Welcome to the second page for the XW. This was created to save people from endless scrolling down on the previous page. This second part is all about the majority of work re-assembling the car from the bare shell.
The beginnings of re-assembly. I paid a visit to the electroplaters, began sorting through the wiring and fitting a couple of bits and pieces.
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Lots of small parts reconditioning. We take a look at the wiring and prepare for some major re-assembly. Some buffing is commenced as well.
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This chapter is all about re-assembling the dash, overhauling the hand brake mechanism and modifying the wiring loom.
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A few more parts go back into the car. Some steering, brake and rear axle parts become acquainted with their new home. Some of the wiring is reconfigured and most circuits are tested as well.
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Things have slowed down a little. Some brake parts are assessed and some front suspension parts are fitted. Fuel lines are also fitted, plus a bit of automatic transmission discussion.
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In this chapter, the front end assembly is completed (aside from some ill-fitting parts which will be exchanged) and the lovely Kelsey Hayes front calipers are overhauled and fitted to our XW.
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In this chapter, we finalise brake work, get the car back on its wheels and prepare the engine and transmission for fitting to the car.
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We install the engine in this chapter and take a look at some of the smaller details. Hope you enjoy...
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Odds and ends in this chapter. Starter motor, throttle, kick-down and transmission linkage issues to cater for as well as work on the tail lights, doors and front guards.
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In this chapter, we are finally fitting some panels, but things aren't going as well as I expected...
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Odds and ends here; some door work, including preparation for door trims, rear quarter glass and hinges to recondition.
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This chapter deals with re-assembling the front of our XW.
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With the side glass all fitted, we have a crack at the headlining...
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4th May 2014: A reasonably slow beginning, with so many parts still required. The entire underside of the car has been sprayed with a deadener, this will provide a quieter ride, plus it looks better. It's worth noting that variations with the colour in these pictures is because of the flash on the camera. Some electroplated parts have been fitted, as well as some wiring and suspension components. I haven't taken much notice of the correct order of fitting... some parts just needed to be kicked out of the house!
4th May 2014: The pedal box will need modification, since the mounting points will now be different. The reason for this is because the car will be fitted with a power brake booster. The rear axel looks good inside, but one of the wheel bearings was shot, so I'll fit a new pair, plus all new bushes and brake components. The radiator support and front wheel arches are also painted... not in the correct satin black, but POR 15. Being a gloss finish, I think it will be easier to keep looking clean.
10th May 2014: Well, I've been reasonably busy cleaning and painting or replacing parts then fitting them to the car. I decided to convert the wiper motor to a non-concours look by painting it and removing the pulse type washer pump (it didn't work anyway). I've kept all parts so it can be returned to stock, with perhaps a further $45.00 to spend on an overhaul kit. I wanted a cleaner, less cluttered appearance for it. I remember having a car which had these washers and they didn't seem to throw enough water for my liking, so I fabricated an aluminium plate for it and re-installed it on to the car. The quality of electroplating was a bit disconcerting though. Also shown here, is the base of the steering column before overhauling.
25th May 2014: More work accomplished and I must say, this is where some real enjoyment takes hold! Shown below, is some wiring being fitted and modified to suit the new V8 engine. The dash is fitted... I did toy with the thought of a GS/GT type cluster and a floor shift transmission, but then, there are a lot around and I wanted this car to have an original unmolested look about it on completion... even though it has been completely altered and will bear no resemblance to it's former self. The small bit of buffing to the rear quarter offers a small glimpse of things to come... this is wet sanded with 1200, then with 2000, then buffed with the courser compound. It is yet to be (fine compound) buffed and hand polished.
1st June 2014: I managed to obtain a used steering box in sensational condition thanks to Ray, the gent I originally bought the car from... The original box felt fine in the car, but terrible on the bench. An "aerosol overhaul" (I actually used a gun), made its replacement look lovely. Interestingly, this is one of the very few parts that hasn't been completely stripped down or replaced, although I did remove the lid and took a good look inside. I've also just fitted the brake booster and master cylinder, so we're now ready to begin fabricating brake lines. The starter solenoid is also installed and wired. I should perhaps have waited before taping up some of the loom. In one of the following video's, I'll connect a battery and test all of the loom circuits again before the engine is fitted.
4th June 2014: Most of the wiring loom circuits have now been powered up and tested well. Some modification has been necessary though, such as removal of the ignition resistor wire, as the new Pertronix Ignitor requires a 12V source, plus relocation of some wiring for the new GT type starter solenoid. Also relocated was the wiring for the washer pump/bag, plus the installation of wiring and a relay for the driving lights. I have also needed to replace the brake pedal, as the power assisted type has a lower pin height for the adjustable banjo type fitting that connects it to the booster input shaft.
15th June 2014: Been pretty busy; all of the steel sections of brake lines have been fitted to the car and routed to the master cylinder, still waiting on some clips to retain it correctly underneath the car. The steering wheel is also finished and resides back where it belongs, although the horn ring is giving me grief... I have fitted new bearings to the rear axles, seals to the rear axle housing and eye bushes to the rear springs, just waiting on the large centre bushes/pads so I can attach the springs to the diff housing.
15th June 2014: Been pretty busy; all of the steel sections of brake lines have been fitted to the car and routed to the master cylinder, still waiting on some clips to retain it correctly underneath the car. The steering wheel is also finished and resides back where it belongs, although the horn ring is giving me grief... I have fitted new bearings to the rear axles, seals to the rear axle housing and eye bushes to the rear springs, just waiting on the large centre bushes/pads so I can attach the springs to the diff housing.
18th September 2014: Well, quite a lot of time has passed since l posted progress here, perhaps because the Winter weather has removed the desire to spend too much time in the garage. Nevertheless progress has prevailed. All brakes, suspension and steering are fitted and functional. Unfortunately since I've been filming the work as it's been carried out, I've omitted to photograph a lot of details such as caliper overhauling and suspension work. There is quite a lot of detail in the videos, which I thought would suffice.
19th September 2014: Here's the engine as soon as I removed it from the running stand. With transmission hooked up it found its way in to the car with no issue at all. Much of it is now hooked up and ready to go, with only a few small details preventing it from being started.
5th October 2014: Been busy with body work and struggling with the notion that I've missed some imperfections - the reason that people pay panel shops to do this work. Having said that, the time I spent on the roof has paid off. Illustrated below is the roof after the first buff and considering how it was, I'm chuffed. Work is still progressing at a steady pace...
12th October 2014: I painted the tail lights and fitted them, they aren't perfect but can be re-newed at a later date (if it becomes necessary). An advantage with the XW is the ability to change the tail light housings left to right, so any pitting on the lower face can essentially be hidden. The doors are now on the car and tentatively gapped. I haven't yet touched up the painted door bolts until after I've finalised small adjustments. Given that I painted the doors two days ago, they don't have a high sheen level. I will colour sand and buff them in about a month.
20th December 2014: "Slow and steady wins the race," or so they say. Things have been a little slower than I would have liked. Perhaps three vehicle registrations and a host of birthday celebrations have had an impact. Buffing still hasn't been completed, but is currently being tackled. All doors and front guards are on, although some of the gaps have been challenging. There will always be more expensive cars with better paint and panel than this, but I'm still happy with it. Some door re-assembly has been tackled and the front of our XW is tentatively completed. There will be some minor re-adjustments when the bonnet has been fitted.
I originally intended to have this car documented over two pages, but with so much information to share, I have created a third page.... We've gone from a restored bare shell, to something close to a finished product. All future progress on the car will be documented on the next page. Under the "Ford" tab above, click on "1969 XW Falcon Part 3: Final Fitting Out."