Gary Lewis

I know it isn't a Ford, much less a Bullnose, but I think this is such an amazing story that many of you will want to read it: How McPherson College Students Took on Pebble Beach with “a Ramen Budget It is hard to believe that 10 years ago they set a goal of having a car in Pebble Beach in 10 years - and made it. But not only did they get a car in, they got 2nd in their class! And don't miss how much they have in endowments right now. WOW! If we have the time on our trip to Ouray it would be cool to stop there as it is literally right beside the road. As I think about it, I did sorta "restore" a car in or very near McPherson once. In about 1970 we got a tank of really bad gas in our '69 Super Bee and it prevented the needles from seating so the carb was overflowing badly. I put 3 cans of carb cleaner in it and we took off from Wichita to Salina up I-35 and watched the gas gauge drop rapidly. Got to Salina (90 miles) on fumes, filled up, and dumped 2 more cans in, but it was still running soooo rich it would make your eyes water. Stopped at the rest stop at McPherson, pulled the Holley off and went through it on a picnic table. It was spotless but there was a film on the needles. Wiped them down and it ran like a top.

It felt like they were already falling when we got there, which is usually true when companies turn to outsourcing. I kinda thought of us as vultures because we seemed to always be pursuing failing companies. And I've always thought that's what Eddie the same way, although he bought whole companies and we just took the IT bits off their hands. Which circles us back to Boeing and their spinoff of Spirit. Seemed like a move made out of desperation to me. But what do I know about running MAJOR companies?

Interesting. I followed Bob's link on the soft shackle and found this statement: So apparently that's a much-debated topic. I recognize most of those terms, although I did learn a new term, or a different spelling for an old term: thingumajig. And, by the way, I do have a soft shackle although I've never used it. My theory is that if you have the right equipment then you won't need it. So I acquire recovery equipment to ensure I don't need it.

I'll check that one out as well, Jim. Jeff, that would certainly help. Thanks.

I not only witnessed it, I lived it. And it was a nightmare. After we'd pursued Sears and were on the cusp of winning two of the company's presidents came up and asked the pursuit team if we thought we ought to win it. All but two said yes, and the two that dissented were the two us that were going to have to run it while the others moved on to a new pursuit. And I said "no" in spite of having been promised to become a VP if we won. Janey and I took a MUCH-needed mini vacation to France, and on Valentine's Day while standing under the Eiffel Tower I got a call that we'd won. I was elated and fearful, but the elation soon wore off. In the role of service delivery manager I'd had many customers, including a major defense contractor, a major elevator company, a pharma company, etc. But none like Sears. As for Carly, HP really wanted that contract, although I never understood why. They made computers, calculators, and test equipment, so why did they want into the IT outsourcing business? But they did and it got down to them, IBM, and us. IBM already had the contract so should have been a shoo-in, but they didn't really want it - and had told me that personally. But Carly did and made the majority of their presentation, just like I did on ours. But in November of that year, the day after moving into our new house, I was driving in at 6 AM and heard on the radio that Eddie had purchased Sears. And when I got in that was all the talk, with a major theme that he did NOT like outsourcing. I really didn't think he'd get out of the contract because of the huge poison pill that was in it, but somehow he did. My life got better soon after that. Janey said I'd aged two years in the short time we'd had the Sears contract, and I don't doubt it. So I'm not mad at Eddie.

I agree, and have already been looking for where to put that info. Here are some options: Documentation/Electrical/Ignition: Documentation/Electrical/Connectors Documentation/Electrical/Electrical Connectors Documentation/Electrical/Terminals & Connectors What I'm thinking is that it be mentioned and linked to on the Ignition page, but then I do a full-scale rationalization on the three pages on connectors and get it on there. Thoughts? Did I miss another page that has DS-II?

I try to make my modifications, the few that I do (), such that the parts can be replaced in the future. So I wouldn't want to do #4 as you cannot buy a dizzy with that connector.

Well done! I'm here to tell you that a screw and nut seems to be the ONLY way to contain that piece. It is amazing that Ford did it with some kind of adhesive 40 years ago, but I can't find anything that comes close now.

