Guest Bloggers….. anyone?

I’m looking for some guest bloggers to write a few pieces for this blog. My day job as a live sound engineer will keep me very busy this summer. I have been off the road for about 3 years, but I’m coming out of retirement to go back to work for one of the greatest rock bands in the world…… British band the Fixx. I worked for them for a few years. And just found out today they want me back. So check their web-site for the schedule. Pop by and say hello.

I’m looking for someone to write blogs on the Ford and Chevy compacts of the 60’s. I have to admit my knowledge is limited in those departments. Something akin to what I wrote on the Chrylser’s, and AMC’s would be cool. I’ve been doing a little reading on tht stuff, but my personal time will be severly limited. And I don’t feel I can do justice to the topics. So contact me through the comments section, and let me know what you got.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!

Body work and preparing for paint.(part 1)

Well this is an area that I’m becoming more comfortable with. But it takes a lot of practice. And has many levels of difficulty. This kinda goes back to my blog on buying an old car, and the amount of work your willing to do. When I found the Rambler some body prep had been done. It basically consisted of a mediocre application of a reddish primer, and a fair sanding. But there was a lot that should have been done prior to that. There was small patches of rust coming through the primer, nothing serious though just surface scale. And there was passenger side rear-view mirror. It was from a Nissan pick-up and looked wierd, and there originally was no mirror there. So I removed that, which left the screw holes to deal with. Also a cb antenna was attatched to the front fender, and stretched back to the rear roof pillar where the end was bolted down. So that too was removed leaving more screw holes. Besides that there was a fair sized dent below the driver door on the running board, and several normal dings, etc….. So since I wanted the car to be white it would make since to go with white primer. But first I needed to fill all the low spots, dings, screw holes, etc.

So for the starters, I went to the auto store and bought supplies. You will need things like: several grits of sand-paper, a suitable size can of bondo and hardener, red glaze(a putty-like filler for things like key scratches), a sanding block, masking tape, a small bottle of mineral spirits, a rust removing grinding pad that fits on a 3/8 drive drill, a can of spray rust converter(turns rust to primer), and some old news-paper. That should get you started and altogether should be less than $75. That should give enough materials to get going.

Next wash the car, and really scrub it good with some old t-shirts or something like that. I’ve found using original Dawn dish-soap is excellent for removing oily residue and bug-guts. Next you should mask and news-paper off windows, tail-lights, head-lights, any-trim, etc. Eventually all the lights, door-handles, trim and grill will be removed. But I’m assuming that you are still driving the car, so I try to calculate these steps keeping that in mind. Masking is an art-form… So spend time doing it right. Keep a pocket-knife or exacto-blade handy to cut or tuck the tape in tight areas. But in areas such as the grill, You can kinda crudely mask it, because that will be dismantled later and you will be able to get more detailed then.

Now one product I forgot to mention is chemical paint remover. It is a gel-like substance that you basically slather on the paint and it eats it away. The process is a little messy but very effective. You can use wadded up news-paper to scrub stubborn spots(don’t get it on you), and then you basically hose it off. You should start with a small area to get the hang of it, and then gradually go bigger to suite the effort and time you have on a given day. If you’re paint is already faded down to a primer like finish you can skip that part.

So your car is clean and masked off, and you’re ready to sand, fill (bondo), and prime, and sand, and sand again, and sand some more. First we’ll deal with any rust. Now if your floors and running boards are rusted through, this blog is not for. But if you have some surface scale, or tiny spots where the rust may have started penetrating metal, we can deal with that. Take a Sharpie(marker) and go around the car circling any problem area(rust, dings, uneven spots, etc). That makes it easier to stay focused on the problem spots. First lets deal with any rust. Any of the surface stuff can be scrubbed of using the rust removing pad you bought for the drill. You basically “buff” the rust away. Thats a pretty self-explanitory and fairly easy process. I like to keep the surfaces clean, so after doing that I wipe of the dust using the mineral spirits. Now if there are any areas where the rust has penetrated you can drill those out. Be careful and keep in mind what might be on the other side when you drill(a guy I know had his window rolled down, and was drilling rust out of the door and drilled through the window). But always drill out a little extra just to make sure you got it all, it might have spread a bit more on the side you can’t see. Now this process is only good for small spot areas not massive cancer. Once drilled use a heavy grit sand paper and smooth out any burs, or raised spots. Sometimes part of the metal may have pulled up, don’t be afraid to pound it back in with a hammer because you are going to build it back up with filler(bondo) anyway. And once again wipe it down with mineral spirits. The mineral spirit wipe down is importanant during this phase. All that dust is rust and from this point on you’re trying to remove all impurities as you go.

