Making Unavailable Parts

Somehow, anyone in this hobby becomes a packrat. You just never know when something will come in handy, right?

This feels like some kind of True Confession session, but I figured I'd use my own case to kick this off.

Most Fords in 1978 to 1983 got synthetic leaf traps under the cowl grille. Wasn't made for Fairmonts/Zephyrs!

The donor car gave me two black PVC fender-liners, about 3/32" thick with the odd lump of moulding sprues (untrimmed scrap). There was just enough flat areas in one liner to get the two pieces I needed for these:


Here's the large one:


I made this oversize template from corrugated cardboard and the curve blade snips:


I then realized that a large cereal box cardboard would have been more precise, since it could be prodded underneath the opening and drawn more easily, but I left about 3/4" inch extra all around for fasteners. Since the finish grille sits into the recess, I have to figure out what to do to fasten it with clips or the main grille. The idea is too keep the leaves from collecting in there and rust out the cowl/firewall below. We get a lot of snow too, so the wiper arms get jammed up if it packs up under there.

Anyway, I used a 1/2" drill bit in my drill press and drew a grid with a permanent marker to keep a 1/4" of PVC between the rows of holes. The fresh air intake on the AC equipped Fairmonts is on the side of the cowl, not on top like the non-AC cars, so rusty air-intakes isn't a problem for me, but it is for non-AC Fox-bodied wagons. The fresh air intakes leak into the car from the dash, and help rot the floor panels on both front floors.

Second improvement was a better engine compartment lighting system. We bought new Bosch appliances for the kitchen, and I kept some of the steel panels and the anodized, almost Billet-style, aluminum side panels for the control panel, from the 30-year old Westinghouse stove.

Ford had a recall forced on them on the Fairmonts due to the mercury switches used in the trunk and under the hood. Mine was all corroded. That little bulb in the hood is useless anyway, so I used some teardrop license plate lights and made some small attractive (IMHO) brackets that I could mount on each shock tower and one that I can move around and under the car and to the rear.

Both Leaf traps (Fender liner PVC):



My 3 Engine compartment lights (Old stove extruded aluminum trim, Ford License plate lights - 1971 Ford - teardrop and 1964 Mercury - round one):


Notice the gasket - also made from PVC liner - used a hole-cutting bit.



I also had to make the engine compartment splash mud spats, since good ones are super rare and no longer available even in our junkyards or by repro vendors. I used that vinyl siding and posted pics in the Gallery and in my Car Running Countdown thread.

What other stuff has anyone else worked around? Unusual solutions, materials, methods.

 

Norman there is a easier way to do that and just as cheap. I always make mine from black aluminum house screen cut to shape needed and epoxy glue it on to keep leaves and bugs out.Since you do not have leaves between your cowl and fenders this will help keep all debris out.

The new under hood lights are great have you figured out a switch yet?

 

I thought about the screen too, but it can fill up with wet snow and then your wiper motor dies. Ok, I'll glue these ones to the removable cowl grille and see how it works. If not, then I'll glue screen mesh to the grille instead.

I got some old Studebaker style push-pulls and a toggle switch. One of the push-pulls has two positions, so I could run just the engine light or all three at the same time.

 

With the screen is there any way to put a heating coil on it like the ones you use for a single cup of coffee or tea that goes inside the cup?

 

Now that I know where it plugs up at the fender sides under the cowl, I'll add it to my Restored Car Owners manual as an annual procedure, right before 'Check Undercoating".

 

Do they make 12 volt ones? Not a bad idea!

 

you could get a switch from the parts store where the lights come on when you open the hood?

 

should be easy enough to convert.

 

I put one in and my wiring was a heavy duty so the pushrod broke. I figured a positive enclosed switch would be better, since I do most of my maintenance in the daytime anyway.

I've heard that some european cars have those. I think a farm supply house might too for their mobile water trucks to the fields for their cattle and sheep troughs.

 

You always think out of the box.

 

Have to, the cookie jar broke and the mailbox won't have any pension checks until next month. The Bird nest business is good to keep the navel away from the spine, but it's on hold while I get the car and renos done.

I'm not cheap, I'm frugal. You can tell by the sound when I walk, there's no squeaking, just a a few loose bearings.

 

You gots bearings? I've been short changed.

 

My wife thought I was a couple bricks short of a full load, but I explained that bearings rattle when they aren't 'lubed' enough! Didn't work though...

 

You didn't use the right lubricating line.

 

And what would that be? (he says with great trepidation...)