So is my room, and probably his, but that doesn't stop us from bringing in more stuff. ;)

It does stop me from getting PMs...Sorry about that, finals week just ended, and early in the week my box filled...So I'm just getting it fixed now.

People snort w/derision at the old Yankee "Battle Cruisers" of yore, but they WERE impressive machines any way you cut it. You can carry 5-6 200 LB guys in a 1965 Cadillac in pretty much sublime comfort, coast to coast, the temperature in the car rarely wavering from the 68-70 you set it on, listening to FM the whole way. Basically, all the driver has to do is steer the beast, the car will take care of everything else itself. To get the same level of luxury in 1965, you'd have to go w/a Grosser Mercedes 600, a car that was a good 4X the price of the Caddy. It offered superior brakes & handling to the Cad, but that was really about it. The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 3, was, by '65, painfully obsolete. You MIGHT be able to carry 5 people in it, but one would likely be happier if he stayed home. The Silver Shadow, launched in late '65, was more of a competitor for the Caddy than the Cloud was, but a man would be hard pressed to HONESTLY tell which vehicle was "Better".

The Sugarland Express. Need I say more?

Another place we had the Yuropeans beat was style. Take even the nicest Rolls (with their "I'm the 10th generation Earl of nopshamshire, and I'm given a tremendous amount of wealth to sit on my but eating grapes all day and be a powerless symbol of power") or Mercedes (with their borderline utilitarian styling that historically has said "Ya, ve ship um to oter countries to oosed as taxis, but add uns radio, air counditioner, ands switch ze interior to leather, ship um to America, put out some sphiel and sey actually pay quadrupple ze price. ha ha"). Compare that to say a 59-60 (hell anything they made from the mid 30's to the mid 70's for that matter) caddy that says "I'm a reasonably well to do American I'm going places, and I don't just want some stick up the but luxury car...I want a rocket ship! We're going to the moon, and I want a car that looks like it's trying to get there."

Mopar and FoMoCo (tempted to switch the F and M to see if anybody notices...) made some nice luxury cars too. The late 50's to early 60's Imperials (even more so their lower lines) had some real cool styling especially the last of the finned imperials, and some of the mid to mid to late 60's imperials had this look to them that I can only quantify as being like someone made a late 60's modern styled Zenith TV in to a car...The just have that same sort of appealing look to them. I like the 40's Lincolns, and some of their 60's offerings, the 70's Marks, and the late 70's continentals, but most of their other offerings feel like the designers were told take any impression of 'fun' out of the styling...Some of the recent Ford and Lincoln cars are interesting looking though, and if I was given money told that I had to buy my self a new car I'd probably look at those first.

That pretty much defines Great Britain's royal family.

Prime Minister Trudeau met the queen in cutoffs and sandals. How I would have loved to have seen the look on her face.

It was the same look as when the 15yr. old kid leaned in on the red carpet to
squeeze off a self-pic of him with the Queen in the background......

I remember that story went around the world twice....

.

Neat car, Tom. Quite the cruiser.

But, you will need some weight over those rear tires for winter. About 300# should do it. Water softener salt, sand, whatever. You will need it. Keeping the tank full will help too. With old RWD cars, it's getting going that's the issue. Once you are going, it's not hard to keep going. And in my opinion, they are usually easier to control on ice than front drive.

I'm sure you a great driver but being a new driver, remember when it's snowy and icy, when you start to skid, try to steer your way our of trouble as much as possible. You have no ABS so lightly pumping the brakes may be the best way to stop sometimes.

I have been driving noting but RWD cars for 99% of my adult life, and served part-time as a pizza delivery driver on and off for probably 10+ years. So I have spent more hours than your average cat behind the wheel of RWD land yachts.

Anywho, the best thing I can recommend, is find a big open parking lot when the weather gets bad and go play. Drift it, spin it, lock up the brakes. Do all those things, not just because its fun, but you will get a feel for what it takes for the car to get out of control. You will see how your brakes react under slippery conditions (RWD cars sometimes need the rear brakes adjusted because the fronts lock up first- this is something you will never notice on dry ground). You will see how fast you can take a turn before you lose traction. All these things are necessary to learn. Plus, you won't freak out if it happens in real life if you have had some practice in a controlled environment.

