to get the exhaust pipe welded together where the down pipe and muffler pipe connect. $10.00 and they'll call it good! I'll let ya'll know!

Quote from: dave1987 on May 26, 2010, 01:02:04 AM
Got an appointment with the muffler shop tomorrow morning at 11 AM to get the exhaust pipe welded together where the down pipe and muffler pipe connect. $10.00 and they'll call it good! I'll let ya'll know!

If it does the trick, you certainly can't beat the price!

Dwayne :smile:

Got the weld done this morning, nice and quiet again, for the most part. There's a slight leak at the manifold where the pipe joins but that's an easy fix! :)

What exactly does the engine light monitor, the temperature or oil pressure, or both? I had it come on and off a few times during a short trip to the gas station a few minutes ago.

I think, but I'm not positive, that it monitors both. I know Meanie's light was on when I took possession of her last April... luckily I was only driving in little spurts because I was learning to drive a stick-shift. The eejit who traded her to me for my Rickenbacker 330 ran the wee beast dry of oil!  Ruby's engine light would be on every time I started her for the first couple weeks I had her this April- that was a mystery. It doesn't come on butfor a second now when the ignition is on. Ruby may have set too long, so her oil pump or something might have been slow to function. GAWD I LOVE THIS CAR!!!

Oops! Sorry Dave. I got carried away there... ;D

Thanks Becky, I'll look further into it!

Took a few pictures of Brownie today! First two are of the grill so Larry can see how well Brownie sports it! :) Just need to fix the one broken/chipped slat and it'll look great!

The last photo is of the new plates and the Ford Pinto frame I have on it. I now have a great use for the old frame, and it tells the truth this time! :D

Worked on repairing the grill some more tonight.

A small crack on the bottom of the passenger side was repaired tonight using JB Weld, should hold up well, will see about it tomorrow night.

The broken fin was "reproduced" using some of the remains from the original grill. A wedge was cut out and then epoxied into place. I will be leaving excess epoxy around the repair to ensure it stays in place. It won't be perfect but it will look a ton better in the end! I will repaint and clear the repaired sections in the next couple of days and post photos.

Dave,

Brownie looks better and better every time you post pictures!  Keep up the good work!

Dwayne :smile:

Thanks Dwayne. It's slow progress and little things at a time, but any progress is still progress!

Here are some shots of the repaired slat in the grill. It was a triangle notch near the center of a slat close to the center of the grill. I used epoxy to glue in the repair section and JB weld to glue the "frame" of the grill back together where it separated and left a gap. The JB Weld holds up well to the "stretching" of the grill frame when it is installed, and the epoxy should be more than strong enough to hold the repair in place.

I left some excess around the repair of the slat on the sides to ensure the piece doesn't fall off by just a bump of the grill when I wash it.

From a distance it's very hard to tell it's even been repaired! Then again, how many people stare at the grill of your car up close and personally? :P :)

Larry, the grill came out great! BROWNIE AND ME THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D :D

First four pictures show the repaired slat/tooth of the grill.

First picture is one more of the repaired section from the back.

The other three are of the repaired gap in the "frame" of the grill.

And two shots of the grill showing how well the repaired slat blends in with the rest of the grill.

Very nice repair, Dave.  My Lincoln Mark VIII has a broken grille and although I plan to replace it, I think I'm going to see whether I can make a reasonable repair on this one so I'll have a spare on hand.  You just never know! 
Dwayne :smile:

Dave:  The repair on the grille looks amazing.  I'm glad you and Brownie are happy.  Keep up the good work, the car is looking amazing.  Larry :police:

Checked Brownie's transmission fluid a couple days ago, was really low. I did see some trans fluid on the undercarriage of the car before when I rigged the exhaust pipe to stay in place before I drove it to the muffler shop.

Today I added two quarts of fluid and it's at a good level again. It took drive quicker than it has been lately and it took it for a spin around the block, ran great. Tomorrow we will see how well it takes drive when I leave for work. Hopefully that's all it was.

I need to get it over to my parents to drop the transmission and rebuild it with a kit and trace down where the fluid is coming from! Odd thing is, there is no fluid puddling or dripping on the ground under the car, it must be spraying while driving.

Brownie's transmission is spraying fluid out the side somewhere, and all over the exhaust pipe. Today it was so bad the car was smoking down the road!

I'm taking it back to my parents tonight to park it back on the side of the house until I can get the trans rebuild kit and fix everything once and for all!

Hey Dave,

Maybe the metal lines leading from the transmission to the bottom of the radiator have rusted through or the fittings are loose where they screw into the tranny.

Let us know what the the source of the leak was.

Really enjoying reading about your rebuild.  Would like to purchase the car and continue the restoration after you get the tranny fixed.  I'd fly out and would drive the car home, thus the car needs to be road worthy!

Once the tranny is done I need to swap out the windshield for the good one I have in storage and get an electric buffer to clean up the paint. After that it's ready for the same treatment my 78 has been getting. Little things here and there to make it just right! :)

Well yesterday I jacked up Brownie to take a look at the source of the leak. I found two places it's leaking from...

1) The output shaft seal where the drive shaft yoke slides into the tail shaft of the transmission. I replaced that seal with a new one and for some reason it has a pretty consistent drip. The seal has a one year warrenty so I'm going to take it out and exchange it at Autozone.

2) The intermediate servo cover. I tightened up the bolts and it seems to have stopped. For some odd reason the bolt on the top-rear of the cover was missing, like the previous owner attempted a fix but failed and forgot to put everything back on.  :surprised: I found a bolt that was nearly identical and tightened that up.

The intermediate servo cover seems to have stopped leaking, the output shaft seal drips just a bit, but it was still smoking a little bit.

I also replaced the two inch rubber line for the modulator valve which was so old it wasn't tight around the steel line or the valve nipple!

I took the pressure washer out (with the car still on jack stands) and blasted everything I could off the bottom of the car and in the wheel wells. You wouldn't believe how much crud came off the car! Big ole' stones of tar and sand packed together coming out of the wheel wells, a flow of black dirt out of all the trim, it was nasty! You can definitely tell the car is cleaner now!

The transmission grabs first gear a little quicker now, not GREAT, but it IS better. I think tomorrow I might drop the trans and see about cleaning everything up and do a full fluid change again. Maybe do a band adjustment to be sure everything is snug.

I think what's burning off the car now is just the residue on the pipe and surrounding surfaces, I'm keeping my fingers crossed though!

Glad you got back to working on Brownie!

I wonder if the driveshaft yoke has a nick or groove in it that is allowing fluid to leak past the new seal?

How's your family doing?

Let us know when Brownie is road ready.

Dave I so admire your work on Brownie!  My fingers are still crossed that everything will work out right for you andyour family.

Thanks guys and gals, I appreciate your support! Family is doing alright, we're battling with the state to get some help with putting food on the table, paying off a settlement with an old loan on the 30th, no more worrying about going to court! :D

Tomorrow the work on Brownie is going to go on hold, the 78 is being troublesome. I need to adjust the clutch on it since I can hear the throwout bearing being tossed around a bit when engaging the clutch, and it's time for a tune up. Got new plugs today and may be swapping out the cap and rotor tomorrow if it's nasty (yay for lifetime warranties! :D)). I will also be purging the cooling system of air, again, and resetting timing and fuel/air mixture to get it running smooth again.

Dave, Brownie looks really good. Make sure to get that tranny leak fixed asap, as I learned the hard way. It is much easier to replace the seal than it is to replace the tranny. That was not fun at all.

Well it won't be going anywhere now! I had to take the driver side brake line off the rear axle to put on the 78's new axle since the axle is from a 73. I put the one that WENT to the axle in the 78, in a box of parts in the back of my storage unit. For some reason, being as organized as I am, I didn't rubber band or zip tie it to the passenger side brake line like I normally would.

So, before the wagon can go ANYWHERE, I have to dig into storage and pull out that other brake line and bleed the rear brake system again! Good for the transmission! :P

http://www.skf.com/portal/skf_us/home/news?contentId=513135 (http://www.skf.com/portal/skf_us/home/news?contentId=513135)

Quote from: Yelby on June 24, 2010, 12:47:55 PM
Glad you got back to working on Brownie!

I wonder if the driveshaft yoke has a nick or groove in it that is allowing fluid to leak past the new seal?

How's your family doing?

Let us know when Brownie is road ready.

thanks for the link SRT! I believe the kit I am planning to get for the transmission has a speedi sleeve in it, hopefully that will solve the problem.

Duck Tape!! lol

I wish it were that simple! Lol

Once I get this new phone paid off I can get the rebiuld kit for the tranny and get her back on the road full time again.

Rebuild kit is in town at O'Reilly's! Has everything I'll need! Only a matter of time to rebuild it now! :D

Yay!!!!! hope all goes well with the rebuild.....Larry :police:

Dave, I have the stock C-4 out of my 71, 3K on rebuild, should be able to put it in and go, I think the price is right for you
(free) I also have a 72 parts car if you need anything off it, I also know where another 72-73 wagon is, it's in good shape
... 

Thanks Walter! I would love to come pick it up but I don't have a vehicle big enough to get it at the moment, kind of why I'm trying to get the wagon going! lol I might be able to put it in the trunk of my Saturn Ion, but can't do that until thursday if that works with you.

Day on Brownie cut short, had to take Tia to the hospital, she's been sick for a few days and hasn't seemed to be getting better. They think it's rotavirus. They said we're doing really well taking care of her but want to get a stool sample and run some tests. So they sent us home with some small bottles and tongue depressors to collect a sample and then drop off at the hospital for them.

Wife said I could go back to work on the car but I feel more like staying at home with the family right now and keeping and eye on Tia.



So, today I was able drain and drop the transmission. Took a total of two hours to drain the pan and torque converter and disconnect everything. The bell housing bolts are hard to get to, and getting to the torque converter drain plug and flywheel bolts is very difficult as the cross member is in the way, but I got it done!

