Build Thread 1978 Mercury Cyclone. The pig is in the pen.

[CarMichael Angelo]

Oh how the mighty have fallen....Car Salesman. The most despised profession going. By far the most un-trusted profession going. I thought you were better than that. Have you actually looked into what will be required of you to do this "job". Ask any person off of the street what they think of a car salesman, and that is how you will be viewed. I hope you can live with that. I would not. Good Lord, you have far far better skills than to sink to this level of debauchery. Yikes.....

Damn man.

I can think of plenty worse jobs that employ above-average pricks... TSA agent, elevator installer, autozone employee, people who work at off road shops...

That view of car salesman is somewhat warranted, admittedly.

On the other hand there have been ones like my grandpa that took being a salesman as a craft.

He sold fords from the early teens until he retired in 1973ish.

It’s like most fields out there, you can be a hack at anything, but there are very few that will put in the effort to be the best in their profession. Those few are recognized as such and are desired for employment at most companies.

The exception to the rule will thrive and do it comfortably.

Now, there is an exception to the exception. Furniture salesman....just sayin’

You guys are all funny. It just shows to go ya I guess.

Clearly, those of you making your assumptions of a car salesman are using your experiences based on domestic brands.
I'll just say this about that. Look in your local want ads this morning...You'll see 50 bajillion domestic and japanese/korean car dealers looking for a salesman.

Is Mercedes in there? BMW?,...Audi?

It's "typical" (not always) that Premium brands do not advertise for sales opportunities as the brands are more selective as to who they hire, and the "typical experience" at a premium brand isn't what is expected from a customer buying one of these cars.
It's not typical on either side.

I make no apologies for choosing the path I'm gong down. I liken the job to a waiter in a upscale restaurant vs a poor girl working at Waffle House. And upscale restaurants don't hire new waiters off the street
And I'll take 20-25% of a 200 meal, instead of a "maybe tip" on a 40 dollar breakfast anyday.
Nobody who came into BMW knew I was a Genius..and if you were a customer, you'd think I was there to sell you a car just the same. MOF, up untill the actual part where I ask you for money, I did everything that a "great" salesman was supposed to do. I just didn't get paid a commission if the guy went ahead and bought the car.
So It's not like I'm suddenly changing roles in society, and getting ready to go out an buy pants that are too short, patent leather shoes, and a plaid sport coat ensemble to match my new image.

The other things:

You show me a job where the opportunity to make 60-80k only involves having a personality? Selling a car is easy. It's easy on you physically. People come to you, and It's never cold or hot. If the weather sucks, and there are still people that braved it to come there, they didn't come there because they were bored. How hard is that gonna be?

The only thing that sucks is that it's retail...I have to work till 7, on saturdays and holidays. But, I'm already doing that anyway.

If I choose to take advantage of the "social networking" opportunities that are there to get my name out there, my income potential rises with my efforts...There are car salesmen everywhere making 6 figures that have a customer base.

I'll spend some time on twitter, and facebook if it means I can make 80k..But I really only have to just "be there" to make 60.

You show me an Autozone employee making 60k INCLUDING the 60hr wk manager.

 

[02 281 GT]

That view of car salesman is somewhat warranted, admittedly.

On the other hand there have been ones like my grandpa that took being a salesman as a craft.

He sold fords from the early teens until he retired in 1973ish.

It’s like most fields out there, you can be a hack at anything, but there are very few that will put in the effort to be the best in their profession. Those few are recognized as such and are desired for employment at most companies.

The exception to the rule will thrive and do it comfortably.

Now, there is an exception to the exception. Furniture salesman....just sayin’

My brother-in-law is a furniture salesman.

 

[hoopty5.0]

You guys are all funny. It just shows to go ya I guess.

Clearly, those of you making your assumptions of a car salesman are using your experiences based on domestic brands.
I'll just say this about that. Look in your local want ads this morning...You'll see 50 bajillion domestic and japanese/korean car dealers looking for a salesman.

Is Mercedes in there? BMW?,...Audi?

It's "typical" (not always) that Premium brands do not advertise for sales opportunities as the brands are more selective as to who they hire, and the "typical experience" at a premium brand isn't what is expected from a customer buying one of these cars.
It's not typical on either side.

