My other car (Warning: Ford Content)

[bladecrazy]

just imagine when its all done i,m sure it will be well worth the effort.

 

[Botus]

Very very nice Dave. I'm surprised I didn't hear you start up from my house!

You suggested a rear seal might be weeping. Is it a lip seal? I only recently discovered that Jag V12s still used a rope seal up into the 70s

the v12 always used rope all the way till I stopped working on them in 1990's - I doubt the 6.0ltr did anything different?

Its a nightmare for unused car - we had a number that took out the crank - the seal drys out after years of non use - everything seems fine on re-commissioning of a laid up vehicle - then an almighty oil leak - when you investigate the crank has got damaged as the rope has burnt up and you might as well chuck the car in a skip

 

[Botus]

that road doesn't look much like Australia mind you the wheel's on the wrong side so may be it was taken in America ?

View attachment 80126

 

[daveenty]

Last update this year as things have not quite gone as planned.

All ordered items arrived quite quickly which I was quite happy about as I had to use several different suppliers due to a lack of availability with my usual go-to people (Rock Auto) but got there in the end. Summit Racing also came good with the full gasket set and the gear selector, JEGS supplying the oil pan (sump). All parts were delivered by Fed-Ex and all arrived in well under a week, most on the same delivery. The only thing I couldn't get was a little by-pass hose which runs between the top of the water pump and the inlet manifold. I would have liked an original one but it's not the end of the world as a piece of reinforced 5/8" hose will be acquired to use instead. It's a 2 minute job with the inlet manifold already being removed but an absolute nightmare when it's all bolted back together again.

The new steering parts will be the first to be fitted while there's plenty of room to get to everything with the engine being out of the way. This will hopefully eliminate one of the leaks, then it'll be a case of putting the engine back together with a load of new gaskets and seals before lifting it back in. Once it's in place and secured, I can get the transmission back after making sure that the new selector mechanism fits OK. Then theoretically it's just a case of bolting the exhaust headers on. I've just got these back from the repairers (TG Silencers in Rochdale) as they decided that they needed them another week, though they've done a stunning job, cutting all the rot out and fabricating new collectors, quick picture below in the boot of the Merc. This means that the car won't be back on the road until sometime in January due to the holidays. Ah well, these things are sent to try us.

I'll hopefully update this thread again once I get back into it but it won't be till at least mid January, so I'll be trying my best to enjoy myself without it. I may even take the 217 out for a run around...

All the best to one and all.

One of my repaired exhaust headers: -

 

[daveenty]

Nothing much has been happening really, with the Xmas break getting in the way and slowing my progress to a complete stop. I also have a deep hatred of the cold weather, made more so by the tablets I have to take daily that make me more vulnerable to it, so the last couple of weeks have been particularly difficult.

There is no priority of jobs as such, as there are a fair amount of things to be getting on with but, in no particular order, the motor now has it's heads back on, with all the new gaskets and seals being fitted along the way, also the new sump pan is on, so hopefully I'll now have a leak free engine. There is one consolation I've taken from this unexpected engine work, in that upon inspection the cylinder bores are like new, with no measurable wear, and there's no play in either the big end or main bearings so hopefully it will last a while once I've got it back on the road.

The new power steering controller and all it's relevant plumbing are now in place to stem the constant drip of power steering fluid, which just leaves the track rod end/drag link rubbers to be replaced to stop the ingress of road muck and to appease the MoT tester.

Hopefully now it's just going to be a case of getting the inlet manifold back on, then lifting the engine back in, followed by the transmission. I used to bolt these together on the bench and lift them in as a unit but it's such a big heavy lump, weighing in at practically half a ton, that this could end in tears. It's also incredibly awkward due to the sheer physical size and lack of space in the engine bay with the strut towers so it's got to be easier to do it in it's individual components. Once it's back in, then it's hopefully just a case of connecting everything up, including the new gear selector and my newly repaired headers, spinning it over a few times and firing it up. This could potentially happen by the end of next week, but I'm not holding my breath as something usually happens to challenge my planning.

