JayEstes
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Posts posted by JayEstes
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That's a stop for the window mechanism. I'm not sure if it's a down stop or an up stop (or both) for the mechanism, but I believe this lets you limit the travel up or down. Turns out I have one of these for the passenger side quarter that I haven't put in yet (still need to).
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Biggest contributor to squeaks in restos I have heard of are folks that put in poly bumpers instead of sticking with standard rubber. Strut rods, sway braces, LCA tie rods and possibly spring perches. I've also read stories of poly strut rod bushing causing failure in the strut rods down the road. Main problem though is generally squeaky operation when suspension is moving a significant amount. Did you use poly bushings?
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I still have my original bendix booster, and I haven't gone "inside". There are three places for leaks, one along the MC push rod - I think mine was leaking here a fair bit, but also between the seal and the housing. By cleaning off and painting the outside of the booster, refurbishing the MC push rod and lubricating it I got a noticeable improvement in boost. the other place you can leak is where vacuum tube connects to booster. I replace that seal too. I'd double check these seals before I bought a whole new booster or had one rebuilt. Inside, my is just fine, and has never been apart.
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On 8/21/2019 at 1:16 PM, danno said:Sorry to bring this up again, but I also have factory power disc front, drum rears. I have never been satisfied with them. I want to be able to lock up the front wheels in a panic stop, and they will not do it. The consensus here seems that the factory system is fine. Is the problem something in my system?
I would have to say yes. I can lock mine up, and it’s not that big of a problem. It takes a lot of force, but it should lock up.
In my system, when I removed the booster, cleaned and painted it, and paid special attention to the cleaning and painting the exterior of the recessed portion that the seal “seals against” & also replaced that seal with new, my boost was much greater, and the pedal noticeably harder. if you have rebuilt the valve in your dist block and put new o-rings in there and cleaned the heck out of it, along with the booster, and the lines are free and clear - the system should be able to lock the wheels no problem. You also should clean and rebuild the rear distribution valve, as if that is leaking, it can weaken your brake pressure.
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Here's my take - some of that may be reasonable and some of it definitely is not. For instance, it's definitely not a good recommendation to put in performance suspension & handling for $5K. That's NOT mandatory. You can get new stock UCA's for lass than $50 per side (that's a lot cheaper than $350/side).
Don't put in 620lb springs up front unless you want it to ride like a covered wagon. I think stock springs are 300 lb/in. Don't lower it, but instead: The top 3 upgrades for front suspension improvement are:
- Redrill your shock towers to do the "Shelby/Arning drop" (if not already done) with new UCA's ($20 template + $100 for both UCA's)
- Put in a 1in" sway bar. (best bang for the buck I think and makes the car safer to drive) $140
- New KYB Gas Adjust shocks (Maybe $100 for both)
After that, you'll need Tie rod bushings ($40ish), stock perches ($40), new spring seats ($10), some Tie-rod work
So that's like $400, and it will drive fine (not like a racecar, but you won't shatter your teeth going over the railroad tracks either)
On the rear, I would not buy new springs unless they can show you they are bent or ruined. Just New KYB gas adjust shocks and see how it is ($100), maybe new leaf spring bushings if she's rattly. Since there are traction bars, this will be more work.
So that's maybe $200 on the rear, and most all the big stuck on suspension for like $600-$700 in parts. If you do this work yourself (only thing really dangerous in compressing front springs). If you want to pay to have this done, $1500 is probably not outrageous, but I wouldn't buy new leafs. if they say they are "shot" make them show you how.
Brakes are most important:
replace all the rubber brake lines, 3x maybe ~$50 each. The following statement however - makes NO SENSE to me: "Found rear brakes contaminated with rear axle gear oil." I have no idea how this could happen. Sound like BS to me, and I would ask about it. These systems are not connected, and I can't see how they could be thru parts failure, so I call BS. Get a new drivers drum if you can't find someone to machine it. New pads (cheap) and get new rear cylinders (cheap). My brake backing plates are grooved some, but still work ok - weld and remachine is a fair bit of expensive work, and I'd try it without doing that.
