The OFFICIAL Fabulous Fords Forever Knotts 2010 Thread

[KBMWRS]

The Sunday morning meet up spot for our short cruise to Knotts is the All-Star Donuts shop in the shopping center at Valley View St. and LaPalma Ave. in Buena Park.
The shop is in the NorthEast corner of that intersection behind both the Chevron station and the El Polo Loco. The donut shop is the first business on the shopping center’s strip.

We will be leaving the area for the cruise to Knotts at 8:30 so be there before that to get your great donuts and coffee….well okay fat pills and caffeine fix.

Its only about a mile to Knotts but its a nice time where we can meet up and cruise a short way before the commotion of Knotts.
Don't forget to bring your Knotts mirror tag.

[KBMWRS]

With the cancellation of JohnPro/Tracy and Mel/Amber and family I have at least 4 seats open for the Knotts Saturday dinner at Belmont Brewery.

So fro $33 per head you get a nice dinner, a view of the Pacific Ocean and the copmany of a bunch of Mustangers. What could be better?

Drop me a PM if you want to attend.

Mike

[JeffTepper]

Mel:

To clarify your chart, I am staying Friday and Saturday nights, checking out Sunday.

Regards, Jeff

[David67]

One more week!!! I already need a vacation from work! :) :)

[KBMWRS]

So now that you're married will the wife let you come out to play?????

[guruatbol]

I doubt the lawn chair will be there, it is in my FB and I can't make it again!   :rp :po :rp

One of these years I'll get back there!  Last year I had to work, needed the money, this year Brother's memorial!  WTH will happen next year?

I should just give up and buy a late model Shelby and sell everything!   :scar :ecit :scar  NOT!

Mel

[johnpro]

I will send my show ticket along with Bill, on the off-chance that someone can use it.

Mike, if the dinner doesn't sell out again, I will still pay for my seats at the dinner.  I'm still bummed that I'm not going, but I'll follow all the threads. 

It is what it is!

[David67]

Mike,

I can still go out!!!!  :) Just now I have to take her with me....

[FordDude]

Just now I have to take her with me....

So are you calling Jen the "Ball and Chain" now?  :lol 

fd

[garner67]

My Knotts trip is now in jepordy.   :cry

During my track day yesterday, I noticed that I have an drivetrain vibration over 4500 rpms.  I don't think it's in the driveshaft, because it syncs with the engine rpms.  If it's not in the driveline, it has to be somewhere from the clutch assembly forward.  I'll start digging into it tomorrow, but I have no idea where to start looking. 

If for some reason I can not sort it out, am I out the entire cost of the weekend?  Do you think I could get any refund from the hotel?

Mike, if I don't make it, do you need me to pay for my Saturday night dinner?

ugh...

[David67]

To prepare ourselves today Jennifer and I went to Portillos!!! It was so good!! :craz :craz

[guruatbol]

I can try and get a refund for you, but the contract was supposed to be paid two weeks ago and I have been dragging my feet in order to get John taken care of.  I had to cancel due to a memorial for my brother, I am frankly not sure if they will refund anything this late in the game. 

Let me know as soon as you know you are not going so I can contact them.  I don't want to start the ball rolling if I don't have to.  I also know if I start the ball, I probably can't stop/reverse it.

Mel

[JeffTepper]

My Knotts trip is now in jepordy.   :cry

During my track day yesterday, I noticed that I have an drivetrain vibration over 4500 rpms.  I don't think it's in the driveshaft, because it syncs with the engine rpms.  If it's not in the driveline, it has to be somewhere from the clutch assembly forward.  I'll start digging into it tomorrow, but I have no idea where to start looking. 

If for some reason I can not sort it out, am I out the entire cost of the weekend?  Do you think I could get any refund from the hotel?

Mike, if I don't make it, do you need me to pay for my Saturday night dinner?

ugh...

Mike:

Don't give up too easily.  Check out the simple things like the belt driven accessories, (water pump, alternator, harmonic balancer, etc) and motor mounts. Also, check your distributor to make sure that your ignition timing isn't way off at 4500 rpm.  If you're running a MSD box, temporarily wire around it to ensure that it isn't a factor.   If all else fails, keep the revs below 4500!!!!!!!  If you need some help, just hollar.

Regards, Jeff

[garner67]

I can try and get a refund for you, but the contract was supposed to be paid two weeks ago and I have been dragging my feet in order to get John taken care of.  I had to cancel due to a memorial for my brother, I am frankly not sure if they will refund anything this late in the game. 

Let me know as soon as you know you are not going so I can contact them.  I don't want to start the ball rolling if I don't have to.  I also know if I start the ball, I probably can't stop/reverse it.

Mel

That's what I was afraid of.  I probably won't know the final verdict until the last minute.  I guess if I have to eat the cost of the hotel, it's cheaper than a new engine.

Mike:

Don't give up too easily.  Check out the simple things like the belt driven accessories, (water pump, alternator, harmonic balancer, etc) and motor mounts. Also, check your distributor to make sure that your ignition timing isn't way off at 4500 rpm.  If you're running a MSD box, temporarily wire around it to ensure that it isn't a factor.   If all else fails, keep the revs below 4500!!!!!!!  If you need some help, just hollar.