I couldn't reach the fluid cooler lines with the transmission still in the car so I let it drop downwards a bit to reach the fittings. While removing one one of them the fitting broke, threaded part sheered right off the elbow with VERY LITTLE effort. So I left to pick up a replacement fitting at Andy's Supply downtown (they specialize in brass, steel and copper fittings/tubing and hoses). I had them make and re-form the return line for the transmission since the previous owner had repaired a crack in the line using a section of rubber hose and a hose clamp. While I was at Andy's supply, I stopped by Transtar next door, a local transmission parts supplier, and picked up the trust washer spacer/shim kit, just in case I need it to set the end play. On the way home I picked up the new modulator valve at O'Reillys.

Once I got home I pulled the transmission out to the end of the driveway and got the pressure washer out to clean it up a bit before disassembly. Not as perfectly clean as I wanted to get it, but it really seems like the metal is stained in some places. Some of the dirt on the bell refused to come off with just the water from the pressure washer alone and I had to hit it with some carb cleaner and then brake cleaner to soften it up some.

Only pictures I have of the project so far is the before and after of the transmission cleaning. Here ya go!

Dave,

Sounds like a pretty good day's work to me. 
Hope Tia will be feeling better real soon!

Dwayne :smile:

Dave, Thursday is fine, the offer is good if you use it, if your just going to put it in storage then I'll keep it, you'll need to replace the shift shaft and install your bell housing as I swapped those out with built tranny, other then that it's a good ready to use C-4

Walt is an awesome guy, picked up the transmission from him this morning and got the shift shaft swapped out without any problems. Even left me a little gift! :D Thanks Walt! :D :D

Tia is doing much better today, almost back to normal. Lab results for anything odd came out negative, he doctor and mommy and daddy are very happy about that! :D

Brownie's mobility transplant was unsuccessful today, however. :'( Upon installing the trans, I had my brother helping me out to lift it into position. I repeated over and over to him to check the gap between the trans and the motor to ensure it was flush before tightening any bolts. He said it was all good and started tightening them down, thinking "oh, the bolts will pull the transmission towards the motor just fine"! Nopers, he stretched the bell and broke/cracked it. From the driver's side center bolt the crack goes half way around the threaded hole and up the side, stopping at the top of the transmission.

I'm giving up on this car for now, I don't think I'm going to find another C4 2.0 bell anywhere locally. I'm so stressed out and upset right now.   > : (

So, anyone got a cheap C4 2.0 bell lying around? :'(

Dave,
So sorry to hear about your cracked bell housing.  Hope one will turn up somewhere soon. 
Glad to hear Tia is doing well though... that's the really important thing.
Take care!
Dwayne :smile:

Bummer!  you didn't get the convertor in to the 2nd notch did you!? If not you'll need to inspect the front pump for damage,  I'll check my connections for a bellhousing for you. Hang in there, I've done everything wrong atleast one time, you'll get it..

The converter did go. Ilto bothe notches just fine, he just didn't ceck that the round nub at the engine side.lined up before securing bolts. The drivers side of the trans has about a 1/4 inch gap between it and the motor

Dave, next time YOU do that part. Then you'll be assured it's being done right! lol.  You'll be fine. ;D

Found one about 153 miles from here. Ordered it today, $55.00 shipped. They're calling me when it ships.

Not too bad!

Yeah, I just hope the they really will have it...in one piece.

When I was out there in January I pulled the wiper arms off a 72 for Brownie, it's a 2.0 automatic runabout. The car was complete, I just hope it's still there and they didn't just tell me they had one under assumption.

Called the yard I'm getting the bell from on Thursday, they said it should be shipped on Friday and arrive on Monday or Tuesday, most likely Tuesday. So now it's just a waiting game....

Here are some photos I took while working on the two transmissions.

1) New cooler line vs. old cooler line. Closely shaped to the orignal, just a tad off in some places, no biggie though!

2) The replacement fitting for the one that broke during removal of the original transmission.

3) Another photo of the replacement fitting.

4) Some of the debris from the cone filter under the valve body in the original transmission. Probably why it doesn't go into drive!

Once I pull the transmission again and get the broken bell off it, I'll   post pictures of the bells side by side so you can all see how bad the   crack is. I plan to keep the bell around and have my uncle bud weld it   real good, then keep it around as a spare for when these things truly   are impossible to find on planet earth. :P
 
 
  1) Both transmissions side by side. The disassembled one is the original   one, the one with the bell on it is the one that Walt gave me to use.
 
  2) The trans Walt gave me to use ready for install
 
  3) Another shot of the trans Walt gave me ready to install
 

You got mad skills Dave, quite impressive!

Yeah, I have a transmission out here he can pull! lol  :lol:

Thanks Matt. I don't know if they are mad skills or just obsession over the saying "if you want something done right, do it yourself". lol Unfortunately I didn't follow that one the first time around with this transplant. :(

Becky, I'd be happy to help pull the trans, but I think you are a ways away from me! lol

Well today I had to go to two different sprint stores, one being a service center, to have my sister and my wife's phones looked at. I have been battling an ongoing issue with them since we added my sister to my account and fixing the problem has been drug on for FIVE MONTHS now. I spent six ours today between stores and over the phone "advanced tech support" and it's still not fixed. They have a network technician looking into the problem and will be contacting me in the morning with what they find.

So, while I was on the phone with tech support at my parent's house, I decided to move Brownie back into the garage and get a head start on the transmission before the replacement bell arrives. I got everything removed and disconnected in about 45 minutes, got the transmission off the motor and out of the car in about 10 minutes! It's so much easier to do when YOU are the one in control of the entire service! lol

Once it was off, I pulled the torque converter off, well, unfortunately the input shaft came with it. The reason the transmission didn't go in all the way is because the input shaft wasn't completely seated into the torque converter splines. The pump splines were just fine, but the T/C splines didn't match up quite right and the input shaft was jammed in. I held the input shaft with the torque converter hanging at the end, smacked it with a hammer and it STILL WOULD NOT COME OFF!

I ended it smacking the shaft to the left and right to rock it out of the splines. Once removed, no apparent damage has occurred. All the splines are in great shake, like nothing ever happened. I put the shaft back in the converter and it wouldn't line up. Turned it 45 degrees and it slid right in! It seems like some splines are wider than other and it only seats into place in a handful of spots. Just to play it safe though, I'm going to use the "unmolested" input shaft of the original transmission with it this time.

With the bell off the case, I mounted the torque converter onto the transmission just to see if it would seat into both sets of splines. With some rotations and a wee bit of jiggling it slid right into place, all the way in to where it should be. So, everything installs great now, no damages, and I'm now just waiting on the replacement bell to arrive. Autowrex told me it should be here tomorrow (Tuesday), so I might be finishing it up tomorrow night.

Here's some shots of the cracked bell for you all to see the damage.

Walt reminded me that the pump gears may be damaged from the transmission being reinstalled incorrectly. So today I pulled the front pump off for inspection. Lucky me! The gears are in great shape, no marring or scoring anywhere on the gear's torque converter mounting, no damage at all. Great news indeed! If it had been damaged, I would most likely be pulling apart the original to swap gears, but this is not the case.

I am still waiting on the bell to be shipped, they said it should be sent out in the next day or two, they are just finishing taking it apart today. Once that comes in, I'll head to Transtar first to pick up a new pump gasket and then reassemble! :D

Picked up the pump gaskets while I was downtown getting my camera. $4.80 later I've got two gaskets. :) Also picked up the pump they ordered and had shipped in for me which I will be keeping around as a spare or if someone else needs one or the gears from it. That was only $21.20. Transtar of Idaho, great place, great people, great prices! Check them out at transtar1.com.

Well about a two and a half weeks after locating that bell in Burley, I called them yesterday to find out if they had shipped it yet. Nope, they said there was a hole punched through the center of it and it was unusable and couldn't sell it to me. Okay, that's fine, would have been nice if they had let me know a week ago when they found out though!

So I went online to one of my new favorite websites, http://www.car-part.com/. I searched for what I needed and it came up at a few yards in Idaho. So I called Central Grade Auto Parts in Lewiston, they have three 1973 C4s there, and two had the bell housings. They came up in their database to fit a Pinto 71-73. They are shipping it today, should have it here by the end of the week or beginning of next. Hopefully all goes well this time!

As the old saying goes, "All's well that ends well!"  Hope it all works out this time!

Dwayne :smile:

Thanks Dwayne! We'll see if it is the correct bell once it arrives and I can compare the original with the replacement. Crossing my fingers that it isn't for a 1.6!

that is not very nice having to wait that long and getting nowhere. but carparts.com is great.
hope this bell is correct as well. phil

The bell arrived today! It's the right one to! :D

Monday comes around and Brownie should be on the road again! :D

Quote from: dave1987 on September 24, 2010, 08:03:17 PM
The bell arrived today! It's the right one to! :D

Monday comes around and Brownie should be on the road again! :D

Great news, Dave!  Things are looking up!!!

Dwayne :smile:

Transmission installed. Friend helped me get it into place then had to leave, so I had to do all of the tightening and adjustments myself, that is fine though, not much for two people to do once the trans is in place.

Also got the replacement distributor in place, as well as fixed the issue with the alternator light being on (broken wire).

Installed the rear driver's brake line and my brother helped me bleed the brakes.

Still no backup lights, need to trace the wiring and check for breaks in the harness.


Drove Brownie home to the apartment and she drives like a dream now! Smooth shifting, smooth idle, more acceleration. Very fun to drive now! Wednesday I will clean out the back so I have a back seat again.

So happy to have her back on the road again! :D

Way to go, Dave!  You'll have your better half tooling around town in that Pinto before you know it!  Keep up the good work!

Dwayne :smile:

Well, I took it to the alignment shop yesterday and had to walk a mile to my parents house (not far at all) to get the 78' so I could go pay bills. Before returning home, I stopped by the shop and picked up the keys before they closed, and later that night my wife went with me to go pick up Brownie!

