engine bay questions

[Alan H. Tast]

Looks simple enough to fabricate out of sheet metal if the gauge/thickness is known along with developed length, diameter of the bent end, width and size/location of hole. The rubber coating can be duplicated using "Plastic Dip" or something similar. Rig up a few jigs/fixtures and make a few dozen or more.

[ELTBIRD]

Thanks Alan, I will check into that if my contacts come up empty. Have a great and safe New Years!

[ELTBIRD]

So, I am about to refurbish firewall area on my 66 hardtop. Fustrating I can't find a detail pic of this area as it should be. Question....in my pic just above the clip holding the heater wires there is a round hole with something rubber that appears to be broken off. It is solid so I don't think it's a hose. What is that? Also, curious why the hose coming through firewall for tomato juice can is 1/8" but the can fittings are for a larger hoses. This is per 64-66 AC vacuum diagram. Thanks, Ed

[ELTBIRD]

Tried to remove blower motor per page 16-18 in shop manual. All went well until step 7 which says to rotate and remove. It will not budge. I tried some tapping and prying to no avail. Did I miss something? Pic is where I am at. Thanks, Ed

[ELTBIRD]

Got it out. What a PITA positioning it out of the hole and then past the valve cover. Removing tranny dip stick is required. Next adventure is the temperature regulator valve now that I have access. Tomorrow's job.

[ELTBIRD]

Got the valve out. The line going out to heater control line was brittle an cracked. Hopefully the new hose will now allow the valve to open for heat. The 1/8" line coming from a "t" out to the vacuum reservoir is old but seems to be in tact. Today I am going to attempt to get to that under the dash and replace it. It is actually smaller than 1/8", like it shrunk. It is too small for a 1/8" adapter fitting or the reservoir can on the firewall which has two 1/4" ports.

[Scott6T6]

Ed,
Those screws securing the blower motor surround plate had an S8 - zinc plating. However, they were not visible as they were covered over with a black, spray on "adhesive" from the factory. The 1966 Thunderbird Body and Interior Assembly manual (page 16) identified this as an "adhesive" and not a sealer as I usually refer to it. You can see the textured appearance of this in your photos. This adhesive was sprayed all around the perimeter of the cover plate, presumably to aid in eliminating potential leaks and is easily identified by its bumpy, splattered texture. It's quite apparent this same adhesive or a similar product was also sprayed onto the firewall in other various locations.

The satin finish 'black out' paint was sprayed onto the firewall first. That satin black paint had a smooth, uniform finish. The sprayed adhesive was applied later on in the assembly process after most of the appropriate components had been installed on the firewall. It's easy to see wherever this adhesive (sealer) was sprayed onto the firewall.

Once you have the blower motor and cover plate screwed into place, I would suggest you use a product like 3M rubberized undercoating if your goal is to replicate the factory application. I would spray this all around the perimeter of the plate in the same manner the factory originally applied the adhesive. Obviously, a splattered, lumpy finish is what you want to achieve, and it will also serve to seal the cover plate and screws.
I'm including a photo here of the firewall in a 1962 Galaxie. I chose this photo to illustrate just how that black, sprayed - on adhesive or sealer looked. On this white painted firewall the sealer applications are easy to see at the blower motor cover, the heater core ports and behind both hood hinges. I'm sure the adhesive used on this Galaxie was very similar, if not the same product used at Wixom on Thunderbird's.

I will also post a few pix of the firewall in my Town Landau a little later today.
Scott

[ELTBIRD]

Thanks Scott!

[Scott6T6]

Ed,
Here are some detail shots of the firewall in my '66 Town Landau along with some of the components mounted on or near it.
A number of years ago I wiped down the entire firewall using a micro fiber cloth sprayed with a liberal amount of Mequiar's M4016 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner. It did a great job of removing decades of dirt and left a nice finish, imparting a more uniform, darker look to the firewall black-out paint, spray adhesive & sealers. Hopefully making the firewall look more like it did when the car was new. That was my goal anyway... It's a survivor.
Scott

[ELTBIRD]

Beautiful Scott, great reference pictures for me. I just cleaned and primed the vacuum juice can after masking the round hose connection fitting. Was that fitting originally yellow cad as it appears to be? Also, what is the green dot? Lastly, is that the original gray phosphate finish on the hood hinge and Spring or were they redone? Thanks, Ed

[Scott6T6]

Ed,
Thanks for the compliment and I'm glad the photos are helpful. Yes, the fitting on the vacuum cannister did have a yellow/gold finish and I would guess it was yellow cadmium plating. The "green dot" or paint daub is a factory applied inspection/assembly mark - I'm not sure what it indicated, but I have observed the same paint mark on a few other '66 'Bird's over the years. The finish on the hood hinges & springs is indeed phosphate w/oil coat and it is original, they are not replated.
Scott

[ELTBIRD]

I thought the Springs were originally black. Guess not unless there were variations during the 66 production run.

[Scott6T6]

I have never seen black painted hood hinge springs on any un-restored '66 and I've seen and documented plenty of them since the '70's. I contend they were all Phosphated.

[Alan H. Tast]

Years ago some of our Detroit-area members were at a show at Ford's World Headquarters and spoke with one of the engineers responsible for the '66 T-bird's hood hinges. His comment to people asking questions about the hood hinges/springs was that '66 was the first year that they went from gold/yellow dichromate/cadmium plating of the hinges to the grey phosphate, and likewise went from painting the hood springs to gray phosphating. Much of what Scott points out parallels what many of us have discovered over years of observation and research.

[ELTBIRD]

Thanks for the clarification. Gray phosphate it is. On the blower motor, mine has a 90 degree hose on the right side. I see there is also a double 90 degree hose available. Does that go on the left side?