12 March 2017 - The Merc - First drive

Today is the first time in over a year since driving the The Merc.  I checked the fluids and drove around the block.  First thing I noticed was the power brakes, the brakes felt very spongy, need to see about bleeding them and check the power booster for possible vacuume leak.  Next thing I noticed was the transmission would bog the engine down and almost shut it down.  Adjusted the idle speed and that helped a bit.  Also noticed that while driving around the block that when slowing down to stop the transmission did not seem to downshift quick enough...there was plenty of vacuume, about 12-14 hg and it does this everytime when slowing down.  The transmission seems to shift fine from a standstill up to speed.

Once everything cools down I will take a look at the car.

One thing I completely ignored was the suspension.  The drive was very smooth and responsive, the car didnt pull left or right on a straight and level road and during braking did not seem to pull one way or the other.

While I am waiting for things to cool down I will install the hood hinges.  I installed the hood springs to the hinges, that was easier than I thought.

Also set the initial timing to 8-12 degrees...I did not mark all the numbers, but I did mark 0 degrees TDC. 

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I checked the vacuum modulator and its good, it holds vacuume like it should, no leaks.  I think the rubber hose that connects the vacuume modulator to the hard line may be the problem.  It does not fit very tight and moves easily.  Need to check the hard line diameter and buy a vacuum hose that size.

Finished installing the hood hinge assemblies.  Prepped the hood for installation.  Made four studs to mount to the hood to make it easier to install the hood onto the hood hinges.