Well, last night was the first time she has EVER driven a Pinto! :D The first words out of her mouth when getting in were "The steering wheel is huge!" lol. She also now realizes how smoothly rack and pinion steering really is (she swore it had power steering until I told her), and she really likes how smooth the ride is! I think we may have a new Pinto Lover in the family! :D :D :D

YAY!!! That means chances are you're keeping Brownie, right?!?  :D

Quote from: dave1987 on September 30, 2010, 12:28:35 PM
I think we may have a new Pinto Lover in the family! :D :D :D

I knew once you got her behind the wheel, she'd come around!!!  Congratulations!
Dwayne :smile:

Went out to JJ a couple days ago and got the vibration dampener for the transmission off the 73' wagon in their yard. I also pulled the rear license plate lamp to have as a spare and the brackets that hold the rear bumper to the car (Brownie's are bent and the bumper sits higher on the passenger side). Not much good on that car, might as well get what I can use.

So I went out to work on Brownie today. I got the rear right taillight replaced with the non-damaged one I got from the junk yard, looks much better now!

While I was out, I took a meter to the wiring to figure out the backup lamp issue. While I still haven't tracked down the backup lamp issue, I did find a melted wire in the dash wire harness. It's red with a green tracer. It goes to the fuse for the dome light, washer fluid pump, radio and backup-lamp fuse. I suppose it could be the issue though, I won't know if it's the issue until I can replace the wire and reinstall the harness. Let's hope!

i would try rippin the starter apart and cleaning the (gummie) stuff out of it, just mark the outside of the starter with a scribe so you clock it right and see whats goin on inside  they sell rebuild kits for like 25 dollars. good luck and nice wagon!!! :)

The starter works great, doesn't stick or anything. The melted wire most likely happened when I first got the car and put a battery in it to see if it would crank. The starter relay was connected backwards with the ignition wire on the wrong post.

Wire replaced, and I got the backup lamps working as well, had the wrong bulbs in. I had to change the sockets to use 1156 bulbs though, but it's now legal for me to drive backwards! :D

Now I have another electrical issue! lol

I found the ball bearing for the ignition switch on the floor while I was cleaning up the mess I made, that would explain why the switch doesn't stay in place or "notch" into each position! Luckily, I pulled the ignition switch from the 73 wagon at the junk yard yesterday while I was getting the driver's side tail light assembly and wiring harness.

EDIT: Not sure why it posted the first picture twice. Sorry.

Finally, a series of updates of Brownie! :D They may not be in sequence, I have had a crazy work schedule and just got over from being sick last week, so I haven't had the chance or time to post anything new. Here we go!

As discussed, Brownie has a new transmission! :D These first few pictures are from the time of the transmission transplant, the pictures of the neutral safety switch are of when I rebuilt it during Brownie's down time.

1) Brownie sat like this for around 3 weeks, propped up on jack stands, while waiting for the replacement bell housing. Poor girl.... :(

2) The back of Brownie was stuffed full of Pinto parts that I didn't have a chance to unload at storage before the transmission swap began.

3) The replacement transmission sat beneath the car without the bell on it for about two weeks, this was after I got the input shaft off the torque converter, thankfully everything was still okay after the trans was installed improperly!

While I waited for the replacement bell housing to arrive, I decided to take a look at the neutral safety switch and determine whether or not it was the reason the backup lamps didn't work. As I figured out later, it was actually the lamp sockets, however I believe the switch was part of the original problem.

1) To begin dis-assembly of the switch, I had to drill the securing "posts" or "rivets". I didn't go completely through as I never planned to reassemble it with nuts and bolts.

2) Upon opening the switch I found this (see picture 2). The barrel type brass piece rolls through the switch making contact on two copper contacts on the opposite side of the switch. Somehow the brass barrel contact rolled out of it's "seat" on the right side of the plastic fan shaped part (the switch cam) inside the switch body.

3) This is the side of the switch which has all of the copper contacts which the wires of the switch are connected to. The brass rollers in the switch cam make contact with these copper contacts. Which contacts it bridges depends on which position the cam is in (controlled by the shift cam on the transmission). One brass roller is for the starting circuit, the other is for the backup lamps.

4) Shown here (picture 4) is all of the internal parts and the body of the switch dis-assembled and cleaned, ready for lubricant on the non-electrical parts and reassembly!

More of the neutral start switch:

1) Close up of the contact board side of the switch.

2) Close up of the switch cam.

3) Close up of the brass rollers and the springs they sit on top of.

4) The switch cam with the springs installed and the brass rollers in their place.

thats alot of work man.

Last of the Neutral Safety Switch:

1) Originally there was a gasket between the contact board and the metal body of the switch. Since I couldn't salvage it, I cut one out of some DIY gasket material. It took a lot of trimming and time, but it fits snug and gets the job done!

2) The body of the switch with the gasket in place

3 & 4) The switch reassembled. I used some stainless steel hex screws and nuts to hold it together. I ended up drilling through the housing where the rivets originally were, but everything still fits perfectly on the transmission and the switch works like new!

Chad, it really was, but I find it worth it. I wouldn't have purchased Brownie if I didn't think I could fix any of it myself. She was pretty far gone when I bought here but she is making a slow recovery back to grace. I love doing things like the Neutral Safety Switch, it's enlightening seeing how it works and how simple it really is. Now whenever I shift gears, I think of the switch moving around and the contacts doing their thing! :) :P


After Brownie's first alignment in over a decade, I had Sarah (my wife) drive her home, it was late but we got her home and Sarah said she drives great! :D While driving back home I snapped a couple pictures of her driving Brownie ahead of me, I've never followed another Pinto before! :)

I also snapped a shot of her parked at work one day! :)

Backup lamp and wire harness work.

1 & 2) After a lot of troubleshooting, pulling wire harnesses, testing wires, checking sockets, adapting the backup lamp sockets to standard ones, I got the backup lamps working! And WOW are they bright! :D

3) Here's one of the wires I replaced in the main dash harness. It ran from fuse block to the ignition switch, I'm guessing it burnt out/melted when I first tried to start Brownie, and the starter solenoid was connected wrong/shot. And to think this couldn't have put the car up in flames in a matter of seconds!  :hypno:

Now that we are up to date, I can post what I did today! :D
 
  So about a week ago my wife and I were driving around running errands   and we noticed the car was rattling/knocking/shuddering badly. This   happened in every gear, park through 1, even neutral. It seemed to be   consistent in every gear, just louder in gears forward and reverse   gears.
 
  So today I finally got the chance to take the car to my parents and take   a look underneath to see what it was. The first thing I noticed was the   transmission mount. The transmission wasn't even suspended! It was   literally SITTING on the transmission cross member, due to the rubber   mount breaking in half!  :hypno: This   probably happened because of how fluid soaked the rubber was from the   originally transmission spraying/leaking fluid all over it for years.   I'm just glad it didn't do any more damage than it did. The rubber mount   sure swelled up though!
 
  1) What is left of the original mount (split in two)
 
  2) Rubber side which mounts to the cross member
 
  3) Metal side which mounts to the transmission
 
  4) How small the metal side is compared to the rubber (they should be the same size!)
 

Fortunately I had a spare mount in my stash of parts. It isn't perfect and it's used, but it will hold up well for awhile longer!

1) Here is what the mount SHOULD look like!

2) And another view

3) A comparison between the two mounts. Now you can really see how much the original mount swelled up!

The good news is, Brownie runs nice and quiet now, no shudder, no vibration or shaking, and the shift lever doesn't wobble back and forth while giving the car gas anymore! :D

Dave, the more I look the prettier Brownie gets (to me).  I am tickled you're keeping her.  ;D

Well, I can't upload anymore pictures, it appears my upload folder is full. I guess I've hit my picture cap! lol I wonder if scott can help me out here.

You might be a bit upset with me though, Becky. I swapped out the original AM radio for an 80s model AM/FM/Cassette deck that my dad bought new back in 87. He intended to use it in my blue 78, but never got around to installing it. So now Brownie is sporting a "brand new" fancy stereo system! :D The AM radio just wasn't workings as well as it did 37 years ago, I couldn't pickup any stations without having to readjust the dial every five seconds to get the channel back!

Don't get to upset, the radio face plate was NOT butchered! It looks like a very professional install and works great. I think you might actually like the look. It matches the black and brown interior she has right now! :)

Dave, with radios I'm not too upset (Brownie IS your car! lol) and I don't blame you a bit doing that. AM here is crappy at best. There are TWO music stations in English, and one is so-called jazz. I swear they have 15 versions of The Lady Is A Tramp and Straighten Up And Fly Right. lol. The other one I think is rock... everything else is either talk shows or Spanish-language music (gag). Oh, to be able to play my ipod without a bunch of hardware... :-\

But yeah... in my own cars I plan on them staying stock. Wildfire might be the exception... her radio bezel was already cut to accomodate an after-market stereo. Sadly that stereo blew out her one speaker, so it's very likely I'll just get her a new stereo system. That is, when the money comes rolling in... ::)

I'm thrilled you approve! :D I do listen to 70's and early 80's music on it though, very suitable! :D

That's to bad the speaker on wildfire blew out! The same thing happened on Brownie, I actually went through three different original Pinto speakers before I gave up and jimmy rigged a 6 1/2" speaker in place! lol. It isn't perfect but it works great! :)

You gotta do what you gotta do. The one thing I won't do is moiunt speakers on the doors. I prefer them hidden.

It irritates me that itunes messed up a previous application where I could make my own playlists. I had a playlist for the mountains, one for Pinto-era music ('70s greats), and rainy day music. All gone. Whatever latest version of itunes I installed took my playlists away, so now I'm afraid to install any more "latest versions" of the damn thing. What else will it take away!?

Sorry about the rant. I was thinking about playing my ipod when I hit the San Diego area mountains in a couple days but my Mountains plasylist is gone. I'm still taking my Ruby RedHot though. I'll just have to play the music I desire in my head... :-\

Dave, remember you don't need mine, or anyone's approval for what you do with Brownie- she's yours. I myself prefer stock but it's not my place to dictate to anyone what they can or should do with their cars, but I appreciate your approving of my approval. :hypno:

Of coarse, Becky, she is mine and I can do what I please.

