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"351CJ" <351CJ@msn.com> wrote in message
news:2iPFf.6242$0i1.4290@trnddc04...
:
: "Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in message
: news:55SdnVSzHdQm7XreRVn-sw@giganews.com...
: > Well in the case of the GT500 when the price reaches a certain level it
is
: > no longer the best. I was disappointed to read that Ford is not putting
: > the twin screw blower on them and instead look to be opting for an
: > Eaton/Roots. I hope the people writing the articles don't know what
they
: > are talking about and it really is a twin screw like the one on the Ford
: > GT. It might be one of the moves Ford made to keep the car affordable.
: > Either way I still want one, if the price is reasonable (say less than
: > $55k for a convertible). Plus, I'm sure Kenne Bell will be making a kit
: > for them rather quickly. :)
: >
:
: Well it is still completely up in the air, they absolutely would not open
: the hood at the auto show. When I asked, the Ford Motor Company speaker
: even said that the hood latch release was disabled.
:
Yea yea yea... like the pimply faced kid in the store telling you that the
bathroom is "out of order" and that you'll have to go to the fast food place
across the parking lot.
It's just a good way to keep people from trying to cajole him into opening
it. I bet a nickle that if you reached in and grabbed that handle and yanked
it, that hood would have popped.
Too bad, it would have been nice to see. Did you get to listen to it at
all??
: > The latest round of mods to my '89 LX has taken what was left of my DIY
: > willpower. To make the car reliable is more work than I care to do. Its
: > next makeover will involve a 427 ci stroked Windsor, Maximum Motorsports
: > complete suspension and killer brakes. I just want to drop the car off
at
: > a speed shop and in a few months pick it back up finished. I don't even
: > like to wash and wax cars in the driveway anymore. Isn't that sad?
:
: I thought it was just me. :-)
: I find it harder and harder to wash mine too. Good thing I only have the
: front half of my new F-450 flatbed to worry about...
:
It's me too. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have a vehicle that I don't
have to spit shine once a week and that I can just drive through the car
wash.
It must be age guys... that's the only excuse I can come up with. I like a
clean car but I am sick to death of washing them myself.
There was a time when I would have insisted on mounting my own skid plates
and light bar but this time it was just easier to ahve the guys at the shop
do it. The skids were installed for free bt the light bar was $150. It was a
big job though and since I had it done by the dealership It kept my warranty
intact. Particularly if something electrical goes south they won't blame me.
"KJ.Kate" <KJ.Kate@WhoseHotMail.com> wrote in message
news:xgnGf.2626$697.74@bignews3.bellsouth.net...
>
> "351CJ" <351CJ@msn.com> wrote in message
> news:2iPFf.6242$0i1.4290@trnddc04...
> :
> : "Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in message
> : news:55SdnVSzHdQm7XreRVn-sw@giganews.com...
> : > Well in the case of the GT500 when the price reaches a certain level
> it
> is
> : > no longer the best. I was disappointed to read that Ford is not
> putting
> : > the twin screw blower on them and instead look to be opting for an
> : > Eaton/Roots. I hope the people writing the articles don't know what
> they
> : > are talking about and it really is a twin screw like the one on the
> Ford
> : > GT. It might be one of the moves Ford made to keep the car
> affordable.
> : > Either way I still want one, if the price is reasonable (say less than
> : > $55k for a convertible). Plus, I'm sure Kenne Bell will be making a
> kit
> : > for them rather quickly. :)
> : >
> :
> : Well it is still completely up in the air, they absolutely would not
> open
> : the hood at the auto show. When I asked, the Ford Motor Company speaker
> : even said that the hood latch release was disabled.
> :
>
>
> Yea yea yea... like the pimply faced kid in the store telling you that the
> bathroom is "out of order" and that you'll have to go to the fast food
> place
> across the parking lot.
> It's just a good way to keep people from trying to cajole him into opening
> it. I bet a nickle that if you reached in and grabbed that handle and
> yanked
> it, that hood would have popped.
>
> Too bad, it would have been nice to see. Did you get to listen to it at
> all??
>
> Kate
Well he said the guys that were moving it in were trying to open the hood,
and there was no cable on the release, or something like that. Since it was
basically a hand built prototype rather than a car off their GT500 line, he
wasn't sure that what was under the hood was at all what would be under the
hood of the ones they sell....
I had to have a guy stand right next to me while I stood on the edge of
revolving stage just to take pictures...
No it was inside during the middle of the auto show, nobody was running
anything. :-(
Michael Johnson, PE wrote:
> Wound Up wrote:
>
>> Joe wrote:
>>
>>> Wound Up <none@your.disposal> wrote in
>>> news:43E7E042.8080009@your.disposal:
>>>
>>>> 351CJ wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> "Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:7Judnean7YzJDHreRVn-hQ@giganews.com...
