Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Cleaning time. Used a spray bottle of the purple stuff degreaser and cleaned the engine compartment. Thirty six years of oil and dirt everywhere. Got most of it washed away with the garden hose.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006350.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006357.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006355.jpg

Notice where the exhaust head pipes are sitting? Gee, what do you think the odds are that when I went to remove the brake master cylinder, that the flare nut wrench would slip out of my hand and fly through the air and land right in the driver's side head pipe...and then slide a foot or two down the pipe...laughing at me the whole way. Nothing but net.

I had to find a flexible wire and fasten a magnet to the end and fish it down the pipe. It was like a carnival game from Hell. I finally won the game and got my wrench back after about an hour of fishing. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/no.gif[/img]

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

I pulled the front steering linkage and the steering box, just to clean the encrusted gunk off. The steering box was natural cast finish with an aluminum cover and a pink paint daub on the spline where the steering shaft mounts up.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...S7006366-1.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006364.jpg

Dodged a bullet here! Check out the steering box bolt in the center. I used PB Blaster to loosen the bolt but it still took an impact gun to get them loosened. I would loosen, then tighten, then loosen repeatedly, to rock them free. Looks like the center bolt came out just in time. I was surprised it didn't break after seeing how much was rusted away.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

The steering linkage was gunk covered and took a lot of brushing and degreaser to get it clean. You can see the original green paint mark on the driver's side, inner tie rod. (Just like my 72 T/A had). The weird black plastic ball thingy that looks like a toilet bowl float is actually the plastic cover (two piece) that goes over the steering box rag joint and the lower six inches of the steering column shaft. I think this was some kind of safety item to prevent debris, rocks and stuff from jamming the steering if it got caught between the rag joint and the subframe.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006369.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006371.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

I pulled the brake booster out to clean it up. It had quite a bit of surface rust on it. Soaking it, face down in the safestrustremover.com stuff. Working very well taking the rustiness away.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006372.jpg

You can see the light blue inspection mark on the &quot;Delco Moraine&quot; stamp in the 2:00 position on the face.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006360.jpg

And on the top was a light blue mark that ran across from the front side to the back side at the 12:00 position, as well as an orange daub right at the top.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006359.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Here's the engine compartment at the moment. I ended up using a little daub of diesel fuel on a rag to clean the firewall and the inner fenders. It worked out very nicely. The dry areas you see on the driver's side of the firewall and alongside the A/C box are the sloppily-applied, factory body schutz undercoating, which I am leaving in place.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006378.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006379.jpg

And, yes that is a rag covering that cursed open exhaust down pipe. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006380.jpg

Some of the cleaned up parts at the moment: the steering box, wiper motor, the steering shaft, the 7042264 1972 400 carb (matches the intake I have on the car), and an extra brand new master cylinder that I had sitting around waiting to go on something.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006376.jpg

My parts order from Summit Racing should arrive tomorrow so I can bring the pistons, cam bearings and block assembly hardware over to the machine shop. I ended up getting the entire rebuild kit, which includes .030 pistons, rings, cam, main, and rod bearings in one package. (The crank polished up nicely so I can stick with standard size main and rod bearings.) Since I already had bought a new Melling oil pump and a Felpro gasket kit, they were able to deduct those items from the kit and save me about 80 bucks.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Are you going to paint and detail under the hood...??

Looks like you are doing a good job....wilma

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Yeah, I'll be painting the frame rails as best as i can. The rest of the suspension, upper and lower control arms, etc, can be done after the drivetrain is back in.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Got the engine parts from Summit this morning. For some crazy reason they sent me 6 pistons from one warehouse and 2 from another. I brought them to the machinist and he didn't have a good feeling about them since they looked markedly different: an old version and a new version of the same part number. He weighed them and the weight difference was off the scale, literally.

I called Summit and they agreed that was not right - you never mix and match pistons from different sets, let alone different years of manufacture. All I can assume is that it must have been the computerized inventory system selecting the locations from which to ship. They issued a call tag for the 6+2 pistons and they are drop shipping me a new, matched set directly from Sealed Power.

On a positive note, they do have excellent customer service people, who realized the problem and took care of it immediately.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006391.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

The born-with block was bored .030 and is ready for the cam bearings, galley plugs, freeze plugs, etc.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006381.jpg

The original 6X heads are in process at the moment. Original valves were in nice shape, so we are reusing them. The heads will be resurfaced after the valve job is finished.

