Vic 2.0 Lives!!!

IT LIVES!!!!

I dropped by Taxi Guy's shop this morning and what did I see?  Vic 2.0 with a new nose!  Yes, Vic 2.0 lives!!!!

Finally... Introducing Vic 3.0!!

I can't put it off any longer.  Must move on from the past... 

I am finally announcing the departure of Vic 2.0, and the arrival of Vic 3.0.   

 

In September 2018, 2.0 was involved in an ooopsie that didn’t involve me.  I wasn’t even in the state at the time.  All I am going to say on the matter is I came home that night, and found the car basically totaled in the driveway.  I am not going to share all the sordid, anger inducing details, and will just end with this:  like 1.0, 2.0 ended up at Taxi Guy’s shop.  Last I heard, we plans on repairing it and making it his Florida car.  I hope that does occur, because it deserves to hit 200,000 miles someday…

And so I am on to Vic 3.0.  It was one of two that my boyfriend (aka: Mystery Mechanic) had on the road for shakedown runs before possible sales.  It is a 2008 P71 in silver with black interior.  Yup, just as I was getting used to the “bling factor” of Blue Pearl, I am back to silver, this time Silver Birch (1.0 was Silver Frost).  Gone is the stress of trying to keep dirt and dust from showing every second of the day! 

As for the black velour interior… well, I am getting used to it, but I swore I would NEVER have a black interior.  I dislike them intensely in daily drivers.  Dust shows up on all the plastic, carpets show sand and dust, and it gets HOT inside in summer.  It is also so darn DULL.  There is NOTHING to break the depressing monotony of fields of black… I am sensitive to colors and light in my immediate environment, I guess…One GOOD thing about black:  coffee stains don't show up!

Now, 3.0 was an actual police vehicle, whereas 2.0 was a Ford demo and never saw actual, regular police use.  So there are some imperfections.  The rear deck needs to be put back properly, the power locks sound like they may quit over the winter, and it needs a windshield BAD.  It also sat for years before being sold off, so the underside has some surface rust we need to watch.  But it drives great, and other than a noisy starter in cold, I am more and more confident it won’t quit on me. 

That is one thing about loosing 2.0 that was killing me.  Between MM and I, we put about 170,000 miles on that car, so we knew everything about it… what had been replaced  and what was due to be replaced.  The car was by far the most reliable daily driver he had ever owned.  Now, I am with a car I have to always wonder about.  BUT, it is better than NO car at all!

The first thing I needed were better hubcaps.  I hate running them as it is, but if I have to, they better be nice.  We got some nice ones and I put them on.  I may put the “poverty caps” on for winter, though.  

MM had an NOS cassette/CD/AM-FM unit, so for the very first time I have a car with a CD player... Yup, I am ALWAYS up to the minute with trends!

The front grille was also not up to my standards.  But I didn’t want to put a brand new one in before winter, so I put in a used one I found in the basement… I think it was the original from 2.0 before MM replaced it.  It still isn’t perfect, but is a lot better for now.  I did score an NOS one that may go on in spring.  It also needs clearer headlights.  It passes inspection, and I don’t want to mess up the NOS ones I picked up for 2.0 a while ago.  Maybe I am afraid if I DO put the nice parts on it, something will happen and THIS car will also get ruined!

When I registered 3.0, it had 120,971 miles on it.  It now has about 122,500.  Need to get the front snow tires put on (needed to get a second set of rims with TPS sensors on them).  

Vic 3.0 Railfanning

 

3.0 visits Maine for the first time

186,000 Miles...

SHOCKING! Front End Edition 2018

Wellp, after 12 years and 184,944 miles, the front shocks in Vic 2.0 were finally replaced.  A while ago I noticed a stain appearing on the driveway under the front passenger side of the car.  Then I noticed some odd handling characteristics.  Things finally got to the point I had to decide if I should replace the shocks ONLY, or the whole spring/shock unit... which I think is a strut.

After driving 1.0 for 15 years, I forgot that the front end of 2.0 is totally different.  In 1.0, you could easily replace the shock alone.  But after searching for new shocks online, and looking at my Ford shop manual, I came to the realization that no matter what, you need to take the spring and shock out TOGETHER, because to replace the shock you need to use a spring compressor.

SO, go with just new shocks to save money, but pay for more labor?  Pay more for parts, but for less labor?  I asked Taxi Guy and he said "get the complete units if you can", which I did.  The last 2 correct Motorcrafts that Rock Auto had in stock were shipped to me and the job was done on 5/28/18.

The maiden voyage with the upgrades wasn't what I expected.  The rest of the suspension was still worn, after all.  And I had to remind myself that this wasn't Ma's 1999 Town Car!  New springs and shocks on a police package car does not mean a "Cloud-like Ride"!  But I did notice improvements while banging over local potholes.  It was on the highway that I noticed the improvement more.