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> I used to love working on cars but over the years I have become
>>>>>> less inclined to do it. Maybe it is because I just don't have
>>>>>> enough time
>>>>>> and patience to do things right anymore,. Plus I spent tons of money
>>>>>> building up my '89 LX to get 425 rwhp and 460 rwtq and then Ford
>>>>>> comes along with the Terminator Cobras and I could have had that car
>>>>>> for the same money I spent on the '89 over the years. This is why
>>>>>> the GT500 is so appealing to me. Ford is now building Mustangs that
>>>>>> are hella mean right from the factory and with minimal after market
>>>>>> tweaking they will put out 600+rwhp/rwtq and do it very reliably.
>>>>>> That is no easy or inexpensive task for the DIY mechanic. Besides
>>>>>> I'm at a point in my life that I want to buy a car, drive it and
>>>>>> enjoy the hell out of it not live under it. I think a GT500 vert
>>>>>> with a few after market mods would do a fantastic job filling that
>>>>>> niche.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> EXACTLY!!!
>>>>>
>>>>> Me Too...
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I still have a yearning to be covered in grease and build things. I
>>>> do understand your perspective, because there are times when it's
>>>> tiresome and I just want to DRIVE it
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The grease yearning decreases and the drive-it yearning increases
>>> logarithmically with age.
>>
>>
>> So I understand...
>
>
> ..... and in the coming years you will experience it personally. :)
Maybe.
I
> was so hardcore on DIY repairs I had a Triumph Spitfire as a daily
> driver for four years in my early twenties.
That just makes you a masochist. How many clutches did you replace due
to them being oiled? Quite a bitch to do, huh...
Every six months I had to
> change all the U-joints in the rear or they would break the yokes with
> catastrophic results (one time they broke and the ass of the car jumped
> 3' into the air at 50mph).
Glad you didn't lose your legs! Man, that's scary
Also, changing the clutch in a Spitfire
HA!
is
> an ordeal that requires half the car's interior to be removed to take
> out the transmission. It can't be taken out through the bottom because
> of the wishbone frame. On the bright side that car would handle like a
> go-cart but with 56 hp it couldn't get out of its own way.
I have seen this. My friend had one, and said if you parked it at a
certain angle, the clutch would get oiled. He tapped the tranny case
and installed an overflow hose, then "just" had to top off the tranny
when the gearbox got loud. Something about no rear main seal? I don't
quite remember, but it was damned ridiculous, if you asked me. I felt
like my '75 Opel Manta with its balky mechanical fuel injection was the
most reliable thing in the world compared to that car.
>
> The latest round of mods to my '89 LX has taken what was left of my DIY
> willpower. To make the car reliable is more work than I care to do. Its
> next makeover will involve a 427 ci stroked Windsor, Maximum Motorsports
> complete suspension and killer brakes. I just want to drop the car off
> at a speed shop and in a few months pick it back up finished. I don't
> even like to wash and wax cars in the driveway anymore. Isn't that sad?
Yes, yes it is. But I too work hard and find myself with less
motivation to take the damned car apart. I DO, at this point, sometimes
want to just drop the bastard off at a speed shop and spend the money to
get it more turn-key. I want my 400 hp and I want to drive it, period..
and no payments.
Here's another sign of getting older. I'm only 33 but the
grandparent-owned Grand Marquis I see are really appealing. Cabbies get
500,000 out of PI vics, so a low-mileage Vic LX Sport or a Grand Marquis
sure looks attractive for the same price, compared to a Crappalier.
Nice used ones are what, $12,000? A pittance for such a fine automobile.
And you know what I would do with either one? Install the PI tranny and
oil coolers, replace the rear end gears with either a 3.27 or 3.55 posi
set, then SUPERCHARGE IT. Eight lbs. of boost would suffice. I'm not
even kidding. A living room on wheels that seats six, can tow a boat,
and freaking FLIES. How funny would it be to smoke Rice Boy or Fart Can
in a damned blown two-ton grandpamobile Grand Marquis? HEE HEE HA HA HO HO
Wound Up wrote:
> Michael Johnson, PE wrote:
>> Wound Up wrote:
>>
>>> Joe wrote:
>>>
>>>> Wound Up <none@your.disposal> wrote in
>>>> news:43E7E042.8080009@your.disposal:
>>>>
>>>>> 351CJ wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> "Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in message
>>>>>> news:7Judnean7YzJDHreRVn-hQ@giganews.com...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I used to love working on cars but over the years I have become
>>>>>>> less inclined to do it. Maybe it is because I just don't have
>>>>>>> enough time
>>>>>>> and patience to do things right anymore,. Plus I spent tons of
>>>>>>> money
>>>>>>> building up my '89 LX to get 425 rwhp and 460 rwtq and then Ford
>>>>>>> comes along with the Terminator Cobras and I could have had that car
>>>>>>> for the same money I spent on the '89 over the years. This is why
>>>>>>> the GT500 is so appealing to me. Ford is now building Mustangs that
>>>>>>> are hella mean right from the factory and with minimal after market
>>>>>>> tweaking they will put out 600+rwhp/rwtq and do it very reliably.