I make no apologies for choosing the path I'm gong down. I liken the job to a waiter in a upscale restaurant vs a poor girl working at Waffle House. And upscale restaurants don't hire new waiters off the street
And I'll take 20-25% of a 200 meal, instead of a "maybe tip" on a 40 dollar breakfast anyday.
Nobody who came into BMW knew I was a Genius..and if you were a customer, you'd think I was there to sell you a car just the same. MOF, up untill the actual part where I ask you for money, I did everything that a "great" salesman was supposed to do. I just didn't get paid a commission if the guy went ahead and bought the car.
So It's not like I'm suddenly changing roles in society, and getting ready to go out an buy pants that are too short, patent leather shoes, and a plaid sport coat ensemble to match my new image.

The other things:

You show me a job where the opportunity to make 60-80k only involves having a personality? Selling a car is easy. It's easy on you physically. People come to you, and It's never cold or hot. If the weather sucks, and there are still people that braved it to come there, they didn't come there because they were bored. How hard is that gonna be?

The only thing that sucks is that it's retail...I have to work till 7, on saturdays and holidays. But, I'm already doing that anyway.

If I choose to take advantage of the "social networking" opportunities that are there to get my name out there, my income potential rises with my efforts...There are car salesmen everywhere making 6 figures that have a customer base.

I'll spend some time on twitter, and facebook if it means I can make 80k..But I really only have to just "be there" to make 60.

You show me an Autozone employee making 60k INCLUDING the 60hr wk manager.

Mike I was mainly criticizing the other guys post. I have nothing against car salesman.

You do you and if you’re happy, then so be it.

 

[95BlueStallion]

My dad is currently selling cars at a small town Chrysler/Ford dealer. The only other salesman is the GM's dad, who sleeps half the day. He needs to retire, and my dad is long time friends with the GM. They worked out a deal, and my dad is doing well and enjoying it.

My brother's father in law just retired from selling Fords for 40 years. Everyone loves him, he is honest, and made a great living.

It all depends on the dealer, the salesman, and the managment. People that automatically think salesmen are shady low lifes need to pull their heads out of their asses and hop off their high horses.

Hope the new gig works out well, Mike. You definitely have the personality to excel at it.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Mike I was mainly criticizing the other guys post. I have nothing against car salesman.

You do you and if you’re happy, then so be it.

I see that now Collin,...I didn't look at the first comment you made,..It was too early for rational thought on my part.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

My brother-in-law is a furniture salesman.

Ahhh! So then you know what I’m saying

 

[xecute]

How about Cleaners?

I guess don't have the talent to operate as a TSA sniffer dog....


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olh9nLVAFDw

 

[95BlueStallion]

How about Cleaners?

Isnt it hard to steer the car reaching over to the passenger side???

 

[xecute]

The only problem is changing gears with the arm rest when I got into it from the LHD Stang.

I had a bench seat, three on the tree 58 Vauxhall. One of the 'clap hands' Window wipers dropped off in the snow one night when I was out cruising. Drove it from the passenger seat. Thats how I knew I loved Left Hookers....

That's what CMA needs.....A four on the door gear shift and a bench seat. And a wrap around windscreen. I wonder if Fiat will bring it back? Like the Ferrari 400 SuperAmerica, or 8V Fiat from 1952-1954

My experience with Window wipers is the same some people have with Commerical Cleaners.

 

[68 MGB]

For the last 2.5 years I have been restoring an old Maserati “Mexico”. Not worth much compared to more rounded Maseratis such as the Ghibli,

since it is more elegant than sporty. I now have it at a paint shop and should finally be able to drive it later this year. I never drove it since it was not running when I acquired it. I hope I like it…

 

[General karthief]

As you can guess, I've had much experience with the 'car salesmans' types, mostly lowlifes, but when your dealing with names like BMW, Audi, Mercedes Benz, well your not a salesman, your more like a sales technician, my box, er, that is off to you mike, good luck but you won't need it, after all you are a genius.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

I swear to God. This time around the car is gonna kill me.
I worked like a dog on the air box half of yesterday, and today. I've decided that the single worst part of building a car has everything to do with abrasives.
Abrasives.........The kind that are on grinding wheels, cartridge rolls, and sandpaper. I hate all of them.

I have been grinding, smoothing, sanding , and shaping that stupid little rectangular box for days now. There are six small pieces of tubing that sit on top of the throttle bodies that act as sealing surfaces. They slide over an O-ring that fits in a groove machined into the top of the throttle body. And those six little short pieces of tubing is welded to the bottom of the donuts.