Plus, it will give you some experience making up excuses to tell the cops when you get busted. Not to mention unnecessary wear and tear on your car. Not a good idea.

Tom! There was a firm in Milwaukee, years ago, that named their concern "MoFoCo". IIRC, it was an auto body or repair shop. Back then, we always thought it was a play on words for FoMoCo. :D

Still around. MOtors FOr COmpetition

http://www.mofoco.com/

.

*Sigh*

Just to clarify, I don't mean beating the heck out of it. Spinning the tires (at a reasonable RPM), doing doughnuts and locking the brakes up, all while in the snow doesn't create any real wear and tear. And I don't suggest "playing" in a lot close to traffic, in the city, or a lot with a bunch of poles. C'mon, I thought these things were common sense. If you do a doughnut in an icy parking lot and something breaks, it wasn't road worthy in the first place.

I come from a "worst case scenario" type upbringing. That's how my dad taught me to deal with snow and ice. Get out there and get a feel for it.

He taught me to drive a stick shift in a similar manner. He let me get used to shifting and working the clutch in a nice flat gravel lot. After I got a feel for it, we went out in the country and he made me stop in the middle of the steepest hill we could find, and practice taking off without rolling back wards.

The logic being, most situations won't be that intense, and it will seem like "nothing" to drive day-to-day after you master the tough stuff.

Everybody is so scared, angry, or distracted while driving nowadays. People forget how fun driving can be. I love to drive.

I was a little older than most of you people, when I got my D/L and first car. My parents didn't own a car, as we lived in the city and my father felt, he didn't need one. They didn't mind using public transportation. Myself, I hated it with a passion, especially in bad weather.
My first car had a manual transmission, because it was less expensive to buy. For me, the clutching was the hardest to get the feel of. Right now, I'm back to a manual, for my daily driver.

"Sigh" Common sense is not driving like an idiot. If you think doing donuts and locking up the brakes is common sense, then more power to you. You drive and do what you think is right. You can help pay for his tickets for exhibition driving if he follows your advice. "Sigh"

I was already planing to do something like that. I'm an easy does it kind of a guy. I'll probably see what the minimum it takes to slide is, and practice dealing with a pinch more than that. Finding a good lot in reasonable driving distance will be the tricky part...The roads are hilly and twisty for the most part so the longer the journey the more the chances of unplanned/unwanted road practice. I doubt I'd get my self into trouble inadvertently on the road, since I've been accused of driving like an old man (a fair assessment of my technique IMO) before.

A friend has been trying to talk me into doing that stuff on a frozen lake in the coldest part of January when you see the ice fishers take their pickups, and multi-ton construction equipment :nutz: out on the ice, but I'm a bit apprehensive on that.
This same friend has done that in his Prelude before...

@GGregg: Thanks. I'm pretty sure it does not have ABS, but it was actually an option on my model...They called it 'Sure-trac', and it only 'modulated' the rear brakes. Lincoln offered ABS before any other major brand, and in the late 80's IIRC when the guberment wanted car makers to offer it they were the first to (re)introduce it.
Another option that Squirrel boy might get a kick outa (if he is still following this thread) is that among the available 'trailer towing package' options was adjustable air ride suspension according to the manual.

@ Dieseljeep + jim: Lol! That is not the first dumb thought I've had that someone beat me to thinking of.

Yesterday I bought the factory shop manuals off ebay, and today I went to the auto parts shop and got a 'weather/water proof car covering' (AKA a tarp), and floor mats. I had hoped to do that before it snowed on it again, but I was a bit too slow. I did make enough room to confirm it fits in the garage though (It should since the house is nearly the age as my car). And it will stay in the garage until the snow stops and and has melted off it.

