Conference napalm::musclecars

    .....and you paid over the odds for this!!!!
    
    .....and you wanted this car!!!!
    
    .....you sound like you will have something to fill those long winter
    evenings!!!!
    
    Good Luck

    
    Interesting base note.
    
    Here's a few from my own experience;
    
    1) Doing any work to a 428CJ Cougar - no clearance anywhere
    2) Procuring parts for a 428CJ - 2,3 times more expensive than the 
       comparable small block part
    3) Ford's non-integral power steering
    4) $54 apiece for front brake hoses, aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh!
    5) Knowing my Cougar is worth 40-50% less than a comparable Mustang
       despite being about 500% rarer.
    6) Ford unibody design, especially the "well engineered" torque box
       which hoards pounds of dirt, leaves, and salt....
    7) Mercury nest of snakes, vacuum controlled heat/AC.
    
    Off hand, that's about it.  8^)
       

I can't add and DYJHIW to this because I'd never buy a car like that in 
the first place unless I needed a part off it.  You must have really 
needed this car to pick up something that's been butchered this bad.

    
    Actually, it's in GREAT shape!  That's why I bought it.  It's just
    those "little annoying things" that were the problems.  The car is
    really very, very solid, straight, and RUST FREE!  I've fixed almost
    everything on it so far.  I enjoy knowing that I'm saving it before
    it's too late.  And when I'm done I will still have less into it than
    it will be worth, because I'm starting with such a solid base.  Must
    look at a car's "potential" when buying.  This car had a LOT!!!
    
    RE: .2>>   $54 per brake line?!  GEESH!!
               Did you get any Vaseline with that order?!  Yow!
    
    

    Minor annoyances with my car(s).
    
    * Key stuck in the ignition.
    * Belts that fly off the pullies.
    * Electric locks that don't lock.
    * Trying to stick a tooth pick between the #8 header pipe and the
      steering arm (can't do it).
    * Small blocks that last less than 1000 miles before melting.
    * OIL LEAKS... AHHH!!!! Not in my GARAGE - BABY!!!
    * Trying to buy any part for my Z28.
    me: Need a waterpump for a 454.
    PG: What in?
    me: Camaro.
    PG: Ain't got one.
    me: Howbout for a 1970 Impala?
    PG: Oh ya, here ya go... $34 bucks.

Hey - what about the "Gee, this car has no seatbelts" problem, followed by
the realization that the bolt areas are rusted away, so of course there are
no seat belts.  Then you buy seat belts, then you weld metal back into the
rockers.

This is followed closely by the guy who tried to remove the dipstick tube 
until it cracked, and then left it leaking slowly for me to:  a.) snap off the 
tube  b.) remove the stub with an ez-out,  c) buy and paint a new tube, and 
hammer it in the timing cover, flaring the top, requiring more filing and 
cussing.  Now I have a dipstick tube - whee - only $15 and 5 hours.  What a 
big, noticable improvement!  Grrrrr!

My other favorite is the overspray on the radiator cowl and radiator itself,
as well as the fact that the car was painted without removing the chrome door
handles.  So far, I have seen more Mustangs painted this way, than the proper
way.  While the paint job is excellent in many respects, they didn't even 
remove the rear view mirror (whose remote-control cable seems permanently 
affixed)!  So, the paint is shadowed behind the mirror.  

Amazing!  It seems everyone who ever touches a car before me went to the
"I'll do it cheaper than anyone" shop for auto repair/refinishing.  What that
means is that "I get to do it over."  Never enough time to do it right, but
always enough time to do it over!


Steve

    
    Steve,
    
    Sounds like you need some attitudinal adjustment.  Fixing the previous
    owners snafus is all part of the fun -- leading to great benchracing
    stories and laughs for years to come!  Ask Chris Roche about his `67
    Firebird.  Lots of really mickeymouse stuff that left us laughing and
    recoiling in horror (at times)  Little things like:
    
    1. Flywheel bolted on with *non-hardened* hardware grade bolts!!
    2. Harmonic Damper installed without the inertia ring!!
    3. Inches of gross enamel paint on everything, including the master
       cylinder, steering box....
    4. Four point rollbar welded directly to floor/wheelhouse sheetmetal
       for maximum visual impact, but minimal functional safety impact!
    
