Alright,..but I only cuss under the most extreme of circumstances...things have to be marginally phcked up before I'll lose my sht and start cussing.
Build Thread 1978 Mercury Cyclone. The pig is in the pen.
- Status
In the military they'd say that I was one day and a wake up.
Tomorrow is the big day. After months of spending, and stressing,we move into the new house, and out of this one. Boxes are everywhere,..I'm sitting on the only chair that didn't have stuff piled on it,..and
I can't wait for it to be done.
We're boarding the two dogs,..and I hope like hell that the cats will be here Friday afternoon when we come back here to box those two up and move them over. The one that got sucked into my radiator is so old she may have a stroke when I try to jam her ass into the carrier,..and Reggen,.......Reggen of 9, son of Ferrel Khan, who was begat by Grog the destroyer, fathered by One fang the ferocious, and all from the same blood lineage that the great Snowball of Siberia hails from.......If I don't come out of this ordeal w/ at least a puncture wound that'll need stitches,....I'll consider it a great victory.
It's supposed to rain today and Friday,...and I gotta move the Monster. The current homeowner at the new house will let me move it over there today,.and I'm taking the next day and a half off. Hopefully, before the movers try to start moving things past the car, I'll have the thing out of there. So that trick will be setting the time aside to have the wife follow me over there so that I can drop him, and she can bring me back.
We have flooring guys due here in the next hour to redo the living room....(another rant, I'll save for a future boring rainy day)
The movers will be here on friday morning. We then have two closings back to back, then rage over to the new house to let the movers into the new house to unload.
The wife figures that they be completely packed up in 3.5 hours,....(4 guys,..2 26' straight trucks) We'll see about that. The trip between here and there is 25 minutes....and we're gonna be out of pocket signing junk for the next 3 hours.
That'll mean that these moving guys will potentially be sitting idle for that time waiting on us to be able to get back to that house to let them in,....at $140.00 per hour.
That means that they'll start unloading this stuff at 3-3:30 PM....(which I'll bet goes way faster than it'll take to load it)
They only have 2 beds to take down/put back and only a washer and dryer to move as far as major appliances...the rest is boxes and furniture. I'm guessin' that they'll pull away at 6PM. Here's hopin to that plan..
Of the proceeds out of the sale, we gotta buy a new living room set of furniture, .(this house has a den, and a living room) and new master bedroom stuff that includes one of those nifty king beds that adjusts...supposedly helps to stop snorers from snoring ...(like my wife).
The finished basement where the Monster garage is attached becomes my space, And there will be the appropriate man cave amenities to support it's man-caveliness...i.e. A big TV, a seating area to watch that big TV, Your average 1200 watt audio system for which is required when listening to Gilbert O Sullivan to, a refrigerator to keep the variety of beers and distilled liqours in,....( none of which include the swill that is Bud Light)
A couch that becomes a bed for family and friends..and maybe me.(That whole basement room is literally the equivalent of a hotel room,..including a full bath)
The garage is actually too short,...there is enough room to get the Monster in there,....and ample room to open the doors,...but if there is a foot in front and behind that car when it's in there,.....I'll kiss ya.
But guess what?....The homeowner stated that the wall that they put there when they finished that basement was just a partition wall........It doesn't support ANYTHING....and that .it can be moved forward.
My wife heard her say that too,......(Muy Importante')
I'm thinking 4 feet forward as a matter of fact. Sounds like a perfect 3 day weekend project...and I got one of those coming up in July.
So my brothas from a bunch of diffrent muthas.....I gotta stop,....I have to get off of this chair,. and find a place for it so the flooring guys can recover this floor,..then go to work for 3 hours..Talk to ya later.
Tomorrow is the big day. After months of spending, and stressing,we move into the new house, and out of this one. Boxes are everywhere,..I'm sitting on the only chair that didn't have stuff piled on it,..and
I can't wait for it to be done.
We're boarding the two dogs,..and I hope like hell that the cats will be here Friday afternoon when we come back here to box those two up and move them over. The one that got sucked into my radiator is so old she may have a stroke when I try to jam her ass into the carrier,..and Reggen,.......Reggen of 9, son of Ferrel Khan, who was begat by Grog the destroyer, fathered by One fang the ferocious, and all from the same blood lineage that the great Snowball of Siberia hails from.......If I don't come out of this ordeal w/ at least a puncture wound that'll need stitches,....I'll consider it a great victory.