However I would like to implement something from the forums and the members to this car as without the PCCA I wouldn't be as into Pintos as I am, nor would I know anything about cars to begin with. I didn't even know what an oil filter looked like prior to working on my Pinto! :P

EDIT: Last seven pictures added above

Here is the stereo after installation. This is the original box the radio came in from sears. My dad purchased this deck back in 1987 with the intentions of installing it in my blue '78, but never got around to it. It finally is being used, and in a Pinto no less! :D It actually looks pretty darn nice! :D

And the last but not least of the updates, the seat belt extension I had made! :)

I couldn't get the rear seat belts to go around my daughter's car seat, so I had to have an extension made. Odd that the 78 belts fit but the 73's belts don't.

I was thinking of using a set of belt buckles from the spare 78 belts I have in storage, but they don't use the same size latches as the 73 does. Also odd. The 73 station wagon at the junk yard has the same size buckles as my 78, but MY 73 station wagon (Brownie) uses small buckles! Is this a difference between early and late production 73 model Pintos??

I ended up pulling the seat belt latch from a 72 Thunderbird. I found the back seat easiest to get the belts from. For the blade buckle, I actually took the entire center belt with the blade buckle on it, that way the extension is adjustable!

Here's a couple pictures of it. I'm quite proud of my idea for it being adjustable! :D Now I can buckle cargo in as well! ;) :P

A simple but resourceful idea!  Glad you worked it out!

Dwayne :smile:

Thanks Dwayne!

Looks like it's time for me to pick up a cassette player/recorder from the thrift store next time I am there so I can put some of my Niel Diamond on tape to drive around to. It's what I grew up to while on road trips with the family. Richard Marx, now that's what I grew up to while riding around in my 78 Pinto with my dad! :D

Nothing like going retro!  I actually have factory cassette players in two of my vehicles... the Lincoln Mark VIII and the Dodge Durango.  My two '79 Lincolns have 8-tracks players (you're probably too young to remember those).  My Pinto has never even had a radio!!!

Dwayne :smile:

I may be to young to remember 8-tracks, but I do know the technology. I used to have a player and three or four ta9es back when I collected old technology to tinker with. A thrift store here always has a stack of 8-track tapes available.

I shoved some of that butyl rubber cord into the gaps around the windshield. Hopefully this will help to reduce the amount of water draining inside the car until spring time when I can put the replacement windshield in.

Speaking of eight-track tapes, one of the neatest thing I ever had happen to me was when I had my Collector's Series Continental professionally repainted about five years ago.  The body shop had the car for seven weeks, working on it between other jobs (collision repair is their "bread & butter", not restorations) and nearly everyone in the shop had a hand in it at some point.  When I picked up the finished product, I discovered a box full of eight-track tapes that the guys had collected sitting on the back seat.  What a thoughtful gift!  Some of the guys told me they had really gotten attached to that car because it was there so long and turned out so beautifully. 

Dwayne :smile:

I remember you talking about that, either in another thread or in the shout box awhile ago! That's so cool! So do you still stay in contact with them?

Yeah, actually I do.  They had done other work for me before, and have since.  They've told me the coffee pot is always on so feel free to stop in - so I visit them a couple of times a year.  The last job they did for me was to swap out the rear bumper on my Mark V.  Due to the weight of the thing it's a three-man job, and I decided I'd rather pay them to do it.  The original one had rusted through and I found a rust-free Arizona replacement on eBay.  They do great work and have always treated me well price-wise.

Dwayne :smile:

 I do like your cassette deck it looks and fits very nice.
Luke

Thank you Luke!

So I feel very stupid right now. Yesterday I was going to drive Brownie to work. I couldn't because she wouldn't start, first thing I thought was it was a dead battery. I didn't have time to jump it so I took the 78.

I just got back inside from getting her going again. I tried jump starting, no luck, not even a click from the starter. I checked the ignition switch wiring, the starter solenoid wiring, and even looked for some type of fuse on the block for the ignition, NOTHING!

Just before I put everything away to head inside and say bye to the family, I looked inside the car. Sure enough! Somehow I bumped the shift lever to the Drive position and never thought to check! lol Shifted to drive and she started right up!

DOH!  :accident:

Those of you who store your Pintos for the winter are smart! I found out how much of a bummer it is to scrape the frost off of all six windows before driving! lol

Looks like it's time to swap out the rear glass for the defrost one I have in storage!

Drove Brownie to and from work today. Tonight the roads were totally covered in snow and extremely slick. I was coming down the road to home and made a left turn and wouldn't stop sliding half way through my turn! I ended up hitting a street sign going about 5 mph. The sign tipped, Brownie drove away without a scratch. It hit with the front bumper.

Pintos, much as we love them, make really lousy snow cars!  I learned that all the way back in 1974!  Glad you and Brownie are okay!

Dwayne :smile:

Thanks Dwayne! I found it rather amusing. We will see how well the blue pinto does tonight with the studded snow tires. I had to dig the car out of the snow about an hour ago, and with the help of a friend pushing we got it out of the parking space into one that the snow isn't as high.

Dave:  When I was younger I chanced driving my little 71 trunk model in the snow, but I'm not so brave now.  My Pintos are tucked away for the winter.  Have a Happy Holiday Season.  Larry :police:

The blue 78 did okay, not as nice as the wagon did last night, but then again the snow is packed down and slicker tonight.

Larry, I don't like driving the Pintos in the snow either, but it's all I have right now. I hope some day I will be able to afford the 3/4 ton 75 chevy w/4 wheel drive and won't have to worry as much.

I picked up a dual cassette recorder from the thrift store today. $10.00, not bad at all!

Even better, it is the exact same one my dad uses, and what I was wanting! A Pioneer CT-W701R.

Now to start recording some of the music from my computer to tape! :D

This is the first part of my true home theater system, next up will be an amp/receiver with digital optical input and some nice tower speakers (which i may build myself).

Got an order put together and ready to go on rockauto.com for when my tax refund comes in!

Brownie will be getting:

New motor mounts
2x new valve cover gaskets (one as a spare for later)
New valve stem seals

I have a blower motor on the way, should be here in the next week or so, and I already have a new wheel for it.



Also, I will be ordering a dash cap, carpet kit and windshield gasket off ebay!

Brownie should be styling and ready for summer fun by June! :D

Brownie this year, nearly exactly a year after I got her.

Delivered 12-10-10

Posted Picture 11-23-10

Almost looks the same! lol

Got the backup lamp on the passenger side working! :D Turns out it was the center pole on the bottom of the bulb, it was so mashed down it wasn't making proper contact, or shorting.

I put some foam insulation strip stuff I purchased at Home Depot to use around the doors on the body side. It's made for automotive doors, and has been working great on my 78 for the past three years. The original door seals are not really dry, they are still pretty pliable, just to compressed to seal properly. The door rattle has gone away, that's a plus. Forecast says rain for the next 4-5 days, we'll see how well it seals up!

Good news! She doesn't leak as much anymore! :D Now just waiting until the 15th when I can start working on her major stuff!

Today my federal tax refund in, so I paid off some bills and loans and ordered parts for the cars.

Brownie is getting:


Transmission Vacuum Modulator
Windshield Gasket
Windshield Urethane Sealant/Adhesive
Carburetor Rebuild Kit
Cylinder Head Set
Wiper Blades
Windshield Washer Pump
Door Hinge Bushings
Front Brake Hoses
Rear Brake Hoses
Dash Cap Overlay
New Carpet


I will be going out to a yard in Caldwell in the next week or two, to pull the factory A/C blower motor and shoulder belt mounting bolt cover/hanger from some Pintos, I may have to pull the blower from a Mustang Mach 1 or early 70s Maverick if all else fails. Wish me luck!

Also, I'm going to try to get hardened seats installed on the 2.0 to make it actually last and run WELL on unleaded gasoline without any additives. Time will tell.

Quote from: dave1987 on January 29, 2011, 02:58:02 AM
Good news! She doesn't leak as much anymore! :D Now just waiting until the 15th when I can start working on her major stuff!

Today my federal tax refund in, so I paid off some bills and loans and ordered parts for the cars.

Brownie is getting:


Transmission Vacuum Modulator
Windshield Gasket
Windshield Urethane Sealant/Adhesive
Carburetor Rebuild Kit
Cylinder Head Set
Wiper Blades
Windshield Washer Pump
Door Hinge Bushings
Front Brake Hoses
Rear Brake Hoses
Dash Cap Overlay
New Carpet


I will be going out to a yard in Caldwell in the next week or two, to pull the factory A/C blower motor and shoulder belt mounting bolt cover/hanger from some Pintos, I may have to pull the blower from a Mustang Mach 1 or early 70s Maverick if all else fails. Wish me luck!

Also, I'm going to try to get hardened seats installed on the 2.0 to make it actually last and run WELL on unleaded gasoline without any additives. Time will tell.

     Sounds like you've got a plan, my friend!  I wish you well!

     Dwayne :smile:

Thanks Dwayne!

I picked up a good amount of the parts Saturday, just waiting for the transmission and motor mounts to come in from the O'Reilly's warehouse, might be tomorrow. Somehow the shocks got left off the order or lost in the store somewhere and they are supposed to call me tomorrow morning about what's going on with that.

The carpet left Georgia today, I'm guessing Friday or Monday when it comes in.

The dash cap overlay arrived this afternoon.

I had the shoulder belts remade and they are WONDERFUL! Easier to adjust and the elastic band that the belt hangs with is new, so the belts is held up along the headliner nicely now! Also found the buckle hanger/bolt cover at the junkyard today (from an early 70s thunderbird), so now both sides hang up and out of the way!

I also found a good blower motor! YAY! $35.00 from the junk yard, came out of a 73 Maverick. That sure beats the $114 for one from O'Reillys!

Just waiting to see when the defog system shows up from Fred. Should be sometime this week!

I picked up the head set kit from O'Reillys today and ordered the new valve seats.

The rear defog system arrived from Fred today and the windshield gasket arrived as well!

Just waiting for the engine mounts and the transmission mount to come in from O'Reillys as well. They were warehouse ordered and take a little while longer than the rest of my parts, to be shipped in.

The shocks didn't arrive next day like they were supposed to, we think that the place we ordered them from forgot to include them with my initial order, so I'm waiting for those to arrive as well.

