Kinda running better...

71NewYorkMan

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78 NYer "Kinda"- So it begins...

After the initial check and sunroof discovery, I concentrated on getting the old girl running right.
s-l1600-v.jpg



The car arrived to me running, yes. But running poorly- raw gas being dumped in the manifold and missing a cylinder. Voltage regulator and oil pressure switch wiring found disconnected. This was originally a LeanBurn car, but someone installed a 383 points distributor and ’76 version non-LeanBurn Thermoquad to attempt a conversion. I pressure washed the engine and tranny to see what I may see. Then I removed all of the hacked LeanBurn wiring, the 383 points distributor, the remaining EGR components, CB radio and alarm system abandoned wiring. The TQ carb (found 1/4” of gelatinous sludge inside) was rebuilt. A Cardone ’76 electronic Non-LeanBurn distributor was installed (A gamble, I know- read on…). I assembled a new OEM style electronic ignition system using harness connectors and hardware from my spares. All of the vacuum lines were restored for the Evap system, PCV, heated air cleaner, and AutoTemp. The missing vacuum reservoir for the AutoTemp was replaced with a boneyard Ford version (Sorry- but have you seen the silly prices these things command on the net?).


Got it all back together and attempted to crank-up. Nothin. No spark, and no accelerator pump. Going through the diagnostic checklist, I found the pickup coil in the distributor bad. Checked the vacuum advance while I was there- it was bad too. Back to O’Reilly to ask if they would supply the needed parts so I could rebuild the distributor myself- Nope. But we will gladly get another in a weeks time for you to try! Well- how about order THREE and I’ll pick the best one. They agree, and I tested all three in the store upon arrival- 2 have good pickups and bad vacuum advances, the third has a good advance and bad pickup. Swap the good advance to the dizzy which has the “newer” looking coil, and take it home. (Cardone- Bad Choice. Bad!)


Put the carb on the bench, and fussed with the accelerator pump. After much head-scatching and verification of settings, fuel level, etc., still nothing but air and bubbles out of the pump. I then installed a spare Hygrade pump I had in lieu of the one that came with the Walker rebuild kit I bought. Voila- solid pump shots!. Closer inspection of the Walker pump reveals that the cup fits loosely on the pump shaft vs the firmer fit of the Hygrade unit. Thus- I’ll stick with Hygrade in the future.


While I’m waiting for the dizzy, I decided to investigate the dead cylinder (#5 revealed when I changed plugs). Previous owner stated he received the car with a sticky lifter, and changed the oil a couple of times to attempt to get it working. With a new lifter in hand, I pulled the rocker cover, and found a bent intake pushrod on cyl #5! Now I am nervous. My experience is bent rods are usually from another mechanical failure or the engine being hydrolocked. I found posts about gas varnish on the valve stems causing this. This is new to me and interesting… I test all the valves on this side, and they all move freely! (Even #5 intake after a squirt of WD40 to soften the sticky oil on the stem.) Still planning to replace the lifter, I proceed to clean the rockers and shaft- and find two left rockers on #5! The rod must have left its rocker socket due to misalignment, and then hammered the underside of the rocker to get bent
IMG_1213.JPG

IMG_1281.jpeg



Checked the other head to see if I would find two right rockers, but all were proper sets of left and right. Pulled the rocker shaft so I could clean it, and found the shaft installed upside down! (oil holes pointed towards valley instead of towards the valves). Reached into my parts motor to pull a pair of rockers off. Further inspection reveals the rocker shaft to be bent, thus the whole set of rockers and shaft were substituted from the parts motor.


Got the motor back together again and cranked- Fired right up! A little lopey for a minute (probably while the previously dead cylinder burned in). Set idle, mixture, and advance. The engine settled into a smooth idle. The alternator is charging. After a good warmup, a short drive around the property seems to indicate a good running motor and transmission!


With the engine running, I finished surveying the AutoTemp- running in full heat mode regardless of temp setting. Fan runs with system “off”. No signal to start compressor. No air from dash vents (auto sends air to floor, defrost sends air to defrost). So some of the air doors appear to be working, but the system has multiple problems. I’m not going to waste a lot of time and effort on fixing this. I have outlined a plan to convert to a manual system, and will post my results when (and if) I proceed (car has not as yet received a “go” for restoration, but I am still interested).


While under the hood, I decided to test the rumored wiper fix using b-body parts. Success! The wipers are working with parts I had as spares for my Cordoba! This will be the subject of a separate post with full details and photos!


Observations-
This engine has been apart before (besides the rocker snafu, I found RTV around a couple of the head bolts. WTH?)
The dead cylinder had been so for a long time ( heavy varnish found at the rocker rod socket and valve tip.
The rocker covers have not been off in a long time (gaskets were extra crispy)


Things are looking and running a bit better!
IMG_1338.jpeg



I found the broadcast sheet under the rear seat floor insulation. It confirms the M51 sunroof option and the shipment to the conversion center for the installation. It also revealed another surprise (and disappointment)- the car left the factory with road wheels!. How did it acquire painted wheels and Pontiac hubcaps? Oh well….


Tommorrow the car is going on the lift, so more “discovery” is to follow.
 
