Replaced window motor and spent some time lubing and adjusting latches.
Totally worth it
Replaced window motor and spent some time lubing and adjusting latches.
Totally worth it
In reply to gumby (Forum Supporter) :
Ahhhh the double-action tailgate. Love it!
sweet
Tailgates like that will never cease to amaze me. Nice work getting it tuned up!
Love the tailgate video
My dad replaced his 63 Fairlane wagon with a (i think) 68 fullsize ford with that gate. he didn't keep that one long, before he got his big block dodge wagon.
The ford wagon my parents had when I was a kid had a tailgate like that. This video brought up some cool memories riding in the very back of that wagon.
Let's do a status update. I have been chasing little gremlins and neglected bits, bringing the overall level of functionality up.
The largest hold up has been chasing title work. I mistakenly believed buying this car from a licensed dealer would streamline the process, but that was a lie. I am closing in on things and have contacted the proper officials to get the required paperwork. Should be good to go in the next week or so. I still have time on the drive-away tag, so I transferred the SHO insurance policy over and am going to try and put some more miles on this wagon!
The parts pile is growing too...
That steering wheel looks nice and tidy there.
The yellow box under the shocks doesn't look like wagon parts 
In reply to Patrick (Forum Supporter) :
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On today's episode of why we never throw anything away, this rear speaker imploded on last night's cruise
A quick pull from my parts room netted these FRONT speakers from JAM's Mach460 stereo system. The size of the magnet is hilarious compared to the wagon rears.
Praise be to efficient manufacturing processes, the connectors match and these dropped right in.
This wagon is getting to be a downright hospitable place to spend time.
I have done nothing with this car beyond drive it around. It is fantastic as a daily utility appliance, and I am enjoying the experience. I am not enjoying the struggle with title work, however, and it is stalling any and all progress. Each hoop I pass reveals another hoop(or two). There is a bright side; thru this mess of paperwork, I have learned more about the previous owner than any other vehicle I have gotten outside my circle. Since I purchased thru a dealer, who bought the car at auction, and the paperwork got FUBAR'd along the way, I have had to trace back and dig up family contact info in attempts to get things straightened out.
The previous owner of my wagon also owned Davis Baskets in Missouri. He lived thru the Great Depression and the Nebraska Dust Bowl, and served in WWII.
Obit
Legacy article
2016 article teases retirement
End of the road
I have been in indirect contact with his daughter(also named on the original title) and trying to make direct contact as of now to get a few more BMV documents signed. I have been quite frustrated with the jumping thru hoops, but learning about the man behind the car has cooled my jets a bit. At this point, I feel that I have missed out by never setting foot in his store, or hearing any of his stories. I hope I am not too late to at least acquire one of his baskets so I can keep it with the car.
Wow dude! Neat info, and that seems like a cool thing to do to get a basket to go with the car.
Wow! Thats neat.
Too bad it isn't a 79-87. I still have a bunch of Boxy Box parts I'd love to give away to someone that can use them. If I find anything else that works for an 88-91, I'd gladly send it your way
Three pages deep, and finally:
I have been waiting to install any more of the parts I have collected until I got all the paperwork straightened out, but now I have burned up all the available time which I could have taken the wagon out of service for an extended period. With school and school related sports in full swing, I need it to haul kids around thru the week.
I am tempted to break things up into smaller projects, but am loath to tear it apart on the weekend if anything goes wrong and keeps me from getting it back together.... I should probably hold off until October. SWMBO will be leaving on deployment and I will have access to her car for taxi duties at that point.
Wagon doing work
And getting some corrective lenses today. Someone installed plastic housing sealed beam lights and the lenses were all fogged over. I cannot remember the last time I even saw any of these for sale, excluding eBay retrofit garbage.
One of my favorite things about my car is the glass headlights I'm not sure why anyone would replace them with crappy plastic
In reply to gumby (Forum Supporter) :
Those red wheels look just "right" on the faded out wagon. 
Stunning transformation on the lights too
In reply to gumby (Forum Supporter) :
I did't even know they MADE such a thing. All glass when I started driving in the 70's, and now modern car lights. But not plastic old school lik=ghts!
Indy "Nub" Guy said:Those red wheels look just "right" on the faded out wagon.
The traditional look is mostly happenstance as these wheels and tires are what I had on-hand to temporarily fill the space left when removing the 19yo tires the car came with. It is a fine look, but not my style really.
I got the title and plate, so naturally the wagon decided that NOW is the time for upgrades
Not exactly the most convenient time for me as Mrs. gumby and I will need to juggle vehicles while the wagon is down, but at least her car is available to do that now(last week would have been a no-go). And so I present, service position! Brought to you by simple perimeter frame construction.
Started the upgrades with front brakes
Changing the upper control arms out for 92-94 parts allows fitment of 98-02 spindles which come with 12.5" rotors and dual piston calipers.
Peeking from behind the new rotors, I swapped in 925lb circle track springs and KYB Gas-A-Just shocks while things were apart.
Looking forward to tackling the rear suspension with matching KYB's and some 250lb coils. Full brake fluid flush and bleed, and then getting it back on the ground for an alignment. Probably not going to get completed this weekend because I didn't get notification that the new tires had been delivered until after my tire machine access ended for the week. There's always next weekend, right?
Got the rear springs and shocks installed today. I am short one brake hose so I couldn't bleed brakes, but I put the car down for ride height check and broke out the alignment tools
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
In reply to gumby (Forum Supporter) :
That's beautiful!!!
Those wheels are just
Oh man that looks great.
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