    She's back together properly now, but getting there was half the fun.
    
    Just stop into Cowboys for a few beers and start fresh in the morning..
    
    Catch you later,
    
    Tom
	

    Tom,
    
     You missed a couple:
    
     - Accelerator pump springs on the front and rear carbs (it's got
       tripower) cut to about 1/2 original height.
    
     - High pressure side power steering line brazed together.
    
     - The harmonic balancer wasn't even for a '67 engine, it was for
       a '68 or newer and apparently when they tried to install it they 
       realized the interia ring wouldn't clear the timing pointer, so 
       off came the ring. This effectively removed all dampening 
       characteristics.
    
    Chris
     

    
    Gee, Chris, I wonder if your '67 was previously owned by the same guy
    that owned mine?  Sounds pretty similar!  Oh, one of the notes back
    there reminded me of another "little annoying thing" that this guy did
    to the 'bird:  he spray painted the ENTIRE engine compartment black!
    I mean EVERYTHING was black!  He left everything in, including the
    engine, and just painted the whole area black!  Oh, but then he went
    back in and painted the air cleaner, valley pan, and flywheels YELLOW!
    AAAARRRGH!!
    
    Excuse me, but my emphesis in grad school was fluid dynamics and heat
    transfer and I find it quite amusing when I hear, "Ya know, Biff, if
    yaz paint everything black, it'll run a lot cooler!"  HA-HA-HA!!  WELL,
    SOMEBODY ACTUALLY TRIED IT!  Of course, the fuel lines running an inch
    from the headers in a couple of different places and the exhaust
    pointing at the fuel line ~could~ have been the problem, I don't know!
    HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!
    
    
    	Hammer.

    
    I'm in the process of a ground-up on my `69 Cougar, and to
    that end the body is completely stripped.  No drivetrain, glass,
    interior, wiring....nothing.  Mercifully I've found no serious
    gotchas.  The chassis is remarkably solid, with no rust on the
    floors, frame, etc.  The torque boxes are crispy, but this I've known
    for a long time -- and they will be replaced.  However, there is a task
    I've undertaken which is so foul, so ungodly messy, so dammed
    unpleasant that I ask, nay, *beg* for advice.  What is the best way to
    remove tar based factory undercoating????  I've been using a milwaukee
    heat gun and 1" putty knife to remove it, followed by laquer thinner
    rags to remove the last traces.  However this is backbreaking work! 
    What's worse is that my hands get so badly grunged up that no amount of
    handcleaner, bristle brushing, etc. can get them clean.  Kind of
    embarrasing in monday morning meetings, n'est ce pas?
    
    Luckily, I'm about 80% complete on the front frame rails, floors and
    transmission tunnel.  Only the rear frame rails, spring hangers, and
    trunk floor to complete.  There's just no rust to be found -- which
    warms my heart.  Apparently the undercoating did it's intended job
    (although 11 years in South carolina, followed by 7 years stored in 
    a heated garage didn't hurt either)
    
    Any tips on how to complete this job in the least painful manner?  
    
    Tom

    
    Tom,
    
    

    Ditto. I tried solvents, heat works better. Just wear heavy work
    gloves.
                                     John.
    

    Propane torch works even better than heat gun to heat up a larger area.
    Just warm it, don't burn it
    
    
    
    							/Dave
    

    
    Dave,
    
    I started with the propane, and you're right -- it works great.
    It's just that occasionally the undercoating ignites.  Also working
    flat on your back with open flame isn't too safe.  I did notice that
    once the undercoat is wet down with laquer thinner it gets brittle, and
    is easily scraped off.  
    
    Jeez, anyway you cut this task, it's a bear.
    
    Tom

    I've been using latex medical examination gloves removing decals from my
    Jeep.  Same heat/scrape/solvent process. Works great with any
    painting, greasy or nasty cleaning jobs.
    
    100 to a box for about 9 bucks at a discount super drug store.
    
    -Chuck