Gee, maybe I'll get up to an actual 8.5 compression ratio with the head shaving. I don't know if today's gas can handle all that power! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006382.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006385.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

BTW, here's the brake booster after a couple of days of soaking in the safestrustremover.com stuff. It took most of the rust away. It did also remove what was left of the original zinc dichromate plating.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006393.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

The ring alignment... lol
My father-in-law took it upon himself to rebuild the engine in his 1905 Cadillac.
He honed the cylinder, had new rings made and assembled the engine.
Fired it up and it ran but had no power, the car wouldn't pull itself up a 5% grade out of the garage.
He pulls it all back down and checks everything, laps and hones the valves etc.
He asks if I will come over and help him assemble the engine... we are putting the jug over the piston and he has the ring gaps in a direct line...
I said hey you forgot to stagger the rings...
It doesn't matter he replies they will all settle with the gaps to the TOP (Horizontal 1 cylinder)... his reasoning was the heavy side would work it's way down.
I said did you assemble the engine like that last time?
YES!!!!
He has no problems running 25-30mph now...
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/47...500x500Q85.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

So it runs better after you staggered the rings?

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

touche' my good friend, I should have seen it coming considering the stable you have been fortunate enough to look after over the years.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: firstgenaddict</div><div class="ubbcode-body">touche' my good friend, I should have seen it coming considering the stable you have been fortunate enough to look after over the years. </div></div>

No, I was serious - did your father in law stagger the ring gaps when he put it back together the second time, or reassemble it with them all in a line? I am rather curious whether it really does matter since they do rotate around as the engine runs. I imagine a horizontal or boxer style engine would be a bit different than the conventional vertical moving pistons in a V8.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

LOL... 25 or 30 in one of our cars and we would be looking for the E-brake down or sounding like a Hit-n-Miss...

Yes we staggered the rings, I have worked in machine shops and we did boxer engines, they were all staggered...during our assembly and were staggered upon disassembly, they still rotate around the piston.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Got the new pistons from Summit on Friday...a sealed box with the label &quot;matched weight set.&quot; They are at the machine shop now. When I dropped them off, the block was finished but I was in the wife's car and she doesn't take too kindly to transporting engine blocks in her trunk.

Over the weekend I spent some time painting the frame, cleaning all the brake and fuel lines and then reinstalling the lines, brackets, wiper motor, steering box, intermediate column, new motor mounts, etc. I also cleaned and rewrapped the wiring harnesses, too. (And yes, the factory did use bright white, corrugated plastic tubing to contain the firewall engine harness on the 75 Firebirds - not too esthetically pleasing, I'd say, but it is original!)

Waiting for a couple new brake hoses to arrive tomorrow. I had to replace the calipers after snapping the bleeder off one in an attempt to get it ready for bleeding the brakes. Figured I should replace the hoses as well, just to be safe.

Here's the engine compartment at the moment:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006451.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006449.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Note;Leave the little rubber cap or hat on the bleeder and it will be good for ever. Paul

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Absolutely right on that rubber cap advice.

Installed the new calipers and hoses yesterday. Had quite a time getting the hoses to not leak at the calipers after bleeding the brakes. Every time I'd tighten down the banjo fittings with the supplied &quot;allegedly&quot; copper, crush washers, the damn things would seep brake fluid. I removed them and they had no crush marks like the originals, even though I was using a 1/2 drive ratchet to tighten the fittings to a &quot;Jersey strength&quot; rating. I finally reinstalled old crush washers and no leaks occurred.

This lead me to the obvious conclusion that the new copper crush washers that are manufactured today (no doubt, in China) are not the same as the originals. I have a funny feeling that they are either copper-plated steel or some type of alloy that is not crushable. A buddy of mine had the exact same problem trying to get a turbocharger coolant line to not leak...he solved it by reusing the old washers, also.

Does anybody have a way to test my theory? Don't they have some type of metal hardness test?

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

a magnet would be attracted to the supposed copper-plated (steel) washer.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

G.M. still has the copper brake line washers,if you wan't new ones. Paul

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

I have had the same problems as well and just cut one open. The ones I buy are solid copper but are also less then half the thickness of the OEM ones. I have not been able to find a suitable replacement that resembles the originals in thickness.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

What are the 3 dimensions of the OEM washer?

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Started the assembly process with the boy yesterday. Had him insert the main bearings, apply the Lubriplate and then we installed the crankshaft. Most entertaining to see a 50-pound kid try to pull 100 pounds on a torque wrench. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img] (I helped eventually).

He actually figured out that the decimal math he recently learned in school is actually useful in everyday life! I had him measure the main bearing oil clearence with Plastigage and compare it to the little paper chart. I then had him check the ring end gaps in the bores and crankshaft endplay with the feeler gauges. I had him compare the numbers to the specs in the book. He was quite impressed with his application of school math to engine building. He can't wait to tell his friends at school that decimals aren't a totally dumb thing.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006482.jpg

We started with the piston/rods tonight, hopefully we'll get them all in tomorrow.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006470.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Nice job Steve. Love the progress reports. Great father/son project! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Very nice of you to include your son on this project as well as teach him at the same time Steve. I can assure you that what he learns helping you in this was will stay with him a lot longer than had he learned it elsewhere and also due to the fact that you made it fun for him. What I would give to be able to have a son and teach him things like that! Hats off to you sir! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/worship.gif[/img]

