Attachment 6105
Well, not yet, but just starting a thread to show that something's happening with Freddie now that he's been adopted. Hopefully as I add to this thread it will allow you all to feel like I do as I move Freddie forward.
Of course right now Freddie is still undercover in my carport, but the plans as they currently exist are:
1) Work to resolve the drivability issues.
It's a plain shame how much Gary spent (time and money) to get Freddie running right. Though Gary felt it was pretty good-to-go finally, apart from the dashpot, my feeling is the car has some issues still. A vacuum leak perhaps. I might be wrong, but this is the way I felt it was behaving. After some conversation with Gary it is now known that there is no intake manifold gasket in-use on Freddie - just gasket sealer - and although this might be OK if everything is machined and mated correctly, I will pull the intake off and verify there is no evidence of leakage just for my satisfaction.
2) Dynamat the interior.
I've got a lot of Dynamat coming to probably do Freddie head to toe. That way when I'm playing Doobie Wah on the stereo it will be clear and crisp.
3) Go through all the wiring.
Lots of people ask, "Show me the way" to do wiring, but it's never easy. This is a simple thing for me. I usually always gut the interior and while I'm at it (WIAI™) I pull all the wiring from the car (there really isn't that much in a Falcon) and make sure all the connectors are cleaned and polished and any nicks and cuts are mended. I then add any of my new accessories to the plan and wire these in. Generally I make a custom Ford Looking wire harness these days for each thing I add. As I work to pull apart my wagon, I see how much better at this I've gotten. I've had it since '97 and I've come a long way since then.
4) Carpet
I'll give you money, and you, and you too! That's how these cars go. The carpet is all there, and if I can clean it and reuse it I will, otherwise it will be replaced.
5) Freddie "might be" getting a V8 steering/suspension system.
Because Freddie has 6 cylinder steering and is needing a complete rebuild (it tosses you about with every wind of change), if I'm going to throw money at it I am going to update it to all V8 stuff. Far better and more readily available. Whether I put in the power steering stuff I have, or not, I don't know. I've got to pull all of that out of the shed and look at it. It's all stock '65 stuff, but have never been a fan of it because it's prone to leakage. I also have '65 Mustang disc-brake spindles (ebay) and a new 8" rear-end coming (thank's to Larry "BadBird" Smith). So, the collection of parts has started.
6) #5 requires new wheels and tires.
If I can find some 14" 5-lug wheels, I will reuse the tires. If they are not around I will sell off the rims and tires and hub caps - all are very nice - and do something different. A penny for your thoughts on the direction I should go here.
7) Weatherstripping is all needing to be replaced.
Part and parcel to the Dynamat is to replace all the weatherstripping and window tracks. Some of this I may already have, but others I will need. I'll tell you what I must do when I get there and I don't know when it will be.
8) Seat cushion foams.
The car has buckets and not a bench seat, so all the "All I wanna be is by your side" she might be saying, there will always be this console between us. The seats, though, are shot and I sink to the floor almost. Gary said foam wasn't available when he recovered these, so now it is. I have all the burlap and can fix springs as needed. This will all happen while I'm working on the Dynamat and carpet.
9) Stereo
Because I am pulling my stereo from my wagon, which was very nice, I will consider putting all of this into the car. 1500 watts of pure jumping jack flash! We'll see.
10) Griot's the paint.
The paint's not too bad for a Maaco paint job. I think with some 2000-grit and Griot's polisher this thing is going to Shine On!
So that's the initial list. More to come when it's put into the garage, but man it's no wonder I've got all these lines on my face.
;:)
