Shade tree mechanics

[BrianR]

My father taught me a LOT about mechanics. Mostly by insisting I buy, as my first car, a 1977 Ford LTD Broughm (sp?). On the way home, the inside retaining bolt for the radiator broke free, went into the fan and was bent 90 deg and thrown back THROUGH the radiator.

I limped it into the driveway and he just shook his head and began teaching me how to replace a radiator. Not too long after, it was oil changes, belt changes, brake jobs (drum and disc), lights, water pumps, alternators, radios (I did this one on my own as he saw no need for 300 watts), tune ups, starters and universal joints.

At the time, I cursed both his name and that of his ancestry for making me buy that Ford instead of the Camaro I really wanted. Now that I'm older and wiser, I thank him. Now I'm not afraid to get dirty and fix whatever is wrong. My beloved also makes me fix all the other jalopies in the family. Sigh. But still I know my limits. Mostly these are lack of proper workspace and tools. So when these kinds of jobs arise, I take the thing to an appropriate professional.

The only kind of problem I won't tackle is anything other than a minor electrical fault. I hate trying to chase wires in odd places.

Like now for instance. My Cougar sat for six months through the winter. It ran fine when I parked it. Now it won't start.

No, it is NOT the battery. That was new last summer and it's still charged. I put a charger on it anyway and noted that the lights didn't come on. Rats. I checked all the cable connections and they are clean and tight. Double rats. Must be a fusible link or something. All the wires are bundled and wrapped. I hate that. I'm going to try a meter and see if I can find anything. If not, it's off to the mechanic.

I need this car to be operational within two weeks.

Anyone have any ideas?

Brian