It's supposed to rain today and Friday,...and I gotta move the Monster. The current homeowner at the new house will let me move it over there today,.and I'm taking the next day and a half off. Hopefully, before the movers try to start moving things past the car, I'll have the thing out of there. So that trick will be setting the time aside to have the wife follow me over there so that I can drop him, and she can bring me back.
We have flooring guys due here in the next hour to redo the living room....(another rant, I'll save for a future boring rainy day)
The movers will be here on friday morning. We then have two closings back to back, then rage over to the new house to let the movers into the new house to unload.
The wife figures that they be completely packed up in 3.5 hours,....(4 guys,..2 26' straight trucks) We'll see about that. The trip between here and there is 25 minutes....and we're gonna be out of pocket signing junk for the next 3 hours.
That'll mean that these moving guys will potentially be sitting idle for that time waiting on us to be able to get back to that house to let them in,....at $140.00 per hour.
That means that they'll start unloading this stuff at 3-3:30 PM....(which I'll bet goes way faster than it'll take to load it)
They only have 2 beds to take down/put back and only a washer and dryer to move as far as major appliances...the rest is boxes and furniture. I'm guessin' that they'll pull away at 6PM. Here's hopin to that plan..
Of the proceeds out of the sale, we gotta buy a new living room set of furniture, .(this house has a den, and a living room) and new master bedroom stuff that includes one of those nifty king beds that adjusts...supposedly helps to stop snorers from snoring ...(like my wife).
The finished basement where the Monster garage is attached becomes my space, And there will be the appropriate man cave amenities to support it's man-caveliness...i.e. A big TV, a seating area to watch that big TV, Your average 1200 watt audio system for which is required when listening to Gilbert O Sullivan to, a refrigerator to keep the variety of beers and distilled liqours in,....( none of which include the swill that is Bud Light)
A couch that becomes a bed for family and friends..and maybe me.(That whole basement room is literally the equivalent of a hotel room,..including a full bath)
The garage is actually too short,...there is enough room to get the Monster in there,....and ample room to open the doors,...but if there is a foot in front and behind that car when it's in there,.....I'll kiss ya.
But guess what?....The homeowner stated that the wall that they put there when they finished that basement was just a partition wall........It doesn't support ANYTHING....and that .it can be moved forward.
My wife heard her say that too,......(Muy Importante')
I'm thinking 4 feet forward as a matter of fact. Sounds like a perfect 3 day weekend project...and I got one of those coming up in July.
So my brothas from a bunch of diffrent muthas.....I gotta stop,....I have to get off of this chair,. and find a place for it so the flooring guys can recover this floor,..then go to work for 3 hours..Talk to ya later.
I really wish I was there, I like to watch other people work!
Good luck and hope all you speed bumps are small.
Good luck and hope all you speed bumps are small.
You're probably in the paperwork stage of your story now. Hope it goes smooth brother. For you and Gilbert.
You're probably in the paperwork stage of your story now. Hope it goes smooth brother. For you and Gilbert.
If I read the second sentence right, it says "Tomorrow is the big day."
Oh derrrrr!
I've been working weekends as well as my regular job lately and have kind of lost track of the day of the week it is.
So, Mike, go back and reread post 5806 around lunchtime tomorrow.
I'd claim i've lost my sanity, but, really, did I really ever have a firm hold on it in the first place?
As a status update,..the fuel pump doesn't howl anymore after a 20 minute drive..Whether or not I had dirty fuel filters, or the fuel system routing was creating too much cavitation,..the pump was quiet the entire 25 minute drive.
The car runs and drives almost w/o incident....the Idle will occasionally surge for no reason,..and the whistle is back now, and I'm sure that those two are related to each other. But I was able to get in it, and drive the thing to the new house w/o worry.
It's so weird.
Sitting in traffic the temp gauge will creep up to 209.....then move back down 10 degrees. The thermostat/cooling system is working perfectly. But put the thing on the interstate,...in 90 degree high humidity air, and the temp will fall 40 degrees. Once it hits bottom, it'll never get over 167 once air is moving through the radiator. How the hell is this happening?
And this is with an engine spinning at 2700-3000 RPM.
From what the gauges are telling me, 80 MPH is 3000 RPM. I want that 500 RPM lower. I also want my first gear back.
