Hello,

This is a new thread I'm starting on yet another project car. Actually I have a basket case '68 XL fastback that I was going to start after these two '66's were done. However another '68 XL fastback sort of fell into my lap that is cosmetically superior to my original XL pile of junk. However whilst this looks far better than my old one, it has many mechanical, electrical and vacuum problems.

Some have asked well if it has so many problems, why did I buy it. Good question. My XL is missing key trim and the trim that is present most of it is pretty bad and would need reconditioning. Then there is finding the missing bits. I ran an estimate of what it would take to make my old XL's body look as nice as this new XL and it would be about 3 times what I paid for this one. So whilst this XL wasn't cheap, it was cost effective in the long run and it saves me time.

Here's my old pile of '68 XL

Oof! what a mess. It was delivered not running as it sat for decades but I did get it running and drivable. The frame is rotted and portions of the body as well including the floor pans/braces and trunk pan.

Now a word on 1968 XL's. The reason why I bought this is because it has what I call the tri-fecta of options rarely found in these. They are an FE big block (usually they came with a 302), factory A/C (expensive option back then) and bucket seats/centre console with floor shift (even though it's an XL you could get them with a bench and column shift).

In the years I've owned this I've only seen 3 others come up for sale that had all three of these options, that includes the one I just bought.

This car also has one more valuable, well at least to me, option. That is a factory AM-FM stereo. The reason why this is a valuable option is I've been trying to find the clear dash lens for this for years and have been unsuccessful. You see for the 1968 dash withcidentally looks very similar to the '65/'66 dash Ford made the dash different for AM only and AM-FM stereo. I have two extra of these AM-FM stereo radios and one NOS black plastic applique but I haven't been able to find the clear dash lens either NOS or used. That begs the question how do you put a price a part you cannot get?

This car was owned for 28 years from the people I bought it from, they did try to take care of it, but the problem was plain to see that lack of research or willingness to buy expensive parts or have the correct part sent off for overhaul led to compounding problems. Also the seller was very honest and said this car has near enough 300,000 miles on it, well 291K but now were just splitting hairs

It was the wifes daily driver for all those years. I respect that.

This car actually broke down getting it off the trailer when we made it back home, so right off the bat with the problems. Actually the crappy aftermarket Pertronix ignition module shorted. When we made it back home from Arizona it was late (about 8.5 hours one way with truck and trailer) and very cold. The owner said he didn't use coolant but distilled water, oh here we go again, so I couldn't leave it outside in the teens. My better half and I were both beat and so we thought well it should take about about 15 minutes to unstrap the car and drive it into the heated garage.

HAH, 3 hours later. I started the car on the trailer and let it warm up whilst we undid the straps and chains. We laid the ramps and I proceeded to release the parking brake I set on the trailer only to find the previous people didn't use it much and it was half stuck on and the brakes dragging. Well crap, off to a good start (rolling eyes). With that I just figured I would overpower the parking brakes with the engine and proceeded to reverse off the trailer. No problems there. I shifted from reverse to drive and it just stalled. I cranked and cranked and cranked it and not a glimmer of a light off.

(sigh)

We couldn't push it because the brakes were dragging. It felt like someone just turned the key off, so I figured ignition, so after a brief diagnostic the crappy Pertronix just failed right then and there, the driver transistor was shorted on. I remembered I had an FE distributor replete with a functioning set of points and condenser somewhere in the parts reserve in a very cold storage garage. Eventually found it and proceed to replace the distributor for my old points spare in 15 degree weather. Eventually I did and it started and I drove it into the garage.

So I thought this would be different approach to owning and driving an old car, one that isn't so bad it's not in dire need of a complete tear down but one that could be mended along the way keeping the car drivable as much as possible.

I've been driving it around the subdivision making notes of everything I find wrong and boy oh boy it's a lot.

