Getting my car decent. Looking for thoughts on this long list.

Well it's Friday. I drove the car for 2 days and put it back up on stands as planned. I poked around everywhere and everything is still bone dry under there. I'm gonna keep a close eye on it but I think I may have the oil leak stopped. For now anyway.
I also took the time while I was under there to knock off two more items from my list.
I adjusted the clutch a little over an eight of an inch tighter. Seems to be good but I'll have to do some driving around town to make sure.
Next I grabbed an extra set of horns I had and tested them. They worked good so I pulled the factory horns off and checked them next. They didn't work at all. I adapted a bracket and put the new horns under the fender. Then I took the horn button off and took it apart again. The new pad I had bought is still new since I couldn't get it to work right last time. I sat for a while flattening the two copper plates and getting them as perfect as I could. Put all that back together and we now have horns.
Oh. I also went by the Honda (car) dealership and Toyota and got some oil drain plug washers/gaskets. Honda and Toyota have one gasket. Covers every drain plug they have. The Toyota ones were too small. Honda ones fit perfect. They are just crushable aluminum. They were put on two days ago at oil change and are also still dry.
I dropped the car down and did one more item on the list. I picked up a new braided ground strap and replaced the old crusty one. This is the one running from the back of the drivers side head to the firewall. I feel good about grounding now.
This gets the top three items on my list done as well as a few other ones. I'm very happy about that and hope it lasts this time.
On to the other things on the list.
 
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I got a lot done on my list. The oil leak had to be addressed. One of the next things is putting the stereo back in. That includes the whole system that's currently sitting in a plastic tub. I've always wanted to have the radio where the HVAC controls are. I hate not being able to see the face of the radio very good. While I was working on the other stuff I completely removed the HVAC knobs and controls. I put them down where the radio normally sits. I've been wanting to do this to see how they fit considering they are wider. The two lower white plastic tabs (red arrows) will have to go to fit. Surprisingly though, the bezel that snaps over them fits perfectly if you put the controls where I'm talking about. It leaves plenty of room for the radio in the place where the controls were. I do not have an airbag module like the later cars. I am also using a JVC head unit that is digital only....no CD player so it is not nearly as deep.
My question is this. Do you guys think it would be worth the trouble to swap the radio/HVAC controls? It seems like not very far. Sling some input at me if yall will please.

630447

630448
 
Ok....got the stereo in. I went with the simple option for now. If I want to swap it around later I will then. It just a JVC Arsenal Media player. No CD. Has USB and Aux 3.5mm on the front as well as Bluetooth. I bought this a couple years ago and have never put it in. DONE.

630601
 
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Ok....got the stereo in. I went with the simple option for now. If I want to swap it around later I will then. It just a JVC Arsenal Media player. No CD. Has USB and Aux 3.5mm on the front as well as Bluetooth. I bought this a couple years ago and have never put it in. DONE.

630601
This is a great thread. Good to know that the you guys rallied around a team member to help him out, to keep his spirits up, and to guide him through to possible solutions. This is the kind of support I want my son to know he should give and can receive from his dad, brother, his friends and others. So, to make, made sure we re-read this thread together.

Jhp and son
 
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How about some follow up to this thread?
1. Did the ground from the firewall to the intake fix the periodically pegging gauge problem? If that’s not the ground you were talking about, can you please describe the location and even show a pic? (I want to be prepared if this gremlin shows up in this Mustang like I have seen it in three other Fox body cars!)
2. Did you ever swap the climate controls and radio locations? I even have a steel plate for this job I bought ore cut on eBay to do this with that’s just weight on a box right now. I did not think about airbag modules being close back there. I cannot read the little Pioneer buttons that far away safely while driving, and was planning on a Sony unit that has a layout I am familiar with and is easier to read. If depth is an issue, that model will have to change to a non CD unit if they make one.
Thank you.
 
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The new ground I put on goes from the back of the head to the firewall. It didn't fix the gauge randomly floating around.
The pic above is how I decided to leave the stereo and hvac controls. Sorry I don't have more info than that but that's all I got for now bud. Thanks for asking though!
 
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If you do fix the possessed gauges, PLEASE let me know. A friend’s Fairmont, my 87 Cougar, and 1979 Mustang occasionally would all peg out the gauges, most often with a full tank of fuel or with the AC on. The two possible solutions offered were the dash ground and the anti slosh module. The temporary fix was to give the lower dash a Fonzie type tap above the driver’s right knee. They would all float back to normal for a while. I’d like to find out the cause before if manifests in my 91.
 
I got a lot done on my list. The oil leak had to be addressed. One of the next things is putting the stereo back in. That includes the whole system that's currently sitting in a plastic tub. I've always wanted to have the radio where the HVAC controls are. I hate not being able to see the face of the radio very good. While I was working on the other stuff I completely removed the HVAC knobs and controls. I put them down where the radio normally sits. I've been wanting to do this to see how they fit considering they are wider. The two lower white plastic tabs (red arrows) will have to go to fit. Surprisingly though, the bezel that snaps over them fits perfectly if you put the controls where I'm talking about. It leaves plenty of room for the radio in the place where the controls were. I do not have an airbag module like the later cars. I am also using a JVC head unit that is digital only....no CD player so it is not nearly as deep.
My question is this. Do you guys think it would be worth the trouble to swap the radio/HVAC controls? It seems like not very far. Sling some input at me if yall will please.

630447

630448

I watched a youtube vid of a guy who did a relocation and it looked pretty clean and easy. He even sells the plate for $45ish on ebay.


View: https://youtu.be/D-E8n1S4cQg



His kit is for the 90-93, but I think it could be adapted for the 87-89 easily. It's interesting how the HVAC controls bolt into place at the right spot to allow the plate to sit and hold the radio.

Only reason i'm not doing this to my car is due to the rather permanent nature of it. Would it be more usable? yes.
 
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