For those reasons, I'm dropping the 3.73's to a 3.31. I have the gears, the new bearing kit, and a T-loc rebuild kit sitting in my wish list at Summit. I'm just waiting on a new address to have them shipped to. I also have a rear end cover in there, but those things..........You can't even see the rear from behind the car,....why in the hell would you spend an additional 150.00 for a rear end cover when a pair of slicks will never be on the car to challenge the bearing cap integrity?
I'm thinking I'll remove the rear end cover from my list.
The Monster's in his new home tonight...Tomorrow night I'll be there with him. Permanently. I was right. It's nice and wide in there, but way too short. So that wall is moving in short order.
I'm also full speed ahead with 10-12 psi. If I can't get it to work with the electronic boost controller, I'll buy the manually adjustable controller ( again). I'm also seriously looking at the Snow performance stage 1 system to allow me to use those boost numbers w/o detonation. That kit will work up to 15 psi,....well beyond my "safe zone", so it should be perfect for my purpose.
All I know is that the turbo spools really loudly at 10 psi...you get all kinds of ear candy at 10 psi as a direct result.....and then there's the whole getting sideways at 40 MPH in second gear thingy...I just have to do this. So getting it there, and keeping it safe are also on the short to-do list.
Gears, Boost and Cold temp windshield washer fluid are next. (because cold temp WW fluid has a higher content of methanol)
The car runs and drives almost w/o incident....the Idle will occasionally surge for no reason,..and the whistle is back now, and I'm sure that those two are related to each other. But I was able to get in it, and drive the thing to the new house w/o worry.
It's so weird.
Sitting in traffic the temp gauge will creep up to 209.....then move back down 10 degrees. The thermostat/cooling system is working perfectly. But put the thing on the interstate,...in 90 degree high humidity air, and the temp will fall 40 degrees. Once it hits bottom, it'll never get over 167 once air is moving through the radiator. How the hell is this happening?
And this is with an engine spinning at 2700-3000 RPM.
From what the gauges are telling me, 80 MPH is 3000 RPM. I want that 500 RPM lower. I also want my first gear back.
For those reasons, I'm dropping the 3.73's to a 3.31. I have the gears, the new bearing kit, and a T-loc rebuild kit sitting in my wish list at Summit. I'm just waiting on a new address to have them shipped to. I also have a rear end cover in there, but those things..........You can't even see the rear from behind the car,....why in the hell would you spend an additional 150.00 for a rear end cover when a pair of slicks will never be on the car to challenge the bearing cap integrity?
I'm thinking I'll remove the rear end cover from my list.
The Monster's in his new home tonight...Tomorrow night I'll be there with him. Permanently. I was right. It's nice and wide in there, but way too short. So that wall is moving in short order.
I'm also full speed ahead with 10-12 psi. If I can't get it to work with the electronic boost controller, I'll buy the manually adjustable controller ( again). I'm also seriously looking at the Snow performance stage 1 system to allow me to use those boost numbers w/o detonation. That kit will work up to 15 psi,....well beyond my "safe zone", so it should be perfect for my purpose.
All I know is that the turbo spools really loudly at 10 psi...you get all kinds of ear candy at 10 psi as a direct result.....and then there's the whole getting sideways at 40 MPH in second gear thingy...I just have to do this. So getting it there, and keeping it safe are also on the short to-do list.
Gears, Boost and Cold temp windshield washer fluid are next. (because cold temp WW fluid has a higher content of methanol)
Don't buy a manual boost controller.... just call me dammit. You have my number and email in just a few key strokes away from making it all work...
I just got done tuning one for a guy in Ontario Canada, if I can help a canuk I can help you.
I just got done tuning one for a guy in Ontario Canada, if I can help a canuk I can help you.
Okay, Okay,...Calm down..I'll call you.
I figured that maybe you'd want the babv birdies to try and fly on their own,....... mama.
I'm thinkin that it'll be a while before I can justifiably spend one minute in the garage working on the Monster, with 40 bazillion boxes to unpack,..stuff to do, house mods to make.
Well Dave, you're always welcome to stay here when you need a way station between destinations,...There is gonna be a queen Futon/sofa sleeper thing in "Mikes Man Cave" as stated in my previous reply,..
I had to leave the compressor, and the cardboard head wear that goes with it if the new owner ever decides to paint a car down there. Personally,....I never intend to paint another car again, so a full blown 60 gallon upright replacement isn't necessary.
So I'm thinkin I'm gonna get this:
It's basically the same, only half the capacity, it's on wheels,...and it's dual voltage,....it'll run on 110 or 220v.
