My New Interceptor - '72 Mk 111, 133-5597

[RockyUSA]

One more picture!

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[johnw]

If the Lambo is a stick shift you might be able to convert Grant to AWD? Although he might already have an AWD Capri stashed away somewhere.

Some stunning scenery there! That number plate looks very good on the Jensen.

[VFK44]

I would normally say that I don't really care about supercars, and that I don't like boring grey paint. But put them together and they look great, somehow!

[RockyUSA]

John -

Thanks for the compliment... I call her “Big Wild”!

Rocky

[adamleamy]

Hi, all;

Rocky, that's great news on your car!

I'm particularly impressed that you were able to adjust the timing yourself -- my skill set got me to that point, but not through it - I booked an appointment at a garage I trust and they so they did that work. Still, a lot of the mechanics and garage owners in these parts who know cars of this era are retiring, so maybe it's time to take one of those courses at the local college and learn how to do it myself. Some of them allow you to bring in your car and they'll teach you how to do the work on your car, and that's what I'd like.

And thank you for posting the pictures, as you usually do -- that's a huge help in fostering understanding. You have one very tidy engine bay! I noticed that the thermostat's rear bolt is accessible, or seems to be accessible. I'm not sure if the '72s and '75s used a different AC compressor, of if you have the lovely upgraded unit that K&D supplies, but it looks like there is ample space to get a socket on the rear thermostat housing bolt in your car; mine required removal of all the AC compressor bracket bolts, save one which I just loosened to allow the compressor to pivot on it. Those brackets removed, I was able to lever the compressor up by 3/4 of an inch to get a socket on the rear bolt of the thermostat housing, and then replace the thermostat and gasket. Then all the AC compressor bolts.

I have driven the car several times now, and at some distance and with the engine fully warmed, and there have been no further stalling incidents. Replacing the fuel pump was a good repair, as the push rod was worn, and fuel was not pumping by pedal or by manual effort when it died. In the same vein, I think replacing the thermostat added to cooling efforts; it had been some years since it was last replaced. And it was likely time to replace the ignition switch, too. So all those repairs done, with no drama.

But still, to me, the question remained: What made the car start to run hotter so that fuel seemingly evaporated from the carb bowls? That had never been an issue before.

That said, I must re-assert that I am an idiot, often. So here we go:

After making all these repairs, and on driving the car to a local lookout to enjoy a coffee high above the ocean, the engine light briefly flickered on. Once home, I noted that the wire connector attached to the sending unit at the rear of the engine was a bit loose, so I re-crimped the connector and tightened the blades of the connector and slid it over the sender tip, where it sat more snugly than before. I started the car and the oil light illuminated and turned off, as usual. So, all tight, all good! A few days later, on the same drive up to the lookout with a cup of coffee, the same thing happened -- a slight flicker of the red engine oil light in the cluster.

So I sat there, drinking my coffee and thinking it through, and somehow, it then all made sense. "Oh, God," I said to myself, and finished my coffee and drove home.

I changed the oil on the car last October 5 -- 2019. I know that because I faithfully do it every three months, and I write the date on the oil filter, with the oil grade, and the mileage at change. When I did this work last October, my wife had just been diagnosed with cancer and we awaited the start of radiation and chemo in November. She's well on the road to recovery now, but there went four months at the end of 2019 and into 2020 with my focus on her only; many of you, I am sure, understand how it all changes, and how all that doesn't matter immediately drops away. My work is crisis management, and in early March I started on a file that has consumed every day for seven months -- with a few weeks' grateful respite starting in mid-September, when I was able to return to the stalling issue that first appeared on the Interceptor out of the blue one sunny day in June, 2020.

As I said, I finished my coffee at the lookout, and headed the three blocks home, with a sense of dread, and well, feeling a fool. I parked the car on the driveway, which is level, and checked the oil. And did it again about an hour later. I was two quarts down. I immediately changed the oil and filter. I have driven the car regularly since then, and the oil light doesn't not come on, save for the start, the engine sounds as normal, and fans and cooling system continue to work better than before; the needle sits just to the left of the centre of the two dots, with fans coming on at it reaches that point and cycling on and off as required.

So there you have it. Stunningly, I lost almost a year in there. Didn't change the oil, never checked it, and I'm embarrassed to admit, I never thought about it. Just took the car out every now and then for a mental health run staying close to home, just to recharge my batteries. And I couldn't understand why the car was running hotter? Being down two quarts of oil would sure explain it. Nuts.

I offer apologies to you Rocky, Alan, slotcarone, and several others who patiently gave of your time and expertise to help me resolve my stalling issue. All of those repairs were needed, and maybe just as important if not more, I needed to learn how to do them. Your guidance and confidence gave me the confidence to effect the repairs, and I'm just that much more comfortable with my car as a result. Lots of 'morals of the story' here. I'm particularly drawn to Occam's razor; 'when you hear hoof beats think horses, not zebras.' When the oil light came on the first time, why on Earth did I think "connector to sender" not, you know, "check oil"? Nuts.

Like I said, I am, usually, an idiot. But still, sometimes I surprise even myself. Sigh.

Adam

[RockyUSA]

Adam -

Good for you to have knocked all those off your list!

And it’s good to keep working on the car, each time you have more confidence for the next thing.

With regards to the tuning activities (timing, carb adjustments, etc.) those generally can be “incremental” - if you are not 100% satisfied, you can always go back and “refine”.... just try not to make it “significantly” worse.

Yes, I can get my thermostat housing off now without removing all the AC brackets, but I had to modify the compressor mount plate to cut a “V” in it so I can get a ratchet on the bolt..

