This is a “share” for like-minded owners who will understand that what I am relating is not really as straightforward as it seems.
Winter is over here in Toronto and I just “woke up” my 1968 GT with 16,000 (original) miles on the clock.
I did so with some trepidation.
Strange things have happened in prior years during this annual spring ritual.
One year, the power brake booster failed on the spot. After discovering that there was only one shop in Canada willing to “try” to rebuild it -- for about the price of a second mortgage -- I UPS’d it off to the incredibly talented people at Auto Krafters, who, for a reasonable fee (reasonable, as in “the car won’t run without this part”) sent it back in a few weeks later in perfect order.
On a prior year -- true story! -- after taking the vehicle out on the highway at about 90 mph, the front suspension collapsed just as I was coming into my own driveway. [The car is almost rust-free. The problem was traced to a 10 year old repair where the mechanic had “created” a replacement strut rod, using a welder, because, at that time, no repros were available. If that accident had happened on the highway, I suppose would not be writing this]
This year was fun as well.
The car, which was running fine last year, was surging badly. I cleaned the PCV valve -- which needed it -- and tightened the base carb gasket as well as every visible screw on the Holley 1450. The lower right screw on the front bowl was particularly hard to reach, but a $20 “sidewinder” rachet-screwdriver from Radio Shack got it. Almost everything was slightly loose -- God Bless those maintenance-free Holleys, NOT! -- and the procedure not only seemed to stop the surging but also (at least so far!) cured some small gas seepage from the rear bowl.
Oops -- I undid the rear “float view” screw for a quick look and almost lost it. Forgot how small it was. Luckily I found it. Very lucky, in fact. (Although I later found some web sites that will actually sell you odds and ends for the Holley, so I guess I am not the only one with butterfingers!)
On the way back into the garage, with darkness looming, my AMP dash lite started to flicker.
My first thought was that this had something to do with the Jacobs Compsensor I had on the car, but a check with a voltmeter showed an honest-to-God fluctuation in the voltage output at the regulator.
One small problem, I had replaced the reg with a solid state unit just a year or so earlier, and it should have been OK.
Just for the heck of it, I pulled the plastic connector off the solid-state regulator, sprayed it with WD40, and pushed it back on hard.
Problem solved.
Let me be clear -- I love this car. It turns more heads than Britney Spears (well, you sorta know what I mean) and I recall Lee Iococca writing that he thought it was was the best design that Ford ever produced. Period.
But -- how can I phrase this gently? -- the car tends to age whether you use it or not. Like most of you, I have had “adventures” over the years with the rear lite sequencer, the Holley carb (!!), the tranny selector bushing, the lube points (or lack of same) in the front suspension, the rear leaf springs, the headlight covers, the heater fan, the oil pan gasket, etc.
I am keeping a watchful eye on the power steering, which has been problem-free so far -- and I suspect it is doing the same to me.
Did I mention this car has only 16,000 miles on the clock?
Did I mention that, before I put the Monte Carlo bar on the front, the car sounded like it wanted to implode when I turned a corner?
And that to put a modern radio into the dash I had to use a saw?
Or that, to solve a mysterious jerkiness on hard braking, I had to consult the owner of a Shelby 500, who opined, correctly, that a bushing in the front frame had collapsed, even though the problem was “invisible” without major disassembly.
I love this car, but sometimes I think owners of Chevelles and Camaros have an easier time..?
Bob
Winter is over here in Toronto and I just “woke up” my 1968 GT with 16,000 (original) miles on the clock.
I did so with some trepidation.
Strange things have happened in prior years during this annual spring ritual.
One year, the power brake booster failed on the spot. After discovering that there was only one shop in Canada willing to “try” to rebuild it -- for about the price of a second mortgage -- I UPS’d it off to the incredibly talented people at Auto Krafters, who, for a reasonable fee (reasonable, as in “the car won’t run without this part”) sent it back in a few weeks later in perfect order.
On a prior year -- true story! -- after taking the vehicle out on the highway at about 90 mph, the front suspension collapsed just as I was coming into my own driveway. [The car is almost rust-free. The problem was traced to a 10 year old repair where the mechanic had “created” a replacement strut rod, using a welder, because, at that time, no repros were available. If that accident had happened on the highway, I suppose would not be writing this]
This year was fun as well.
The car, which was running fine last year, was surging badly. I cleaned the PCV valve -- which needed it -- and tightened the base carb gasket as well as every visible screw on the Holley 1450. The lower right screw on the front bowl was particularly hard to reach, but a $20 “sidewinder” rachet-screwdriver from Radio Shack got it. Almost everything was slightly loose -- God Bless those maintenance-free Holleys, NOT! -- and the procedure not only seemed to stop the surging but also (at least so far!) cured some small gas seepage from the rear bowl.
Oops -- I undid the rear “float view” screw for a quick look and almost lost it. Forgot how small it was. Luckily I found it. Very lucky, in fact. (Although I later found some web sites that will actually sell you odds and ends for the Holley, so I guess I am not the only one with butterfingers!)
On the way back into the garage, with darkness looming, my AMP dash lite started to flicker.
My first thought was that this had something to do with the Jacobs Compsensor I had on the car, but a check with a voltmeter showed an honest-to-God fluctuation in the voltage output at the regulator.
One small problem, I had replaced the reg with a solid state unit just a year or so earlier, and it should have been OK.
Just for the heck of it, I pulled the plastic connector off the solid-state regulator, sprayed it with WD40, and pushed it back on hard.
Problem solved.
Let me be clear -- I love this car. It turns more heads than Britney Spears (well, you sorta know what I mean) and I recall Lee Iococca writing that he thought it was was the best design that Ford ever produced. Period.
But -- how can I phrase this gently? -- the car tends to age whether you use it or not. Like most of you, I have had “adventures” over the years with the rear lite sequencer, the Holley carb (!!), the tranny selector bushing, the lube points (or lack of same) in the front suspension, the rear leaf springs, the headlight covers, the heater fan, the oil pan gasket, etc.
I am keeping a watchful eye on the power steering, which has been problem-free so far -- and I suspect it is doing the same to me.
Did I mention this car has only 16,000 miles on the clock?
Did I mention that, before I put the Monte Carlo bar on the front, the car sounded like it wanted to implode when I turned a corner?
And that to put a modern radio into the dash I had to use a saw?
Or that, to solve a mysterious jerkiness on hard braking, I had to consult the owner of a Shelby 500, who opined, correctly, that a bushing in the front frame had collapsed, even though the problem was “invisible” without major disassembly.
I love this car, but sometimes I think owners of Chevelles and Camaros have an easier time..?
Bob
