Call me crazy - Ranchero's (again)

[Luva65wagon]

I spent a few hours today and yesterday getting all the rest of the bits off the Ranchero. So there is really nothing left on it except the tailgate outer skin and the engine mounts. I pulled the engine out today in about 5 minutes, though it was the first time I ever did something like this over the passenger side fender apron. With no way to move it fore or aft, I had to come in at it from the side and over the edge. Great fun.

So the sheet metal work begins tomorrow or Thursday. I ordered cowl parts and a passenger side front fender apron from a 65 Mustang, so this should be an interesting patch-work to do. All the floor metal is here already.

I was bummed to find a hole in the gas tank. It's not a big one, so should be an easy fix.

I also bought this two-part panel glue and gun to apply it - if at some point anyone needs to borrow the gun, I will make it available to club members -- as long as they give it back -- I still have out there my engine leveler and my windshield polishing kit if anyone knows who has them.

I forgot to bring out the camera today, but will post some today picture tomorrow and some yesterday pictures today.

[Luva65wagon]

A few more pics...

[Jeff W]

I still have out there my engine leveler and my windshield polishing kit if anyone knows who has them.

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Kenny returned my engine hoist with your leveler still attached. I will get it to you at a future meeting.

[Luva65wagon]

OK - Thanks-

[doghows]

Dang you are fast. Hope you didn't find too many surprises?? I think that might be the first gas tank I tried to powder coat? If it has JB weld by the sending unit hole it is. Soo the tank is powder coated. I must have missed that hole when I braised the other ones? Oooops.
What are your plans this weekend? Do I need to have more blades ready for the sawzall? I think now that weather is looking better I will bring mine down to the shop and under coat it so I can start to put it back on the ground. I will do that Friday afternoon so Saturday I should be at the house. Let me know but no hurry the heaps of metal aren't going anywhere...

[Luva65wagon]

I'm hoping the parts from NPD arrive so I can check fit. If I can repair the cowl like I'm thinking, I may not need to go to that extent. I did discover that one of the strut rods is mangled for some reason. See no other damage under there, so it makes no sense, but it is looking like I may want to pull those off that front-end -- plus get the remaining wire out of it. I will be splicing up a new harness of my own making for this car. The more I have of it the better.

So I will work it in for the same-time, same station, on Saturday. Don't know if anyone else wants to come, but they are always welcome.

I now wish I had your sand-blast booth. Would knock off hours and hours from this.

[doghows]

I have a set of those strut rods laying on the floor so you can have those if you want them.
Anytime you want to use the blast room let me know and you can clean whatever you want. Too bad it is so far away.
Let me know if you drive the black truck over, Jake still wants to see it and is still very interested.
(heard from Bill?) Later Steve.

[Luva65wagon]

That would be great Steve. Those bloody things were so tight on the Ranchero and fought all the way to the end. Made me want to go get a 3/4 impact wrench on-the-spot. But no, I need to get my wrenching arms back. This computer work...

I started up the black truck when I needed to play musical cars to get the wagon out - it was kind-of cold and humid that day - and it ran like crap for some reason. I thought it might be that I never put the heat tube on once John and I put the headers and new exhaust on it and the carb was icing. It was a perfect day for that. So I put that on, and it still ran like crap. Last time I drove it was out to Burien and back to get the V8 suspension and rear-end for the Ranchero - and it ran great. So I have been wanting to look at it more, but the weather has been crazy. We'll see. It might be that bloody Pertronix kit again.

I'm slowly blasting things at work -- and I need to be less anal about the other stuff. But like I wrote in the newsletter: "I plan to make this car a driver, not a show car, but as some of you know, I rarely take my own advice." Really, that still is the plan.