MV8

It looks like the cake pan was added; perhaps to increase oil capacity. Your drums and hubs will help identify if it is something else.

To find the position the rotor must point to on the distributor body for the light to come on, you can remove the distributor, ground the distributor body to the chassis or block (as it would be installed. Jumper cables work), turn the key on, then rotate the shaft until you see the light and mark the body. If the light does not come on in any position, the problem is elsewhere.

Take pictures of the axles and center section after removal to determine the extent of the damage. If the axle had oil, the only rust may be on the ring gear (rusts easily). The other parts may have been in a new condition prior to storage and better than what is now available as a replacement part.

Not knowing the extent of the plugging, yes. If you don't get it all out, it can circulate to block the small holes in the new head gasket around a cylinder and cause overheat and warpage. JB is right about muriatic and he did say to dilute it but try something less reactive first. The least aggressive, safest method that will work is usually best. I didn't suggest muriatic because it will dissolve the dex cool gel, the hoses, the block, and you. The key to using muratic is to dilute enough that a cloud does not form when a part is introduced and minimal bubbling. The cloud itself is corrosive and will dissolve steel. Muriatic is diluted (but still very strong) sulphuric hydrochloric acid and useful for cleaning driveways and sea shells. What will you do with the run off from flushing? It will crater the driveway if not thoroughly rinsed. Do I need to mention eye, lung, and skin protection?

No need to pull the entire axle assembly if you have room to work. The axles should pull out the ends a few inches to clear the center section so it can be pulled from the front out of the housing. The complete center assembly (ring gear, differential, bearings, and pinion) should come out together once the axles are out of the way and the front bolts are removed. I expect the axles are retained at the hubs with press-on bearings and bolt on drum brake backing plates to keep the wheel/axle bearings from walking out of the housing. I have no experience with this axle.

Whatever works will likely need to sit in the engine (hoses plugged) for a few days before a flush with a new head gasket, water pump (for the seal), and freeze plugs. Buy a new ice tray to test different fluids in each cavity over a few days to see what is effective. Lye, baking soda, phosphorus come to mind. Oxalic (wood bleach) and nitric acid are supposed to work well. Test first. Flush well.

Don't force it to rotate. If you must move it to a trailer to get it home, buy a floor jack and wheel dollies to move it into position. I expect it is rusted on portion of the ring gear not covered in oil for 30 years. It may be minor. Drop the center section and clean on the bench until the pinion rotates with little to no effort by hand.

I expect the static timing will be about 34 degrees advanced with #1 at tdc versus about 12 degrees for a mechanical dizzy, but I don't know with this product. Let us know how it works out.

Don't make any software changes just yet. Go back to where the instructions could not be followed (no light). Static timing will be different than the centrifugal advance dizzy. Aftermarket electronic timing systems typically set the static timing to fully advanced/max timing, then electronically reduce advance for starting and low rpm operation. Rotate the dizzy until you get the light. If you run out of room, start again using a different cap plug position for #1 tdc that will allow you to rotate the dizzy more in the right direction to find the light.

https://www.texasagriculture.gov/Regulatory-Programs/Weights-and-Measures/Weights-and-Measures-Complaint-Process No shortage of bad actors out there so always C.Y.A.

I agree overflow can be avoided. How it is utilized makes a difference. Refueling station tanks are typically in the ground and a cold environment. Fuel expands as it warms so topping off before putting into a garage leaves it no where to go but the garage floor. On motorcycles where the filler is more or less flush with the top of the tank, there is a "stand pipe" or collar in the neck that prevents pumping too much into the tank. The small hole to the side of the filler neck is slow to allow air to escape above the collar to slow filling greatly. If there is no standpipe, filling to no less than an inch from the tank top will leave some room for light slosh and expansion.

If it does not work long term (a few miles on the special pump), consider correcting the tank to use a standard pump and strainer. I went back to page 12 to look at your sump pump system. In my experience, strainers typically have a large, female opening that fits over the pump fitting. The hydramat appears to neck down in this area. Compare to a 1990 mustang strainer. FWIW, the pump needing to be submerged doesn't make sense. All fuel should be going through the strainer and not leaking in through the seams as a design feature. How is my fuel system conversion doing you ask? Great, though completely apples to oranges. Carbs have bowls/accumulators so line pressure needs to be no more than the needle and seat can handle. I used an aeromotive 13301 bypass regulator with the low pressure spring installed and with the adjustment completely backed off. The oem 89-97 ranger efi pump (in-tank/no lift pump) still provided 3.5psi to the carb. I used steel brake lines around the headers then transitioned to the oem nylon back to the tank with the oem efi filter. Very pleased with that. The aeromotive regulators are typically about $200 but they sell the defective ones on ebay for about $33 and don't list them as Aeromotive. The body is machined slightly too deep before anodizing, so it just needs a de burr and another wrap of teflon tape.