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Steve, if you start on a project for your son now, you just might finish it by the time he gets his license. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img] I think a Formula SD would make a perfect first car.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

-----Craig,,,Why should Steve finish it??? Train the kid right and then let him loose (with a bit of supervision). From everything I have seen, Steves son could probably make us all proud without much prodding.......Bill S

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Yesterday, both the daughter and the son got involved in installing the rest of the pistons. They argued over who got to do more, [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img] so I let each one of them install two pistons, and torque the rod bolts.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006499.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006497.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

We then spent the rest of the weekend buttoning up the engine. Installed the pan and timing cover to catch all the oil and assembly lube that was soon to be dripping down. I manhandled the cylinder heads onto the block and the boy did all the torqueing. He was definitely tired by the time he was done!

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006539.jpg

I think the part he enjoyed the most was gooping all the black moly and red assembly lube onto the lifters, rocker arms and pushrods. He then torqued all the rocker nuts into place and we added the oil. I had him rotate the engine while we ran the oil pump primer and pressured up the engine.

I also showed him how the cam/lifters and rocker arms activate the intake and exhaust valves in relation to the piston movement, building on what I showed him yesterday with the timing chain connecting the cam to the movement of the crankshaft. You could actually see the lightbulb go off over his head when he realized how everything was interconnected. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/shocked.gif[/img]

Of course we ran into an interesting problem while priming the engine. All the lifters/pushrods/rockers oiled up fine except for one. Nothing was coming out. They were new Sealed Power rockers, too. I thought maybe something was wrong with that lifter so I swapped it with one from another lifter position. The previously non-oiling lifter worked fine in the new lifter bore and the previously functioning lifter didn't oil in the suspect bore. So that ruled out the lifters. Checked the pushrod and it was clean with no blockage. I finally swapped the rocker with an original one and it oiled up fine. Here's what I found:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006555.jpg

New rocker on the left, original on the right. The new rockers have the oil holes in a different position than the original ones, which, depending upon the pushrod, can restrict the oil supply to the oiling hole. The original rockers have the oil holes directly over the pushrod oil hole opening, the new ones have them in a spot that barely connects with the pushrod oil hole.

Glad we caught that now.

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Here's how the engine looked by this afternoon:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006542.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006543.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Since it has been raining since saturday morning and it's supposed to rain all week, I figured I wouldn't be able to paint the engine until at least next week. Around 5:00 PM the sun came out for about an hour and I quickly rolled the engine out in the driveway to get her painted up.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006545.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006547.jpg

I used the Bill Hirsch Engine Enamel. The stuff is amazing. The color match was exact. 1975-77 Pontiac engines have this weird, heavy metallic, royal blue color that is similar to the Oldsmobile blue and not available anywhere in spray can form. I used one of those Preval, do-it-yourself aerosol spray bottles, diluted the canned paint by 1/2 with lacquer thinner and sprayed away. I used about 1/3 of the quart can.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006549.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006551.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006552.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

steve are all the rockers like that? did you replace all of them?

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

That rocker had the hole a fraction of an inch lower than the rest. So I just swapped out that one with the best original rocker I could find. (My machinist had examined the original rockers and noticed that most of them were a bit too scuffed up in the pocket area, so he recommended getting a new set.)

(Oh, and by the way Craig, if you know anyone with a nice 73 SD, my son would be happy to consider trading the '72 T/A for his future project [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img])

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

I will forward this message. I know a few....but those SD guys think thier cars are worth way more than our &quot;striped cars&quot; [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Everything is bolted up and, remarkably, there were no nuts, bolts or parts left over!

I need to get my hoist back so I can join the engine and tranny together and throw the drivetrain back in the car. Hopefully it will finally stop raining this weekend.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006565.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006567.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006564.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...8/S7006561.jpg

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Steve,


What's with the piece of wood under the front of the engine? Didn't trust the bolts?


Jason

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

It's a speciially designed device that took years of testing and innovation to create. It supports the front of the engine under the pan flange and mounts against the front brace of the engine stand. It takes some of the stress of all that weight off the four mounting bolts in the rear of the block.

It only remotely resembles a long 2X4. It's actually a bioengineered, organic laminate support fixture, (a.k.a. wood)
[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It's a speciially designed device that took years of testing and innovation to create. It supports the front of the engine under the pan flange, and takes some of the stress off the mounting bolts in the rear of the block.

It only resembles a 2x4 piece of wood. It's actually a bioengineered, organic laminate. (a.k.a. wood)
[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img] </div></div>

Steve...you crack me up... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Steve, You are a very fortunate man to have your kids involved like this. That makes it more than a project; it makes it a really good memory.

Verne [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Re: Gramma's Car: the new project!
 

Thanks for the kind thoughts, Verne! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]