That mod just took about a minute with a grinder, after I had removed the air conditioner bracket....

[RockyUSA]

My wife and I took a drive in Big Wild up to Prescott, AZ to meet the newest Arizona Interceptor Owner (Tony) and to see his new car!

It was a great trip, the car ran great, the weather was beautiful, and there was lots to see and do. I even went to the Prescott Cars & Coffee quickly this morning. Of course the Interceptor was the star of the show!

Here's a couple of pictures for your enjoyment.

Rocky

Tony's new car is the black one. It's about 25 S/Ns different (earlier) than mine.

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Tony's New Car

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[RockyUSA]

So after the long trip to Prescott - I decided to take a look at my suspension.

The PO had replaced the bushings, but there is some "clanking", and a couple of other minor issues I wanted to investigate.

I found:

- Torn and Leaky Steering Rack Boots
- No Tie-Rod Boots
- Ball Joint Boots are in bad shape
- Shock Bolts too small - primary cause for the rattle
- Loose shims on the passenger upper ball joint side
- Missing bearing felt on the inner wheel bearing
- Needs cleanup

I sometimes wonder about the quality of the work my PO had performed. Some stuff is good, but some stuff that he should have done (e.g. re-use of the original heater hoses, cleaning/painting, wiring setups, etc.) he didn't, and it makes me scratch my head.

Anyway - slowly progressing through the list.

Removal of the wheel hubs show the original bearings in great shape - the PO must have changed them out. I bought new Timken Bearings, and my new ones match the races / bearings that were previously in the car. Driving out the bearing races was pretty tough, but I got it. Read about it here.

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Bearing Race-Driver

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Bearing P/Ns

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I removed the tie-rods, and drilled them for Zerk (grease) fittings.

Working on separating the ball joints on the drivers side.

For the installation of the lower spring plate, I am going to use 6 pieces of all-thread (vs. the 4 I used to remove it). The Jensen Monday Club says you can do it with only three, but I don't trust that method. They also say you can get a spring compressor in there, but I don't believe them. Here's some pictures.

Suspension with Spring Pan Lowered

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Suspension

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You need 4 or 6 pieces of 3/8"-24 all thread (threaded rod). The rods need to be 6" long. You also need corresponding nuts. The best nuts would be very long (at least 3x the length of the standard nuts, so you can get a wrench on them... they are shielded by the spring pad. You also need a 9/16" socket (deep-well preferred) with flats to get a wrench on it.

All-Thread Required

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[slotcarone]

Hi Rocky
I did my front spring removal the same way only using different length bolts. You say there is fluid coming out of the bellows. This is not a problem with the bellows but unfortunately the rack and pinion is leaking. The bellows are just a dust seal. When you put the springs bank in make sure they are in the correct position to sit in the seat. Also if the tie rod ends did not have grease fittings they were designed that way with plastic bearing surfaces inside that do not require any lube.

[Dion]

Hi Rocky,
Thanks for the update with pics. Always good to see work in action pictures. I bet you were sorry about the dented grease tin
Looking at the pics I do not see where the tops of the threaded rods are. Do they screw into the lower suspension arms?
As for the long nuts - an alternative can be to use a distance piece between the spring seating pan and the nut. A thick walled tube cut to length.

[RockyUSA]

Thanks, all, for the tips.

Dion - yes. The all-thread screws into the lower A-arm in place of the bolts.

Rocky

PS... Regarding my grease tin... I sure am. I backed over it, and crushed it. I’m still looking for a good replacement!

[RockyUSA]

The project continues... More extensive than I originally planned, but worthwhile. Certainly more than I needed to do to tighten up a couple of loose bolts in my shocks....

Got one side disassembled, mostly cleaned, and mostly painted.

If you are separating your ball joints, use the type of separator shown on the left - like the one shown in the "Jensen Monday Club" article. It still takes A LOT of force.

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Here's a couple of pictures of the upright and spindle, and the ball joint.

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[RockyUSA]

QUESTION(S) FOR THE EXPERTS:

#1) When I manually move my uprights, the force required is significantly greater when the ball joints are under load from the spring in the suspension. Are there specifications regarding the amount of force required? On another vehicle I have, it's significantly less than what I'm feeling now... It's supposed to be 10-15 lbs. on a fish scale, pulling on the steering arm. The preload is set (on that vehicle) by adding / removing shims.

#2) How much shorter are the Mark II Springs? How much lower will the switch from Mk 111 springs to Mk 11 springs make the front of the car? Can the car be lowered by adding an "Insert" between the lower suspension arm and the spring pan? It would take 6 spacers, and some longer bolts, but I don't know if you would get any significant reduction in height.

Rocky

[slotcarone]

The way you would check the turning load would be when the suspension is fully assembled to have the jack under the lower control arm supporting the weight of the car. This puts the pieces in the location that it sits when the car is on the ground and takes the load off of the upper ball joint and puts the weight on the lower ball joint which on this car is the load carrying one. This will be determined by the shims used on the lower ball joint. Looking at the pictures I don't see any wear on the ball or the socket and you can reuse them. I would reassemble the lower ball joint on the bench and see what it feels like with the same amount of shims it had in it. You can lower the car with spacers under the spring plate. I would try maybe a half inch spacer. Keep in mind changing the ride height will change the wheel alignment.

[RockyUSA]

Thanks for the informed reply.

I figured I would need an alignment after all this.

I’m not sure I will go with the spacer idea, but considering it....

Still lots to do! I’ll keep you all posted!

Rocky

PS.... I was wrong about my PO & the Ball Joint boots. It looks like me changed them, they just didn’t age well.

PPS.... My paint booth...

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