Once I've eventually got the truck back up and running, the first job will be getting the alignment done as everything is going to be all over the place due to all the new parts. At least all the adjustment nuts and bolts should be free, as the whole front end has been apart over the last few months. My go-to place for wheel alignment have had a change of management and staff unfortunately and the last time I called in there seemed to be a distinct lack of knowledge and ability which is a shame as they still have a Hunter machine but don't seem to be able to actually use it correctly. I do have another couple of local options though so will be speaking to a few people for recommendations before committing...

 

[Flyinspanner]

Re geometry set up, maybe ask local car clubs is there a ‘go to’ place they use?

Or post up your location - I see frozen north, (Ecosse?) maybe if there is a car track near you, they may have some contacts?

 

[daveenty]

Re geometry set up, maybe ask local car clubs is there a ‘go to’ place they use?

Or post up your location - I see frozen north, (Ecosse?) maybe if there is a car track near you, they may have some contacts?

No local car clubs as such, though I have been around for long enough (some would say too long) to know enough people in the trade to quiz, so I'm sure I'll find a good one.

Oh, and I'm based in the North West, about 10 - 12 miles North of Manchester.

 

[EmilysDad]

No local car clubs as such, though I have been around for long enough (some would say too long) to know enough people in the trade to quiz, so I'm sure I'll find a good one.

Oh, and I'm based in the North West, about 10 - 12 miles North of Manchester.

I usually use Radcliffe Moor Road garage .... never really had a problem with them for anything re tyres "tracking" etc

 

[EmilysDad]

.

Oh, and I'm based in the North West, about 10 - 12 miles North of Manchester.

Land of the Black Pudding ....

 

[daveenty]

I usually use Radcliffe Moor Road garage .... never really had a problem with them for anything re tyres "tracking" etc

Across from the Clog? Never used but willing to try. I'll see how it goes down the road from us first, give Craig at AWR another try...

Land of the Black Pudding ....

Can't remember the last time I had one, must make up for lost time.

 

[EmilysDad]

Across from the Clog? Never used but willing to try. I'll see how it goes down the road from us first, give Craig at AWR another try...

yep!

Can't remember the last time I had one, must make up for lost time.

needs to be a proper Chadwick's pudding off the market

 

[daveenty]

Well, not much news but a bit's been happening, albeit slowly.

I've managed to get the engine back in eventually though came across an issue with my newly renovated headers, in that the passenger side bolted up OK but the driver's side won't line up correctly. These headers are unusual in that the rear two pipes on either side are separate parts (slip pipes) to allow for fitting as it's really tight on space once the engine block is on it's mountings. I thought initially that the welded repair on this side wasn't quite as accurate as the other though, after giving it a good dose of looking at, it seems that the pipe which goes to cylinder 7 has been bent at some stage so hopefully a bit of heat, a big bar and a hammer will sort it. Once it's sorted, I'm going to try to get the new gear selector mounted and secured, which should be easier with the transmission still out as the required hole for it can be cut without worrying about catching anything on or around the box. It should then just be a case of throwing the box back in, though it's a massively heavy lump which took three people to lift on it's way out, and doing any final adjustments. I'm still aiming to have it back up and running by the end of this month, or certainly early March, which will hopefully give me a few weeks for the myriad of other jobs which still need doing.

It's also been decided that, as soon as I have the alignment sorted out, I'll be mirror polishing the wheels. This will be purely to detract from the bodywork, which still needs a fair bit of work, and will hopefully draw the eye for a while until I get round to doing some repair stuff.

 

[MarkDD]

I thought it was about time I jotted a few ramblings down with regard to my new motor. I didn't want to clog the "UnMerc" thread up with it so thought I'd start a new one for it here. This way it can be either read or ignored without detracting from the main thread. Hope this is OK with the Mods?

I first looked at it, along with several other things, back in early July. I'd decided that I "needed" a pick up some time last year but didn't get round to doing anything about it for a few months for several reasons. I kept being drawn back to this one, mainly due to it's looks, the 1970 car being my favourite, though was made aware by the seller that it did want a few bits doing to it to make it something like roadworthy. I could have bought something up and running with everything done for a few grand more, but where's the fun in that?

