1987cp's new '81 LTD 2-door

[1987cp]

Just looked through this again. I remember this thread, and your 2 door from years ago. Looks like you finally found that valve train noise! I wonder how that happened... How far do you have her apart?

Yep. I was initially confused about which cylinder had been making noise ... turns out both my memory and my post from 10 years ago ware incorrect; this was the intake lifter from #6, not #7 as I remembered or #5 as I posted here. Weirdly, the process of scaring up the bad lifter took several days after initially pulling the intake, with increasing confusion when I couldn't see any damage. Should have just pulled all 8 on that bank to start with!

The wear patterns on the busted roller look to me like this lifter may have turned sideways. I'm not sure now where the dogbone was when I went to pull this pair of lifters, but especially considering these unusual wear marks on the corresponding pushrods, I'm guessing now it had bounced out of place because of the retainer being loose.



So far I only have it far enough apart to pull lifters on the left bank, but obviously I'll need to change the cam now, as I had been suspecting for some time. That will be a little annoying, as this car still has its (non-functional) air conditioning compressor taking up space. I borrowed a borescope from AZ, so the boy and I have found it interesting to peer in at the damaged cam lobe. I dug through my stash of gaskets early this past summer, and I think I've got everything I need except RTV and/or Gaskacinch. I'll be putting it back together with my '90 Mustang GT cam and Performer 289 intake.

Thinking I should at least change the oil a couple of times once it's all back together!

[sly]

ca-ca

[Brown_Muscle]

Just looked through this again. I remember this thread, and your 2 door from years ago. Looks like you finally found that valve train noise! I wonder how that happened... How far do you have her apart?

[1987cp]

Hm.

[packman]

Welcome back! Homeschooling is the thing to do nowadays; and with the experience you probably have now; you can be a teacher for teachers-to-be.

And yes, projects tend to sit for a long time when other things are a priority. My Mom's CV went into mothballs 4.5 years ago, and I am still trying to get it into running condition.

[87gtVIC]

Welcome back! Good luck with whatever you and the kiddo decide to do.

[1987cp]

Time to resurrect an old thread!

After what seemed like decades, but was apparently less than one decade, the kids and I excavated this car from underneath a lot of furniture boxes I had hoped to Freecycle, dragged it outside on the floor jack, and disconnected the parking brake cable so the thing can at least roll.

Family interested in teaching my now-13-year-old son to drive with some sort of manual gearbox has me scratching my head somewhat seriously about a 4 speed or 5 speed swap. Doubt I'll luck out and get a free SROD from a junkyard (like our old pal Zephmont apparently did) .... for simplicity, I've got some transmission books coming from the library, and maybe the kids and I can finally fix the slipping Reverse band on the AOD I pulled from my old P72 all those years ago.


It's really scary how long things sit when you get busy with life ... apparently this car has been parked for 9 years, and the wagon has been on jacks for 11! I've had a relative or two get on my case about getting one or both nonrunning vehicles out of the garage, which is not at all a bad idea now that I may have an actual helper or two. (Aside: it's surprising how hard it is to successfully make the distinction between "doesn't run so you'll need a towtruck" and "can't move it at all without all sorts of work I REALLY don't have time for.") Already we have the side this car is in swept out and the copious pile from the floor at least sorted into hardware vs. actual rubbish, and I've moved around some of the junk formerly stored in one of the workbenches to make things actually usable.

[88Vic]

No strike that, just went out and looked, I remembered wrong it's just a lap belt. So I guess that means i'll be getting rid of it in 6 years or less, can't drive the kids around without shoulder belts. Actually I can't right now, the 2 year old is in a conversion seat, has a booster bottom and back that attaches to it and it needs a shoulder belt, so looks like the Lincoln is gonna be sold no matter what.

[88Vic]

I believe my Lincoln has a rear shoulder belt, I thought all Panthers do (at least the 88-up models).

[1987cp]

I'm with Louis on this; keep the tudor. Slowly save teh money to build it up. Then by the time the kiddos are going to school, you can be the Dad with the cool car when you pick them up.


Packman

Kids are being homeschooled. I'm anal that way.

Random factoid: did you know that booster-seat laws mean it's mostly illegal now to transport a kid under 8 in the back of a pre-1990 vehicle? Once he's grown out of the safety seat with integral harness, he's required to be in a booster seat, which in turn is required to be used with a shoulder belt! We went nuts with the fancy Britax model with a side head restraint, especially since I'm constantly expecting to be murdered by a speeding Continental Shelf.

Kinda off subject but if you sell this will you have any Panthers left? Whatever happened with your black and white wagon, I think it was an 87 too? Do you still have it?

Still have the white '87 wagon languishing in a state of disassembly. I'm in touch with a GMNer who wants it for a project, and it's his as soon as he can get it ... only problem being, it's been stuck on jacks since late 2009 when I stole most of its steering bits for the P72, so it's not going anywhere till I have time to reassemble it with the worn parts I took off of the P72 at that time!

[Louis]

Slowly save teh money to build it up. Then by the time the kiddos are going to school, you can be the Dad with the cool car when you pick them up.Packman

Exactly. Plus by then, the car will be even older and that much cooler!

And using a garage to park DDs is way too normal ....which most of us are not.

[88Vic]

Kinda off subject but if you sell this will you have any Panthers left? Whatever happened with your black and white wagon, I think it was an 87 too? Do you still have it?

[packman]

I'm with Louis on this; keep the tudor. Slowly save teh money to build it up. Then by the time the kiddos are going to school, you can be the Dad with the cool car when you pick them up.


Packman

[1987cp]

Yes, that was one side effect of getting the P72 cleaned up (and de-fuel-leaked) for sale - started getting looney ideas for this car again! A stick shift would likely be in its future if I were to keep it ... my latest idea is to add a Subaru 2.5L H4, since my Mazda weighs the same and does OK with its 2.5L engine. I already have a 2.2L Ecotec core, though, and I know guys have already figured out how to bolt that to a T5. One of the more interesting ideas I've thought up for it would be an '03-up frame swap (and maybe add a newer dash too), but good grief, would that be a huge project!

Too bad storage is a slight problem, especially since I've gotten this crazy notion of putting our DD cars inside the garage! Though, the newfound space in my mom's garage is great for sorting things there that need to be sold off ....

[Louis]

Why not hold onto it Michael....never know when the bug may hit you again and a good tudor is next to impossible to find these days.

Then we can have 'mini-meets' with nearly matching cars!