I had already made those six little short pieces of tubing, but I didn't like how they sat on the TB's. So,....I cut them off. And made them again. Not just random tubing mind you,....(That would be far too easy) I have to cut the tubing down the middle and section an 1/8" out of it. So,...I start off w/ 2.5" tubing, cut it down the middle like I'm cleaning a fish. Then get a 2.5" hose clamp and tighten it down to close the tubing to it's new 2-3/8" ID. Then I take turns fitting it on the TB, taking off the clamp, grinding more off, re-clamping it, re-fitting, it...etc, etc, etc. Blah-blah, blah.

Once all six are snug as bugs in rugs, I put the air box on top, check the fit,...and weld three spots around the perimeter.
Then I wiggle the top back off and check it......It's still wonky.

I see shades of the hood fiasco starting to creep in here.

Now,....add in the other part of why I hate abrasives.....

Metal bits...The tiny little pieces that just love to hit you in the eye, where they decide to stay.

And you go through the rest of the day with an annoying chunk of metal in your eye that you cannot get rid of.

And your eye gets redder, and redder, and redder.

Pretty soon you look like a stoner,...except you cant read anymore. And....( almost forgot)...... You walk around the rest of the night pissin and moaning, occasionally letting out loud outbursts just to be sure that your wife knows that your eye hurts.

Then in the morning,..you go to the eye doctor, and she flips your eyelid, and removes the stupid little piece of sht that's been driving you insane for 12 hours straight.

When you get home, you go back to doing what you were doing before you tried to put your eye out.



I decided to give myself a break from the grinding, and cleaned up the valve bodies, and put them back together. then mounted them temporarily. There's slight interference. The shaft that got cut and extended 5 times has enough play in it to make contact with one of the TB's that doesn't have a support bearing. 3 of them do, 3 of them don't.
It's not the end of the world, I'll clearance the interference issue.

The biggest problem from today came as a result of me trying to check the operation of the things...One of them wasn't opening all of the way, and commensurately holding the other 5 to the same. Of course, you know I had to force it to see why they weren't opening. .....Promptly breaking one of the plastic pull rods that interconnect each TB to the main shaft.

And it doesn't look like I can replace it.

So then,...I've got these 6 nice and clean throttle bodies, all mounted to the manifold which has been ground on to port match it to the intake port, and throttle body base..And its perfect.

And now,....I've got one of them that don't open,...and it looks like I'll have to fabricate some sort of replacement to make that happen. And,...if I make one of them, I'll have to make 6 of them.

The car will never run again.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I don’t see towel boy yet though....

 

[95BlueStallion]

I swear to God. This time around the car is gonna kill me.
I worked like a dog on the air box half of yesterday, and today. I've decided that the single worst part of building a car has everything to do with abrasives.
Abrasives.........The kind that are on grinding wheels, cartridge rolls, and sandpaper. I hate all of them.

I have been grinding, smoothing, sanding , and shaping that stupid little rectangular box for days now. There are six small pieces of tubing that sit on top of the throttle bodies that act as sealing surfaces. They slide over an O-ring that fits in a groove machined into the top of the throttle body. And those six little short pieces of tubing is welded to the bottom of the donuts.

I had already made those six little short pieces of tubing, but I didn't like how they sat on the TB's. So,....I cut them off. And made them again. Not just random tubing mind you,....(That would be far too easy) I have to cut the tubing down the middle and section an 1/8" out of it. So,...I start off w/ 2.5" tubing, cut it down the middle like I'm cleaning a fish. Then get a 2.5" hose clamp and tighten it down to close the tubing to it's new 2-3/8" ID. Then I take turns fitting it on the TB, taking off the clamp, grinding more off, re-clamping it, re-fitting, it...etc, etc, etc. Blah-blah, blah.

Once all six are snug as bugs in rugs, I put the air box on top, check the fit,...and weld three spots around the perimeter.
Then I wiggle the top back off and check it......It's still wonky.

I see shades of the hood fiasco starting to creep in here.

Now,....add in the other part of why I hate abrasives.....

Metal bits...The tiny little pieces that just love to hit you in the eye, where they decide to stay.

And you go through the rest of the day with an annoying chunk of metal in your eye that you cannot get rid of.

And your eye gets redder, and redder, and redder.

Pretty soon you look like a stoner,...except you cant read anymore. And....( almost forgot)...... You walk around the rest of the night pissin and moaning, occasionally letting out loud outbursts just to be sure that your wife knows that your eye hurts.

Then in the morning,..you go to the eye doctor, and she flips your eyelid, and removes the stupid little piece of sht that's been driving you insane for 12 hours straight.

