Daily DeLorean project (now with Jeep Wrangler "spared no expense")

[GMcD]

Mustang?

[Madman Of The People]

On 3/27/2021 at 1:58 PM, Justwatching said:

More pictures of the LTD, as requested. It's clearly the star of the show. 

 

Hello, Autoshite's token Yank, here.

Just discovered this thread and wanted to say I passed my driving my driving test my my dad's old 1974 Ford LTD Sedan (400 cu. in. V8, black with black fabric interior) that looked just like your car, minus the vinyl roof.  Even the hubcaps were the same!  My parents also had a 1973 LTD station wagon in turd brown with brown vinyl seats.  Your car brings back a lot of memories!

 

[dollywobbler]

Very late to the party. What a superb thread!

[Justwatching]

On 8/1/2023 at 11:07 PM, GMcD said:

Mustang?

Well that didn't take much guessing.

[GMcD]

1 hour ago, Justwatching said:

Well that didn't take much guessing.

Superb - Pics Pics Pics!

[Justwatching]

Sorry for the lack of updates, and especially the lack of Mustang pictures. I'm still empty-handed on that one as the car hasn't come out from under its cover yet. I intend to use the Mustang as a winter car in place of the Saab. Currently I'm just doing routine maintenance jobs (fluids, filters, brakes, etc) to get it ready.

DeLorean: took one of the rear half-shafts out  to change the CV boots. Messy job cleaning all the old grease out.

As you can see, one joint has a damaged mouth where the shaft was allowed to drop down unsupported on one side. I've just clamped the new boot on tight and hoped for the best as I didn't want to replace an otherwise serviceable joint. 

Upgraded the hardware, too; the original bolt is on the right and leaves no room to actually get a socket on past the CV boot. 

Replaced the radio facia as someone had clearly attempted to remove the radio without first removing the nuts under the volume/tuning knobs. Probably the same animal that pot-riveted the fuel filler flap (away being being repaired as I type). 

Also replaced the HVAC mode select knob. The centre was chewed up which caused it to spin on the shaft and fall off regularly. 

 

Mustang: I've changed the engine oil and filter.

Replaced the coolant but haven't bled the system yet. Also did the brake fluid, changed the disks for slightly better used ones that came with the car and installed new pads front and back. Unfortunately, I tore one of the piston boots compressing it back into the calliper. I've ordered a rebuild kit. Lesson learned - do the brake fluid last not first. 

[Justwatching]

Started replacing fuel lines on the DeLorean. Here's my reference photo of the originals. I'm doing one line at a time so I can keep track of where everything goes. It's a mess of pipes, many difficult to access. Not cheap either - best part of £400 for the set - but the originals are a fire risk, so can't be left in there.

Transmission service on the Mustang today. Just like the LTD, there's no drain plug. Just like the LTD, there was plenty of spillage. 

Previous service used silicon sealant which had to be scrapped off. Plenty of wear material in the sump, too. No chunks, just really fine silt. Everything cleaned up nicely though. 

Right, here's your first look at the 'stang. 

[Justwatching]

Finally got all the fuel lines installed, bar one (return line). Good to have it back on the road. 

[bezzabsa]

have you watched LEGIT STREET CARS vids of his DMC? he's like a kid at Christmas..... his is one of the initial run so has stuff that was deleted from later ones,

Love the fleet BTW

[Tubbo]

Saw the word Delorean and instantly started following this thread, keep up the good work!

[Justwatching]

52 minutes ago, bezzabsa said:

have you watched LEGIT STREET CARS vids of his DMC? he's like a kid at Christmas..... his is one of the initial run so has stuff that was deleted from later ones,

Love the fleet BTW

No, but a quick YT search and it looks like he got a barn find sat for 32 years. Bet it's on factory tyres! 

[Bren]

There was a DeLorean parked outside Tesco in Prestatyn on Saturday.

Was it yours?