Bridge expansion joints are much better now.  And it seems that high-speed turns are better as well.  In fact, and I didn't tell you this, I managed to out-accelerate and out-drive a rather new Mercedes SUV in tight traffic.  He was attempting to make some stupid, aggressive moves and I sorta ruined that for him...................

While taking the photos for this post, I was surprised to see how clean things look under the front of 2.0.  I have had far fewer glances under this car than 1.0.  I only wish the body was as solid...

2017 Snow Tire Swap

Today was the day, SNOW TIRE DAY.  Off came the Goodyear RS-As, on went the speed rated Goodyear Ultra Grips.  That only leaves Todd's Interceptor to do.  Vic has hit the 181,000 mile mark (didn't get a photo this time!).

Well, THAT explains the slow leak......................

10/14/17 - Boxboro MA

Having the blues...

My first car was a maroon 1986 Pontiac Parisienne, a double (possibly triple) hand-me-down.  And it had the classic 80's cracked GM paint on the hood.  My father had bought some maroon colored wax for it.  It actually helped that hood quite a bit, but you had to keep up with it or the white primer would start showing up between the cracks again.

Now, silver is arguably THE best color for any car if you don't want scratches and other defects to display like a flashing neon sign.  Vic 1.0 was great that way... though other things like road tar would show up here and there.

This stuff never showed up on SILVER paint!

Vic 2.0 is dark blue.  And Todd drove it a LOT on the highway, and even off-road.  So by the time I ended up with it, the front bumper looked like someone had sandblasted it.  The hood also had some of the same wear.  So I decided to get some blue car wax... thing is, it seems no one makes any for the US market anymore!

Yup... BLUE wax!

Ebay to the rescue.  The only affordable blue wax there was a Turtle Wax product, and all the sellers seemed to be from Israel!  So I took a chance, and soon I was the proud owner of a bottle of blue wax.

I haven't done a full scale wash/clay/polish/wax with it yet, but I did do some spot testing, and used it on the front bumper, where most of the pitting is.   As the wax dries to a haze, it is indeed a blue hue.  The finished effect is subtle, but it does indeed seem to knock down the white pin-prick effect on the bumper.

Blue haze...

Before and after... not perfect, but better than with standard white/yellow wax

Hey... nice rack!!

Vic 2.0 was THE most reliable Vic Mystery Mechanic (aka: Todd) ever owned.  While he owned it, he had one air conditioning part replaced, and one windshield wiper motor.  But the wiper motor was his fault (he always says not to leave your wipers on when you park for the night and there's a snow storm!).

So when on 8/28 I started the car to do a little work over at Belmont Seat Cover, and noticed the wiper motor sounded awful and didn't have much "ooomph", I started thinking back to the headache I had with motors in Vic 1.0.  Those past experiences made me start pondering how I was going to pay for A) a new Motorcraft motor B) a crappy rebuilt motor.  Then I started pondering the option of trying a used one.

Long story short, I spent some (messy) time at a local junk yard and removed a motor from a 2011 Massachusetts State PD cruiser.  I decided to leave it attached to the rack, and also thought it may be a good idea to bring the trim, hoses, weather strip, and wiper arms with me up to the check-out guys.  I had received a quote ahead of time for just the motor if I took it out of the car myself.  For the SAME PRICE, I got the whole setup!

This morning I decided to reverse the process and install the new (used) rack into Vic 2.0.  I started at about 11:45AM, and finished at about 3:45PM.  I decided to work slowly and take a lunch break, which slowed things down (along with stopping to feed the local squirrels and chipmunks!).

Other delays came from trying to remove the wiper arms (and HOW am I supposed to fit a screwdriver there??) a few times, and trying to remove a rusted on bolt on the metal bracket that attaches to the bottom rack bucket.  I never did get the nut off, but I did manage to "remove some metal" from it...

And so now Vic 2.0 has a 2011 wiper motor/rack/trim/weather-strip setup!  It also now has that super annoying "extra wipe" function, which I have NEVER understood.  It should make for a lot of yelling during the winter months, as I am super-wicked-picky about having a clear windshield...

One thing I learned this time that I didn't when I changed the motor in Vic 1.0, is that there is a little "flapper" by the motor that seems to allow water, etc OUT of the rack area, but doesn't allow critters IN.  Seeing as the 2011 had a mouse nest inside that area, I'm not so sure it works that well.  BUT, when I looked at the flapper in MY car, the whole area was clogged full of "shmoo".  I am starting to wonder if this has been a factor in the "What is That Musty Smell Coming From?" saga.