Tom,
Don't do the lake ice thing (even though it is pretty fun). I remember doing 60 mph donuts on a lake when we were kids. We hit an ice ridge in the middle of the lake and broke the beads on three of the four tires. It was a long walk back to shore. And then we still had to drive back to the car and take three tires off and bring them back to the service station to air them back up. Ending ruining 2 of the tires, one of the rims, and screwing up the alignment big time.

Not me BTW, I was just along for the ride.

The parking lot thing is a great idea, no matter what some think. It will not hurt anything and gives you a feel for how your car skids, which will keep you out of trouble some day. ABS on the rear wheels is a good idea on RWD cars and the goal was to prevent a skid not necessarily decrease stopping ability. Since most people tend to slam on their brakes when they skid, which usually only makes matters worse, it makes sense. I'm not fond of a lot of the doo dads on newer cars but I do like ABS. Your lucky you don't have the optional air ride. It's quite expensive to rebuild, which it would need by now, and parts are not easy to find. Many were converted back to standard when the cars were only a few years old. Today's air ride systems are much more durable but a metal spring is still a lot longer lasting than a rubber bag.

And for those of you that think that driving on a lake is not a good idea, up here we have plowed roads on some lakes. The University in town uses it as a parking lot. The ice gets many feet thick and as long as you stay away from the river inlet and outlet (the Mississippi, which is really just a wide creek up here), you are fine.

In this area, we got our first taste of winter driving. Most people living around here, still have to re-learn driving on slipperly roads. More crazy accidents on the freeway. Trucks and cell phoning "yuppie types". :yes:

I have not been behind the wheel on any slip trips yet but I've been passenger on a few so far...The first snows of the year have been bad enough that I've seen both of my folks, who are normally fairly good winter drivers, do some mild sliding and wheel spinning.

ggregg: What you mention is similar to a good part of my worry about lake driving. There are a lot of ice fishermen around here, and the possibility of hitting an abandoned fishin hole at any speed don't seem too appealing to me.

If this year goes like last year (I hope not) I might have my own personal ice patch to play with anyway. Our drive way slopes towards the house from the street to just over a car length away from the garage where it levels out. Last year I was too busy to run the snow blower, and the folks never picked up the slack. Eventually the snow packed down to become a big sheet of ice. I can remember being in the passenger seat as my dad had his Accord in reverse and revved pretty good while we were sliding forward at a good pace...That finally convinced them to salt ONCE. A college buddy visited in his plow truck and had to engage the 4 wheel drive to get out around then too.
Scarier than that is the hill our road runs up the face of. It is about 3-6 stories tall over 1-2 blocks, the grade varies along it, it is not always kept deiced, at the bottom it turns sharply, and there is only a persons yard between said curve and Pewaukee lake...

For rear ballast I might grab some of the unused bags of top soil the folks leave outside every winter (provided they have not frozen to the ground yet) after buying too much every spring. I don't want to try any softener salt as I have seen what it does to metal things in the softener room, and to a lesser extent my basement storage adjacent to it :( .

I leave my softener salt in the garage, unopened, until use.
I hate rust-bucket radios and chassis. :D

We usually just buy a bag when low and dump it in as soon as we get home, so the bags rarely sit with their contents inside...But the salt dust cloud that is created when we dump them can't be completely contained...Leading to gradual rusting especially of things in/near the softener room. We would not even use the darn softener save for the fact that the ground water here is SATURATED with iron/rust, and even with the iron out pellets our plumbing fixtures tend to get rust stains often. I've often wondered why there is not an iron mine in the area AFAIK.

Do you find that problem with the nuggets. They refer to it as "Solar Salt".
I usually buy, whatevers on sale. If you look at the water piping circuit in the basement, you'll find, that the toilets and the cold water on the kitchen sink are not softened.
For drinking, coffee and cooking water, I use a Brita filter pitcher. :thmbsp:

Maybe, but not always.

In my house (built 1993) the only hard water is plumbed directly to only the outdoor hose bibs.