It's a 1970 Ford Ranchero Squire, the Squire bit being the trim level though this has long since been removed by a previous owner. This was mainly wooden trim along the sides and tailgate. Also a plusher interior, again no longer in place. It originally had a 351ci (5.8 litre) engine with a 2 barrel carb, though this has been replaced by a 429ci (7.0 litre) with a large 750cfm 4 barrel Holley. I'm not over familiar with this particular engine as yet, though it certainly doesn't feel standard, as these engines were quite lazy though with bags of low down torque. This one feels quite cammy and has several noticeable extras fitted, including the aforementioned big carb, long tube headers and electronic ignition being the bits I've found so far. More tell-tale clues seem to be a C6 transmission which would usually be a C4 and a 9" locker rear end, both of which used to be fitted for racing back in the day. Along with the super shiny Centerline drag wheels it sort of gives a clue into the mindset of the last owner.

I decided to have it transported home as the rear tyres were exhibiting signs of age with lots of sidewall cracking and the brakes were interesting to say the least with a pedal that was either low or lower, so it seemed a safer way of getting it the 50 or so miles. It arrived on August 1st. The first job was getting the new tyres fitted. These came from My Tyres and were delivered to a garage of my choice. I've had a few runs in it since but I'm still experimenting with pressures as it skips about from the back end at the moment.

The brakes were a bit more involved unfortunately. The seller had suggested that it needed front pads, even going so far as to supplying a set with the car, along with top ball joints which he also reckoned were needed.

The old pads were removed but the pistons were really reluctant to return in the calipers, even with the bleed nipples undone. The rubber hoses were also perished and the master cylinder was spitting fluid out when the pedal was pressed. After checking the rears (drums) and finding that the cylinders were weeping slightly, I decided that the correct way would be to just replace the lot, which has now been done. The steering was also checked at this time as, if any parts were going to be needed, it would be cheaper to order them all in one hit to combine the postage costs. As mentioned earlier, a pair of top ball joints were supplied with the truck. It turned out that only one was needed, the play on the other side was due to worn bushes on the inboard end of the wishbone. Bottom ball joints were also required though it was strangely cheaper to buy the complete track control arm so this was done. All track rod ends were fine though a few boots are perished so they'll get replaced as and when. It's nice to have grease nipples on steering parts, especially when you can get to them all to pack them with grease.

An oil change has been done, along with the filter, though only after replacing the sump gasket which was weeping and dripping on my drive. Unfortunately, this seems to have only partially cured the problem, the next suspect for the drip being the rear main seal which are an apparent weak point on the big block Fords. It's another job on the list at the moment as I'm really not in the mood for lifting the engine again after the sump gasket replacement, I'm too old and tired for things like that.

There's loads more to be done, including loads of bodywork which has just been lightly started on, the interior which needs a full revamp and lots of little time consuming jobs like wipers/washers and things which, whilst working something like, need a bit of sorting.

I'll hopefully update this thread as and when I get more bits done but I'm not in a massive rush so it could be a while.

Just a couple of pics so far, more when I'm happier with the bodywork: -

View attachment 80126

View attachment 80127

not something I expected to see here ,do Love it.

 

[Blobcat]

not something I expected to see here ,do Love it.

We’re very accommodating…

 

[daveenty]

not something I expected to see here ,do Love it.

Thank you.

There's a few of us with other things than just Mercedes, I've usually always had a bit of a toy as well as a sensible car, though they do tend to blend at times.

We’re very accommodating…

And I appreciate that, consequently I may just stay around for a while longer

Nothing to report on the car at the moment unfortunately, real life keeps getting in the way but still hoping to get the transmission back in this week.

 

[Blobcat]

Thank you.

There's a few of us with other things than just Mercedes, I've usually always had a bit of a toy as well as a sensible car, though they do tend to blend at times.



