This channel is such a unique gem because classic car collectors and restorers so rarely focus on the cars covered by Adam. A lot of the info he shares can be hard to come by.
Adam, you are a most intelligent and helpful man. Your videos are fabulously informative. No ridiculous music, just great facts delivered in your straight forward style. Thanks much and keep them coming!
I had a '70 Olds big block and the cam timing gear with the nylon teeth which just shattered and took the heads with it. That is, all the valves were bent as a result of the engine spinning with the cam stationary. Absolutely no warning and knew nothing about it at the time until I learned the hard way. Following that lesson, I took apart my mother's small block, also a '70 Olds, and saw the cracks on that one as well. So, I was able to save her from a major repair. Both cars had high mileage (~80K) but otherwise had a lot of life left in them. I was amazed.
I never understood why they put nylon gears on the one part that probably worked the hardest. Not smart. My cousin bought a 70 442 and immediately went and had a metal gear put on it. Of course he like me, only knew 2 speeds: stop and all the way to the floor!!
@@timferguson1593 Yes, no doubt that my cam gear failure was due to hard use. I was young and just learning and had no clue. At the time, I thought maybe it was an Olds thing or maybe a GM thing but now, decades later, I learn it was also in Ford engines. When Adam held up that cam gear it brought back this memory. Also, I learned something new about cars from the era -- Fords in particular. My father had a '62 Ford with a 352 FE but I suppose he sold it long before this issue became a problem, if it had it. So, didn't get the lesson early enough.
I always put Holley or Edlebrock carbs and Crane cams on all my Fords. My Mercs, Cougars, and Lincolns always got heavy duty vacuum and heater hoses! Several Ford, Merc and Lincoln cars came with plastic cam gears. Great info!
If you don’t drive it much, the AFB AVS Edelbrock carb is good 👍. The Holley is a bit more finicky because of the complexity of seals and diaphragms. The 800 Edelbrock with the tag removed is much like a Carter. Easy to tune. The two step metering rods and springs are great. If you put an oxygen sensor and an air/ fuel gauge you can see in real time what you need to do to get the combination of cruise A/F that I like to keep in the 13.7-14.0 range, and at under load at 12.0 to 12.7.under heavy acceleration. The response of the metering rods or the power valve on a Holley you can see in your transition. The metering rod springs will show the response on the Carter. Also the accelerator pump , I use the 2 nd hole on the lever and measure the pump tip to the carb top, I set it to 11/32. This will prevent the 2nd strike cough when you turn a corner.
Hi Adam, I have changed out many of these Nylon covered Aluminum cam gears on fords, also GM vehicles too, Pontiac GTO, Firebirds, Buick , Chevrolet. They all were using these junk cam gears, they would defiantly fail and leave you stranded with a repair that took hours, if not a day or more to repair the carnage. I had a customer who was driving his 1966 Mustang 289 High Performance V-8 when he lost oil pressure and did not know, when I dropped the oil pan to have a look, I found the oil pump drive rod was twisted like a candy cane till is broke in two, this happened because pieces of the nylon coating got past the pick up screen and into the oil pump, the oil pump could no longer turn. The engine kept running due to the fact that the ignition distributor was still turning as it`s geared to the camshaft, the engine kept running, he kept driving with no oil pressure at all. His engine needed a major overhaul , all due to the cam gear that Ford was using back then. When in doubt just get it checked/ replaced before something like this happens to your vintage ride.
Thanks Adam. This is exactly the type of information someone needs if they are considering buying a classic car. I was going to add the warning about the trany slipping but you were way ahead of me. I have a 68 t bird( My 6T8), they are notorious for slipping. Mine hasn't slipped in the 11 years Ive had it but I still have a piece of masking tape to remind me on my gauge panel .
Hey, Adam. I had a 1974 Galaxie 500 with the 400 c.u. engine. I had trouble with alternators going bad. It turned out that the voltage regulator was mounted behind the battery. The battery acid { fumes?}made the regulators go bad. And when they went bad, they took the alternator with them. Once I relocated the voltage regulator, I had no more problems. I don`t know how common that was, but it happened to me. This was another great video.
Any time I forgot to turn off the headlights on my 73 Galaxie the start relay failed. I kept a extra relay in the glove box. Fond memories for 44 years of that Ford.
The “plastic” cam gear was actually introduced on the 427 FE as an innovation to reduce camshaft harmonics at high rpm. It’s use on everything else was just a cost cutting move - it’s best to replace it with a metal gear. An easy power boost for the ‘70’s 429/460 is also to use a ‘70 and earlier cam gear for improved cam timing.
If you are changing timing gears be certain to get the horseshoe shaped spacer between the gear and cam out. Aftermarket gears are thicker on the top gear to make the spacer redundant. If you install the gear with the spacer there you’ll hear it right away. Shut it off immediately or it will wreck the cam! And of course in the spirit of the 60s “ you go back Jack , and do it again…”
@@ProjectFairmont Welcome to the world of mass manufacturing. Ford may have initially used a nylon and metal cam gear for high rpm camshaft/valvetrain harmonics, it was quickly adopted by everyone for cost savings. By volume, nylon is less expensive than metal, and finish machining of nylon teeth is easier than final machining of metal gears. The vast majority of OEM nylon cam gears last the entire life of the engine - the downside of brittle aging nylon is happening some 50 years later, and that makes it a maintenance item for car collectors like Adam. Even if the OEM cost savings was only $1 per unit, multiplied over millions of units that is real bottom line improving money!
@@Thomas63r2 Well and if you do it for a 427 to run a 500 mile race at full throttle, it would not prove at least to me, that it should be on engines meant for long life. The race engine runs 4,hrs at WOT and the gear is thrown away . I ll trade a little noise for 300,000 miles.
All spot on observations and advice Adam. I learned the hard way to change the timing chain/belt and gears each time I changed the water pump. Always have it done so never knew they were plastic. Stunning. Also support switching to electric conversion kits for hidden headlights and door locks after successive Saturday searches for leaks. Wish your channel was around when I started collecting but happy you are now. Thank you.
Great video Adam! Great points you brought out. Working as a front end tech during those years I can’t tell you how many of those tie rods I replaced. If the Fords were greased regularly I found them to be about the longest lasting components out there but they needed grease. Timing chains on 302 ‘s and 351’s used the same type of gears. The lesser torque of these engines allowed them to run a little further I suppose.
Another great video! I've definitely had very similar experiences with the Fords of that era. Especially the 4300 carburetors and the headlight actuator system on my 78 Ltd and Thunderbird that I once owned.
Another greatly educational video. You never cease to amaze me. Keep up the phenomenal work. Looking forward to your next video. Suggestion: Taunus V4 engine
Great information, thanks Adam. It's good to review these items sometimes, even for us old farts. Another issue with Fords and probably others... check that steering rag joint. It's comprised of two metal discs that interlock upon impact, separated by a rubber pad with two bolts joining them. If that pad fails, you may partially lose steering control. Over time rubber decomposes, and the steering starts to feel loose. A leaking master cylinder right above it would only exacerbate the issue. It's still available, it's cheap, and an easy item to change. Better safe than sorry.
@@johnchildress6717 And a little point here, mark the column when you change it. On the older cars there is a light bulb that goes behind the shift quadrant with a hole to light it. Change the joint and make sure it is set for the column position, it will fit even if you allow the column to turn and the hole points down but your wiring loom will twist around and the horn ring will be slightly out of line on the earlier cars. Ask me how I know. 😂.
I prefer the automatic shift quadrant to be integrated into the bottom of the dashboard rather than those cheap looking, little lit boxes, perched on top of the steering column. Over time, sometimes those little boxes fell off making drivers guess what gear the car was in. Admittedly, P-R-N-D-L had been standardized by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), yet it still was annoying.
@@solemandd67 1969 was talking about the coupling that connects the steering sector to the steering wheel shaft.A piece of fiber that resembles the side wall of a thin tire that breaks down if oily fluids get on it.
A very good/insightful summary of FoMoCo product idiosyncracies, Adam. Three items to add to your list: (1) small block (260/289/302 in particular) water pumps; (2) timing gears on the aformentioned small blocks, which the same phenolic gear construction as the 429/460 example you showed, and (3) the '67-'70 or so power steering systems on the Mustang/Cougar/Fairlane/Torino/Comet/Montego. Hose routing is critical on these cars to prevent engine fires, and rebuilt power steering pumps are not typically of very good quality.
The power assist for the steering on these cars is an independent ram with a valve that provides pressure to the ram based on the difference between the steering input and the position of the drag link; the power steering is not integrated into the steering box. Some old farm tractors use a similar system and there were aftermarket power steering kits for tractors that would use the tractor's hydraulic system to operate the ram. My '67 Cougar had this system, and the pressure hose failed once and sprayed PS fluid all over the underside of the engine, including the exhaust manifolds. It didn't ignite but did produce a massive amount of smoke. I was close to home and drove back after realizing what happened. The steering effort without the power assist was so high that the car was almost undriveable, and by the time I got home the pump had gone dry and I ended up replacing it as well. As I recall the cost for a new ram, pump, and hoses in 1985 dollars was over $500 on a car that had only cost me $1500 to buy. I really liked the car (an XR-7, 289 4V, with an aftermarket Holley carb and C4 automatic, dark blue, white vinyl roof) so I fixed it, but needless to say I was not impressed.
I can't wait to sort out the power assist steering on my 76 Highboy. Most would ditch it and go Saginaw or similar, but I'm kind of stubborn like Adam, I like them as originally built.
They are really nice cars until they got the Variable Venturi carb. The 400 was OK as long as you didn’t pull a trailer or try to rev them . That stupid 4300 caused detonation and destroyed them. The 460 was nice. The FE in the F series trucks are really good, nearby indestructible.
