75 Courier: Slow road to a fast "truck"

TED_fiestaHP wrote: Carbs can be good fun. Sounds like it's not getting fuel from some of the carb circuits. If there is a idle mixture adjustment screw, could try removing that and spraying some sort of cleaner into that hole. Not sure what type carb you have or what could be wrong, but if the ignition is now working, I would assume some sort of carb issue. How old is this? Rubber parts dry rot and things clog up. Nothing wrong with points and condenser, can carry a spare set, and it is easy to fix if something goes wrong.

Pretty much exactly where I'm at. The carb was allegedly rebuilt by the previous owner, but I have no proof of that. I hope it's something simple enough that a little cleaning will do. The accelerator pump in this case is not a rubber diaphragm but a small metal device over a spring. very interesting.

Well... I hate to be posting this, but I think I'm going to end up selling the truck. It's the perfect second vehicle as its been great for 95% of the time I have owned it (especially after fixing some things), but I don't want to have to keep worrying about wear and tear and limiting the mileage I drive. Not 100% set, but look for a classified ad in the next week or two after it comes out of the shop running.

I'll be keeping the 2.3t engine and will still build that for something in the future.

I'm sorry that you feel you need to pass it on, but I'll be looking forward to the classified ad!

Well, given that I ought to be picking up a really nice, clean Eddie Bauer V8 AWD Exploder Wednesday unless something goes really wrong, watch out for a sale ad tomorrow or Wednesday. Hate to see it go, but I'm looking forward to getting a lot more miles in something newer/nicer than I've ever owned before.

The new truck (now with towing capacity!)

It's been fun watching this build. Hopefully a GRMer will pick it up and keep us posted on it. For those of us who are partial to small trucks, do you have some more pictures?

I'll be posting it here first, I'd rather it stay in the GRM family.
http://s1025.photobucket.com/user/laxands13/library/Ford%20Courier?sort=3&page=1 That should be a public link to the album of all pictures I have of important stuff. Will take some better overall pictures in daylight tomorrow, I ran out tonight.

Oooh please let me know what you are looking to get for the truck. I could morph this into a REPU of sorts with the parts I have from my project 74 REPU, and a drive train I could cobble together. Maybe a good father-son project for me and either one of my boys.

in reply to EastCoastMojo:

Here are a couple from outside work this morning! Still need to have phone battery left to take pictures with at the end of the work day

Size comparison next to a Miata:

Mazdax605, sent you an email.

That is such a cool little truck. Thanks for the pics. Hope it finds a GRM home!

Oh man! Well like its been said I hope it stays in the GRM family!

Well, didn't get much interest in the truck on here and didn't post it anywhere else, so I decided to keep it. The car from my avatar is up for sale if anyone wants to help me out by buying that!

I ordered a front mount oil pan for the 2.3 tonight. No turning back now. Best part - it doesn't have to be my dd so I can tear it apart once it finds a resting place that isn't my current apartment.

Well, since I was in need of a radiator, turbo, and clutch... I decided to spend the $300 on the "running" Xr4ti from $2015 classifieds. Will be picking it up this weekend and stripping the drivetrain soon. This one will not get rebuilt and will get dropped straight in over the summer. Haven't decided yet whether I'll use the megasquirt but I'll almost definitely keep it. I also have a line on another spare wiring harness and some intakes I can have cut/welded at 90° to face the front and make piping easier.

If anybody is looking for a dirt cheap racecar shell, I'll have one for sale as soon as I get the drivetrain out!

If you don't find a buyer here on the forum, post it over on the Locost website. The suspension bits on the Merkur are the base for the "new" book design Chassis (the Haynes Roadster) and are pretty desirable to those builders. Site is locostusa dot com.

If it's rust free some of the Merkur guys might want it also.

I'll check into all of those options. Ultimately, whoever can get here first after I take the drivetrain wins

Picked it up and towed it back tonight. Miraculously, the 12 year old, cracked rear tires held air enough to get me from Atlanta to Greenville with no refills. The only tire that leaked down is the driver's front, which luckily didn't even slow us in getting it off the dolly and into place in my apartment complex "overflow" parking. Only snapped one pic, and that was the quintessential gas station shot on my way back. Hoping to start tearing into it tomorrow night but likely I won't have any free time during daylight hours until Monday. I think I'll re-install the radiator and borrow a battery and see if I can crank it before tearing it apart. I've never actually heard any of these engines in person and it would be cool to know what to expect

Got to dig into the spare parts and check out the car a little more tonight.

The trunk full of spares include:

1 tail light

3 of the smaller headlights

1 throttle body

2 lower intakes

2 brown top injectors

2 distributors

1 extra alternator

1 VAM

Several extra interior pieces

An extra spoiler

Lots of piping, will be nice come FMIC time.

and a lot more random smaller pieces.

I also believe the transmission is in fact a T9, and not a T5 based on where reverse is. I will probably stick with the WC T5 I already have at home unless the T9 has significant advantages.

Pics:

Reverse actually IS there, too, it's not just the shift knob

All 4 locking center caps are present.. the key, not so much

Some sort of glasspack, apparently:

The tentative plan is to get the radiator dropped in and hooked up tomorrow. I'll steal the battery from the Courier and see if we can crank it over. Apparently it was run at some point in September

I'll take that power window switch if you have no use for it. I like the cover on it.

As a former 'Wreck Racer', I'm happy to see the Merkur has found a new home

In reply to GPz11:

Sent you a message.

In reply to maschinenbau:

A good home might be a stretch , it's temporary here. I expect to break even. Anything over that will likely go to upgrading the MS to something newer and/or wideband and other gauges/sensors. As always, money is the limiting factor.

Damnit, your in greenville?

I am in Greenville, on Woodruff road actually. Here until mid-May

Luckily there is no work else i'd ask about that courier... (Live in Duncan, work in Mauldin/next to woodruff road)

It's off the market now, sticking with me. The Merkur is going to give me the clutch, radiator, and turbo I need and then pay for itself. Because I know/will know this engine runs it'll be easier to drop into the courier than scrambling to finish the rebuild. If you need a Merkur shell, that'll be for sale before long

I am looking for a drivers seat height adjuster from an XR4ti if you are parting the car out. It may or may not be integral to the drivers seat bottom.

It is integral to the seat base (mounting bracket), not the seat bottom if that makes sense.

jimbob_racing wrote: I am looking for a drivers seat height adjuster from an XR4ti if you are parting the car out. It may or may not be integral to the drivers seat bottom.