Here's the list so far of problems after two days:

• 1.) Charging system voltage low at idle, also it has the wrong alternator
• 2.) Clock doesn't work
• 3.) Radio only has one channel working, the FM stereo light occasionally works, AM sensitivity is really poor, FM seems fine.
• 4.) Glove box latch sticks
• 5.) Hazard switch doesn't flash the rear tail lamps
• 6.) Hissing noise from dash, when in heat mode, some air is coming out the dash main vents
• 7.) Wrong brake booster and doesn't hold vacuum.
• 8.) Transmission has shift kit and shifts hard. I don't like that so that will have to go.
• 9.) Every time it shifts there is a loud clunk from the rear axle. Cardan joints and or entire differential with gears are worn.
• 10.) Engine has low oil pressure (that's a given with near enough 300K miles, it's not a diesel).
• 11.) Parking brake sticks, needs new cables.
• 12.) Either the thermostat is stuck open or there is no thermostat as there is little to no heat.
• 13.) Needs a proper OEM electronic ignition system.
• 14.) The seller said it needs alignment of which I grew immediately suspicious and had a look and sure enough some clown put new strut rod bushings in and flipped the cupped washers around, so the bushings move around and so does the strut rods and the lower control arms. (rolling eyes)
• 15.) They replaced the front springs and the front end sits to high, needs original XL springs for FE, PS, and A/C installed.
• 16.) The right interior kick panel vent doesn't seem to be connected.
• 17.) The reupholstered front seats aren't done properly and the drivers seat especially rubs on the centre console, it will need another new set of proper seat covers.
• 18.) Hidden headlamp assembly is missing rubber bumpers and some hardware and is painfully slow to open and close. Will do an electric conversion. That's one old thing I don't mind upgrading.
• 19.) Back seat feels like the springs are broken or stretched.
• 20.) Needs new rear package tray liner, this one is carpeted.
• 21.) Has some tacky aluminum radiator, needs original brass copper one.
• 22.) Fan shroud is cracked.
• 23.) Has some hideous aftermarket flex fan that is about 3" smaller than the original fan. This needs to get tossed and the original clutch fan reinstalled.
• 24.) Someone installed an Edelbrock carb but plumbed it horribly.
• 25.) The seller had a new York compressor installed and changed one hose and the expansion valve, but since it still has the original receiver drier I bet it still has some mineral oil (R12) and the new compressor came with PAG (R134). Those two oils when mixed, heated and have some moisture in the system create an acid that attacks aluminum. That entire HVAC system will have to be dismantled, the evaporator and condenser inspected and flushed and everything else replaced. Probably a new proper brass copper heater core as well.
• 26.) The wiring in the car is very baked, it all needs to be replaced.
• 27.) Both torsion springs for the deck lid broke and need replacing.
• 28.) The floor shift feels loose and worn.
• 29.) There's an Edelbrock aluminum coolant pump, or in this case quite literally water pump, and I'm wondering if it's a high flow model. Seems out of place. If it is I will convert it back to a normal flow coolant pump as it's just wasting horsepower.
• 30.) The harmonic damper isn't correct, it has a later year part number code on it. Need to check TDC.
• 31.) The A/C idler pulley looks original and probably about to fail. Need to retrofit it with a replaceable one since these are discontinued.
• 32.) Wrong power steering pump

How's that for a short list

Now I knew ahead of time what I was getting into but someone else might look at this and would never realize all the problems it has and it would be ruinously expensive to take to an expert to sort it all out if you didn't know much about these cars or had access to parts cars with the correct parts on them.

The good news is I've relegated my junky '68 XL and junky '68 LTD as parts cars. My old XL whilst missing trim was 100% complete and original in the engine bay, so loads of hard to find correct parts to be had.

The plan is rather than take a part off the new XL and rebuild it/replace it, I will take it off one of the other parts cars and rebuild/refurbish it and then do a parts change on the new XL. This applies to everything from the clock to the engine.

The last spot of good news is I've been collecting parts, new and NOS for my old XL for years. I have boxes upon boxes of parts ready for this new XL as well.

So instead of my usual long boring posts on building a car up from a bare frame, this one will more spontaneous and dealing with individual problems and mending them whilst keeping the car drivable. Thought it might be something different.