My father's house (built 1954) had a third faucet valve added at the kitchen sink to allow for unsoftened drinking & cooking water. The only other hard water connections in his home ran to his outdoor hose bibs.

Neither home had hard water running to the toilets, and I can't see why anyone would want that. Toilets would likely be the first to show rust staining, and the homeowner would constantly have to be fighting that.

.

Guys, guys, I mean unopened,completely sealed bags. No corrosion to worry about, as long as you don't cut or rip the bag and they are pretty strong these days. Open them and dump it in the softener in the spring.

You don't need salt. Anything will work but the smaller and the heavier it is, the better. 200-300# makes a big difference. Put in in the front of the trunk, as close to directly over the rear axle as you can get. It makes a big difference on rear wheel drive. Up here you can buy bags of sand and that works well but then you have to figure out what to do with it in the spring, or find dry storage until next winter. If your not driving in the slop and waiting until the roads are dried off then you won't need it though.

Either way, enjoy your new wheels. That is a beautiful car and it's in wonderful shape. I'm kinda jealous but I sold my motorcycle and bought a 1992 Saab 900 convertible so I have a new toy to play with in the spring. Drove it home and right into storage. This is the fourth 900 Turbo I've had over the years but the first convertible. Some people think I'm nuts but I really like those first generation 900 Turbos. And this one was too cheap to pass up although it does need some work, but nothing serious. Every time I post a photo with my phone the darn thing shows up sideways.

Only the hoses are connected to the hard water. We also had the fridge connected, but have yet to turn the valve on! The main reason to keep the rust out is that whites come out of the laundry orange-ish otherwise.

I have put three 40lb bags of soil into the trunk, and if I can find anything else that is small, heavy, and not fragile/important to me I'll add that too. Maybe I should round up some Polka and Classical 78's (that I had to buy to get some swing records I wanted) I've got laying around and throw them in.

polka records, LOL.

On Saturday I got the correct Quad 8-track car radio from Adam. It was working good in all aspects, but I just had to replace the chopped off wiring harness at the internal solder joints (for neatness), which entailed pulling the tuner board....Well the AM band is now dead unless I touch some traces on the board and let my body be the antenna. :sigh: I'd just about kill for the sams for this radio. I know where the antenna connects to this board, but I don't know how it connects to the AM section (it goes in to the FM section can and has no obvious connection to the AM section). Perhaps the freakiest thing is that I see no obvious connections between the FM section and the tuning mechanism (yet that part works)! I'm beginning to think this radio runs on magic, and I let out the AM sections pixie dust when I opened it....

If anyone can find me a schematic for this Motorola sourced car radio I'll owe you a beer.

I keep my extra bags of snow-melting salt in my trunk.

I'm actually surprised that radio worked at all. I don't have the schematics.

And I like polka records!

Nice Mark there Tom, I was wondering what car a true VK'er would select, and I think I may know why...besides all the electric gadgets.
Does it have the standard deep trunk that most Fords did? I used to wonder if a normal-sized roundie console would fit in those trunks?:D

With gas prices going down, you made a fine selection of ride there. I just hope you dont have to drive 86 miles round trip to work like I do. :thumbsdn:

One obstacle to better mpg may simply be the three-speed automatic transmission, likely the smooth but tough FoMoCo C-6.
The stock whisper-quiet exhaust, emissions-optimized carburetor and torque-optimized camshaft have an effect as well, but where to upgrade any/all of these and have a meaningful effect on mileage is up for much debate. I have not seen a good cost-benefit ratio to changing these components.

My first car was a 1973 Fury II small-town police cruiser with a 400 (bored out 383) and stock 2 barrel Holley carburetor with single exhaust.
It carried all manner of rescued sets in the trunk and had a Pioneer Supertuner 8-track player with Magnavox 6x9 speakers.
The gas mileage was only 10-12 and everyone in those angst-filled days blamed this on emissions controls and crappy gas which had just doubled in price. Most post-1971 vehicles were hastily adapted (not re-designed) to hit bechmarks of the CLEAN AIR ACT and use unleaded, low-octane gas. Automotive Engineers probably had NO input in crafting the clean air act because it would not have provided the instant gratification required of feel-good legislation.

