Popular Post Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 22, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted January 22, 2016 In a rare moment of lucidity, I realised the poor old girl lanquishing in the shed under a pile of parts and gathering dust had just celebrated her 45th birthday. She has been parked after overheating a couple of years ago and being put in the 'too hard' basket and forgotten about - apart from my girls who love playing in the 'big car' in Dad's shed. Despite having umpteen other projects on the go (plus wife/kids/work/sports) I decided I needed something else to spend time/money and to skin my knuckles on.Shit pic but it reflects the loss of dignity of the old girl being parked up and used as a bench...It is a factory 302 Fairmont, C4 with column change and fold down seat between the buckets. Had her since I was 18, and despite the mistakes of youth, I still have original 2 barrel carb, manifolds etc tucked away.Now, I could just sort the overheating issue and drive her, OR I could take the chance to pull the engine, tidy up 40+ yrs of use, and add some fun bits while I'm at it - so she can gather her skirts and keep up with the brash young tarts of today. Seeing a 2T engine hoist on sale at The Toolshed with free delivery made my mind up, so I ripped into it last night... 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 Quick summary, it sat unused for several years while I was at uni (ta mum) and I got her going again when she turned 40 (cheap rego). I ran it for a while but it started randomly overheating - had radiator checked, new hoses, thermostats, water pump etc etc and with no evidence of a blown gasket/cracked head and with new kids I sort of just gave up... Bored .30 thou over Holley 600 vac sec Edelbrock RPM Air gap inlet Pacemaker headers MSD dizzy I'm thinking I'll pull the donk, remove the stuck coolant drain plugs and flush the block, and rather than dick around with the cast heads I'll chuck on some alloy heads and roller rockers. Will mean I'll lose the factory look under the bonnet but the MSD has already sort of done that. Will update when hoist arrives and I've made some progress... 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 Discussion thread. //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/51628-lord-gruntfuttocks-1971-xy-fairmont-big-grunty-discussion/#entry1648569 Also noticed on the plate it was built August '71 so she's not quite 45... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 No hoist (thought it may have arrived) but got a bit done. Jacked her up and removed headers (sound but need painted) drained and removed radiator and hoses, starter motor and clips/pipes/wires etc. I cleaned up a few bits, 40-odd years of gunge washed off with petrol and a brush - I'll check bearings/brushes etc and paint these before returning them. I was going to leave the trans in, but there are a few drips underneath, might be just as easy to pull them out as a unit and separate to work on. The guts are pretty much ready to come out, we'll see how things go... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Did a bit on the old wiper motor, as it looked a bit scody on the firewall and I think the washer mechanism had stopped working some time ago... Opened it up and looked like it should be repairable, pretty simple mechanical setup with a solenoid that engaged the pump for one rotation of a toothed wheel (13 squirts). All the rubbers looked good and I serviced the motor by dressing the commutator and checking brushes etc... Gave it a cleanup and discovered the solenoid winding connection had snapped off, which is why I had no pump. there was no way to pull it out and rejoin so I contemplated rewinding it, wouldn't be hard, just have to measure the wire gauge, buy some the same size and wind the same # of turns on. Cleaned the motor and pump mech bodies and gave them a quick polish... Then I had a Eureka moment, the squirter had always been a bit pathetic, so I wondered if I could remove it and run a separate universal pump with a bit more poke from the same switch. It looked easy, so I made up a blanking plate and started congratulating myself on a neat job - did away with half the unit making a tidier looking engine bay, and I should get a decent squirter setup for sod all... Then as I was admiring it and considering just what a clever bloody chappie I was, the motor body slipped out and landed on the floor, smashing the magnets. Fuck - back to square one... Had a quick look online for spares, shit reconditioned units are expensive. Anyone know of any fucked wiper motors I can scavenge for parts? [edit]: failing that, being a Lucas motor, there must be other cars running something similar I can use...? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 25, 2016 Author Share Posted January 25, 2016 Hoist arrived, and on my wedding anniversary, could call it a present... Looks great, and it arrived assembled on a pallet. Given it was free delivery I assumed it would have to be put together. Would love to spend the evening hoisting things - but I'm picking there are other plans tonight... 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 27, 2016 Author Share Posted January 27, 2016 Got the hoist into my shambles of a shed last night. I'd like to say the mess is a consequence of having a dozen projects on the go at once, but it's really because I keep buying all sorts of shit that isn't allowed into the house... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 27, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 27, 2016 WOOHOO!!!... Fucking love it when you've had a pretty shit day and find a package of awesomeness when you get home... These should really help the old girl to breathe, now I'm choosing roller rockers to suit - Crane, Trick Flow, Harland Sharp, Lunati, Scorpion...? Nice problem. