My new Zephyr

[ukravit]

Replaced my drive shaft with a 2000 Explorer aluminum shaft. Not a difficult task. picked it up for 45.00.
Probably my imagination but it seems to accelerate faster. Well worth the time.


I got new U joints from NAPA they were part number 354 to fit the yoke and shaft
I had to warm up the shaft to get the old joints out. Then I cleaned it up and put some anti seize on it before the new joints went in.

[83gtstang]

Dude, want to see more of this drive shaft project.

[ukravit]

It was really one of the easier things to do. I did have to adjust my exhaust a little to give it room.
Its a fair bit fatter but the weight is barely a couple pounds.

[ukravit]

Had a noisy throwout bearing and decided to fix it. So I took the time to redo some things.
poly bushings for the Zephyr cross member


Verified trans info


And replaced the clutch fork and pivot which was seriously misshapen

[ukravit]

Finally got a break from work and decided to fix my turbo hood. Had some damage and crappy black paint on it.

[4-barrel Mike]

Wow! Very nice!

Mike

[ZephyrEFI]

Looks great!

[ukravit]

I have always been a fan of the 1970s graphics used on cars like the King Cobra mustang, a 1978 only option. So I got genuine 5.0 emblems for a King Cobra and am in the process of adjusting my car to emulate that look. I had to order the Olympic blue stripe tape that should be here this month, but until then I used autozone tape.

round two

[MAG3]

Looks great,
do you notice any difference as far as cruising with the aluminum driveshaft? If you let go off the gas, does it slow down any quicker?
im interested on installing one on a different project.

[48fordnut]

You do nice work, on a nice car.

[ukravit]

MAG3, it seems to move better with the aluminum shaft. Probably more perception than performance, but acceleration just seems different. Well worth doing.
48fordnut, thank you. I see your car is coming along nicely. I cant wait to see it finished.

[48fordnut]

Thank you.It is going to be longer on the paint than I wanted, but will be worth it. Window tint, and exhaust on Tues.
Ft seats back on the 18th.Will be posting some pics then.

[Mike1157]

You know, there are guys that just seem to see things the way they "should be", and then there are those that just miss the mark when it comes to modifying their cars. I have been missing this build because I just don't come down here to the Fairmont section that often. (I don't know why, you'd think that this would be the only place I come since I own one as well). That has been my loss.
Every update you make, the modifications compliment your plan. I'm not a big fan of the sedan version of this car, but when it's done right, I think they can really look pretty cool. Yours is one of those.

Great work, good eye, nice car.

[ukravit]

I am truly flattered by your words Mike1157.

[jaxz7]

Nice ride and is really inspiring me to get back to work on my Zephyr

[ukravit]

I purchased new rubber seals off ebay for the windows on the doors.http://www.ebay.com/itm/1978-83-Ford...3030a9&vxp=mtr
all in all a nice product but not as described. It said

There are 3 basic kinds of passenger doors for the 2 door sedans. The kind with the quarter vent window that you can open, the kind with a mirror mounted up in the corner of the window , and the kind with no mirror or a sail mirror mounted on the door. The no mirror having the longest rubber trim/dew wipe.
The drivers side was a really good fit, but the passengers side was for the kind with a mirror in the corner of the window. about 3 inches short.

[ZephyrEFI]

Geez, bummer.

But, that would have been right for my passenger door...

[Dean_T]

Ugh. Can you get it swapped for the correct pieces or are they all like that?

[whyidontknow]

Subscribed.

[ukravit]

I went with a different vendor for the door seal. I got a Fairchild Industries KF2027 kit for an 87 Bronco tailgate.
The one on the right is the fairchild one, it has a greater surface area on both the inside and outside pieces. The downside being that I had to move some clips which is a pain. There is no road noise from the window anymore and the door shuts without any rattle. Well worth the effort. They are both good products and I will keep the first seals for the doors with quarter windows I am looking for.

[ukravit]

I upgraded my ignition with an MSD coil. Big difference. My old coil was suspect and the new one confirmed that it was going out and acting up when hot.
Next I got an MSD streetfire ignition box with rev limiter for 40.00 dollars. I installed it under the air intake pipe so its not really obvious.
The idle is smoother, but that may be perception. I did check the rev limiter with it set at 5200 rpm and if my tach is accurate it works. There are mixed reviews about MSD products but when used as designed most things are okay. Its all done with plugs so if I dont like it I just unplug and remove it.


After driving it for a couple days I will be leaving the MSD on the car. It just drives better.

[ukravit]

Took the Zepher out of storage and freshened some things up. I wanted a meaner look to the rear lights. So I tried to do what the factory would have done back in 78. Black lines that darken things up, so I copied the Capri light trim.
It makes the rear seem darker without loosing the ability to see the lights.

[4-barrel Mike]

Oh, yeah!

Mike

[ZephyrEFI]

Cool mod!

[BadZ]

Great idea from the looks and safety aspects! That's the State Safety Inspector coming out in me, lol.