They don't mention the brake distribution block or the proportioning valve. The prop valve should be taken off and have a new seal kit put it - virtual certainty it needs that ($35 for parts).
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Engine: That's an expensive radiator. I bought a 3-row copper for about $350. You can get a thermostat for $5, you probably don't need a fuel pipe - I wouldn't do that. If you flush out the fuel tank, there is no need to move the fuel filter ahead of the fuel pump (non stock). New rubber connections ($10), New fuel pump $30, new filter $5. That's all that's required.
If they can show you the leaks on the manifold you should fix it. And you can look for this yourself, by simply wiping off the front and back and driving it around. If it's leaking oil you should be able to see it. personally, I don't need to remove the Ac compressor to work on the intake so - my opinion - not required.
Your oil pan probably is leaking. Do you need to spend $1000 to fix it? NO. This is a hard job to get the old one off and put on a new one that doesn't leak, but honestly, you can keep the oil filled while you save some $'s to have it fixed later for cheaper than that.
Fix the motor mounts. If they are original, they probably are cracked. $320 seems like an ok price to do that. Engine balancer MAY be needed.- if you can't get it to run. But if it runs/timing is OK, I'd do this later.
For the love of God, do the all the AC/PS/alternator/fan belts yourself - any person driving a 69 oughta be able to do the belts.
No idea on the improvised trans inspection plate, but it's probably fine (it's a piece of sheet metal to keep crap out of the flex-plate starter engage area). look at it yourself and see how bad it is.
Trans mount is good chance it is bad. $125 seems reasonable
I'd note the rear axle seals as something to watch, and do them later. That alone is like $300.
buy your own heater hoses. $340 is outrageous unless he is putting Stainless braid on them.
Elec:
I don't know what he means "seat plugs" but they are dang expensive. Fix the electrical that's broken and nothing else. he's only giving you an AC diagnosis, which means there is another $1500 of cost to get the AC going probably. Can wait. Two windows at 60mph is usually okay for a lot of the US.
Body:
If the roof drip rails are leaking, that can allow body rust which you don't want. you are looking at a lot of cost that may affect the paint. so this is expensive. Depending on the quality level of your paint, this may or may not be worth it. Just do whatever to avoid rust.
OMG - do NOT spend $600 on the damn clock - buy a wrist watch! $35!!! worst case - pull it yourself and mail it off to be fixed.
Dash: LED light kit and printed circuit panel is all you need. your fuel gauge either works or doesn't. If it doesn't, I would change the sender in the tank for $30, and not buy a new gauge (which is probably fine, but inaccurate - they all are BTW).
Steering wheel can probably wait at $1250!!! Good lord!.
Fix the windows. those mechanisms probably need an overhaul - they are cheap systems, and if not adjusted properly, can bind and be really frustrating.
UGH. That's a lot of stuff. I'm not a fan of having other dudes do my car work, and so I don't know about labor costs. Anything over $100hr is questionable. $80 may be reasonable. My costs above are for parts, not labor (all of mine is free, so I on'y see parts costs).
This stuff is not that hard to fix yourself. It just takes time. If you have more $ than time - this shop may not be that bad, but there is some questionable stuff in here - other stuff looks reasonable. it's a mixed bag.
Good luck.
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On 7/31/2019 at 11:21 PM, TexasEd said:Just ordered an original 69 C9Z AM Philco radio, It did not have knobs but I think I have some. Yelling at 16 year old me for losing that original radio.
I recently just got lucky with my original radio. While at my dad's house, I actually ran across an old box in the attic that had the original Philco radio in it. The knobs are gone, but other wise all original. I had put an AM/FM/Casette player in there so I could play cassettes (and mix-tapes!)
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9 hours ago, candoo said:Blasted, primed and painted my rocker trim.
Yesterday did interior pieces.
WOW. That is some beautiful restoration work!
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On 5/15/2019 at 9:57 PM, shopofwax said:Bolted on a wilwood master cylinder, powder coated the dash vents and now I'm replacing the felt lining
wow, that powder coat looks perfect. Can you let us know what specification (color/material etc) you gave the shop to get that finish? it looks like exactly the dark charcoal color of the original paint.
