I have always loved "Sail" by Awol Nation at an unreasonably high volume.
Build Thread 1978 Mercury Cyclone. The pig is in the pen.
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I don't know what to say, about the property I mean, congrats?
Sorry, I grew up in the city,after living semi-country style for 20 some years, those are too many too close.
Then again, I don't play well with some others.
Sorry, I grew up in the city,after living semi-country style for 20 some years, those are too many too close.
Then again, I don't play well with some others.
Waiting on dark.....gonna find out if I made a mistake deciding that the loose connection was/is the culprit. I'm gonna video the dark ride probably will need editing, I intend to aim the headlights as well. If it all works, this'll be a "ridin' in the monster at night". version, only this time (unlike the last time) I don't have to lift.
I didn't even get out of the driveway. Started the car and backed it out into the driveway to warm up. I pulled the switch and w/i one minute the headlights start flickering. I get out to see what's happening, and it looks to be only the headlights. The parking lights and tails are staying on (At least that's what I am seeing as of now).
All of that changes when you park the car and turn it off. When you pull the switch while the car is off, the lights don't go off. After 3 minutes of them staying on, I turned them back off.
According to the instructions, there is supposed to be an internal 15 amp circuit breaker in the switch itself, and the instructions plainly state that if I run halogen lights that the load may be too great, and they current draw will cause the breaker to trip.
(and, I'm running 4 hi/lo beam halogen headlights that are all on simultaneously)
So,..I can see why the breaker would trip as a result of too much current draw. The fix should be as simple as two 30 amp relays installed between the switch and the lights,...but why doesn't the breaker trip when the car is off then?
All of that changes when you park the car and turn it off. When you pull the switch while the car is off, the lights don't go off. After 3 minutes of them staying on, I turned them back off.
According to the instructions, there is supposed to be an internal 15 amp circuit breaker in the switch itself, and the instructions plainly state that if I run halogen lights that the load may be too great, and they current draw will cause the breaker to trip.
(and, I'm running 4 hi/lo beam halogen headlights that are all on simultaneously)
So,..I can see why the breaker would trip as a result of too much current draw. The fix should be as simple as two 30 amp relays installed between the switch and the lights,...but why doesn't the breaker trip when the car is off then?
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Sht Mike, it's frustrating to me! I can't imagine how many kittens you want to throttle right now! SOB!
Edit: I'm studying the electrical systems of our 4i's right now, give me two weeks and i'll have an answer.
- Mar 2, 2015
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Look a few pages back... I said that simple answer to your problems. If you would've listened to me the end of the dash would be all kinds of effed from the grinding wheel that would've jumped loose cutting your pointer finger ( almost off ) and running up the dash and into your nice windshield.
Not listening to me saves the day....
The Gila Monster will not let you rest until every " T " is crossed and every " i " is dotted.
Not listening to me saves the day....
The Gila Monster will not let you rest until every " T " is crossed and every " i " is dotted.
Ohms' law...
When the engine is running the lights see 14.2-14.6 volts, maybe more on a cold day. When the engine is off the lights see12.6-13.2 volts. The approximate 2 volt difference is the reason the lights draw more current with the engine running.
Example: I don't know what the actual current draw of the lamps is, but for the sake of having a real number to work with. we'll use 30 amps
12.6 volts, resistance .42 Ω = 30 amps
14.6 volts, resistance .42 Ω = 33 amps.
The small 3 amp current difference may be just enough to trip the breaker or blow the fuse.
See http://www.ohmslawcalculator.com/ohms-law-calculator so that you can play with the numbers and see the difference...
Ok then,...If I install two 30/40 amp 12v relays in the wires that are going out to the headlights..(one for the low beams, one for the high beams) and cut the two wires that are currently going to the lights in half,...Then, use the end that comes from the switch to trigger the relay then the current draw that the switch sees should drop off completely........ Right?
Thank you sir,..I'll buy two of them today while I'm standin around waiting on the front end alignment.
Well it just wouldn't be me if I wasn't phckin something up.
Cut the headliner open last night so I could get the dome light installed. I have to use a fox Mustang unit because you simply cannot get a direct 1978 Fairmont replacement. (Besides,.....This IS a fox car,..it can't be that different,...it's only a dome light after all, right?)..................Right?
It's different. The holes don't have a prayer of lining up.
So,...That forces me to redrill the roof structure so that the screws will work...The roof structure looks like there may be 1/4" gap between that and the sheet metal that is the "roof".
I get out the drill and carefully drill two holes. I screw in the dome light,... get out and look across the roof,.......and what do you know ?.....
Two small dimples standing proud of the sheet metal.
In the middle of my roof....
Phck me all to hell.
I must be mellowing. Had this been any other car,..this discovery would've brought such a fit of rage that I'd have a headache and be hoarse this morning from screaming at myself.....I just woulda went All kinds of Yosemite Sam......
Not this time though. What will losing my sht do now to change any of that after that fact?
I remove the screws and remove the dome light. The dimples are still there. Whether or not the drill bit hit the roof skin when the bit popped through, or (more than likely) the screws themselves did that,...my "sea of orange tranquility" now has two very tiny little pimples in it.....One more glitch to add to the less than perfect status I've managed to contribute to my paint job.
Cut the headliner open last night so I could get the dome light installed. I have to use a fox Mustang unit because you simply cannot get a direct 1978 Fairmont replacement. (Besides,.....This IS a fox car,..it can't be that different,...it's only a dome light after all, right?)..................Right?