Now we’re on to dealing with dings, and maybe screw wholes if you’ve removed things like cb antennas, etc… This means using body filler (bondo). Now this is a true art for and takes practice if you’ve never done it. But it’s actually kinda fun. Body filler basically consist of a puddy-like filler, and a small tube of hardener. I recommend reading the instructions for mixing the two. And practice mixing it on a scrap piece of flat wood or something. You’ll need to learn how fast your mix is going to harden. It takes the tiniest bit of hardener to activate the process. And do not mix more than you can apply before it dries. It usually takes just a few minutes for it to harden to a point where you can’t work it anymore. So you’ll need a flat surface to mix it on, something you can hold in your hand. I generally use pieces of scrap plywood. Maybe 3inches x 8inches. Or a piece of scrap metal of similar dimensions will work too. It just needs to be a flat hard surface that you can hold in your hand and comfortably work the filler with a puddy-knife (oh yeah, you’ll need that too). But mix up a batch or two and apply it to another piece of scrap wood, and check your results. See how sandable it is, and how fast it’s hardening. If it’s hardening to fast for you to do what your trying to do, use less hardener. It usually just takes a drop or two. When practicing use different grits of sand paper to sand the hardened glob you just applied to the scrap wood. Just make mental notes how each grit of sand paper acts on the hardened filler (bondo). Now pick an easy spot on the car and mix a small amount of filler. Apply to said spot, take care when apply. Put an excess and build it up a little more than necessary. But don’t go crazy, or you will be there all day sanding that one spot. Now wait a while for it to harden. Then get your sanding block, and start with your heaviest grit of sand-paper. Start sanding with smooth even movements across the filled area. Once you’ve gotten rid of most of the excess switch to a lighter grit paper, and sand further. Once it’s start looking smooth, run your hand over and feel for un-even spots. This is where the art-form part comes in. Learning to feel the uneven spots takes practice too. At first you may think it’s smooth as a baby’s butt, but once you’ve applied primer…. you can see imperfections. And once paint is applied it will be even more apparent. So properly applying filler is key to an even looking paint job. And time of day plays a role in showing imperfections too. As I spend the day woking on the car, every couple hours I will get at one end of the car and look down the body for areas that need attention. A lot of times you will see wavy areas in the sheet-metal. You can cirlce those areas, and spend a little time building that up with bondo too. It will pay off when the car is painted. So once you’ve practiced on the one spot of the car, you can now mix larger batches and hit several spots. In fact go ahead and hit the whole car. Take a little extra care when doing any areas that you may have drilled out, you can get bubbles when applying. Just be a little smoother with the puddy-knife. If it gets difficult in those areas, build them up a little at a time.

So now you’ve removed rust and applied body filler. Now it’s time to sand. Put fresh batteries in your jam-box or charge the i-pod, keep a six-pack of cold beer nearby, put on a fresh dust mask, you’re gonna be there a while. So, same as before, start with the heavy grit sand-paper and hit all the filled spots, getting rid of the excess. Then gradually go to lesser grits getting it so smooth you won’t be able to notice it when you prime and paint it. One thing you can do to get a little extra life out of the sand paper, is wet-sand. Keep a water-hose with a nozzle nearby. And keep the part you are sanding wet, and ocassionally spray your sand paper. It basically keeps the sand-paper from clogging up so quickly. It’s messier but also keeps dust from building up on the car.

So lets assume thats all you have patience for today. And it’s time to call it quits. A good idea is to have a can of spray primer handy. And just kinda lightly hit any area you may have sanded down to bare metal. Rust flakes can appear over night in some climates. It’s no big deal it will sand right off. But spraying it easier than going back over it time and again with sand paper. So if you need to drive the car, all you have to do is remove the masking tape and news-paper, and wa la! It will look ghetto, but you can drive it. When we get a little further down the line, you will have to remove trim, door handles, etc…. But for now you’re making progress, and still driving it. Try to save the news-paper and it’s shape, so you can easily re-apply it next time. That will save you a ton of time.  Next time I’ll discuss furhter sanding and priming the car. You will need to buy primer. And since we’re all poor-boys doing it on the cheap. That means cans of spray primer! So be prepared!!!!!!!!

Cool tips for hot starts……(summer hassels)

  

 Well it’s about to be summer here in southern California. And we’ve already had temps in the mid 90’s. This is the 1st time I’ve driven the Rambler in those temps. I’ve encountered two sets of problems related to heat with the Rambler. The first problem is when I’m driving in hot weather and in stop and go traffic…. The engine temp has a tendency to run hotter. It’s not out of hand, but it is significantly warmer. When driving for a while  and stop and the engine is idling, the oil warning light comes on(which means low pressure). When I accelerate it goes off again. So the heat is causing the oil to become thin enough to not be picked up by the oil-pump. I run 4 1/2 quarts of Quaker State 10W-30 that already has Slick 50 added to it. I also run 1/2 a quart Marvel Mystery Oil. So I’m thinking it I might need to run a thicker oil and fore-go the Marvel oil. I’m also going to pull the oil pan and check the pump to see if it has sludge build up on it. And I’m sure the pump is old, so I may change it while I’ve got it all apart. Hopefully that will fix that problem. I also plan to try a few things to help the engine run a little cooler. There are several things you can do to help dissipate heat throughout the engine bay. You can buy an oil filter cooler, which is basically a piece of aluminum with fins on it that wraps around your oil filter and is held there by a big hose clamp. I’ve seen those in the JC Whitney catalog. It’s similar to fins on a stereo amplifier….. same principle. There are other more complex ways to cool oil, just look up oil coolers. You can get pretty creative here and do things like add heater hoses that collect are from the grill and you can then direct the air to places like the exhaust manifold and oil filter. Or anyplace that you may notice is hotter than average. I’ve done that before using heater hose, and fabricating my own collectors to connect to the grill. Get the biggest heater hoses you can find though. And make sure to use actual coolant in the radiator instead of just water. You can also use a coolant additive called Water Wetter. It’s supposed to drop the temp in the 10-20 degree range.

