Where are all the Box Panther fans? Wagon content

Very nice!

Would not have expected those wheels but wow they look great!

gumby (Forum Supporter) said:

Big reveal!

I made small steps thru the week, but the wagon consistently resisted forward progress. Missing part, defective part, Left vs. right tolerance causing the need for more spacer in the front than I had wheel stud length available, etc....anyhow; springs, shocks, larger front brakes, some baller wheels, and it is finally starting to feel like mine

+ 1

Are you keeping the "survivor" look, or is paint work in it's future ?

Thanks all! These pics accurately reflect the image in my head as I looked at the original sale ad, although I'd never have guessed I would have fall colors as a backdrop for the debut.

35° morning temp reminded me that I need to change the thermostat. If that doesn't allow the engine to warm up I may hafta go old school cardboard on the radiator.

In reply to Indy "Nub" Guy :

I think survivor is a much better monkier than patina. The condition adds to the car's character and with an appliance level future, I have no plans for any paint work.

Been a couple months and lots of (s)miles; time for an update.

Opened up the thermostat housing and found an aftermarket replacement which was hung open.

With a new thermostat the engine did warm up faster, but it never seemed to reach as high on the gauge. When the weather turned for reals cold, the heat was lukewarm at best. I finally broke and pulled the new stat back out and tested it on the stove to find out that it would crack open at about 160° was full open by 180° and took f o r e v e r to close again. 192° my ass.

None of the FLAPS could get me a Motorcraft in a reasonable timeframe, so I grabbed a stat out of the old 3.8 in the corner to see if I could at least make things better while I waited. I have melt-yer-face heat now, and I am not gonna bother going back in there again till something is broke. Doing the job twice is enough for the time being.

End of last week we had a couple warmer days; like tailgate window down warm. One of those days I actually saw the sun! I had the rear windows and the tailgate window open, heat blowing, and I was using all the stereo volume to exorcise my grey hell while Reel Big Fish trashed the 30yo front speakers. So I got to dive back into the door panels and swap in a cheap pair of 6.5's. Dual says they can handle all 52w of fury emitted from the Sony. We'll find out I'm sure, just as soon as I see the sun again.....

On Wednesday some rogue road debris took out my hood ornament. I am watching a few options on eBay. Replacement is required. A hood ornament is one of my favorite parts of driving an old heap

I've gathered a few shelf parts in case the engine gives me a reason, but for now it runs well enough I wouldn't dare pull it down.

I mean just today, we went for a beer run on the way home from the junkyard. Why mess with perfection?

Runs great, reliable and no sign of trouble. Obviously the logical thing to do is to have a new top end on standby. 

So, the hood ornament got replaced. $16 and in better condition than the original!

Last weekend was a regular oil change, but yesterday the wagon decided it needed more attention as I noticed a pretty good miss on the way home from work. Grabbed plugs, wires, cap, and rotor to replace those which appear to have been factory installed...

Plugs all came out looking even at least. No signs of oil or coolant on any of them

I'm just finding this a year late.  It. Is. Glorious!

I live in central Missouri and finding something without real rust is hard here...but hopefully you've done it.  (edit:  I don't doubt it's way harder in Chicago...to find cars without real rust).

 Neat back story!

Some day when I get my little ford wagon running, I might have to road trip out to see your fantastic collection ;)

In reply to ClemSparks :
You are welcome, anytime!

________________________

This thing continues to reliably knock down daily driver/utility duties. A couple adventures I have had with my wagon recently....

look what vintage photo came across my Facebook feed today in a group "Love My Missouri Backroads."

[Edit:  It's not-so-vintage.  The photographer says it was taken 4/16/19]

Noice!

I told my wife that I wished I had a copy of a picture of my LTD that she took on our way to Cape Hatteras. Of course it took her about 30 seconds. 
 Edit: I still have the surfboard and the fishing rods. The car is long gone. 