@@klwthe3rd I remember those poor exhaust manifolds turning pink in the trucks. The open chambers and hot EGTs were brutal.. Some cars had the FMX that was a hybrid of FX guts in an MX case, not a good track record.
Adam, you touched on a lot of great points. As a teenager, I worked at a Lincoln-Mercury dealership from ‘77-‘80 era. The Lincoln’s were great cars. The flex fans I remember being recalled (?) as a safety hazard. Those ‘77-‘79 Cougars were hot sellers. On a typical Saturday, salespeople would sell their demo, I’d get a replacement (PDI & detail it) and we’d bet if it would last the rest of the day without being sold. The record was 3 in one Saturday for one salesman.
Hello Adam, in the late 70's and early 80's I had number a LTD's, Had a 73, 75, 77, and a 78.. A problem that that I had, was the rear bumper falling off. This happened on the 73 and 75. Keep up the good work.
I really like those cars, owned a couple of them, but it's nonsense like that that helped Toyota and others win over customers. Fairmonts used to lose taillight lenses, so did Cordobas.
Hey Adam, thanks for sharing another informative video!!! I really enjoy the tranquil setting, I'd love to sit on that dock & drop a fishing line in the water & see what happens!!! 👍👍
I’m enjoying these videos more, all the time! Plastic timing gears…. It wasn’t just GM, Ford, and Chrysler that used them….A couple of guys told me that their Toyota had them too. I was always told that they were used because they were quieter. As far as phenolic ones with plastic gears on them, you still have to call them plastic because the plastic is the weakest link. I have had pure phenolic gears in 2.5s and such that were fantastic & never had a problem. I wouldn’t bat an eye about using a phenolic gear. Plastic or nylon, in my experience with GM engines, they should be replaced by about 100,000 miles. The chain starts getting sloppy, as the nylon wears.
Fords popping out of PARK, or having issues related to not being in PARK (even though the indicator says it is in PARK) has long been an Achilles Heel for the company. I read yesterday that Ford is recalling 2.9 million vehicles for the same issue. You'd think they would learn from the past. I would truly enjoy a detailed discussion regarding current Japanese car quality vs domestic car quality. It is a sensitive topic but I personally have owned Hondas and one Scion and, while good cars, cannot determine their superiority over domestic automobiles. At the risk of being tarred and feathered, the brands I've had the best luck with are Kia and Dodge. So please show me where I've gone wrong.
This Adam, was the most fun discussion and video that I have had the chance to enjoy and contribute experience I have had. I can tell you that these cars are highly recommended for anyone who can do a few things for themselves. I have been injured, but I can still take a grease gun to the zerks and it makes a car feel new again. If the driveshaft has grease fittings put the rear on stand, put it in neutral and give the u- joints a pop. Go back and grease the rear control arms. I put zerks in the rear arms 2 bottom and the top, check for looseness. I have a Spartan lunchbox locker and 28 spline axles, the ones that are the same diameter as the 31 spline, 4,33 gears and a 3000 rpm stall speed, but it just cruises so nicely at 2500. I have 9 qt Canton pan but I run 8 in it with 15w40 Rotella with 1300 ppm of zinc and phosphorus. A fixed orfice PCV. Maintenance is life or death for vehicles and the never lifting the hood for 100,000 miles is a myth. As we learn more we will find ways to make them live. Because maintenance is the key to long and trouble free life. This kind of discussion is priceless. Thank you Adam !
Yes, other Ford engines used the plastic cam timing gears. I've replaced them on Cleveland's, Windsors and FE's. My first car was a 1968 Mercury Monterey with a 390. Awesome engine that had only 62,000 miles when I got it but when I changed the timing chain later on, it was plastic. It was all about that thing called "Initial quality". They are nice and quiet when new but you know what happens later...lol Awesome vids Adam 👍
@@merc-ni7hy Nice 👍. My 68 was a 2 Dr fastback turquoise with a white vinyl roof. I had that car way back in 1980 and it's still around in my area believe it or not.
@@matttravers5764 wow thats cool..i got my 69 in april of 86 ...dad bought when it was just a few years old and finally passed down to me ...you should look up on youtube a channel called [ rare classic cars & automotive history ] the guy has a few 68 merc's and just got a beautiful 68 marquis ...check his channel out
Great video, nice info on the plastic cam gear - I have a truck with a 300 inline 6 which uses timing gears, they used the phenolic on those cam gears as well - since I was doing a bunch if other work to it at one point, I also upgraded that cam gear to cast iron it sounds like a tractor now but will outlive me. The only ford I ever had with a 4bbl had a holley square bore carb so I was lucky I guess, never had any issues with it. Our neighbors had a 78 cougar and in the cold, they would frequently come out and start it and go back in the house and allow it to idle in the choke to warm up - one day while it was roaring away the trans detent let loose and away went the cougar in reverse into the house across the street lol. I would always put mine into neutral after that to let it idle unsupervised.
Adam, Another common problem with Ford products is the Power Window Switches!!...I've lost count how many Lincoln switches I've rebuilt..( I own 12 Mark III's)
also...umbrella valve seals dry out and crumble and then can get sucked into the oil pump seizing which will break/twist the hex rod that runs the distributer. Leaky valve covers. Had a 70 continental with the window motor plastic pins/balls issue and the headlight vac control valve, even a new valve from teh dealer leaked. now do a video on GMs! Cams wearing out... And chryslers! Ballast resistors - best keep a spare in teh glove box! LOL
When I was a young tech around 1990ish at an independent shop, we had quite a few customer's early 80's/late 70's Crown Vic's and Grand Marquis towed in with the 302's timing gear wiped out. Seemed like 70-80K miles was the magic end point. We got fast at it and considered it a gravy job.
The early 80s Grand Marquis and Crown Vic had the CFI throttle body injection and had baro-map sensor that caused stalling on cool misty mornings. Most of the time I found the issue to be the baro - map sensor was getting moisture into the sensor. I put a piece like a petcock in the line that I could throttle the vacuum into the sensor until the moisture was run out of the vacuum lines and then open it to allow dry vacuum to be pulled through the sensor and it seemed to be OK. Really the sensor needed to be replaced, but they were $ 700. I wanted to just put an Autolite 2100 on it so bad!
Loved this one. Always enjoyable content from Adam. He and I have the same taste in cars and time periods. I leaned a few things today. Looking forward to more videos
Thanks Adam good info to have 👍 Also that coming out park while idling happen to wife a few years back with a older F-150 no injury. Just a dented bumper on a hydro pole ! Brad Ontario Canada BVW 👍
I ran my Thunderbird in Park only with the steering wheel swung to the right to avoid the runaway reverse feature. Others: add a bungee cord from the visor pivot to the gear shift knob as extra insurance.
My buddy and I pulled apart my original Chevy 327 and laughed our butts off when we found all the cam gear plastic in the oil pan and saw how loose the timing chain was without the plastic on the gear. That thing was still running so good too like that it was unbelievable.
I had a 1967 Ford Country Sedan wagon and the frame cracked where it bends over the rear axle. It wasn't very difficult to fix but I've heard that this problem was not uncommon.
Good video. I have a Ford from the 1970s, but it is not large. It is a Mustang II that I purchased new. It has about 160,000 miles on it. The main issue I have had is the carburation system. The choke pull off fails and it floods, It wants to stall on acceleration, etc. I will get it running well(as it is now) and then the fuel system issues will re-surface. The fuel system has always been an issue. Other age related issues are: (1 The turn signal lever-the plastic part will break. I always have used the metal portion since I had to replace it. and (2 The rear(brake light, turn signal, etc.) light sockets. These have cracked and fell apart. Luckily I have found new replacements, (3 The wiring harness, the connectors seem to turn to goo over time-do you see this on the large Fords? We do not have rust issues in Texas, but we do have heat issues. I bought the V-8 model and overheating was always a problem until I put a better radiator in it and the AC quit working. I probably should have bought the V6.
Headlight switch is another item that fails when higher amp draw halogen bulbs are used. I just replaced a completely stripped timing gear on my 1970 Monterey with 390 so yes the FE had the nylon timing gear too. I dropped the oil pan to clean out all of the debris.
The headlight switch is horribly overworked. I took many high amperage off of the headlight circuits with a buss bar at the solenoid and used relays to turn the headlight switch into the trigger for the relay to take the power off of the relay to the component. The headlight switch cooled down a lot. Halogen lights would trip the safety switch in the switch and make tthe lights go out , yikes!! After the change I could put flamethrowers in there with new wire and pigtails .
I wish I could understand your explanation about the secondary needle/seat in the 4300 carbs. I guess I'm just thinking about how a holley 4 bbl works with two separate float chambers. If the 4300 has only one float chamber, why does it have two inlet needle/seats? And, wouldn't that extra needle/seat open under normal operation when only the primaries are being used? I suppose the extra needle seat might be helpful under full throttle 5bbl operation, but it seems like it would open at the same time the "primary" needle/seat opens. Maybe I"m overthinking it. So, the fords came with threaded plugs where the grease fittings were supposed to be? And the dealer was responsible for unthreading the plugs and threading in grease fittings? Yeah, I'm sure that rarely happened, especially if the dealer was not getting paid to swap these things out. "Cost savings" like this one are really a "short sighted savings" indeed. I remember the plastic cam gear on my Caprice small block 400. I only knew it was worn because I could hear the timing chain dragging on the cover. I replaced the gear set myself, but made a mess trying to change the timing cover without removing the oil pan, kinda leaked a little oil after that stupid short cut. I guess I was lucky to have the small block chevy, no worries about breaking little water pump screws/bolts. All those vacuum powered accessories must have created some lousy idling qualities, once the components started leaking.
I remember the steering box in the old Caprice got so sloppy, it would actually kind of bind up on cold mornings, that got my attention quickly. Oh well, the poor old thing had 245K miles on it when the rust got so bad it just wasn't safe to drive anymore.
