Sniper

Thanks, I blast about everywhere I go. I blame it on the fact that for the first three years of my driving life I rode a motorcycle and your best defense against other drivers is the bike's acceleration. Don't be where they are heading and they can't hit you. These days I don't usually speed but I don't fart about getting up to speed either.

Went and looked at my 51 Plymouth's head, It has a big P on it, so the D may very well mean Dodge. Casting number is not the same either.

Thanks, I might measure out the diameter of the paper gasket in my rebuild kit and then go look at oil filters. I figure the sealing ring on an oil filter might work too.

I used some weed wacker line to pull the new wire thru the column. Just tape the two together well.

That looks like it. When I got my 51 this past September one of the things I had to do was rewire the entire car. Long story, but suffice it to say it had to be done. Anyway the one wire I did not replace was the horn wire. When I took the Cambridge for it's annual inspection so I could register it the final thing the inspector needed to do was test drove it. Guess what shorted out on the test drive? the horn wire. Those 6 volt trumpets are real loud when you are running 12 volts thru them. As for where they go on your P18 I don't know. here's a pic I found though

Not on a tight budget so much as adverse to overpaying for things. Right now I don't need any of the stuff I mentioned to just drive. But I am a hot rodder by nature so I want to do some things. From that perspective the Cambridge has three areas that need addressed. Stopping, handling and going, in that order. However, reality says this is probably the last batch of Edgy heads for along time, if ever. Those Thickstun intakes sold out the last batch and I should have bought one then, but was waiting on the heads. After all i could always get a set of Offy's. Any idea if he's planning to do another run on those intakes? They are indeed sweet looking and I suspect out perform the Offy's. Stopping will be covered with the handling part as well since I'll be redoing the kingpins then so it's all coming apart. I have the Explorer disc upgrade on this site book marked and have downloaded the templates. I have a bonus coming, might get the parts for that swap then. Just need to find a machine shop that can make the brackets without wanting a fortune doing so. Or I may just make them myself as I have the tools needed.

When/if I get around to it I'll put up pics and a write up on my website and link it over here. Though right now I am hanging on to my spare cash for an Edgy head and a Thickstun dual 1bbl intake. I know, seems disjointed coilovers with a hopped up flatty, lol. I prefer not to be another bellybutton I guess. Right now the coil over idea is in the "will it seem to work" stage of getting measurements and looking at what's available. I think I have the basic package sorted out. QA1 coilovers, which exact ones depends on me measuring the stock travel, QA1 springs with spring rate pretty much decided, 650 lbs/in, but which specific one I need remains to been determined by the stock upper spring mount diameter and shape. Of course all of this is may be moot if I need to drill the upper shock mount hole and it turns out that's right where the upper control arm pivot sits. and even there I have an idea on how to deal with that.

Sorry, $300 for stock type coils is about $200 too much and shipping is $50 which is about triple what it ought to be. No thanks. If I were to keep the stock type look in the front then I'd go with 91 Aerostar AC Delco brand coil springs for $39.79 and $15.99 shipping from Rock Auto. That's almost the same price as Eaton wants just for shipping. Not real sure how Eaton's price is competitive. In the coil over setup I am looking as new QA1 springs are $75 a pair and $14.57 for shipping from Speedway, so if I decide my initial selection is wrong I can buy a new set fairly painlessly. Again, way cheaper than Eaton, especially if you decide your original selection was wrong. QA1 has an outstanding reputation. https://www.qa1.net/about/quality and they make their stuff here in the States. But if Eaton works for you great. It doesn't for me though.

Not interested in Eaton's overpriced stuff, I can get any number of coil springs pairs from QA1 at whatever rate I want for well under $100 MSRP, less at Speedway. For not much more than Eaton wants for OE type springs I can get the springs. better shocks and adjustable ride height in a tidy coil over package. If I want to toss a few more dollars at it I can get the adjustable shocks too, single or double adjustable depending on how fancy I want to get. Compared to the "traditional" route of Eaton springs, shock relocation and new parts store type shocks the price for the base coilover conversion is a wash, the technology and adjustability isn't though.

