Wednesday after working 9 hrs in 95* weather in all brick shop with no A/C, at work. WHEN I GOT HOME, I went to change the oil in my new $300 1980 351W LTD woody. when the oil pan plug came out, it had no threads. no big, I went to my scrap pile of oil pans and got a different one. went to screw it in ,no go.. tried different pan plug, still no go. it was get dark. so it had to wait for few days until I had time to play. so today. I got off work and the first thing I do ,is to see what going on with that oil pan. all my ford standard or metric plugs are no go. so I went looking for that cheep plug that came out. I'm looking at this oil drain bolt and thinking I know that size. so back out to the scrap pile I go, looking for the one I think, I might have. sure enough . the one I was looking for, screwed right in. so now my all ford car, now has a chevy oil pan drain plug. after changing the filter and filling the engine with oil, I'm thinking I have enough hours left today to swap in that complete 8.8 rear end with 3.55 traction I was saving. I raise the back of the LTD on to wooden stumps to make room for the swap and out back of the shop I go. I move some piles of tires that was in the way. cut some weeds. there I find the rear end I'm looking for. call son out side to help lift rear end and put some roller tires on . when we move the rear end, it not acting like the traction lock is working. so after we get the rear move to the front of the shop. I pull the rear cover to take a look. well it had a the tag on it ,saying it was 3L 55 8.8 but turn out to be a 3.08 open. well, no use swapping the complete rear for that. I will have to find some 3.73 gears with locker carrier for it now. before i lower the grizewall down. I take a good look at the under side, now that I have her 4 feet off the ground. I find out it has air shocks and one broken spring. so out back I go .looking for those nice HD springs, I had on the half-breed ranchero, I had for hauling. I pull out the broken factory springs out of grizewall and install my HD springs, lower the car off the wooden stump's and now the car sit level. it was a little lazy in the back side. I have 225/75/15 on the front and 235/70/15 on the back and 2 inch's of air from the lip of ,to the top of the tires, which is great when I'm driving in the snow I get around here. . all that work tonight just to get the car to sit level?
some day, i feel like that but most it. just stuff i think i might need some day, even if i never do, thing. when it come to car parts, i get sick if throw some good away, so i try to save parts i need. when I take some thing apart for what ever reason and it not reused able, i then save up the tin or metal scrap in piles until i have a load to take. the last time i had 2500 lbs and i gave me back $180.00. that was 180.00 BUCKS. I used toward buying this 1980 LTD. like the chevy oil pan off a 350, the put a 4 rod's through the side of the block and pan, broke the cam shaft in three place's .I save every thing on the outside and the heads. tossed the rest in the scrap pile. just didn't think ,I would have A use for the oil pan drain bolt.
Now that is an interesting afternoon! A Chevy oil plug, a spare rearend, spare springs, and all in Big Sky Country! I love Montana. You haven't seen the stars at night, until you see them from Montana. They look like popcorn in a black bowl that you can just reach out and grab a handful. So many stars that we never see from the city, but even more when you're up in the hills. Just breathtaking!
