Strange and unusual cars and their parts

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96 Ford Taurus my daughter still drives. She just got her first physical therapy job last month.

Anywho....we were going to to drive from Everett, just north of Seattle to Portland, Maine. So she can get her graduate degree. Long story short, we drove to Salt Lake City "relatives", then to Chicago.
We drove through Yellowstone, and numerous mountain passes. This was on a on the Way to Chicago.

Guess where this rare engine mount resided? Chicago, but we were going to stay at her friends moms house anyway. This was for the base simple Vulcan motor, not the fancy Duratech.

I was in shock that a Ford Taurus engine mount could be so rare.
 
I remember having to get a bunch of brake parts for a Chrysler TC Masarati when I worked at Sears. We ended up telling the customer we could not help him.

Owners get really upset when they call wanting parts for a Ford Probe or one of the Australian Mercury Capris and I tell them "whatever you want is obsolete" before looking.
 
When I had a 1987 diesel Ford Escort van in 1997, I thought I'd be in trouble for parts because they were never sold in New Zealand. I solved the unrepairable injector pump by fitting a 1600cc Kent engine - I wouldn't say it was a bolt in, but it was a bolt on as the diesel used the Kent block too. Next I needed an ignition barrel, and a Falcon one just dropped in the hole. Rear brakes....MkII Esccort rear shoes and cyls. Front brakes were Sierra, front wheel bearings were Sierra rear wheel bearings, rear wheel bearings were MkII Escort front wheel bearings.....I could go on....

Lucky I didn't need things like a windscreen or headlamps, but I managed to keep it going for several years with the Ford parts catalogue
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I remember having to get a bunch of brake parts for a Chrysler TC Masarati when I worked at Sears. We ended up telling the customer we could not help him.

Owners get really upset when they call wanting parts for a Ford Probe or one of the Australian Mercury Capris and I tell them "whatever you want is obsolete" before looking.


Pablum. The Probe is a 626, the Capri is a 323!
 
Originally Posted By: oilboy123
96 Ford Taurus my daughter still drives. She just got her first physical therapy job last month.

Anywho....we were going to to drive from Everett, just north of Seattle to Portland, Maine. So she can get her graduate degree. Long story short, we drove to Salt Lake City "relatives", then to Chicago.
We drove through Yellowstone, and numerous mountain passes. This was on a on the Way to Chicago.

Guess where this rare engine mount resided? Chicago, but we were going to stay at her friends moms house anyway. This was for the base simple Vulcan motor, not the fancy Duratech.

I was in shock that a Ford Taurus engine mount could be so rare.


Friend of mine has a 2.5L Jeep Cherokee. He absolutely cannot find the right engine mount. Has tried to get them from Advance, Autozone, Rock Auto and EBay ... its' always the wrong one. It is either for a 4.0L Cherokee or something random.
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I remember having to get a bunch of brake parts for a Chrysler TC Masarati when I worked at Sears. We ended up telling the customer we could not help him.

Owners get really upset when they call wanting parts for a Ford Probe or one of the Australian Mercury Capris and I tell them "whatever you want is obsolete" before looking.


Pablum. The Probe is a 626, the Capri is a 323!


Yup, best part of being a dual line Ford / Mazda dealer is being able to interchange numbers. However more than a few Probe owners get very offended at having to buy a Mazda part because they think their car is all American.
 
1954 (late) Dodge C1-B8 truck. 10" front drums, 11" rear drums. The brake shoes are mounted on eccentric bolts on one end and the eccentric serves as the major brake adjustment. There is a cam adjuster on the wheel cylinder end for the minor brake adjustment. So, 2 adjustments for each shoe, 4 for each corner. 16 brake adjustments before you even get to the brake pedal free play and such. At this late date the eccentric bolts are all frozen with rust, all the hydraulics cylinders are junk (but available new).

The rear brakes each have two single-piston wheel cylinders and of course the brake drums/axles are taper-fit. The parking brake is an external contracting band at the transmission.

I intend to drive this thing and that means stopping it too. There is a Scarebird disc brake conversion for the front on order and I pick up my 1970 Dodge D100 rear axle on the 29th.
 
I want an Alfa 164LS Quadrifoglio

Or how about a Chrysler TC by Maserati
laugh.gif


80s. I'm living in the 80s.
 
Originally Posted By: Ratchetgrinder
I want an Alfa 164LS Quadrifoglio

Or how about a Chrysler TC by Maserati
laugh.gif


80s. I'm living in the 80s.


Have you ever heard of a band called Killing Joke?

Anyhow, I too share a strange fascination with these orphaned unicorns like the CTC. We should start a thread on odd 80s passenger vehicles.

My first car was a hand-me-down Chevy Celebrity fancy special edition...I don't even recall precisely what it was called.
 
A few years ago, my coworkers were repairing an early Acura with a longitudinal engine. The front oil pump was leaking, and was told that he had just bought the very last pump of its kind. The oil pan was cracked, and according to the Acura dealer, there were 3 left anywhere. The suspension had numerous parts that were also near impossible to find.

As for weird parts, I was stunned when I saw under the hood of a classic SAAB 900 convertible. The used car dealer who had it was struggling for months to make it work. I explained to other people how a SAAB 900 works, and I said "Imagine every part turned backwards or sideways."
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
I remember having to get a bunch of brake parts for a Chrysler TC Masarati when I worked at Sears. We ended up telling the customer we could not help him.

Owners get really upset when they call wanting parts for a Ford Probe or one of the Australian Mercury Capris and I tell them "whatever you want is obsolete" before looking.


Ford OE parts support is abysmal.

As for oddball models you get spoiled working on Mercedes. They still have or will make just about any part for any car they every produced.

Need an oddball 500E only part? No problem go right to the parts counter at any dealer, doesn't matter if the car is 25 years old, and low production. Need those Porsche designed brake calipers for one? No problem. Brake pads? No problem.

Need an oddball clip for a 6.3 300SEL no problem, the classic center will fix you right up.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
My uncle and I have had no trouble finding parts for almost-40-year-old Ford trucks.


Not exactly a strange or unusual vehicle.
 
Which one are you referring to? This one?

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy

Ford OE parts support is abysmal.


What does a post in response to a Ford Probe or Mercury Capri have to do with a Ford truck?
 
My 1989 BMW 750iL has been fun. I recently rebuilt almost the entire the front suspension. I was pretty nervous going into the project that it would be stupid expensive...it was a $80,000+ car in 1989 when it was produced. Well, much to my relief, the parts have not been that hard to find. I got the upper and lower control arms for about $19, and I got the strut inserts for about $25 each (yes, brand new). I got the bump stops and strut install kit for about $12 each if I remember right. Then the fun started...

I was tearing the struts apart to replace the insert. The nut that holds the whole thing together was stuck tight. Like 200 pounds of me hanging off of 3 foot of lever arm was not budging it. So, I broke out the dremel and cut them off. Well, after being so happy about the low cost of all the other components, I found out those nuts are found only in Germany and cost about $60 each! OUCH!
 
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