Yes great picture! Willow appears to be a very attentive driver.
I went on the first official grocery trip this morning. The catās running good, still. It has a surging vibration while going down the highway 55mph and over, though. Iām sure the u-joints need to be replaced, but Iām doubting that is the cause. Fingers crossed.
I just saw WCCC finally has the corrected power steering hose kit in stock. My birthday money has been spent!
This is the kit I got: https://secure.cougarpartscatalog.com/67smlblkcmpltpsthskt.html?FromWishList=1134056&sessionthemeid=26
I tore into it on Monday, but I got frustrated and had to walk away. I could not reach the high pressure line on the control valve. Iāll try again this weekend, maybe.
Might be easier if you disconnect the pitman arm not sure.
Jumping back a couple of posts to your surging vibration on the highway. Mine did it too, so I replaced the u-joints. No love. It turned out to be a worn output shaft bushing in the transmission tail housing. Not a difficult DIY.
I tried that, but I couldnāt get it separated. I was getting mad and rammy, so I walked away.
Good to know. I will check into that.
I got the power steering fixed up today. I used the WCCC corrected concourse kit, and now the hoses are routed under the engine. Thereās no leaks, except for the heater core that decided to start dripping today. Thatās pretty cool.
Willow helped me out today, too.
I did find that the old high pressure hose was cracked on the hard portion right where it bends to join the control valve. They were the factory routed style, and there was a chunk worn out of the old line. Surprisingly, the hose wasnāt burnt at all.
Now, the steering is so light that I can turn the wheel lock to lock with one finger. I took a short cruise to town, and the drivability has improved immensely.
I bypassed the heater core this evening. The new heater core will have to be a winter project, so I can drive through the rest of the season. I also re-vacuum tuned the carb. I upped the idle from 650rpm to 800 and leaned it out a bit. In gear, itās holding a fairly steady 16in-hg. The butt dyno says power went up, and the throttle response is very healthy.
My niece is coming for the weekend, and she complained about my jeep being slow, so weāre gonna go get some ice cream in style.
My wifeās birthday was yesterday, so we went for a cruise with the pooch! This was my wifeās first drive with the new power steering, and she loved it.
I pulled the driveshaft tonight. I ordered a new tail shaft bushing, but that seems to be in good shape. There wasnāt any noticeable play in the yoke. I think I saw some play in the forward u-joint, so I measured the caps and will be getting a new one. The rear seems solid, but Iāll probably replace that, as well. It seems the tail housing gasket is a major source of my ATF leaks, so Iāll still pop that off and replace that. I did not anticipate how much fluid would be held in by the yoke, so Iām waiting for the floor dry to do its magic before continuing.
I checked out the engine casting number. Itās a D9AE-ED block. The lower number tag looked like 9E11, but I havenāt found anything on that yet.
D9AE-ED is the part number for a 1979-82 351W with 2 bolt mains. 9E11 would be the casting date which in your case decodes to May 11, 1979.
Thank you. I couldnāt find a date code guide.
I got the crossmember out. I had to undo one of the exhaust pipes so I could maneuver the piece out. I picked up a couple new flange gaskets to replace both sides. After firing it up with open headers just for S&Gās, of course 
80 miles down, and no tranny leaks from the rear to speak of. For once, itās my wifeās Merc in the work stall all torn apart!
I was struggling with some overheating issues this summer. I put about 30 miles on the car today after replacing the radiator cap, and that solved my issue. The gas tank also started leaking again, so thatās a joyā¦
If itās leaking around the sender flange, the tabs that hold the flange in are pretty soft. Often, just bending them in a little bit (you can easily do this by hand!) will put enough pressure on the seal to help it not leak. You may have to take the sender out to ātightenā the tabs this way, which of course, is a pain and means you need to get the gas out of the tank.
Vaseline helps the seal slip, but will actively eat some kinds of seal material, so I donāt recommend it. Iād use a silicone based lubricant, as those are safe for most types of rubber.
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I pulled the tank today and replaced the sender seal. I actually lost my keys, so I pulled the back seat out and unbolted the lock on the trunk, and then I opened it from inside. I found my keys in another pair of pants 
I leaned the gas tank against my bench with some fuel in it and let it sit for an hour to watch for leaks. It didnāt leak there, so hopefully itās fixed for good.
While I was in the garage today, I decided to adjust the brakes. They havenāt been great, so I adjusted them out a bit more. I havenāt tested them out yet, so weāll see how the next drive goes.
Next weekend, thereās a free car show about 20 miles away. I think Iāll enter it just for fun. I havenāt gone to a car show for a few years, now.
The car show was today. I didnāt win anything, but it was fun to get out, anyways. I talked to a few people who said they loved that my car looks more like a beater than anything. There was a ā69 Falcon there that was in similar condition. I was so into checking out everybody elseās cars that I forgot to take a picture of my own.
Other than the show, I put about 55 miles on the Cougar today. It ran well.
This was how I set up my stickers on the dash.
The overall winner was a ā66 International Scout. Thatās another vehicle Iād love to have.
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