Eric's 1989 Yellow Grand Marquis

[gadget73]

yeah its very possible to get extra out of them without looking like a jackass rolling coal and generally abusing the engine with way too much fuel.

[Eric62]

Always sort of dug the "grid heater" design the Cummins engines used. No glow plugs to fail, and it gets the job done faster in the cold anyway. Its also a very capable engine, either of retarded power or longevity, depending on how much the injection pump gets screwed with. Some more power without being in the land of obnoxious smoke levels is a nice place to be.

It has been turned up just a little... I don't remember what was done other than the "killer dowel pin" fix and I know the timing was slightly advanced and maybe bigger injectors, but I'm not 100%. It is right where I want it... no black smoke or very little and has more than enough power for me. If I baby it, I'm hoping the tranny and rearend will last a few years. That seems to be the problem with the cummins... building up the rest of the drivetrain to handle the torque.

[gadget73]

Always sort of dug the "grid heater" design the Cummins engines used. No glow plugs to fail, and it gets the job done faster in the cold anyway. Its also a very capable engine, either of retarded power or longevity, depending on how much the injection pump gets screwed with. Some more power without being in the land of obnoxious smoke levels is a nice place to be.

[Eric62]

Thats the usual fail method for that alternator. Connector gets loose and it melts. Its not a good design.

12v swapped Burban? Interesting.

ahhh... ok... I'll be pretty busy for a while, but I will be pushing the alternator swap up the list a few places.
I was planning a trip to Vegas, but the car is not ready for a trip that long and I really don't have the time.
Yes, I love Cummins engines... no computers and they start immediately no matter how cold it is or how long they have sat... within reason. The guy I bought it off of did a very clean job on the swap and I got it at a price where I would have had way more money into it than I paid and probably could not have done as nice of a job. Very happy with it so far... The GM will be for running errands around town and road trips where nothing needs to be towed. Mostly using the Suburban for towing my trailer.

[gadget73]

Thats the usual fail method for that alternator. Connector gets loose and it melts. Its not a good design.

12v swapped Burban? Interesting.

[Eric62]

I almost made it back to FL from MI a week ago, but had to call AAA for a tow 80 miles from home. My amp light came on at the end of day 1 driving while at a stop sign. Once I had engine RPMs up a little it went away. I assumed that as long as I was on the highway, I'd be fine, but as it turns out it was not. The battery finally completely died... luckily the tow showed up within 20 min. At the time I was kicking myself for not finding a parts store and either buying a new battery or an alt, but that would have been $100... as it turns out, the AAA tow was free and once home I replaced the alt and the alt wiring harness with the one off my parts car, and all is fine again. The big connector on the alt was severely corroded and had a corroded splice as well... I'm guessing the wiring was the main problem. It is probably time to do the alt upgrade that I have seen here. I also plan on moving the battery to the trunk and upgrading all the battery cables as well as they are looking pretty bad.
When in MI, I also did title transfer and plates for my latest vehicle... 1994 2500 suburban with a 12v Cummins with NV4500 5 speed. Now that I have 2 vehicles again, I can tear the GM apart for a few days and still have transportation.

[Eric62]

Thanks everyone,
I will take it to a glass shop at some point as I don't want to keep buying glue kits... if it falls off then I'll just take it back to the glass shop.

[DerekTheGreat]

I had to put one in after a junkyard run. Some old dude told me to put the Permatex kit in the trash and just use super glue. Haven't had to give that a shot yet but I will. If that fails, then I'll try that five minute epoxy a shot next.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

The one in my ‘97 had a period where it would fall off each year when it got hot, so I’d usually come out to find it dangling by the power wire. I gave up on those little kits you get at the parts store and was pointed towards Permatex’s Five Minute Epoxy. It’s one of those two part deals, but I cleaned the glass and button with rubbing alcohol, put a small dot of that stuff on the back, and held it against the windshield for a minute, then let it cure over night.

That was at least three or four years ago and it has not fallen down since.

[VicCrownVic]

The rear view mirror in The Scab was on the front seat when I bought it. The first attempt held for a little over a year, second has been on there for a little over a year I think. I read the instructions beforehand each time and laid everything out to make following the instructions to the letter easier. It seams cleaning, prep, temperature, and holding the button in place for at least the minimum suggested time are all important to the process.

As mentioned, an auto glass place is probably the best bet though.

[BigMerc96]

Heh. I'm glad I've never had to deal with the rear view coming unglued. Don't know how, the mirror in my Town Car has been loose from the glass since the day I bought it in 2012. My buddy hasn't been so lucky. The mirror in his '91 fell off on a hot day, that one went up no problem with one of the kits. The one in his Town Car was on the back seat when he bought it, that one put up a fight. 1st kit didn't hold. 2nd kit didn't either. 3rd kit held great, so great that it came off a week later with a piece of the windshield still attached!. I don't remember how he eventually got the mirror attached, pretty sure it was done at a shop, and it was about an inch too low because of the missing chunk of glass where it was supposed to be.

[gadget73]

thats what I decided years ago, but the last time it happened, dude had already closed up shop. Took two tries, its holding now though. I've probably bought 5 of them and its worked properly once.

[Eric62]

I've done it, but I found that the glass and the tab must be absolutely clean and you have to follow the instructions to the letter. I want to say you prime both sides but only put glue on one, temperature has to be right, etc. I've failed at it more times than succeeded though. I used to have a local glass shop that could fix them. 10 bucks and it never caused me trouble again but dude and the wife had issues, he closed up shop and moved out of state.

I bought the kit and did follow the directions exactly... Yes, primed both but only put glue on the metal. The glass shop is a good idea. The kit was $10 and I'm not buying another one, lol.

[gadget73]

I've done it, but I found that the glass and the tab must be absolutely clean and you have to follow the instructions to the letter. I want to say you prime both sides but only put glue on one, temperature has to be right, etc. I've failed at it more times than succeeded though. I used to have a local glass shop that could fix them. 10 bucks and it never caused me trouble again but dude and the wife had issues, he closed up shop and moved out of state.

[Eric62]

Made the 1200 mile trip to MI without any issues... Hopefully I'll have the same result.
Before I left, I got the temp gauge working, although it is off... The sending unit seems off by 40 deg, but it is the sending unit that Summit recommends for the gauge... I have been trying to find the correct one, but they don't seem to have a 60-240, even though that is what their brand new gauges are. I might have to call.
My rearview mirror had fallen off and I glued it back on... fell off within 3 hours of my trip. I've never been able to glue them on successfully after they have fallen off... has anyone else had any luck? I might get an old one that screws to the roof somehow.
I wanted to get the heat working, but ended up not having time as I spent some time changing the oil again, gathering tools, checking spare tire, jack, packing tools, etc.