>>>>>>> That is no easy or inexpensive task for the DIY mechanic. Besides
>>>>>>> I'm at a point in my life that I want to buy a car, drive it and
>>>>>>> enjoy the hell out of it not live under it. I think a GT500 vert
>>>>>>> with a few after market mods would do a fantastic job filling that
>>>>>>> niche.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> EXACTLY!!!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Me Too...
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I still have a yearning to be covered in grease and build things. I
>>>>> do understand your perspective, because there are times when it's
>>>>> tiresome and I just want to DRIVE it
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The grease yearning decreases and the drive-it yearning increases
>>>> logarithmically with age.
>>>
>>>
>>> So I understand...
>>
>>
>> ..... and in the coming years you will experience it personally. :)
>
> Maybe.
>
> I
>> was so hardcore on DIY repairs I had a Triumph Spitfire as a daily
>> driver for four years in my early twenties.
>
> That just makes you a masochist. How many clutches did you replace due
> to them being oiled? Quite a bitch to do, huh...
I ran that drill two or three times in four years. One time I go it all
back together and went to bolt up the slave cylinder and the plunger was
inside the bell housing. I had to take the transmission out to get the
plunger through the hole. Dohhh!
> Every six months I had to
>> change all the U-joints in the rear or they would break the yokes with
>> catastrophic results (one time they broke and the ass of the car
>> jumped 3' into the air at 50mph).
>
> Glad you didn't lose your legs! Man, that's scary
That is when I started the preventive U-joint swaps. It damn near
through me out of the car because I was in the passenger seat and my
buddy was driving and neither of us were wearing seat belts.
> Also, changing the clutch in a Spitfire
>
> HA!
>
> is
>> an ordeal that requires half the car's interior to be removed to take
>> out the transmission. It can't be taken out through the bottom
>> because of the wishbone frame. On the bright side that car would
>> handle like a go-cart but with 56 hp it couldn't get out of its own way.
>
> I have seen this. My friend had one, and said if you parked it at a
> certain angle, the clutch would get oiled. He tapped the tranny case
> and installed an overflow hose, then "just" had to top off the tranny
> when the gearbox got loud. Something about no rear main seal? I don't
> quite remember, but it was damned ridiculous, if you asked me. I felt
> like my '75 Opel Manta with its balky mechanical fuel injection was the
> most reliable thing in the world compared to that car.
I pulled up the driveway at my girlfriend's sister's house one night and
went to turn the headlights out with the POS rocker switch in the
dash. The back of the switch fell off and the hot lead grounded on the
radio case and the insulation on the wire caught fire all along its
length. I smelled the smoke and then looked under the dash and saw the
glow from the fire. I started cussing like a drunk sailor for someone
to get me some f'cking wire cutters. Her sister was very religious and
about freaked at my yelling and use of profanity. I ran over to her
husband's tool chest and found a pair of cutters and raised the bonnet
and in one fell swoop cut the negative wire to the battery. I won't go
into the PITA it is the change the wiring harness in a Triumph.
Also, I'll spare you the details of trying to find an alternator for one
in Nashville, Tennessee when you should be in Florida trying to score
some chicks on the beach. Taking a Triumph on a 2,400 mile road trip is
a stupid idea.
>> The latest round of mods to my '89 LX has taken what was left of my
>> DIY willpower. To make the car reliable is more work than I care to
>> do. Its next makeover will involve a 427 ci stroked Windsor, Maximum
>> Motorsports complete suspension and killer brakes. I just want to
>> drop the car off at a speed shop and in a few months pick it back up
>> finished. I don't even like to wash and wax cars in the driveway
>> anymore. Isn't that sad?
>
> Yes, yes it is. But I too work hard and find myself with less
> motivation to take the damned car apart. I DO, at this point, sometimes
> want to just drop the bastard off at a speed shop and spend the money to
> get it more turn-key. I want my 400 hp and I want to drive it, period..
> and no payments.
I don't have to prove to myself, or anyone else for that matter, that I
can do the work. It doesn't make me feel like less of a man to let
someone else turn the wrenches.
> Here's another sign of getting older. I'm only 33 but the
> grandparent-owned Grand Marquis I see are really appealing. Cabbies get
> 500,000 out of PI vics, so a low-mileage Vic LX Sport or a Grand Marquis
> sure looks attractive for the same price, compared to a Crappalier. Nice
> used ones are what, $12,000? A pittance for such a fine automobile.
