Uncatalyzed exhaust has a certain magic smell of nostalgia to it. Also a smell that reminds you to open the garage door NOW!
Did Fergus start right up? Of course Fergus started right up. Time to finish the front brakes. The next time I work under Fergus will be on a lift!
You lucky bastard.
Glad to hear she's among the living again.
Four lines, 8 flares, found leaks, remade one line, so now 10 flares. I'm not sure if even one of them is holding fluid. I'm doing something wrong.
It's been a long time since these two sat next to each other.
Excellent! 
Torque spec on brake flare nuts is until it stops leaking or something breaks. You've got a nice line wrench, right?
It's come to my attention lately that there is a lot of interest in Fergus, so I thought an update was in order.
This is what I see every morning when I step out the front door. Fergus, nestled snugly under the carport. I have a plan. An evolving plan, not a solid one, and that's the big thing that keeps me from diving in. I look at this car every morning in and see potential in a lot of directions. So for now I'm going to keep standing on the porch, drinking my coffee, and pondering. I've never had a car sit so still and add so much value to my life.
Feel the Ferg...
What is the wheelbase on Fergus versus the Panzerwagon? Might be time to try one of these there "Chassis Swaps" to move Fergus up into the 21st century.
Link to a builder on Retro Rides who swaps Durango chassis under everything he sees. Very practical guy and the swaps happen at a speed I cant comprehend.
http://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/193473/shelby-mustang-motor-international-truck
Leave the rest just the way it is.
The 390/three on the tree is staying. It's part of what makes the car more interesting (to me) than any other old wagon. I have modern cars, this is my old one.
In reply to mazdeuce:
Yes! I've had an older car that I tried to modernize with good suspension and whatnot, and it wound up lacking character. Plus the 390/3 on the tree is soooo cool.
I'm glad to see you're back working on Fergus and I can't wait for more updates.
Turbo, efi, bags, go!
IMNSHO:
Offenhauser intake w/ Holley 650 or TBI EFI
Headers and dual exhaust
Gear Venders O/D
functioning A/C
If it doesn't have power brakes - add them
Maybe slightly stiffer front springs and sway bar
Have the OE steel wheels widened a bit for slightly bigger tires (unless OE wheels are 14" - then go with wider 15" steel wheels)
Enjoy.
In reply to Ian F:
I agree with everything you said. Just get it reliable and slightly hopped up, nothing crazy. Keep the character and keep it running.
That's what I love about my '72 El Camino (avatar photo). It's not fast, it's not modern, but it has plenty of grunt and it's never in pieces. It has all the character of an old-school muscle car and all the attention that comes with that, yet I can confidently drive it anywhere, anytime. It's the "non-project" project car.
This weekend I picked up a load of mulch. Next weekend it's in a car show. It's just great having a car like this around. Like you said, it adds value to your life in a way you can't explain.
Fergus doesn't need much to get to this state.
Inspiration. 
My 2 cents: Modern rubber on steel wheels with dog dishes,judicious lovering, get the AC working (Vintage Air, if necessary), maybe Fuel injection a-la NOHOME, good brakes, and not much else. Taller tires will gear it to the moon
In reply to wheelsmithy:
Ohhh that white car.....
If you like Fergus as an old car, then rather than modernize it in ANY way, you should embrace the era and restore the thing from stem to stern. They had AC back then, so fair game to add it if not already installed. It has plenty of speed and power to play in modern traffic.
I would still leave the body alone.
In reply to NOHOME:
Speed and power - perhaps. Handling? Maybe. Brakes? Likely not.
The 60's era brakes are probably what scare me the most when driving my old cars in modern traffic. Modern cars can simply stop so much faster than I can, so I have to pay extra attention and leave extra space. Even more so when I'm in a car that is eye-level with other cars bumpers...
Otherwise, that is essentially my thought. None of my changes couldn't be reversed back to 100% original within a couple of weekends.
None of you are wrong about anything. I enjoy this conversation.
More to ponder:
Leave the paint and "patina" as it is on Fergus, but get a stance and red widened wheels like this one:
Fergus is perfect as is.
Working brakes, rebuilding the column, and sorting a safer fuel tank need to be done. And putting the AC back in. Which involves sorting out the section of burned vacuum lines.
Aesthetically though, I agree.
I mentioned this in the Unicorn thread, but it goes better here: I've been watching Tom Cotter's barn find hunter series of videos on Youtube, and he recently bought a 1967 Ford Country Squire that was factory equipped with a 428, four speed, console and bucket seats. And wood grain siding. :) A one of one car, supposedly it had to be signed off by Lee Iacocca himself to be released for production.
https://youtu.be/pKjWKq5Hsfo?t=670
That's my car turned up to 11.
You'll need to log in to post.
