The heater is now more than adequate for cool days the old heater core had several pieces of rust that would intermittently block the inlet, which was my hypothesis before I disassembled everything. Nobody makes a foam gasket kit for Bullet Birds, so I made a stop at JoAnn Fabric to buy some material to make my own (fabric stores are lifesavers for people who maintain their own old cars). I also replaced the accessible heater seals. In combination with a couple of new firewall seals, my feet are now in far better shape after a long drive. As a result, the doors would not open or close correctly, and the driver’s footwell was an inferno on a hot day. Two of the four heater/AC door servos are visible in this picture as well two of the four no longer held vacuum. Here is the new heater core attached to the box. Parts and tools find their way from the car and the toolbox until the garage resembles a child’s messy bedroom – “Clean up that mess, Aaron!” As it was, it took a good part of the day. If Ford would have used two tabs (think Tab A into Slot B) instead of screws, this could have been an easy two hour job from start to finish. Second, there are four screws that retain the heater core to the box, and two were unreachable without disconnecting the air box itself from the firewall. First, a portion of the heater box around the blower cage had broken off sometime in the past – I used fiberglass “tiger hair” to reattach it. The heater core job was more annoying than difficult. Changed the engine oil, filter, and differential gear oil. Welded a crack in the inner door caused by the power window motor.Replaced some firewall grommets and seals.Replaced the transmission pan gasket (see below).Adjusted the backup light switch at the base of the steering column.Rotated a heater hose bracket so the hoses wouldn’t burn on the exhaust manifold.Replaced the heater core and heater control valve (aftermarket part that didn’t fit very well).Repaired the blinker self-canceling mechanism, which required shimming a tiny spring.Cleaned the horn contacts on the steering wheel.Replaced two heater vacuum servos under the dash after vacuum testing all four.Touched up the drip rails and passenger fender lip with PPG single-stage urethane.Fixed the driver’s side power window, which was sticking – a few bolts were loose on a bracket.Cleaned passenger fenderwell by removing the wheelhouse shield.Here is a summarized list of what I accomplished in 2020, aside from the steering: At the same time I was dealing with all this, I replaced the oil soaked steering box rubber mounts with solid spacers, which are available from Lincoln suppliers, and I rebuilt the rag joint. Until someone builds a new steering gear (unlikely) or I can figure out a way to adapt a different box (expensive and frustrating, with little benefit), it’ll have to do. The second rebuild is much better, but still a little touchy at higher speeds it’s acceptable, but the car certainly steered more precisely when new. I double checked my conclusions with an experienced alignment shop owner, who confirmed that something was amiss in the steering box the first time. Removing and installing one builds character and grows chest hair. This is also a good time to mention that the steering box on these T-Birds is almost invisible in the engine compartment, and weighs about 40 pounds. The first rebuild almost put me into a ditch, a guard rail, and a giant rage. My research and discussions with experienced Continental owners exposed the shortcomings of these units as they age in essence, the steering becomes twitchy and darty, a problem that bench testing does not expose. Winter 2020 brought about the steering box debacle – T-Birds and Continentals shared a steering box that Ford used between 19. This is a quick update of T-Bird time for 2020. He also claims that I buy an old car every two years, which is not statistically accurate, but not wildly exaggerated either. My dad always comments that it takes me about two years of maintenance and tinkering before I reach that point, and he’s basically correct. If I feel the pangs of highway withdrawal, I can be assured that the T-Bird will most likely start, run, and get me where I’m going. It’s been over two years since I bought my 1963 Thunderbird, and although an old car owner’s work is never done, I’ve finally reached the point in my ownership tenure where I would call it a “turn key” vehicle.
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