I think big metal is coming back into style. :)
> And you know what I would do with either one? Install the PI tranny and
> oil coolers, replace the rear end gears with either a 3.27 or 3.55 posi
> set, then SUPERCHARGE IT. Eight lbs. of boost would suffice. I'm not
> even kidding. A living room on wheels that seats six, can tow a boat,
> and freaking FLIES. How funny would it be to smoke Rice Boy or Fart Can
> in a damned blown two-ton grandpamobile Grand Marquis? HEE HEE HA HA HO HO
I am a big fan of the sleeper concept. Here's a snapshot of my '89 LX:
"Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in
news:c46dnbnCGrGgn3beRVn-og@giganews.com:
> Wound Up wrote:
>> Michael Johnson, PE wrote:
>>> Wound Up wrote:
>>>
>>>> Joe wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Wound Up <none@your.disposal> wrote in
>>>>> news:43E7E042.8080009@your.disposal:
>>>>>
>>>>>> 351CJ wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> "Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>> news:7Judnean7YzJDHreRVn-hQ@giganews.com...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I used to love working on cars but over the years I have become
>>>>>>>> less inclined to do it. Maybe it is because I just don't have
>>>>>>>> enough time
>>>>>>>> and patience to do things right anymore,. Plus I spent tons of
>>>>>>>> money
>>>>>>>> building up my '89 LX to get 425 rwhp and 460 rwtq and then
>>>>>>>> Ford comes along with the Terminator Cobras and I could have
>>>>>>>> had that car for the same money I spent on the '89 over the
>>>>>>>> years. This is why the GT500 is so appealing to me. Ford is
>>>>>>>> now building Mustangs that are hella mean right from the
>>>>>>>> factory and with minimal after market tweaking they will put
>>>>>>>> out 600+rwhp/rwtq and do it very reliably. That is no easy or
>>>>>>>> inexpensive task for the DIY mechanic. Besides I'm at a point
>>>>>>>> in my life that I want to buy a car, drive it and enjoy the
>>>>>>>> hell out of it not live under it. I think a GT500 vert
>>>>>>>> with a few after market mods would do a fantastic job filling
>>>>>>>> that niche.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> EXACTLY!!!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Me Too...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I still have a yearning to be covered in grease and build things.
>>>>>> I do understand your perspective, because there are times when
>>>>>> it's tiresome and I just want to DRIVE it
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> The grease yearning decreases and the drive-it yearning increases
>>>>> logarithmically with age.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> So I understand...
>>>
>>>
>>> ..... and in the coming years you will experience it personally. :)
>>
>> Maybe.
>>
>> I
>>> was so hardcore on DIY repairs I had a Triumph Spitfire as a daily
>>> driver for four years in my early twenties.
>>
>> That just makes you a masochist. How many clutches did you replace
>> due to them being oiled? Quite a bitch to do, huh...
>
> I ran that drill two or three times in four years. One time I go it
> all back together and went to bolt up the slave cylinder and the
> plunger was inside the bell housing. I had to take the transmission
> out to get the plunger through the hole. Dohhh!
>
>> Every six months I had to
>>> change all the U-joints in the rear or they would break the yokes
>>> with catastrophic results (one time they broke and the ass of the
>>> car jumped 3' into the air at 50mph).
>>
>> Glad you didn't lose your legs! Man, that's scary
>
> That is when I started the preventive U-joint swaps. It damn near
> through me out of the car because I was in the passenger seat and my
> buddy was driving and neither of us were wearing seat belts.
>
>> Also, changing the clutch in a Spitfire
>>
>> HA!
>>
>> is
>>> an ordeal that requires half the car's interior to be removed to
>>> take out the transmission. It can't be taken out through the bottom
>>> because of the wishbone frame. On the bright side that car would
>>> handle like a go-cart but with 56 hp it couldn't get out of its own
>>> way.
>>
>> I have seen this. My friend had one, and said if you parked it at a
>> certain angle, the clutch would get oiled. He tapped the tranny case
>> and installed an overflow hose, then "just" had to top off the tranny
>> when the gearbox got loud. Something about no rear main seal? I
>> don't quite remember, but it was damned ridiculous, if you asked me.
>> I felt like my '75 Opel Manta with its balky mechanical fuel
>> injection was the most reliable thing in the world compared to that
>> car.
>
> I pulled up the driveway at my girlfriend's sister's house one night
> and
> went to turn the headlights out with the POS rocker switch in the
> dash. The back of the switch fell off and the hot lead grounded on
> the radio case and the insulation on the wire caught fire all along
> its length. I smelled the smoke and then looked under the dash and
> saw the glow from the fire. I started cussing like a drunk sailor for
> someone to get me some f'cking wire cutters. Her sister was very
> religious and about freaked at my yelling and use of profanity. I ran
> over to her husband's tool chest and found a pair of cutters and
> raised the bonnet and in one fell swoop cut the negative wire to the
> battery. I won't go into the PITA it is the change the wiring harness
> in a Triumph.