I had the detente switch fail and it caused my parked 1964 Lincoln Continental roll out the driveway across two lanes of rush hour traffic nearly taking out the lower level of the apartment building across the street, had it not been for a two foot thick stone retaining wall - which the Continental demolished.
I like your videos. Not too technical and a lot about style. Your black Continentals are stunning. I’ve been looking for one for a long time, still no luck.
Adam said he would ideally merge good features from all American Auto Makers...but...here's a hint of his rrue favorite. His polo shirt color matches the '65 Bonneville he recently featured!
I remember when the late 60s / early 70s Fords had the problem of not fully engaging in Park and slipping out. At that time, my home town's police department drove Ford Custom patrol cars. One day walking from school to my job I saw one of our officers pull a car over on a slight downgrade. While he was at the window of the stopped car, his patrol car started backing slowly up the hill away from him. I started waving my arms and yelling... got his attention and pointed to his car. He actually caught up with the car and was able to stop it. Always wondered what COULD have happened!
The fuel pick up tubes in the carb can be cut off just above the narrowed down section , at least i did that on mine and it worked great to improve performance
It is funny that the Autolite/Motorcraft 2100, 2150, and 4100 carbs are very sought-after for their drivability and simplicity. But the 4300 were junk.
The MEL engines use the nylon gears on the large timing gear. I have changed several of them. One was worn completely off and the aluminum spikes were still contacting the chain. Another was half and half with the missing teeth in the oil pan. The last one I did was on my low mileage 61 Lincoln and it still looked new. Of course I changed it anyway.
Another good, informative video. Like you, there is not much good I can say about the 4300 carburetors. I have also always found Fords to be bad about water pump bolts breaking off during replacement. The worst is when the long bolts going thru the waters pump, and timing chain cover seize up. The Nylon toothed cam sprocket was fairly common at the time. It was intended to be quieter, and reduce harmonics. In practice it was just a bad idea. Pontiac, and Oldsmobile were really bad about shredding the teeth of the cam sprocket. Fords vacuum lines , and headlights door actuators were problematic when the cars were fairly new. I have always found the Ford Electronic ignition box to be troublesome. Finally the Ford AC system, particularly the compressor was never as good as GM. In defense of Ford. They used top rate sheet metal. Fit and fishish was usually pretty good, and they did good interiors.
I really enjoy your videos and although I just own a new vehicle I like learning about all these old vehicles. You also have a very relaxing voice to listen to. If you ever need a side job you could read audio books. lol
I’m not big on full size cars. I had a 1965 Mustang 2+2 with the K-code engine (solid lifter cam, other performance enhancements, 7,000 redline). The recurring problem I had was with the Z-bar, or more correctly the bell crank in the clutch linkage. It would bend firming high rpm shifts. I ended up strengthening every part of the clutch linkage. Otherwise it was an excellent car. Oh, it had an earlier Ford carb, kind of a poor copy of a Holley.
An autolite 2100 or 4100 are not copies of Holley. Holley in fact “copied” the 4100 4bbl in the 70s, and is still available, built by Holley and sold exclusively through Summit Racing. Named the Summit carb 600 and 750 CFM.
@@ProjectFairmont Perhaps I used a poor choice of words when I described the Ford 4 barrel carb. It was similar to a Holley 4150 style carb in that it had two float bowls, one front and one back. It was essentially a one piece casting, containing the throttle bores and float bowls. It had a one piece flat piece that sealed the tops of the bowls. It had a vacuum operated secondary, and a manual choke on the K-Code engines. In overall design it was much closer to a Holley than a Carter or Rochester.
The center is aluminum with teeth the plastic is just molded over the timing gear. My grandmother's 1978 olds were replaced at 177k miles. Showing a lot of wear at the time.
my very first car was a 68 Galaxie 390,the Autolite carb was a problem,so I replaced it with a Holly.I;ve never had any problems with my current '74 LTD Brougham/bb400 coupe-so far
I would like to learn more about you, are you married, got any kids, where did you work, how many cars do you own and what are they, do you own more Chevy’s than Fords, I don’t count Chrysler, just kidding, do you own any one-off cars? I just found your channel about a month ago and I’ve been trying to catch up on all your videos, I noticed that you don’t talk about yourself except that you were a financial advisor or planner. Well, that’s about all I’ve got to say except I’ve shared your channel with my family and car friends and you’ve got some new fans, thanks for the great show.
Any Ford engine with the phenolic cam gear will have the problem of losing teeth. I replaced the one in my 68 Cougar back in 1974 when I rebuilt the engine. I acquired a 68 Mustang in 1984 and immediately rebuilt the engine and replace again with double roller. The 67 Parklane, acquired in 2003, immediately had the water pump changed along with the timing gears and new oil pan. There were teeth in the pan. The 65 F100, acquired in 2007, immediately had the water pump and timing gears changed. The 72 360 still had the plastic gear. Did the same to my 73 Polara when bought in 2010 as I wasn't sure about it so why not. I have no issues with torque boxes being all California cars. Also all cars have had their entire front suspension replaced by me and all will have squeaky issues with upper control arm bushings. The C4 and C6 transmissions are quite reliable provided you change the fluid on a regular basis like every 30,000 miles. Extra oil coolers are nice. Mine attest to that after my first C4 had issues past that till I rebuilt it and paid attention to a service many forget same as in coolant and brake fluid changes. Being very proactive will save you many headaches which is why my cars are mechanically perfect from Ford to Dodge to Mazda to Buick.
Funny you mentioned a broken fan blade. My dad once had a ‘74 Dodge Dart SE with a factory flex fan. While driving one of the blades broke off and damaged the radiator. The radiator was repaired but the mechanic left in the old fan. It was still cooling with 4 blades instead of 5. Later I heard a weird noise in the engine compartment...it broke a blade again resulting in again, a leaking radiator. As for the plastic cam gear; you are better off replacing the whole timing set using a double roller type chain.
My Dad bought a new '62 Chrysler Newport. A few weeks later he bought a '54 Chevy Belair for my sisters to drive in the Winter with only 20K miles on it and yet the steering was really bad! As a 12 year old, taught me how to go straight down the road turning the wheel 5 or 6 inches from right to left, glad they do not build them like they used to!!!!
Hey Adam, I remember back in the day when my college buddies and I would easily pop out door panels with a screw driver. Any broken clips were replaced with bent heavy-duty paper clips. Oh yeah, that never worked! 😂
It seems like there might be a niche in the aftermarket waiting to be filled for something like an electric headlight door conversion kit. It's a sensible bit of design that they're biased toward open, though. I never knew that! Very interesting video, and I'm looking forward to the GM equivalent if you decide to continue the series. I'm not a hardcore brand zealot, but I did grow up in a GM family, so if I do someday buy my own '70s car, it'll probably be a Chevrolet or Pontiac just to maximize the nostalgia value. :)
Minor failures, but both full sized Fords that I had, back in the day (a 68, and 71 wagons) had Starter Solenoids that would fail every two years. They were mounted on the driver's side interior wheel well, so they were easy to change. I always carried a wooden handled screwdriver in the dash so I could pound on them to free up the internal solenoid, when they started to fail. It would have been a disaster if they had been mounted on the starter, like most other cars.
The Windsor V8's were always equipped with an under-designed oil pump drive shaft, turning itself into a pretzel before finally work hardening to the point where it failed, and the engine with it. A shame too, as otherwise, it's really a bulletproof engine, with excellent power potential in a very small and light package.
Something I never understood was that if you put a MR aluminum intake and headers on an FE, put the correct cam in. The FE weighs the same as a Windsor and even a SBC. I have scaled these engines and the FE is a really stupid strong running engine that weighs the same as Windsor, Cleveland all of the medium size ones. Put in an aluminum intake and water pump, cheap tube headers tri-Ys and it is way lighter than all but the 302 . The 460? You don’t want to know…..BTW my 390 with iron heads weighs aluminum intake and weighs 548 lbs the same as an all iron W.
@@fenatic7484 - Yeah, the FE was retired too soon in my opinion. The exhaust ports, as I've found, keep the velocity way up (somehow), increasing scavenging. I've seen 390's do what you're talking about, STUPID power with little in the way of exotic anything being put into them. The blocks, with the deep skirt, are extremely stout, and the shaft-mounted valvetrain was very stable to way up into modern OHC territory. The factory did us big favors too, since Ford invested heavily in their own reliability and performance items for these engines. Strangely, this "old," engine has remained extremely popular, and probably for the reasons we've noted. Go figure!
@@irritablearchitect I never understood why the 410 wasn’t their choice of performance engines until they went to the Tasca 428CJ, They had the block and the crankshaft and they could have made a truly great connecting rod at 6.8 inches and ready for the CJ . With 5140 steel and the great fillet radius. A .030 over 410 at 413 ci FE with its race bred architecture would have been a legend. The C 428 cam in a solid, Wow, and smooth as glass in the big cars! The 427 aftermarket engine Ray Paquet still owns the class record and shifts at 9200 rpms 10,000 in the lights. SuperStock legal T-Bolt 427 ci FE
@@fenatic7484 I'm going to be reading up on some of this stuff! Ray Paquet isn't familiar to me, but it sounds like he's done some amazing things with the FE.
Toyota, Honda, Mazda(note I left out Nissan, always crap in my books), built some extremely good cars in the mid 80’s-early 90’s, when they were really trying to prove something. Now, they’re no better than anything else, living on old reputation.
I gave up on domestic brands 20 years ago. Have owned six Honda vehicles since. One went 200k miles on the original powertrain and ran well when traded. Currently have an Accord at 120k miles that has needed only regular maintenance and runs like new. What in your experience justifies such sweeping criticism?