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Evaporust is good too. Should work great. Just clean the hell out it with chemicals before you paint. Laquer thinner applied via clean rag to get all oils off is what I always do.
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Regarding painting the engine: I think you definitely want to kill that rust on the engine block. I use this spray on acid “osphor” that I get at my local hardware store. Just spray in on the surface and let it sit for several hours or overnight. Then I use a wire brush wheel to clean all of it off I can, then hand wire brush tight spaces, then I clean the surface with laquer thinner right before I put the paint on.
I recently repainted my intake (while installed) like this and it came out nice- paint seems to be sticking well (I only used 500deg duplo rattle can for this- approx 3 coats.)
Cantedvalve reacted to this -
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I would call the manufacturer and ask. If you're trying to replace only the proportioning valve in the factory system, then it seems like it would make sense to take the line on the lower left (which has I think full brake pressure from MC), and send it into the new prop valve (the brass cylinder is the old prop valve) and then go back into the dist block on top, second from left (directly above output to rear brakes). I suspect the prop valve for the rears on a rear disc system has to step the pressure down even more than the old prop valve (since the disc brakes are much more effective than the old drums).
I'm basically just guessing here though on how to use the Baer system - better to find out from them.
I would definitely NOT lose the original prop valve or gut it. They can be easily rebuilt, and are rather expensive and hard to find. Gutting the valve doesn't make sense to me since you will now lose the internals, which is just as bad as losing the whole thing.
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I recently rebuilt my bendix booster and got some great advice about a vendor that handles our mustang parts alot:
Booster Steve
Power Brake Booster Exchange
503-238-8882
I realize you are looking for aftermarket, but you might be able to pick up a nicely done rebuild from these specialists. After rebuilding my booster, and putting in a new MC, the brakes on my car have never been better. (Especially nice while I was doing relatively stationary burn-outs leaving the car show yesterday...)
Honestly, they might have some good advice on a modern replacement if you give them a call and ask. They were very helpful to me when I called. One thing I learned was that our bendix boosters have a 2 part MC push rod. It has a nice ~1in diameter flat deep inside the booster, and the front half comes out easily when you replace the front seal. All the repro push-rods are one piece, and the two part piece isn't remanufactured anywhere.
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Finished the brake system rebuild today! I put a write-up with pics here:
The post-finish test-drive was the best part.. Noticeably Improved braking and the system doesn't look like hell anymore.
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Welp,
Hate to admit it but I didn't take the advice to paint instead - I did use the 2 part clear epoxy over bare metal, and I am pretty happy I did (at least for now). Results attached below, but these parts came out great. I also put the clear on the new master cylinder, as well as it's gold cap, and I polished up the brass dist block and covered it too to keep the bright finish. All the parts look fantastic - a wire brush will remove it all if I find some reason it's not working out.
To follow up on a few things. I was able to de-rust and wirebrush the original MC push rod. Mine is all original, and the replacements don't come in two pieces anymore. The new seal that came was night and tight, so any pitting is not an issue. Using "osphor" to de-rust, then following up with a wire brush wheel did a great job on both the booster and the push rod. The guys at brake booster exchange were a lot of help with advice. The seal kit from NPD combined with the glass-smooth finish on the booster make a perfect seal around the push rod and against the booster and at the vacuum inlet line. On the test drive today, I have noticeably better braking action, I suspect because of the improved booster seal. Could also be due to new MC.
Also, my brake lines and tube nuts looked like hell (rusted and paint coming off) so I replaced several of the lines with the new corrosion-proof Cu-Ni-Fe tubes. I bought stainless tube nuts on amazon and they are fantastic. If you are ever replacing brake lines, I would never put in anything but the Cu-Ni-Fe stuff (85% copper and 13%Ni, rest Iron & other stuff). It is just wonderful for flaring, sealing against the anti-flares, and is corrosion proof. It's exactly the right material for this job. It tests out at almost 9000 psi, so plenty for braking. Anyway, pics attached.