Older oem intank single pump systems for high pressure efi are gerotor. You can always rework the tank for a sump in either corner or centered by cut and shut of the lower corner displacing unusable fuel. The return dumps into the sump. The capacity of the sump need only be enough for the length of the corner at high rpm/lowest return flow.

Found a pic of the baffle. I'd make a card board pattern that lays flat against the front of the upper tank and picks up a screw into the chassis on each leg, then fab with .050" 3003 h14 from aircraft spruce. I'd add foam tape to the baffle so it doesn't actually touch the upper tank but is supported by it. Rubber strips rivetted, clip-on weatherstripping, or aircraft baffle material can be added to the edge to seal but just getting it close to the inside of the nose will help.

I understand that despite my serving in the military and working blue collar side-by-side on equal footing or for women my entire working life, if I want to know anything about being a tradeswoman, I should take your word for it without question. If I share an opinion differs, I must be too old or deficient in some way?

Many assumptions about the military, mechanics, blue collar work, and women. Equality means just that/no pedestal. They are all more capable than you seem to realize, but I understand the stereotypes being applied from the other side of the fence. It's human nature.

Do you have the top baffle that JB mentioned? Very important to keep the air through the nose flowing through the core instead of over the top tank. A modern, direct mount, high amp electric fan to replace the unshrouded original would help. What is the distance between the tanks (core height to fit a fan)? Most aftermarket fans are actually narrower than advertised in one dimension.

A diesel pump nozzle is 15/16". The gasoline and ethanol blend nozzle is 13/16". It is possible they installed the wrong nozzle for the fuel to be pumped but I think it would be remedied quickly if nobody can use the pump. If they got that wrong, I'm not sure I trust what would come out of any of their pumps.

Nice tech on your site Bob. Thanks for sharing. This car was called the 'Canadian Super 7' I designed and built the first batch 5 cars with the Fejer Brothers in Oakville, Ontario Canada. I was racing a 'real' 1963 Lotus 7 America at the time in FP CASC and had found a spare Lotus series III chassis that we copied to build the new Canadian Super 7. We used the Toyota Corola 1600cc twincam engine and the cars front 'modified' suspension , with rear axle as the doner. The Toyota title was retained to get around the Canadian regs. I was only involved in 2 running cars including the prototype that went to Vancouver. My company was called Canadian Sportscars Ltd. Got screwed by the Fejers and the rest as they say is history... 'Pete' Schömer I'm now building a new vintage race car called the Kieft-Climax http://www.Kieft-Racing.com https://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10693

Interesting fuel filler door in the boot floor on that one. Cap is drilled/vented so I expect no vent pipe to prevent leakage cornering on a full tank but that could be remedied.

What is the basis for these assumptions?

I'd buy a new 2000-2004 dipstick for a ford focus (about $12 from Dorman), then use that as is to determine the correct oil level to top off the pan to after running the engine. I expect you will find a standard focus "upper" pan gasket, which is molded rubber and anti-crush washers imbedded to prevent over tightening that would extrude the rubber. Before pulling the pan, insert the standard dipstick to see if it bottoms out before seating on the tube. If it bottoms (shallower than oem pan), they probably cut the tip off for clearance, leaving only the full mark hole as a reference.

That is cleaner than most I've seen. The throttle cable is well routed but you could add fire sleeve to the throttle cable and expansion tank hoses above the header. I'd lube the cables with a motorbike cable tool and aerosol graphite (if it is metal-on-metal and the cable not coated or the housing unlined), and replace any hoses (especially fuel (likely 5/16 (8mm) SAE J30R9) that seem hard/rigid, reuse the clamps that don't cut the hose when tightened, and add some heater hose or rotate the master banjos to get the braided lines off the corner of the expansion tank. The fire sleeve will help the hoses around the header/exhaust last much longer.

An interesting look at some of the younger generation can be had with the Netflix short series "Snowflake Mountain". Bring an open mind and a thick skin. Kind of a like watching summer camp for bearded 20-somethings and camp counselors with no people skills. My mom just replaced all her major appliances for a few grand including the dishwasher. They were charging $170 to install it. She called me because they could not do it because it was hard wired instead of being plugged into an outlet so I installed it.

Looks like all the fasteners are down unda the lower tank. Never seen that before... Good news if it is just the tank edge. Hand torch, acid solder, and flux should work well. May be able to reflow with just the torch and flux.