As soon as I see/hear of any 60s,70s and 80s Fords, the first things that come to mind is failed duraspark boxes, bad/sticky/defective starter solenoids, broken oil pump drive shafts on the FE's, broken exhaust manifolds and manifold bolts on the 429/460 and the top side exhaust manifold bolts on the FE's, and Windsors with broken water pump/timing cover bolts. All manufacturers have issues but it seems Ford had some really troublesome and really annoying issues that were hard to cope with, I also hated that Ford used a short section of rubber fuel line that connects to the carb from the fuel pump hard line, and that rubber hose will dry rot and start leaking and when it does it will spray all over the distributor and is a serious fire hazard especially now adays with the cheap Chinese rubber fuel hose that you buy from the auto parts stores now, also the motorcraft 2 barrels can get a pin hole in the accelerator pump and they will also spray a stream of gas right at the distributor which can happen with out warning and is an extreme fire hazard. I do still like some fords from the classic era but they can be a huge pain to deal with and get all sorted out.
I never had trouble with the FE. I have had 300, 000 mile 390s that were greasy but clean on the inside. I have torn some down with 250K on them that measured to need nothing as far as machine work. I have had two that I took in for a light power hone, a light cut on the crank and new cam bearings. I blocked the lifter passages to get the oil to the crank and reduce stress on the oil pump shaft and installed the ARP one a solid cam I ported the iron heads (1964C4AE-G) forged pistons and the MR aluminum intake for a sweet 510 hp 480 ft lbs and it went into a 1966 Fairlane GT with the crossover headers and he is still beating it like a rented mule. I did it in 2002. It runs really great upper 10.0s with Street ET and 93 pump gas. It will pin you to the seat and he shifts at 6800 rpms and it does 7200 through the lights. He reports no issues. On rubber lines, I use AN fittings and Earls vapor guard for all rubber lines. Otherwise AN and hard line.
@@johnz8210 yep, then you end up grabbing the distributor with a pipe wrench or a big set of pliers and start praying that you don't snap it off in the block lol.
@@briang4470 For sure. Then there's Fords fascination with EGR tubes - other makes seemed to be able to mount an EGR valve with 2 bolts in the intake manifold. Not Ford.
@@johnz8210 another thing Ford loves to do is use that really thick, sticky grease that turns hard as a rock over the course of 20-30 years and is a nightmare to clean, also the plastic wire connectors they used suck and I have had a ton of random and mysterious electrical problems that were simply solved by cutting the old connectors out and either just straight butt connector or soldering the wires together or by getting a replacement plug, also that grease they use seems to be the root cause of those connectors degrading and having connection issues.
Thanks for those heads up 😉. I'm curious, on the sloppy steering, is there a replacement steering box with a "quicker" ratio that you know of? I watch that guy on the west coast who rebuilds Chrysler products and on the E-body cars there is a different steering gear available and it apparently is a big improvement.
Funny, I used to have a 77 LTD Landau. God, I miss that car! Only problem I had with the headlights was that the headlight knob fell off. I had to resort to keeping a pair of pliers on the front seat just so I could turn the headlights on
I know what you mean about wanting to pick the best features from different makes. I always wanted a straight six with the chevy 230-250 short block and a slant six head, intake, and exhaust. I would require a serious adaptor kit however. ;-)
Right on the money about the Ford steering gears. The one in my '74 F250 was terrible, but I spent the money and got a good rebuild from Redhead steering gears. Drives like a brand new (albiet brand new in 1974) truck. And no leaks!
Experienced the park to reverse problem in a 1989 Ford Aerostar- granted, it was a work vehicle that sat parked 98% of it's life, and only drove for short distances... approx.2019 , at 30 years old it had about 17,000 miles on it....yep, put it park , got out, and it started going backwards... From a Law Firm report: Numerous park-to-reverse incidents on various vehicles in the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s about which a certain manufacturer received notice of through customer complaints; these included hundreds of complaints on a wide range of models equipped with same or substantially similar transmissions; FORD investigated the park-to-reverse safety issue in the early 1970’s. It was, at that time, the third highest volume safety complaint being logged in Customer Relations Potential problem reports; Numerous reports of injuries and deaths and an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of Ford’s vehicles equipped with C-3, C-4, C-6, FMX and JATCA Automatic Transmissions. In 1980, NHTSA received reports of over 23,000 problems of inadvertent vehicle movement of Ford built vehicles. In February 1980, Ford reported knowledge of 2,252 accidents, 1,818 property damage, 703 injuries and 42 fatalities involving vehicles where inadvertent rearward movement was involved. FORD also reported at least 361 lawsuits involving allegations of inadvertent rearward movement. In a political agreement signed with the Department of Transportation, over the objections of NHTSA, on December 30, 1980, Ford agreed to send warning labels to approximately 22 million owners rather than, as NHTSA believed necessary, recalling them for mechanical repair. In October 1991, Ford instituted a recall of Ford Aerostars, Bronco II’s, Explorers and Rangers built in 1989-1991 to remedy a park-to-reverse problem in these vehicles. Well aware of the cause of the defect, and its danger, Ford designed the circuit boards in certain of its vehicles so Ford could easily install an out-of-park alarm to warn drivers when the vehicle was in false park.
When I graduated. H S. Back in 85 I worked as Service Porter at Joe Madden Ford in west suburban Downers Grove Illinois The warranty claims that prevailed in those days were all Ford models from around 81 to 85 water leaks From the fire wall area windshield The Plenum some where in that region But any way my parents bought a new 94 Crown Victoria had a water leak from the wind shield the whole carpet got soaked after a hard rain and the new 75 LTD Country Squire we had leaked water so did my 2007 Ford F 150 XLT 4x4 super cab Oh and my Grand Ma s New 69 Ford LTD Fords are just Notorious for water leaks into the passenger compartment I love fords. Mercurys & Lincoln’s & Pentastars & GMs
Panther cars all have the potential cowl water leak issue, all the way through 2011 models. My 2004 Town Car had it, a 2006 also. Easy fix, but causes a lot of unnecessary damage and dissatisfaction.
I guess I should be glad that my 1977 LTD wagon did not come with hideaway headlights. Just came with regular headlights? The hideaways were an option on the LTDs. I always wanted it with them? But I'm guess I'm glad I didn't have it?
I had a 69 XL 2 door fastback(i guess thats what its called), the only problem i had with the car was holding the gear shift to crank it and the radio location. The man i bought it from put a 4 bbl on it(390) when i decided ti buy it. I never had a problem out of that car. It would haul the mail!!!!
Did you ever look into Fords german brand TAUNUS's models? They are very nice cars and we have lots of them in europe. The cancelled fwd ford cardinal also became the TAUNUS P4 12m in germany with the v4 now given the name "köln v4" although american designed , the germans took it and called it köln. Germans later developed it into a v6 and called it the köln v6. Both engines were used in lot of taunus models and later the ford europe models. Even mustangs used the köln v6 as the v6 option up until 2010 or so
This channel is such a unique gem because classic car collectors and restorers so rarely focus on the cars covered by Adam. A lot of the info he shares can be hard to come by.
Thx!
Great cautionary tale of what may be found while working around these model years. Thank you!
Adam, you are a most intelligent and helpful man. Your videos are fabulously informative. No ridiculous music, just great facts delivered in your straight forward style.
Thanks much and keep them coming!
I had a '70 Olds big block and the cam timing gear with the nylon teeth which just shattered and took the heads with it. That is, all the valves were bent as a result of the engine spinning with the cam stationary. Absolutely no warning and knew nothing about it at the time until I learned the hard way. Following that lesson, I took apart my mother's small block, also a '70 Olds, and saw the cracks on that one as well. So, I was able to save her from a major repair. Both cars had high mileage (~80K) but otherwise had a lot of life left in them. I was amazed.
I never understood why they put nylon gears on the one part that probably worked the hardest. Not smart. My cousin bought a 70 442 and immediately went and had a metal gear put on it. Of course he like me, only knew 2 speeds: stop and all the way to the floor!!
@@timferguson1593 Yes, no doubt that my cam gear failure was due to hard use. I was young and just learning and had no clue. At the time, I thought maybe it was an Olds thing or maybe a GM thing but now, decades later, I learn it was also in Ford engines. When Adam held up that cam gear it brought back this memory. Also, I learned something new about cars from the era -- Fords in particular. My father had a '62 Ford with a 352 FE but I suppose he sold it long before this issue became a problem, if it had it. So, didn't get the lesson early enough.
It’s so nice seeing a bean counter share information that’s not about the bottom line on a spreadsheet.
I always put Holley or Edlebrock carbs and Crane cams on all my Fords. My Mercs, Cougars, and Lincolns always got heavy duty vacuum and heater hoses! Several Ford, Merc and Lincoln cars came with plastic cam gears. Great info!
If you don’t drive it much, the AFB AVS Edelbrock carb is good 👍. The Holley is a bit more finicky because of the complexity of seals and diaphragms. The 800 Edelbrock with the tag removed is much like a Carter. Easy to tune. The two step metering rods and springs are great. If you put an oxygen sensor and an air/ fuel gauge you can see in real time what you need to do to get the combination of cruise A/F that I like to keep in the 13.7-14.0 range, and at under load at 12.0 to 12.7.under heavy acceleration. The response of the metering rods or the power valve on a Holley you can see in your transition. The metering rod springs will show the response on the Carter. Also the accelerator pump , I use the 2 nd hole on the lever and measure the pump tip to the carb top, I set it to 11/32. This will prevent the 2nd strike cough when you turn a corner.
I agree on the Crane Cam or a Comp cam, they are really good!