>
> Also, I'll spare you the details of trying to find an alternator for
> one in Nashville, Tennessee when you should be in Florida trying to
> score some chicks on the beach. Taking a Triumph on a 2,400 mile road
> trip is a stupid idea.
>
>>> The latest round of mods to my '89 LX has taken what was left of my
>>> DIY willpower. To make the car reliable is more work than I care to
>>> do. Its next makeover will involve a 427 ci stroked Windsor, Maximum
>>> Motorsports complete suspension and killer brakes. I just want to
>>> drop the car off at a speed shop and in a few months pick it back up
>>> finished. I don't even like to wash and wax cars in the driveway
>>> anymore. Isn't that sad?
>>
>> Yes, yes it is. But I too work hard and find myself with less
>> motivation to take the damned car apart. I DO, at this point,
>> sometimes want to just drop the bastard off at a speed shop and spend
>> the money to get it more turn-key. I want my 400 hp and I want to
>> drive it, period.. and no payments.
>
> I don't have to prove to myself, or anyone else for that matter, that
> I can do the work. It doesn't make me feel like less of a man to let
> someone else turn the wrenches.
>
>> Here's another sign of getting older. I'm only 33 but the
>> grandparent-owned Grand Marquis I see are really appealing. Cabbies
>> get 500,000 out of PI vics, so a low-mileage Vic LX Sport or a Grand
>> Marquis sure looks attractive for the same price, compared to a
>> Crappalier. Nice used ones are what, $12,000? A pittance for such a
>> fine automobile.
>
> I think big metal is coming back into style. :)
>
>> And you know what I would do with either one? Install the PI tranny
>> and oil coolers, replace the rear end gears with either a 3.27 or
>> 3.55 posi set, then SUPERCHARGE IT. Eight lbs. of boost would
>> suffice. I'm not even kidding. A living room on wheels that seats
>> six, can tow a boat, and freaking FLIES. How funny would it be to
>> smoke Rice Boy or Fart Can in a damned blown two-ton grandpamobile
>> Grand Marquis? HEE HEE HA HA HO HO
>
> I am a big fan of the sleeper concept. Here's a snapshot of my '89
> LX:
>
> http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c290/MikeJ9116/LX.jpg
>
> There have been many drivers pull up next to me thinking they were
> going to hand a bone stock LX its ass. :)
Love the wheels, Michael. When did you take care of the fronts? IIRC,
you were unable to put the center caps back on.
Pretty incredible that the stock hood actually closes, too. ;)
Joe wrote:
> "Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in
> news:c46dnbnCGrGgn3beRVn-og@giganews.com:
>
>> Wound Up wrote:
>>> Michael Johnson, PE wrote:
>>>> Wound Up wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Joe wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Wound Up <none@your.disposal> wrote in
>>>>>> news:43E7E042.8080009@your.disposal:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 351CJ wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> "Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>> news:7Judnean7YzJDHreRVn-hQ@giganews.com...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I used to love working on cars but over the years I have become
>>>>>>>>> less inclined to do it. Maybe it is because I just don't have
>>>>>>>>> enough time
>>>>>>>>> and patience to do things right anymore,. Plus I spent tons of
>>>>>>>>> money
>>>>>>>>> building up my '89 LX to get 425 rwhp and 460 rwtq and then
>>>>>>>>> Ford comes along with the Terminator Cobras and I could have
>>>>>>>>> had that car for the same money I spent on the '89 over the
>>>>>>>>> years. This is why the GT500 is so appealing to me. Ford is
>>>>>>>>> now building Mustangs that are hella mean right from the
>>>>>>>>> factory and with minimal after market tweaking they will put
>>>>>>>>> out 600+rwhp/rwtq and do it very reliably. That is no easy or
>>>>>>>>> inexpensive task for the DIY mechanic. Besides I'm at a point
>>>>>>>>> in my life that I want to buy a car, drive it and enjoy the
>>>>>>>>> hell out of it not live under it. I think a GT500 vert
>>>>>>>>> with a few after market mods would do a fantastic job filling
>>>>>>>>> that niche.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> EXACTLY!!!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Me Too...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I still have a yearning to be covered in grease and build things.
>>>>>>> I do understand your perspective, because there are times when
>>>>>>> it's tiresome and I just want to DRIVE it
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The grease yearning decreases and the drive-it yearning increases
>>>>>> logarithmically with age.
>>>>>
>>>>> So I understand...
>>>>
>>>> ..... and in the coming years you will experience it personally. :)
>>> Maybe.