Now the next problem I’ve had is re-starting the car when the engine is hot. Gasoline boils at roughly half the temp that water does. Their are two conditions that can occur. One is vapor lock, and the other is fuel percolating in the fuel bowl of the carburetor. The manifolds collect a lot of heat, and the carburetor is sitting on top soaking up that heat. And in general it’s just plain hot under the hood. I’ve determined my problem is fuel percolating in the fuel bowl. The fuel basically boils and bubbles. The bubbles are made up of air, and when trying to restart the car, the fuel isn’t properly vaporizing. So that is a pretty easy fix. I had this same problem on my Valiant, and bought a phenoilic spacer to put between the manifold and the carb. Phenolic material is some kind of wierd resin that looks similar to that plastic-like material that circuit boards are made of. But it apparently has great heat dissipating properties. The phenolic carburetor spacers come in various thickneses. Spacers are also made from metal, but I’m unsure how well those dissipate heat. My Valiant has a 4-barrel carb and the spacer solved the problem immediately. I’m not sure if they even make them for the 1-barrel I have on the Rambler. If not, I’ve heard you can basically buy a butt-load of carburetor gaskets and stack them to desired height. However you go about it, make sure you don’t go to thick and raise the aircleaner to high for the hood to close.

Another possible, but less likely promlem… is the fuel getting too hot in the rest of the fuel delivery system before it reaches the carburetor. If you’ve done the spacer trick at the carb and the problem persist, this could be your problem. Now keep in mind if you’re having this problem when you first start your car in the morning you probably have an entirely different problem. Most likely stemming from the ignition/spark-plug/coil/distributor area. The fixes I’m describing are only if you’re having starting problems after the car has been running and is at normal or above operating temperature.

So you’ve done the spacer trick, your radiator is supplied with proper coolant and is operating optimally, and you’re sure the whole ignition/firing chain is good. Now we deal with the vapor lock issue. Just to clarify vapor lock only happens previous to the carburetor, and fuel percolating only happens in the fuel bowl of the carburetor. So when the fuel boils in the fuel lines on it’s way to the carburetor you get those air bubbles(or vapor). So the space those air bubbles are taking up in fuel line displaces the fuel and therefore delivers less fuel to the carburetor. So you end up with a lack of fuel to run the car. Whatdya’ do now? Well the old-school fix was to use asbestos tape on the fuel lines nearest the heat sources. They have a modern alternitive, it’s name escapes me at the moment. But it’s a fabric-ish type tape and dissipates heat and should solve the problem. Another tip is if you have the fiber-glass insulation under your hood, you can remove it. If you live in a place where you experience severe winter conditions, you should take care in removing the insulation. And try to preserve it so you can put it back in the cold season. But in warmer climates such as sunny southern California, you can toss it. I’ve done that on a couple cars and was amazed what a difference it made. If you do all the things I’ve mentioned, you should see a marked difference. Keeping your fuel, coolant, and oil as cool as possible will also lead to better performance too. Hot fluids will rob the engine of horsepower. My Rambler has an air-cooled Borg-Warner transmission. But if your transmission has lines going to and from the radiator for cooling transmission fluid. You can apply the same tape used on the fuel lines. That should help a little there as well. There are many cooling kits you can by that are geared towards hot-rods and race cars. They aren’t that expensive and can generally be easily adapted to your cruiser. And getting your temps in order is the key to a good-running long-living engine. Now this is a topic that I would like to hear from others on. I’m always looking for good ideas in this department. So if any of you have ideas lay ‘em on us. So once I get that sorted out, I’ll report back with the results.

****UPDATE!!! Well I learned a lot about oil, oil filters, and spacers. But I did change the oil and filter, and the carburetor spacer. In total it had the desired effect. Now my car has a Carter RBS one barrel. And no matter the make of car I’m sure many of you do too, or perhaps a Stromberg. I have bought several four barrel spacers in the past and did not realize how difficult it would be to find a one barrel spacer. I searched the internet, and several parts. But had no luck. And most people said they don’t make them anymore. But I found one designed for a Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth slant-six motor. But it worked on the Rambler just fine. I would imagine it will fit any manifold that has a Carter, or Stromberg one barrel. And a nice un-intended benefit is the low-end torque that a spacer can provide. It’s not quite a 1/2 inch thick, anymore than that and you will not be able to thread the nuts on to the studs. By the way the part  is a Fel-Pro 60125. Just below the part # on the packaging it says “future No. 13-1207″. Not sure what that means, but maybe they are changing there system and the part # is changing as well. Not sure. As for the oil pressure situation, I did a little reserch, and found that  single grade is better than a multi-grade oil. A multi-grade is anything like a 5W-30, 10W-30, 20W-50. A single grade is a SAE 30, SAE 40, etc… Most people think the W in the prefix stands for weight. Actually the second # is the weight. The W basically means WINTER. 5W,10W, 20W etc are viscocity ratings ratings for various severe winter conditions. Dealing mostly with below zerp temps. I’m from Texas, and now live in sothern California. I’ve used 10W-30 my whole life, but I’ve learned that a single grade is better for warmer climates.

So from now on I intend to use SAE 30 in the winter months, and a slightly thicker SAE 40. And I’m also not going to use Marvel Mystery Oil in the summer. It thins the oil. And be careful in general using oil additives, most are just cheap base oil containing teflon. And no one has determined that teflon is good for an engine. It’s that stuff that makes your no-stick skillet not stick. But Marvel Mystery Oil is a bit different apparently, and truly a mystery. But my new oil regimen is straight oil (Valvoline SAE 40) for most of the year. And in the colder months I will use SAE 30, and a bit of the Mystery Oil. As for filters I learned that Fram is now crap after farming out the manufacturing. And there are only 4-5 major oil filter manufactures that make all filters and stamp various names on them. And I learned the best filter is the Mobil 1 Extended Performance is probably the best filter. So for my car I needed the Mobil 1 M1-203. But they’ve discontinued it. I bought the last 2 at my local Kragen store, known elsewhere as Chief, or Schucks.