Hi Adam, I have changed out many of these Nylon covered Aluminum cam gears on fords, also GM vehicles too, Pontiac GTO, Firebirds, Buick , Chevrolet. They all were using these junk cam gears, they would defiantly fail and leave you stranded with a repair that took hours, if not a day or more to repair the carnage. I had a customer who was driving his 1966 Mustang 289 High Performance V-8 when he lost oil pressure and did not know, when I dropped the oil pan to have a look, I found the oil pump drive rod was twisted like a candy cane till is broke in two, this happened because pieces of the nylon coating got past the pick up screen and into the oil pump, the oil pump could no longer turn. The engine kept running due to the fact that the ignition distributor was still turning as it`s geared to the camshaft, the engine kept running, he kept driving with no oil pressure at all. His engine needed a major overhaul , all due to the cam gear that Ford was using back then. When in doubt just get it checked/ replaced before something like this happens to your vintage ride.
Thanks Adam. This is exactly the type of information someone needs if they are considering buying a classic car. I was going to add the warning about the trany slipping but you were way ahead of me. I have a 68 t bird( My 6T8), they are notorious for slipping. Mine hasn't slipped in the 11 years Ive had it but I still have a piece of masking tape to remind me on my gauge panel .
Hey, Adam. I had a 1974 Galaxie 500 with the 400 c.u. engine. I had trouble with alternators going bad. It turned out that the voltage regulator was mounted behind the battery. The battery acid { fumes?}made the regulators go bad. And when they went bad, they took the alternator with them. Once I relocated the voltage regulator, I had no more problems. I don`t know how common that was, but it happened to me. This was another great video.
I had a voltage regulator problem with my '69 MK III.
Any time I forgot to turn off the headlights on my 73 Galaxie the start relay failed. I kept a extra relay in the glove box. Fond memories for 44 years of that Ford.
@@waterheaterservices Yeah, I liked my Galaxie. In the end, my wife didn`t like it because it was so big.
Another Master Class episode. Always informative.
The “plastic” cam gear was actually introduced on the 427 FE as an innovation to reduce camshaft harmonics at high rpm. It’s use on everything else was just a cost cutting move - it’s best to replace it with a metal gear. An easy power boost for the ‘70’s 429/460 is also to use a ‘70 and earlier cam gear for improved cam timing.
If you are changing timing gears be certain to get the horseshoe shaped spacer between the gear and cam out. Aftermarket gears are thicker on the top gear to make the spacer redundant. If you install the gear with the spacer there you’ll hear it right away. Shut it off immediately or it will wreck the cam! And of course in the spirit of the 60s “ you go back Jack , and do it again…”
It's on my cadillac 500 too 😑
Can’t believe a composite gear piece of two differing materials vs a basic metal gears is cost cutting? Noise reduction yes I can believe.
@@ProjectFairmont Welcome to the world of mass manufacturing. Ford may have initially used a nylon and metal cam gear for high rpm camshaft/valvetrain harmonics, it was quickly adopted by everyone for cost savings. By volume, nylon is less expensive than metal, and finish machining of nylon teeth is easier than final machining of metal gears. The vast majority of OEM nylon cam gears last the entire life of the engine - the downside of brittle aging nylon is happening some 50 years later, and that makes it a maintenance item for car collectors like Adam. Even if the OEM cost savings was only $1 per unit, multiplied over millions of units that is real bottom line improving money!
@@Thomas63r2 Well and if you do it for a 427 to run a 500 mile race at full throttle, it would not prove at least to me, that it should be on engines meant for long life. The race engine runs 4,hrs at WOT and the gear is thrown away . I ll trade a little noise for 300,000 miles.
Excellent video. This man is so knowledgeable, brilliant and enjoyable.....
My dad used to complain about those plastic timing gears back in the 70s
Thanks Adam for providing a valuable service.
All spot on observations and advice Adam.
I learned the hard way to change the timing chain/belt and gears each time I changed the water pump. Always have it done so never knew they were plastic. Stunning.
Also support switching to electric conversion kits for hidden headlights and door locks after successive Saturday searches for leaks.
Wish your channel was around when I started collecting but happy you are now. Thank you.
Great video Adam! Great points you brought out. Working as a front end tech during those years I can’t tell you how many of those tie rods I replaced. If the Fords were greased regularly I found them to be about the longest lasting components out there but they needed grease. Timing chains on 302 ‘s and 351’s used the same type of gears. The lesser torque of these engines allowed them to run a little further I suppose.
Another great video! I've definitely had very similar experiences with the Fords of that era. Especially the 4300 carburetors and the headlight actuator system on my 78 Ltd and Thunderbird that I once owned.
You are a wealth of knowledge for these old yachts !
Another greatly educational video. You never cease to amaze me. Keep up the phenomenal work. Looking forward to your next video. Suggestion: Taunus V4 engine
Yeah if you could do a "failure" video for each of the US auto makers it would be great. Thanks Adam for your insight, wisdom, and sharing of it.
Great content. I have lost track of how many big Ford and Mercury cars owned over the years. Exact same problems encountered.
Great information, thanks Adam. It's good to review these items sometimes, even for us old farts.
Another issue with Fords and probably others... check that steering rag joint. It's comprised of two metal discs that interlock upon impact, separated by a rubber pad with two bolts joining them. If that pad fails, you may partially lose steering control. Over time rubber decomposes, and the steering starts to feel loose. A leaking master cylinder right above it would only exacerbate the issue. It's still available, it's cheap, and an easy item to change. Better safe than sorry.
Yes absolutely yes on the rag joint!
A lot of cars had these.Never heard it called rag.Looked like some type of fiber.
@@johnchildress6717 And a little point here, mark the column when you change it. On the older cars there is a light bulb that goes behind the shift quadrant with a hole to light it. Change the joint and make sure it is set for the column position, it will fit even if you allow the column to turn and the hole points down but your wiring loom will twist around and the horn ring will be slightly out of line on the earlier cars. Ask me how I know. 😂.
I prefer the automatic shift quadrant to be integrated into the bottom of the dashboard rather than those cheap looking, little lit boxes, perched on top of the steering column. Over time, sometimes those little boxes fell off making drivers guess what gear the car was in.
Admittedly, P-R-N-D-L had been standardized by the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), yet it still was annoying.
@@solemandd67 1969 was talking about the coupling that connects the steering sector to the steering wheel shaft.A piece of fiber that resembles the side wall of a thin tire that breaks down if oily fluids get on it.
A very good/insightful summary of FoMoCo product idiosyncracies, Adam. Three items to add to your list: (1) small block (260/289/302 in particular) water pumps; (2) timing gears on the aformentioned small blocks, which the same phenolic gear construction as the 429/460 example you showed, and (3) the '67-'70 or so power steering systems on the Mustang/Cougar/Fairlane/Torino/Comet/Montego. Hose routing is critical on these cars to prevent engine fires, and rebuilt power steering pumps are not typically of very good quality.
The power assist for the steering on these cars is an independent ram with a valve that provides pressure to the ram based on the difference between the steering input and the position of the drag link; the power steering is not integrated into the steering box. Some old farm tractors use a similar system and there were aftermarket power steering kits for tractors that would use the tractor's hydraulic system to operate the ram. My '67 Cougar had this system, and the pressure hose failed once and sprayed PS fluid all over the underside of the engine, including the exhaust manifolds. It didn't ignite but did produce a massive amount of smoke. I was close to home and drove back after realizing what happened. The steering effort without the power assist was so high that the car was almost undriveable, and by the time I got home the pump had gone dry and I ended up replacing it as well. As I recall the cost for a new ram, pump, and hoses in 1985 dollars was over $500 on a car that had only cost me $1500 to buy. I really liked the car (an XR-7, 289 4V, with an aftermarket Holley carb and C4 automatic, dark blue, white vinyl roof) so I fixed it, but needless to say I was not impressed.
I can't wait to sort out the power assist steering on my 76 Highboy. Most would ditch it and go Saginaw or similar, but I'm kind of stubborn like Adam, I like them as originally built.
I would love to hear on the particular 1973-1978 Ford LTD's myself. I really love that generation full size Fords.
They are really nice cars until they got the Variable Venturi carb. The 400 was OK as long as you didn’t pull a trailer or try to rev them . That stupid 4300 caused detonation and destroyed them. The 460 was nice. The FE in the F series trucks are really good, nearby indestructible.
@@fenatic7484 We pulled a boat with our Ford Country Squire Wagon with the 400 cubic inch motor. Engine was fine but transmission ended up going out.
@@klwthe3rd I remember those poor exhaust manifolds turning pink in the trucks. The open chambers and hot EGTs were brutal.. Some cars had the FMX that was a hybrid of FX guts in an MX case, not a good track record.
Adam, you touched on a lot of great points. As a teenager, I worked at a Lincoln-Mercury dealership from ‘77-‘80 era. The Lincoln’s were great cars. The flex fans I remember being recalled (?) as a safety hazard.
Those ‘77-‘79 Cougars were hot sellers. On a typical Saturday, salespeople would sell their demo, I’d get a replacement (PDI & detail it) and we’d bet if it would last the rest of the day without being sold. The record was 3 in one Saturday for one salesman.
That’s a great idea for a new video: the current reliability of domestics vs “imports.” I’d listen in for sure...
Hello Adam, in the late 70's and early 80's I had number a LTD's, Had a 73, 75, 77, and a 78.. A problem that that I had, was the rear bumper falling off. This happened on the 73 and 75. Keep up the good work.
I really like those cars, owned a couple of them, but it's nonsense like that that helped Toyota and others win over customers. Fairmonts used to lose taillight lenses, so did Cordobas.
Just returned home from your area. Toured the Ford river rouge plant and the Henry Ford museum. Nice area.
Hey Adam, thanks for sharing another informative video!!! I really enjoy the tranquil setting, I'd love to sit on that dock & drop a fishing line in the water & see what happens!!! 👍👍
I’m enjoying these videos more, all the time!