The stock upper spring pocket still gets used. Just need to drill a hole for the upper shock mount. See the link for picture of the kit. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Mustang-II-Bolt-On-Coil-Over-Kit-w-QA1-Adjustable-Shocks,35903.html

Thinking of putting the coilover setup where the stock coil now sits. It looks like the QA1 setup for the Mustang II is compact enough to fit and I can get stiff enough spring for it too. But I have to measure. If need be I could relocate the lower coil pocket below the control arm for a few more inches of room.

The part number I listed is a normal type head bolt design, see pic. The washers I listed are parallel ground and hardened, specifically for head bolt use. Remember to put the chamfer on the inside hole of the washer against the head of the bolt and a drop of oil on the washer to minimize false torque readings.

Pioneer PG-362-25 head bolts, 25 pack, and Pioneer head bolt washers S-1018, 34 count, will work. $23 at Summit Racing, plus shipping and taxes.

Don't feel bad, I was picking my son up last week and when we left I heard a funny squeaking noise, I asked him "Was that me?". The engine was sluggish, I got maybe two blocks before smoke started pouring out from under the car. I had left the parking brake on. Since then he always asks me "you take the brake off" little wisenheimer.

Back when I worked at the cement plant we'd rebuild the brake shoes on the overhead crane motors. We only riveted them though we had the jigs to bond them too. They stopped bonding them years before I got there, I suspect someone mismixed the glue and it failed in a fashion that wasn't pleasant. We also had an oven to bake the bonded shoes. I dont know how they removed the old friction material, I suspect a wire wheel.

Cheaper than new axles though

Did it take away any of the floating, wallowing handling? Near as I can figure if I go with the traditional setup, lowered springs, shock relocation, new shocks in the front I'll be at about half the price of a basic coilover setup. The coil over setup has it's advantages, better spring selection, easy ride height adjustments, better shock selection. I think I need to pull a front wheel and do some measuring.

make sure to take before and after pics and measurements so we can get an idea how much change was affected. Also, I hear it will settle over some time. I am thinking on doing this with my 51.

I will inspect it closely and thanks for the pointer.

Looked around some for a tie rods with a stud that didn't let it stick out as far, not sure I found anything useful there. But I did see a couple with bent arms that might have done what you needed. I suppose you could have reamed the steering arm to let the current tie rod sit deeper into it and away from any interference. hard to say without being there. But good job getting her on the road, or closer to being on the road.

Beginning to wonder if maybe a coil over swap is a better idea? Takes care of the spring and shock relocation in one fell swoop.

Moog CC850 is the part number for the Aerostar springs. If you go to this site it gives the specifications and dimensions. https://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/universal_coil_springs.asp

Hey! I'm a Gen X'er. Granted I am in the oldest group of them born two months into the group. I have three millennials (all daughters) and a Gen Z'er too (son). All of them have been out in the garage with me. I learned what I know about these cars by working on mine and reading and asking questions, my old man was of the silent generation and boy was that true, he;s was silent about cars for the most part he didn't touch them. My kids at least know their ways around a tool box. Heck, my oldest was a mechanic in the Army. But to be honest if my daughters have car problems they come to Dad to fix it, they are out there helping though. The son isn't old enough to drive, yet. Getting close though. Funny story about my oldest, the Army mechanic. After she got out she came back home and had a car issue then asked if I would look at it. being Dad I said ok, then I remembered what she did in the Army. Asked her "hey, weren't you a mechanic in the Army? Why am I looking at it? Do you want to borrow my tools?" She said "I was a diesel mechanic, I don't know anything about gas engines." I asked her if it was an engine problem and she said no, so I said "So, why am I looking at it?" I got the look and she just asked me to look at it again. Turns out her dome light wouldn't turn off so she pulled the bulb to keep it from killing the battery. Once I explained to her that her headlight switch will also keep the bulb on if you rotate it past the detent then she was like "duh". Problem solved in about two minutes. Guess she didn't do electrics either, either that or Army vehicles don't have dome lights, I dunno I was Navy..

Thanks, that was the ticket.

It feels like oil, it looks like oil, it smells like oil. No, I am not going to taste it though over the years I have ended up tasting both involuntarily. Occam's razor is a fine theory, until it meets reality. As easily as it cleaned up off the plug I suspect it was a fresh spill that got blown on the plug by the semi-loose head bolt. Which probably means a failing or soon to head gasket. I have one and I had planned to pull the engine anyway to clean, regasket, new core plugs and paint it. I wasn't going to pull the head till I got a new Edgy one, but that's out the window now.