 So most of these old six-cylinder over-head valve engines we have in our Ramblers, Falcons, Darts…etc… require that filter. I’m even finding them on ebay already. So do a little research and dig through all those out of the way parts stores and save em up. They are good filters. Also Wix are very popular, and they are pretty good. But they’re a little pricy. I found out that NAPA Gold filters are the exact same filter, just stamped with the NAPA logo. So when you’ve gone through your last Mobil 1, I would recommend the NAPA Gold. So good luck running cool this summer.

Ramblin’ Man!!!!!!

So not much to report this week. Been working a lot, but the Rambler has been running perfectly since I put the engine back together. After driving it a couple days I went back and checked all the bolts, and none had loosened. But I’ve been commuting all over LA county everyday and it has been running really good. One day we had a heat wave and it got up to about 98 degrees. I was in stop and go traffic for about an hour and a half and the temp guage got up to about the half-way point, and my oil pressure light came on. So I’m wondering what that could be. I have no idea how old the oil pump is. I’ve been running 10W-30 Quaker State, and I also add a little Marvel Mystery oil. So I’m wondering if it’s just thinning too much at that temp for the oil pump to pick it up as effectively. So I will be busy for the next week or so, but would like to hear any remedies some of you may have for that particular problem. I’ve also put my 1965 Dart GT up for sale. Tons of tire kickers but no real bites on it yet. Anyway be back next week with more.

You’ve bought an old car, whatdya’ do now?

Well….hmmm… There are so many paths you could take. I have three old cars. And all three will have had completely different approaches when they are finished. My first one was the 1968 Plymouth Valiant. It had a 273cid V-8. My plan was to build it up and hot-rod it a little while keeping it bone stock on the outside, dog-dish hub caps and all. The car cost me about $1000 to purchase, and another $8500 in restoration. All I had left to do was the interior, and it would have been 100% completed. But one night I had taken it to a car wash two blocks away to prepare for a car cruise the following day. On my way home a car load of teenagers plowed into me while I sat at a stop-light. So it now has a fair amount of damage and I’m now determining what to do with it. But that resto was mostly me paying for people to do the work. The only thing I did was sand and prep the body for paint.

During that time I stumbled on my 1965 Dodge Dart GT. It had the fairly rare factory high performance version of the 273cid. And the factory installed Hurst shifter. It was fairly worn out but original and untouched. So now I have that and it still runs, but I’m afraid to touch it. That car needs a full rotiserie top notch restoration. And will be valuable someday. And with all the GT trim, it’s a pretty involved project. And I want that car to be show car quality, factory correct, and all that. So for now I keep it running, and protected. And drive it once or twice a week.

So the Valiant was wrecked, and the Dart is a project for down the road when I have the money. So I needed something to drive. Thats when I found my Rambler. Bought it off an 18yr old kid for $900. The purpose was to have a simple car that got good gas mileage. And secondly that it be something I could restore myself. So that made the Rambler a really attractive project car. There was only one piece of trim below the rear window. Only a couple emblems, and very simple squarish and broad body panels. It is a uni-body, so the entire car is one piece. The only removable body panels are the front fenders. That means a lot less seams to negotiate when priming, sanding, and painting . And the engine is so simple it freaks me out. The instrument cluster in the dash is really simple, all the guages are mounted on a printed circuit board. So the whole intrument panel comes out as one piece with only a few wires to unplug. The upholstery is all vinyl with no designs or ornamentation. Its just two bench seats, and the doorpanels are wrapped in plain vinyl. The transmission is an automatic 3 speed Borg-Warner Flash-o-Matic. A very basic, air-cooled, straight ahead transmission.

There are no options on the car except that the engine was upgraded from the 199cid, to the 232cid. No power steering or power breaks. The breaks are self-adjusting drum type breaks with a dual resevoir master cylinder. So this is a car that I can handle most of the work myself. So lets look at cost. I paid $900 for the car , had the head machined and a valve job(but did all the removal and installation myself) for about $250 all together including new spark plugs, gaskets, radiator fluid, and spray paint. I paid $100 for a new exhaust manifold. About $60 in various fluids. About $240 in insurance for the year. And I titled and registered it for about $90. I’ve also spent another $100 or so in spray-paint primer, sand paper, bondo, etc.. So for a little less than $1900 I have a car thats in perfect running condition, primed, sanded and ready for paint. It is now my main source of transportation. Now I don’t intend to do a showroom quality restoration with this car, but I do plan on making it nice. What I have left to do is…. Paint, which I will do myself using rollers and Rustoleum for about $150(there are plenty of Forums with great info on the process). New tires eventually for around $250. I’m going to remove the front and back seats myself and take them to an upholstery shop. That will be about $150 per seat, since they are so basic. I will buy additional vinyl from the upholsterer and do the door pnels myself for about $50. And have the transmission rebuilt for about $600. I also recently had a new exhaust system put on for about $130. So for about $3400 I will have a clean mostly restored car.

There will always be little improvemnts here and there. But thats not much money for what I will have when I’m through. If I ever decided to sell it, I won’t have my life savings tied up in it. And I could probably make a tiny profit, and maybe get into something a little more advanced. I learned a lot from the Valiant, but would’ve never made my money back on that one. But it does take patience. And most things on these cars, while they can be time consuming, are not rocket science. But keep in mind almost everything I’ve mentioned can be done at home. And you don’t need much experience, don’t be intimidated. If you have a basic knowledge of how a car works, and a halfway decent set of sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, and a hammer…. it can all be done. Next time we’ll talk about doing the body work and getting your car ready for paint. Do not be afraid!!!

A Valiant effort by Chrysler Corp. (A-Body)!!!

