[xyz-ips snippet=”1973-Mercury-Montego-MX”]

2-21-2013 Started a new page – Misc pics – posted some good pics of the Montego

2-22-2013 – Had the rear brakes worked on. Changed the brake cyliners and brake shoes. The brakes worked fine, but one of the cylinders was leaking. The shoes were excellent, but I replaced them anyway. I would say that the the Montego had some brake work right before I bought the car. The springs looked like they were in excellent condition. So only the cylinders and shoes were replaced
If you have either a Montego or Torino, and you plan on doing some brake work on your drums, be sure you purchase the correct shoes and cylinders.
I originally had purchased the shoes and cylinders for a police or taxi cab. These were slightly bigger than the ones I needed. So there IS a difference even though the guys at the local auto parts store said I had the correct parts.

Click for larger image (note the good bushings in the ‘short’ arm

2-23-2013 – Changed the wiper linkage. Both bushings on the small linkage bar (click for large image) were shot. This is my third linkage assembly I’ve gotten (One was free, the second I received a refund). Finally found one with good bushings. When I installed the ‘good’ linkage, I see that the alignment of the wiper motor shaft and the short linkage bar bushing were just slightly off. So after time, the bushings would wear out. So if you have a Torino or Montego and you have play in your wipers, this is most likely the culprit. See these bushings in the large image. This is the way it comes from the factory. There is no alignment for the motor or the linkage.

Also, the wipers were not going in the ‘park’ position. There is a small ground strap that resembles an ‘accordian’ that is make of copper. This grounds the wiper motor to the firewall. Removing the strap and bolts, then cleaning them, and reinstalling solved this problem