Cleaing day

 It was more like neatening than cleaning. Like what your kids do when they say they "cleaned their room" - stuff is no longer strewn around, but it is not really clean. The filth has just been hidden from view.

When I started I pulled the drop cloth from under the car and found the penetrating oil I had sprayed into the cylinder heads. I believe when I loosened the head bolts it came out onto the floor. For those that wonder what kind of coverage 8oz of fine oil gives across a concrete floor - about 14 square feet. I need a better drop cloth than a used moving bag for a queen matress.

I gave it a good dose of Zep, filled the mop bucket, and did my best to clean it up.

While the floor dried, I pulled the last eletrical connection fron the block. There is hardly anything to this wiring harness. I will pull the starter solenoid too but I don't need to yank it to pull the engine and it is still tied to the spam-can sized voltage regulator on the front clip. I will get to it later.


I got the creeper and rolled under the back of the car to see if I could get the gas tank ready to be removed. I had 3 things to do and managed to complete 2 of them.

I cut the tube for the breather

And I cut the tube to the pump

I tried to disconnect the wire/sender to the fuel guage, but it was unwilling to budge. It would not come apart at what appeared to be a 'connector', but could just be a butt-splice


And there was NO WAY that nasty connection to the fuel tank sender was coming out without removing the sender. I don't really want to do that while the tank is still hanging in there. I am betting that wire feels the wrath of nippers soon enough.

Who wants to bet I can remove these hanger bolts with a wrench? Whose money is on cut-off wheel?

Comments

  1. dougboSeptember 25, 2021 at 8:26 PM

    It seems to me you are enjoying the autopsy. The challenge in house remodeling is to make something from the dead parts. It seems like several old science fiction authors wrote to this, and most of their protagonists did not end well. Can you find a new fuel tank? I forsee a sandblaster in your future for some of these adventures. Or, perhaps you job it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robert AdamsSeptember 26, 2021 at 11:12 AM

      I believe the "radiator guys" will rehab a fuel tank for me. I can buy a new replacement - I am not sure about the straps and hanger hardware. I was going to start with the idea of of refurbishing it myself, but for a 20 gallon tank that is about a $100 prospect - so it depends on what the radiator guys want for the job.

      Delete
  2. The Brisket MasterOctober 3, 2021 at 8:44 PM

    Depending on whether you can smell gas in the tank - if not - I'd say your fastest bet for removing those bolts is a cut-off torch! But, that may not be in your tool box...yet! Otherwise, a MAPP or propane torch & some elbow grease should get them off without permanent damage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robert AdamsOctober 4, 2021 at 10:29 AM

      I gave them a good squirt of oil, and a twist with a wrech. That just stressed the rusty bumper bracket they were hanging from. So, I crawled back out and looked on the internet to make sure I could buy stainless replacements.

      CHECK

      Then I rolled back under there with a hacksaw. They each yielded after about 10 minutes.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No valve for you today

Image
I thought I wanted to remove my valves and valve seats. To do that, I needed a spring compressor tool. These things come in lots of shapes and sizes. Some of them look like a bent fork and rely on having the rocker arms in place (or at least the studs). Some of them look like a giant C-clamp that connects on both sides of valve. They rely on the heads being off. Some of them look like the Recognizer from the movie Tron - with a screw on top and hooks down the side. They range in price from: free for loan at the autoparts store to this thing with umpteen parts for $75. I was going to borrow the one from the parts store - but it gave me the willys. I looked at it several times and kept coming to the conclusion that I was going to hate using that tool or get injured in the process. Oreilly's and Autozone loan the screw-hook Tron thing, but the hooks are not well designed for gripping a heavy duty spring. I am sure with a hose clamp to secure it I could make it work but I didn't w
Read more

Not really a hateful 8 ...

Image
It was more like one apathetic and one stubborn and 6 who just needed to be told what to do. The OCPOTI* gave me LOTS of good advice about why the motor was stuck. Some of it I was even able to follow. pistons are rusted to the cylinder walls, why not check the rod bearings, and that timing chain looks rusty. So I pulled a couple of rod caps and looked at the crank journal. Not only do the crank and bearings look pretty good - I think it is so cool that they stamp the "FoMoCo" logo and a registered trademark symbol on the underside of a piece of metal almost no one is ever going to see. A nice show of pride there. Mid-week, Other_Doug dropped by to look at the machine. I told him I was having trouble removing the crank bolt - and so he asked if he could borrow my breaker bar, put it on the bolt and threw his shoulder at it like he was doing the shot put. It turned right out. That seemed to ignite a flurry of activity - and so while the engine still world not turn, we removed
Read more

Dodging the Mercury

As you know - my pickup lost its water pump when I went over to Doug's house to get the hoist & stand. It made sounds like a rusty swing set - except at 700 RPM - and unceremoniously lost control of its bladder all over Doug's driveway. It sat there for a week until I towed it home. That was Halloween. Today - it ran again & the heat worked. So - an entire month of distraction from the Mercury. First off, I did manage to find an OEM service manual I could download. I followed the diagnostic procedure - and after I refilled the radiator - I quickly realized that since the water pump was spraying coolant everywhere, that was probably the first culprit. I decided I would replace the thermostat too inspite of the fact that it passed the diagnostic test and wasn't in the way for the water pump. I ordered the pump, fan clutch & thermostat from RockAuto. I should have ordered all of the other parts too. I made myself a list that was 95% correct, but for what ever reaso
Read more