Plastic timing gears…. It wasn’t just GM, Ford, and Chrysler that used them….A couple of guys told me that their Toyota had them too.
I was always told that they were used because they were quieter.
As far as phenolic ones with plastic gears on them, you still have to call them plastic because the plastic is the weakest link.
I have had pure phenolic gears in 2.5s and such that were fantastic & never had a problem.
I wouldn’t bat an eye about using a phenolic gear.
Plastic or nylon, in my experience with GM engines, they should be replaced by about 100,000 miles.
The chain starts getting sloppy, as the nylon wears.
Fords popping out of PARK, or having issues related to not being in PARK (even though the indicator says it is in PARK) has long been an Achilles Heel for the company. I read yesterday that Ford is recalling 2.9 million vehicles for the same issue. You'd think they would learn from the past.
I would truly enjoy a detailed discussion regarding current Japanese car quality vs domestic car quality. It is a sensitive topic but I personally have owned Hondas and one Scion and, while good cars, cannot determine their superiority over domestic automobiles. At the risk of being tarred and feathered, the brands I've had the best luck with are Kia and Dodge.
So please show me where I've gone wrong.
This Adam, was the most fun discussion and video that I have had the chance to enjoy and contribute experience I have had. I can tell you that these cars are highly recommended for anyone who can do a few things for themselves. I have been injured, but I can still take a grease gun to the zerks and it makes a car feel new again. If the driveshaft has grease fittings put the rear on stand, put it in neutral and give the u- joints a pop. Go back and grease the rear control arms. I put zerks in the rear arms 2 bottom and the top, check for looseness. I have a Spartan lunchbox locker and 28 spline axles, the ones that are the same diameter as the 31 spline, 4,33 gears and a 3000 rpm stall speed, but it just cruises so nicely at 2500. I have 9 qt Canton pan but I run 8 in it with 15w40 Rotella with 1300 ppm of zinc and phosphorus. A fixed orfice PCV. Maintenance is life or death for vehicles and the never lifting the hood for 100,000 miles is a myth. As we learn more we will find ways to make them live. Because maintenance is the key to long and trouble free life. This kind of discussion is priceless. Thank you Adam !
Yes, other Ford engines used the plastic cam timing gears.
I've replaced them on Cleveland's, Windsors and FE's.
My first car was a 1968 Mercury Monterey with a 390.
Awesome engine that had only 62,000 miles when I got it but when I changed the timing chain later on, it was plastic.
It was all about that thing called "Initial quality".
They are nice and quiet when new but you know what happens later...lol
Awesome vids Adam 👍
thats pretty cool..my first street legal car was a 1969 merc monterey , all black 2 door hardtop
@@merc-ni7hy Nice 👍.
My 68 was a 2 Dr fastback turquoise with a white vinyl roof.
I had that car way back in 1980 and it's still around in my area believe it or not.
@@matttravers5764 wow thats cool..i got my 69 in april of 86 ...dad bought when it was just a few years old and finally passed down to me ...you should look up on youtube a channel called [ rare classic cars & automotive history ] the guy has a few 68 merc's and just got a beautiful 68 marquis ...check his channel out
@@matttravers5764 here is a video of the man [ Adam ] with a few 68 merc's ...
th-cam.com/video/VAODQXyB4kY/w-d-xo.html
@@merc-ni7hy I watch "rare classic cars" often.
Man, I wish I had the dough to buy the card he has!
Adam is great to watch for sure.👍
Great video, nice info on the plastic cam gear - I have a truck with a 300 inline 6 which uses timing gears, they used the phenolic on those cam gears as well - since I was doing a bunch if other work to it at one point, I also upgraded that cam gear to cast iron it sounds like a tractor now but will outlive me. The only ford I ever had with a 4bbl had a holley square bore carb so I was lucky I guess, never had any issues with it.
Our neighbors had a 78 cougar and in the cold, they would frequently come out and start it and go back in the house and allow it to idle in the choke to warm up - one day while it was roaring away the trans detent let loose and away went the cougar in reverse into the house across the street lol. I would always put mine into neutral after that to let it idle unsupervised.
Always fascinating to hear you talk.
Adam, Another common problem with Ford products is the Power Window Switches!!...I've lost count how many Lincoln switches I've rebuilt..( I own 12 Mark III's)
Good call. Want to rebuild mine ;)?
12 Mark IIIs!!! Dang I bet they keep you busy! My 61-63's switches are problematic for sure!
also...umbrella valve seals dry out and crumble and then can get sucked into the oil pump seizing which will break/twist the hex rod that runs the distributer.
Leaky valve covers.
Had a 70 continental with the window motor plastic pins/balls issue and the headlight vac control valve, even a new valve from teh dealer leaked.
now do a video on GMs! Cams wearing out...
And chryslers! Ballast resistors - best keep a spare in teh glove box! LOL
Thank You for another great video, Adam! Again, every word You say is true. I missed the dreaded rim horn switch though.
When I was a young tech around 1990ish at an independent shop, we had quite a few customer's early 80's/late 70's Crown Vic's and Grand Marquis towed in with the 302's timing gear wiped out. Seemed like 70-80K miles was the magic end point. We got fast at it and considered it a gravy job.
The early 80s Grand Marquis and Crown Vic had the CFI throttle body injection and had baro-map sensor that caused stalling on cool misty mornings. Most of the time I found the issue to be the baro - map sensor was getting moisture into the sensor. I put a piece like a petcock in the line that I could throttle the vacuum into the sensor until the moisture was run out of the vacuum lines and then open it to allow dry vacuum to be pulled through the sensor and it seemed to be OK. Really the sensor needed to be replaced, but they were $ 700. I wanted to just put an Autolite 2100 on it so bad!
Loved this one. Always enjoyable content from Adam. He and I have the same taste in cars and time periods. I leaned a few things today. Looking forward to more videos
Thanks Adam good info to have 👍 Also that coming out park while idling happen to wife a few years back with a older F-150 no injury. Just a dented bumper on a hydro pole ! Brad Ontario Canada BVW 👍
I love the content of this channel, and also the comments. Tons of insight and knowledge available. Keep up the good work 👍
I ran my Thunderbird in Park only with the steering wheel swung to the right to avoid the runaway reverse feature. Others: add a bungee cord from the visor pivot to the gear shift knob as extra insurance.
I have substituted a manual release parking brake instead of the automatic release. I always set it just to be safe.
🤣
My buddy and I pulled apart my original Chevy 327 and laughed our butts off when we found all the cam gear plastic in the oil pan and saw how loose the timing chain was without the plastic on the gear. That thing was still running so good too like that it was unbelievable.
Anyone who likes this would like Ed's auto reviews, it's great content
Ed has great stuff.
couldnt watch the whole thing today but the oil pressure sender leaking was very common.
Had to replace mine just recently (1969 Marquis with 41k miles)
@@rwg520 well I guess a 53 year life is not too bad . Great u have a older model.
I had a 1967 Ford Country Sedan wagon and the frame cracked where it bends over the rear axle. It wasn't very difficult to fix but I've heard that this problem was not uncommon.
I had to remove those block off grease caps on my 78 Lincoln, and replaced the plastic torque pins.
Wow, Adam.
I’m addicted to your videos.
I’d like to call your videos “lectures” from now on.
Good video. I have a Ford from the 1970s, but it is not large. It is a Mustang II that I purchased new. It has about 160,000 miles on it. The main issue I have had is the carburation system. The choke pull off fails and it floods, It wants to stall on acceleration, etc. I will get it running well(as it is now) and then the fuel system issues will re-surface. The fuel system has always been an issue. Other age related issues are: (1 The turn signal lever-the plastic part will break. I always have used the metal portion since I had to replace it. and (2 The rear(brake light, turn signal, etc.) light sockets. These have cracked and fell apart. Luckily I have found new replacements, (3 The wiring harness, the connectors seem to turn to goo over time-do you see this on the large Fords? We do not have rust issues in Texas, but we do have heat issues. I bought the V-8 model and overheating was always a problem until I put a better radiator in it and the AC quit working. I probably should have bought the V6.
Headlight switch is another item that fails when higher amp draw halogen bulbs are used. I just replaced a completely stripped timing gear on my 1970 Monterey with 390 so yes the FE had the nylon timing gear too. I dropped the oil pan to clean out all of the debris.
The headlight switch is horribly overworked. I took many high amperage off of the headlight circuits with a buss bar at the solenoid and used relays to turn the headlight switch into the trigger for the relay to take the power off of the relay to the component. The headlight switch cooled down a lot. Halogen lights would trip the safety switch in the switch and make tthe lights go out , yikes!! After the change I could put flamethrowers in there with new wire and pigtails .
I wish I could understand your explanation about the secondary needle/seat in the 4300 carbs. I guess I'm just thinking about how a holley 4 bbl works with two separate float chambers. If the 4300 has only one float chamber, why does it have two inlet needle/seats? And, wouldn't that extra needle/seat open under normal operation when only the primaries are being used? I suppose the extra needle seat might be helpful under full throttle 5bbl operation, but it seems like it would open at the same time the "primary" needle/seat opens. Maybe I"m overthinking it. So, the fords came with threaded plugs where the grease fittings were supposed to be? And the dealer was responsible for unthreading the plugs and threading in grease fittings? Yeah, I'm sure that rarely happened, especially if the dealer was not getting paid to swap these things out. "Cost savings" like this one are really a "short sighted savings" indeed. I remember the plastic cam gear on my Caprice small block 400. I only knew it was worn because I could hear the timing chain dragging on the cover. I replaced the gear set myself, but made a mess trying to change the timing cover without removing the oil pan, kinda leaked a little oil after that stupid short cut. I guess I was lucky to have the small block chevy, no worries about breaking little water pump screws/bolts. All those vacuum powered accessories must have created some lousy idling qualities, once the components started leaking.
