A quick question RE: 460 PI engine

It does. My concern is getting the correct matching gaskets, though. But I'll keep that in mind when I do the rebuilding.

 

Can anyone ID the temp sender in this photo? It obviously is not factory Ford, as it's too long. But would this have shown temperature of the coolant from the oil-to-water cooler?

 

Hey those fingers look familiar! oh wait they're mine!
Yes ladies and gentlemen I am the owner of that '73 galaxie interceptor...
Andy wanted me to join so he can stop being my proxy, even though I don't own a Ranchero... sorry...
I do like the styling of the 1970 Ranchero does that count?
Anyway I have made the decision to pull the trigger on the restoration, or go bust trying... I will post a thread on that as soon as I start that project, right now my '73 Colony Park and '88 Comanche require too much attention in the "shop" a.k.a the garage.
Thank's for the help so far, and hopefully many questions to be answered in the future.

 

Looks like a typical aftermarket mechanical temp guage sender. Probably an under dash add on. My Interceptors only had a red idiot hot light in the row of warning lights under the speedometer, would have used the same single terminal sender like I see in your intake manifold. Any guage you screw into that hole will show the coolant temp before it goes thru the thermostat and radiator.
None of mine had any place near the oil cooler to measure temps, Currently I have one Interceptor that Dad ordered new. It came in a 78 Grand Marquis Brougham. 460 with a 750cfm Holley carb, no egr type intake manifold, no cats, 2 1/4" dual pipes with an "H" under the front u-joint. Came with a big Holley rebuildable mechanical fuel pump. Huge alternator, big brakes, big sway bars, 15" wide steel rims, and instead of rubber bushings on the front upper "A" arms it has greasable metal on metal bushings similar to Mustangs or 70/71 Rancheros. Geared 2.78 to 1 in an "N" code nine inch case with huge axel shaft s with wheel bearings open to the gear oil in the rear axel. The 140 mph certified speedometer is the only obvious giveaway.
One New Tear's Eve this car was stolen while I was out celebrating. The two thugs in it were clocked by the Tennessee Highway Patrol , Tullahoma Police, Coffee County Sheriffs, Franklin County Sheriffs, and Winchester Police multiple times until they got cornered in a subdivision. None of those Cops could pace that old Mercury. Documented multiple times at 178mph.
So, I think it is great that you plan to restore that 73, it could be a very interesting and rewarding project. Hillbilly By the way, the thugs did five years each.

 

Lucky they didn't wreak the thing. Those things would get so much air under them that handling was not too great much above 130MPH.

 

Yeah, my uncle the Idaho Stater, said that was a huge problem on the Panhandle's twisty, windy, haven't been paved 'since Truman took office' roads. He especially didn't like the Eighties Mustang Interceptors for that. Running I-90 at a sedate 130 was no problem; running the back roads at 110 was.

 

That's a whole lot of seat of your pants open a can of yee hah! 178 mph in that big a** boat? I would be so high off the adrenaline after that chase I wouldn't care what the consequences where.

 

For a big car it sits pretty low. Tucked up under the front bumper it has a neat little chin spoiler you normally don't notice. The thugs must have gotten such a bad rush of adrenalin that their judgment got impaired. After dusting all the cops out on the big fourlanes in the area they got lax and turned into a dead-end subdivision. Realised they were trapped, they took out a big brick mail box and landed in a huge pile of leaves in the back yard of my upholstery guy, Marty Scott. Cost me a new right front fender and a paint job plus the Michelins they burnt off to the wire cords. Still runs strong, around 150 is as far as I had nerve to push it. It really likes high octane fuel so it sits mostly nowdays. Yup, Andy, not the car of choice for corner carving.

 

They are also lucky the tires held. When I was dialing in the FI I had an open stretch so I dropped the hammer. Speedo jumped toward 140 as the tires spun and the rev limiter kicked in ( I was doing about 60 when I nailed it) and one of the rear V rated tires exploded. All happened in what seemed like a second.

 

Seen a bunch of tires unravel on the Delk brother's chassie dyno. I suspect a lot of tires have a bogus speed rating. I have been very lucky but buy serious tires meant for extreme duty.

 

OK, new problem...apparently, the engine's original dizzy has problems, apparently with the mechanical advance. It's stuck in full advance. He has his wagon's dizzy, and the two definitely are different children. Opinions about whether Joe can use it for getting the engine running, circulate coolant and oil, etc., while he deals with the PI dizzy?

 

Don't really see any conflicts. Both should be points, both should have the same physical dimensions, both should have the same drive gear and oil pump shaft hole. A few drops of oil on the felt under the rotor then manually work the advance a few times to confirm the return springs are good. A working vacume advance is a plus too. The PI dizzy might have a quicker advance curve but I doubt he will notice the difference.

 

OK, good. I'll let him know.

 

So, two-plus years later, I now live in Seguin, TX, with Landyacht and his family. This weekend, we began clearing out one corner of the garage, for me to set up shelves and put my tools/parts/materials. This required moving the '76 LTD out to have room to work. Then yesterday, we began the work on basic mechanical rehab of the Galaxie, removing the gas tank (with an eye-opener of a story about it!), pulling the rear drums because the brakes in back were locked up--what a hassle that was! First, I had to get the adjusters to turn (car had sat for two decades), then the farking drum centers were rust locked to the hubs! We destroyed one drum trying to bash it off, and decided to let the other sit overnight. We should've let both sit overnight...but we also transferred the front bench and brake master cylinder, for now. Today, we prepped engine removal from the LTD, along with ancillary wiring to allow the rear-terminal alternator and the Duraspark ignition to work in the Galaxie. Gas tank's already pulled. We'll also be transferring the Frigidaire A/C compressor in order to have it for those hot Texas Summers.

 

Yeah, out with it ! Was something living back there and you destroyed their condo ? You do know if perchance ya'll decided to put fuel injection on that car, a fuel tank from a early 90's Town Car will go right in place giving you a in-tank pump with factory parts ? Pairing up a Lincoln tank and pump with an MSD Atomic injector system in the near future for my 78 Interceptor.

 

So, Joe and I are removing the tank straps...the filler neck was a pain, of course, and as we worked underneath, dust, dirt chunks and rust flakes abound. We go to remove the tank straps, have to deal with spinning carriage bolts, but that's what Vise-Grips are for, amirite? We get them undone, and...nothing. The tank sits in place. Joe boots it with his foot...nothing. It just stays in place. I have him go grab the BFP (Big Farking Prybar--you know the one), and I slip it behind the tank (which was junk anyway), and heave on the bar. POP-POP-POP-POP-POP
In repairing the forward bulkhead and trunk floor, the PO had drilled holes, and riveted a piece of sheet metal in the trunk. The dumb Bahstidge drilled INTO THE TANK, and five rivets held it in place. I'm willing to bet the tank was nearly empty when he did it, then the first fill-up, discovered the leaks, and just parked it because he couldn't find a correct tank. What a dumb@$$.