Regards, Jeff

Thanks for the words of encouragement.  I'm definitely not gonna give up easily. 

Starting this morning I'm going to pull out my drive shaft, and take it to be balanced again.  It's one of the few things that has changed recently.

I haven't thought about the water pump maybe going bad.  It has made a little screech sound when first started a few times recently.

How would I determine if the harmonic dampener is going bad?  Is there a way to test that?

I'll keep y'all posted with my progress.  Hopefully, I can find the problem today or tomorrow, and get it fixed.  If I need to, I'll post a cry for help.  I really wanna go to Knotts this year!

[KBMWRS]

Whats with all this negativity? :rp

Mike I hope you get it worked out. Not sure about the need to pay for Sat dinner. Lets hope you will be there.

[guruatbol]

Again, you need to try to get it narrowed down to the engine or drive line.  Worst case rent a Mustang and go!

Did you check for the vibration in neutral?

The harmonic balancer should be the last thing you look at.  Unless you know you used a questionable one to start with.  Check all the things bolted to the front of the engine that are attached with belts.  I have heard vibrations from alternators, water pumps, power steering pumps and smog pumps.

U joints is a good place to look too.  I would wait on the drive shaft.  If you remove it does the vibration still exist?  Is the vibration only under load?

Check the small stuff.  Big stuff tends to break above 4500 RPM.  I had a valve float on one of my cars in the past and then the seat came out and lodged sideways.  I had to replace the heads.  It didn't have a vibration but could be felt above 4500 RPM.  I ran it a couple times at high RPM to see if I could figure it out and bamm, it broke.

So, check the easy stuff, you will find the issue.

Mel

[crustycurmudgeon]

Worst case rent a Mustang and go!

+1.  Don't not go just because you can't drive your Mustang.

Frank

[crustycurmudgeon]

keep the revs below 4500!!!!!!!

That was my first thought!

Frank

[garner67]

Quick update...

1st Step
I ran the engine sitting in neutral this morning (neighbors probably weren't happy about that).  It "seems" to rev smoothly all the way up to 5k, but with my paranoid mind it feels like there is some vibration.  However, a 40+ year old Mustang rev'd to 5000 rpm is gonna have some vibration... right? 

2nd Step
I removed my drive shaft and took it to South Bay Drive Line.  As it turns out, the shaft is NOT in balance.  Not only was it out of balance, it is not even straight.  There are different run out numbers at 3 different locations on the shaft.  Even if this isn't the entire problem, it definitely needs to be fixed.  I went ahead and bit the bullet, and I'm having a new drive shaft built.  It'll be ready tomorrow.

3rd Step
I'm going to give all the accessories bolted to the front of the engine a good visual check this afternoon.  Other than looking for accessory alignment and/or wobble, are there specific tests I should do to evaluate the condition of all the front accessories? 
Also, I'm going to open the valve covers for a quick visual check. 


Hopefully, the drive shaft is the culprit, and I'll be good to go for Knotts.  Then, i can go to Step Four... a Margarita on the rocks!

 

[KBMWRS]

Unbalanced?
I knew there was something I liked about you. :vic :craz

Great news....well it is. You found the problem. Who told you it was balanced in the first place?

'67s will dominate the cruise!!!!

[LeonB]

I had a driveshaft with a small imbalance on a t bucket that caused a lot of vibration at higher speeds.  It doesn't take much to feel it.  Sounds like that is probably the problem.

[KBMWRS]

Well if being unbalanced is going to be a problem then Craig will never get his car on the road. :lol :lol

[guruatbol]

OK, Outback is set!  6PM for 20 people Friday.  You'll be seated on the patio.  You guys will get a free bloomin onion, enjoy it! 

I wish I could be there.  I will watch everything on the forum though.

Mel

[guruatbol]

OK, so earlier today I spoke with the manager of Outback.  He was excited to have us.  He didn't realize that we have been going there for some six years now.  So he asked me if you all would be ordering dinner, I said yes, then he asked if you guys were ordering drinks, I said yes, though not as many since John will not be there.  He was so excited he said he would comp five (5) bloomin' onions.

You guys enjoy and if there are any issues feel free to call me.

Mel

[johnpro]

OK, so earlier today I spoke with the manager of Outback.  He was excited to have us.  He didn't realize that we have been going there for some six years now.  So he asked me if you all would be ordering dinner, I said yes, then he asked if you guys were ordering drinks, I said yes, though not as many since John will not be there.  He was so excited he said he would comp five (5) bloomin' onions.

You guys enjoy and if there are any issues feel free to call me.

Mel

Are you F'n with me now?  I make this show 8 years running.  I start the Outback tradition, and the first time in 9 years that I can't go, we get comps out the Outback???  It's a conspiracy, I tell you.  It's a conspiracy!

Here's a pic of the very first Outback adventure:


Here's the reason the Outback tradition started ... that's my daughter's '69 300 miles from home that just got hit by a big rig right in front of me.