Progress Thread Let's try this again...

[CarMichael Angelo]

This is all starting to feel somewhat familiar.

Now that half of my interior is sprawled on my garage floor, I can now replace the drivers side seatbelt, or at least I could if I had the right wrench.

stopped at autozone after work to pick up a torque wrench so I wouldn’t strip the screws responsible for keeping my fat behind in the seat in the event of an accident. The torque rating I’m seeing is somewhere around 28-30 ftlbs.

Unfortunately, the torque wrench I got was too big for the bit and I don’t have an adapter for it. Live and learn, I guess.

On the plus side, I got the quarter trim panel off and found a pretty little Rockford Fosgate speaker behind the grille, so that’s nice.

It’s “Torx bit”.

a “ Torque wrench“ is a completely different tool...one is an attachment, the other is the fixture that you attach it to.

Damn......I’m sure the lisle package that the socket came in said that.....Something like T 25.......

 

[Alldegree]

It’s “Torx bit”.

a “ Torque wrench“ is a completely different tool...one is an attachment, the other is the fixture that you attach it to.

Damn......I’m sure the lisle package that the socket cam in said that.....Something like T 25.......

I actually have the bits already, they just won’t fit on the end of the wrench I bought. I’m worried about stripping the threads off the bolts.

 

[General karthief]

It’s “Torx bit”.

a “ Torque wrench“ is a completely different tool...one is an attachment, the other is the fixture that you attach it to.

Damn......I’m sure the lisle package that the socket cam in said that.....Something like T 25.......

You wrote 'socket cam in'

 

[Rdub6]

You may as well just order that roller tool cabinet you've always wanted, now.

The shop money you save goes to toys

And when you decide on a roller cabinet, don’t get that one, get the bigger one!!

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

You wrote 'socket cam in'

The difference here is,...........That it‘s correct now.

 

[Alldegree]

Currently in the autozone parking lot waiting for the store to open. They don’t need me at work today, so I’m hoping that I’ll finish up the driver’s side and then the passengers side will go a little more smoothly and I’ll have this whole thing knocked out by the end of the day. Might even give it a jump and let it run to charge the battery.

Of course, even if I finish it I probably won’t be able to drive it until April because Illinois has hellish and cruel weather that teases you into thinking it’s spring and then brings on the negative windchills and salt.

 

[Adieu]

Might even give it a jump and let it run to charge the battery.

Either get a battery charger, or take your battery with you to 'zone and have them charge it.

Alternators aren't designed to charge a battery up from dead, they're designed to replenish what was lost during cranking and provide power to the car while the engine is running. Using the alternator to charge up a dead battery is incredibly hard on it and leads to alternator failure in the long term (and sometimes in the short term).

 

[Alldegree]

Either get a battery charger, or take your battery with you to 'zone and have them charge it.

Alternators aren't designed to charge a battery up from dead, they're designed to replenish what was lost during cranking and provide power to the car while the engine is running. Using the alternator to charge up a dead battery is incredibly hard on it and leads to alternator failure in the long term (and sometimes in the short term).

Oh wow, I’ll be sure to take it somewhere then. I’m learning a lot already from this endeavor.

I did manage to get the new drivers side seatbelt in, and I’ve gotten most of the trim pieces in as well. Some of the quarter panel screw holes don’t line up exactly for some reason, so I’ve been trying to figure out why. Everything else is good, it lines up with the other side, so I’m not entirely sure what’s going on there.

Also found some broken glass behind the panel, so I’ll be running a VIN check to make sure the car’s not stolen. A lot can happen in 34 years, so it’s possible it just got broken through some other mishap. I don’t think the guy I bought it from knows about it.

 

[General karthief]

It would have showed up in the title transfer

 

[Alldegree]

As of yesterday, both seatbelts are in, both interior quarters are (mostly) reinstalled, and the driver’s seat is back in. Passenger’s seat will be tomorrow and then hopefully either Monday or Tuesday I’ll drop off the battery at autozone and then run down the street to the DMV to get registered and taxed.

