1983 GL, project: Cheap Thrills
- Thread starter great white
- Start date
great white
Grumpy Old Fart
So I picked up 4 used tires today . 75 bucks. 245 50/16's. With the 5 lug and 16" conversion this winter, I needed something to throw on the rims to hold air so I can at least roll it back and forth in the garage while I work on the body. I couldn't justify spending the big bucks on 4 new tires when i don't even know if it's going to be on the road next year or even if this will be the way it will roll out of the garage when I'm done.
Got home, bolted my cheapo Princess Auto tire changer to the floor and plopped them on the rims.
They're nothing special, just some old Avon zz1's. There's just enough tread left on them to maybe squeak by an MVI. If I get that (to get my antique plates) and maybe a day or two at the track out of them, they'll have given me my money's worth....
Got home, bolted my cheapo Princess Auto tire changer to the floor and plopped them on the rims.
They're nothing special, just some old Avon zz1's. There's just enough tread left on them to maybe squeak by an MVI. If I get that (to get my antique plates) and maybe a day or two at the track out of them, they'll have given me my money's worth....
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great white
Grumpy Old Fart
Not much progress to report lately. Back has been out for a while and ive been doing some work on the yamaha venture for the final bit of the season before putting it away for winter.
I did order a full drivers side floor pan from rock auto though. 200 bucks cdn to my door. I was going to beat out my own floor pan, but an unexpected birthday "money gift" made going through the hassle of making my own too much of a pita to bother with it.
200 bucks is pretty cheap for a full pan too. Funny thing was it would have cost 350 for just a front pan after shipping. A full pan was 20 bucks more than a half, but nearly 150 dollars cheaper to ship.
Go figure......
So, except for a windsheild and a paint job, thats the last of the big purchases to get it done. Now its the "nickle and dime" stuff and the time it takes to put it all together....
I did order a full drivers side floor pan from rock auto though. 200 bucks cdn to my door. I was going to beat out my own floor pan, but an unexpected birthday "money gift" made going through the hassle of making my own too much of a pita to bother with it.
200 bucks is pretty cheap for a full pan too. Funny thing was it would have cost 350 for just a front pan after shipping. A full pan was 20 bucks more than a half, but nearly 150 dollars cheaper to ship.
Go figure......
So, except for a windsheild and a paint job, thats the last of the big purchases to get it done. Now its the "nickle and dime" stuff and the time it takes to put it all together....
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great white
Grumpy Old Fart
Well, I'm getting ready to pull the mustang into the single car garage for the winter to start the heavy body work.
I'm planning on doing a 5 lug conversion and sn95 brakes all around.
I have a 96 7.5 rear axle I was going to clean, paint and just swap in, but closer inspection revealed it had been ravaged pretty aggressively by the NS climate. It was in a bit disappointing condition after knocking all the scale off, but it looked mostly usable until I got to the axle tube ends where the seals sit. Pulling the caliper brackets off revealed the tube had rusted down to razor thin. It was still there, but not a lot more than a couple layers of tin foil thick. A hard squeeze would deform it a bit. That will not pass muster at all!
I check out the 7.5 already in the 83. Yep, it's seen far fewer winters than the 96 and it's in far better condition with not much more than a surface rust coating. So change in plans means I'm swapping the 96 axles and brakes onto the 83 housing.
That was going to be a major PITA to do in a single car garage over winter (bordering on impossible due to space constraints). So I spent the afternoon today tearing the 83 axle apart and swapping in the 96 shafts and caliper brackets. The rest can be done over the winter in the garage.
When I was done, I threw the 16" rims on it and took a couple quick pics:
I know to some people may think they look small (IE: not 17/18/19"), plain or boring, but I think they look absolutely perfect on there. Just enough of a throwback look to give nice nod the 80's era 5 spoke rims that were so popular on mustangs when I was growing up. To me they look (dare I say)....badass....
I'm planning on doing a 5 lug conversion and sn95 brakes all around.
I have a 96 7.5 rear axle I was going to clean, paint and just swap in, but closer inspection revealed it had been ravaged pretty aggressively by the NS climate. It was in a bit disappointing condition after knocking all the scale off, but it looked mostly usable until I got to the axle tube ends where the seals sit. Pulling the caliper brackets off revealed the tube had rusted down to razor thin. It was still there, but not a lot more than a couple layers of tin foil thick. A hard squeeze would deform it a bit. That will not pass muster at all!
I check out the 7.5 already in the 83. Yep, it's seen far fewer winters than the 96 and it's in far better condition with not much more than a surface rust coating. So change in plans means I'm swapping the 96 axles and brakes onto the 83 housing.
That was going to be a major PITA to do in a single car garage over winter (bordering on impossible due to space constraints). So I spent the afternoon today tearing the 83 axle apart and swapping in the 96 shafts and caliper brackets. The rest can be done over the winter in the garage.
