Jim's 1976 Ford Granada

[bollybib]

I've been dinking around with this car since 1983. It was my Mom's until she passed away in 2005. I still have it and I'm still dinking around with it so I thought I'd goof around and show some of my tinkerings with it in this Alternate Tinkerings thread just for fun.

I'll post more stuff whenever I get the urge.

Thanks for looking.

[bollybib]

Sometime around 1989 I bought this full set of service manuals at the Pomona swap meet. I think I paid something like 70 bucks for them which was pricey but they have turned out to be a good investment.





Here are a couple of other manuals I use for reference now and again.

[bollybib]

I still have some of the original documentation that was included with the vehicle when new. First sold to Joseph A. Gunderman by Grant Motor Co., 2525 34th Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33713.





And here is the build sheet, somewhat worse for the wear.

[bollybib]

A couple more pics just after a good cleaning and waxing.

[NONHOG]

That brings back some memories. I had one (forgot the year 81 ?) it was a 302 with a 4 speed. 4th was O/D., decent car but got no respect. LOL
Traded my dad for a motorcycle. He gave it to one of my sisters who I'm pretty sure ran it out of oil.
When I got it it had a hand held (rope) cruise control. Old guy engineering. I took it off day 2.

Keeping it stock? Looks good!

[bollybib]

Lot's of people say to me "Oh, my grandmother had one of those" or similar. I get a lot of amusement from these comments. I'm glad to hear it brings back some memories for you, too!

There were tons of these things around when they were new, they were very popular. I think most of them by now have been scrapped, I never see any on the road, and last time I rummaged through a scrapyard, I didn't see a one. They really aren't worth much now, even if they are in cherry condition (which mine isn't).

There were plenty to choose from in the junkyard in the late eighties, though. Good thing I picked up some trim pieces back then.

It's kind of a pain here in California because it still has to be smogged. But, it keeps passing so I keep driving it.

[85Bowtie]

Throw a built 460 in that thing and make an ultimate sleeper.

I've always been interested in the mid 70's-late 80's V8 RWD cars for making a cool, stock looking, street car.

[bollybib]

If it were a '75 and smog-exempt, I'd put a big V8 in it for sure. But, since it's a '76, it still has to be inspected and tested for smog here in California so changing it over would be a royal (bureaucratic) pain. So, a 250 CID six banger it will remain for the forseeable future.

[bollybib]

STEERING GEAR (work done in October 2012)

The steering and front suspension have always been problematic. I have most of the invoices for work done on it in the last 30 years and many are for tires, alignment, and repair of suspension and steering components.

The steering has been an issue on this car for a long time. Upon inspection , I saw that the flexible joint at the steering gear was torn so I began by replacing it. I had to disconnect the steering column to do it. While doing this I discovered that the steering gear had a lot of slop in it and the grease was all gone, too.

Ripped


ReallyOldSh!t



 

[bollybib]

STEERING GEAR (work done in October 2012)

I was uneasy about disconnecting the ball stud and pitman arm. They can sometimes be difficult. I also read a lot of horror stories and BFH tales that didn’t help.

I bought two tools. With a little patience and a lot of care, everything came apart just like the shop manual said it would.

Harbor Freight 1752 - Tie Rod and Pitman Arm Puller (left)
OTC 7315A - Universal Tie Rod End Remover (right)




I ordered a rebuilt steering gear from Rock Auto (a Lares rebuild) but it had damaged mounting threads on the body, so I sent it back.

What I got from Rock Auto/Lares




Online investigation revealed a company called Red Head Steering Gears in Seattle that said they could rebuild mine. I found several threads on this site where people had good things to say about Red Head. Also, Wes at Classicheartbeat (a 67-72chevytrucks vendor) sells Red Head products, and he is a quality conscious guy. So I sent the gear off for a rebuild. The turnaround time including shipping was only a week.

http://redheadsteeringgears.com/




When it came back from Red Head, I installed the freshly rebuilt and repainted unit with the red top. I adjusted the steering column length so the flexible coupling was flat like it is supposed to be (not warped like I found it, I think I may have fkd it up long ago !). The steering is a lot firmer now and the unpredictable drifting is absent.

The rebuilt Red Head gear with a new flexible coupling before installation.

[bollybib]

I finally identified the source of the thunk in the front end on turns that is coming from the vicinity the wheels. The bushings in the spring perches are worn and they are shifting on their shafts. So, new ones should fix it (pricey little devils from NAPA) but same as 64-73 Mustang and many others so easy to find.

I was unable to see the problem until I removed a coil spring and found I could easily slide the perch bracket back and forth an eighth of an inch or so by hand.

[bollybib]

So, while I'm waiting for the perches, I moved on to another problem, the leaking front seal. What a mess. That's what I get for ignoring it this long. Oh well.

Anyway, here are a few pics of what I've been up to.