It was about the summer of 59′. The hype started to build for the new compact from Chrysler. The car was the Valiant. Originally intended to be it’s own marque along side Plymouth, Dodge and Desoto. In 1960 the Valiant was just the Valiant. The Valiant and it’s relatives were produced up to 1976. Being replaced by the Plymouth Volare/Dodge Aspen. So, for 1960 the Valiant was offered in a 4-door, and station wagon only. It came with the famed slant-6 motor, although it initially came with 170cid version. A year later the 225cid would be offered optionally. The engine was cast iron, and the intention was to go to an all aluminum. In fact many parts such as water pump and things like that were aluminum. And from 1961 to 1963 about 50,000 all aluminum engines were produced. As of yet I haven’t figured out how they determined what cars to stick them in. The cast iron remained the norm though. So you had about 3 trim levels to choose from. The V-100, the V-200, and the Signet. The 100 was the base model, the 200 was basically a 100 with a few goodies thrown in. The 200 would have a combo vinyl/fabric interior, extra badging an trim, little rain gutters on the sides of cars around the window frames, and maybe 1 or 2 other smal items. The Signet had many luxury items and quite a bit more trim. I won’t delve into it here, because that info id readily available elsewhere on the net. Throughout the first year there were consatnt mechanical refinements. So an earlier production model will be slightly mechanically different than the end of the model year. I try to stay away from the muscle car aspect because there is already so much info out there. But I can’t pass this by. A performance option was available called the Hyper-Pak. It was a 225cid aluminum engine with a four-barrel carburetor, and maybe a few other minor performance modifications. In 1960 NASCAR ran a short-lived compact class. It was a road race at Daytona that coincided with the Daytona 500. The Valiant Hyper-Paks placed 1st through 7th in that race. And went on to have a powerful impact on the sports car road racing circuit. The cars over-all European feel was complimented by a European style handling thanks to the torsion-bar type suspension, and uni-body construction. Throughout the life of the Valiant-based platform it was an awesome handling machine. In basic form it was just a tick better than most of the other American compacts, but with a few upgrades it was quick car, that could take a corner better than all the others.

 In 1961 a two-door coupe was added to the line-up. And a few basic changes in the grill, tail-lights, and trim for the new model year. And the line was absorbed into Plymouth, becoming the Plymouth Valiant. Sales were very good for new car, and Dodge basically protested to Chrysler that they too needed wanted an A-body to compete in the economy market. They got a Valiant made a few minor changes, slapped some Dodge badges on it and called it a Dodge Lancer. The noticeable difference’s were the hoods slightly pointier front, and grille to accomodate it. And the instrument panel was laid out a little differently. And I can’t forget to mention all these cars had the forever cool push-button automatic transmission, or a column shifted three-speed manual transmission. The Lancer had a few trim levels also. But the coolest was the 2-door coupe GT. It had bucket-seats optional floor-shifted manual transmission. And typical sportier looking trim additions, and wheel coverings. And by now you could get things like air-conditioning, and power steering and breaks. 1962 saw significant changes, but was still the same body. Most of the changes were in appearance, just to make it different from the previous year(ie. grille, emblems, trim, lights). I’ve Signets called Signet-200’s which are very similar to the Lancer GT. Not so much sportier, but it did have bucket seats, a leather-like interior, carpet, extra emblems, etc. The 62′ Valiant also recieved a new instrument panel.

 For 1963 the A-bodies were completely redesigned. Valiants had an all new body. The Lancer was gone. And the Dodge Dart was completely redesigned using the A-body platform. So now Plymouth and Dodge A-bodies were very different in appearence while remaining essentially the same under the skin.  Other than visual changes and a few mechanical updates the cars were relatively the same. The Dart came in 170, 270, and GT trim levels. I won’t break that down, you can kinda figure out by now how that works.  A convertible was added to the line-up. The convertible and and hard-top(coupe) were only available in the upper level trim. Early in 1963 the aluminum slant-6 was discontinued. The aluminum engines are a mystery to me. I don’t know how many went into the 1963 year model. And I don’t know the decision making process for determining where they went. 1964 was an interesting year. The A-bodies went unchanged other than minor stuff for appearence purposes. It was also the last year for the push-button transmission. The feds deemed it unsafe, as people were mis-operating it…. Leaving it neutral and the cars would roll away. Another example of stupid people dictating how we live our lives. Also this year the all new LA273cid V-8 was revealed. It was optional in all A-bodies. And this year also saw the release of the Valiant-based Barracuda. Most people think of the Mustang as the first “pony” car. But the Barracuda beat it by 3 weeks. It was a Valiant in every way except it had a fastback roof. And the bucket seat GT type treatment. And with a 273cid motor, was on it’s way to becoming a potent car.

In 1965 The 273cid was beefed up into the performance version. It had domed pistoms, more agressive cam, larger valves, a 4-barrel non-silenced Carter carburetor, ribbed performance style valve covers, a dual-point ignition, and a chrome aircleaner. That took it from 180hp to 235hp. It was only available in the Barracuda, and the Dart GT. Plymouth called it the Commando 273, Dodge called it the Charger 273. Both Plymouth and Dodge had a Hurst shifter with that package. Dodge even offered a small number of Darts called Dart Chargers(The Dodge Charger would appear a year later). They had the Charger package, plus extra ”Charger” emblems, and extremely rare 13″ Cragar Tourque-Thrust wheels. The cars were all painted a kind of powder-yellow. I believe about 1,500 were made.  Incidentally the Barracuda and GT Darts also came with with the base slant-6 engine, Hurst shifter included. 