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 Been busy this week, but trying to do a little bit when I can. Not sure where the trans seepage is coming from so will pull it out and give it a cleanup and filter change while I have the opportunity. I removed the shift linkages, vacuum pipe, kickdown cable and neutral switch wiring. There's no easy way to drain these things, so just crawled under and cracked the pan... Thar she blows... Looks ok inside, and I must be getting better at this with age, only got oily from the wrists down this time. (I love the smell of trans fluid in the evening)... And I chucked the pan back on and drained the torque converter too. Only really the driveshaft and main mounting bolts to remove now and things should be ready to lift... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 30, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2016 Good day in the shed.Laid out my toys after removing driveshaft and all but the last couple of bolts...Then jacked the back up to make removal easier. My patented engine stands are laid out on the lawn. As I was removing engine and trans together I planned to drop the sump into the larger tyre and rest the tranny on the littl'un so I could separate them...Now, I was going to get a mate round to help, but I was keen to try the leveller out, so just had a wee go, and next thing you know the guts were out of her...Leveller and a good hoist made it really easy, just wriggled if forward then angled up, lifted to clear things and changed angle to slide the thing out the front. I had checked the hoist lift height and chain length etc beforehand - Be a bugger to hit the roof with the thing only half out...I had no intention of doing it myself but it worked out ok. I just snapped on a couple of used gloves to stop fluid leaking out the back end.The bits are separated now, my weiner engine stand is not big enough to mount the engine but will hold the trans ok. Waiting on a mate to get back from holiday so I can use his stand to begin engine work... 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted January 30, 2016 Author Share Posted January 30, 2016 Great success. The Valiant wiper motor I picked up for $30 was a Lucas Australia job too, and the magnets were in tip top condition. Just slid them out of their retaining clips and into the casing of my unit. The Mopar job was similar to what I am doing, no pesky pump mechanism, just a pressed steel cover over the plastic driving gear... I wasn't sure how the magnets were aligned (north south) so just colour coded a small magnet and aligned them the same way round to the cracked remnants in my case... And a good cleanup and lick of aluminium engine paint tidied it up. Won't know it works till I get the battery back in but looks ok... You can get repo factory style washer bottles with pumps too so should have a better than new system... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Stinking hot in the shed and I couldn't be bothered doing anything too hard, so I looked at the Alternator (Factory Email job). it worked fine but there was a slight knock and I just wanted to tidy it up a bit. First step was to mark the cases with a punch so it went back together the same way... I had visions of opening it up, replacing bearings, cleaning the slip rings and putting it back together all painted/shiny and good for another decade, but these things don't come apart very easy... The pulley nut was pretty well stuck, and without a rattle gun I just persevered with tapping a spanner with the fins wedged against a block of wood till it came loose (will have to straighten a couple of fins). A bigger problem was the rear bearing wouldn't let go, so I had to remove the diode plates with the rotor in place, bent things to buggery and dislodged a couple of diodes in the process... And once that was out I could remove the stator... So finally in bits and a few repair jobs required rather than maintenance - but nothing terminal, and at least I can clean up the component parts now... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lord Gruntfuttock Posted February 3, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 3, 2016 Fark it's hot, mid 30's in Invers, not quite used to that... Anyway, got home and thought I'd better do a bit rather than sit under the aircon drinking beer, so wheeled the old tranny out for a cleanup. interested to see what it looks like under 40-odd years of grime... Plugged all holes with either rags/tape or fittings blocked with RTV... And wheeled it round behind the shed to my chemical hazard area (where no plants will ever grow again) and scrubbed it with petrol, a scrubbing brush, rags and a toothbrush, and it came out looking purrty... I know it makes no difference to how something operates but I like a clean piece of machinery. Love cleaning up some old piece of grot and bolting it back looking good... 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Found this diagram in my 1000 page pdf parts manual that may help with the Alt. And I dropped into the local auto sparky at lunchtime to see what they had. Showed him a brush and he immediately knew it was from an old Email (kudos), then said I'd be lucky to find any parts for it (crap). 20 odd years ago they had umpteen bits for them but they're pretty much a museum piece now. The good news is they did have the old metal can diodes on the shelf, plus suitable bearings, so I grabbed them while he looked for any brushes that may fit - but nothing was even close. These could be a problem, they measure around 9 x 5mm and he couldn't find anything suitable in their database either. Bit of a bugger I broke one getting things apart really... Rather than buy some parts and potentially get stuck without brushes he suggested a new Bosch 70A replacement, but at $300+ I said no thanks. I'd rather persevere with the original as I'm bloody-minded (I've started so I'll finish) - not to mention cheap. So I'll give it a go, I repaired this umpteen years ago and it is sound, and should go again all right, it's not like the old tape deck will draw enough current to stretch it. I bought the bits he had, then had a scout around on th' web. Eureka, 20 of these things ex Hong Kong delivered for around $10... So should have enough to get the old girl making volts again. Debateable whether I'd be better off just buying a new one, but it's not about that, eh... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Won't have time to do much this weekend, wife's B/day plus taking the kids out to the crib to learn how to play in the surf, but had a look last night at why I couldn't undo the drain plugs - I've seen some rounded off heads in my time, but this is especially circular. Looks like a weld-a-nut-on job... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted February 5, 2016 Author Share Posted February 5, 2016 Decided to do a bit straight after work as it was warm and windy, so good chance to wheel things outside and get the water blaster out... Amazing how easy it is to knock the grease off with a decent blaster... Surprised how good things were under there, pleased I made the effort while the guts were out of the way... 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lord Gruntfuttock Posted February 5, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 5, 2016 Then while I had space in the shed, I thought I'd mount the engine on a stand and tackle the stuck drain plugs... First one was textbook, welded on a large nut, and the heat and something to grip let me twist it out no bother. Fuck I'm good (I thought)... The other one however was a right crunt. Welded nut after nut onto it, and the metal of the plug kept fracturing as I tried to take it out... Tried upping the current for more penetration but it seemed the plug metal was pretty brittle... When there was fuck-all to weld to I ended up grinding it flat and punching it to try to drill it out... Drilled it through (fuckin hard stuff, whatever it was) and upped the drill size till I could try an ezy-out. I've had mixed results with these, so hit it with more heat to try to avoid snapping the hardened tool... But still no go. Ended up drilling it right out and tapping it inwards with a centre punch to crack the thread... and finally got the fucker... So here's me at the puter now having a well deserved dram... and yes, that bottle's empty so just cracked an Ardmore single malt... 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted February 8, 2016 Author Share Posted February 8, 2016 Flushed the engine block cooling passages today. Began by simply hosing through the heater manifold connection and catching any loose crap out each side's drain plug so I had an idea of what I was dealing with... (This pic reminds me of a bloke at work with kidney stones who had to piss thru a sieve for a month to catch the gravel)... Didn't look too bad, a few large bits of loose scale came out... Thought I'd knock the frost plugs out while they were easy to get at - glad I did... Yikes... And after another flush the loose bits were gone, but little bits of crap were still in there... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lord Gruntfuttock Posted February 8, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 8, 2016 So I refitted the frost/drain plugs and filled the block with a radiator flush treatment to see if that made any difference. Left it in half an hr then drained it thru the sieve again, then popped plugs and hit it with the water blaster... Blasted every passage in as many directions as possible, and got quite a bit of gunk out. The white bits were stuff that accumulated in the old alloy intake manifold after it sat for years... Looked much better after that... I know they're not perfect and it should be properly cleaned, but I'm trying to just do the top end, and I have see far worse than these, so we'll see how it goes. Dried out passages with air and the crappy prelim stuff is done - should be ready to pull the heads off next... Just needed to order the wife and No 1 daughter to push the old girl away for the night... I did help by mowing the bit of shaggy lawn they had to push it over... 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Gruntfuttock Posted February 13, 2016 Author Share Posted February 13, 2016 Gah, been crook, but did get back into the alternator. Started with the rotor.The non drive-end bearing was stuck. Really stuck. Didn't want to lever against slip rings so had to cut it off with a dremel blade... And turned the slip rings smooth and gave it a clean up and coat of urethane... Then looked at the mangled stator. A winding had snapped off, 2 diode solder joints had come apart and one of the insulating spacers appeared to have melted, perhaps during a previous attempt at soldering on a diode... I unsoldered the windings from the diodes, and reattached the loose ones after testing them. Best way was to use a small lpg torch under the plate to get a nice pool of solder, and place a tinned diode on it. I held the wire with long-nose pliers to act as a heat sink to avoid koozing the internals... Then stripped the insulating coating from the stub of snapped winding... And attached a new lead by crimping on a small sleeve, plus solder. This was a bare bit of copper wire so added some heat shrink tubing, and tied it back in position before another coat of urethane... And machined up another spacer that I araldited in place on the cleaned up diode plates... And fitted the stator back in the non-drive end casing. All diodes test ok, no shorts and the winding resistances look right... And I'm pretty much stuck now until my brushes arrive. Still got to paint the fan and pulley but it's looking ok... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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