Once the carpet arrives (which is the farthest away) I have everything ready to begin work and just have to wait for my vacation to start! :D


2-4-11 - Shocks, motor and transmission mount arrived today. Waiting on the valve seats, not sure if I will use them or not though. Carpet is scheduled to arrive Tuesday!


2-7-11 Still waiting for the valve seats to arrive, but I did get some information together. From my research, I should only need to replace the exhaust seats with hardened ones. The Intake should be fine. I called my machine shop and they said they will do the four exhaust seats for $75.00 as long as the head is clean and no carbon is present. Also about the transmission not liking third gear right away...I'm going to pull the valve body out for inspection and a good cleaning, and try notching the 2-3 servo like others seem to be doing (which apparently helps some.


2-8-11 Valve seats arrived! Also went by home depot to get some carpet padding to redo the roof insulation. I bought some tan carpet to use in the cargo area as well. Not a perfect color match but I plan to make a vinyl canvas to cover the cargo area with in the future.

Got a lot of involved work done on the car today. I've decided not to install the hardened valve seats in fear of them falling out over time and completely trashing the motor.

I do now have a spare 2.0 head in great shape which I picked up at the junk yard this morning for $35.00 - everything including the camshaft. I will have pictures of it soon. The valves need lapped but other than that it's in GREAT shape aside from the #4 exhaust valve being adjusted with way to much clearance. I torn it down to nothing and cleaned it up really well with a wire wheel on the grinder and some engine brite.

Once the head was done and after having lunch with my brother and picking up my phone from repair, I started the real work on the car!

I got the carpet out and messed up my right hand middle finger in the process, which will make it a bit harder to turn a wrench. I didn't have any band aids at my parents so I stuck a cotton ball on the end of the finger and wrapped it up with electrical tape. lol. Kept it clean with a glove over it!

Once the carpet was out I began inspection of the floor pan(s). Rust on both sides, but only the right side has one soft spot which went through with the screwdriver test. It's about 1/2" long and 1/4" wide, in the center fold/channel. The big 4" x 2" metal plug behind the driver's seat in the floor pan popped out due to all of the moisture making the seem sealer weak. I need to clean off the old seem sealer and reinstall the plug.

Next was the heater/AC condenser box. Now THAT was NOT fun! I ended up cutting the hoses on the engine side because they were SO STUCK to the core that they wouldn't twist, even after I cut them! More rust found at the fresh air cowl hole. It goes through in one spot 1/4" circle. The paint and stuff is gone but the metal is solid!

Once I pulled the heater core out of the box (which isn't very easy to do on a factory AC car!), I moved to the windshield.

This car REALLY BAKED for half it's life! The windshield gasket wasn't pliable in ANY spots! It was like breaking plastic around the entire windshield just to get it free from the "gasket". The glass came out in one piece though! Regardless of the huge crack that goes from the passenger side bottom and across to the driver's side stopping just past the rear view mirror. The glass didn't creek or chip or flex, it's all in one piece surprisingly!

Here is the plan for tomorrow.

Pick up seem sealer for the floor and drop off the heater core for pressure test and sealing if necessary.

Back to the garage to clean up the remains of the windshield gasket and clean the window frame.

While waiting for my assistant to show up and help with the windshield, I will begin wire wheeling the floor, then weld up the hole in the passenger floor and attempt a repair on the cowl. Once the rust removal is done and welding finished, I can hit the metal with some rust inhibitor and then primer and paint it to protect.

By the time I'm finished with the floors and cowl the heater core should be ready to pick up. I'll go get that and then reassemble the heater/AC box and replace the blower motor (original one is TRASHED). Once it's all put back together, it should be good to be reinstalled.

While my assistant is changing the pan gasket on his thunderbird's transmission, I can install the heater box. Once that's done we can install the windshield together and I can seal it all up with urathene windshield sealant/adhesive.

It should be lunch time by then!

Once lunch is done I can drop the headliner and hang the new carpet padding on the inside roof. Once that's done it's time to reassemble the interior with the new carpet and dash cap!

We will see how much time is left in the day from there. It's pretty basic stuff from there on out. Valve stem seals, valve adjustment, motor and transmission mounts, rear shocks, washer pump replacement, and pull the stuck bolts out of the head for the alternator bracket.

Ugh, I'm tired just thinking about it.

I'm tired just reading it! lol. That's a lot of major stuff! :o

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you, Dave!  Good luck!

Dwayne :smile:

Yesterday I finished the crazy stuff today I get to put it back together!

The windshield and back windows are replaced, floors repaired, and the heater core tested without any issues. Also installed new core hoses and cleaned up the inside roof.

Today I'm going to start with putting the headliner back in and reassembling the interior, then I can move onto under the hood. Here we go again!

Last week as my "vacation" was surely a vacation from Jack In The Box,   but I spent nearly 15-16 hours each day, five days in a row, trying to   get Brownie's major stuff finished while I have my parents house to work   at. I stopped feeling physical aches and pains after the third day, I   think my body just got used to stretching and bending in odd directions   after that! lol
 
  I would post pictures but the site is being funky right now. So here's what I actually got done last week:
 
 
  Repaired rusted floors and cowl
 
  Replaced windshield
 
  Replaced rear window
 
  Installed rear defog system
 
  Replaced passenger area carpet
 
  Installed dash cap
 
  Insulated the roof
 
  Replaced rear shocks
 
  Replaced front and rear brake lines
 
  Replaced fuel pump
 
  Rebuilt the carburetor
 
  Replaced transmission mount
 
  Replaced motor mounts
 
  Replaced heater blower motor
 
  Tested heater core (and it passed)
 
  Replaced turn signal switch
 
  Replaced windshield washer pump
 
  Adjusted valves and points
 
  Replaced spark plugs and wires
 
  Completed cylinder compression check (all cylinders around 120 psi)
 
  Adjusted all linkages for the transmission
 
  Removed the sheered off bolts in the head for the alternator mount and replaced with new bolts
 
 
 
  Out of all of those, the MOST time consuming were the motor mounts, the   carpet, and everything with the heater box. The rest of it was fairly   easy.
 
  Chem-Dip is a GREAT solvent for cleaning carburetor parts. I soaked the   parts in it for four hours then removed them and cleaned everything off   with carburetor cleaner, finishing the cleaning process by blowing   compressed air through all of the passages.
 
  I have some good pictures of the windshield and rear window install   which I hope will help some members with windshield replacement.


The only thing I didn't get done was the rear carpet, which I could technically do here at the apartment.

After starting brownie up she's now leaking somewhere from the front of the motor. I believe it's the valve cover gasket around the front cam tower. The cover has a deep groove along the front at the top of the tower and I don't believe I put enough sealant there. I don't have any time this week to play with it, so before I drive her home I will have to wait for the new cover gasket to arrive (It's special order from Denver and the holiday didn't help any).

Sitting in her and driving her down the street is soo much different now! New carpet, new dash cap, working heater, no vibrations, and all the proper adjustments make her shift better. The rebuild carburetor makes her run smoother, and I can see out the windshield without any cracks in the way! It's like driving an entirely different car! :D
 

It would be nice to have a vacation, I would be able to get so much done lol . Im glad you got that far man thats alot of work to get done in a short time

Yeah, I think I tried doing TOO much, because I was getting really frustrated towards the end. I was so sick and tired of working on that damn thing! lol

Today I went back to my parents house to clean up the garage, since I left it trashed.

While there I dumped a bucket of water (small amounts at a time) on the windshield to see if it was sealed up or not. NEGATIVE!!! It looked like a sprinkler was shut off and dripping when I opened the door! lol

So I opened the second tube of SRP Velocity urethane after cleaning the glass and the gasket while ensuring they were dry before application of the sealer. I reapplied the sealant between the glass and the outside gasket really well with some excess that I will remove next week after replacing the valve cover gasket again.

Here is a link to the urethane sealant/adhesive I have had used and am using on my Pintos with good success!

http://totalseal.shatrproof.com/products/ShatRProof/SRP-Velocity-/index.html (http://totalseal.shatrproof.com/products/ShatRProof/SRP-Velocity-/index.html)


While there I stuck the PCCA white vinyl sticker on the rear window and put the rubber floor mats back into the car. Also tightened down the steering wheel bolt and put the horn button back on. Should be all finished except for the rear carpet and the valve cover gasket. Once those are finished next week I can start driving her again and get some nice pictures taken for you all!

Nice work Dave. You should be proud of your progress. By the time I am finished, I will also have what amounts to be a new car. I can't wait!!

Chris

Dave,
You may not have gotten much rest, but it sounds like you put your vacation time to good use!  Congratulations on getting so much accomplished!
Dwayne :smile:

Holy cow did you make a ton of progress. Major kudos to you! I cant wait to see updated photos and hear how the drives go! Sure wish I had the money to make progress like that on Dolly! All in due time I guess!

Dave Great Work.  I'm curious:  Do you live in Idaho, your licenses plate looks like Idaho?  What did you pay for the wagon?   I live near Portland Oregon and I just got back from So. Calif. Lancaster, where I bought a rust free 1975 Pinto Squire Wagon (woodie) for $1,500 off Craigslist.  It is in excellent condition but needs various work done on the interior and some electrical.  I plan on switching it over to a 5 speed manual trannie as I restore it.  I am a woodworker by trade and I plan on replacing all of the plastic and aluminum wood with real Maple and Mahogany.
Keep up the nice work on Brownie!

Thanks everyone, comments and kudos are much appreciated. Although it may be a little bit before I feel the urge to work on her again, the major stuff is done and took a ton of stuff of my to-do list from when I first purchased the car.


Dale, I do live in Idaho! I paid $250 for the wagon from a gentleman by the name of Darrell in December of 2009. Nearly everything has been done on this car aside from rebuilding the motor and the rear axle, but the motor still runs strong with only 91k miles on it, and the axle will be swapped out for one of the same gear ratio but with only 25k miles. I can't do the axle swap until I get the 8" in my 78 Sedan though, since the 25k mile axle is currently on the 78.

My parents live in Milwaukie Oregon and keep eyes out for Pintos for me. Perhaps my dad will spot your station wagon and send me some pictures! :)

The city of Emmett hosts southern Idaho's largest car show every year in July after the cherry festival, it would be great to see you drop in if you are heading this direction some time during July!