1966 both Plymouth’s and Dodges stayed essentially the same. The major change was in the front fenders. They were more squared off. All engine options were still the same. A noticeable difference in the performance package was the absence of the Husrt shifter. Although a floor shifter was still there. For those of you interested in the pefromance advances in the Dart look-up the 1966 D-Dart. That goes beyond our scope here, so I’ll refrain. And there were the minor trim and taillight changes.

1967 was an interesting year for both makes. This was the year that transitioned into the final body style that would last through 1976. They were getting away from the original idea for the cars, they were now bigger mid-sized cars.. There were no major changes in the other areas though. Power-plants stayed the same. Although the new 318cid V-8 started appearing later in the year. There was an older 318, but this was completely different. It was a 273cid with a bigger bore and stroke. And bigger heads. But the block was exactly the same as the 273cid. And later the 340cid and the 360cid. And once again very slight appearence changes. And I believe the convertibles had been discontinued after 1966. Valiants were only available in 2-door post, and 4-door sedans.

1968 introduced a whole new A-body. The basic style would last all the way to the end in 1976. Valiant and Darts became more similar than in previous years. They shared basic body panels, and had different front grille areas, and were different in the tail-light section as well. The Valiant was still available in the 100, 200, and Signet levels. The Dart still had the 170, 270, and the GT. But this year the Dart revealed the GTS. This car could have a 340cid, and the 383cid big block. And there were even the famed Hemi-Darts. But once again, that’s beyond the scope of what we’re discussing here. This was also the last year for the 273cid, and it did not come with any performance options. Valiants had settled into the family/grandma market, and Darts still went for the younger buyer.

1969 The Valiant had settled into it’s normal slight changes each year. The Dart Swinger appeared this year. It was the 2-door coupe with a vinyl top, and a few other trim items specific to that car. Meant to attract the younger price concious buyer. The 318cid was the optional V-8 and came in a 2-barrel form. The GT was gone, but the GTS was still available with a variety of performance options.

1970 Not much worth mentioning this year. Just kinda more of the same with minor cosmetic differences. But a new Valiant based car did make it’s debut. The Plymouth Duster. It was, in the spirirt of the Barracuda, a fast-back Valiant. Could come with a 190cid six(replaced the 170cid), 225cid six, and a 318cid, and the peformance marketed Duster 340cid. And the Swinger offered the same performance package.

1971 saw the introduction of the Plymouth Scamp. After years of the Dart borrowing from the Valiant…. Plymouth took the Dart Swinger and put Plymouth Scamp badges on it. And that was that. And again slight appearance changes in the rest of the Valiant, and Dart lines. And in turn Dodge took the Duster with a few cosmetic changes and Dodge badges, and had the Dodge Demon. It basically had the same offerings as the Duster, including a 340cid performance option.

1972 the Valiant and Dart rolled on as a bread and butter car for Chrysler Corp.. And all cars recieved basic cosmetic changes.

1973 the Dodge Demon had changed to the Dart Sport due to pressure from religious groups over the name.  And everything else still recieving only minor changes.

1974’s notable introduction was the the Dart SE (Special Edition). It had a very plush velour interior, and many luxury grandma friendly appointments. By this time the performance V-8 had worked it’s way up to 360cid. But emission controls had choked horse-power down to a snails pace. So although the engines got bigger the horse-power was on it’s way down. The Valiant Signet was very similar to the Dart SE. Both were appealing to the older crowd. But the Valiant and Dart lines were the vehicles with the widest appeal. They had something for everyone. No other make or model had that broad of an appeal at the economy level.

1975 saw minor changes cosmetically, and more smog control was creeping it’s way into the picture. California cars had catylitic converters now. But interestingly the Valiant was offered with a 4-speed manual transmission for the first time since 1965. It was mated to a slant-6 motor. But still a cool footnote as the Valiant neared the end. By this time Dart Sports And Dusters had seen a lot of theme oriented cars. In California you could buy a Gold Duster, it was gold with emblems depicting a graphic from the gold-rush era. There was the Hang Ten model with the folding rear-seat to make room for a surf-board. And I’ve heard there was bathing suit material for upholstery. I just wanted to mention those, if you dig deep you’ll see a few things like that. But we won’t go into it here.

1976 Was the final year for the A-body platform. It’s repacement’s the Plymouth Volare and Dodge Aspen were already available and almost no effort was put into the Dart and Valiant. They basically just used up the remaining parts, and it quietly slipped away. Now there were obviously more changes than I documented here but I just wanted make note of the basics for those who don’t know much about these car. But there are great resources on-line that go into more depth. But this should help steer you in the right direction as far as helping you figure out what you’re most interested in.

 

Studebaker and AMC compacts (a brief history)

 

  I will try to keep this short and easy to read, but also informative. And hopefully this will be a simple guide you can refer to often, if you’re looking for an old car. The bulk of my knowledge is with Dodge/Plymotuh, and AMC. But I’ve been studying Studebakers, Chevy’s, and Fords along the way. I’ve tried to not use a lot of internet sources for my information. I’ve found some of them to be unreliable, although there are some that are invaluable as well. I try to use publications from the time period. I’ve found many old Motor Trend magazines (and others)that are full of great road test, and comparisons. Two really good issues to get a hold of are Motor Trend.. Dec, 1959– and — Oct, 1960.