I remember the steering box in the old Caprice got so sloppy, it would actually kind of bind up on cold mornings, that got my attention quickly. Oh well, the poor old thing had 245K miles on it when the rust got so bad it just wasn't safe to drive anymore.
Totally different from a Holley. Only one float chamber and the secondary needle only opens when the float drops severely
I had the detente switch fail and it caused my parked 1964 Lincoln Continental roll out the driveway across two lanes of rush hour traffic nearly taking out the lower level of the apartment building across the street, had it not been for a two foot thick stone retaining wall - which the Continental demolished.
My favorite time frame ('60s-'70s) and make (Ford). Really enjoyed it.
I like your videos. Not too technical and a lot about style.
Your black Continentals are stunning. I’ve been looking for one for a long time, still no luck.
Adam said he would ideally merge good features from all American Auto Makers...but...here's a hint of his rrue favorite. His polo shirt color matches the '65 Bonneville he recently featured!
Not far off.
I remember when the late 60s / early 70s Fords had the problem of not fully engaging in Park and slipping out. At that time, my home town's police department drove Ford Custom patrol cars. One day walking from school to my job I saw one of our officers pull a car over on a slight downgrade. While he was at the window of the stopped car, his patrol car started backing slowly up the hill away from him. I started waving my arms and yelling... got his attention and pointed to his car. He actually caught up with the car and was able to stop it. Always wondered what COULD have happened!
The fuel pick up tubes in the carb can be cut off just above the narrowed down section , at least i did that on mine and it worked great to improve performance
Great information. I want to shop old Fords now and check out potential issues as you described. Thanks!
It is funny that the Autolite/Motorcraft 2100, 2150, and 4100 carbs are very sought-after for their drivability and simplicity. But the 4300 were junk.
The MEL engines use the nylon gears on the large timing gear. I have changed several of them. One was worn completely off and the aluminum spikes were still contacting the chain. Another was half and half with the missing teeth in the oil pan. The last one I did was on my low mileage 61 Lincoln and it still looked new. Of course I changed it anyway.
The Bulldozer!,They had the Heron head like the 348-409. The chambers are in the pistons. Man they were heavy!
Just pulled apart a 1973 351 CJ out of a Q code Mustang and it had the original plastic car timing gear.
Thanks for this information, you answered some questions I had for years. ❤💲
You will definitely want to check the timing sprocket on your 69 Caprice with the 454. If it breaks you will have bent valves!
really? I don't think any of the GM V8's are interference engines.
Definitely. The Snap-On guy's truck here had a 454 in it that did that, many bent valves.
Another good, informative video. Like you, there is not much good I can say about the 4300 carburetors. I have also always found Fords to be bad about water pump bolts breaking off during replacement. The worst is when the long bolts going thru the waters pump, and timing chain cover seize up. The Nylon toothed cam sprocket was fairly common at the time. It was intended to be quieter, and reduce harmonics. In practice it was just a bad idea. Pontiac, and Oldsmobile were really bad about shredding the teeth of the cam sprocket. Fords vacuum lines , and headlights door actuators were problematic when the cars were fairly new. I have always found the Ford Electronic ignition box to be troublesome. Finally the Ford AC system, particularly the compressor was never as good as GM. In defense of Ford. They used top rate sheet metal. Fit and fishish was usually pretty good, and they did good interiors.
High end Fords used the GM ac compressor,
@@johnchildress6717 Yes some Lincoln's used the GM Harrison compressor. Even the Ford engineers knew it was better.
@@johnringel9892 It was a fridgaire compressor.Harrison made evaporators and radiators.
I really enjoy your videos and although I just own a new vehicle I like learning about all these old vehicles. You also have a very relaxing voice to listen to. If you ever need a side job you could read audio books. lol
Ha!
I’m not big on full size cars. I had a 1965 Mustang 2+2 with the K-code engine (solid lifter cam, other performance enhancements, 7,000 redline). The recurring problem I had was with the Z-bar, or more correctly the bell crank in the clutch linkage. It would bend firming high rpm shifts. I ended up strengthening every part of the clutch linkage. Otherwise it was an excellent car. Oh, it had an earlier Ford carb, kind of a poor copy of a Holley.
An autolite 2100 or 4100 are not copies of Holley. Holley in fact “copied” the 4100 4bbl in the 70s, and is still available, built by Holley and sold exclusively through Summit Racing. Named the Summit carb 600 and 750 CFM.
@@ProjectFairmont Perhaps I used a poor choice of words when I described the Ford 4 barrel carb. It was similar to a Holley 4150 style carb in that it had two float bowls, one front and one back. It was essentially a one piece casting, containing the throttle bores and float bowls. It had a one piece flat piece that sealed the tops of the bowls. It had a vacuum operated secondary, and a manual choke on the K-Code engines. In overall design it was much closer to a Holley than a Carter or Rochester.
The center is aluminum with teeth the plastic is just molded over the timing gear. My grandmother's 1978 olds were replaced at 177k miles. Showing a lot of wear at the time.
my very first car was a 68 Galaxie 390,the Autolite carb was a problem,so I replaced it with a Holly.I;ve never had any problems with my current '74 LTD Brougham/bb400 coupe-so far
I would like to learn more about you, are you married, got any kids, where did you work, how many cars do you own and what are they, do you own more Chevy’s than Fords, I don’t count Chrysler, just kidding, do you own any one-off cars? I just found your channel about a month ago and I’ve been trying to catch up on all your videos, I noticed that you don’t talk about yourself except that you were a financial advisor or planner. Well, that’s about all I’ve got to say except I’ve shared your channel with my family and car friends and you’ve got some new fans, thanks for the great show.
Any Ford engine with the phenolic cam gear will have the problem of losing teeth. I replaced the one in my 68 Cougar back in 1974 when I rebuilt the engine. I acquired a 68 Mustang in 1984 and immediately rebuilt the engine and replace again with double roller. The 67 Parklane, acquired in 2003, immediately had the water pump changed along with the timing gears and new oil pan. There were teeth in the pan. The 65 F100, acquired in 2007, immediately had the water pump and timing gears changed. The 72 360 still had the plastic gear. Did the same to my 73 Polara when bought in 2010 as I wasn't sure about it so why not. I have no issues with torque boxes being all California cars. Also all cars have had their entire front suspension replaced by me and all will have squeaky issues with upper control arm bushings. The C4 and C6 transmissions are quite reliable provided you change the fluid on a regular basis like every 30,000 miles. Extra oil coolers are nice. Mine attest to that after my first C4 had issues past that till I rebuilt it and paid attention to a service many forget same as in coolant and brake fluid changes. Being very proactive will save you many headaches which is why my cars are mechanically perfect from Ford to Dodge to Mazda to Buick.
Funny you mentioned a broken fan blade. My dad once had a ‘74 Dodge Dart SE with a factory flex fan. While driving one of the blades broke off and damaged the radiator. The radiator was repaired but the mechanic left in the old fan. It was still cooling with 4 blades instead of 5. Later I heard a weird noise in the engine compartment...it broke a blade again resulting in again, a leaking radiator. As for the plastic cam gear; you are better off replacing the whole timing set using a double roller type chain.
My Dad bought a new '62 Chrysler Newport. A few weeks later he bought a '54 Chevy Belair for my sisters to drive in the Winter with only 20K miles on it and yet the steering was really bad! As a 12 year old, taught me how to go straight down the road turning the wheel 5 or 6 inches from right to left, glad they do not build them like they used to!!!!
Hey Adam, I remember back in the day when my college buddies and I would easily pop out door panels with a screw driver. Any broken clips were replaced with bent heavy-duty paper clips. Oh yeah, that never worked! 😂
Eek!
Did you replace the entire timing set, or only the cam sprocket? And yes the idler arms are notoriously weak
It seems like there might be a niche in the aftermarket waiting to be filled for something like an electric headlight door conversion kit. It's a sensible bit of design that they're biased toward open, though. I never knew that!
Very interesting video, and I'm looking forward to the GM equivalent if you decide to continue the series. I'm not a hardcore brand zealot, but I did grow up in a GM family, so if I do someday buy my own '70s car, it'll probably be a Chevrolet or Pontiac just to maximize the nostalgia value. :)
Had a flex blade break off and slice into and get stuck into the hood of my 71 Mercury Cougar. The day before we were under the hood tuning it.
Minor failures, but both full sized Fords that I had, back in the day (a 68, and 71 wagons) had Starter Solenoids that would fail every two years. They were mounted on the driver's side interior wheel well, so they were easy to change. I always carried a wooden handled screwdriver in the dash so I could pound on them to free up the internal solenoid, when they started to fail. It would have been a disaster if they had been mounted on the starter, like most other cars.
The Windsor V8's were always equipped with an under-designed oil pump drive shaft, turning itself into a pretzel before finally work hardening to the point where it failed, and the engine with it. A shame too, as otherwise, it's really a bulletproof engine, with excellent power potential in a very small and light package.
Something I never understood was that if you put a MR aluminum intake and headers on an FE, put the correct cam in. The FE weighs the same as a Windsor and even a SBC. I have scaled these engines and the FE is a really stupid strong running engine that weighs the same as Windsor, Cleveland all of the medium size ones. Put in an aluminum intake and water pump, cheap tube headers tri-Ys and it is way lighter than all but the 302 . The 460? You don’t want to know…..BTW my 390 with iron heads weighs aluminum intake and weighs 548 lbs the same as an all iron W.
@@fenatic7484 - Yeah, the FE was retired too soon in my opinion. The exhaust ports, as I've found, keep the velocity way up (somehow), increasing scavenging. I've seen 390's do what you're talking about, STUPID power with little in the way of exotic anything being put into them. The blocks, with the deep skirt, are extremely stout, and the shaft-mounted valvetrain was very stable to way up into modern OHC territory. The factory did us big favors too, since Ford invested heavily in their own reliability and performance items for these engines. Strangely, this "old," engine has remained extremely popular, and probably for the reasons we've noted. Go figure!
