Keepin’ the stock look
What is he bangin’ on about? Yesterday I spent a few hours down at Mustang Maniac where I was talking to Adam about my next project and what I needed, that project being my wiper motor. It turns out that my two-speed motor is like trying to find mermaid tears in the ocean. It seems a total nightmare, but Adam is on the case so I will just have to wait and see what happens. While I was down there I also took my power steering pump and we had a look at the issues, the main one being that the pump is more interested in squirting fluid out the seal than it should be pumping out the back into the steering ram! It turns out that the last Air Con version pump was fitted to another car and I was going to be without. But that wasn’t a problem for Adam as he said “I will swap the “cans” over for you, it will be better than a new one.” This entailed taking the old case of my pump, and putting it straight onto the new upright filler tube version. The correct pump was found with the in line fittings and we went off to the workshops with a couple of pumps and the usual escort of guard dogs. I was told that the fitting for the pulley was an “interference fit”, this was new one on me. It turns out that interference fit is where the bore is microns smaller than the shaft and so its a real tight fit, no key ways are used. The special tool was found and I was shown how to do it. There is no way that any of my tools would have done it without damaging the pulley wheel or damaging the case. Watching intently the process took no more than twenty minutes which included me saying “hang on, I want a picture of that”. The cans were swapped over, an I still have the original case and tag under the hood from the original factory fit and not a reconditioned one. How’s that for customer service? I have added the full process to the existing guide, click here, or go to the photos, Engine bay – Power Steering Pump project.
As we were walking around I was shown around the new additions to the yard. I was shown a customer car that was a complete nightmare that was purchased in good faith, but turned out to be a mess and was in need of some serious TLC. Speaking to Adam he will post his set of pics on the blog when he gets a few minutes. There is also some news he will post about a car he has just bought. I was going to spill the beans but you will just have to wait and see on his blog what it is. It’s a little bit special shall we say.
I got round to bleeding the front brakes today and I can say – I have a pedal. Ohhh, yeah baby! I press the pedal the drums stop, the fluid don’t come out. The pedal don’t go all the way down to the bulk head now and there is resistance. I started off with the Sealey vacuum tool, (review to foloow very soon), then when the final air was out the tried and trusted pipe in a pot method was to be used. All I can say is thanks to the wife who sat there pressing the pedal to command. I did say it will only take two minutes, but as I have a clock in the garage I was constantly reminded of how many minutes had elapsed since she got in the car. The funny side is that as I have no seat in the car, all I could see was a pair of eyes looking over the top of the door sill when I got back up to top the reservoir up again. I wasn’t laughin’ much, honestly darling. Next Weekend I will put more fuel in the car and reverse it out of the garage and drive it back in.
That will be a big day for me if it works, I may just have to get a beer out to celebrate or I will be crying in my beer!
Quick links:
Power Steering Pump Project, click here.
Just in case you need the blog address, I have the link to the right or click here: http://mustangmaniac.org or go to my Mustang Links Tab.