The American manufacturers war of the compacts started in about 1959. Although there had been some efforts before that. But it was about 1960 before it really took off commercially. So out of the those cars it was the 1959 Studebaker Lark (and the Rambler, but thats next) that really kicked it off. It was offered in 2-door(post), 4-door, 2-door hardtop, and a 2-door station wagon. There were 2 trim levels, the Deluxe and the Regal. The Deluxe was the base model, and the Regal featured more trim and luxury items. Engines offered were a 170cid in-line six cylinder L-head. And unlike any of the bigger manufacturers, they offered a V-8 259cid(225hp). The V-8 seems to have rated very high in road tests done at the time. The 170cid six-cylinder is most likely what you’ll find though. This was an older Studebaker mill, and was refined a bit for modern fuels. It had great low-speed acceleration, but was not fast by any means. I personally love the engine, and the way it sounds. But it is a bit more difficult to source parts for than some the other more modern overhead-valve designs the other comapnies had. The Lark and it’s variations would last until 1966, when Studebaker finally went under. Through the years it came with many other trim packages, and drive-train options. In 1960 a convertible and a 4-door station wagon appeared. In 1962 the Lark Cruiser was offered as a more luxurious model, based on the longer wheel-base taxi frame. And could even be had with a fold-back canvas “sun-roof”. Also a bigger V-8 was available, the 289cid. It was primarily marketed as a ploice package, but could be ordered by the public too. And, lacking funds for a complete re-tooling, the 170cid L-head motor, was basically converted to an overhead valve design. In 1962 came the Lark Daytona(Larks actually ran well at the first Daytona 500 in 1959), it was to replace the Regal as the high-end product, although Regals were still available. The Daytona came with bucket seats, center console, etc.. The most noticeable change in 1962 was a change in the glass. The cars had thinner pillars, and flatter glass giving the interior a slightly roomier feel, and better visibility. Also the Standard series appeared. It was a completely stripped down model, with no trim, or options. Not even an emblem designating it as a Lark. It only had a Studebaker emblem. However for those “in the know” in 1963, you could order many more performance options than previously available. Things like disc brakes, and super-charged V-8’s. For the remainder of the Larks life it recieved a few name shuffles and additions. The Lark Challenger replaced replaced the low-cost Standard, and the Lark Commander replaced the Regal, and Custom lines. The Lark name eventually disappeared and left only the Studebaker Commander, and Challenger. By 1966 operations had moved to a single factory in Canada where the last car rolled off the line.

Next is the AMC Rambler. This can get confusing. Nash and Hudson had merged to become AMC in 1954. Initially the Rambler was sold under both Hudson and Nash names simultaneously in 1954-56. Then in 1959 it came back as it’s own marque(similar to Chryslers Dodge or Plymouth, etc.). AMC, In an effort to save money used the old mid-50’s tooling for the new model. The Rambler name was attatched to a whole host of AMC cars, large and small. But here we will focus on the compact Rambler American. It had a life-span from 1958-1969. The 1958 Rambler only came in a 2-door sedan version. The following year a 2-door station wagon would be added, and 1960 a 4-door sedan. All came with the 195.6 ohv in-line six engine. This was an incredibly basic and reliable engine. And has not recieved it’s due in the history books. It’s not a perfomance motor by any means. But it runs great, and it goes forever. And the basic design lasted in the Jeep until last year(2007). It also had the most horse-power of all the compacts intitially. The 2nd generation of the Rambler was from 1961-1963. It was identical mechanically, and chasis wise. But the body became more square. And a convertible became available. In 1963 a trim option called the 440-H had bucket seats with various sporty looking appointments, and a version of 195.6 motor that had a little more power. Also available was a 2-door coupe with no pillars. The third and last generation of the Rambler American was from 1964-1969. The cars became even more square, but sleek. And was a down-right cool looking car. And although AMC was late in the muscle car game you started seeing the little Rambler with some crazy high-performance options. All the while maintaining the economy treatments too. The 440 was still around, and new were the 330, and 220 trim designations. Also things like more advanced suspension came around. Also appearing on the scene was the new and venerable 232cid in line 6 cylinder engine. It was optional over the reworked 195.6cid(now a 199cid). It had 7 main bearings and was tough as a tank. By this time the body styles offered were 2-door coupe, 2-door post, 4-door sedan, 2-door convertible, and a 4-door station wagon. The 64-65 models featured a tunnel shaped front fender that looked like it extended off the headlights. Starting in 1966 the fender became completely sqarue. In 1966 the 440-H was renamed the Rogue. A new 290cid V-8 “Typhoon” was available mid-year. The 330 trim package was dropped also. Cool things started happening in 1967 with the Rambler American. In the Rogue and 440 you could order the 343cid V-8. And over the next couple years the Rambler American would be offered in less and less options. When in 1969, it’s last year, The name American was dropped. And it was just a Rambler. BUT!!! A magical car sprung from the Rogue package called the S/C Rambler “Scrambler”. These cars were assembled by Hurst Performance, and treated to some of the coolest “upgrades” ever. It had AMC’s 315hp 390cid V-8, a Hurst shifter attatched to a manual 4-speed that spun a “Twin Grip” rear-end. Also a massive and unique hood-scoop that looked like a mail-box, a Sun tachometer strapped to the steering column. And a bitchin’ red, white, and blue paint scheme(actually two paint schemes “A” and “B”). They only made a little over 1,500. But man what a car!(The first Rambler was built in 1902, by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company, a predecessor to Nash. So, there is quite a bit of previous Rambler history to dig into).

Now you have the basics for those cars, there are a lot more sources with way more detail on many web-sites. But I hope this helped give you a basic understanding of how those cars came and went. Next time I will be discussing the Plymouth/Dodge A-bodies(Valiants/Lancers/Darts/Demons/Dart Sports/ Dusters/ Scamps/Swingers). So if you’re shopping, don’t make up your mind yet. We still have Fords and Chevy’s to tackle too.