And I appreciate that, consequently I may just stay around for a while longer

Nothing to report on the car at the moment unfortunately, real life keeps getting in the way but still hoping to get the transmission back in this week.

”Real life” isn’t any fun at all

 

[daveenty]

Well, another month and still not back on the road. The weathers not been helping as I don't do cold but the main problem has been the headers which I had repaired. Nothing seemed to be lining up, with one port nearly 40mm from where it should have been. All the angles were "nearly" right but not quite there, consequently causing strain on already age and corrosion weakened pipes. I ended up with a "friend of a friend" doing some cutting and welding on them, which has helped a lot but in the end I decided to just cut my losses and ordered a set of new ones from Summit Racing in the States. They cost the best part of £1k with shipping and import duty but, in reality, this is less than a quarter of what I spent modifying the exhaust on my W212 nearly 10 years ago. Lesson learnt, do the correct thing the first time. My economy drive (basically being tight) has cost me both money and an awful amount of time. Once they arrived I rubbed them down and painted them with plenty of VHT paint, not specifically for aesthetics, though this is another engine bay improvement, but mainly that I want them to last a bit longer than the current ones.

I'm still having issues with their fitment as they seem to be catching on just about everything in sight including several steering components and an engine mounting. It's annoying now as I can't fit the transmission with them off, as I've then no room to re-fit them, yet I'm now struggling to get it all back together as there's very limited space. Another few days on and, further to this exhaust fitting, the transmission and prop shaft are now back in though my new exhaust headers have suffered a bit of collateral damage on the way with a bit of cutting and shutting to make them fit. It's now apparent that the headers are actually suitable for my truck model, just not the one with power steering fitted. Ah well, they're now sorted apart from a few minor leaks which will get done a little later.

I can't seem to get my new posh gear selector to fit, there doesn't seem to be enough room between the box and the tunnel to get the linkage into. There's also no provision for an inhibitor switch to be fitted so I'll be persevering with the old B&M racing thing until I can work something out with this. I'll try a bench assembly this week and hopefully find out exactly what I need to do to it to get it to fit properly.

In a brighter note, it'll be new fluids time tomorrow all being well, engine, transmission, steering and cooling system are currently all bone dry. Once this is done then it's hopefully a case of firing it up, running it up to temp to check for any leaks etc, then give it a little test run, get the wheel alignment sorted and then a massive clean up as it's not seen daylight for aver 4 months.

After the Easter break its going to be a case of getting things set up and making sure everything is working correctly as I'm still trying to get it ready for the Newby Hall meet near Ripon which I usually go to every year. I've been in the Merc a few times now so about time I had a change though I need to do a good few reliability tests before committing.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Shipping has been a killer since Covid, I was told about two cars being brought back from the States they arrived today and the container cost was just shy of £5k. Slightly better than the near £20k quoted previously.
Summit have supplied parts to work amazingly fast in recent months. Do you use Real Steel?

 

[daveenty]

Shipping has been a killer since Covid, I was told about two cars being brought back from the States they arrived today and the container cost was just shy of £5k. Slightly better than the near £20k quoted previously.

It's the shipping which has killed most of my "bargain bits" from the US, add to that the obligatory duty and you find yourself paying more than twice the price it should have been. Having said that, apart from a couple of little incidentals, I've hopefully come to an end, at least so far.

Summit have supplied parts to work amazingly fast in recent months. Do you use Real Steel?

Summit are good though I tend to use Rock Auto as my "go - to" supplier. I've had parts from both of them delivered within 3 days. I've looked at Real Steel's website many times though never bought from them, I find their site unnecessarily complicated to be honest, it seems that they're trying to cover every conceivable part for as many models as they can, then hiding them all in those pdf files they use.

 

[Snake Charmer]

I've looked at Real Steel's website many times though never bought from them, I find their site unnecessarily complicated to be honest, it seems that they're trying to cover every conceivable part for as many models as they can, then hiding them all in those pdf files they use.

Yes, it takes some getting used to. They are conveniently 11 miles away so we use them regularly. Very helpful if you phone them and the Gold Card discount can save a few quid if you are on a big build budget.