Nonwick and Duhkar: Updates on my 1967 Mustang and 1991 Montero

Jeff Glucker

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The Montero is at the shop and my Mustang is in the garage. Only one of these was planned.

About a month ago, I was heading towards Arrowhead in California. Before starting the climb up Rt.330 which would take us there, I noticed an unwelcome noise coming from the engine in my Montero. My wife noticed it too. “That doesn’t sound good,” she said. I nodded and agreed as I pulled into the next turnout and shut off the engine.

I checked the dipstick. Bone dry. That’s my sign that I’m pretty screwed here. I put four quarts of oil into the engine in a futile gesture that maybe I’d saved things by shutting it down when I did. So I turned the engine back on and it sounded like connecting rods were having a boxing match. Quickly, I shut it back down.

Now, a month later, the truck is in a shop that specializes in Mitsubishi vehicles. When I had the truck towed to Ozzy’s Automotive, I walked into to find two Monteros on lifts, a Gen 1 parked out front, and another Gen 2 parked around the side. This is the perfect spot for the pending diagnosis and eventual fix for my Montero. I dread the phone call telling me how much it’s all going to cost, but I know it’s in good hands.

As for the Mustang, my big move was to start pulling things off… but I put that on hold when my Montero died. Hell, I might need to drive this thing for a bit. So to get it somewhat sorted for occasional about-town type runs, I installed two fresh bushings in the shifter to clean up the insane amount of slop. Then my friend Derek and I went to bleed the brakes. The fronts have fresh bleeders on them, which is a good sign. The rears? There’s zero fluid making it back there. We assume the lines are rusted.

I could still drive it just on the front drums, but it’s what I’d consider less than ideal. The more pressing issue is that I still don’t have a title for it. But I took my chances at a different DMV office here in Southern California. One that I’ve heard “is cool”. Turns out, that’s pretty accurate as I was able to get them to agree that I should be able to do a bonded title on the Mustang. With bond secured, I went back to the DMV and got my plates. The title should arrive in two to four weeks. This thing is street-legal… now how do I make it street-safe?

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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5 responses to “Nonwick and Duhkar: Updates on my 1967 Mustang and 1991 Montero”

  1. wunno sev Avatar
    wunno sev

    any thoughts about where the oil might have gone? that’s my personal nightmare

    Reply
    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      Well, I just got back the early word from the shop… and apparently, someone swapped in a different 6G72 into this at some point. My truck has the FWD Dodge Minivan version of the engine, which changes the oil pickup points. I don’t think that caused the issue here, but I do think the engine was burning oil yet the dipstick would still tell me I wasn’t as low as I actually was, and I’m not sure why.

      But it did spin a bearing… so, it’s pretty fucked at the moment.

      Reply
      1. wunno sev Avatar
        wunno sev

        ah, sorry to hear it but maybe not too surprising based on what you’d heard on the road. gonna get it rebuilt or swap another or just bail on it? all perfectly honorable options.

        Reply
  2. danleym Avatar
    danleym

    Running brake lines on an old car is pretty cheap and easy, very much a possible do it yourself job. But if you’re going to, get a flaring tool like this:
    Capri Tools 3/16 in. Double Flaring Tool (CP21110-316) https://a.co/d/cJP1brH

    It will cost more but its 100% worth it. If you buy the shitty 2 piece block with a bunch of different size holes and a couple wingnuts for clamps, you’ll ruin a few lines, maybe get one halfway successful flare that looks good but will ultimately leak, and then the tool itself will break, and then you’ll go buy one like the one I linked anyways. The one I linked puts out perfect flares everytime. I don’t know about that brand, it’s just the first example I found. Pretty sure I bought mine from Eastwood.

    Reply
  3. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    Updates? I have updates!

    The 1987 Blue Bird Wanderlodge is now living 150 miles north of where I bought it, and not costing $250/mo. to keep parked. Batshitbox is also living 150 miles north, and paying less rent, and the Wanderlodge is only 500 feet (uphill) from the house!
    Made the 150 mile ride through NorCal forests no problemo. Since then the pneumatic widget that opens and closes the fuel supply to the Detroit has been getting stuck in no-fuel-flow position (no start); well, it used to get stuck in yes-fuel-flow position (no shut off two stroke diesel!) so that’s… not as bad. I ordered a replacement, might fit, might just be a source of seals & pistons.
    We took it for a spin and it ran low on transmission fluid, which locked it in 1st gear and prohibited any further shifting other than neutral, from where it promised never to change again if I went that route. So we drove in 1st gear down the Pacific Coast Highway on a Saturday afternoon in summer for 10 miles. I’ve been stuck behind so many class A RVs on that road I thought I deserved a chance to bollix everyone else for a half hour.
    The sun went so low in the sky I had to remove the solar battery bank (eight 80 pound 6-volt deep cycles) and charge them in the garage.

    The Honda Africa Twin (and me!) went on a seven week, 10,000 mile trip from coast-to-coast and back. Portland, OR; Wenatchee, WA; Kamloops, BC; Calgary, AB; Saskatoon, SK; Sudbury, ON; NY; all of the New England states; Pennsylvania, Virginia, Blue Ridge Parkway; Tennessee; Natchez Trace Parkway; 3 or 4 miles of Alabama; Tupelo, MS; Arkansas; Oklahoma; a lot of Interstate 40; Barstow to Lee Vining, CA. Home again! There’s a travelogue on ADV Rider (dot com!) I had the Honda dealer do a valve adjustment, and I replaced the chain & sprockets. Haven’t ridden it in months.

    The 2023 Ford Ranger SuperCab has 8000 miles on it and is a Ford Ranger. I have not changed the oil, because the little 8-bit monochromatic display says I’m at 22% of my oil life. I have not pulled any of the dipsticks.
    I did try to pinstripe my steelies in classic OneShot Fire Red, right out by the bead, but it got too cold and wet while I was trying to learn how to operate a Beugler pinstriping wheel.

    Batshitbox (that’s me!) is living in a cabin in the woods and has run out of unemployment money, having spent it all on a seven week motorcycle trip.

    Reply