1987cp's new '81 LTD 2-door

[86VickyLX]

Very interesting. I just pulled the starter and discovered curious wear marks on the pinion teeth, and corresponding sharp, bright spots on the flexplate teeth!


The bad news is that putting in my spare starter didn't make any difference.


So ..... if my whole problem is in fact the pinion hitting the flexplate (something that appears to be happening anyway, whatever its reason), either:

a) I really do need a flexplate shim ($20 at AZ, but I can probably check salvage sources),
b) I need to space the starter forward somehow (seems I've seen spacers for that purpose),
or
c) The flexplate itself has somehow gone bad in such a way as to still look OK but yet still flops into the starter pinion despite all six bolts appearing to still be tight! (nearby full-serve yard has flexplates for $20)

the flexplate is warped.

[1987cp]

That'd make sense. I'll have to try checking for straightness on a bench, and also check whether the tooth grindage is only over part of the circumference. Wonder if it's worth the $45 to get a brand-new flexplate instead of a $20 used one?

[86VickyLX]

That'd make sense. I'll have to try checking for straightness on a bench, and also check whether the tooth grindage is only over part of the circumference. Wonder if it's worth the $45 to get a brand-new flexplate instead of a $20 used one?

Definitely go with a new one. Why deal with the hassle of swapping it later on if that flexplate turns out to be messed up also.

[1987cp]

Picked one up at Carquest for more like $75. They were the only ones nearby with one in stock. Who knows, maybe it's actually better somehow than the $45 ones. Expensive, but it's nice to have a flexplate with no chewage on the teeth. It appeared at a glance to be sitting slightly further inside the bellhousing, and I repeated my bellhousing-only test to verify that it did appear to have sufficient space between the flexplate and the starter pinion.

So, the upshot is that the crazy vibration does seem to be about gone, and scuffy noises nearly gone. I do think I've developed a slight rod knock, so I'll probably just change the oil out with 10W40 and call it good for now. Thinking it maybe could have used a flexplate shim, but what little I can dig up online seems to suggest that that shouldn't usually be necessary. I also got the idea of butchering an engine plate to space the starter farther forward, so I guess I'll try that if I notice it scuffing again. Or, if I can set aside the money after spending $$$ on new balancey equipment, maybe I'll eventually put a modern-tech starter on this car too and quit worrying about the "bendix" arrangement.

[1987cp]

Did a little test driving yesterday, and thing seem much better. Changed the oil (old stuff was BLACK!), topped off coolant and tranny fluid (wondering where a gallon-plus of coolant disappeared to ...), and adjusted the shift linkage so it goes more nicely into Drive.

[1987cp]

Took another drive today. Slight bit of noisiness where I suspect this flexplate's thickish weight is hitting the aluminum engine plate, but otherwise drives just the same as before the old flexplate went wonky. I feel a little sore about the $60 for the balancer, but most say you're supposed to replace those when you rebuild the engine anyway. And Dorman already painted it, so I don't have to.

Swapped the ailing p/s pump yesterday for another one that's .... not ailing quite so much. Had to yank the pulley to move the mounting bolt from the 351W position, otherwise not a lot of trouble.

Today I installed the Summit TV corrector. It proved a little more trouble to install than the TCI corrector I bought for the Vic, but it's possible that was due to production differences in the Carter and Edelbrock AFBs. As often happens with kits, the bottom bolt options supplied were wonky (one too big, one supplied with the wrong nut), but I reused a nut/bolt from the Magic Bolt Box and all was well.


BTW, big thanks to you idiots for pointing out (as should have been obvious to me) that flexplate failure doesn't have to be catastrophic!

[packman]

Better you than me. *ducks rotten tomatoe* I guess this is why you got three Panthers. When two go down, you at least have the one left. Hopefully this solves your Panther woes so you can focus on the other projects.



Packman

[1987cp]

Pretty much. I'm very relieved to have two cars at my disposal again. The Vic hasn't always been wanting to start for me (ignition problems - I've now replaced everything except the module with new stuff), and I'm tired of it running not and not wanting to back up ... and the HVAC fan not working well .... and no high speed wipers ..... if the '81 continues in its present overall condition, I can have far fewer worries about having signed my son up for the church kids' club on Wednesdays!

[packman]

Cool. I'm at that point with my S-10 and Putter Project. I can't take Putter Project on long trips (to work; 30 miles each way) until I get the clutch adjustment kit from LMC. My father must have made a temporary/permanent repair on the original adjustment rod by welding a nub on the tip to take up the space of the well-worn area. It has worked up until now; that 3-speed trans won't shift into and out of 1st without literally slamming the gear. Reverse grinds into gear as well. I found out that he replaced the clutch sometime within the last few years. My S-10 has been breaking down as of late and is becoming quite unreliable. Which sticks me with borrowing my mom's CV; which I'm trying to avoid driving to work due to the idiots on the roads these days.