In reply to gumby (Forum Supporter) :

The ride height is absolutely perfect! Did you have to do any cutting on the springs? What was the free height of the coils (front and rear)?

Speedway Motors street stock coils. They are not an absolute perfect fit, but close enough
5.5x12 front 925lb
7x14 rear 250lb

Needs more front shock than the KYB Gas-a-Just, or I have blown them out already. Big bumps are under-damped. 

Some days I feel like there is slightly too much rake, but then I load it up without the ass dragging pavement, and all is well. I may or may not be considering air ride to solve this conundrum. 

Punch list for the next round of upgrades:

• T5 swap because I hate myself, but I hate driving an automatic more
• Seats; +30yo vinyl is terrible
• Replace trip ODO gears
• Switch to a less noisy fuel pump
• Front shocks, rear springs
• Trac-lok
• Tires

Started on the biggest one today. Removed the front seats and laid the carpet back to start making room for a third pedal

Well, this is getting interesting*.  We DEFINITELY have to get our three-pedal ford wagons together some day ;)

*  It was totally already interesting.  That just seemed like the thing to say at the time.

After enlarging the exploratory hole in the footwell, build a pedal box.

This is getting close to final form. I still need to build and attach the top and inboard footwell reinforcing wings, and finish weld the whole mess. The pedal box will be bolted in. The clutch master cylinder pokes thru just above a corner of the frame and between a pair of body mounts.

gumby said:

Punch list for the next round of upgrades:

• T5 swap because I hate myself, but I hate driving an automatic more
• Seats; +30yo vinyl is terrible
• Replace trip ODO gears
• Switch to a less noisy fuel pump
• Front shocks, rear springs
• Trac-lok
• Tires

Started on the biggest one today. Removed the front seats and laid the carpet back to start making room for a third pedal

I can see a very exciting moment if your clutch foot was a little too far to the left...

How does it feel having a bottom mount clutch and top mount brake? I'm exploring options for a similar era/size/automatic car.

buzzboy said:

How does it feel having a bottom mount clutch and top mount brake?

I was wondering the same Thing.  Awesome work!

In reply to gumby :

Thanks for posting up the work on getting the floor mount clutch mounted.  I think that is going to help me out on a similar project. 

Wagon? Check. Three-pedal goodness? Check. 
 

Yup, I'm in! 
 

Also, because I'm slightly unhinged- Find a '97-'03 F-150 w/ 4.6 and 5 speed, drivetrain swap, turbocharge, add shenanigans!!!

I boxy station wagon on slick wheels and lowered and I'm like hell yea. But oh man add in the 3rd pedal for all of the hooligan fun and you have more than my attention. 

 Pedal box complete, unless I find problems as I get further into the trans swap.

Squirted some paint on that, and refitted the firewall insulation, carpet and floor mat around it.

buzzboy said:

How does it feel having a bottom mount clutch and top mount brake? I'm exploring options for a similar era/size/automatic car.

 I dropped a seat in and gave things a test push, I doubt I will have any issues with how the pedals feel.

I got this far pulling the AOD and realized my parts pile(mostly leftovers from when I put a T5 behind the 3.8 in my Tbird) was missing the pilot bearing which is still in the crank of the 3.8
Messed around with a few other odds and ends, and called it a day. The sheer number of locations ATF can escape from an automatic trans during removal is ridiculous.

Recon1342 said:

Also, because I'm slightly unhinged- Find a '97-'03 F-150 w/ 4.6 and 5 speed, drivetrain swap, turbocharge, add shenanigans!!!

If this car ever jumps the rails into full-project territory it would very likely end up with an 03+ frame and modern drivetrain, plus full air ride. Boost is generally a given around here.

In reply to gumby :

I've briefly entertained the idea of force-feeding the 4.6 in my '97. There are a couple of things stopping me- 1) It's my daily, and 2) I do not know how long the M5OD behind the engine would live, which brings us back to reason #1. 
 

It's a vicious cycle...