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Messages - skrimace

1
User Rides / Rusty's Log
Yeah, this thing was pretty well loved its whole life - looks a lot worse at a glance than it really is.  Exterior's rough due to a very large Maple tree, and the interior's trashed from the PO hurking his wheelchair in and out. 

Yes, this forum has been a most invaluable resource.  Aside from the wealth of non-dubious information here, it's also a very friendly environment.  Threads don't digress into pointless spitting matches, as is the case in so many auto forums.
2
User Rides / Rusty's Log
I was thwarted! :bricks1:

looks like your inbox is full, Haystack.
3
User Rides / Rusty's Log
Quote from: Moonmount;455990
if you dont want to pick up a new switch you can repair it if you have a soldering iron


There's a jumper in there.  It restored operation, but it's a little finicky - the jumper wire mechanically interferes with the switch pins a bit.  I'll probably go back in at some point and try my luck with conductive paint. 

Quote from: custompunk;456009
Some don't call it rust they call it patina.  Good luck with the repairs!


Thanks!  Vinnie's advice rings true - the more I compartmentalize, plan, and prioritize, the less daunting the project becomes and the more the car reveals its simplicity.
Yeah, I like the rust bucket sleepers.  Much as I'd like, I don't have the dough or knowledge to build a proper Mad Maxer yet.  Gettin' there...

Quote from: Haystack;456015
Send me a pm with your info. I have some 87 bird tail lights with some small chips you can have.

Whoa, that'd be rad, thanks!  I worry these things'll shake themselves to pieces one day as I'm driving down the road - no joke.  We lost one driving down a dirt road a few years ago.  Luckily we missed our turnoff and had to turn back and there it was, lying pathetically in the middle of the road.  Probably the first mod we ever did to the car - the original black duct tape holding the rear lenses in is now blue duct tape.  But I digress.
Shooting pm...
4
Lounge / Ouch!!!
Still, I'd rather be one whose car got wrecked than the one who wrecked the cars.  Insurance wouldn't cover the guilt I'd feel.
5
User Rides / Rusty's Log
Well, I think we have a plan for Phase I.  First order of business - transmission.

OD's gone.  Never had a tranny die before *knocks on wood*, so completely new territory for me.  Don't know what the hell I'm doing, but hey, that's why I'm here and why I'm doing all this in the first place.  So, shopping for remans while also putting out feelers for a good transmission tech to rebuild my old one.  Sticking with AOD, this thing isn't going to the track and there's a fairly significant amount of traffic in this city.  Not fun in a manual.
Will also take the opportunity to replace u-joints, clean and paint the shaft while it's out. 
Target - Hoping to have this done by 9/2016

Second order - front suspension overhaul.
(Snap crackle pop!)

Fear.  I've installed lift kits on many Kawasaki Mules, it scared the hell out of me every time - and those coil springs are puny in comparison.  I'm sure all will be well, plenty of info on these forums regarding getting coils in/out.  I'm at least confident I won't end up in the ER or morgue, I just hope I'm one of the lucky ones whose coils pop right back in.  Since I'm keeping stock, my hopes are not high.  I do want to put in some subframe connectors - the only performance enhancement I've planned so far.  We only intend this thing to be a city cruiser and day tripper, but adding SC's seems to just make sense regardless its use. 
Target - Probably tackle front end & SC's after the holidays.

Third - Smog pump

Squeak, squeak.
Target - probably the day the suspension is done.  It's maddening...
6
Engine Tech / 1984 Tbird 3.8L - Ignition Module Fails every 10k Miles -
The module on my 3.8 was relocated to the fender apr0n when the engine was rebuilt.  The owner also used a metallic based thermal compound - thermal conductivity is about 3x that of the silicone based stuff the unit comes with.  That was 10 years/ 70,000 miles ago, still the same module.
7
Lounge / What movies have your cars been in?
Gorgeous 'stang! 

Quote
If ya just wanna see a fox...

Nah, I wanna see that car that you'd swear is yours.

Sure, there's a lot of fox bodies in flicks, but I'm also a big Econoline fan - and pretty much every movie made since 1961 has an Econoline in it somewhere.  Still, I've never caught an identical of my old E-250 CW in a flick:



Some sspooge sucker stole it.  Loved that two tone $#!7 brown.  Did not love the 5 MPG so much...
8
Lounge / What movies have your cars been in?
Quote from: vinnietbird;455639
Mine wasn't on a movie but it was on Gearz with Stacey David........if that counts.

That's awesome!  Is the episode available online?

Definitely didn't catch the Breaking Bad appearances, but I think the show had run its course by the time we got the bird and our eyes opened to them.  It would be cool to see a forum member pop up, it's always nice to learn that a movie car has been taken car of.  The Ecto-1a is a sad example - http://www.moviefone.com/2013/10/15/ghostbusters-car-photo/. On the brighter side, if you've been following Ash vs Evil Dead - he's driving the VERY SAME '73 Oldsmobile Delta 88 from the original Evil Dead.  Sam Raimi still owns it, and it's been in almost every movie he's made since.
9
Lounge / What movies have your cars been in?
I'm a bit of a film nerd.  Whilst nerding out, I just stumbled upon imcdb.org (the Internet Movie Car Database) and have now wasted several hours there.

My '88 prominently stars alongside Tom Selleck in 1989's "An Innocent Man" - http://imcdb.org/vehicle_606886-Ford-Thunderbird-1988.html


Was actually looking for movie appearances of 1983 Chrysler Cordobas.  Was disappointed to find only a single obscure cameo. http://imcdb.org/vehicle_611189-Chrysler-Cordoba-1983.html  It was a piece of , but I do miss that car.
10
User Rides / Rusty's Log
Quote from: skrimace;455562
the PCB traces are shot - but amazingly only traces controlling the passenger mirror, both axes work fine on driver's side. 

