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Monday, March 21, 2011

Cleaning Up

Well - after one week the machine shop still thought they could provide the valves.  After two weeks they admitted defeat.  Time to call Jack Lawrence in NY. . .

In the meantime, there is still much to do.  The oil pan had seen some pretty heavy abuse, with several large 1/2" deep dents and a series of deep gouges.


A little pounding, cleaning, filler work, and paint, and it looks (and will drain) a lot better!


The valve covers got similar treatment (sans the filler).



And the hard pipe water hoses. . .




Remember that trip to SA I mentioned last blog?  Well, on a tip there was a parts car in a junk yard, I went down to see what all I could scrounge.  The best find was this:  a factory air conditioning under-dash unit, hoses, bracketry, and controls.  The compressor and radiator were already gone, and the drier kaput, but I've got an idea on how to procure those cheap.  Both of the pulley bearings were also toast and will need replacement.


(and yes, I've already torn down, tested, and reassembled the unit)

Adding the A/C will mean the original cooling fan will not be up to the task, so I cut off the fan bearing shaft, drove in a freeze plug, and gave it the same cleaning and paint treatment as the oil pan and valve covers.
The replacement will be a double electric fan unit strapped to the back of the radiator.



The clutch pressure plate was a pretty rusty mess.


A little disassembly, shows the component parts - all still in good shape under the rust and grime.


Here it is cleaned up and reassembled.



The alternator just took a little cleaning and touch up on the fan/pulley.


I also finally got the trunk paint finished and the gas tank back in the car.  The vibration pads on the straps were gone, so I cut some thick roll roofing in strips, and attached it with spray adhesive to the straps.  A brand new battery went in under the revamped battery hold down bar, and the filler/vent hoses went back on.



Can you tell where I patched the trunk?


( I didn't realize till I downloaded these photos how dirty the car is.  I blew out the garage with a leaf blower yesterday, which made the shop (in general) a lot cleaner, but which apparently left a pretty thick coat of dust in it's wake - Ah well . . .)

A new steel gas line to the front competed the bulk of the fuel system.


FYI:  At the top of the photo you can see a trail of leaking brake fluid.  Apparently the rubber hoses between the fill tank and the master cylinder didn't like being woken from their slumber.  They've been slowly "sweating " for several months and leaked down along the firewall and floor pan.  Although this was unfortunate, it was a great test of the POR paint applied earlier.  You can see the fluid ate off the paint over the seam sealer, but the sealer itself, and the undercoat paint have no lasting damage other than a slight discoloration.  A new topcoat and it'll be good as new again.  If this stuff can handle long exposure to brake fluid, it should stay rust free for a very long time!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Parts and Services

It seems like I've been doing a lot of research and purchasing, but not much actual work lately.  I made a special trip down to San Antonio for a special project (more on that later).  I located a clutch disk and new connecting rod and flywheel bolts.

After a little more research, I realized I've been on the wrong track regarding modifying a Sonett engine to run on unleaded fuel.  It's not the pistons, but the valves and valve seats that need to be hardened.  I spent a little over a week trying to source valves and seats, but the best I could find was an offer for bulk parts (cases of 24).  I don't need 6 car's worth, just one!  Luckily I found a machine shop that can source the necessary parts and get the job done.  They are also resurfacing the flywheel.  They should have everything back to me by the weekend.

In the meantime, I've been cleaning up the engine block. . .


. . .and the pistons.  All of the rings are out of spec, but the bore itself is still in good condition and to spec.  The rings on three of the four pistons were glued firmly in place with the goo/carbon deposits mentioned in the last post.  One of them was so bad that the only way to get the compression rings off was to break them into six pieces each.  No confirmation yet, but the same machine shop says they can get me the rings.  If not I have a few other possible sources.

After some tedious work with a very small screwdriver and a light pass with 600 grit sandpaper those ring grooves are ready to receive new rings.


I also disassembled and rebuilt the starter.

Afterward I had it tested, and it fired right up.

The fuel pump is back together. . .



. . .and the water pump housing cleaned and ready to go back on.



. . . As is the thermostat housing.