jm8881
Well-Known Member
Awesome. Thank you much fellas.
:VB toast:
:VB toast:
My "Free" 68 Road Runner
- Thread starter jm8881
- Start date
I just found this thread. That's an awesome Road Runner! Terrific story and amazing condition, thanks for sharing, I'll be following. Love those '68's!!!
Basket case
Well-Known Member
hey stranger from the 'burg
Davo! How the heck are ya?
Basket case
Well-Known Member
just trying to keep warm and waiting for Spring to get the birdie out. you?
Same here, we still need to meet up at some point!
Basket case
Well-Known Member
you need to head down to Beaver for Hot Summer Nights
jm8881
Well-Known Member
Been working on it a few hours each weekend. Nothing ground breaking like turning the key but just chipping away. I pulled the gauge cluster out and cleaned it up. The alternator gauge didn't want to come apart and it looks like someone had been into it before. I got it apart and straightened out but I'm not sure if it will work or just let Magic Smoke out along with it's friend Magic Fire.
I went to drop the gas tank to see what kind of fun lived inside and I noticed there was no gas cap. I recon there hasn't been a gas cap on it since at least the last time it was registered. Looking inside the filler neck revealed many generations of spiders time had long since forgotten and a couple handfuls of dirt/dust/leaves.
I tried to get a pic inside but my camera refused to focus on anything further than 6 inches into the tank. Actually it looks a lot more focused on the screen vs the camera.
I tried to clean it out but found that deeper still into the tank was about 1/2 gallon of gas that had turned to varnish. I tried to clean that out but gave up and just ordered a new tank. On top of the varnish and dirt in this tank it also had a big dent in it from when Bo & Luke jumped a ravine.
It's kinda hard to see, which is odd.
However the tank does have a good side.
I turned my attention to the exhaust. I found that at some time in this cars history the factory muffler hangers were swapped out in lieu of metal strapping and lag screws, much to my floorboards chagrin. Also the passenger side tailpipe was solidly bolted to the frame rail and the factory hanger was MIA.
I replaced the hangers with non factory autozone hangers that seem to do the trick from the factory mounting locations. The tailpipe hangers may even get mistaken for factory.
This however highlighted the fact that the pipe from the drivers side header to the muffler isn't factory and was kinked up by someone with a mallet, a tree, and a 30 pack of Tecate. With the muffler and tailpipe hanging in the factory location the pipe hits the cross member that is bent to clear the exhaust by the transmission.
You can see how cocked the muffler has to be to keep the pipe from hitting the crossmember, but only just.
I tried to find someone to sell me the one pipe but can only find them in pairs. This isn't a problem until you realize the manufacture thinks that aluminized pipe is actually gold and charges accordingly.
Last ranty part is this:
That is whats around almost 100% of the bolts I try to reach. I'm vacuuming them up little by little but I feel like I should be fighting this war with fire.
On top of all this I still think this weekend was fairly productive and I still cant wait to convert dead dinosaurs into tire smoke and noise.
I went to drop the gas tank to see what kind of fun lived inside and I noticed there was no gas cap. I recon there hasn't been a gas cap on it since at least the last time it was registered. Looking inside the filler neck revealed many generations of spiders time had long since forgotten and a couple handfuls of dirt/dust/leaves.
I tried to get a pic inside but my camera refused to focus on anything further than 6 inches into the tank. Actually it looks a lot more focused on the screen vs the camera.
I tried to clean it out but found that deeper still into the tank was about 1/2 gallon of gas that had turned to varnish. I tried to clean that out but gave up and just ordered a new tank. On top of the varnish and dirt in this tank it also had a big dent in it from when Bo & Luke jumped a ravine.
It's kinda hard to see, which is odd.
However the tank does have a good side.
I turned my attention to the exhaust. I found that at some time in this cars history the factory muffler hangers were swapped out in lieu of metal strapping and lag screws, much to my floorboards chagrin. Also the passenger side tailpipe was solidly bolted to the frame rail and the factory hanger was MIA.
