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I had a proportioning valve problem on my '79 Electra. Was that ever a hassle. They don't make them for that car anymore.
I had a proportioning valve problem on my '79 Electra. Was that ever a hassle. They don't make them for that car anymore.
They do have people out here who rebuild those.
It was just stripped out, re-tapped it and was good to go.
There wouldn't be any Smart cars left to scrape off.
That sounds about right.
Thankfully I am getting the Proportioning valve for my 65 Lincoln from Baker's Auto. They are a company in Putnam CT that specializes in Lincolns from my car's era forward. I am returning the old one as a core. It is nice to have a place you can almost do "one stop shopping" for a lot of the harder to find mechanical things. They even have some trim items, emblems, and other odds and ends.
It's always some stupid piddly thing, especially with that car. One of the very few that I could have jumped for joy when it pulled out of my driveway.
Sounds like a good place to shop!
You are probably right, the few bits left in the grill could most likely easily rinsed off with a hose!
Wasn't it P.J. O'Rourke that wrote that a fender accident in a large car is like an uprising in Africa. You know its a bad thing, but its too far away to get really worried about.
That is a witty quote that has a ring of truth to it. The old land yachts are so big and heavy that they took more of the beating instead of the occupants. And my Lincoln weighting in at 280 pounds shy of 3 tons, and being just a hair over 18 feet in length, looking out over the hood almost seems like you're peering down the flight deck of a flattop.
I'll keep that place in mind for my next gas tank ordeal. Just replaced one in our '73 Satellite a couple weeks ago. The ones in my Dodge Ram and my brothers' Dodge Ram ('89 and '86) both needed work, too.
There is nothing like driving a land yacht, is there? I have nothing as fine as yours in my fleet, but I do have a Caprice Wagon, a Grand Marquis Colony Park Wagon, and a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. There is nothing better than having a mile of car around you in every direction and looking over that mile-long hood, with the hood ornament out there gleaming in the sunlight.
You're quite right about that feeling you get, and that feeling of pride in owning a classic. I love taking the family out for a spin, especially when the top is down. The old girl is a little bit of a diamond in the rough but all original. She still gets a great deal of admiration. I recently had a gentleman in a new Mercedes convertible pull up next to me at a light and comment on how nice my car was. I am still enjoy how quite it runs, even with that big 430 under the hood. And she is quite spritely for a car that is as heavy as she is. I am still sorting some of the dreaded electrical things out. She spent more than 20 years under a car cover in a family member's barn. I just got her on the road the summer of 2011 after a lot of dint, determination, and money after a years effort. I'm also glad the gas tank repair information is helpful. Here is a snap of her.
Beautiful car. I was expecting black, looks even more lovely in red. Nice to see someone else who enjoys a quiet engine. Loud pipes are the rage in my neck of the woods. Yours sure doesn't look like it was under cover in a barn for 20 years!
Dealing with electrical gremlins in my Colony Park right now. Recently had a fire in her while I was driving. Melted all the wires in the B-Pillar. I had no power inside the car whatsoever. I've got it working now where the dash lights up, the clock and radio, visor vanity lamps, and door panel lights all work. However, the dome lamp above the driver's seat, the one above the tailgate, and the opera lamps (on the outside b-pillar) are still inop.
I think I'm going to have to find a donor car with all that wiring for that portion of the car. The wires in the b-pillar are completely fried and melted.
Beautiful car. I was expecting black, looks even more lovely in red. Nice to see someone else who enjoys a quiet engine. Loud pipes are the rage in my neck of the woods. Yours sure doesn't look like it was under cover in a barn for 20 years!
Dealing with electrical gremlins in my Colony Park right now. Recently had a fire in her while I was driving. Melted all the wires in the B-Pillar. I had no power inside the car whatsoever. I've got it working now where the dash lights up, the clock and radio, visor vanity lamps, and door panel lights all work. However, the dome lamp above the driver's seat, the one above the tailgate, and the opera lamps (on the outside b-pillar) are still inop.
I think I'm going to have to find a donor car with all that wiring for that portion of the car. The wires in the b-pillar are completely fried and melted.
Sorry to hear about your car fire. I have a brother in law that had one under the hood of one of his show cars when he stopped to get gas on the way to car show. He was devastated and it took him quite some time to fix the car again. As to my car, you should have seen all the "mice motels" I had to pull out of under seats, in door, under the dash, etc! And it took some real detail cleaning to get ride of the mice and musty smell, but I did it. And the old leather seats have some cracks in them, but it surprises people how comfortable they are for 47 year old seats. I took the family to the last drive in movie in NJ, and it was like taking your living room couch with you. People there loved seeing her and talking with me about the car, and took snaps of her up until it got dark. What a fun night.
Holy Crimony! That was quite a mess. They don't sell that harness anymore? I am sure there is someone somewhere who has one. Finding it is the problem.
Oh wait, I found this:
http://www.andysautosport.com/harness_bars/mercury_grand_marquis.html
I have no idea how good they are though. Hope that helps.
It was scary. I was in the drive-thru at Jimmy John's and saw smoke coming out where the seat belt retracts. When I shut the car off, got the fire out, and started it back up, nothing inside worked.
I'll check into the link. There was a guy with a LTD Crown Vic for parts about 25 miles from me, I've been e-mailing back and forth with him, hoping to get not only the harness, but all the extra window switches, motors, rims, tires, and well, anything that will fit my Colony Park. He hasn't gotten back to me in about a week, so I may give your guy a shot. Thanks!
Jimmy John's near the High School? Did you have the #17?
Yes, Jimmy John's near the high school (I'm kinda scared you knew that lol)
I had the Hunter's Club, I think it's the Number 11.
That is a witty quote that has a ring of truth to it. The old land yachts are so big and heavy that they took more of the beating instead of the occupants. And my Lincoln weighting in at 280 pounds shy of 3 tons, and being just a hair over 18 feet in length, looking out over the hood almost seems like you're peering down the flight deck of a flattop.