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Thread: My new Zephyr

  1. #201

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    I finally got around to installing the 40 year old leather wrapped steering wheel that I refinished. It has the stallion center emblem that looks a little more sporty than the traditional ford piece. It was a throw away piece but it turned out pretty nice.


    Last edited by ukravit; 01-30-2021 at 09:24 AM.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  2. #202
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
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    SE Michigan
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    Looks great
    The red/white matches the gauges and shifter ball.
    Horse badging was not prominent in the early fox era for some reason.
    Especially on the steering wheel center cap.
    Had people in my car not knowing what kind of car it was.
    Only place it says Mustang is on the hatch.

  3. #203

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    It was nice enough to do some projects so I changed my fuel injectors. I got some rebuilt ones from a great company called SouthBay fuel injectors.
    The old ones were gummed up and lowered my gas mileage. I was going to try and redo them myself but the cost of doing it right and having it work the first time steered towards the rebuilt ones. They are explorer type 19lb 4 hole.
    I also replaced my broken motor mounts. I had thought about using solid ones for a while but they dont clear the headers on the P heads.
    Car really runs well and pulls hard again and doesnt give you that clumsy feeling when you get on it.

    old ones

    new ones

    New motor mounts
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  4. #204

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    Your car has always been one of my favorite (other fox body) cars on this forum. It’s come a long way sir. Really nice car and like everything you have done.

  5. #205

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    Always a work in progress. One of the motor mounts I installed failed so I decided to go with Maximum Motorsports solid mounts.
    You can see it below the house brand solid mounts and the torn up made in India rubber mount, a quality piece to be sure. Only part way through the install but I doubt I will tear these.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  6. #206

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    How many miles did you have on those old mounts?

    How is the vibration with the solid ones?
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  7. #207

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    I had less than 75 miles on the mounts when the drivers side failed.
    The vibration is not bad and is very minimal at idle. Under acceleration there is a slight vibration around 1500 RPMs but it goes away and the car pulls without that twist feeling when you smash on the gas.
    One thing that really lessened the vibration was that I changed my spark plugs and distributor cap (they were due anyways).
    All and all I would do it again.


    EDIT- A real plus from the mounts is that shifting is very positive. Sometimes finding third gear in a hurry was hit or miss before. Now every time like clockwork, and I still have the rubber trans mount which will stay that way.
    Last edited by ukravit; 04-17-2021 at 06:58 AM.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  8. #208

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    The solid mounts don’t really make it as harsh as some make it out to be. Honestly couldn’t tell the difference on my car (36 yr old stock mounts vs MM solids). Also no longer have to worry about the motor sagging as they wear.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    1984 LTD LX, 160k mile Explorer 5.0, Comp XE264HR-14 cam, Alex’s Parts springs on stock GT40 3 bar heads, Unported Explorer intake, 1 5/8 shorty headers, off-road H-Pipe, Spintech 9000 mufflers, Holley Terminator X Max, J-Mod 4R70W, Mustang 8.8 w/ 3.73s, Tubular front and rear control arms, front coilovers, Turbocoupe rear coil springs

  9. #209

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    While its raining here with no end in sight I started my intake swap. Just like always every bolt, bracket, clip and clamp has to be cleaned and some repainted.
    I didnt go too extreme on the ports and did not try to shape them like the gasket, they are actually a bit smaller than the gasket that matches the stock GT40P heads. Just looking for a bit more torque. I seldom wind it out past 4k in town and wanted 3k to be better. I dont port for a living and do this for a hobby, so if someones looks better or gives them tons more power thats great.
    The round openings were made smooth and keep the same diameter to the transition to the outlet, on some a couple inches and the front two about 3/4 inch more.
    When compared to the untouched one you can see the shapes are more uniform.


    The outlets were only increased about 2mm each way and the shape was kept as far as I could safely get in there.
    Last edited by ukravit; 05-22-2021 at 06:52 PM.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  10. #210

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    Finished the project and the results were worth the effort. Snappy throttle response and more pull from 3 to 4k rpms.
    The porting and being totally clean inside , it was a brand new intake, gave it more volume and the fun factor went up a little. Different kind of fun than my Focus ST pushing 22 1/2 pounds of boost but just as enjoyable.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  11. #211

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    Took the time to address some little leaks while its crappy out here and replaced the power steering pump. I cleaned off all the oil residue and repainted the aluminum bracket. Looks nice off of the car but is buried when installed. The car was born without power steering and I used an 87 Cougar for the brackets to convert it.

    Looks naked without the pump and brackets but it was a great time to tidy up some things.
    Last edited by ukravit; 06-13-2021 at 04:44 PM.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  12. #212

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    Nice. Stuff like that always makes such a difference.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  13. #213

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    For years I have been looking for a new license plate light assy and never could find a replacement, until now.
    I found this, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NF18NV4...roduct_details, the GM part number is 16515822 and its found in GM cars from 1992-2012 if you wanted to go to the salvage yards.
    Here it is next to the factory piece and it looks very much like the Ford bit. (no stealing of ideas) The metal clips cover holes that are the same size as the original piece. I had to widen the holes 1/32 of an inch with a file, 10 seconds of work.