>>>
>>> I
>>>> was so hardcore on DIY repairs I had a Triumph Spitfire as a daily
>>>> driver for four years in my early twenties.
>>> That just makes you a masochist. How many clutches did you replace
>>> due to them being oiled? Quite a bitch to do, huh...
>> I ran that drill two or three times in four years. One time I go it
>> all back together and went to bolt up the slave cylinder and the
>> plunger was inside the bell housing. I had to take the transmission
>> out to get the plunger through the hole. Dohhh!
>>
>>> Every six months I had to
>>>> change all the U-joints in the rear or they would break the yokes
>>>> with catastrophic results (one time they broke and the ass of the
>>>> car jumped 3' into the air at 50mph).
>>> Glad you didn't lose your legs! Man, that's scary
>> That is when I started the preventive U-joint swaps. It damn near
>> through me out of the car because I was in the passenger seat and my
>> buddy was driving and neither of us were wearing seat belts.
>>
>>> Also, changing the clutch in a Spitfire
>>>
>>> HA!
>>>
>>> is
>>>> an ordeal that requires half the car's interior to be removed to
>>>> take out the transmission. It can't be taken out through the bottom
>>>> because of the wishbone frame. On the bright side that car would
>>>> handle like a go-cart but with 56 hp it couldn't get out of its own
>>>> way.
>>> I have seen this. My friend had one, and said if you parked it at a
>>> certain angle, the clutch would get oiled. He tapped the tranny case
>>> and installed an overflow hose, then "just" had to top off the tranny
>>> when the gearbox got loud. Something about no rear main seal? I
>>> don't quite remember, but it was damned ridiculous, if you asked me.
>>> I felt like my '75 Opel Manta with its balky mechanical fuel
>>> injection was the most reliable thing in the world compared to that
>>> car.
>> I pulled up the driveway at my girlfriend's sister's house one night
>> and
>> went to turn the headlights out with the POS rocker switch in the
>> dash. The back of the switch fell off and the hot lead grounded on
>> the radio case and the insulation on the wire caught fire all along
>> its length. I smelled the smoke and then looked under the dash and
>> saw the glow from the fire. I started cussing like a drunk sailor for
>> someone to get me some f'cking wire cutters. Her sister was very
>> religious and about freaked at my yelling and use of profanity. I ran
>> over to her husband's tool chest and found a pair of cutters and
>> raised the bonnet and in one fell swoop cut the negative wire to the
>> battery. I won't go into the PITA it is the change the wiring harness
>> in a Triumph.
>>
>> Also, I'll spare you the details of trying to find an alternator for
>> one in Nashville, Tennessee when you should be in Florida trying to
>> score some chicks on the beach. Taking a Triumph on a 2,400 mile road
>> trip is a stupid idea.
>>
>>>> The latest round of mods to my '89 LX has taken what was left of my
>>>> DIY willpower. To make the car reliable is more work than I care to
>>>> do. Its next makeover will involve a 427 ci stroked Windsor, Maximum
>>>> Motorsports complete suspension and killer brakes. I just want to
>>>> drop the car off at a speed shop and in a few months pick it back up
>>>> finished. I don't even like to wash and wax cars in the driveway
>>>> anymore. Isn't that sad?
>>> Yes, yes it is. But I too work hard and find myself with less
>>> motivation to take the damned car apart. I DO, at this point,
>>> sometimes want to just drop the bastard off at a speed shop and spend
>>> the money to get it more turn-key. I want my 400 hp and I want to
>>> drive it, period.. and no payments.
>> I don't have to prove to myself, or anyone else for that matter, that
>> I can do the work. It doesn't make me feel like less of a man to let
>> someone else turn the wrenches.
>>
>>> Here's another sign of getting older. I'm only 33 but the
>>> grandparent-owned Grand Marquis I see are really appealing. Cabbies
>>> get 500,000 out of PI vics, so a low-mileage Vic LX Sport or a Grand
>>> Marquis sure looks attractive for the same price, compared to a
>>> Crappalier. Nice used ones are what, $12,000? A pittance for such a
>>> fine automobile.
>> I think big metal is coming back into style. :)
>>
>>> And you know what I would do with either one? Install the PI tranny
>>> and oil coolers, replace the rear end gears with either a 3.27 or
>>> 3.55 posi set, then SUPERCHARGE IT. Eight lbs. of boost would
>>> suffice. I'm not even kidding. A living room on wheels that seats
>>> six, can tow a boat, and freaking FLIES. How funny would it be to
>>> smoke Rice Boy or Fart Can in a damned blown two-ton grandpamobile
>>> Grand Marquis? HEE HEE HA HA HO HO
>> I am a big fan of the sleeper concept. Here's a snapshot of my '89
>> LX:
>>
>> http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c290/MikeJ9116/LX.jpg
>>
>> There have been many drivers pull up next to me thinking they were
>> going to hand a bone stock LX its ass. :)
>
> Love the wheels, Michael. When did you take care of the fronts? IIRC,
> you were unable to put the center caps back on.