That is inaccurate.  Both mirrors worked in only one direction on each axis.  The bad trace provides +12 for the polarity swap on the common to the motors.  Patched the trace, the little black box that makes the mirrors go 'whrrrrr' is fully operational again. 

The fuel button isn't a bummer any more.  The cable in the trunk to manually pop the door snapped yonks ago, and that button was a real drag - pull up to the pump and I'd have to, er, rub the button for a minute or two.  Thought I was going to have to get in behind the glove last few times I fueled the bird.  The contacts were really bad.  Not the usual gritty corrosion, they were actually slimy.  Behind the dash is immaculate, which leads me to believe the button was gunked up almost entirely with oils originating from human fingers.  Gross.

Seat was stuck at rearmost position.  Power seat FWD/RWD actuator cable snapped, unraveled within the sleeve, then snapped again.  Got the track into a position for now where I can reach the bolts using the lumbar actuator and we can better reach the pedals.

Edit:
Oh yes, also gave the EC a rinse.  Previous photo was only 3 weeks worth of dust!
11
Body/Appearance/Interior / Driver's seat plight
A parking stub from 1990 took the prize.  Other items include a DQ receipt from '96, tow receipt from '97, free hash brown from Burger King for a "Revenge of the Sith" cross promo, a lost debit card belonging to the PO (exp 2006), a seven digit phone number (went 10 digit 'round these parts in 1997) for a guy named Randy who apparently had "VW stuff", and about six bucks in change.

Found my problem, too:



That motor's got some cojones.  No damage done to the mechanism, looks like I can get it up and running again with a bit of speedo cable.  Thanks 50RACER - First phase of the project is cleanup & free repairs, but I'll keep you in mind when I'm ready to take the bear trap off my wallet.

Edit:
Nope, speedo cable's too skinny.
12
User Rides / Rusty's Log
Grabbed some pics as it is right now.  (Pardon the dust, I swear I do wash it from time to time.  Unfortunately, there are no less than six construction sites within a 1 block radius of me right now; our cars constantly look like we live on a frickin dirt road.) 




Rusty's got some eczema


But no trenchfoot


These lenses are too pricey to justify any major priority, therefor they drive me bonkers.  But, I do like my dealer badge.


Dealer badge outlasted the Thunderbird badge.  Thankfully we still have it, the thing just fell off while parked - found it in the street behind the bird. 


Aaaaannnnnndddd the interior...  Not much to the pic, but pretty much representative of the interior as a whole.


Though, the helm actually isn't too bad.  But those scratches on the windshield, I just noticed them today and my blood is boiling.  They're not deep, won't be hard to rectify, but some  swine clearly scratched our brand new windshield on purpose. 


Yep, for initial stages taking it slow, cleaning and assessing.  Fixing what can be fixed for free.  Don't want to get into anything real nitty gritty until emissions testing's done with later this year, but there's a distinct possibility I may have to address a dead AOD before that time comes (sad trombone)...
13
Body/Appearance/Interior / Driver's seat plight
Ah, well.  I was so fixated on the nuts & bolts on the floor, I completely missed the four 10mm bolts that fasten the seat to the track.  Now I feel just a little dumb - we've been using that ed cushion for years. 

To my defense, it's nasty down there.  Like, receipts from the 1990s nasty...
14
User Rides / Rusty's Log
Meet Rusty!
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It's a boring base 3.8, but we've grown quite fond of her.  She was a godsend, dropped in our laps just when we needed her most.  She's been a reliable workhorse, and we've decided she deserves some love.  Mechanically she's in pretty good shape, but oh man she looks horrible, as you shall see when I collect some more photos.  Going to log process for posterity, to keep myself motivated, to keep my head screwed on straight, and of course moral support.  Diving right in:

ing around today.  Mowed the lawn and cleaned up the center console switches (serviceable switches FTW!):
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Mirror switch sporting 30 years worth of food stuffs, dead skin cells, and god knows what else.  It all cleaned up quite nicely (toothbrush, mild detergent, isopropyl, contact cleaner), unfortunately the PCB traces are shot - but amazingly only traces controlling the passenger mirror, both axes work fine on driver's side. 
X

Modest start to non-essential repairs, good enough for now.
15
Body/Appearance/Interior / Driver's seat plight
Hi all!  We all have our vital accessories that live in our cars.  Things like jacks, spares, sunglasses, etc.  There's a very special vital item in my Thunderbird's kit - the patio cushion.  White with neon pink and powder blue flowers, same approximate vintage as the car.  This special cushion allows us to work the pedals...

Yeah, the driver's side power seat is stuck in the rearmost position.  Made a spiritless attempt at rectifying the situation when we first acquired the car - no dice.  Now I'm revisiting the issue with some more gusto.  I can get the front two bolts and the 1/2" nut on the left rear of the seat, but I've nil clearance to get at the plastic nut cover - much less the nut itself - at the right rear of the seat.  It seems clear the seat needs to move to be removed. 

Electrics are good, I can hear the motor working in forward and reverse directions.  No ugly grinding or clacking sounds, just the whir of the motor and the bowden cable spinning freely within its sleeve. 

Anybody run into this and/or have suggestions?  At this point, my mind has gone to pondering fantastical solutions involving destruction and lots of fire...

:sawzall: