k im probably gonna start my H.O. conv. work soon. i decided to clean the valves i was given with the heads in my the parts washer and the springs too. but i took them out of the shipping box and found a greasy plastic baggy i didnt know was in there, and found whats in the first and second attached picture. the first one, i has no idea what those little things go to. but im guessing there should be 16 not 15 of those little washers. could i re use the ones from my cat? will it have those too?
im gonna guess at the 2nd pic--keepers? they dont all look the same, and why the difference?
and the third pic. these are tools of my dads, always been sitting in that deep-fryer box on the shelf. i think the shiny-chrome looking one is a harmonic balancer puller? (saw one in a catalog) what are the other ones? will i need them?
if it wasnt clear in the old thread, i have to assemble these heads. is that really hard? what tools will i need? i know ill need a valve spring compressor. would my local advance auto parts store rent that out? if not would others like napa, autozone etc?
alright i found a good deal on a MAC h-pipe (was originally gonna get the summit one) and i need to know if it will fit and not hit tranny linkage or anything. i seem to remember someone here having this huge problem with one, there was all kinds of pics, and someone told him to bend this piece of linkage in with huge pliers! (or is that not so bad? i just dont like the idea of messing with the linkage that controls my trans)
this would be using stock mustang shortys btw. will it fit alright?
the guy passed away and his son got the car. it may have been awhile for that stuff to get sorted out, and he recently gave my friend the car. so now my friend wants to sell it. he was a little unclear before but i corresponded with a member here and shot him a PM recently to let him know that now in fact, the car WAS in my friend's possession and he wanted to sell it. however he hasnt been on here in like 3 weeks so i gave him first dibs and now its going public cuz my friend needs to get rid of the thing.
i gave it a good once-over, though, and its a cream puff. he said ~70000 miles, its got the 3.8 v6,two-tone, this light tan-ish color on top and brown on the bottom. has the original wire wheels (i think theyre in the form of hubcaps?) the headlights look like glass, made me VERY jealous. still has original exhaust, only the brackets for the ler are rusty, etc. but the rest of the underside of the car is beautiful save the driveshaft, axles and pumpkin which have surface rust, must be typical of these cars, same with mine!
no rust on the fenders, lower quarters etc where there normally is rust. he said the car never saw a winter so that makes sense. i could not spot body rust ANYWHERE.
all cloth seats, grey interior, whole interior is in great shape. manual temp control.
if anyone is interested i should be able to get some pics this weekend. even if hes not home its sitting in his driveway so i could still stop and get pics. when hes home ill be able to get the engine bay, detailed interior shots, more info, etc, and maybe an asking price. hes not real sure. however i informed him of the relatively low value of our cars, so he understands that though its beautiful it wont fetch tons of $$.
btw not sure if its an 87 or 88 lol but its one of the two. i think 88 but im like 70% sure on that.
im in upstate new york--guilderland, which is right near albany (capital region).
over the last few weeks ive started piecing together the parts. i have everything but the computer, injectors, and MAP sensor. but the computer is just not here yet. i won a DA1 manual trans stang comp on ebay yesterday, so thats covered.
the only automotive work ive done is getting the '38 buick (link in sig) running after 25 years of sitting (meaning sand the points down, tune the carburetor a little, replace cap, rotor, etc) removing and cleaning its rocker shaft, and replacing the entire brake system.
i know stuff like headgaskets cant be reused, but what about other ones like intake, exhaust, manifold, etc? what else should i know about head removal/replacement, cam removal/replacement? can i take the grille off and the cam will come out through that? or is it lower? take the bumper off? can i find the head bolt order and torque in my Hayne's manual? what should i know sensor/electronic wise? anything about the computer? just plug it in and go?
how about headers? i was gonna just do stock stang ones. i *may* do other mods in the future, i was thinking if i could eventually get up to 250hp or so with a hotter cam or something i might do that (maybe a couple of years down the road or something). on eric's site he says anything over 225 hp and you should have 1 5/8" headers. could i just do that now? am i likely to find any on ebay? would they cause clearance problems with the motor mounts/steering shaft/anything else? do some manufacturers' headers have problems and other dont due to the pipe routing or something?
on http://www.albeedigital.com/supercoupe/articles/0-60times.html it says a fox stang does 0-60 in 6.4 seconds. thats kinda my measuring stick. today i tested with the gtech pro that was also my dad's, the 0-60 of my car. 9.48 seconds. i was shocked. although not really. it feels like it just crawls between like 50 and 60 mph or so. i just thought i remembered him saying he got 8 and change when he first got the thing but it was like 11 years old who knows. (does that figure (9.48) sound about right anyway? just checking). suprisingly with some research it turns out that the stang is only 100 or so lbs lighter than my cat, at 3100-3200 lbs? (at least thats what i found on corall.net forums). so with the same power can i expect a similar time? i have a 2.73 rear :pbb: did the stangs have a 3.73 or 4.11 or something? that would certainly make a difference of like 3 or 4 tenths right? im thinking i might do 3.73s. is this a good idea? i know that engine rpms will increase vs. speed from the 2.73s but how much? i know that at 65 mph in OD now its 1600 rpm. would it be like 2000? even a little more would be fine with me, as long as that wont cause a lot of extra engine wear, like erasing 50k miles from its life or something. gas mileage is unimportant, i dont drive a whole lot in general, especially now that im in college, AND freshman year you cant have a car anyway! what other ratios are out there, should i go with something more like 3.4 or 3.5 ish? or might the HO alone be enough?
does anyone think i could do the rear end gear swap? how involved is that? i have no idea how the gears/diff are attached? does the entire axle housing have to come off the car?
who here has this setup, more importantly who does 0-60 in like 6 or 6.5 seconds. how does it feel? getting on the highway must be nothing at all. i mean my car does it good but you gotta practially floor it to get in quick into a 5 or so carlength gap. id also like to know that i can be about as fast as the 80s stangs and camaros, and solidly beat friends' more modern cars like late model civics and accords and stuff like that. i will NOT partake in any street racing, i think thats some stupid stuff, in fact i will continue to baby the hell out of the car on a day to day basis but i want the power to be there if i need/want/gotta brag about it. besides, this is something 30 years from now im gonna be bringing to the showfield in the historic preservation/unrestored class, so as cool as it would be, no Kenne Bell blowers or Trick Flow top end kit with that Trick Flow upper intake, and no cone filters, or things painted a different color than stock. someone here has a real clean bay with a baby blue upper intake and it looks sweet but it aint factory stock. thatd be points off in AACA judging! lol. i like the HO conversion because it will look stock. heh, actually the HO upper intake im getting is missing the plate on top, so ill use my one and itll truly look stock!
whew! wrists = tired and prolly ur eyes too!
just wanna be sure i got all the info i need, i cant believe im going to be tearing into something more complicated than the '38, that thing is like an old tractor or something. so simple and SO much space in the engine bay!
hes started his own mobile detailing buisiness recently, so as my birthday present (today's my bday), in the middle of last week my mom paid him to detail it for me, which included a very thorough carpet vacspooge and shampoo, glass cleaning, etc and he buffed the body using a swirl remover (im pretty sure the real stuff not the fake "swirl-filler" that poses as remover that ive heard tell of) then a "glaze" polish/something as he called it, to fill in the fine stuff. ive been wanting him or someone to help me buff it because a couple years back a friend who isnt a friend anymore (partly because of the following) convinced me to use polishing compound on it which we did because i didnt know any better and thought he did. Well we just hand-did it with cotton cloths from the carwash he worked at and it ended up pretty shiny but with heavy swirl marks that could be seen at the right angle, like standing next to the driver's door looking down at the hood, in the sun for example. so i am SO HAPPY its finally taken care of and it looks so shiny and more like a red than purple because it was a little worn too. my mom says even when my dad first bought the car in '98 it didnt look this good.
only problem is i checked today and the swirls are still there, maybe to a slightly lesser extent but still there, mainly on the trunk. from the side of the car in the sun i cannot find any angle to see any swirls in the sun which is great but i can on the trunk anyway and i think maybe on the hood. i am very thankful and the job my cousin did was phenomenal, im sure it wasnt his fault. im thinking this is something else, like it would need major repair. he said from what he could tell the clearcoat is pretty thin. i was just wondering if any guys here know this stuff and could tell me what's going on and if i could do anything someday to get this paintjob as close to flawless as possible, if thats possible short of a new paint finish. i dont even want to tell him any of this because it would be very disrespectful, i think. i am ecstatic over the car's current condition. the picture tells so much more. but down the road i want to get this thing as close to perfect as i can. im keeping it for the rest of my life, and if i can get a dirt cheap beater within the next few years despite college expenses, this car will descend to antique status, only driven enough to keep seals from deteriorating, etc. it wont be stored away and never run, always a BAD idea. but it will be in my home garage or something all the time, im preserving this thing. i want it to be an original, unrestored car as long as i can, and given its current shape i think thats possible if i keep it away from the elements.
well i hope i havent bored anyone, but i just feel i gotta tell you all my plans. these cars recieve little attention today, and whatever happens in years to come, whether that attention shoots up or stays nil, who knows? but everyone who happens to see the car while im driving it or visit my house and see it in my garage will know of their existence and what they were in their time because ill tell them about it, and that's enough for me to know im doing my part.
it turns out the last 2-3 inches of the dipstick broke off, just snapped off the other day when i went to check the oil level, couldnt get the thing back in, happened to look at the end and saw "MAX" but only the "AX" part of it. also found out the thing is rusty and definitely needs to be replaced.
does anyone know where i could order one online? ive been warned not to get a used one by a knowledgeable friend of my uncle, who says that its very likely an old one will be in as bad shape as mine.
on the car in my sig, the passenger side window has evidently become detached from its motor/or a lever or something/whatever the heck is in there! i went to open it and the front of it started to go down and the rear didnt, and it wouldnt move then i went to move it back up and then back down and i heard something peel off i think or something like that and now the motor just runs and the window doesnt move. i once tried to remove the driver door trim to inspect the keyless entry because it was pushed in, ended up getting it replaced for $250. the haynes maunal we have doesnt give me much help with this. i think i actually broke a couple of the black plastic "pins" or whatever you call em that have the "spikes" in the side that it goes into a hole and they flare out when you try to pull it out so that's how it holds itself in. thats the best i can describe it. that and in once case the cardboard or whatever backing of the trim ripped because the pin pulled out of it. i got scared and put it back together. i have a tool of my dad's thats like this http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/1255146_lg.gif but without a long handle and it worked for some of them, but the trim was attached in other places and i had no idea how to get it off.
first does anyone know what's happened to the window? can i repair it? can i get the interior stuff off the door to access it all? can someone provide a detailed explanation on how to do it?
this is one of the many reasons i joined these forums just a couple days ago. my friend has a neighbor across the street, and the husband died recently. the wife now wants to sell it, he has told me. i live in Guilderland, New York. its in the "Capital Region" right near Albany, hence the name in quotes of this area. im simply posting this because as he tells me this is the classic "used to go to church on sundays", very low mileage, beautiful shape deal with this car. its always been kept in their garage, and it apparently hasnt been out for awhile (but hasnt sat for several years or anything). i know there are people here who would be interested so i want to give them this opportunity.
its an 87 or 88, he doesnt know, but its one of the two because he says it looks exactly like my '87. he knows it has the 5.0 V8. if anyone would be interested let me know, ill get some pics and details, her phone number, and how much she wants to ask for it.
First I'd just like to say that I came upon this place from a link on EricCoolCats's page. I don't remember how I found his site, probably a Google search or something, but it's really great. Eric, your "cats" are really nice and your site is so informative, thanks! I've been lurking around here reading posts for the last few weeks, and this place seems real nice.
My name is Paul, I'm 17 years old and I live in the Capital Region of New York.
It is not a happy story how I obtained my cougar. In 2003 my father became ill with a malignant brain tumor. He lost his battle on December 31 that year. I inherited this car and his 1938 Buick Special 4 door sedan he owned since 1968 when he was my age, and which sat for 25 years in a nearby garage until last year when I resurrected it. I am a member of the Buick Club of America and up the local chapter. I also belong to this forum: forums.aaca.org. http://forums.aaca.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=351607&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1 that is the thread I have going about my Special. On the first page down near the bottom are a couple posts with "Attachment" in orange letters at the top of the post. They are pics of the car. I'll post some more here if anyone would like.
The cougar he bought in 1998 because he had a grey two tone 87 T-bird that he bought new but which was totalled when a car sitting in a turn lane with its wheels already turned was rear ended and thus veered into his lane, oncoming. This was the next best thing he could find. It had ~60 or 70k miles when he got it I think, I gotta look it up again. He always told me to NEVER sit waiting to turn with my wheels turned. Because of that experience and other he had lots of automotive wisdom for me. He was a racer, we have his '84 Reynard Formula Ford in the enclosed trailer next to our house. he was in the SCCA, just as a hobby, for fun, no prizes or anything. Its a small car with a 1.6L Pinto engine in it. We will probably sell it this year.:( We dont have use for it...
The cougar now has 114750 miles on it. It is in great shape. As far as I can tell the underbody is very good, the front suspension and cross members, etc are very well rustproofed due to a slow oil leak for a long time:hick:. (i really like that smiley lol) and in the back i tried to peek underneath and the frame rails in the back that go up real high have some significant surface rust but dont look eaten through at all. And of course the driveshaft and rear axle and diff are nice and brown too. The body is great, just a little rust starting as the very bottom edge at the rear of the doors, on the inside. Some silicone spray or something should stop that when I remember to do it. It runs great, has always been well taken care of as far as I know, the ol' AOD is fine, the trans fluid is crystal clear red.
I absolutely baby the thing. This winter is the first one I've driven it in, and Ive taken it out in the snow/salt maybe 6 times total. After every one within 3 days I got it washed, if the road wasnt still salty and full of crud. I take the bus in to school 90% of the time. My bus driver knows a lot about real old cars and cars in general and I love talking to him about the Buick and cars in general. Occassionally I romp on the cougar because its pretty powerful, but I want this car a LONG time. I always talk with relatives about the musclecars they once had and hear "If only we knew then what we know now." A classic statement. I think these 20th Anniversary's will be worth something someday, and even if not its rare and cool.
So here's my conundrum: OF COURSE I've read on coolcats about the HO conversion and it sounds appetizing. I remember when I was like 12 years old once my dad lit the tires up somewhere while I was in it. I tried once last year and could only get a few squeaks. I probably could have let off the brake and nailed quicker, or do what I didnt know about then--brake torquing. I'm definitely gonna try that sometime. That must be what my dad did. He was smart, I'm sure he knew how to do that. But anyway I think 75 extra horsepower would be um...noticeable, LOL. And its really not much more stress on the motor, at least not more than it was designed from the factory to be able to handle just fine day-to-day, right? But I kind of want to be like the guys that have old '40s or '50s cars in their original condition, I don't want to modify this car much. So i'll see what happens. I think in a few years I'll end up doing the conversion. I'm thirsty for some horses.
Sorry for the long post if that irritates anyone, but I felt I needed to tell all of that. Theres more I want to tell about that oil leak (and pics will come tomorrow!) and there are a couple small gizmos that don't work, so I'll save that for later, and I'm sure everyone will have questions for me, too.
because it was a little worn too. my mom says even when my dad first bought the car in '98 it didnt look this good.