One of the reasons I installed the SN95 brakes was to allow the center
caps to snap on. The stock spindles stuck out too far. I really like
the look of those rims on the car. Plus I got the rims with brand new
tires from the local Ford dealer for $300. They were take-offs from a
Saleen conversion they did in the shop.
> Pretty incredible that the stock hood actually closes, too. ;)
There isn't more than 1/2" to spare between the blower snout brace and
the hood. Here's a picture of the engine bay. It's a little dirty but
then again I'm really not a neat freak when it come to the car.
>>>>>> I still have a yearning to be covered in grease and build things. I
>>>>>> do understand your perspective, because there are times when it's
>>>>>> tiresome and I just want to DRIVE it
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> The grease yearning decreases and the drive-it yearning increases
>>>>> logarithmically with age.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> So I understand...
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ..... and in the coming years you will experience it personally. :)
>>
>>
>> Maybe.
>>
>> I
>>
>>> was so hardcore on DIY repairs I had a Triumph Spitfire as a daily
>>> driver for four years in my early twenties.
>>
>>
>> That just makes you a masochist. How many clutches did you replace
>> due to them being oiled? Quite a bitch to do, huh...
>
>
> I ran that drill two or three times in four years. One time I go it all
> back together and went to bolt up the slave cylinder and the plunger was
> inside the bell housing. I had to take the transmission out to get the
> plunger through the hole. Dohhh!
>
Oh, I'd be fit to be tied...
>> Every six months I had to
>>
>>> change all the U-joints in the rear or they would break the yokes
>>> with catastrophic results (one time they broke and the ass of the car
>>> jumped 3' into the air at 50mph).
>>
>>
>> Glad you didn't lose your legs! Man, that's scary
>
>
> That is when I started the preventive U-joint swaps. It damn near
> through me out of the car because I was in the passenger seat and my
> buddy was driving and neither of us were wearing seat belts.
>
I bet!
>> Also, changing the clutch in a Spitfire
>>
>> HA!
>>
>> is
>>
>>> an ordeal that requires half the car's interior to be removed to take
>>> out the transmission. It can't be taken out through the bottom
>>> because of the wishbone frame. On the bright side that car would
>>> handle like a go-cart but with 56 hp it couldn't get out of its own way.
>>
>>
>> I have seen this. My friend had one, and said if you parked it at a
>> certain angle, the clutch would get oiled. He tapped the tranny case
>> and installed an overflow hose, then "just" had to top off the tranny
>> when the gearbox got loud. Something about no rear main seal? I
>> don't quite remember, but it was damned ridiculous, if you asked me.
>> I felt like my '75 Opel Manta with its balky mechanical fuel injection
>> was the most reliable thing in the world compared to that car.
>
>
> I pulled up the driveway at my girlfriend's sister's house one night and
> went to turn the headlights out with the POS rocker switch in the
> dash. The back of the switch fell off and the hot lead grounded on the
> radio case and the insulation on the wire caught fire all along its
> length. I smelled the smoke and then looked under the dash and saw the
> glow from the fire. I started cussing like a drunk sailor for someone
> to get me some f'cking wire cutters. Her sister was very religious and
> about freaked at my yelling and use of profanity. I ran over to her
> husband's tool chest and found a pair of cutters and raised the bonnet
> and in one fell swoop cut the negative wire to the battery. I won't go
> into the PITA it is the change the wiring harness in a Triumph.
>
Good Lord. I laughed at this, but felt your pain. I can't imagine what
you'd have to go through to replace all that. I have heard the wiring
on British cars in general is crappy. The Healys, with their positive
ground systems no one really understands...
> Also, I'll spare you the details of trying to find an alternator for one
> in Nashville, Tennessee when you should be in Florida trying to score
> some chicks on the beach. Taking a Triumph on a 2,400 mile road trip is
> a stupid idea.
>
"It'll be in next week". This is why I sold the Opel.
>>> The latest round of mods to my '89 LX has taken what was left of my
>>> DIY willpower. To make the car reliable is more work than I care to
>>> do. Its next makeover will involve a 427 ci stroked Windsor, Maximum
>>> Motorsports complete suspension and killer brakes. I just want to
>>> drop the car off at a speed shop and in a few months pick it back up
>>> finished. I don't even like to wash and wax cars in the driveway
>>> anymore. Isn't that sad?
>>
>>
>> Yes, yes it is. But I too work hard and find myself with less
>> motivation to take the damned car apart. I DO, at this point,
>> sometimes want to just drop the bastard off at a speed shop and spend
>> the money to get it more turn-key. I want my 400 hp and I want to
>> drive it, period.. and no payments.