I stopped by the parents house while in Boise returning some things at stores. The seal between the glass and the gasket is good, and the leak isn't as bad as it was before, but it's still leaking somewhere...

Next week I will have to pull the trim off again and check the bottom of the gasket where it meets the body, as well as pull the fenders out and check the cowl welds and seals, hopefully those are still okay.

Dave, here is a Craigslist 1971 Pinto.  It's just across the river from Portland in a small town called Battleground.  $500 and I'll bet the guy is negotiable and just wants the car gone.  I'd love to have it but I've already got more on my plate than I can keep up with, so I hope someone here takes advantage of the Pinto.
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/2231332872.html

So I went to my parents house today with the plan to clean out the cowl drains and seal the windshield around the gasket to stop all the water leaks,then change the valve cover gasket to stop the oil leak. It turned into a lot more!

I removed the fenders for better access to the cowl drains and inspection. I found what I was afraid of... Rust! Not surface rust either, it had eaten into the car just below the cowl metal on both the passenger and driver sides. On the driver side it had started to go around to the firewall. Without hesitation I pulled out the sheet metal sheers and cut it all out. About four hours of work later I has welded patch panels into place, ran completely out of gas for the wire feed welder and seem sealed. All of the seams on both sides.

So what I was hoping to be a 6-7 hour day turned into a 12 hour day of battling rust! I will have pictues up soon hopefully.

I was hoping to bring Brownie home tonight but the passenger side headlamp is out. I bought some replacements and will put them in tomorrow though and drive her home! :D

Now the turn signals arn,t working on the 78... :(

I have a question. What would cause my passenger side headlight not to come on until I smack the fender near the headlight?

I have replaced the bulbs on both sides and the socket on the passenger side and it still is acting the same....

my moms car did that. hers was a 78 CW was the wires farther in the fender well. Id look at that first.

Were they frayed or broken? Or just so oxidized they weren't conducting?

Quote from: dave1987 on March 02, 2011, 02:17:52 AM
So I went to my parents house today with the plan to clean out the cowl drains and seal the windshield around the gasket to stop all the water leaks,then change the valve cover gasket to stop the oil leak. It turned into a lot more!

I removed the fenders for better access to the cowl drains and inspection. I found what I was afraid of... Rust! Not surface rust either, it had eaten into the car just below the cowl metal on both the passenger and driver sides. On the driver side it had started to go around to the firewall. Without hesitation I pulled out the sheet metal sheers and cut it all out. About four hours of work later I has welded patch panels into place, ran completely out of gas for the wire feed welder and seem sealed. All of the seams on both sides.

So what I was hoping to be a 6-7 hour day turned into a 12 hour day of battling rust! I will have pictues up soon hopefully.

I was hoping to bring Brownie home tonight but the passenger side headlamp is out. I bought some replacements and will put them in tomorrow though and drive her home! :D

Now the turn signals arn,t working on the 78... :(

Ack! I know the "heartbreak" of cowl rust. When I first got my car, the leaking was so bad, the floor pans would fill with water every time it rained. Only removal of the windshield allowed me to really address the issue (as well as understand the rust in the floorboards), and now all is sealed, secured, repaired, repainted. Sorry for the trouble Dave - but it's a blessing you found it and took care of it!

Chris

Honestly dont know. We just replaced the wiring with new wires from the Switch to the headlights.

Well it doesn't seem to bad right now, I think I can deal with it until I can get my 78 finished for this year. Hopefully they haven't scrapped the 73 wagon at my regular junk yard and I can get out there to pull it's harness.

I'm working on finding a good online photo sharing site with decent storage space, bandwidth limits and organization to upload photos to, as I feel the site is getting overloaded with photos and video with as many projects going on right now.

Haven't had time to upload photos, so pictures will be on hold.

The 78 has the 8" in it now, so Brownie will be getting the low mileage (28k-ish) 3.40 geared axle assembly some time before the Emmett car show in July.


The C4 transmission is still flaring from 2nd to 3rd when cold, it's better after warming up.

I ordered two valve body gaskets and two 2-3 shift valves, as well as a shift improver kit for the transmission, last night. I'm thinking the spring in the valve body for the 2-3 shift is just weak, or the valve sticking and needs polished. Either way, I am pulling the valve body out of Brownie's original transmission and putting it in the newly rebuilt in that is in the car now. I just need the shift kit to arrive so I can pull the valve body apart and clean it up really well and do an air check on all of the vacuum passages while it's out.

Shift kit was installed last week, drove it some over the weekend (since it is my weekend driver). WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE!

With the two check balls that I left out along with the hockey puck valve, shifts are quite firm and it has no real problem shifting into third now!

It shifts hard into second, and smoothly into third every time without hesitation. Since I know this is kind of a band-aid fix, it's time to start rebuilding the original transmission and to swap the same valve body into it, just a matter of time and money. I will be putting the better 6 3/4 axle from my 78 into her while I have the transmission out for swapping.

Pictures of Brownie's first 2011 repairs/restoration will be posted soon, I just found a good site to host photos from!

Here is a link to images I will be posting with captions. I don't have time now to do it, but I will get them all up through-out the week!

Enjoy!

http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/

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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/partsspring2011.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/partsspring2011.jpg)


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!

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/interiorstripped2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/interiorstripped2.jpg)

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!

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/carpetremoved1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/carpetremoved1.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/carpetremoved2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/carpetremoved2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/carpetremoved3.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/carpetremoved3.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/driverrearplug.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/driverrearplug.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/driversiderust.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/driversiderust.jpg)


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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/floorcleaned1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/floorcleaned1.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/floorcleaned2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/floorcleaned2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/floorcleaned3.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/floorcleaned3.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/floorcleaned4.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/floorcleaned4.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/floorcleaned5.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/floorcleaned5.jpg)

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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/floorinstallation2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/floorinstallation2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/floorinstallation1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/floorinstallation1.jpg)


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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/dashcrack1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/dashcrack1.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/dashcrack2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/dashcrack2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/dashcrack4.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/dashcrack4.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/dashcapinstall.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/dashcapinstall.jpg)

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...

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustdriveside2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustdriveside2.jpg)


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:

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustremoveddrivers.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustremoveddrivers.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustremoveddrivers2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustremoveddrivers2.jpg)


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!

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustrepaireddrivers4.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustrepaireddrivers4.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustrepaireddrivers.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustrepaireddrivers.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustrepaireddrivers2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustrepaireddrivers2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustrepaireddrivers3.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustrepaireddrivers3.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustrepaireddrivers3.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustrepaireddrivers3.jpg)


The passenger side received the same treatment:

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustpassengerside.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustpassengerside.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustpassengerside2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustpassengerside2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/rustremovedpassenger.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/rustremovedpassenger.jpg)

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.

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 .

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/headlinerremoved.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/headlinerremoved.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/headlinderinsulation1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/headlinderinsulation1.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/headlinderinsulation2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/headlinderinsulation2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/headlinderinsulation5.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/headlinderinsulation5.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/headlinderinsulation6.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/headlinderinsulation6.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/headlinderinsulation7.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/headlinderinsulation7.jpg)


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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/electricstaplegun.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/electricstaplegun.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/staples.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/staples.jpg)

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!

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/headlinerinstalled.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/headlinerinstalled.jpg)


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

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

Dwayne :smile:

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. :P

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/windshieldremoved.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/windshieldremoved.jpg)


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:

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/windshieldinstall1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/windshieldinstall1.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/windshieldinstall2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/windshieldinstall2.jpg)


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:

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/anglepick.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/anglepick.jpg)


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!

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/windshieldinstalled1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/windshieldinstalled1.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/windshieldinstalled2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/windshieldinstalled2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/windshieldinstalled3.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/windshieldinstalled3.jpg)



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!

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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstall1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstall1.jpg)


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:

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstall5.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstall5.jpg)


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

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstall4.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstall4.jpg)


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:

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstall3.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstall3.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstall2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstall2.jpg)


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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstall6.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstall6.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstall7.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstall7.jpg)

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!

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstalled.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstalled.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstall8.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstall8.jpg)


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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstalled3.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstalled3.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglassinstalled2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglassinstalled2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogswitch.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogswitch.jpg)

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

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!

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/sedanwagonshockcomparison.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/sedanwagonshockcomparison.jpg)


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!

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/smotormount.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/smotormount.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/passengermotormount.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/passengermotormount.jpg)


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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/carbcleaner.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/carbcleaner.jpg)

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

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/carbclean2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/carbclean2.jpg)

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/carbclean1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/carbclean1.jpg)


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):

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/alternatorbolt1.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/alternatorbolt1.jpg)


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:

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/alternatorbolt2.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/alternatorbolt2.jpg)

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.

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/dashcapon.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/dashcapon.jpg)


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

(http://imgboot.com/images/dave1987/defogglass.jpg) (http://imgboot.com/user/dave1987/73-Station-Wagon-2011-Work/defogglass.jpg)


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!

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

Dwayne :smile:

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!

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!

nice work looking good

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.......

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! :D

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!

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

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! :D

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! :P

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.

Brownie just keeps looking better and better!

Dwayne :smile:

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

Brownie looks fantastic!!!!

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.

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

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.

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. :(

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!

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

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....

After much practice and getting my "new" sewing machine to zigzag stitch again, I finished making one of the cargo covers last night using the thinner black vinyl. I think it came out pretty good! Here are some pictures:

1) The Bernina 830 Record Electronic sewing machine I use
2) Cargo cover finished (top side)
3) Cargo cover finished (bottom side)

4) Corner grommet (bottom side)
5) Corner grommet (top side)
6) Stitches for edges (two rows of zigzag stitches)

dave let me know how much you would charge to make those lol. id love to get one. that looks GREAT.

If you think this looks nice, just wait until I get the brown one done! It closely matches the factory seats!

If it comes out nice when it's installed I was thinking $20.00 or $25.00 shipped. The vinyl is about $5 for a slightly oversized sheet, and $7 for a pack of 10 grommets. Thread and needles are cheap (about $5 for both).