When you get home, you go back to doing what you were doing before you tried to put your eye out.



I decided to give myself a break from the grinding, and cleaned up the valve bodies, and put them back together. then mounted them temporarily. There's slight interference. The shaft that got cut and extended 5 times has enough play in it to make contact with one of the TB's that doesn't have a support bearing. 3 of them do, 3 of them don't.
It's not the end of the world, I'll clearance the interference issue.

The biggest problem from today came as a result of me trying to check the operation of the things...One of them wasn't opening all of the way, and commensurately holding the other 5 to the same. Of course, you know I had to force it to see why they weren't opening. .....Promptly breaking one of the plastic pull rods that interconnect each TB to the main shaft.

And it doesn't look like I can replace it.

So then,...I've got these 6 nice and clean throttle bodies, all mounted to the manifold which has been ground on to port match it to the intake port, and throttle body base..And its perfect.

And now,....I've got one of them that don't open,...and it looks like I'll have to fabricate some sort of replacement to make that happen. And,...if I make one of them, I'll have to make 6 of them.

The car will never run again.

None of this would be normal if you werent doing it at least twice.

And didnt you learn from the first time you about took your eye out? Turns out they make these clear plastic glasses to wear in the garage for "safety..."

I dont own or use em either.

 

[stangboy]

Mike, you've got at least 2 more times to start over before we condemn the car to "it'll never run again".

 

[xecute]

3D printer. Want a contact or three in the US?


You can use photoscan mode, and we can have something made up to suit in a better material like, say, Chemours (Formerly Dupont Fluoroproducts) Teflon so it won't break.

 

[xecute]

Boy your gonna luv yo' job, CMA. Such history!

For the last 2.5 years I have been restoring an old Maserati “Mexico”. Not worth much compared to more rounded Maseratis such as the Ghibli,

since it is more elegant than sporty. I now have it at a paint shop and should finally be able to drive it later this year. I never drove it since it was not running when I acquired it. I hope I like it…

The Maser. The Mexico! Hola!

I posted on another website that I have always thought CMA's Merc is a modern day Italiano Hot rod,

sorta like a ganster in a Business suit. An American Alphina or Itia~American hybrid like they made in the 60's and mid 70's. Its basically de Tomaso Longchamps circa 1989

with less weight, more space, more glass, and as much class.


The Mexico and the GT3500 that preceeded it are the genisis of the Hot Rod Mambo Italiano machines of the 60's because so much of them used US or UK Salibury/ Dana axles, US or German or French gearboxes, and even US or French engines. The Mexico was something like 45% English, the GT3500, 65% English just like the early Volvo P1800's, 144's and 164's.

Here's an Aussie import 4.2 68 Mexico I love.

http://classicthrottleshop.com/1968-maserati-mexico-argento-auteuil/

The Aussies just loved these oddballs.

The Simcoe designed 2005 Australian VE Commodore and all the 1993 on wards Falcon copied all the Maserati ques, the water based Green and Acid Rush paint jobs, the Aston Martin style but Zagato Frua, Vignale and Bertone influenced Mexico/Indy/Ghibli font, gills and stance, especially in the rear 3/4 view that makes the Indy, Ghibli and Bora such a visual treat. The Mexico is GT3500 in line six but with a proper Bird Cage Quad cam V8. Like the GT3500, it has British-made Salisbury HA6 axle, Girling brakes and Alford & Alder suspension parts. York A/C, Borg Warner optional auto, the 3.8 turns lock to lock power steering option was proprietry as well. The German ZF gearbox and Borg and Beck clutch make odd bedfellows. The first use of Pirelli Cinturato CN72 radials.



LKJ Setright, part of the Aussie Journlistic mafia, siad the Khamsin was typically Maser underneath....with a mixture of space age casting and running gear advances, but some increadablity Crucificion era body bracing that just s shocks you to the core.


Heres the "Appian way" chassis of the GT 3500,

very much like the ladder braces found on Mikes Gila Monster,




Battle boxed underneath, the whole car is able to do most things a Bent Eight can

or the brace bars on an 83-93 Mustang Vert. And the cart spring Hotchkiss/ Spica Dana/ Salisbury derived live axle. The later IRS Chevy Corvette, Mark II Jag, deTomaso Longchamps and Mexican market Fox Fords all had that Jeep derived crown wheel and pinion 8.5" axle center.