>
>
> I don't have to prove to myself, or anyone else for that matter, that I
> can do the work. It doesn't make me feel like less of a man to let
> someone else turn the wrenches.
>
I find it satisfying. It's something I derive pleasure in. But I know
(most of the time) when to just have it fixed... I simply don't have the
training or equipment to tackle everything.
>> Here's another sign of getting older. I'm only 33 but the
>> grandparent-owned Grand Marquis I see are really appealing. Cabbies
>> get 500,000 out of PI vics, so a low-mileage Vic LX Sport or a Grand
>> Marquis sure looks attractive for the same price, compared to a
>> Crappalier. Nice used ones are what, $12,000? A pittance for such a
>> fine automobile.
>
>
> I think big metal is coming back into style. :)
>
My wife goes, "THAT car... you want THAT car?"
HELL YEAH! Oh, I suppose I should buy another FWD 4-banger. No.
>> And you know what I would do with either one? Install the PI tranny
>> and oil coolers, replace the rear end gears with either a 3.27 or 3.55
>> posi set, then SUPERCHARGE IT. Eight lbs. of boost would suffice.
>> I'm not even kidding. A living room on wheels that seats six, can tow
>> a boat, and freaking FLIES. How funny would it be to smoke Rice Boy
>> or Fart Can in a damned blown two-ton grandpamobile Grand Marquis?
>> HEE HEE HA HA HO HO
>
>
> I am a big fan of the sleeper concept. Here's a snapshot of my '89 LX:
>
> http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c290/MikeJ9116/LX.jpg
>
Very nice! Clean, sharp, simple.
> There have been many drivers pull up next to me thinking they were going
> to hand a bone stock LX its ass. :)
That's the best way. My '67 has nothing but nice paint and a throaty
exhaust. No badges, nothing. Let them wonder what I'm packing. At the
moment, it's just a mass-remanufactured 302 with a mild performance
treatment. I would guess 275 hp or so, with a broad torque curve. Not
terribly amazing. But, I'm not going to spin a $600 longblock too hard.
I will probably end up with a very stout 351 in it soon. The amount of
$$ I would need to go FE is sadly prohibitive. So, I will either find a
donor for my smallblock drivetrain, and go gonzo nuts with a 500-600 hp
460 and a roll cage for the Mustang, or just make it a low 13s car I can
drive daily...
"Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in news:TLqdnToXf-VQynbeRVn- hA@giganews.com:
<major snippage>
> One of the reasons I installed the SN95 brakes was to allow the center
> caps to snap on. The stock spindles stuck out too far. I really like
> the look of those rims on the car. Plus I got the rims with brand new
> tires from the local Ford dealer for $300. They were take-offs from a
> Saleen conversion they did in the shop.
Suh-weet. They'd be perfect if they were chromed. And the car lowered
an inch or so.
>> Pretty incredible that the stock hood actually closes, too. ;)
>
> There isn't more than 1/2" to spare between the blower snout brace and
> the hood. Here's a picture of the engine bay. It's a little dirty
but
> then again I'm really not a neat freak when it come to the car.
>
> http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...6/engine3a.jpg
Awesome. Although I didn't expect the KB to be that small. Those
impellers are what, only a couple inches long?
Joe wrote:
> "Michael Johnson, PE" <cds@erols.com> wrote in news:TLqdnToXf-VQynbeRVn-
> hA@giganews.com:
>
> <major snippage>
>> One of the reasons I installed the SN95 brakes was to allow the center
>> caps to snap on. The stock spindles stuck out too far. I really like
>> the look of those rims on the car. Plus I got the rims with brand new
>> tires from the local Ford dealer for $300. They were take-offs from a
>> Saleen conversion they did in the shop.
>
> Suh-weet. They'd be perfect if they were chromed. And the car lowered
> an inch or so.
It would look better lowered a little. I think maybe 1/2-3/4 of an
inch. There were chromed versions of those rims but I had to take what
I could get. I think I may try and get some of the 17" Pony wheels in
chrome when the big makeover happens. That would be an even better
sleeper look. :)
>>> Pretty incredible that the stock hood actually closes, too. ;)
>> There isn't more than 1/2" to spare between the blower snout brace and
>> the hood. Here's a picture of the engine bay. It's a little dirty
> but
>> then again I'm really not a neat freak when it come to the car.
>>
>> http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...6/engine3a.jpg
>
> Awesome. Although I didn't expect the KB to be that small. Those
> impellers are what, only a couple inches long?
No, they are about a foot long. Looking in the case you would wonder
how any air moves through it because the two screws almost fill it up.
It's amazing how tight they fit together considering how fast they spin.