[Justwatching]

5 hours ago, Bren said:

There was a DeLorean parked outside Tesco in Prestatyn on Saturday.

Was it yours?

Nope. I didn't finish putting the new fuel lines in until Sunday. 

[bezzabsa]

so what spec is the 'stang??? and dya wanna swap for bini?? LOL

[Justwatching]

21 hours ago, bezzabsa said:

so what spec is the 'stang??? and dya wanna swap for bini?? LOL

Base spec 3.8L V6 auto. 

[Justwatching]

Diff oil drained from the Mustang. Just waiting for the replacement oil to arrive, but that will be every fluid in the car done. 

Rebuilt the rear brake calliper in-situ. I'd also noticed the brake peddle slowly sinking when I held the brakes on, so replaced the master cylinder, too. 

The car came with incorrect injectors installed which caused it to run slightly rich.  Not badly - it passed MoT inspection. I was given a set of known good OEM injectors by the seller though, so thought I may as well change 'em over. Tore the intake gasket during removal. Surfaces prepped and new gasket ordered. 

Booked in for new tyres in a couple of weeks, and that should be the Mustang ready for daily use. 

[Justwatching]

Got the DeLorean's fuel flap back from being repaired. Looks much better without pot-rivets!

 

Not sure what kind of adhesive the factory used. I just used a general purpose contact adhesive becuase that's what I've got to hand. We'll see how well it holds up. 

Intake manifold is back on the mustang. New exhaust hangers and diff oil, too.

Today is the first day of actually  using it. The ride is definitely off. The previous owner did say the shocks were toast and he wasn't wrong. It feels like some of the shocks are working better than others and this gives it a fidgety and unsettled ride. It came with a used 'good' set of shocks, I just haven't been arsed to fit them. 

Anyway, grocery shopping mission complete.

 

[Westbay]

Like the mustang wheels 👍

[Justwatching]

A very sad day today - I sold my 1973 Ford LTD. It was a bucket-list car for me and I've loved my time with it. To add insult to injury, the winning bid was just £5,769. 

I introduced the new owner to the forum so he could get an idea of the maintenance I've done on the car. Hopefully he will join and the car will stay among our number. 

[Justwatching]

Right, enough lip quivering. The sacrifice wasn't in vain as the sale facilitated me getting another car off my buck-list. Meet my new Jeep Wranlger YJ!

[Justwatching]

Started tinkering with the Jeep today. Here's what we're dealing with; it's the base model 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder.  

I replaced the rust-water it had for actual coolant as I didn't want it going through winter with inadequate protection. From the state of the stuff coming out, I knew I should have flushed it, but couldn't be bothered as I didn't have enough empty containers to put it in. Well, pretty sure I've wasted the new coolant as it turned murky straight away, so that will need changing again soon. I think the thermostat needs changing anyway as top hose never got hot, just warm. Oh, and I'm not a fan of the inline temp sensor put in the top hose either, so I'll probably ditch that. 

Also, suctioned out the power steering reservoir and replaced the fluid with new. 

Next up, I removed the front bull bar and installed more Jurassic Park appropriate bumper mounted caged fog lights. I've not wired them up yet, just installed them as a test fit. Also removed the American plate on the front bumper. It's a UK car from new, so I'm not sure what significance it has. I've hung it up in the garage instead of binning it. 

Round the back, I removed the steel spare wheel and put the matching Mopar/Chrysler alloy on. The tyre was fucked and had water sloshing around in it, so I drilled some holes in the bottom to let it drain out. All the tyres are perished and need replacing. 

Speaking of tyres, the Mustang got a new set of Bridgestones.

[Asimo]

This picture looks like you just photoshopped the Wrangler into your car port!

[bezzabsa]

what does the 'stang owe you???

[Justwatching]

1 hour ago, bezzabsa said:

what does the 'stang owe you???