When I was done, I threw the 16" rims on it and took a couple quick pics:
I know to some people may think they look small (IE: not 17/18/19"), plain or boring, but I think they look absolutely perfect on there. Just enough of a throwback look to give nice nod the 80's era 5 spoke rims that were so popular on mustangs when I was growing up. To me they look (dare I say)....badass....
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TrueBlue02058
Post King
Those 16 Inch Rims are perfect for the Car. And I think They look Bad Ass Too.
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great white
Grumpy Old Fart
couple gratuitous "just because" pics.
Center caps on:
Rear shot:
(Mudflaps will hit the bin soon enough)
Lots of fender clearance:
I don't have the rotors on in that shot, but even with the rotor on there will still be ample fender clearance.
Center caps on:
Rear shot:
(Mudflaps will hit the bin soon enough)
Lots of fender clearance:
I don't have the rotors on in that shot, but even with the rotor on there will still be ample fender clearance.
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great white
Grumpy Old Fart
So I need to do something to setup the e-brakes.
I've been reading on the web how guys order special cables for the conversion from sn95 to a fox.
No where near cheap and you have to weld the adjuster on the e-brake handle.
Non of that sounds very appealing to me.
So I take a trip up to the local yard and slide under a 96 sn95. Looks simple enough. Everything else is SN95 going into the fox, no reason the e-brake system can't be transferred over too. Only issue I can see is there's a bracket welded to the floor to hold the two rear cables instead of the hanging cables on the fox.
I grab my pry bar an give it a little tweak.
"Boink"
The bracket breaks free right where the spot welds were holding it to the floor. Seems Nova Scotia winters had made the trans tunnel paper thin. then it was just pulling the cables free at the calipers and the e-brake handle. I grab all the mounting brackets as well.
I take it back up to Tim and he says 5 bucks. Done.
I only wanted it for mock up, fully planning to have to buy new cables. I get home and check 'em out. They're all good. So that's a nice little bonus; 5 bucks and I'll have at least a serviceable e-brake system. Just one bracket to attach to the trans tunnel and I'm good to go!
I've been reading on the web how guys order special cables for the conversion from sn95 to a fox.
No where near cheap and you have to weld the adjuster on the e-brake handle.
Non of that sounds very appealing to me.
So I take a trip up to the local yard and slide under a 96 sn95. Looks simple enough. Everything else is SN95 going into the fox, no reason the e-brake system can't be transferred over too. Only issue I can see is there's a bracket welded to the floor to hold the two rear cables instead of the hanging cables on the fox.
I grab my pry bar an give it a little tweak.
"Boink"
The bracket breaks free right where the spot welds were holding it to the floor. Seems Nova Scotia winters had made the trans tunnel paper thin. then it was just pulling the cables free at the calipers and the e-brake handle. I grab all the mounting brackets as well.
I take it back up to Tim and he says 5 bucks. Done.
I only wanted it for mock up, fully planning to have to buy new cables. I get home and check 'em out. They're all good. So that's a nice little bonus; 5 bucks and I'll have at least a serviceable e-brake system. Just one bracket to attach to the trans tunnel and I'm good to go!
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great white
Grumpy Old Fart
In for winter:
Pretty tight for working on the car. Bike will go into back of garage once snow flys and the car is on casters so i can slide it left and right as needed.
Pretty tight for working on the car. Bike will go into back of garage once snow flys and the car is on casters so i can slide it left and right as needed.
I tried those casters one year. Bent them all up. Got a new set under warranty from CT. Threw them on kijiji. Must have been a bad set. Never bothered to try them again
great white
Grumpy Old Fart
These came from PA, but may be same stuff as CT.
Only been on them a day, but they seem to be unaffected.
I avoid CT like the plague these days. Seems like you used to be able to get decent stuff there but it's like there's been an upper management change and now I find everything they sell pretty much useless crap. Substandard everywhere, like they went for the cheapest stuff they could get and charge as much (or more) than they used too...
Only been on them a day, but they seem to be unaffected.
I avoid CT like the plague these days. Seems like you used to be able to get decent stuff there but it's like there's been an upper management change and now I find everything they sell pretty much useless crap. Substandard everywhere, like they went for the cheapest stuff they could get and charge as much (or more) than they used too...
great white
Grumpy Old Fart
This is true.
They have moved away from the traditional "hardware and Auto store" to be more of a "department store".
Isles and isles of cheap imported crap that nobody really needs or wants.
My car stuff tends to come from NAPA these days. At least they specialize in car stuff and I can get industry standard stuff through them, even if the counter jockeys are just microfiche and catalog readers....
They have moved away from the traditional "hardware and Auto store" to be more of a "department store".
Isles and isles of cheap imported crap that nobody really needs or wants.
My car stuff tends to come from NAPA these days. At least they specialize in car stuff and I can get industry standard stuff through them, even if the counter jockeys are just microfiche and catalog readers....