That'll allow me to move it TO the work rather than needing a long line/hose system instead. It's only 50 bucks cheaper than the 60 gallon unit, but that thing would have to be fixed to the garage floor,..and that would mean hose reels/manifolds/hard to drain again....so,..I'll take the rolling version for 449.00 instead.
It's fixin' to get real in here in about an hour,..so I gotta get around, and get moving. I'll pick this back up again tonight.
Last edited:
Back to back closings? You'll have carpel tunnel so bad you won't be able to turn a wrench for 4 weeks! Sign 6000 times. Initial 25000 times. And make sure you read everything you're signing! Someone is moving in across the street from me. They wheeled up 2 30' trucks yesterday and 5 guys unloaded both in 1.5 hours!!!!
Are you certain your temp is reading correctly? I'm guessing ambient there was about the same here...90-95. I don't know with a 6 core rad that my car would drop to 167 on the highway. My digital gauges are sensitive to voltage drops. When I first put them in, the instant I turned on the A/C the temp would jump from 195-200 up to 235. In an instant as the AC compressor engaged. I quickly realized it had to be some kind of voltage drop. I ran a power wire to the battery (or batrey as they call here) to a relay to the gauges. I figured that would solve the issue. Almost. It will go from 195-200 to 210-15 now instantly. I thought maybe it was because I used the factory sending wire into the gauge cluster, but I ran a wire direct to the sender with no change.
So like you, I am over these beeches. At some point in my redo, I am going with some different gauges....probably Dakota Digital, analog series.
Are you certain your temp is reading correctly? I'm guessing ambient there was about the same here...90-95. I don't know with a 6 core rad that my car would drop to 167 on the highway. My digital gauges are sensitive to voltage drops. When I first put them in, the instant I turned on the A/C the temp would jump from 195-200 up to 235. In an instant as the AC compressor engaged. I quickly realized it had to be some kind of voltage drop. I ran a power wire to the battery (or batrey as they call here) to a relay to the gauges. I figured that would solve the issue. Almost. It will go from 195-200 to 210-15 now instantly. I thought maybe it was because I used the factory sending wire into the gauge cluster, but I ran a wire direct to the sender with no change.
So like you, I am over these beeches. At some point in my redo, I am going with some different gauges....probably Dakota Digital, analog series.
You have a secondary ground problem...
The secondary power ground is between the back of the intake manifold and the driver's side firewall. It is often missing or loose. It supplies ground for the alternator, A/C compressor clutch and other electrical accessories such as the gauges. The clue to a bad ground here is that the temp gauge goes up as you add electrical load such as heater, lights and A/C.
Any car that has a 3G or high output current alternator needs a 4 gauge ground wire running from the block to the chassis ground where the battery pigtail ground connects. The 3G has a 130 amp capacity, so you wire the power side with 4 gauge wire. It stands to reason that the ground side handles just as much current, so it needs to be 4 gauge too.
The picture shows the common ground point for the battery , computer, & extra 3G alternator ground wire as described above in paragraph 2. A screwdriver points to the bolt that is the common ground point.
The battery common ground is a 10 gauge pigtail with the computer ground attached to it.
Picture courtesy timewarped1972
Correct negative battery ground cable.
I've got good grounds. Mines an 85, battery on the ps. I have the Holley ECM powered directly to the battery and grounded per their recommendations. When I did the efi conversion, I made sure the battery cable to the block was new and to bare metal covered with dielectric grease. I took the small wire on the battery cable and grounded it to the common ground point on the fender. I also run a 10g wire from the dash structure to the back of the head and that's where my gauges are grounded to. I even made another ground lug on the back side of the radiator support and ran a ground from there to the battery and grounded the fans and the MSD (when I had one) there.
I plan at sometime to rewire this thing better since when I did it I was using a Holley C950 TBI that I got complete for $300 and didn't know if it worked....so I did take some 'shortcuts.'
I have miles of braided wire loom, true non-adhesive harness tape and lots of grommets and wire holders. My main thing will be to rid the 85 of the TSAD and all of the associated miles of unused harness that goes with it.
After reading your post a couple of times...I don't have a 4g cable from the block to the fender ground! Dammit...more stuff on my list todo!
I plan at sometime to rewire this thing better since when I did it I was using a Holley C950 TBI that I got complete for $300 and didn't know if it worked....so I did take some 'shortcuts.'
