Got to work today on the car!

Well, I found a few hours this morning to work on the car.  The weather was nice for a change :) so I made some time.

My plan is to get everything off of the car in order to remove the transmission. Then I can replace the front seal on the transmission.  I removed the heat shield, no problem, and then proceeded to remove the drive shaft.  I was curious to see what kind of shape it was in.  This is a two piece drive shaft with two u-joints, and a center support bearing.  The front of the drive shaft uses a rubber donut looking thing called a "guibo".  This takes the place of another u-joint and is supposed to dampen any vibrations transmitted through the driveline.

Inspection of the driveshaft revealed that the u-joint farthest to the back had developed a notch in it.  If left unchecked it can create a bad vibration in the driveline.  The guibo was whole, but had cracks developing in the seams between the bolt holes


My repair list just keeps getting bigger.  The u-joints in this driveshaft aren't really designed to be replaced.  They are staked into the holder instead of using snap rings.  I can purchase replacement u-joints that are designed for this type of drive shaft.  I have also found a source for the center support bearing.  Since I have the driveshaft out of the car I might go ahead and service the whole thing.

My chances of driving the car to the big Merkur car show in Pennsylvania this June are looking doubtful.  The cost of the trip is not cheap, and I will have to be darn sure the car is roadworthy before I jump in and take a 1000 mile trip in it.





Have a good weekend.

Darren

Weather is starting to help out a little.

Well, it is time to get moving on the Scorpio again.  Weather has turned warmer and I have a little time to devote to the car.  I have been aquiring parts so I can get going on some of the major repairs.  I have an adapter for my floor jack to help get the transmission out of the car.  I have aquired some other parts, most importantly a new radiator.  Here is a picture of the parts I have so far:



When I get started I will post up more pictures.

Have a great day,

Darren

Where is the warm weather?

I promise that I haven't forgotten about the transmission.  It is just this cold weather has put a hold on most of my projects on the car.  I also have been way too busy at work.  I am also the assistant coach for a High School bowling team in the area and that has kept me busy also.

As soon as it warms up a little I will get back to work and post what I get done.

Later,

Darren

Where did the weekend go?

Seems like all I did this weekend was work and sleep.  I have made a decision on what to do with the transmission issue.

I am going to attempt to remove the transmission on my own.  If I am successfull I will then determine where the leak is.  Hopefully I will be able to replace the front seal myself.  If not it will be off to the transmission shop for the work.  Since I have to take a lot of crap off of the car just to get the transmission out, I plan on also replacing the O2 sensor, replacing the guibo, and also repair the exhaust system.

When I get enough guts up to start this project I will be sure to post pictures.
We have pinewood derby this week so I will post a few pics of that and any pictures of the car as I take it apart.

Have a good night,

Darren

A Happy New Year!

The holiday season was good to me.  I got some goodies for the Scorpio and I have a lot of plans to work on the Scorpio. 

Crossing my fingers I think the radiator might be okay.  It turns out the leak I saw was coming from a loose hose clamp on the top radiator hose.  I tightened it up and so far so good.

The bad news is the front seal on the transmission is definitely leaking.  This transmission is notorious for this and now I have to debate on whether to just replace the seal, or take out the transmission and rebuild it.  It is working fine, so that makes the decision a little harder.  I will keep you posted when I figure it out. 

I will post an update later this weekend when I get some work done on the car.

Later,

Darren

Merry Christmas from Kansas!

Well, Christmas is almost here and the weatherman is predicting 4-6" of snow between tomorrow and Friday!

After successfully registering the Scorpio, I was able to drive it around for a couple of days before having any issues :( 

Apparently the 22 year old radiator has decided to quit. I saw some antifreeze underneath the car on Friday.  I opened the hood and look closer and realized that the radiator was leaking on the passenger side where the plastic tank meats the radiator core.  I am debating on whether to buy a new one now, or just swap out the other 22 year old radiator out of the blue Scorpio that is still in good order.

I will keep you posted.

Again,  Merry Christmas to all, and safe travels if you have to make a trip this holiday!

Darren

Officially Registered in Kansas!

Today was a good day.  I got the Scorpio officially registered in Kansas.  It also got its first extended test drive.  It went fairly well.  The brakes are in good shape, very little shimmy, the tires need to be replaced.  They are the wrong size and have a good deal of vibration.  The alternator belt is either loose or bad, it makes a loud noise when the car is running.  Other than those items it was a successfull test drive. 

Later

Darren