I'm working on finding a way to keep the "stock" appearance for mounting it. The three grommet end will be along the back seat, while the end with the two grommets will go along the tailgate.

More updates to come!

 Thanks for documenting this! I love these threads. Very inspiring.

Dave,
That is some really fantastic work!  I'm impressed.  If I had a wagon, I would want one!  You probably SHOULD offer them for sale but don't cut yourself short on the labor.  They are definitely worth more than the amount you mentioned.  Look at it this way... you're offering a product no one else has!  Keep up the good work!
Dwayne :)

id put em up for like 50 lol. atleast then you have some margin for profit to help you on other "pinto related" projects

I would take a red one for my wagon  ;D

Well, I put the tabs in that will stretch the cover over the cargo area, but two holes were required to be drilled in the side metal at the back or the tabs would flex when the cover is on. They don't look bad either, but minor drilling is required.

For the front tabs, I didn't use the rear of the seat since it wouldn't cover the cargo area properly, but behind the plastic panels on each side, I bolted the tabs between the panel and the metal. The plastic panel goes over it and all you see is a 1/2" sized tab centered with the rear most center window pillar. I plan to paint these with undercoating "paint" so it's a rubber type coating.

I will post pictures of all of this once I figure out the good way to connect the cover grommets to the mounting tabs. I did a test hang with some twist ties (that come with yard trash bags) and it stretches and covers very nicely!

Just need to see if I can find some 1" bungie cords, or make something myself with some small hooks on each end. I just needs enough to reach the 1-2" distance between the cover and the sides of the cargo area.

WOW!  I think we're kindred pinto wagon spirits!  I have a 73 brown wagon too-all dusty accessorized with several hornets nest, missing grill and spider webs.  I have the 2.0 and noticed your alternator is in front of the air cleaner-mine is not?????  I too am having electrical issues.  I have a fresh battery with no power to anything?  I'm going to replace the starter solenoid which is 20 bucks and found a new ignition switch on amazon yesterday for 15 bucks including shipping.  I'll be following your thread for progress and try to post some pics of mine as well.  Good luck to your venture and maybe we can learn from each others experiences.

Very cool! I look forward to seeing pictures and reading progress on your wagon! It sounds like you are off to a good start on fixing the electrical issues!

My alternator is in front of the air cleaner because the car came with factory A/C. I Don't use it, but I have yet to find the brackets to put the alternator on the passenger side. It was a challenge to find replacement lower driver side brackets for it! lol

Here is the cargo cover! :D

This is the brown one which actually kind of matches the interior. It is more like a thin rubber mat which is some what stretchy, but still ridged.

The black one was more of a mock up unit which is 100% functional. It is lighter, but also less durable since it is thinner, and it already has some minor damage (aka small tearing) from it being folded and unfolded. Small creases don't unfold very nicely on it. It's texture and thickness is actually nearly identical to the headliner material, minus the pattern.

Well, here are the pictures! :D

1) Cover from above
2) Cover from beneath
3) Back left corner's mounting eyelet (same as the back right)
4) Front right corner's mounting eyelet (same as front left)

I have not yet painted the mounting eyelet tabs, but they will be painted with a rubber like paint in brown if I can find it, otherwise they will be painted with black undercoating paint.

For the hardware used to mount the cover to the mounting eyelet tabs, I used four "S" hooks that I found at walmart. They are actually "S" hooks for hanging flower pots, but they work great for this application! The larger end of the hook is connected to the cover's grommet and the smaller end of the hook connects to the mounting eyelet tab. Since the cover stretches a bit, it tensions itself and stays tight!

I am planning to add a 2" loop bungie cord to the grommets on one side of the cover witch will give me something to grasp and pull the cover/hook closer to the mounting tabs when hanging the cover. But that is something minor. The important part is that it's done!

Here's some pictures from the outside!

1) Passenger Side
2) Driver Side
3) Driver Side (lower)
4) Rear

Ordered a head gasket set for Brownie today, should be in tomorrow morning. Hopefully it's just the valve stem seals leaking causing the smoking, that or the head gasket. If not, then she'll need a re-ring.

Dave, just read your build forum from start to where you are now. Incredible build!

Thank you John! I hope you found something useful or intriguing from it. :)

that cargo cover is awsome, i never even thought about it, had a factory one on my 86 mustang and loved it.! now i wan to see what i can do for the wagon.

Just finished putting the donor head back together for Brownie's 2.0. Sometime this spring it will be swapped onto the car and hopefully it takes care of the smoking issue under load, with fresh seals and head gasket.

Here's the head, cleaned up cam sprocket, and sorted bolts:

Man that sucks Dave,

Hope this solves the smoking problem. Did you do a compression test on the car? Didn't see that in previous posts.

I did about a year ago, haven't had the chance to any time recently though. Need to find time....

Well, I ordered a new set of cast iron rings, pan gasket kit, front and rear main seal kits, as well as an auxiliary shaft seal for the motor. That coupled with the freshened replacement head, the motor should be nice and sealed up, with great compression again! Should the XR700 electronic ignition turn out to be usable, if not pertronix will be used, it should have some get up and go again!

Progress. It's name be Brownie lol. Nice to hear you're doing away with icky points.

I like the points for originality but love the electronic for reliability. The swap may even give the car a little more umph.

Been refreshing the motor on Brownie with new piston rings, seals, and gaskets. I figured that while I have it all apart, I would clean as much as I could and repaint things. I know the oil pan color is originally black, but the blue is so much nicer. The block will be black, but I plan to leave the crank timing cover and the fuel pump cam cover their raw aluminum color. The intake will remain bare aluminum, as I prefer that over the black that was on it before.

Here are some pictures!

1) The oil pan before reshaping. It looked like someone parked the car on a boulder!

2) With a bit of dead blow hammer and a 1.5" wood dowel, I was able to shap the pan back to pretty much it's normal shape.

3) After getting the bad dents out, I decided to hit it with some fresh light ford blue engine paint, as well as the timing cover.

4) And painted the valve cover as well so it all matches. Still need to do the air cleaner though.

The water pump doesn't leak but I can't get a new gasket by itself, only with the purchase of a new pump. So I ended up getting a sheet of grey felpro gasket material and cut one out.

While it didn't cause any problems, it was quite an annoyance. The oil dipstick tube would come out the block whenever I would check the oil, so I used some quick setting JB Weld to keep it in place.

The distributor, like the rest of the motor was coated in oil and crud, so I cleaned it up and put a new o-ring on it. Hopefully it stays sealed up well.

Instead of raising the motor onto the mounting bolts during disassembly, I dropped the steering rack, which also made removing the starter easy, and gives more than enough clearance to work under the motor. Since I had the rack straps off, I cleaned those up as well, they look good as new! They needed A LOT of cleaning, as I couldn't tell there were any securing bolts before scraping off the inch of crud off the cross member


1) Hand cut water pump gasket

2) Oil dip stick tube secured. Correct angle?

3) Cleaned distributor

4) Steering rack mounting straps cleaned

I ordered a pertronix ignitor kit (1847V) off ebay that should arrive by the middle of next week. I will install it after I start the car and drive it around after the rebuild. I know the points system and I just want to ensure that everything goes well with the initial start up so the new rings seat properly.

Tomorrow I will be finishing cleaning the head, installing the oil pan, crank timing cover, fuel pump shaft seal, and whatever else I can get done before putting the head on. Waiting for another set of valve stem seals to come in on Tuesday and the head will go on.

Nice work Dave! That is one sharp car & gets even better every time.

Started her up for the first time last night, drove her home. I did notice there is a misfire at idle though. Not to noticeable while driving but deffinitely there during idle. Not sure if it is the plugs or the wires.

I removed the pertronix and put the points on and it still didn't help the misfire. Advanced and retarted the timing, no effect. Adjusted the fuel/air ratio, nothing.

What else might it be? I don't seem to have any vacuum leaks.

Quote from: dave1987 on March 20, 2012, 01:15:59 PM
Started her up for the first time last night, drove her home. I did notice there is a misfire at idle though. Not to noticeable while driving but deffinitely there during idle. Not sure if it is the plugs or the wires.

I removed the pertronix and put the points on and it still didn't help the misfire. Advanced and retarted the timing, no effect. Adjusted the fuel/air ratio, nothing.

What else might it be? I don't seem to have any vacuum leaks.

Dave ,
First, check plug wires while running in the dark, cross fire leaks between wires will be self evident.Change plugs , Put vacuum gauge on Intake maifold port , should be a steady 11-17 Hg of vacuum. wild swings indicate tight intake valves or possibly intakes not seating.( Not Good) Any carb adjustment that has no effect is either Mechanical, Leaks in critical areas of combustion cycle, or electrical in nature. Finally.. Leakdown tests & Compression tests.
Good hunting.. Hope the block surface was square and true, or this was a big effort yet to be repeated.
Pintosopher

We shall see. The project was fun, and kept me busy and thinking. If all else fails, I'll be getting ahold of Walt to see what he can do to help out with the spare 2.0 he's got. Hopefully it wasn't all waste.

I just got a set of premium plug wires from NAPA and the autolite 45s (copper core). If it doesn't help then I will double check the timing and valve clearances.

Will test compression and vacuum as well.

I replaced the wires with a better set and put Autolite 45's in, which helped a little bit, but the sputtering is still there.

I double checked and reset the timing today and everything is spot on. Advancing the timing makes it worse and retarding the timing seems to help a bit.

I adjusted the fuel mixture to make it bit richer and raised the curb idle a bit, and it isn't anything excessive, and doesn't want to die when idling now, but I still know something is off somewhere.


A vacuum test measured out at 15 hg with a slightly shaky needle movement, which makes me think the valves might be running a bit loose.

I can't get a compression test yet, since my gauge hose is messed up and won't thread into the plug hole.

Here are some pictures of the head work done. Sorry about the quality, they were taken using my phone, so not the greatest quality.

1) Valves (lapped) and springs with retainers on top stacked up. (keepers on the sides)

2) Followers, lifters, and keepers all clean.