OH, that reminds me, I also squished some Permatex under the bottom lip of the windshield in effort to try and stop the Mystery Leak.  Of course, it was purchased around 2004, and I didn't have enough in the tube.  Also, nitrile gloves aren't tough enough to keep that hazmat off your fingers...

So, long story long, I am all set for winter, providing a 6 year old motor lasts longer than Vic 2.0's replacement one did.

177,777 Mile Update

Vic has finally started costing someone money... ME.  I previously posted about the usual intake swap.  But after that costly repair came the odor of gasoline who's source was eluding me.  Long story short, I thought it was one of the recently touched coil packs that hadn't been seated correctly. 

Nope.  Bent/rotted gas tank.  I'm told it looked like something hit it and eventually it rotted in the corner.  So now Vic 2.0 has a new gas tank.  Taxi Guy had a hard time removing the old one because for some reason the hardware that keeps it under the car is different from later years, and it added hours to the job. 

We finally got the snow tires off and now I can actually drive the car without that "winter tire drone".  When the tire swap was going on, we tried to install my new Motorcraft shocks, but found out that they didn't come with the top bushing/bolts!  Seeing as the old ones may need to get cut off, we aborted the mission and I ordered the bushings.

Stay tuned...

Vic 2.0 Gets Intake Transplant PART 2

Just got Vic 2.0 back.  Taxi Guy changed all the spark plugs and a few coil pack bits as an extra precaution.  To christen the new intake, I had to sit in traffic for over a half hour just to go about 4-5 miles... (sigh)...

Vic 2.0 Gets Intake Transplant

Anyone who has owned Crown Vics for long enough learns about the old silent recall for the intake manifolds.  Vic 1.0 eventually got it done, and now 2.0 is at Taxi Guy's shop getting it done.  When Mystery Mechanic owned the car, he had to replace a coil pack due to what appeared to be the start of coolant leakage.  A few weeks ago after smelling occasional whiffs of coolant, I had another coil pack go on me while on a highway.  Taxi Guy stated that he could try to save me money by adding a bunch of sealant around the top of the coil pack to try and keep liquid out of the cylinder. 

But the smell continued, and I noticed that the overflow tank was empty.  Two full bottles of coolant later, this past Monday, someone noticed a nice green puddle under the car.  I got on the ground to look under and see where the drip was coming from, but without a jack I couldn't see past the air dam.  I started wondering if the water pump was bad.  The next day I started the engine and stared under the hood to see what I could see.  Sure enough, coolant was dripping out of the intake and onto the new coil pack!  From there it dripped down the front of the engine, which is why it looked like the water pump was bad. 

Watching one of the last Ringling Brother's circus trains (4/4/17)

Never seen an intake so bad you could literally see the leak, and hear the steaming and gurgling after shutting the engine off.

Another issue to figure out is the water leaking down onto the carpet by the brake pedal.  I have been smelling a musty odor for a while now, and the carpet under the floor mat has been damp.  Bob at Belmont Seat Cover helped me remove the driver seat and pull back the carpet, which revealed a solid floor, but standing water!  I vacuumed it all up, set a hose on the windshield, and turned the water on.  Sure enough, water started to drip inside the car.

I still have to determine if the issue is the recently replaced windshield, or something in the cowl by the wipers. 

177,000 MILES

Never heard of the P71 hubcap logos falling off until last year... and look what finally happened to Vic 2.0...

Door Switch Panel Repair PART 2

Wellp, it looks like the Gorilla glue might have worked... the bad news is the tabs that I seem to really need are not those that I repaired!  I may have to get a black panel from a junk yard and do a little Dr. Frankenstein work...  The images below tell the whole story.

Tabs seemed pretty secure

Wiring...

... connected...

As you can see, the panel still didn't sit flat...

... in fact, I swear it is worse than before!

176,000 MILES and Door Switch Panel Repair PART 1

Today Vic 2.0 hit 176,000 miles.  It is amazing how few problems this car has had in it's life.  But it is now 11 years old, and is starting to show/feel it.

Many of you who own these cars are aware of a very annoying issue they have with the driver side switch panel mounting tabs breaking off and thus making the panel pop up.  This has annoyed me as well, and I tried adding small pieces of Velcro to the panel and door to keep the thing down.  Didn't work.  The self-adhesive didn't adhesive as well as I had hoped, and the thickness of the hook & loop halves added too much thickness, so even when the panel DID stay down, there was a "padded" effect.  In other words, the panel didn't sit flush like it is supposed to.

So today I was sitting in 2.0 in a parking lot, and used a screwdriver to fully remove the switch panel so I could peel off the Velcro.  And what did I find inside the door?  Two of the broken mounting tabs.   That made me start thinking about repair options.  In the past, I have used a plastic repair product that really worked well on a couple of broken Javelin grills, as well as the power/volume knob on Mystery Mechanic's Uniden scanner, which is still in 2.0.  