Us reverse-tinkerers now know that the timing gearsets were "re-aligned", compression ratio reduced about 20% and various vacuum-operated controls were "fitted" to limit the emissions. Soon after came air-injection pumps, catalytic coverters and more weight.
The cars of the late 70s still had carburetors, requiring periodic adjustment and these add-on controls just made things worse when they malfunctioned. Many of us looked at the 1970 and earlier engines as easier to keep running right.
I have tried changing most everything (cam, exhaust, ignition, carburetor and higher compression heads) on my 1969 Grand Prix with a 1972 455-4V and it still gets a best of 12 mpg:sigh: due to sheer weight, so I put very little mileage on it. Now, if there was an overdrive kit for a THM 400 transmission to get those highway rpm's down....:smoke:

My best advice on getting better mpg is cheap;:smoke: replace vacuum hoses, get the carb cleaned up and all linkage free from sticking and advance the ignition timing until it pings (knocks) when climbing hills in warm weather (do only when using 87 octane gas) then back it off until the pings disappear.

Thanks!
The old TV repair gurus(VS a college electrical engineering student with an appreciation for classic tech like me) are more the true VK'ers in my book....Although if I was born some decades earlier I'm convinced I would have taken that route in life.

I could likely fit a roundy in the trunk, but I don't think it would close...

Only commute I have presently is ~25 miles to college. So gas should not be a killer.
I'm fairly sure it is a C6 transmission in it. I've never been behind the wheel of a manual equipped car. And only since a friend of mine got one have even known someone that presently has one....I considered possibly getting a manual equipped car when looking, but there were none that seemed worth the hassle of re-learning how to drive.

The electrical is going to be interesting. The high beams, miles to empty computer, and the power door locks are all not working. One of the interior turn signal indicator lights is intermittent too (the signal it's self is fine though). All that will be fun to trouble shoot for me....Though it ticks me off that the factory electrical manual lacks schematic detail of the workings of the radio and the miles to empty computer. Thanks to the manuals I bought I now know that the high beams could only be stuck on as they are if a relay/diode, wiring, or the foot switch are bad so it should be easy to fix.

I'll have to remember to change the vacuum hoses. When we have time a college buddy of mine who likes to work on cars and I are going to work on the tuning, though it seems fairly good presently. Last weekend we changed the oil, and did some work on the holes in the exhaust (it remains unfinished).

High beam is probably the switch. They took a lot of abuse. Locks, maybe relay or fuse. They are not vacuum like the old T-birds, are they? The signal will probably be very easy to fix once you can get to it. The computer, good luck with that one although it could be something as simple as an intermittent connection on the sensor.

Check every single vacuum hose on that car. It will take you some time, but you will be rewarded by a smoother running engine. Pay particular attention to the vacuum switch on the bottom of the steering column that operates the parking brake release. Those are notorious for leaking. If it's really bad, you'll notice a hissing noise when you put the transmission in drive.

Also, pay close attention to the thermal blower lockout switch. This is located in one of the heater hoses, and it keeps the heater blower from coming on until the car warms up enough to provide heat. Some of these switches are just electrical, but some versions also have a vacuum switch that is a common source of leaks.

If either of these switches are bad, you're about as well off to plug the lines than to replace it. These parts are available aftermarket at most parts stores, but they're cheap imports that won't hold up. Last year, I spent $40 to replace the parking brake vacuum switch because I'm so particular about everything working on my Lincoln. It's a pain to get to, a bigger pain to get the screws out, and after I replaced it the new switch was hissing intermittently in just a few months.

And congrats on the purchase of a fine looking car. I've been a Lincoln guy all my life, and have loved every single one I've owned. I have two now, my 2001 Town Car daily driver (191,000 trouble free miles) and my 1989 Town Car weekend cruiser (a 69,000 mile "little old lady car).

