'70 squire: back to the road

Yeah, as someone who knows how to tune a point-condenser ignition, all I have to say is that it's a 5,000 mile PITA. Meaning, the first 5,000 on new points, you file them, reset dwell and recheck timing. the next 5,000, you replace them. Anybody who says you can get more than 10K on a set of points with no losses is a fool. Your loss is in bad gas mileage, and at today's prices it hurts more and faster. But, it is your car, you could really do yourself a favor in the car's lifetime with a Pertronix II. That's all I have to say.

 

Thank you all for the input. I will consider it more, but am pretty sure I want points. I like the old systems.

Update: the weather was nice yesterday so I dug into the rear tailgate. The window wouldn't roll up or down and was down about 4 inches. I unplugged the motor and jumped it to a spare battery. Motor works great and the window is now up. While I was there, I cleaned and re lubricated all if the rub points and rollers. As a plus, now that the window was able to roll all of the way down, I tested the interior handle and the gate does in fact open in both directions.

Aside from some rust, the gate is completely functioning now. That's a plus. I will do cosmetics after all systems are functioning properly.

 

Some of the other cars I play around with:

 

Aw, man, you live to hurt me....

 

That's an impressive collection there. Are they all yours?

 

No, I just get to tinker with them and drive them. The owner is a good friend of mine. He teaches me what he can, but he's usually pretty busy.

 

That's pretty neat! I like the Packard Clipper. Looks like a 56.

 

That's funny. That's actually the owners least favorite one of the whole collection, and may be for sale. There's a few not pictured. The green buick has 3500 original miles. There's an auburn being restored. And a 40s continental. A 59 Pontiac with 32k miles. Some nice ones.


As for my wagon, if anyone has pictures of how the fuel lines are routed in the engine bay, I need to see them. I'll be searching too and will post what I find.

I put newer tires on it to help it roll and freed up a stuck rear brake. One of the wheels leaks air. The old tire had a tube in it. I'm thinking it's the wheel. I planned on replacing them anyways, but was hoping to hold off. I guess that will be sooner than later. I need a not so busy day to pump it back up and hit it with soapy water. I did around the rim and valve stem today, but no bubbles. I'll pull it back off next time I get a spare moment and spray the whole thing down.

 

That is funny.
Everyone has to have a least favorite I suppose.

 

That's the only car in the collection that is an "average" car. No special options, first to have xxx, 1 of 1, ultra low miles, etc. Just a nice classic.

 

Oh, that's always fun. My '83 CP had somehow spit out its adjuster on the left side, and had dug deep grooves in the drum. I not only had to do the drum and shoes, but the entire bunch of hardware, so I did both sides. Cost me a pretty penny, but they certainly worked well.

As for the fuel lines, like any carbed Ford, the hard line comes down the left frame rail and ends just in front of the engine crossmember; a fuel hose goes from that to the pump, and then a hard line goes up the driver's front face of the block, under the P/S bracket if it has P/S, to the filter on the carb.

 

Nice! Great progress. One of my favorite wagons, with the hide-away headlights.

 

Is the vehicle in front of it its towing tractor?:

 

No, just parked in front of the trailer for the night. I had to leave it on the street. That samurai is 3500lbs and maybe 45 hp. I doubt it would pull much quickly.

I am trying to find that hard line from the pump to the 2bbl carb. I can only find the 4bbl carb hard line. I wonder if they're the same? It also lists a/c cars as having a different line. I could see that since the compressor is right there. I really would like original line routing. It's just a hose draped over the valve cover right now. I can't hardly stand it.

As for progress, the drivers side rear tire had a fast leak. The wheel was damaged internally. I made a repair to it. Do keep in mind, these wheels will it be driven on. They're only on it for the time being.

 

Head to your local Pull a Part and look for some 15" steel wheels from a 79 - 91 Ford Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis. They're the correct lug pattern and offset for your Squire, and can be found pretty easily and for cheap. You might be able to find a set with some decent tires. Then, you'll just need some hubcaps, if that's the look you're going for. Look closely though, because a lot of those year model Fords came with 16" wheels, which you probably don't want.