Call me crazy - Ranchero's (again)

**Luva65wagon** · September 21st, 2011, 11:53 AM

Well, I didn't come even close to my 4-month plan. But I did a lot more to it then I originally intended.

It's a Chip Foose Overhaulin episode - multiplied my months instead of days. It will be 7 months on Oct 3rd from the day I pulled it into the garage. And my "A" team was Gene and Steve (remote support). We did pretty good if you ask me.

**doghows** · September 21st, 2011, 03:04 PM

Don't give me too much credit. All I did was supply a couple of crappy cars, some replacement parts, and some sandblasting and powder coating. OK I guess you can put one of my stickers on your car if you want.

Just kidding, wouldn't want to clutter up that clean machine with a bunch of adds...
Looks very very nice. Now hurry up and finish so we can get mine done. How much pizza and beer does it take to get a sanding party going?? Body work blows...

Sorry back to the topic, when will you have the fenders and hood painted and on so you can cruise?? Is that the reason for the week off to finish it?

**Luva65wagon** · September 21st, 2011, 05:07 PM

OK then Steve - you were my "B" team.

I'm working a bit on the hood right now. Ground out all the rust and spread some POR15 on the worst of it. It really isn't the best hood in the world. I may just mask off the underside and use the bed coating there too. Would cover a multitude of sins.

Will post pictures after the meeting, maybe.

I took the week off because I needed a vacation, but yes, it was also to try and get this over to "the other side."

**doghows** · September 22nd, 2011, 08:06 AM

Crap we forgot to go out to the house when you were here. I have 2 more hoods out there that are in better shape than the ones of either of those cars. One is the hood I re-skinned, came out pretty good just need to weld up the back edge. The other was the one I was going to use on the delivery till that guy showed up at my shop with that pristine one.
Either hood is your if you want it. maybe through the one you have on it for now till I can get these to you?? Both are in powder primer so rusting is not an issue. Just need a little love with the filler...

**Luva65wagon** · September 22nd, 2011, 10:17 AM

It was a crazy day - no pun intended. No worries. I spent all day yesterday before the meeting cleaning it up and grinding away a lot of the rust scale. It's really not too bad... for a driver.

I brushed on a lot of POR-15 just before the meeting and then after the meeting last night sprayed it with bed-liner for that "custom look."

Took more than an hour to get the latch pin extracted. Sort of "warpred" the spring with the torch. Will probably need those parts replaced now. Used a lot of heat to get that to loosen.

Will have to look at the other hoods when we can meet up again.

**Luva65wagon** · September 22nd, 2011, 10:30 AM

Still need a picture with the coating on it.

**doghows** · September 22nd, 2011, 12:01 PM

Dude that post area is nasty. Both the hoods I have are good in that area. They just need some luvin where the paint goes on!!
I need to get to work on mine so I can get my count up??

**doghows** · September 23rd, 2011, 07:59 AM

These are the two I have. Your choice. First 2 pics are the stock hood, and the second 2 pics are the one I re-skinned. Both have good post areas.

**Luva65wagon** · September 23rd, 2011, 09:46 AM

Gene and I already put the one I had on yesterday. I'll roll with that a while. Don't let those go and next time you come here or I go there bring or I'll look.

As of last night I'm fighting over-worn window regulators and though I started out with two cars I only have one set of regulators.

The drivers side is in free-run mode with the window brake spring and internals shot. I found a regulator with worn teeth in the gears in the gray tub, with a good-ish brake spring, but the gear/shaft parts were rusted together. So I'm soaking them in CLR to see if I can get them apart. Ford should have allocated this as a lube point... somehow.

While I was dinking with taking those apart, Gene came by and installed my steering wheel and shifter.

Seat on the drivers side, hood latch and catch - I'm down the road.

**doghows** · September 23rd, 2011, 10:00 AM

Not sure if I have any regulators around, but I will look. I think the spares I had were in that tub at your place. I still the ones in the four door car but they would need to be modified to work?? I will look and let you know.

**Luva65wagon** · September 25th, 2011, 12:52 AM

After spending all day looking for window regulators and (giving up) then deciding to rebuild the two I had, I got the passenger side working well, but the drivers side "brake spring" was so badly worn it wouldn't lock the shaft like it was supposed to. So I measured the spring wire and wrapped some shim material in the drum part to make up for the worn spring. Now the brake worked and I put it together. After putting them all in the car... I found the other two regulators in the box I store all the trim in.

Well, I have backups.

All the glass is in now, everything works, and now I can move to putting some seats in and fenders on. By next weekend it will be in the carport and my wagon home for the winter.

**Luva65wagon** · September 25th, 2011, 12:56 AM

Originally Posted by doghows

I still [have] the ones in the four door car but they would need to be modified to work?? I will look and let you know.

I'd pull these. These parts I needed are the same whether four door or two door. The arms are different, yes, but not the crank shaft and brake internals.

**Luva65wagon** · September 28th, 2011, 11:20 PM

Have been hard at it shooting for a musical cars event on Friday. I moved it back and forth in the garage so far and moves nicely.

Most of the interior is in and tonight I got all the splash shields installed so possibly tomorrow I'll be able to test fit the fenders. Also as you see the hood is on and I also have the latch on, though I've got to take some more pictures of all that.

Got most of the stereo stuff mounted temporarily to get all the holes drilled and aligned, but they'll be the last thing I permanently install just before I start driving it. It was easier to figure a lot of that out before I put the seats in.

Should be posting a full profile picture any day.

The first pictures are of the window regulator rebuilding I did. I used 10-32 x 3/8" button-head screws and nylocks instead of rivets, which are just plain a pain. Though it looks like they hit, they just clear. You have to install two of the screws in opposite directions to clear.