How about that 351W you got out of the P72? You got any plans for that? Is that going back into the P72 or is it going into the 2-door? Excuse the French, but you got some badaz cars and that engine would be an awesome addition to any of them.



Packman

[1987cp]

LOL ... I've got some badly rusty cars, you mean! This one is far and away the cleanest and most solid, and I cut a rust hole out of the floor and found a gaping one in the framerail.

I was worried for a while that I was going to have to bring the 351W out of retirement sooner and with less dignity than expected, right up to the point where I realized that this '87 302 might only need a flexplate. So, I guess I can continue harboring my notion of leaving the 351 on a stand until I've had a look at the bottom end and installed better heads and intake.

[Lincolnmania]

Cool. I'm at that point with my S-10 and Putter Project. I can't take Putter Project on long trips (to work; 30 miles each way) until I get the clutch adjustment kit from LMC. My father must have made a temporary/permanent repair on the original adjustment rod by welding a nub on the tip to take up the space of the well-worn area. It has worked up until now; that 3-speed trans won't shift into and out of 1st without literally slamming the gear. Reverse grinds into gear as well. I found out that he replaced the clutch sometime within the last few years. My S-10 has been breaking down as of late and is becoming quite unreliable. Which sticks me with borrowing my mom's CV; which I'm trying to avoid driving to work due to the idiots on the roads these days.

How about that 351W you got out of the P72? You got any plans for that? Is that going back into the P72 or is it going into the 2-door? Excuse the French, but you got some badaz cars and that engine would be an awesome addition to any of them.



Packman

i have a nice solid 89 town car that you could be commuting in reliably

[packman]

LOL ....So, I guess I can continue harboring my notion of leaving the 351 on a stand until I've had a look at the bottom end and installed better heads and intake.

That's awesome. That how I'm approaching the CV build. I just need cheap reliable transportation for myself so I can keep the CV off of the road while saving funds at the same time. I can't wait to see what you do with that 351W.



Packman

[1987cp]

Random babbliness....

So .... been driving this a little on and off. Shifting behavior has at least become reasonably predictable to me, even though I'm not entirely happy with it. A freeway ride had me sawing at the wheel and the rear feeling unpredictable, though that's about what you expect with leaky shocks and no rear swaybar.

The tall driving position has got me completely fed up, so I stole one slider set from the P72 so that both the driver's seats are at what I call a proper height. It's rather amazing how much better the SN95 seat felt when I plopped into it after changing sliders. Anyway, I figure the mixed-seat-slider deal will be an OK arrangement as long as I own both cars, since 100% of my usual front-seat passengers are short and won't be annoyed by the annoying seating position in the other car.


Let's see ... yesterday when I went to drive the car, I found that the brake pedal down way too easily and the rear-circuit fluid was stupidly low. I thought I'd noticed some drippage by the rear wheels, so today I picked up new wheel cylinders. $10 each doesn't hurt that much, anyhow. I figure if I keep being suspicious of the braking system after that, I'll probably order up a new master for $15 and front hoses for $10 each (seems our AZ doesn't keep those in stock).


I also took it into my head that I might try using the stock temperature sender to light the idiot light. This is easier said than done since the sender wires were part of the bogus stock ignition/1G alternator harness that I removed shortly after I got the car, so I picked up a replacement sender lead with the nice boot on the end with the idea that they should be good for aftermarket-sender wiring as well. Weirdly, a few days ago I was able to verify idiot-light operation by grounding the correct lead in the engine-bay plug, but today when I got home with the sender lead, I was unable to make the light light up! Will have to have a look at that in the morning.


Oh yes, I obtained a 3-spot gauge panel for cheap on Fleabay. The idea is to reuse my Traditional Chrome Series volt/water/oil gauges I'd originally bought for the wagon, but if I can choose two out of three maybe I'll stick my mini tach in the panel just so I can keep the cool clock-delete plate in place on the dash.


Also, working halfheartedly on getting classic or agreed-value insurance on both LTDs, with the idea of cutting my premiums in half. A guy from State Farm mentioned the concept of appraisal, though, which worries me because both cars are in pretty rough overall condition.

[packman]

I don't know if this will fly with your insurance agent, can you use black and white film for pictures of your cars for the appraisal process or does the adjuster look at it in person? Or perhaps you can shine it up a good cleaning and some polish and/or wax? I had the same trouble when I insured the '53 Ford. I was trying to tell my agent that I just need the papers for the truck and that I have no intention on driving it. I sent them b/w print because it looks better (cleaner). Hopefully that works out for ya. I don't know what your inspection standards are out there, but at the least you can throw whatever parts (engine combos) that you want in any of your cars with classic plates. At least in NJ, they don't put classics through the sniffer test. Who knows, you might have the car painted too by the time your kiddo starts going to school. There is something kinda satisfying about waiting to pick your kid up from school in a hot rod.


Packman

[1987cp]

We don't have inspections here, but vehicles with Michigan historic plates are strictly forbidden from being used for transportation.

I did see a website where a guy apparently appraises vehicles with pictures ....