The trunk lock installation can be a bit of a challenge and has been for me for years until I figured out the proper way.
The lock cylinder needs to be removed from the housing first. This can be accomplished by inserting the key and turning it to the 1:30/2:00 position. At this point there is a pin on the top of the cylinder to the inside of the housing that can be depressed which will release the cylinder.
Now this allows for the installation of the outer housing, then the latch, then the lock cylinder.
The sleeves that go onto the outer housing are installed using a pencil magnet through the access hole on the inside.
Started working to finish out the back end of the car by installing the bumper. The attaching brackets were blasted and powdercoated and the re-chromed bumpers came from WCCC along with new hardware. The finish on the bumpers was excellent.
I haven’t installed the decklid trim yet as there is a bit of fitment issue with the LR quarter extension. The original extensions looked pretty ugly as the inside edge that is exposed when the trunk is open was hacked up. I sourced a nice used set during the build and fit them to the quarter as the contour on top was a little off. The replacement extension sticks out past the decklid though and all of the decklid gaps are correct.
What I have come to realize, and someone please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, is the factory removed material from the highlighted edge and support post to fit the extensions to the quarter and decklid. That would explain why the originals were so hacked up. When I test fit the old extension to the quarter the contour fit properly. So I have some adjustment to make to them but it will be much cleaner than the factory work.
The front side marker lights do not come with the light housing so it needs to be removed from the originals or you can purchase new. Removal of the original is fairly easy simply cutting the factory heat shrink at the base of the light then tapping gently to remove. After cleaning the sockets and wiring I epoxied the old light sockets into the new housing.
The mounting gaskets required a little cleanup to have a nice edge.
The original lenses were pretty hazed up on the inside. Before purchasing a reproduction set I thought I would take a turn at cleaning them.
Earlier in the build I discussed using the Harbor Freight water-based parts cleaner for cleaning and softening the rubber pieces so I thought I would try on the plastic. In the bottom photo you can see these lenses were white prior to cleaning not even remotely clear.
I let the lenses soak for about a week then used an electric toothbrush (dedicated to shop use only) to scrub the inside and the results were amazing. A little exterior polish and they will be good as new.
I removed the LR quarter extension last night and started by trimming down the support post closest to the trunk opening removing a little material at a time and test fitting. I ended up removing the material to the point where it was flush with the outer surface of the extension. The fit is extremely close now and probably better than what the factory was.
The dog decided at 4:30 this morning that it was play time so the day started early. After a cup of coffee I realized I had a solid three hours before anyone else was up so I would play as well.
I think I shared in a previous post that I got a little ahead of myself and installed the glass before installing the trim clips. Not an easy fix. I had installed the front ones weeks back using silicone spray on the rubber real to allow the clip to pass and a pair of snap ring plies to push them on with success.
The same method would not work on the rear glass though as the channel is tighter to the rubber. After searching the garage for something I came across an old carburetor return spring bracket which I then flattened. It took some time but I finally got them all in.
Now that the clips were in I laid a bead of the 3M Bedding and Glazing Compound that Royce recently showed in his build. I then used tape to mark where each of the clips were so I knew where to apply pressure to trim to get the clips to seat.
The refurbished trim from WCCC has been in the attic for a while now awaiting installation. They did an incredible job on the refinishing.
Starting at the windshield base molding I centered it and set in place then worked up the sides and across the top. Same procedure on the rear, start at the bottom and work up.
Once the trim was installed I could install the antenna. The antenna is NOS part of a complete dealer radio kit I ran across that even still had the instructions and templates for drilling out the fender.
It was still to fire it up to work through a little drivability issue so I thought I would tackle my turn signal problem.
Since I put the column together the hazard flashers have worked however the turn signals have not. I started by verifying all fuses were good then tested the power connections at the switch connector, all good. Time to pull the steering wheel to test continuity. Once the switch was out I realized I had no power at the switch for the turn signals however the wire tested out good with an ohmmeter. As most of you know the connector has to come off of the switch when removing to paint the column. I originally took pictures of the connector prior to disassembly to hopefully ensure the wires went back in the correct location.
On closer inspection of the photo I realized I had crossed the two blue wires. I swapped them and magically the turn signals started operating.
Camera on a phone are probably one of the best tools to assist in documenting things on teardown I just have to take better quality photos as you can barely see the yellow tracer on the blue wire.
I took the car for a short drive through the neighborhood last week as it had only been run on jack stands. During the drive the transmission would not automatically upshift and would not shift into drive. Reverse, First and Second all work great so I knew the clutch packs and seals were fine, which leaves the valve body and modulator or possibly the band adjustment.
I verified the band adjustment was good then moved to the modulator. I removed the vacuum line from the modulator and installed a vacuum gauge. Starting the car and letting the idle settle I checked the gauge, 5 in. of vacuum. I pulled the line and tested the engine vacuum 16 in. I then plugged the modulator line directly to the intake removing the check valve that splits the line and feeds the headlights as well.
I took the car for a short drive around the block 1-2-3 perfectly timed and solid upshifts. What a simple fix for what appeared to be a bigger issue.
I have been looking at several tach options for the car and thought an original Cougar Rotunda tach would fit right in. After several searches with no result I stumbled across Phidon Restorations who specializes in restoring Rotunda tachs among other Ford gauges and clocks. Phil responded that he had one which could be restored. One week later this beauty arrived.
Installation is almost plug and play as it plugs in, in series with the ignition to coil circuit. My car did not have the factory bullet connectors in the wire so I had to locate the appropriate wire at the back of the ignition switch to plumb into. After installing a male and female bullet connector where I spliced into the wire (if the tach ever fails and prevents the car to start the tach can be bypassed) I plugged the tach in to give it a test.
Thank you Blitz. The previous build forums from other owners have been a great resource and inspiration for attempting to restore versus replace. The marker lenses were an experiment that worked well which I applied to the back up lamp lenses with success.
Not much to post here lately as we are down to a few small items; instrument cluster, grill and headlight assembly, and the side trim so I can then put the side glass in and complete the door and quarter trim panels.
I did take some time to install the new rubber on the fender splash shields. The replacement staples are slightly larger than the factory holes so they so require drilling as I had to do with the hood to radiator seal. Once all of the holes are pre-drilled I used some wood clamps to hold the rubber strips in place. This is a much heavier rubber so the pick was not as effective tool to punch the rubber, I found drilling was best.