'bout £2.5k

[Zelandeth]

Even with the basic 2.5 in there the Wrangler can pick up its heels surprisingly well given that they weigh nothing.  The 4.0 is downright hilarious.  Just don't get one into a slide on a long sweeping bend as getting it back in line again is...interesting, given the short wheelbase.  They're a lot of fun to drive, and several orders of magnitude more comfortable than anything with a Land Rover badge on.  Pretty bulletproof mechanically as well from what I remember.  For that matter, I can't remember us ever having any spot of bother with anything with a Jeep badge on that we had through the garage.  Only warranty return we ever had while I was there was one Cherokee which randomly decided to spit the lambda sensor out of the exhaust for reasons we never quite fathomed.

One of these is on my list as well.  Being a complete Jurassic Park nerd as a kid - and my husband being just as bad - definitely didn't help talk any sanity into me there.

[Tubbo]

This could be you!

 

[Justwatching]

Long-term leak on the Jeep's rear diff. Luckily still had oil in it. 

Scrubbed the cover with a wire brush and petrol, then a quick coat of paint.

Re-installed with a new gasket and oil. No more leak!

Next leak was the rocker cover gasket*. 

Turns out, there was no gasket, just silicon sealant...

The sealant didn't adhere very well which made it easy to scrape off. Reinstalled with a new gasket (which came free with the car - bonus). 

Haven't run it yet to test for leaks as I'm mid-way through addressing cooling system issues. 

[Justwatching]

Replaced the the rear shocks on the Mustang. The shocks were used but in better condition than the ones on the car. It made a noticeable improve to the ride, so I might bother myself to do the fronts too. 

Also treated the Mustang to a new throttle position sensor which got rid of some low RPM throttle hesitation I noticed. Much nicer to drive. 

The Jeep's thermostat came out in pieces, so suspicion confirmed!

I found a mystery piece of metal behind it. That, combined with the rusty condition of the coolant, gave me enough concern to get the water pump out as well.

I've flushed everything out with the garden hose. 

I ordered a new thermostat and water pump pre-emptively, but think I'll actually reuse the pump as I can't see any impeller wear/damage and the bearing doesn't have any play at all. Also saves me trying to get that pipe out the top. 

[Justwatching]

Update on the Jeep...

Got the water pump reinstalled with a new gasket. Upper and lower hoses replaced with new. New thermostat + gasket, too. Decided to put the recovered coolant through a fuel filter and reused it as seemed a waste to throw away new coolant. 

I order a new idler, but reused the existing one as it's in serviceable condition. Received the wrong serpentine belt, so the old one is back on temporarily. 

Changed the engine oil and filter. Also changed the front diff, gear box and transfer case oil. All fluids replaced except brake fluid at this point. 

Started it up and got treated to a new problem - high idle (about 1,100 rpm compared to 800 previously). So, I started spraying around the engine bay looking for a vacuum leak thinking I might have dislodged a vacuum line or something. The only leak I could find was at the intake to cylinder head join near cylinder 4, which wasn't what I was expecting (or wanted). 

The intake and exhaust gasket are one piece, so both have to be removed. There's also a lot that needs disconnecting and moving out the way first, but eventually I got the fuckers out. And guess what - no gasket here either! No wonder it leaked. I'm just surprised it didn't leak worse. The car has been worked on by a right bodger and the invoice history actually suggests this was done professionally*. Mechanics are such crooks - don't think I've met an honest one in my life. 

[Justwatching]

Got a new intake/exhaust gasket for the Jeep. I've prepped the surfaces, I'm just waiting on a hardware kit as it was missing two spacers that go on the end studs (yet more corner-cutting by whoever worked on it last). 

Also gave the battery tray some paint to slow down the rust. The battery was held down by zip ties (surprised the fucker didn't use silicon sealant like everything else!). I'll get a proper clamp sorted. 

Headlights on the Mustang are ineffective for such modern* car. I tried one of those headlight restorer kits. It worked alright, certainly got all the yellow haze out of the plastic. The headlight units condensate inside which doesn't help. I'll know more when I take it for another night drive.