I have miles of braided wire loom, true non-adhesive harness tape and lots of grommets and wire holders. My main thing will be to rid the 85 of the TSAD and all of the associated miles of unused harness that goes with it.
After reading your post a couple of times...I don't have a 4g cable from the block to the fender ground! Dammit...more stuff on my list todo!
Facebook?....Saw this link on Facebook. Thought I'd share. Pretty cool that your old car popped up.
Those geniuses will kill it for sure. I'll bet that the comments against far outweigh the positive ones.
Ok gents,....Day three is almost in the bag.
The wife has unboxed about 2/3rds of the boxes,..there's probably another 20 more to open.
I have an address now....I can start buying stuff now.
First up was the gears, the bearing kit, and the T-lock rebuild kit. Ordered that junk last night. The 3.73's are on a short list now. So,..anybody that reads this,..be advised,.......I'll have a "slightly used" set of 3.73's for sale in about a couple of weeks.
I won't be able to work on the car by any means,..( I'll have weeks of hanging pictures first).
The Monster is in the two car garage up. The single downstairs garage was a joke,....Just moving the stuff out of the old place has filled that half way. I was speaking with the wife today, and she asked me........( You ready for this?)
"Why don't you just take the wall down,and make the whole basement your garage?"
Are you hearing this?......Why don't I just turn a functioning living space into a garage?.....
One that will get filthy,....covered in dust,....susceptible to who knows what kind of future EPA violation,....Is she CRAZY?
Am I not crazy for taking her up on it?
That scenario ended as soon as I reminded her that the basket that had her literature in it was covered in about a 1/16" layer of blackish/browinsh "What the hell is this:" dust layer.
It has to happen though,...there is absolutely no room in the small garage,.. I need a double sided wall to hang stuff on, and have a work bench on one side, tools, and storage on the other. (I don't have my trash can/work bench anymore,...it was hard having to leave that behind) So then,...you need a structural wall that'll divide a space, that can support heavy hanging cabinets, compliment the decor, not make a mess to build/finish, what to do?.....
I have a plan.... I'll call it "Monster Wall V 1.0"
In addition to the gear purchase, I reached out to Snow performance,....I believe that I'm gonna go with their product. What may be even better is that they may heavily discount or even completely comp me the kit in exchange for the free advertising that the Monster will afford them when I can get it to a major car event where it will be seen by one of the magazine editors.
I'll know more about that today...Whatever they do will be a win-win regardless.
First, I gotta fix this mess.
temp house for the monster
because this is what his house looks like.
The wife has unboxed about 2/3rds of the boxes,..there's probably another 20 more to open.
I have an address now....I can start buying stuff now.
First up was the gears, the bearing kit, and the T-lock rebuild kit. Ordered that junk last night. The 3.73's are on a short list now. So,..anybody that reads this,..be advised,.......I'll have a "slightly used" set of 3.73's for sale in about a couple of weeks.
I won't be able to work on the car by any means,..( I'll have weeks of hanging pictures first).
The Monster is in the two car garage up. The single downstairs garage was a joke,....Just moving the stuff out of the old place has filled that half way. I was speaking with the wife today, and she asked me........( You ready for this?)
"Why don't you just take the wall down,and make the whole basement your garage?"
Are you hearing this?......Why don't I just turn a functioning living space into a garage?.....
One that will get filthy,....covered in dust,....susceptible to who knows what kind of future EPA violation,....Is she CRAZY?
Am I not crazy for taking her up on it?
That scenario ended as soon as I reminded her that the basket that had her literature in it was covered in about a 1/16" layer of blackish/browinsh "What the hell is this:" dust layer.
It has to happen though,...there is absolutely no room in the small garage,.. I need a double sided wall to hang stuff on, and have a work bench on one side, tools, and storage on the other. (I don't have my trash can/work bench anymore,...it was hard having to leave that behind) So then,...you need a structural wall that'll divide a space, that can support heavy hanging cabinets, compliment the decor, not make a mess to build/finish, what to do?.....
I have a plan.... I'll call it "Monster Wall V 1.0"
In addition to the gear purchase, I reached out to Snow performance,....I believe that I'm gonna go with their product. What may be even better is that they may heavily discount or even completely comp me the kit in exchange for the free advertising that the Monster will afford them when I can get it to a major car event where it will be seen by one of the magazine editors.
I'll know more about that today...Whatever they do will be a win-win regardless.
First, I gotta fix this mess.
temp house for the monster
because this is what his house looks like.
- Status