@@irritablearchitect I never understood why the 410 wasn’t their choice of performance engines until they went to the Tasca 428CJ, They had the block and the crankshaft and they could have made a truly great connecting rod at 6.8 inches and ready for the CJ . With 5140 steel and the great fillet radius. A .030 over 410 at 413 ci FE with its race bred architecture would have been a legend. The C 428 cam in a solid, Wow, and smooth as glass in the big cars! The 427 aftermarket engine Ray Paquet still owns the class record and shifts at 9200 rpms 10,000 in the lights. SuperStock legal T-Bolt 427 ci FE
@@fenatic7484 I'm going to be reading up on some of this stuff! Ray Paquet isn't familiar to me, but it sounds like he's done some amazing things with the FE.
I had a 1970 Cyclone GT with a 429 and most of the issues you cite are valid. I was lucky, however, that the hideaway headlights stayed closed.
Toyota, Honda, Mazda(note I left out Nissan, always crap in my books), built some extremely good cars in the mid 80’s-early 90’s, when they were really trying to prove something. Now, they’re no better than anything else, living on old reputation.
I gave up on domestic brands 20 years ago. Have owned six Honda vehicles since. One went 200k miles on the original powertrain and ran well when traded. Currently have an Accord at 120k miles that has needed only regular maintenance and runs like new. What in your experience justifies such sweeping criticism?
As soon as I see/hear of any 60s,70s and 80s Fords, the first things that come to mind is failed duraspark boxes, bad/sticky/defective starter solenoids, broken oil pump drive shafts on the FE's, broken exhaust manifolds and manifold bolts on the 429/460 and the top side exhaust manifold bolts on the FE's, and Windsors with broken water pump/timing cover bolts. All manufacturers have issues but it seems Ford had some really troublesome and really annoying issues that were hard to cope with, I also hated that Ford used a short section of rubber fuel line that connects to the carb from the fuel pump hard line, and that rubber hose will dry rot and start leaking and when it does it will spray all over the distributor and is a serious fire hazard especially now adays with the cheap Chinese rubber fuel hose that you buy from the auto parts stores now, also the motorcraft 2 barrels can get a pin hole in the accelerator pump and they will also spray a stream of gas right at the distributor which can happen with out warning and is an extreme fire hazard. I do still like some fords from the classic era but they can be a huge pain to deal with and get all sorted out.
I never had trouble with the FE. I have had 300, 000 mile 390s that were greasy but clean on the inside. I have torn some down with 250K on them that measured to need nothing as far as machine work. I have had two that I took in for a light power hone, a light cut on the crank and new cam bearings. I blocked the lifter passages to get the oil to the crank and reduce stress on the oil pump shaft and installed the ARP one a solid cam I ported the iron heads (1964C4AE-G) forged pistons and the MR aluminum intake for a sweet 510 hp 480 ft lbs and it went into a 1966 Fairlane GT with the crossover headers and he is still beating it like a rented mule. I did it in 2002. It runs really great upper 10.0s with Street ET and 93 pump gas. It will pin you to the seat and he shifts at 6800 rpms and it does 7200 through the lights. He reports no issues. On rubber lines, I use AN fittings and Earls vapor guard for all rubber lines. Otherwise AN and hard line.
Good list. I'd add the distributor seized in the block on some of them, too.
@@johnz8210 yep, then you end up grabbing the distributor with a pipe wrench or a big set of pliers and start praying that you don't snap it off in the block lol.
@@briang4470 For sure. Then there's Fords fascination with EGR tubes - other makes seemed to be able to mount an EGR valve with 2 bolts in the intake manifold. Not Ford.
@@johnz8210 another thing Ford loves to do is use that really thick, sticky grease that turns hard as a rock over the course of 20-30 years and is a nightmare to clean, also the plastic wire connectors they used suck and I have had a ton of random and mysterious electrical problems that were simply solved by cutting the old connectors out and either just straight butt connector or soldering the wires together or by getting a replacement plug, also that grease they use seems to be the root cause of those connectors degrading and having connection issues.
Thanks for those heads up 😉. I'm curious, on the sloppy steering, is there a replacement steering box with a "quicker" ratio that you know of? I watch that guy on the west coast who rebuilds Chrysler products and on the E-body cars there is a different steering gear available and it apparently is a big improvement.
Funny, I used to have a 77 LTD Landau. God, I miss that car! Only problem I had with the headlights was that the headlight knob fell off. I had to resort to keeping a pair of pliers on the front seat just so I could turn the headlights on
Thanks for the info Adam I own a 73 Ltd as well good info to know
I know what you mean about wanting to pick the best features from different makes. I always wanted a straight six with the chevy 230-250 short block and a slant six head, intake, and exhaust. I would require a serious adaptor kit however. ;-)
Great video would love to hear a list like this about the front wheel drive GM cars
That would be 60 minutes long.
@@RareClassicCars probably but definitely interesting especially from someone that has had as much experience with them as you have
Right on the money about the Ford steering gears. The one in my '74 F250 was terrible, but I spent the money and got a good rebuild from Redhead steering gears. Drives like a brand new (albiet brand new in 1974) truck. And no leaks!
Experienced the park to reverse problem in a 1989 Ford Aerostar- granted, it was a work vehicle that sat parked 98% of it's life, and only drove for short distances... approx.2019 , at 30 years old it had about 17,000 miles on it....yep, put it park , got out, and it started going backwards...
From a Law Firm report:
Numerous park-to-reverse incidents on various vehicles in the 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s about which a certain manufacturer received notice of through customer complaints; these included hundreds of complaints on a wide range of models equipped with same or substantially similar transmissions;
FORD investigated the park-to-reverse safety issue in the early 1970’s. It was, at that time, the third highest volume safety complaint being logged in Customer Relations Potential problem reports;
Numerous reports of injuries and deaths and an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of Ford’s vehicles equipped with C-3, C-4, C-6, FMX and JATCA Automatic Transmissions. In 1980, NHTSA received reports of over 23,000 problems of inadvertent vehicle movement of Ford built vehicles.
In February 1980, Ford reported knowledge of 2,252 accidents, 1,818 property damage, 703 injuries and 42 fatalities involving vehicles where inadvertent rearward movement was involved. FORD also reported at least 361 lawsuits involving allegations of inadvertent rearward movement.
In a political agreement signed with the Department of Transportation, over the objections of NHTSA, on December 30, 1980, Ford agreed to send warning labels to approximately 22 million owners rather than, as NHTSA believed necessary, recalling them for mechanical repair.
In October 1991, Ford instituted a recall of Ford Aerostars, Bronco II’s, Explorers and Rangers built in 1989-1991 to remedy a park-to-reverse problem in these vehicles.
Well aware of the cause of the defect, and its danger, Ford designed the circuit boards in certain of its vehicles so Ford could easily install an out-of-park alarm to warn drivers when the vehicle was in false park.
Just yesterday Ford issued yet another recall of nearly 3 million vehicles for rollaway risk!
Couldn't agree more on your last comment. I bought a used Toyota Highlander two years ago and it's the worst car I've ever owned.
When I graduated. H S. Back in 85 I worked as Service Porter at Joe Madden Ford in west suburban Downers Grove Illinois The warranty claims that prevailed in those days were all Ford models from around 81 to 85 water leaks From the fire wall area windshield The Plenum some where in that region But any way my parents bought a new 94 Crown Victoria had a water leak from the wind shield the whole carpet got soaked after a hard rain and the new 75 LTD Country Squire we had leaked water so did my 2007 Ford F 150 XLT 4x4 super cab Oh and my Grand Ma s New 69 Ford LTD Fords are just Notorious for water leaks into the passenger compartment I love fords. Mercurys & Lincoln’s & Pentastars & GMs
Panther cars all have the potential cowl water leak issue, all the way through 2011 models. My 2004 Town Car had it, a 2006 also. Easy fix, but causes a lot of unnecessary damage and dissatisfaction.
I guess I should be glad that my 1977 LTD wagon did not come with hideaway headlights. Just came with regular headlights? The hideaways were an option on the LTDs. I always wanted it with them? But I'm guess I'm glad I didn't have it?
I had a 69 XL 2 door fastback(i guess thats what its called), the only problem i had with the car was holding the gear shift to crank it and the radio location. The man i bought it from put a 4 bbl on it(390) when i decided ti buy it. I never had a problem out of that car. It would haul the mail!!!!
Look at it this way, the way the radio was positioned, no one else could change the channel, you had full control
I liked the 1969 Fords where you squeezed the steering wheel to honk the horn.
😂 We go a 69 Galaxie as a wedding gift.,This is absolutely wonderful discussion and what I enjoy!
You should replace the timing gear with an after market metal gear. ZOOM is the one I used in my 400 sbc.
Did you ever look into Fords german brand TAUNUS's models? They are very nice cars and we have lots of them in europe. The cancelled fwd ford cardinal also became the TAUNUS P4 12m in germany with the v4 now given the name "köln v4" although american designed , the germans took it and called it köln. Germans later developed it into a v6 and called it the köln v6. Both engines were used in lot of taunus models and later the ford europe models. Even mustangs used the köln v6 as the v6 option up until 2010 or so
Interesting!
The one thing that for sure goes bad (429/460) is the passenger side exhaust header.
Yes. It does.
Absolutely!
Ignition Control Modules... the bane of 70s Fords.
Oh I saw one of those cam gears on my new 77 tbird 400 when I tore into it with only 30000 miles...but it didn't look as good as yours!
Another flaw, if you lived in the “rust belt” , was the body panel rust thru about the time your 36 month car loan was paid off?