Radiator after removal. Looks like the cats have been here.




Lots of black gooey stuff down here.




I wonder if this is what was making all the mess ?




Looks like repair sleeve time on this balancer.




I cleaned up the crossmember and some other stuff forward of the engine. Next I'll clean around the timing cover and oil pan before I remove them.

[bollybib]

Here's a question for anyone that might be looking.

I'm considering using this Felpro gasket set that includes a repair sleeve.

http://www.fme-cat.com/PartDetailWin... VIN L&t=&vin=

The repair sleeve requires this tool:

http://www.fme-cat.com/PartDetailWin... VIN L&t=&vin=

I have been unable to find any information on how this tool is supposed to be used. I've noticed that Felpro is rather stingy on detailed how-to info. This thing looks like an expensive washer in all the pics I could find. Couldn't I just press the sleeve home with some flat stock ? Is the tool worth 30 bucks ???

I'll hold my breath until someone responds...............................

[chevybuldr]

yes just some flat stock and go slow. they are very thin and can damage easy. They should only be like 3 or 4 bucks.

[bollybib]

Oh good, i can breathe again haha.

Seriously, i wonder why the Felpro tool is so pricey ???

I used a Timken sleeve on my truck and it came with an installation tool. The sleeve had a flange on it that the tool pressed against to slide it on to the damper.

It doesn't look like the Felpro sleeves have a flange. Their pictures suck. They are only in one dimension, from above. No side views so wtf you are getting is anyones guess.

[Lippyp]

Now this is what we call a 1976 Ford Granada over this side of the atlantic.

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by Lippyp

Now this is what we call a 1976 Ford Granada over this side of the atlantic.

Yes, I've seen those Granadas before. I don't recall ever having seen one in person here in the US though. It can cause some frustration when searching for information online, the search engines can't tell one Granada from another. Maybe that's why the Granada specific site here in US is called http://americangranada.com/ !

[bollybib]

So I decided to go for the complete Fel-pro deal, including the installation tool. I found the best price for the timing cover and oil pan gasket sets at RockAuto, and the best price for the repair sleeve installation tool at Summit. While I'm waiting for the parts, I'll clean up the mess around the timing cover and all the crap that was blown back along the bottom of the engine and elsewhere. Then I'll jack up the motor a bit and remove the oil pan, then the timing cover, then clean the gasket surfaces. I'll see what the timing chain looks like, too. That should keep me busy for a while.

Timing cover set w/ sleeve - TCS45660
Oil pan gasket set - OS30217C
Tool for sleeve - 16310

Looks like NAPA is cancelling my spring perch order, they don't carry it or ran out or something. I tried ordering them both at the counter and online. Looks like I'll have to move on to Plan B.

[bollybib]

oh wow i just noticed . . . it has been two years today that I joined this great Board !

[bollybib]

The last couple of days I've been getting godawful greasy dirty cleaning all the oily mess blown back from the front of the engine. But now everything looks Ford blue again, not totally black. I got the timing cover and balancer off and checked the timing chain play. It was within a tenth of an inch of being over spec so I decided to replace it, too.



I found a Cloyes timing set on sale as a clearance item at Rock Auto for only $11.42 + $9.20 S&H. Not bad.

I still have to get the oil pan off and then I'll spend some time cleaning gasket surfaces. By the time they are clean I should have all my parts on hand.

[bollybib]

I just came back from a one week trip to Monterey. The weather was perfect, warm and sunny. It was nice to get away from working on car stuff.





Today I got back into it. I cleaned and painted the timing cover and water pump. I also cleaned a few more gasket surfaces on the engine. All my parts are here now, too.

[caminokid]

I had one of these. I want to say it was a 76. 302 auto. Blew the damn thing up one night while racing a Maverick. Lost oil pressure and that was it. Being the Chevy minded person I am....I slapped a 454 with a stick in it. Spent 3 months in junk yards looking for a pedal set up for it. Drove it twice and sold it. The guy with the Maverick couldnt catch it. So he offered to buy it.

[Tx Firefighter]

The Post Office took a beating on that deal. Flat Rate for a steering gear box.



Well played.

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

The Post Office took a beating on that deal. Flat Rate for a steering gear box.

I'm afraid I can't take credit for this idea. KrazyRay in the Parts Board shipped me an A6 compressor this way so I did the same for the gear. As long as it will fit into the box and it isn't over 70 lbs., it's good to go!

[bollybib]

Originally Posted by caminokid

I had one of these. I want to say it was a 76. 302 auto. Blew the damn thing up one night while racing a Maverick. Lost oil pressure and that was it. Being the Chevy minded person I am....I slapped a 454 with a stick in it. Spent 3 months in junk yards looking for a pedal set up for it. Drove it twice and sold it. The guy with the Maverick couldnt catch it. So he offered to buy it.

Cool. I would have liked to have seen that ! Got any pics of it ?