Yeah true enough. Some of the quality of stuff makes me shake my head sometimes.
I saw the PA wheel dollies before. If I am not mistaken they have renforcement gussets to strengthen them so when you pull them sideways the metal does not flex under the weight. I know that is why mine failed the first time I used them and tried to push the car into the corner.
I saw the PA wheel dollies before. If I am not mistaken they have renforcement gussets to strengthen them so when you pull them sideways the metal does not flex under the weight. I know that is why mine failed the first time I used them and tried to push the car into the corner.
great white
Grumpy Old Fart
Possibly. These have a bar welded across each side of the arch where the tire sits....
great white
Grumpy Old Fart
did a little tinkering yesterday, not much though.
Pulled the rub strips off the passenger side.
Phased and installed the distributor. I usually have an easy time getting the oil pump shaft to engage the distributor, but not this one!
Ended up packing the oil pump shaft hole with Vaseline to get the shaft to stay centered. Set the #1 cylinder to TDC on the compression stroke and then dropped the distributor in so that the rotor ended up in the #1 position. Then I had to rotate the crank a good 2 full revolutions in order to get the pump shaft to drop in to the bottom of the distributor.
Then I cleaned a lot of the spare parts out that I had been storing in the car (moved them up into the garage loft/attic) and spent some time just sitting in the car and daydreaming.
Tracking says my floor pan is somewhere in Halifax this morning. Should show up in the next day or two. That will be my next project on the car and I'll probably build the full subframe connectors at the same time. I'll build the rear seat mount tie-ins and probably leave the jacking rail construction for next year.
Finished yesterday day by dragging lots of stuff out to the corner for fall cleanup. The "racoon people" made off with most of it overnight. I don't know about anyone else, but someone riffling through my garbage and picking out the scraps just creeps me the "F" out......
Pulled the rub strips off the passenger side.
Phased and installed the distributor. I usually have an easy time getting the oil pump shaft to engage the distributor, but not this one!
Ended up packing the oil pump shaft hole with Vaseline to get the shaft to stay centered. Set the #1 cylinder to TDC on the compression stroke and then dropped the distributor in so that the rotor ended up in the #1 position. Then I had to rotate the crank a good 2 full revolutions in order to get the pump shaft to drop in to the bottom of the distributor.
Then I cleaned a lot of the spare parts out that I had been storing in the car (moved them up into the garage loft/attic) and spent some time just sitting in the car and daydreaming.
Tracking says my floor pan is somewhere in Halifax this morning. Should show up in the next day or two. That will be my next project on the car and I'll probably build the full subframe connectors at the same time. I'll build the rear seat mount tie-ins and probably leave the jacking rail construction for next year.
Finished yesterday day by dragging lots of stuff out to the corner for fall cleanup. The "racoon people" made off with most of it overnight. I don't know about anyone else, but someone riffling through my garbage and picking out the scraps just creeps me the "F" out......
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great white
Grumpy Old Fart
floor pan showed up today.
It's surprisingly very nice!
Gauge is nice and thick, looks nicely formed and flat. It's a very solid piece. I'm actually very happy with it for 230 bucks to my doorstep. I'm used to aftermarket panels being rather thin, crappy and overpriced, but this is good stuff!
I was going to just cut the front pan piece out, but now I'm thinking I'm just going to use the complete pan and replace the rear floor as well.
Kinda makes sense to do the whole floor anyways as I've repaired the rear seat mounts once in the past. It had the typical rear seat mount cracking problem before they came out with the reinforcing plates.
I also received and email from a gent down Yarmouth way. Says he's got an 8.8 housing he's willing to give me for free if I come and pick it up. No carrier, gears axles or brakes, but that's ok by me since I'm doing the rear disc and 5 lug conversion.
So, anyone have an 8.8 carrier and/or a set of 3.73 gears they'd like to contribute to the cause?
LOL!
It's surprisingly very nice!
Gauge is nice and thick, looks nicely formed and flat. It's a very solid piece. I'm actually very happy with it for 230 bucks to my doorstep. I'm used to aftermarket panels being rather thin, crappy and overpriced, but this is good stuff!
I was going to just cut the front pan piece out, but now I'm thinking I'm just going to use the complete pan and replace the rear floor as well.
Kinda makes sense to do the whole floor anyways as I've repaired the rear seat mounts once in the past. It had the typical rear seat mount cracking problem before they came out with the reinforcing plates.
I also received and email from a gent down Yarmouth way. Says he's got an 8.8 housing he's willing to give me for free if I come and pick it up. No carrier, gears axles or brakes, but that's ok by me since I'm doing the rear disc and 5 lug conversion.
So, anyone have an 8.8 carrier and/or a set of 3.73 gears they'd like to contribute to the cause?
LOL!
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TrueBlue02058
Post King
Your 83 will have a solid foundation now. :FordSmile