    Installed and its almost a perfect fit.
    Last edited by ukravit; 06-21-2021 at 06:16 AM.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  14. #214

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    Had a clunk when backing up and turning at slow speeds, an inspection found that the front sway bar mounts and brackets were trashed.
    I researched and decided to go poly this time as the rubber crumbled over the last 7 years. I was going to reshape the bent brackets but if they bent up the first time they would probably bend again quicker, so I got new ones. It was one of the easiest things to do on the car.
    Old mounts and bushings


    New mounts and bushings
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  15. #215

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    Wow, in only 7 years?! Crazy.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  16. #216

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    Time for routine checks and replacement of things as needed. Got new quad shocks. I saw where Koni makes some for a large amount of money and they look nice and orange but out of the budget until I make my second billion. So I did the next best thing, I painted the new ones orange. My son says it looks like a box of crayons around the rear end of the car and I laughed, maybe so but its easier to see leaks and rust starting.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  17. #217

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    Time for another 70s related change, a different steering wheel to go with the tilt column I am adding.
    The wheel is from a full size wagon, the horn pad is from a 85 full size Mercury.


    After a good cleaning with 409 and Dawn dish soap the parts were given a quick wipe down with lacquer thinner and sprayed with Duplicolor interior paint. Finally the wheel was wrapped in a 70s style wheel cover. Semi cheesy but period correct. Looks a little busy but will work with the tilt column.


    Tilt column from an 81 Thunderbird.
    Last edited by ukravit; 01-01-2022 at 08:57 AM.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  18. #218
    FEP Senior Member Patrick Olsen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    Where the Navy sends me...
    Posts
    680

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    Nice work on the repaint, that looks really nice. Have you used that Duplicolor interior paint before? If so, how does it hold up?

    I suppose in that application it should last a good, long time, as the part you will be touching all the time (the rim of the wheel) is protected by the wheel cover. (Definitely a blast from that past on that, my Dad put those covers on the steering wheels of multiple vehicles we had when I was growing up.)
    '89 GT convertible - not a four-eye
    '82 Zephyr Z7 - future track car

  19. #219

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    Thanks. Yes, I have used the Duplicolor interior paint several times and it wears very well. It will not match factory colors perfectly but neither will SEM or other name brands from what I have read on here. It is consistent from can to can being the same color so touch ups are easy.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  20. #220

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    Steering wheel looks great! Nice job
    79 Zephyr, 4.6L 4v/4r70w swap, with team z front and rear suspension, 8.8 and upgraded brakes and coil overs. Running Holley Terminator X Max.

  21. #221

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    Installed the tilt column and retro wheel. Still a bit of adjusting to do but its easier to get in and out over the seat bolster. Amazed that using parts from 6 different cars all fit pretty well together.


    EDIT:
    The position of the wheel or depth of the column has an adjustment on the bottom aluminum bracket where it can be shifted as much as 1 1/4 inch. The bracket is very snug and will not allow the column to move on its own when installed. I used a hammer to tap it so the column sits in more.


    The column cover screw holes were a bit worn so I made a quick fix to tighten them up by using glue to put a spray straw in the hole. The straw lets the screw bite again and holds the covers tight. Probably a million better ways to do the same thing but it works well for the money spent.
    Last edited by ukravit; 03-19-2022 at 12:44 PM.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  22. #222

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    Fancy!
    83 TC "Clone"
    85 Marquis LTS
    86 LTD Wagon

  23. #223

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    How are you liking the seats? I’ve thought about getting a set several times but I have heard mixed reviews so far as comfort and some say they sit a little too low?

  24. #224

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    The seats are within an inch of stock style sport seats and I find them more comfortable and secure when driving. The latch and pivot points on the sport seats I had were kinda loose and they had a lean to them.
    1978 Mercury Zephyr boxtop 5.0 EFI T5Z 8.8
    1999 Ford Contour 2.5 V6 5 speed
    2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0 Ecoboost 6 speed

  25. #225
    FEP Senior Member OX1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Jackson, NJ 08527
    Posts
    869

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    Looks good !!!

    Were the spokes originally black. The only one's I've messed with are what came in 78/79 broncos, which had silver spokes
    86 Capri, 5.0, 5Spd, A9L QH/BE, 47 lb Inj PMAS 3" MAF, Single T44 Turbo, Front Mount IC, TW170,
    Stock Cam, Explr Intake/TB, 1.7 Rockers, CF dual friction clutch, 3" DP, 2.5" full Exh, 3.27, 11.932 @ 115.78
    84 LTD, 331-10:1, TW170/Exprl Intake, 47 lbs inj/80 mm LMAF, Full Duals, Quarterhorse, Vortech 7PSI, Lentech AOD, 5 lug Mk VII brakes/rear, Eibach Sway bars, Cobra HB (dads ride, but I fix it )

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