Dashing Along

Last weekend a friend came over to help.  We got the dash cleaned up, several bits painted, and I have since got it mounted back on the car.

It may not seem like much from the photos, but the dash work represents a considerable amount of time.  (All of it on my back with my feet in the air and lots of various metal bits poking and scratching every time I shifted my weight).

I've decided to update the look of the dash a little with some brushed aluminum accents.  The gauge cluster was the easy part because all we had to do was sand off the old flaking paint and buff and wax it some.

Thanks to an international Ebay sale I was able to finally replace the rag in my gas line with a real 'petrol' cap.

I have begun the process of installing the A/C system.  The interior unit has been mounted, the drain line set, and (most of) the ductwork run.

The dealer configuration for the A/C replaces the fresh air ductwork.  I wanted to keep the option of both, so I created a 'Y' connection with a flapper valve, so that the air pressure from either fan will prevent most of the airflow from escaping through the other fan system.  (Redneck engineering at it's best: PVC, coat hangers, scraps of a kitty litter lid, and duct tape!)

This is what it looks like installed.

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!

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.

President's Day

Thanks to the principals at the office for giving me the day off!

I made good use of it.

I thought I would disassemble the remaining motor accessories: water pump, fuel pump, thermostat housing, etc. It turns out, however, that those components (aside from needing a good bath) are in fine shape.  So I started tearing down the motor itself.

I tested the thermostat, and it appears to be in working order.  The housing has a secondary sensor with vacuum hose connections that I couldn't quite figure out, but it seems to have two ports that are constantly open and a third that opens when hot.

The water pump is little more than a rotary pump blade on a shaft turned by a pulley.  It's made of cast steel, so no problems there.

The fuel pump has some spring loaded assemblies and some moving parts.  The diaphragm was stiff when I first opened it up, but after soaking for several hours has become pliable again.

The clutch plate assembly is in need of some TLC.  The disk has been worn down into the rivets which has cut a groove into the flywheel.  The flywheel will therefore need to be resurfaced.  The pressure plate assembly is very dirty, but has plenty of thickness yet and will restore without too much effort.

My maintenance manual states that you are to turn over the motor to align the distributor cap to the housing before removing the distributor assembly.  As the motor was seized, however, this was an impossibility.  And the distributor was solidly stuck in place.  I attempted to remove the front fan cowling to access the gears, but a breaker bar on the crankshaft only threatened to twist off the gear bolt.  So. . . with a cross of the fingers, and a good yank with a pry bar, out came the distributor - aligned or not.

I was surprised to find that not only the balance shaft gear, but the main crankshaft gear, are are fiber gears!

All of the internal engine parts still had a healthy coat of oil on them, and not a spot of rust to be seen.  The head assemblies, push rods, and tappets are all in great shape, with no visible wear.  The same is true of all three shafts, crankshaft bearing inserts, and other seats.

The same can not be said of the top half of the piston seats, rings, and valves.  There was quite a bit of scale on the head of both the valves and piston heads.  One of the valves has somehow been worn down on one side, and will likely need to be replaced.  All four of the pistons required quite a bit of persuasion to exit their bores.  It appears this was the sole reason the motor would not turn.  The bores themselves are in good shape, just a little built-up scale and goo and lack of lubrication on the rings for about - oh - 25 years.

(Arrow indicates deformed valve.)

All in all, though, I am quite pleased with the condition of the engine.  It has many years/miles left in it still.
At the end of the day, this is all that was left. . .

Now to find a machine shop to overbore the pistons, and install hardened seats.  I will have the same shop resurface the flywheel.

In the meantime I will research possible replacement of those fiber gears, and track down a clutch disk and a new valve.

Tranny Time!

A gallon of diesel, a half dozen shop rags, and several hours, and the transmission was all cleaned up and ready for reasembly.

I also rebuilt the slave cylinder.  The drain plug (far right in the first photo above) requires a special tool to remove.  So I made one (out of a 3/4" threaded galvanized drain plug - bottom left).

Here's what the cleaned-up tranny looks like assembled.  (I seem to need a little practice not spreading the blue gasket sealant everywhere).

. . . Oh, and yes, I did finish the tile in the bathroom . . .

Time Off

What with the holidays, vacation, an office move, and other exciting things it has been so long since I did any major work on the car I doubt anyone is still following this blog.  

As it is, I am still not working on the car as I am finishing up another project first.  I have been remodeling our master bathroom, which my wife seems to think is more of a priority than my work in the shop. . .

Out with the old wallpaper, carpet, tub and surround:

Patch some drywall, build a new shower pan and liner, install some new hardware:

And add some new tile (this is the part I'm still working on):

And throw in some new venetian plaster, lighting fixtures, lav faucets, and flooring for a brand new look:

Over the last few months I have tinkered with a few things, however.  

I removed and rebuilt the carburetor.

And I detached the transmission from the engine and disassembled enough of it to determine that aside from some minor rust on just a few of the gear teeth, and the need for a good cleaning, the transmission is still in good shape (including the freewheel mechanism).

In another couple of weeks, I should be finished with the bathroom, and back to the car.  I plan to check out the condition of the water and fuel pumps next, and then start tearing down the engine itself.