I headed on over to a local auto parts store to see what they had in stock for plastic glue/repair products, knowing they stock some hard to find items.  They didn't have anything of the proper quantity and/or price.  On my way out, the boss suggested Gorilla Glue.  I have never used it, and it didn't cost too much, so I said "ok, but if it doesn't work I'll be back to yell at you!".

Below are some photos I snapped during the "repair".  I put that in quotes because I am skeptical, and because the glue takes 24 hours to set up.  So stay tuned to see if the repair did or did not work!

Some of the supplies used

Some of the Velcro that didn't work out.  You can see where the tab has broken off.

One of the broken tabs I found inside the door.

Where the break and glue is.

Where the other break and glue is.

UPDATE: It begins...

Yes, it begins... Vic 2.0 has a nice rust hole on the driver side fender.  You'd think after all these years I'd learn my lesson, that you should NEVER poke your finger on bubbly sheet metal.  But NOOOO... I HAD to do it.  Just ONCE in my life I'd like to own a car that doesn't rot away... but alas, as long as I live in New England, it won't happen...

It begins...

Vic hasn't driven in the snow much this winter, as it has no place to go, really.  But when it was in snow, it was not as good as Vic 1.0 was.  This is most likely due to the wider tires, wider track, and more horsepower. 

I managed to get two Motorcraft rear shocks from Rock Auto .  They are awaiting installation when the spring weather comes.  I also need to look around and figure out why the carpet under the driver side floor mat is damp.  It doesn't smell of coolant, so it isn't the heater core.  But I am worried... I keep forgetting that this car us now over 10 years old!  It still seems like that almost new Ford demo I found for Mystery Mechanic many years ago... 

Photo Without Caption...

SLIGHT size difference...

SHOCKING!!

11/2/16

I can't believe I have been driving Vic 2.0 for a year now!  One stupid thing I did was to NOT take the snow tires off last spring.  Things came up and they just never came off.  So I drove in the heat with snow tires... needless to say, now I need to replace 2 of them!

I knew that the rear end has been leaking oil/grease, but a while ago I noticed another stain on the driveway, this one in the area behind the rear passenger wheel.  I thought someone was leaking brake fluid, but everyone's car seemed fine.  Wellp, I think I know what the stain is now.

Driving with snows on in summer, you can feel a little "squishy" at times.  So I didn't notice anything amiss.  A few weeks ago I started feeling a little... well... the way the rear of the car handled didn't feel quite right.  Then I went over some speed bumps, and it hit me:  a shock leaked.

When I go over a speed bump, the front end bounces evenly, but when the back goes over, the rear "wiggles" unevenly.  I did the old fashion shock-check (aka: push up and down on the rear bumper) and sure enough, while the car doesn't bounce much thanks to the police spec springs,  the passenger side DOES bounce more than the driver side.

Yup, snow tires never came off this year...

For kicks, I went to a dealer and was quoted roughly $80 each.  Need to decide if I am going aftermarket, or try to score a pair cheaper.  I sort of can't spend the money, but I can't stand a car that doesn't handle properly!

Another thing that NEEDS to be remedied at some point, but isn't a pressing matter, is the stereo system.  I MISS my old speakers and Sony deck.  The wiring harness won't work with the car's factory wiring, and me and wiring do not mix.  Hopefully when I hit the lottery I can make some upgrades...

Photo Without Caption

Floppy Sun Visor FIXED!!

Vic 2.0 is feeling a little happier now.  Last week I FINALLY just said "EH!" and went out to the driveway in the summer heat and cleaned the inside real good.  This included cleaning all the coffee off the cupholder.

The other day the windshield was replaced due to a small stone chip that grew into a bonafide crack. 

The next day, I installed my brand spankin' new sunvisor and retainer!

Since I help out at a local auto upholstery shop, I knew that it is easy to make a visor install a little confusing.  That comes from moving the pivot around too much.  All I needed was a 20mm torx and a small ratchet.  The only part of the install that was a hassle was the retainer hook.  For some reason, the locator pin on the back was in a totally different location.  I couldn't get it to push through the headliner, so I just broke it off.

I can now drive safely, free from blinding sun and a broken visor that wanted to make me drive off the road!

Double sided Velcro was all I had to keep the broken visor up after the retainer hook broke

The broken retainer clip, broken in a fit of anger by myself...

Part # for Medium Stone Gray retainer

Part # for the visor

The original part is on the left, note the different locator pin on the new part at right

Torx and ratchet

This is what the mounting location looks like

You can see how moving the pivot around too much can confuse installation for a short time

ALL DONE!  YAY!