To be quite honest, I like driving the 1989 better, and whenever I go out of town I always take it instead. By 1989 Lincolns had the fuel injected 5.0 V8 and most of the other modern dependability updates but retained the big, boxy styling that defined the brand from 1962 until 1989. To me, 1989 was the last year of the classic "Lincoln look" as the 1990 re-style rounded things off a lot. The last Town Car re-style in 1998 took the rounded off style and made it look "bloated". Not necessarily ugly, but definitely not the "Lincoln look" they were known for.

Hey EM; if yer ever lookin for the best bolt on mpg upgrade for that car, made by ford,
get a 7200, or 7600 VV carb. The 7200 variable venturi was all vacuum operated, and
the 7600 variable venturi was stepper motor electronic feedback carb. Both almost
easy bolt on directly to a factory 2bbl manifold. I think you got a 2 bbl right....?

I said it here before, I put one on my '73 351C mustang and went from 9mpg town
13mpg hwy, to 16 around town, to just under 21 highway.... 55, no floorin it off lights.

The 7600 uses a 5 wire 15 degree stepper motor and you can easily figure out the
wiring and set yerself up a in the car controller with a few IC's and some driver transistors.
Or go nuts and add a O2 sensor and make it semi automatic.... I did add the O2 sensor,
I had a Radio Control Plane servo running the spark advance, and I could
also set that from inside the car.... So easy to set it for highway or local spark.

It started quicker, ran better, had less spark plug problems, "dial-a-ping" was what I
called my spark advance.....

The only problem is that those carbs did not have a direct spark advance
port like a regular 2bbl, it was derived from a buncha other things..... Funny
that the 7200 would always just about to ping with no knock sensor that I knew
of on our '79 LTD wagon, and run good and get 26mpg on the highway....
It was the first year redesigh, but still the big one, not the mini-LTD.... 302 v8..

As an electronics person, you can easily set up the same stuff I did, once you find where
everything works best, it's just a matter of hard wiring a matrex to follow at different
speeds......

I guess if you wanted....... you could always get fuel injection......
and a 4 speed auto.......
.

Thanks for the ideas!

David: She does hiss for a moment when the vacuum parking brake release is activated, and does the same thing when the headlights, and certain climate control lever settings are activated. The Vacuum lines will likely be a project for the early spring as it is not fun tinkering in the freezing cold. I wonder if that would make it idle smoother?

Squirrel boy: IIRC it is equipped with a 2 barrel autolite carb so it may be possible to do what you suggest. If you did that mod any time in the recent past then I'm surprised that you did not take a knock sensor off a newer car and use a micro-controller, analog amplifier or some such to auto-tune out the ping. It could be an interesting summer project to try that out. An Arduino MCU board, some switching transistors, that carb, servos, the right sensors, and a decent control code and it could probably tune it's self. If come summer I still feel like keeping it then I'll probably start looking into doing this or fitting the fuel injection parts off of one of the last 90's era trucks to use the same engine block as mine.

As she is now I drive her about once a week for odd errands, and I'm thinking of commuting to school in her on the one day a week that I have late starting classes. Other days I'd probably have to get up 30 minutes early to make it there on time driving my self, and I need all the sleep I can get most days.

I need to get on the high beams soon. I just started this quarter of school, and have been busy reorganizing my AV racks....Squirrel boy, you know the audiophile olympics...I'll have to post about it when I'm done (which I basically am).

A vacuum leak, if bad enough, will certainly make it run rough. It can also have unwanted effects on the climate control operation. For instance, when the thermal blower lockout switch started leaking on mine, I knew about it because whenever I stepped on the accelerator with the A/C on, the air warmed up because of insufficient vacuum to keep the blend door actuator pulled shut.

I have always heard that in addition to causing rough idle, that vacuum leaks will cause a slight reduction in fuel economy.