Interesting. I left Boeing in '69 so didn't witness any of those things, although I did recognize where I worked in Wichita in the video. And I certainly remember the Spirt spinoff. In fact, the company I worked for at the time, Computer Sciences Corp, tried to get involved in that spinoff since it was a form of outsourcing and that's what we did. They knew about my previous employment with Boeing and luckily didn't want me on the pursuit team and luckily we didn't win any part of the contract. However, I recognize the management style because we did win the Sears contract and they were operating in a very similar fashion. You can see how well it is working for Sears, just as it is for Boeing. (I was on that pursuit team, and one of our competitors was HP. The equivalent of my part of our pitch to Sears was handled by someone named Carley.) I do have a soft spot in my heart for Boeing, but they've dug a deep hole and it is going to be very difficult to turn things around. I hope they can, but I am not going to buy their stock hoping they will.

Well documented, Jeff!

You don't have to explain how you did it, just be glad that you did. (However, I always worry that if I don't know how I did it then when it comes back I can't do it again.) Anyway, congrat's!

Now for an attempt at listing the process I used: CLEAN: SEM says "Clean the area with SEM Soap and a gray scuff pad. Scrub thoroughly, paying close attention to textured or recessed areas. Rinse with water or wipe away residue with damp cloth and let dry." The need here is to get all dirt and damaged plastic off the part. So for things like my console, which has no sun-damaged plastic, a good scrub will do the trick. But I use Dawn soap first and then use SEM soap. And on smooth or lightly-textured parts scrubbing with the recommended gray scrub pad works. But if the part has a lot of texture, like the console, a Nylon brush will help you get down into it. However, if the part has damaged plastic you'll need to get it off. I've used wet & dry sandpaper and also a stainless steel wire brush followed by smoothing with sandpaper to remove the bad plastic. Then follow up with Dawn and/or SEM soap. RE-CLEAN: SEM says "Clean with Plastic & Leather Prep or Zero VOC Surface Cleaner using a clean, lint-free towel and wiping in one direction. If contamination still exists after cleaning, water will bead on the surface. Repeat until beading no longer occurs." But I haven't been able to get rid of beading, and I've been quite diligent. However, I am having good good results so I think I'm getting things CLEAN. PREP: SEM says "To promote adhesion on plastics, such as ABS, PVC or other similar plastics, apply a medium wet coat of Sand Free. While still wet, apply a light coat of Color Coat. (Avoid applying the first coat of Color Coat too heavily or sagging could occur.) As Sand Free evaporates, Color Coat is drawn into the surface, resulting in excellent adhesion." Further, "To promote adhesion on plastics, such as TPO, EPDM, PP or other similar thermoplastics, use Plastic Adhesion Promoter or XXX Adhesion Promoter. Apply one light coat, let flash for 5 minutes, and then apply one full wet coat. Allow this coat to flash 10-15 minutes, but no longer than 30 minutes before topcoating." So I'm using the Plastic Adhesion Promoter, just as it specifies - one light coat, wait 5 minutes, then a heavy coat, and wait 10 to 15 minutes before applying the Color Coat. APPLY: I didn't wait more than 30 minutes and sprayed a light coat, waited 5 minutes, and then put on a heavier coat. After 10 minutes I put on another coat, and then another after another 10 minutes. After three heavy coats, just less than running, the parts were well coated.

I agree with all you said, Bob. Further I'd use bolts that are a tight fit in the holes in the frame, spacer, and hook. That will keep twisting to a minimum. As for the bolts, G8's have a higher torque spec, and I'd tighten them to that spec. That will give the maximum friction between the parts.

Thanks, Dane. They feel comfortable when I sat down on one, but it is really hard to tell when your feet are straight out in front of you. (And then you have to get up.) The center is softer than the bolsters, so you sink in a bit when you sit down which means the bolsters are higher than your rear end and hold you in. So I think they'll work out great. It is supposed to be reasonably nice tomorrow so I hope to get them installed and then take it for a drive. (The truck is clean and I'm trying to keep it that way.)