Last edited:
78 NYer "Kinda"- So it begins...

After the initial check and sunroof discovery, I concentrated on getting the old girl running right.
View attachment 295147


The car arrived to me running, yes. But running poorly- raw gas being dumped in the manifold and missing a cylinder. Voltage regulator and oil pressure switch wiring found disconnected. This was originally a LeanBurn car, but someone installed a 383 points distributor and ’76 version non-LeanBurn Thermoquad to attempt a conversion. I pressure washed the engine and tranny to see what I may see. Then I removed all of the hacked LeanBurn wiring, the 383 points distributor, the remaining EGR components, CB radio and alarm system abandoned wiring. The TQ carb (found 1/4” of gelatinous sludge inside) was rebuilt. A Cardone ’76 electronic Non-LeanBurn distributor was installed (A gamble, I know- read on…). I assembled a new OEM style electronic ignition system using harness connectors and hardware from my spares. All of the vacuum lines were restored for the Evap system, PCV, heated air cleaner, and AutoTemp. The missing vacuum reservoir for the AutoTemp was replaced with a boneyard Ford version (Sorry- but have you seen the silly prices these things command on the net?).


Got it all back together and attempted to crank-up. Nothin. No spark, and no accelerator pump. Going through the diagnostic checklist, I found the pickup coil in the distributor bad. Checked the vacuum advance while I was there- it was bad too. Back to O’Reilly to ask if they would supply the needed parts so I could rebuild the distributor myself- Nope. But we will gladly get another in a weeks time for you to try! Well- how about order THREE and I’ll pick the best one. They agree, and I tested all three in the store upon arrival- 2 have good pickups and bad vacuum advances, the third has a good advance and bad pickup. Swap the good advance to the dizzy which has the “newer” looking coil, and take it home. (Cardone- Bad Choice. Bad!)


Put the carb on the bench, and fussed with the accelerator pump. After much head-scatching and verification of settings, fuel level, etc., still nothing but air and bubbles out of the pump. I then installed a spare Hygrade pump I had in lieu of the one that came with the Walker rebuild kit I bought. Voila- solid pump shots!. Closer inspection of the Walker pump reveals that the cup fits loosely on the pump shaft vs the firmer fit of the Hygrade unit. Thus- I’ll stick with Hygrade in the future.


While I’m waiting for the dizzy, I decided to investigate the dead cylinder (#5 revealed when I changed plugs). Previous owner stated he received the car with a sticky lifter, and changed the oil a couple of times to attempt to get it working. With a new lifter in hand, I pulled the rocker cover, and found a bent intake pushrod on cyl #5! Now I am nervous. My experience is bent rods are usually from another mechanical failure or the engine being hydrolocked. I found posts about gas varnish on the valve stems causing this. This is new to me and interesting… I test all the valves on this side, and they all move freely! (Even #5 intake after a squirt of WD40 to soften the sticky oil on the stem.) Still planning to replace the lifter, I proceed to clean the rockers and shaft- and find two left rockers on #5! The rod must have left its rocker socket due to misalignment, and then hammered the underside of the rocker to get bent
View attachment 295148
View attachment 295149


Checked the other head to see if I would find two right rockers, but all were proper sets of left and right. Pulled the rocker shaft so I could clean it, and found the shaft installed upside down! (oil holes pointed towards valley instead of towards the valves). Reached into my parts motor to pull a pair of rockers off. Further inspection reveals the rocker shaft to be bent, thus the whole set of rockers and shaft were substituted from the parts motor.


Got the motor back together again and cranked- Fired right up! A little lopey for a minute (probably while the previously dead cylinder burned in). Set idle, mixture, and advance. The engine settled into a smooth idle. The alternator is charging. After a good warmup, a short drive around the property seems to indicate a good running motor and transmission!


With the engine running, I finished surveying the AutoTemp- running in full heat mode regardless of temp setting. Fan runs with system “off”. No signal to start compressor. No air from dash vents (auto sends air to floor, defrost sends air to defrost). So some of the air doors appear to be working, but the system has multiple problems. I’m not going to waste a lot of time and effort on fixing this. I have outlined a plan to convert to a manual system, and will post my results when (and if) I proceed (car has not as yet received a “go” for restoration, but I am still interested).


While under the hood, I decided to test the rumored wiper fix using b-body parts. Success! The wipers are working with parts I had as spares for my Cordoba! This will be the subject of a separate post with full details and photos!


Observations-
This engine has been apart before (besides the rocker snafu, I found RTV around a couple of the head bolts. WTH?)
The dead cylinder had been so for a long time ( heavy varnish found at the rocker rod socket and valve tip.
The rocker covers have not been off in a long time (gaskets were extra crispy)


Things are looking and running a bit better!
View attachment 295150


I found the broadcast sheet under the rear seat floor insulation. It confirms the M51 sunroof option and the shipment to the conversion center for the installation. It also revealed another surprise (and disappointment)- the car left the factory with road wheels!. How did it acquire painted wheels and Pontiac hubcaps? Oh well….


Tommorrow the car is going on the lift, so more “discovery” is to follow.

Terrific post regarding the problems you encountered and resolved with your motor. You really know what yer doing! Thanks a lot!
 
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