Below is what it looked like before I started (Man - am I embarrassed this was on my car!)
And that's a WRAP FOLKS!
Happy Easter btw guys!
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I have a few random thoughts:
- I'm not sure how similar the pressures and airflow are inside the intake -vs- inside the valve cover. If different at all it might affect the performance of the PCV. There's obviously a lot more fuel in the intake than in the valve covers.
- Will exposure to ethanol in the gas ruin the PCV?
- If the PCV vents, will you smell the gas?
- Surely a statement of the obvious: You would have to drill the intake off the engine, otherwise - metal shards in the engine.
IDK. Seems like a big change. I've not seen it done, but not saying it can't be done.
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12 hours ago, ralt962 said:Its actually a PPG Candy Apple Red. Its supposed to be the original color of the car. The Ruby red is a great color. At Ford (worked there for ever) the Ruby red was a very expensive color. We even had to change the paint facility for better equipment to make it work. That is a great color. Almost bought the same wheels you have. but went for the Magnums.
Believe me brother... It has been 2 1/2 years, and every time I think about the cash I laid out to get that 3stage put on the car, I cringe with pain. Just the supplies alone were $3K. I'm happy with it, but damn it - I hope I never need anything re-done. I bought the wheels I wanted to put on the thing back in high-school but could never afford...Crager SS's. I still think they are the definition of chrome wheels... Apologies for the thread hijack - back to regular programming.
Thanks for the link to the rebuild kit! I will look into that.
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Seems dumb to reply with this, but man... I got nothing. I had mine done professionally, and it still leaks. I would like to do a kit again myself, but I have no idea about it. I would just encourage you to write up the rebuild here because some of the rest of us could use the data.
PS: By the way, that's a beautiful red you have on your car ;-). Ford's Ruby red metallic by any chance? (That's what I put on mine)
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Thanks for thoughts guys - I will let you know which way I go. In the mean-time, I found that west coast classic cougar has the front seal for a bendix booster by itself (repro) for $10: https://secure.cougarpartscatalog.com/16984/30151/front-seal-bendix-brake-booster-repro-1969-1970-mercury-cougar-/-1969-1970-ford-mustang.html?attribs=80 I bought the whole kit at NPD, but this is a good option if you just want a new front seal.
I was looking for a new push rod - mine is kind of pitted, but nobody sells the kind I have anymore. They gave me a good contact for a place to rebuild boosters who was helpful. "Booster Steve" in Washington state I believe. Their business info is:
Power Brake Booster Exchange
503-238-8882 -
Okay, well I've removed and checked the booster, and it seems just fine. I decided to repaint it because it was already getting surface rust from where the brake fluid had cut the paint, and it had begun to rust. I stripped it, and got it in good shape, but I wanted to kill the rust so I hit it with Osphor. Well it looked terrible after that stuff had dried on there, so I began brushing it, and then found that a wire brush made the thing shine:
I have been thinking I was going to use engine paint, but I had been considering using a two part epoxy (brake fluid proof) to cover the paint and protect it from the brake fluid, but NOW, looking it how this came out, I am wondering if just painting clear 2-part epoxy on here is a good idea to just preserve the buffed metal look.
I'm looking for your thoughts on this. The part doesn't get overly hot, and it's not in the UV much. The 2-part gloss clear I have is crystal clear and marine grade. Am I crazy to think I could coat it as is, and preserve this bare metal finish? No, it's not concourse, but it is original, and looks pretty great if you ask me! Give me your opinions!
Thanks,
Jay
Good restoration/mechanic shops in Houston
in 1969-70 Technical Forum
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I used a shop in Alvin, Tx for my body work and paint. Going on 3 years, I don't have a single complaint. Place is called "Gulf Coast Custom & Collision". Guy name Rich runs the place, and he has some really skilled hands for classic work. Did my whole car the right way in about 5 months. Not cheap, but I've seen people pay more for less quality. Highly recommended. This is not a full up restoration shop, it's paint & body wor.k