I replaced the hangers with non factory autozone hangers that seem to do the trick from the factory mounting locations. The tailpipe hangers may even get mistaken for factory.
This however highlighted the fact that the pipe from the drivers side header to the muffler isn't factory and was kinked up by someone with a mallet, a tree, and a 30 pack of Tecate. With the muffler and tailpipe hanging in the factory location the pipe hits the cross member that is bent to clear the exhaust by the transmission.
You can see how cocked the muffler has to be to keep the pipe from hitting the crossmember, but only just.
I tried to find someone to sell me the one pipe but can only find them in pairs. This isn't a problem until you realize the manufacture thinks that aluminized pipe is actually gold and charges accordingly.
Last ranty part is this:
That is whats around almost 100% of the bolts I try to reach. I'm vacuuming them up little by little but I feel like I should be fighting this war with fire.
On top of all this I still think this weekend was fairly productive and I still cant wait to convert dead dinosaurs into tire smoke and noise.
Basket case
Well-Known Member
keep chipping away, you get there. and a new gas tank will prevent some headaches.
just my two cents....I'd move those jack stands from the sway bar to the lower control arms.
just my two cents....I'd move those jack stands from the sway bar to the lower control arms.
This is a great thread.
GearAddict
Well-Known Member
Great thread, looks like you're making progress. Keep chipping away at it.
Be careful sticking your hands into areas you can't see, I spent enough time pulling parts off cars that had been sitting in fields/avocado groves in SoCal to have seen 20 lifetimes of Black Widows... Wear gloves
Be careful sticking your hands into areas you can't see, I spent enough time pulling parts off cars that had been sitting in fields/avocado groves in SoCal to have seen 20 lifetimes of Black Widows... Wear gloves
GearAddict
Well-Known Member
X2. that sway bar will bend and you could end up with the car on the ground, hopefully without you under it.
Redcreekauto
Well-Known Member
x3 As close as the jack stands are I don't think they will bend the swaybar but it has absolutely no grip and can slide. Under the frame rails or control arms are much safer!
jm8881
Well-Known Member
I've had the car and the storage unit sprayed for widows. There's more than a few curled up ones littering the ground around the car. However I still stick a wrench up into the webs to pull them out, not sense in taking chances.
I'll get them moved to a better location, thanks for the concern.
there's no cheers emoji!
Cornpatch MO
Well-Known Member
Just where on the lower control arms, is it safe to set a jackstand? The arms are at an angle and the stands can slide. I would like to see a pic of a safe spot --especially when the tires are still on..............................MO
I have a 68 GTX and have the same "Bendix" Power Brake booster and the same brake cylinder. Do your homework before you bolt it up! Very happy to see the progress!
If yo have any pinholes in the floors, you can "Tin" the area and solder them shut. No need to replace sheet metal if it's not too bad.
If yo have any pinholes in the floors, you can "Tin" the area and solder them shut. No need to replace sheet metal if it's not too bad.
jm8881
Well-Known Member
The last six months have been crazy. Work got crazy, life got crazy, I moved to a new place, I have problems with my sciatic nerve and back now. But enough about that. The car is finally in my own garage!
The weather is finally breaking and work can begin again on it. Hoping to have it running by the time the Dr. George Car show happens in Feb.
The weather is finally breaking and work can begin again on it. Hoping to have it running by the time the Dr. George Car show happens in Feb.
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Thanks for the update...it was just today that I was thinking to myself "whatever happened to that free road runner"...
Basket case
Well-Known Member
looks good sittin there
jm8881
Well-Known Member
Just got done vacuuming a full mini wet dry vac worth of leaves and dirt out of it. I thought I did that once before?
Today's tasks were just quality of life things for working on it. Mostly cleaning. I've enacted a "Do one thing a day" rule to it. No matter how big or small I'll get one thing a day done. Doesn't matter if it's installing a part or ordering one.
Today's tasks were just quality of life things for working on it. Mostly cleaning. I've enacted a "Do one thing a day" rule to it. No matter how big or small I'll get one thing a day done. Doesn't matter if it's installing a part or ordering one.
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