Laughing Coyote Posted February 7, 2021 Author Share Posted February 7, 2021 (edited) Okay. Now we are making some headway. Since the last post I fired the car and it wouldn't even stay running. Just stumble and cough and acted like its got the flu. Also the starter got hung up and wouldn't retract back in. I was about to sell the damn thing. Then after a few days I took it back apart. Got it at TDC again. Put in hotter plugs, pulled the starter and solved the issue with the bendix hanging up. Re-installed the distributor again and got the rotor set. Points where re-gaped and everything doubled check. Today I fired it up again and it actually ran. With all the test equipment hooked up, checked the high idle RPM's and set at 1500 RPM's . After it warmed up I checked the low idle and adjusted to 600 RPM and in gear I'm at 550 RPM's. Vacuum was at 19 during high idle and settled down to 16.5/17 at low idle. Dwell is at 23.5 at low idle. The manual shows 26-28 on the dwell so it's a little low. Have to look into that for more adjustment. I had to increase the fuel mixture richer since I had a little back fire thru the carb. It does run a lot better than before. The hesitation seems to be gone now and it has more pep. I took it around the block for some exercise and it was great. So it was a good day, for once. Edited February 7, 2021 by Laughing Coyote (see edit history) 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted April 18, 2021 Author Share Posted April 18, 2021 After a long pause of not working on the Mercury due to weather, the business, and several home projects I got to work on it today. I decided to paint the roof. since there wasn't much to do and I have the paint. I did the final sand with 600 and got it done. It came out pretty nice. Is it a perfect pebble beach paint job? Well no, but it's a nice local car show and driver paint job. The little things I see should come out once I cut and buff. After the car is done I planning on driving the wheels off it. Feels good to get something done. I think the next thing is the hood so I can get the front of the car finished. The rear quarters are going to be a fun time and I really can't get to the front jambs good until I pull the doors. We are considering of moving so I don't want to be in the middle of that headache until we get where we want to be. If and it's a big IF it works out. Things aren't looking all that great out there. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Looking good! 👍 You got a little overspray there Martin. 😜 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted April 18, 2021 Author Share Posted April 18, 2021 Thanks Bleach! The over spray on the rear quarters will be sanded and covered with at least two more heavy coats of primer to get the imperfections fixed. Plenty to do yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 I'm sure you know I was just kidding about the overspray. I'm glad to see you're making nice progress on it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 I love that color, really looking great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Looking great Martin ! I wish that I was this far along with my project (s).... Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted April 28, 2021 Share Posted April 28, 2021 Looks great! There's something about a shiny roof and hood. When you come out of a store and see the straight, shiny roof, hood and trunk lid of your old car in the parking lot, it's a great feeling! Glad to see you working on the Mercury again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 15, 2021 Author Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) Since my neighbor went to Ohio to see family for a while I washed my tractor this morning and parked it in his shop. That freed up some room for me to work on hood. After digging the hood out of my trailer I started by removing most of the hood insulation. Still have more in the front to remove. There are some spots where it's stuck good still. The fun part is removing the black tar stuff. It's a mess to remove. I also was looking it over and found a lot of things that need attention. The hood mount on the passenger side is pretty messed up so that will take some work to straighten out. The fun has just started. Edited May 15, 2021 by Laughing Coyote (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Martin, glad to see you working on the Merc again. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 15, 2021 Author Share Posted May 15, 2021 As I said, the fun just started. After a break I was closely looking at the hood bolt mount areas and they didn't look factory to me. There was brazing all around one threaded hole and the ones on the other side look about the same. Sure enough someone did some repair work on the hood mounts. Why? don't know. I have one hole that is factory so I will have to go with that and fix all the others to match. And I wounder why the hood never sat right. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 16, 2021 Author Share Posted May 16, 2021 Did some more work on the hood today. I was able to get the brazed nut off and everything cleaned up. I made a new nut out of some 1/2" square bar stock. After getting everything all straightened back out it was time to weld it all back together. I have to get my other welder out to finish the welds up. My shop welder doesn't like the thin metal even on the lowest setting. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Wow, sorry that this part of the job was more involved than desired. Looks like you're doing a great repair, though. I'm going to check again and see how securely my hood is fastened to the hinges. Maybe this was a common repair for common problem back then?? If you can think of any photos that might help you, let me know and take some when I'm up at storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 No worries James, I don't know why it would have needed a repair like that unless the factory nut mounts rusted away on the back side of the hood frame and gave way causing the hood to be loose. The other side looks like the factory square nuts where brazed back on. Doesn't look like a dealer type repair. I will know more when I tear into that side. More to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 isn't it just a blast to peer inside something and find Rusty Acres Subdivision populated with Strange Repairs using Questionable Materials. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 Just wanted to mention if you decide to blast any of the under hood bracing, make sure you tuck some plywood or rubber sheet under the bracing and against the bottom of the hood sheet metal. I blasted my 83' blazer hood bracing as it was rusty in places. When we flipped the hood over to work the top it was warped anywhere the sand had even lightly touched it. The hood surface is a big span of unsupported metal that is easily warped because it's only fastened at the front, sides, and back. While the bends are purposely put in them for strength, some hoods like my 83' Blazer hood, has almost a totally flat surface that is structurally weak. It was pretty amazing how just incidental contact from the sand warped the steel. You could actually see the shape of the bracing on the top of the hood when looking at it at just the right angle. Ended up getting another hood as the time to try and shrink it then work it wasn't worth just buying a good original hood. Lesson learned. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 18, 2021 Author Share Posted May 18, 2021 Chistech, I will be sanding the outer skin with a DA sander and chemically treating any rust that's on the inside of the hood and sealing it up. It's mainly around the edges and the front lip area. By the time it rusts thru out in this dry dust bowl climate I will be long since gone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 19, 2021 Author Share Posted May 19, 2021 (edited) I had a little time this afternoon so I cut the other side out of the hood hinge area and looked just as bad with rust, but the repair job was worse than the other side. I got the area cleaned up and treated and welded in new mounting blocks. It won't be coming apart in my lifetime. Just have to remove all the brazing crud, clean up, straighten, and reinstall. Edited May 19, 2021 by Laughing Coyote (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted May 20, 2021 Share Posted May 20, 2021 Wow, what a project that's turned into. I'm sending you a pm soon. Best of luck! You're doing things the right way.😉 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted June 13, 2021 Author Share Posted June 13, 2021 This weekend I decided to brave the heat for a bit and work on the hood. I got the hood mount areas all welded up and cleaned up. Just a little spot filler here and there to fill any imperfections and that would be done. The other issues I had was to go and pull out all the dents and dings in the brace areas. I have a lot of them pulled out, just have to do a little filler here and there and they will be finished also. The really fun part will be the front edge where the rust is the worst and will require straightening the front edge. Once that is complete and I'm happy with all of it then I will lay down a heavy coat of primer and see how it looks. Then I will probably install it on the car to see how it fits and if there is anything out of wack that will require a tweak here and there. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GARY F Posted June 13, 2021 Share Posted June 13, 2021 Nice work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted June 25, 2021 Author Share Posted June 25, 2021 This afternoon I had a chance to get the rest of the hood sanded. I have already addressed the areas that needed some attention so the next step is to work the front lip area. Hopefully it wont be too big of an issue to get cleaned up, but you never know when you start getting into it. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank29u Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Looking good! Glad it "cooled" enough to get some work done. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Always nice work, Martin! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 So... one of my girls is headed your way... well close. My middle daughter graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology this spring with a BS in Earth and Atmospheric Science and a minor in Physics. She has been accepted to the doctoral program in the Schools of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU in Phoenix. It looks like that's a good bit north of you but at least the same state! If I end up driving with her to get there we'd probably drive right by you. I'm thinking that we're probably not going to drive and rather I'm just going to lease her a car in Phoenix. If we do drive, I'll let you know! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted July 11, 2021 Author Share Posted July 11, 2021 (edited) I finished up all the body work on the hood last night and did a fit test. It looks pretty good for fit. Today I laid down the primer. It went on very well since it was very humid this morning. I will just need to hit it with some 600, spray and clear when I'm ready. The hood hinge repair areas look good too. I will flip it over in a week and start working the top side after I let it cure out. Edited July 11, 2021 by Laughing Coyote (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 REALLY NICE WORK! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted July 11, 2021 Share Posted July 11, 2021 16 minutes ago, keiser31 said: REALLY NICE WORK! Agreed, great work! Can't wait to see color! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted July 11, 2021 Author Share Posted July 11, 2021 4 hours ago, Luv2Wrench said: Can't wait to see color! Me too!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 12 hours ago, Laughing Coyote said: Today I laid down the primer. It went on very well since it was very humid this morning. Is that correct? I always heard that spraying a primer or paint should not be done with high humidity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted July 12, 2021 Author Share Posted July 12, 2021 A little moisture in the air will help it flow a little better and keep it from drying out to fast when spraying. Out here in the desert at 90 degrees and dry the primer just dries out to fast and gives it a grainy look. We are having our rainy season so it helps. It's not super high humidity just a little moist. You see guys in paint booths spray down the floor with water to keep the dust down, but that would incorporate moisture in the booth also when spraying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 Thanks for the explanation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 Here in the south, our idea of "a little moisture in the air" is also called "rain without clouds overhead"... ie; 80% humidity. In those conditions your air system has to be really good at removing water or that's what will be in whatever you're trying to spray. That, Roger, might be behind what you've heard. I have a pre-tank intercooler on my compressor and it pulled out nearly a gallon as I sprayed 4 coats of clear yesterday. If I didn't have that, 50' of copper, multiple water traps, 2 quarts of desiccant beads and a sub-micron filter at the end... I would have been spraying water along with the clear this weekend. So yes, what you've heard is generally true. Where Martin lives, however, spit evaporates before it hits the ground. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Zimmermann Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 Jeff, another good explanation! We may have from time to time "high" humidity but not in the same sin as you have! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 2 hours ago, Luv2Wrench said: Here in the south, our idea of "a little moisture in the air" is also called "rain without clouds overhead"... ie; 80% humidity...Where Martin lives, however, spit evaporates before it hits the ground. Having a brother who lives in Georgia and a son who goes to school in Arizona (not that far from Martin) I can attest to what Luv2Wrench is saying. They are different worlds with different definitions of humidity. 😉 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted July 18, 2021 Author Share Posted July 18, 2021 (edited) Over this past week I decided to sand out the hood. I had some areas that needed sanding with 220 to smooth out and the rest came out nice with 600. Today I put on another coat of primer and it came out great. I will hit it with a light sand and it's ready for color after the top side is ready. I will give it a few days and flip it over later this week and sand the top. It looks ugly, but should sand out nice with no surprises (I hope). Once it's done then a heavy coat of primer, sand and should be ready for color too. On another note my old neighbor has decided that it's time to move back to Ohio to be closer to family since he's 80 and can't do the VW transmission work anymore. I've been helping him sell off his equipment. So far he has given me a 20 ton HF press, parts washer tank and a HF engine hoist. I'm sure there will be more as he goes through the shop. Now I need a bigger shop. Edited July 19, 2021 by Laughing Coyote (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 Got the hood flipped over today. Started to sand on it. Other than a few small nicks to fill and surface rust it's not to bad. I got half of it done and treated the metal with some OSPHO. I will go over it again with the DA one more time and on to the other side. Should go pretty fast. We're expecting a bunch of rain this weekend so I will have to spray primer next week. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 Looking great Martin.... once completed and on the road, ever think of taking your 8 years of restoration and turn it into a restoration book / guide ? Your detail pictures and your explanation of work is top notch, just like some other restoration threads here on the forum ! Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 Thanks Steve. Never really thought of it. My main thing is to get it done and on the road. I may have to ponder something that could be a useful guide or restoration tips booklet kind of thing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericmac Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 I just looked through your thread. Your work is impressive to say the least. I look forward to watching more of your progress. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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