It's different. The holes don't have a prayer of lining up.
So,...That forces me to redrill the roof structure so that the screws will work...The roof structure looks like there may be 1/4" gap between that and the sheet metal that is the "roof".
I get out the drill and carefully drill two holes. I screw in the dome light,... get out and look across the roof,.......and what do you know ?.....
Two small dimples standing proud of the sheet metal.
In the middle of my roof....
Phck me all to hell.
I must be mellowing. Had this been any other car,..this discovery would've brought such a fit of rage that I'd have a headache and be hoarse this morning from screaming at myself.....I just woulda went All kinds of Yosemite Sam......
Not this time though. What will losing my sht do now to change any of that after that fact?
I remove the screws and remove the dome light. The dimples are still there. Whether or not the drill bit hit the roof skin when the bit popped through, or (more than likely) the screws themselves did that,...my "sea of orange tranquility" now has two very tiny little pimples in it.....One more glitch to add to the less than perfect status I've managed to contribute to my paint job.
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Some convertibles have a light built into the rearview mirror, I used one from a 91 vert, plug and play. I don't like the dome light in stangs, kinda cheezy and the lenses turn brown.
I still think they look cheezy and cheap, I do like that little pointable map light that came in the four eye cars
MY 85 GT
10 Year Member
- Mar 2, 2015
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That's terrible news, Mike. There must be something the Gila Monster wants you to fix that requires removing the headliner.
Maybe, it wants a sunroof...? Dimples will be gone and you could use a convertible mirror for some ultra bright led lights for interior lighting. Who's going to ride in the back with the LJK anyways ?
Maybe, it wants a sunroof...? Dimples will be gone and you could use a convertible mirror for some ultra bright led lights for interior lighting. Who's going to ride in the back with the LJK anyways ?
Well hell. Took the car to have it aligned, had to pay 80 bucks.
For the guy to tell me that I was almost dead on.
Perfect. Nothing like throwing away 80.00. So gentlemen, for future reference, a string pulled tight from front to back, a torpedo level on the rotor after you've jacked up LCA, and two guys passing a tape measure between the front and back of the front tire will get you so close you don't need to spend the money.
The toe was a little off, but the camber was at negative 1.4 degrees........ on both sides. It was like I planned it that way.
The alignment guy asked if I wanted to leave it that way, and since I am entertaining the notion of maybe taking the car to the track one day, I told him to leave it. Besides, the total mileage that the car will see will probably be under 7500 annually, so I'm not too worried about wearing the tires out.
As for the rear tires,.....That's a different story.
Today, after I get the relays installed, I'm quoting Neil Young.....It's better to burnout than to fade away.
I got the burnout cam charged up,...I got a full tank of gas...(I somehow managed to go through 7.5 gallons since I filled it up after running out the last time) It's a nice cool day,......just perfect for doing a roasty static burnout past the camera.
I added a piece of foam over the mic on that sorry assed camera. I'm hoping that when the car comes raging by, it wont overwhelm the mic like every other time so far. Hopefully, the foam will act as a diffuser to muffle some of that obnoxious noise it hears...I guess we'll see.
For the guy to tell me that I was almost dead on.
Perfect. Nothing like throwing away 80.00. So gentlemen, for future reference, a string pulled tight from front to back, a torpedo level on the rotor after you've jacked up LCA, and two guys passing a tape measure between the front and back of the front tire will get you so close you don't need to spend the money.
The toe was a little off, but the camber was at negative 1.4 degrees........ on both sides. It was like I planned it that way.
The alignment guy asked if I wanted to leave it that way, and since I am entertaining the notion of maybe taking the car to the track one day, I told him to leave it. Besides, the total mileage that the car will see will probably be under 7500 annually, so I'm not too worried about wearing the tires out.
As for the rear tires,.....That's a different story.
Today, after I get the relays installed, I'm quoting Neil Young.....It's better to burnout than to fade away.
I got the burnout cam charged up,...I got a full tank of gas...(I somehow managed to go through 7.5 gallons since I filled it up after running out the last time) It's a nice cool day,......just perfect for doing a roasty static burnout past the camera.
I added a piece of foam over the mic on that sorry assed camera. I'm hoping that when the car comes raging by, it wont overwhelm the mic like every other time so far. Hopefully, the foam will act as a diffuser to muffle some of that obnoxious noise it hears...I guess we'll see.
I've already decided.....Depending on how bad it looks when it's all shiny. The car's gonna get the two tone that I always planned back when it was just a thought....
Just like the avatar, only flipped.
What a day!
It took me three hours to install the headlight relays,..laying on my back, unable to get both hands on the wires that needed to be crimped, but I managed. I think the problem is licked.
I drove the car today,...Even made a couple of vids. I put two of them together, and did some crude splicing but the desired effect is conveyed...
It's driveable fellas,....It is just a blast to think that this thing is a six that originally couldn't get out of it's own way. This, at 7p.s.i.
It took me three hours to install the headlight relays,..laying on my back, unable to get both hands on the wires that needed to be crimped, but I managed. I think the problem is licked.
I drove the car today,...Even made a couple of vids. I put two of them together, and did some crude splicing but the desired effect is conveyed...
It's driveable fellas,....It is just a blast to think that this thing is a six that originally couldn't get out of it's own way. This, at 7p.s.i.
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