TomoHawk

So you only use the Water Wetter? How are you flushing the cooling system to get all the antifreeze out? May I assume you re-use the antifreeze if it's still good?

Can you just use Water Wetter in place of Standard antifreeze? If you're not driving in the winter, then you don't really need anti-"freeze."

I understand what you mean, but I'm sure the coolant companies would say you are inviting engine failure! What do they use for NazCar?

I have read a few GRs from some vintage organizations, et al, and when they refer to competition, this is mentioned, and the requirement seems confusing. We use coolant that has anti-freeze/coolant all year long, and it provides good cooling on warm days, but if you go to one of these places, what would you do? I think water by itself would be a disadvantage in terms of cooling efficiency. Should you just drain the antifreeze and add water before you leave home (unless you have a team trailer and a supply of water?) If you just drain the cooling system, there will still be small amounts of antifreeze in the mix; would they allow that? It's probably a lot better than several gallons of slimy, full-strength coolant on the pavement. If you drain the coolant at home, would that handle the cooling requirements of driving to the event (which may be a hundred or more miles!)

The Vintage Grand Prix at Mid Ohio is coming up on June 27 - 29. Is anyone going? I have a room with ample accommodations all to myself for the entire weekend. It could be of benefit to someone. The SVRA has the event scheduled for June 26 - 29, so I don't know what is happening on that Thursday. I might even go down on Thursday to see what is happening; I suppose just trucks, trailers, and RVs arriving to set up in the paddock. It could be interesting. Our Mr. Fred Sigarto is an SCCA race official, and says he'll be there as a Marshall, probably.

even the $300 eBay purpose-built "supercharger" (a tube with a fan inside) couldn't do what those cheap leaf blowers could do. This is original video: Actually, I think they look more like overgrown blow-dryers. BTW- they didn't use a blow-off valve in their setup, even though you could put one on any kind of engine- but that's another how-to video by these guys. Refer to this video:

These two blokes that have a car mod TV show in AUS tested the eBay electric "superchargers" and discovered how to effectively add twin boost to your car that actually increases power! So you can forget about expensive intercoolers and blow-off valves...

The Bar's Leaks did it's job- stopping up the hole...

Isit normal for a new fan clutch to leak? It doesn't explain the "rock-chipping" that was there before I painted things.

I have noticed that there are little spots across the underside of the hood in the area just above the cooling fan. I am assuming the spots are from water or anything that gets pulled through the radiator on the roads or highways. These spots don't come off with a little water or rubbing, like a water spot on the windscreen. I was thinking that if you extended the top so it covered the fan blades, then the stuff would not be thrown at the underside of the hood, and it would look as nice as the rest does. So is there a recommended way to either replace the fan shroud with some that cover the blades, or is there a good way to extend it? I thought of using some small pop rivets to attach a plastic or aluminum strip about 2 inches further. Perhaps a qualified radiator shop would be able to do this?

I have used my car for two years after sealing a small leak with Bars Leaks. I think it has about 5,000 miles on the repair with most of it being highway or high speed driving.

I saw someone do that somewhere else. If you use fuses like that, then you need to make SURE that the short wires aren't the week part of the circuit; use extra heavy wires for that, or better- metal strips.

Those look like fuses. What circuits are they in, and how do you justify using fuses? They look out-of-place too.

I think I would reverse your #2, to say fuses protect the wiring from (overloads caused by) devices. But that's just me. Still, I think it reinforces the idea that Maxi fuses aren't a good choice to replace fusible links. Could you replace your tires with rubber bands?

When I first started I researching fusible links, I found a lot of talk about them on websites for modern Mustangs. If you really wanted to replace the fusible links, IMO the best thing there is out there are manually-resettable circuit breakers. Power windows employ automatic-resetting circuit breakers. I wonder how many people installed the MaxiFuses,only to find that they keep blowing, until they put in an overly-large fuse?

So now I'm off to the dollar-store to see if I can find a plastic tube suitable for holding my spare fusible links. Incense or pipe leaner containers come to mind. I think I'll do that tomorrow, since it's next to the coffee shop.

That's probably right, if if the insulation is really made of a silicone material. Anyway- I dissected the severed fusible link for the headlamps (it's a brown one) and took a few photos. I noticed that some of the copper strands were melted together, as if you tinned them with solder. The rest of the strands were corroded black, in the usual way. NOTE: You should probably install new fusible links, to provide proper protection from overloads. Old ones aren't up to the standard. The conductive part was certainly not very substantial, and it looks like the new fusible link I just got has the same size conductor, but with a slightly thinner outer jacket. I think we can finally say that a fusible link is not "just like" a fuse, as some people who install MaxiFuses think. Neither can you say that there is an equivalent amperage. As Beermanpete stated, it's simply a smaller gauge conductor, and if you wish, you could make your own fusible link, with out any "voodoo" science involved, and that it is perfectly safe to use a piece of WIRE in place of the fusible link, as long as it's the correct gauge of wire.

I remember reading some old literature that said the fuse link would look charred if it had melted (BTW- the melting point of copper is 2000! degrees F) but modern parts are different, obviously.

Ah, the enigma off the fusible link. I'm going to cut up the old fusible link later on, but I agree that it's most likely not a normal type of electrical conductor. First off, it's very flexible, like a piece of lead solder, which does melt at a specific temperature. It needs to be insulated from engine heat, and tolerant to the the heat generated from flowing electronic current. It also needs to be contained once melted, and the outer jacket may even be charred, depending on the circumstances of the overload. I just received a set of new fusible fuse links (three brown and 1 black) and they are all of a noticeably smaller gauge, especially the brown one. BTW- I got them through eBay from "z-connexion" who has a good reputation for parts, IMO. I suppose, because of modern technological advances in metal alloys, fusible links are now made of a smaller gauge?

In stead of ordering fusible links from an eBay seller, or from a mail-order retailer, both of which are getting harder to find and may soon be no longer available at all, I think I can get the correct wire from local Auto Parts stores. I have not had an opportunity to dissect one to see how it's made, so I'm asking if anyone has looked into this. It looks like a fusible link is just a short segment of insulated wire with a female blade-connector crimped to the ends, but the OE ones look like the connector pierces the insulation to make contact with the wire inside. After I get some replacements installed, I will take apart one of the old ones to see how you could make one yourself.

This diagram gives a slightly better indication of each fusible link's purpose, but you cant tell where the information is from.

Thanks, I've seen that hundreds of time, Blue. It doesn't discuss the 1978 model, nor does it mention exactly where each fusible link goes.

I will be re-labeling my fusible link covers soon, and I would like to pinpoint the purpose of the four fusible links on the right-hand shock tower. I saw an informative diagram somewhere, but I can't find it again. I also have the usual simple diagram from AltlanticZ techtips showing which color goes to which terminals, but I'd like more specific details. I know one fusible link is solely for the headlamps, but the other three are, for example, the ignition relay, the EFI interlock relays, and the alternator charging to electrical devices (accessories like the radio, gauges and inferior lamps.) One is what you would call the B+ to the ignition switch, for example, but I didn't note what the others go to. Can anyone help? Having specific information on the fusible links helps to diagnose any electrical problems.

Cool. This one device can give you data on RPM, timing advance, and MAP. Can it tell you the air-fuel ratio too?

That's interesting, that you can record data about the vacuum. Next time, you just use Alt-Prtscrn to get only the active window.