On your Lincoln, the slight vacuum hiss when the headlight switch is pulled or climate control lever operating is normal, and nothing to be concerned about. On your parking brake, there is a vacuum actuator that pulls in when the car is put in drive. If this is leaking, you will hear a constant hissing whenever the car is in drive. Vacuum to this actuator is through a switch on the bottom of the steering column. To check these, just get under the dash near the bottom of the steering column and have a helper to shift through all the gears. There should ne no constant hissing at any time near the switch assembly. If it's leaking, the "quick and dirty" fix is to remove the two vacuum hoses and plug them with golf tees.

Well I finally fixed the high beam dimmer! :banana:

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/...psdafb53bc.jpg

The symptoms told me the relay was not closing so it had to be the foot switch, the relay or the two interconnect wires. I started at the foot switch since that was the easiest thing to locate. The switch was good so it became a game of find the relay....They were nice enough to dip the wires to the relay down below a piece of sheet metal which threw me off for a bit, but at least the relay was close by and easy to get at. The wiring was fine, but the relay was not....

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/...ps670c0c63.jpg

The coil was open on the relay. Well I hit up the local Autozone and they did not have it or any part number for it, or even the motivation to try to find a 20A DPST relay that I could kludge in. Next I checked Radio Snack but they were out of automotive grade relays...After not finding anything on the net, or any 12V relays in my parts stash I came up with two options...Fix the open coil or kludge in a 6V DP-tripple throw relay (with the contacts in parallel to match the current rating) with a resistor in series with the coil to drop half the input voltage. The repair seems to have worked.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/...ps76b4f7ab.jpg
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/...ps166d2454.jpg
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/...psb956d574.jpg

The open was in the lead in wire to the coil (corrosion), but was near the center of the winding which forced me to drill out the rivet for the center terminal which also happens to be the core for the coil...After I got the core out unwinding the coil took me about an hour. Rewinding it proved to be quick though. I chucked the core into a drill plugged into a variac to reduce the speed to a safe and manageable one. A bunch of soldering (including replacing the crimp end of the rivet with solder) later and I obtained a working product.
One of the connectors to the relay is a bit finicky, but once in the right place seems okay.
I love that it cost me no money, but it cost enough time that I sort of wish I'd have been able to buy a replacement...I had been planing to swap in a stereo 8-track (until I can get a good quad 8-track) today (well technically yesterday now that it's 2:00AM :eek: ) but will have to get to that later.

Hope I didn't bore ya too badly.:boring:

Clever for sure, but you're right, it would have been better to pay for a new part than invest all that time in fixing that one.

I can relate; I was given a new-in-box power supply for my PC build, but the trouble it caused me was not worth the savings. The system was shutting itself off randomly and often, and I checked everything *but* the power supply just because it was new. That off-brand has a very poor reputation and mine was no exception. I finally swapped in the Thermaltake unit that I was saving for a quad-core build.

The relay is a Guide Lamp product, which is or was owned by GM.
They should have looked under Cadillac or Oldsmobile.
Anyway, it turned out fine, but very labor intensive. :sigh:

Impersonating the voice of Doc Brown from back to the future: 'No wonder this part failed, it says made by GM'...
I had to start watching TV about 20 minutes into the coil work to avoid death by boredom...
It would seem the previous owner or the guy before him had discovered the bad relay since when I found it it was VERY loosely bolted in.

Well the 8-track radio I was going to install until I can get a working quad unit together must have felt sorry for the quad since it did nearly the same thing...It's FM band worked for just a bit during testing (just long enough to tease me) in preparation for installation then after checking the AM went dead. UGH! The two units now compliment each other in malfunctions. I'm getting fed up to the point that I might just hack in a 90's radio/cassette player and be done with it. I'm not too keen on being limited to just AM-FM let alone the drifty one in my Lincoln currently...That thing is so bad that I practically have to drive with one hand on the tuning knob sometimes....Were all 70's car radios finicky heaps or have I just been finding all the bad ones?
I wonder if Muntz sold any tube AM-FM/4-track tape car stereos?...Those I could at least properly trouble shoot and repair without a schematic.