The backlog of your humble servant

People come over to look at the car and ask me "How long to get it back to running & driving?" I hear the question as: [to put the engine back together and reinstall it if I had all the parts?] So I say I could get it back in place in a couple weeks. That is not a fair calculus of what remains to be done - so here is my backlog of work-to-do:

 

• Engine
• pistons - they are out, but the rings are gobblarnjimmyjammed into the grooves
• either remove all of the rings/ring pieces from the pistons and replace with new ring - you can translate 'remove' [apply solvents, lubricants, fires, and beatings until they let go of that crack they are holding onto] (a couple weeks)
• or
• replace the pistons & rings with new and press the new pistons onto the old connecting rods (not counting ordering + shipping - I need to find someone with a press, or figure out how to get them in place with my vise, anvil and a hammer)
• cylinders - there is rust that needs to be dealt with
• either rehone them and call that good enough (a couple hours)
• or
• take the block to a machine shop and have them rebore (an hour to drop it off - ??? until they call me back - an hour to bring it home)
• or
• ignore it and just appreciate a good smoke screen as she runs
• crank & cam - looks pretty good, so I will probably just replace the connecting rod bearings when I put the pistons back in
• but if I take the block to a machine shop they can remove them and wash them - then I replace the bearings all around (a couple hours – or - have the machine shop reinstall before they give it back)
• balancer pully – if I stand 10 feet away and squint it looks fine
• replace (30 minutes)
• or
• ignore and appreciate the nostalgic wobble that comes at idle and gets worse under power with driving an old car engine that is out of balance
• oil pump - seems fine - I might take it down a bit to make sure ... it is a pretty simple thing but mostly I would like to avoid trying to get the line from the pump to block disconnected from the pump or recreating that thing
• timing chain – only slightly wiggly and a just a skoosh rusty
• replace it (a couple hours)
• or
• again – machine shops are very handy people to know
• or
• ignore it and appreciate the challenges of setting & maintaining timing on an old car
• block - is fine, except for gunk in the cooling galleys
• either clean it out with solvent / brush / hose (a couple hours of unspeakable mess + an hour of clean up)
• or
• get the machine shop to wash it and paint it while they are reboring (???)
• or
• ignore it
• heads - are probably fine, except for dirty cooling galleys, but I know I have valves that need service
• remove the valves, relap, replace the seats, and reinstall the valves (a few days to a couple weeks)
• or
• have the machine shop do all that - when I have them do the bore they can wash and paint the heads and then service the valves and replane the block + heads (???)
• or
• decide it is fine and put what I have back in - appreciate the sound of a wonky valve train, the rich smell of leaky intakes and the rumbly noise of leaky exhausts
• manifolds - are probably fine ... i have cleaned them good enough. If I take the block to get done, I can give the intake & exhaust manifold baths plus some paint at the same time
• starter -
• probably needs to be rebuilt (a couple hours - I have 2 of them already, and honestly there is not much to them)
• or
• replaced (30 minutes)
• cooling system
• water pump - it probably works, but it has been sitting bone dry for years ... so I do not trust it
• replace (an hour once I have the part)
• radiator - wait a sec ... did you find the radiator??
• buy a new one + hoses & install (an hour once I have the parts)
• fuel system
• carburetor - seems to function and is not disgusting, but
• replace (30 minutes)
• or
• rebuild (a few hours - I have never done one in my life ... so it could take me 3 days)
• fuel pump & filter - replace (20 minutes)
• fuel lines - replace - including starting over several times because I bent the tube the wrong way or split the tube when I went to flare the fitting (a couple weeks)
• gas tank – had 1.5 gallons of varnish in it, and looks fine from the outside, but I will assume it has rusty gunk in the bottom
• remove the pickup & replace that, and then service the tank with 2 or 3 batches of fuel tank restorer stuff – they sell this stuff in sizes meant for motorcycles & tractors … not 20 gallon car tanks (a couple days + a couple of hours to deal with the mess)
• or
• get a radiator shop to do that for me (a couple weeks)
• or
• replace the tank with a new one (90 minutes)
• or
• ignore it and suck whatever mother nature has left me into my new fuel lines, pump & carb … this seems like the most foolish of options – but I have done sillier things
• exhaust … wait a sec again … did you find an exhaust?? Oh yeah – I remember I sawzalled that rusty semi-tube like stuff off the bottom and took it to the dump months ago
• trailer the car to an exhaust shop and have them do a rebuild from manifold to tail pipe (a couple weeks)
• or
• drive the car without an exhaust while avoiding the local police and state patrol to an exhaust shop and have them do a rebuild from manifold to tail pipe (a couple weeks) – around here, I suspect someone will call 911 before I make it 1 mile from my home
• electrical system
• generator
• probably needs to be rebuilt (a couple hours - once again ... I happen to have 2 of them, not much there to work on, and these are made to be serviced)
• -or-
• replace with alternator and wire that and eliminate the voltage regulator - so all that stuff needs to be re-terminated too (a couple weeks)
• distributor (and that stuff in and around that place right there)
• clean up the points, replace the condenser, and put that back on (a couple hours … not counting how long it takes me to figure out how to get the timing back straight)
• or
• replace with HEI distributor (a couple hours)
• spark plugs & wires are probably fine
• replace (30 minutes)
• or
• ignore and when I have trouble keeping it running then I can laugh about my foolish resistance to perform such a cheap and easy task

That will get it to run … then to drive it …

• flywheel
• remove it and have it resurfaced (a couple weeks)
• or
• ignore it and enjoy the clatter of a wonky clutch engagement
• clutch
• replace all the serviceable parts (a couple hours)
• or
• ignore it and hope the clutch holds while I enjoy even more clatter
• transmission – shifted while under no load fine, but when I drained it I did not collect very much fluid and I did get a fair amount of grape-nuts on the magnetic plug
• rebuild it myself (a few weeks)
• or
• have a transmission shop rebuild it (a couple days)
• or
• ignore it, refill it and reinstall while I hope it works … it is probably fine … really … some nostalgic nonsense about how rugged these things are … unhunh
• drive shaft – rusty, but it seems fine … might as well replace the bearings (20 minutes)
• rear differential – leaked all over the floor where I got it and has not leaked a drop since I have had it home …
• replace the gasket and refill (a couple hours)
• or
• replace the open dif with a limited slip + replace the gasket and refill (a couple hours)
• or
• ignore it and count the days until it burns up since it is bound to be just a touch dry
• brakes – pedal went to the floor when I first got it and since removing the master cylinder not one drop of hydraulic fluid has leaked anywhere
• replace brake lines - between these and the fuel lines I should get pretty good at using a bender + flare tool (a few weeks)
• replace the brake assemblies (a couple hours)
• or
• resurface the drums and rebuild the innards (a couple of hours plus a few days to get the drums back)
• or
• replace the front brakes with discs (a couple weeks)
• or
• ignore it, replace the e-brake cable and reattach the coupling, and use that (along with first gear) as the only means to stop – note to self: make sure life insurance is up to date
• tires – I have 2 ancient snow tires on the back with some tread, and one bald ‘poly-ply’ tire on the front that holds air, and another one that leaks flat in 2 days
• replace at the tire shop (a couple hours)
• or
• ignore and get good at slaloming around the road as well as knowing where all the air compressors in town are located

I will have to replace the ignition key somehow – since I don’t have one for it. That should get me ‘running and driving’ such that I can get body & chassis work done. Rear glass and doors that held closed would be nice. Maybe with a straight-ish drivers side front fender, 2 headlights, and some fresh paint while I am at it. Oh yeah – and windshield wipers.