As subtle as an axe, but the alloy parts like the ZF gearbox and all aluminum in line six are shared with the 4.7 liter Mexico. People say the 65-72 model year Mexico was a shortened Quattroport, but its more an updated 1957 GT3500 with a V8 to me.

The four stud, 108 mm center wheels are pure Fox body and MGB GT/ Ferrari knock on in design.



Gotta love it.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Boy your gonna luv yo' job, CMA. Such history!





The Maser. The Mexico! Hola!

I posted on another website that I have always thought CMA's Merc is a modern day Italiano Hot rod,

sorta like a ganster in a Business suit. An American Alphina or Itia~American hybrid like they made in the 60's and mid 70's. Its basically de Tomaso Longchamps circa 1989

with less weight, more space, more glass, and as much class.


The Mexico and the GT3500 that preceeded it are the genisis of the Hot Rod Mambo Italiano machines of the 60's because so much of them used US or UK Salibury/ Dana axles, US or German or French gearboxes, and even US or French engines. The Mexico was something like 45% English, the GT3500, 65% English just like the early Volvo P1800's, 144's and 164's.

Here's an Aussie import 4.2 68 Mexico I love.

http://classicthrottleshop.com/1968-maserati-mexico-argento-auteuil/

The Aussies just loved these oddballs.

The Simcoe designed 2005 Australian VE Commodore and all the 1993 on wards Falcon copied all the Maserati ques, the water based Green and Acid Rush paint jobs, the Aston Martin style but Zagato Frua, Vignale and Bertone influenced Mexico/Indy/Ghibli font, gills and stance, especially in the rear 3/4 view that makes the Indy, Ghibli and Bora such a visual treat. The Mexico is GT3500 in line six but with a proper Bird Cage Quad cam V8. Like the GT3500, it has British-made Salisbury HA6 axle, Girling brakes and Alford & Alder suspension parts. York A/C, Borg Warner optional auto, the 3.8 turns lock to lock power steering option was proprietry as well. The German ZF gearbox and Borg and Beck clutch make odd bedfellows. The first use of Pirelli Cinturato CN72 radials.



LKJ Setright, part of the Aussie Journlistic mafia, siad the Khamsin was typically Maser underneath....with a mixture of space age casting and running gear advances, but some increadablity Crucificion era body bracing that just s shocks you to the core.


Heres the "Appian way" chassis of the GT 3500,

very much like the ladder braces found on Mikes Gila Monster,




Battle boxed underneath, the whole car is able to do most things a Bent Eight can

or the brace bars on an 83-93 Mustang Vert. And the cart spring Hotchkiss/ Spica Dana/ Salisbury derived live axle. The later IRS Chevy Corvette, Mark II Jag, deTomaso Longchamps and Mexican market Fox Fords all had that Jeep derived crown wheel and pinion 8.5" axle center.

As subtle as an axe, but the alloy parts like the ZF gearbox and all aluminum in line six are shared with the 4.7 liter Mexico. People say the 65-72 model year Mexico was a shortened Quattroport, but its more an updated 1957 GT3500 with a V8 to me.

The four stud, 108 mm center wheels are pure Fox body and MGB GT/ Ferrari knock on in design.



Gotta love it.

I think that car is every bit as cool as a BMW 3.0 CSL, maybe even more so, as it is probably more rare.

But,...since we're stickin' other cars in here while I "grind along"....How freakin cool is this?

 

[95BlueStallion]

I like that ^, but would need a turbo or V8 swap to "love" it.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Annndd just like that, I've got 6 new pull rods on the way. They should be here Thursday. $25.00 for all of them, and well worth it, considering that the ones I had were potentially 18 years old.

So,.....relief.

The last thing to overcome now is a geometry test. I've got to come up with a bell crank system that can operate the throttle linkage. Each one of those throttle bodies have a pretty stiff spring on the shaft. When you combine all 6 of them together, it takes a pretty concerted effort to open the damn things. The shaft opens counter clockwise, and as it rotates, travels about 1.250" from closed to Wot at a connecting point mounted on the shaft. I measured my existing throttle cable and it travels about 1.4"

I want to mount the stock throttle cable vertical next to the engine, and actuate a bellcrank to pull straight down, while pushing a rod that will roll that throttle shaft open. Common sense tells me that I need to have a 1:1 ratio to do this,...I just don't know how hard it'll end up being with regard to pedal effort.

Nothing to do but try I guess,...This will officially be V1,......I wonder how many attempts it'll take before I get this one right?