3) Top of head cleaned up

4) Bottom of head cleaned up and valve seats lapped (were done with the valves)

More shots of the head being assembled. I used Sta Lube engine assembly lube (with moly graphite) on all of the lobes, followers, and lifters.

5) Valves with springs in place.

6) Camshaft and lifters in place

7) Left side of head completely reassembled

8 ) Right side of head completely reassembled

When the head was done and I could continue with the less time consuming and "easier" tasks, I moved back to the motor.

1) Four piece oil pan gasket for the 2.0. Cork gaskets for the sides and rubber for the front and rear. I use Permatex Ultra Black gasket maker sealant.

2) Crank seal/timing cover and the auxillary shaft seal cover with new seals in place.

3) I installed the timing/seal covers with a light coating of Permatex Ultra Black before sticking it to the block. These go on before the oil pan does.

4) Timing/seal covers in place.

Once that was done I could start putting the oil pan on, and then finally drop the car to the ground again. For future reference, be sure that if you complete motor work with the block still in the car, and do what I did by removing the steering rack to gain clearance to remove the pan past the crank, be sure that you put the steering rack at the same time as the oil pan. If not, you will have to pull the rack completely off the car and slide it into place from the driver side.

1) Here is the amount of clearance under the motor with the steering rack dropped.

2) Repainted oil pan in place! 8)

3) What you can see of it from above! 8)

4) I figured that while I was painting the rest of the blue stuff, I might as well do a repaint of the air cleaner too!

5) And the charcoal canister......

6) Then the steering rack went into place, so I could drop the car off the stands and work on reassembling the motor from a more comfortable height.

With the car back on the ground I could start to reassemble the front of the motor and really start putting her back together again!

1) Head gasket and distributor in place

2) Original FoMoCo water pump back in place (still running strong!)

Next up was to put the head on and install the thermostat, time the motor and put the belt on, install the intake and exhaust manifolds, and put the valve cover and timing covers back on.

1) Head installed.

2) Timing belt and thermostat in place.

3) Manifolds on!

4) Valve and timing cover on. Shiney is GOOD! :D

Last thing I had to do before reassembling was to secure the carburetor studs. When I first got the car the carb was secured with the nut like it should be, but it had another nut on top of it to lock eachother in place because the mounting studs would unscrew from the intake when removing the carb. I used some high strength thread locker on the threads and tightened them into the intake. So far so good!

I waited about a week to take these pictures of the motor fully reassembled with everything in place, because I wanted to replace the sticker on the valve cleaner with a repro one. I think it looks great! :D

1) Carburetor studs in place

2) Sticker difference between the old one (top) and new repop one (bottom)

3) Everything in place and motor running

4) Air cleaner assembly, and new again! :D

Hey that's looking really nice there Dave  8)

man that is one clean cool set up!!!

Thanks you guys! You are keeping the modivation alive!

I think I figured it out! I swapped the primary and secondary jets so the larger is on the primary now. I also switched the idle jets for the same setup. Took it for a test drive and the get up and go is there now and it isn't sputtering at idle now. i havent yet adjusted the fuel air or the distributed to match up perfect but I think it is cured!

While I had the carb apart I blew everything out and did get a bit of stuff out of the primary tube and top jet, which also may have been at fault.

did that to my 78 wagon 2.3 and wow what a diff.
i cant wait till i get the 79 turbo set up on it, it wont be a rocket ship but more fun to drive on the street and to local car shows and cruises

Brownie got her shift bezel restored with a new seal! :D

Brownie got a sound system installed this month. Nothing extravagant when it comes to a "performance" sound system, as the 6.5" and 6x9" speakers are no where near high end, but they are much better than the single 6.5" I had temporarily in the dash running off the cassette deck (previously the AM radio), that would crackle and cut out.

The deck and speakers are Pioneer. They all came as a set that I purchased from Walmart for $99.99, which wasn't a bad deal at all considering a low end similar deck alone would have cost me $129.99 or more. The sub and amp added up to the same price I paid for the deck and speakers. The only other things I had to get was an amplifier wiring kit (ebay @ $15.00) and the sub enclosure (would have built it but I don't have the time to right now) which was $29.99.

Total system cost - $244.97, and I can transplant it to another car in the future if need be.


I didn't cut up any of the stock panels or radio bezel, I have spares and luckily I had a spare metal radio bezel the same color as Brownie's dash from a bobcat I pulled apart a few years back. Kick panels are some I had in storage with a few broken door jam tabs, but no bad cracks, so I painted them and cut holes for the 6.5" speakers.

So, everything is reversible should I ever decide to sell the car and not loose much of the car's value!

For the rear 6x9 enclosures, I got the idea from Pintopower. He did this box design for his 77 wagon a few years back and I really liked how it is removable, yet has some style to it and simple to assemble. While mine varies in design a bit to accommodate the subwoofer box and the finish on mine is stained and lacquered, the concept is the same. You can see Pintopower's thread here:

http://www.fordpinto.com/your-project/wagon-speaker-box/msg127267/?topicseen#new


All of my speaker, remote gain, and amp remote power wires are routed under the driver's door edge, and the amp's 8 gauge power wire is routed under the passenger side door edge, with a 40 or 50 amp (I cannot remember at the moment) AGU fuse in a water tight fuse holder located on the outside of the firewall above the blower motor hole.

The amp is secured to the back of the subwoofer box to make things more "portable" if I need the cargo space. Nothing special here, a "Walmart Special" amp, manufactured by BOSS Audio, rated at 600W but an actual RMS rating of 150W (half of what my 78's Rockford Fosgate is).

The sub is also nothing special, but 2" more cone surface than my 78's sub (also a Sony Xplode), which is a Sony Xplode XS-GTX100LW 10" Subwoofer. The box needs some matting in it, as it sounds a little odd and empty right now. Maybe later down the road when I "care" about it. :P

On to the pictures!

1) The deck (fits nice, black matches the 2-tone interior, don't like the red lighting though)

2) Passenger side kick panel speaker

3) Driver side kick panel speaker

4) Amp remote gain adjustment knob

The box I built for the 6x9's isn't completely finished yet. I need to put the terminal cups on the back of each 6x9 enclosure which will make installation and remove of the assembly easier. I will do that the next time I am at my parent's house and have access to the Rotozip and will post pictures of it afterwards. Other than that this is what it will look like.

1) The amp and back of box(s) (BOSS letters glow blue when powered on, but I'll never see it! lol)

2) The 6x9 enclosure assembly and 10" sub in the middle (perfect fit and not planned! :D)

3) Covered with the black cargo cover. The sub is taller than I like, but who would expect a 10" sub in a Pinto Station Wagon???? lol

Dave, very clean install... You know some of them radios have a color changer for the display built in.

I checked on this radio, I had one similar in the 78 for a week, and it doesn't have the color changing option since it's a base model of the radio. It's okay though, just going to take some getting used to from the blue LED lighting in the 78 to the red LED lighting in the wagon! :P

Tonight I straightened the hood and the fenders/headlight doors to line up, so the hood doesn't extend past the fenders anymore. I also managed to push some of the driver side dent out. It will require a lot of bondo to fill it in without replacing the panel, but it is do-able to make it look decent again. Then I need to get some paint matched up so I can spruce up that fender a bit and put the replacement headlight door on.

I also messed with the wiring on the passenger side to figure out why I had to hit the fender to get the headlight to come on. I replaced the ground terminals and scuffed the contact areas, but it didn't help any. It turns out the lamp is bad, which is odd because the one I had on the car previously did the same thing. I'm going to replace them with some Sylvania SilverStar lamps like the 78 has and call it good after that.


Here are some pictures of the finished box. I got the rear connection terminals in tonight, and the banana plugs on the wiring.

The third pic of the plugs on the wiring isn't really what it's like right now, I shorted the longer wire to match after taking the picture.

Quote from: dave1987 on March 30, 2012, 10:14:49 PM
Brownie got her shift bezel restored with a new seal! :D

Dave I replaced mine years ago but sitting out in the sun has played havoc on mine & I can't seem to remember where I got it. Where did you get yours at?

http://www.sscenterprises.com/

Scott hasn't added it to the Pinto Parts section, but I emailed him pictures and verification that it does fit the Pinto bezel perfectly as an NOS one would.

Now that I have the garage just outside, I can work on brownie whenever I want to!

Taking care of the little problems and projects now. I replaced the extension housing nudging on the transmission last week and yesterday i replaced the burned blower control switch.

I just tighened down the annoying exhaust clamp at the transmission and the manifold to downpipe bolts. Now installing a temperature gauge, the wiped delay and wiring up the cargo lamp.

It's going to be so nice to drive her this summer!

It's been awhile!

Brownie is running strong, been driving her for a week or so, then switch back to the 78 Sedan, no issues to speak of except for an oil leak from somewhere. I cannot seem to find it, but it's somewhere on the driver side of the motor, around the distributor and the oil filter. I initially thought it was the oil filter (and still do to some point) since tightening it down slowed it, but I am afraid to tighten it to much!


I just picked up an oil cooler from an early model explorer to replace the A/C condenser I am using as a tranny cooler at the moment.


I have a question about it though.


The reasoning behind swapping out the cooler is that I suspect the condenser being to restrictive and not allowing enough fluid to return to the transmission, possibly the reason for the C4's tail shaft bushing being wiped out (lack of lube in the tail shaft).


I noticed that on the explorer, the cooler that i pulled originally is connected in series with the radiator cooler. Will it be okay just to run the cooler by itself without going through the radiator cooler first?


The reason I don't use the radiator cooler is because it is filled with crud from the original clutches going out. Instead of yanking apart the cooling system and having the entire radiator rodded and cleaned (not necessary at the moment, no leaks or cooling issues), I just plugged off the transmission cooling ports.


So, will the transmission be okay running this explorer cooler as a stand alone and not in series?

Dave, I'm so happy you decided to keep Brownie! You are so handy with that 2.0 you should take a trip to Cali and take care of mine. lol  ;)   

Seriously, you've done wonders with that lil' wagon.  :D

Dave, I dunno if anyone answered your question but no that wouldn't be a problem at all. People have switched to a seperate cooler all the time for one reason or another & it was actually suggested to me when my first transmission went out on the 77.