|
Viewing 1 - 4 out of 4 Blogs.
 Hello to all, as I mentioned in past My Garage blog’s, I want to share my cars and my car projects with you all, and this matter seems like a good place to start. Here’s my dilemma. When I first got my 1956 Thunderbird, the 312 Y Block engine was toast. The oil pump had gotten weak and oil sludge had formed everywhere (common with this engine) which reduced the flow of oil to the heads, the timing chain and gears. Over the winter I pulled the heads and the whole front off the engine to include the water pump, the timing chain and gears. I put in a new oil pump, flushed out the old oil and changed the oil filter, installed a new fuel pump, timing chain and gears, goose neck, thermostat, water pump. I got Dana Hard of Custom Automotive Machine in Weymouth, Mass to do a top notch rebuild of the heads and rocker arm assemblies and I installed new push rods as well. I converted her to a Holly Carb, did a complete tune up and refurbished the engine compartment while everything was out. The only thing I didn’t do was the bottom end because it seemed to be in good shape. I’m thinking now that I should have done it as well, if for no other reason than to thoroughly clean out any oil sludge that must still be in the crank case, and here’s why I say so. After I did all the prerequisite priming of the new oil pump to make sure oil was getting up to the heads, I put the last touches on the job and fired her up. After about a week of driving the car for an hour per day, I pulled the valve covers off to re-torque the heads only to find that the passenger side head had zero oil flowing to it. After checking the drivers side and finding plenty of oil, it became apparent that something, most likely left over sludge from the crank case had clogged the narrow oil passage through the block and into the head. I’ve read about a few things that might work to solve this problem, but some of them entail pulling the head. I don’t want to go through that again. If there’s anyone out there with knowledge of Y Block engines that might have an easier fix, please advise. I want to take this car to the next level of restoration with new paint, carpet and wiring, but she has to run right first, because if I can’t drive it, I don’t want it! Thanks in advance. Last Guy Out, Get The Lights. - Jeff
Tags: 1956 Thunderbird
Well I finally posted some pictures of all but one of my cars. It was an aggravating experience to say the least. The reason being that every spring when I finally fire them up, they seem to always rebel. The Fiat is the one car that has been driven regularly but must have decided to act up as a sign of unity. I pulled the Fiat out first for pictures only because it was in the way of the rest. When I got out of the car with the engine still running, all could smell was gas. I popped the hood to find a fuel injector spraying gas on to the alternator. I’m happy to be able to post a picture of it without any fire damage. After I was done fixing the line and snapping some photo’s, I went for the 1953 Buick Skylark which although it was running fine when I parked it last fall and I had charged the battery, it wouldn’t crank at all. The 1953 Skylark is unique in that it has a switch built into the accelerator peddle that cranks it over. After reading the repair manual and trying a few things that didn’t work, I resorted to the oldest trick in the book, I tapped a few things with a hammer. One was a vacuum switch on the carburetor that gets sucked in when the engine starts which in turn kills the cranking motor. I thought it might be stuck in the off position and it was. Once I got her out of the barn, she ran out of gas. My bad. The next one to wake from the dead was the 1956 Ford Thunderbird. The battery was dead, but she fired right up with a jump start only to flood out and stall when I left her to warm up. The old screw driver in the chock flap got her going again. Finally was the 1963 Buick Riviera which fired right up on the first try. However, as I pulled it out of the barn, I heard a strange scrapping sound under the rear end of the car. I got out to find that the rubber hanger straps that hold up the back end of the exhaust system had snapped off. They looked brand new but had just dried out over time. I went with bailing wire until I can get the parts. Well anyway, it took me all afternoon but I got the photos and got them into my garage. As I mentioned in my first post, I want to go over each of the cars and the many projects I’ve completed on them and the one’s I have planned to do. I hope you all will enjoy them and jump in with comments and advise. The last car I have is an odd deal because although it was built in 1991 it only has 83 miles on it. But that’s a story for another day. I promise to get her out in the sun for some pictures real soon, and hopefully without having to fix anything in the process. Last guy out, get the lights - Jeff
Dear Global Warming Experts, I was wondering if you could please forward to me, a report on when I might hope to enjoy the effects of your promised Global “Fever” You see, as I write this request, the current temp is ahhh really cold!! And I just got done watching news clips of the Midwest digging out from under record breaking mountains of what should have been April Showers. I love my convertibles and my boat. I tuck them away each fall and wait for the long cold winter to pass so that I may resume my life. You see, I hate winter and everything about it. I love to go places and do things with my sons, but if it entails venturing into the cold and snow, there they go alone while I huddle on the coach watching Barret Jackson car auctions and the travel channels tropical dream vacations. Occasionally I bundle up and go by the barn where I peek under the car covers and plan for warmer days. But all in all, until I can afford a heated garage, nothing gets done to them when it’s cold. So please Mr. Gore, I made it through eight years of un-kept promises while you were V.P. but this is just too much to bare, because by not delivering on the heat, my cars and I are stuck in the barn when we should be on the road, and as for the tidal surges from melting glaciers, I've got the boat! So now I’m thinking that instead of recycling my worn truck tires, maybe I’ll burn them for the heat and of course to increase my “carbon footprint” as best I can! Anyway, I’ve got to go throw another log on the fire. Last Guy out, get the lights. Jeff
Hello to all. This is the first of what I hope will be a great many blogs now that I'm moving into my new WheelsTV garage. Yes Sir, as soon as the weather gets good, I'm gonna fire up the fleet, pull them outside for some pictures, and into the bays they'll go!
The thing I love most about my WheelsTV garage, is that unlike the barn that houses the flesh and blood versions of my cars, this garage has plenty of room. The floor is level, the heat is on and the light is good. And even though there flesh and blood is out in the barn, my garage is where I'm gonna keep their hearts and souls.
I'm thinking that with all the ways you can put your garage together and all the things you can do with it, it wouldn't take long for a car nut like me to get a million things going and never get anything done right. So to avoid the A.D.D. in me, I'm gonna keep it simple and pull them in one at a time. I'll start with the pictures along with everything I know about them. Then I'll add everything I've done to them and whatever I plan to do next. "A piece of cake" maybe..
Here's the thing. Most of my cars are done to the naked eye, but still works in progress when you get up close. So as the projects go on, I'll work to document them digitally for everyone to view.
I'm really hoping that folks will get in the habit of coming by to kick around, share info and ideas, or just plain shot the breeze. Because as much as we may know, we know a heck of a lot more together.
As for me, I'm no rocket scientist, but I'm pretty good with a wrench. There are guys who collect cars, guys who fix them and guys who do both. I do both, because for me, the fixing is half the fun! I guess I'm just an old car guy who should have spent more time with his face in a book and less time with his head under a hood.
But hey, I'm happy with grease under my nails, beer in the frig. and any good chance to talk cars. So please take this first blog of as an open invitation to drop by my garage when every you like. And I promise, the cars will be getting backed in as the weather permits. Last guy out get the lights - Jeff
|
|