Dane - I don't know what hook Bob is thinking of, but the one I have is solid in the middle. So I'd say it is several times stronger than the one from HF. However, I don't know if that is required as I don't know where the weak link is. But the tube of the receiver looks to have thicker walls than the HF part, and the whole hitch is held to the frame with eight 5/8" G8 bolts, so I'm guessing that the HF part would be the weak link. Bob - Good idea on re-seating a bead. I have one strap in and could easily add another. And with 200 psi in my onboard air system I'll bet we can get a bead seated.

Got the parts painted, but in the middle of that the upholstery shop called to say the seats are done. So I finished the painting and went to get the seats. I like them! The left pic shows the parts in the paint booth under fluorescent lighting. The right pic shows the seats with one of the painted parts in LED lighting. Looking at the seats vs their picture I'd say the picture of the seats and that part is pretty accurate, colorwise. I hope to install the seats tomorrow and start prep'ing the console for painting.

I also have the high lift jack, and am thinking about getting a kinetic recovery rope/strap. I carry the chain because when I'm using the trailer I use it on the rear of the vehicle. However, it takes a lot to lift the bag it is in out of the toolbox, so leaving it behind for this trip is a good idea. I could bring a come-along, but surely we won't need it. However I do have one or two very heavy ratchet straps in. But I don't have any rope that heavy.

Not a voltmeter, and he said it twice!

Cool! Not done watching yet, but at 6:50 there are some captain's chairs that I'd love to have. But, speaking of seats, my guy just called so I'm headed to pick those up and will post more later...

You helped me think through it, so thanks. I think I understand what they meant, although their instructions are awful. I'll write up what I think they meant later. Right now we are in the 10 - 15 minute window and I'm getting ready to start topcoating.

We have a plan, Stan! But I'm still bringing my tree saver and lots of chain, in addition to the winch. And maybe by then a few more recovery items.

Yes, and no. You didn't include using any of the 39863 Plastic Adhesion Promoter, and that's where these instructions come from. I've already done the scuffing and sanding using 38353 Plastic & Leather Prep and am just trying to figure out how to use 39863 Plastic Adhesion Promoter. And reading the 4 Easy Steps to Refinishing Interior Plastic I see these instructions: So I think the instructions on this 39863 can should be read the same way - one light coat, wait 5 minutes, one wet coat, wait 10 - 15 minutes, and then topcoat. These instructions just don't give you the topcoat step.

Right. The previous Lightning had a 7.5KW generator if I remember correctly. That's not enough to power our whole house, but if we were cautious we'd have enough power to run the furnace and plenty of lights, modem, TV, etc. But the engine on the truck would have to be running.

LOL! The thing sticking down is a magnetic work light as it is dark under the truck and I was having trouble taking a picture. It won't cause a problem as it'll fall off easily if I forget it. As for the receiver, I really shouldn't take it off as that plus this is my rear recovery point. Which brings up the question of how many recovery points I ought to have. I'd planned to use that in both the rear and the front. Do I need more? The front is via the front hitch which uses the same four G8 bolts that hold the winch on, but they aren't that big.

Well, there's a spanner in the works and I may be the one that put it there. That's because this morning I tried the test in the previous instructions that said "If the type of plastic is unknown, place a drop of acetone on the back of the plastic and rub it with your finger. If the plastic smears and melts, use Sand Free. If acetone does not have an effect on the plastic, use Plastic Adhesion Promoter or XXX Adhesion Promoter." And the plastic didn't seem to smear or melt. So I got the Plastic Adhesion Promoter out and read the instructions for its use, as shown on the pic below. And there I got really confused so called SEM on their tech line @ 800-831-1122. But I had to leave a message and haven't heard back. Here are my thoughts/questions: 1. Step 1 on the can says to use "3833() Scuff & Clean", but their website says there is no such thing as "3833". But there are plenty of hits for "3986" so shortening the search by one digit is legit. And Scuff & Clean is 38391 or 38398 depending on which container you get. So what is "3833()"? 2. Step 3 says "400". Does that mean to scuff 400 times? Or use 400 grit sandpaper? 3. Step 5 says to lay down 1 light coat using some product. Which one? 4. Step 7 says to lay down 1 wet coat using some product. Which one? I'm finding SEM's instructions far less than intuitive.