Also, here’s a picture of the mysterious steering column lever I talked about earlier:

It didn’t seem to do anything even when the battery was charged. I’m sure I’m going to sound like an idiot for asking, but what is it?

 

[General karthief]

Tilt wheel lever. I think you push it away from you (or maybe pull it towards you, can't remember) and the wheel will move up and down in an arc.

 

[Gs1987GT]

Tilt wheel lever. I think you push it away from you (or maybe pull it towards you, can't remember) and the wheel will move up and down in an arc.

The lever is pulled toward you and held, then tilt the wheel to your desired location, then release the lever. If your lever does not move, or the wheel does not move when you pull the lever, something is wrong with the tilt mechanism.

You'll have to pull the wheel to check it.

Ps- congrats on this car. I know what you went though last time. Take your time and don't force stuff. I cringed when I read about the holes in the headliner. You paid a lot of money for that car. Patience my friend. You'll get it. Good luck.

 

[02 281 GT]

But isn’t the tilt wheel lever usually on the left side of the column?

 

[Alldegree]

The lever is pulled toward you and held, then tilt the wheel to your desired location, then release the lever. If your lever does not move, or the wheel does not move when you pull the lever, something is wrong with the tilt mechanism.

You'll have to pull the wheel to check it.

Ps- congrats on this car. I know what you went though last time. Take your time and don't force stuff. I cringed when I read about the holes in the headliner. You paid a lot of money for that car. Patience my friend. You'll get it. Good luck.

Thank you for the well-wishes, this is something I’ve been working towards for a long time.

That quarter piece is a big chunk of plastic, so I didn’t even notice until I looked up. There were some words uttered that I wouldn’t repeat in front of my family.

As much as it pains me to say, there may be something wrong with the tilt mechanism, because it doesn’t move when I pull that lever and the column feels kind of loose. I also can’t get the cover to fit on it quite right.

One other thing I noticed when I was trying to put the interior quarter panels back, it looks like the holes along the c pillar never really lined up, and so somebody just drilled some new ones into the metal behind it and left some of the screws out entirely.

 

[Mstng93SSP]

But isn’t the tilt wheel lever usually on the left side of the column?

The right side is the correct location for an 85-86.

 

[02 281 GT]

The right side is the correct location for an 85-86.

I completely forgot. I owned an ‘86. You’d think I’d know.

 

[Mstng93SSP]

Yeah, I had an 85. Liked it a lot.

 

[General karthief]

If you take the trim collar off you may be able to see the issue but yeah, to really deal with it you will be pulling the wheel.
I have several tilt columns if you need parts.

 

[Alldegree]

If you take the trim collar off you may be able to see the issue but yeah, to really deal with it you will be pulling the wheel.
I have several tilt columns if you need parts.

Thanks, I'll let you know what I find.
Hopefully something's just stuck. The steering wheel came off of my old car, so maybe something's wonky with the installation or fitment. or something.

Tomorrow I'm hopefully going to get to the DMV and Autozone. I tested the battery with a multimeter, and it read 12.01v, which from what I've read is about 40-50%.

 

[Gs1987GT]

Thank you for the well-wishes, this is something I’ve been working towards for a long time.

That quarter piece is a big chunk of plastic, so I didn’t even notice until I looked up. There were some words uttered that I wouldn’t repeat in front of my family.

As much as it pains me to say, there may be something wrong with the tilt mechanism, because it doesn’t move when I pull that lever and the column feels kind of loose. I also can’t get the cover to fit on it quite right.

One other thing I noticed when I was trying to put the interior quarter panels back, it looks like the holes along the c pillar never really lined up, and so somebody just drilled some new ones into the metal behind it and left some of the screws out entirely.

No worries man. Stuff happens. Just take your time. The loose steering wheel is common. There are 4 torx bit screws further down the column that loosen up over time and cause the wheel to be loose, you have to remove items from the column to get to them. I believe you can access at least 3 of the 4 and if you tighten those it. makes a big difference.

Sounds like you have a bad or discharged battery. Remeber the battery can have proper voltage but not proper amperage. That's why it needs load tested.