I finally got it back together!!!!

   Yesterday was a good day. I went to the machine shop and picked up the head. Just to recap, I had the bottom, and manifold side of the head re-surfaced. I also went ahead and got a valve job done. I got it home, masked it off and painted it and the manifolds red. Stripped and painted the valve cover, and air cleaner blue. I cleaned the top surface of the engine block where the head will sit. Then I took the time to take all the nuts and bolts, and cleaned them with gasket remover spray. And then coated all threads in lock-tight(red high temp). Then took my new head-gasket, and sprayed with a copper based high temp gasket adhesive, placed it on the engine block and let it set for about 15 mins. That kind of lets it get a little more tacky, and less likely to slide when you lay the head on top of it.

When the paint dries remove all tape. And now it’s ready to go on to the engine. Try your best to get as close to perfect as possible when you lay it down. Thus requiring less moving around, if your gasket starts sliding it’s a pain in the ass to re-align it all. The head is really heavy. So at this point you need to have available the correct information for pattern and torque for tightening the head bolts. Then properly tighten all head bolts. Once completed, remove the set of bolts and holders to remove the rocker assembly. Make sure you keep them organized and put them back on in the same order, with holders facing the same direction. You’ll need torque specs on these as well. You’ll be able to replace all the push rods now, making sure they go in exactly in the order and direction(top/bottom) they came out. Now you can replace the rocker assembly. At this point your head should be completely installed.

 You can now start putting on all the little things you may have removed, such as the coil, cable holders, and thermostat, etc… Next will be the manifolds. Once again using the copper based gasket adhesive to help hold the gasket(s). You can then put the manifold in place. I found it helpful to start the 2 outside(end) bolts just to hold it in place. Then I made sure it was coupling to the the tail-pipe correctly. You can start your specified bolt pattern using correct torque.

 So, now we’re almost there. Next you can replace the valve cover, and mount the carburetor to the manifold. Following that you can re-connect all hoses, vacuum lines, etc….. Also replace spark plugs if they were removed. Replace all spark plug wires. Next you will need to add antifreeze back to the radiator. And check your oil as well. Do a final idiot check, and re-install your battery. Now it’s GO TIME!!!! When starting the car just let it turn over a couple of quick times, and listen for any pinging or knocking. If thats all normal sounding, go ahead and start the engine. Do not rev the engine. Just let it idle. Get out and listen to the engine up close. Listen for any unusal sounds, and look for leaks around the head gasket area. If you hear anyhting odd turn the car off. lets it sit for abit and try it again. If it continues you will have to start back tracking, and isolate the problem, not fun!

 Let the car idle and get up to normal operating temp. Now it’s time to test drive. Initially you need to take it easy. Slowly accelerate and listen closely. If all sounds good, you can drive normally. Drive for about 20 minutes, staying near home just in case. Now you’re done. All thats left is to drive it for a few days, and then pull the valve cover off and just check the bolts to make sure nothing has backed out. Also check the manifold bolts. Remember to also check the bolts that hold the tail-pipe to the manifold. You might even double check the spark plugs. Also check the fluids again. If it’s all good, then you’re all good. Cruise on!

So you want to buy an old car?

 It’s a great way to help a guy(or girl) unwind, and de-stress. It’s a fun community to be a part of. And, every old car saved is literally preserving a piece of history. Now if you’re thinking of looking for a car but aren’t sure what to look for, I will try and give you some pointers. The most important thing is figure out what you are willing to invest…. physically, mentally, and financially. And be honest about what you’re willing to do. Otherwise, you end up with a parts car sitting in your drive-way for years.

 I’ve found what works for me is to find a car that is complete. If it has all the trim, original drive-train, and all the little bits and pieces, I don’t care how worn out it is. Who cares if the paint is faded, that just makes it that much easier to prep for paint. Old oxydised paint makes for easy sanding, and priming. You get to skip the paint stripping process at that point. Next you need to determine your mechanical abilities and desires. Do you need a big V-8, or do you just want a daily cruiser that gets decent gas mileage? This blog will focus on the economical daily driver. So lets say you saw a 1963 Dart that really caught your eye, and you have your heart set on a 63′ Dart. Things to consider are….. The Dart was basically the same car from 1963-1966(66′ having more square fenders). There were only minor cosmetic changes for the most part. Now lets say you fell in love with the push-button transmission. That was available on the 64′ as well. And, both years came with what might have been the best 6 cylinder engine ever made. So now that gives you 2 model years to work with.

Now you have to consider whether you have to have a 2-door, or will a 4-door work? If you have kids, maybe the 4-door would be better. A 4-door tends to be priced a little less, and usually has seen better care throughout it’s life. The 2-doors tend to attract the wannabe hot rodders, and have had more abuse. Thats not a hard and fast rule though. Lets say at this point, you’ve decided that a 4-door is acceptable. Now think of what appointments you desire. Darts came in many trim levels. The models were 170, 270, and GT trim levels. 170 was the base model with bench seats, rubber floor covering, fabric seat coverings, and very little trim. the 270 had a little beefier trim running down the outside of the car, carpeting on the floor, and  seats were covered with a combination of fabric and vinyl. And little things like a full horn ring around the center of the steering wheel, ashtrays in the arm-rests, and a host of optional items including the new 2bbl 273cid V-8 engine(not in 63′). Both of these models came in 2-door post, 4-door, and station wagons, and convertibles. The 270 was also offered in a 2-door hard-top coupe(no posts). Then the premium level was the GT. It came with a boat load of exterior trim, and was in the 2-door coupe body only. It had bucket seats, console floor-shifter, special 3-spoke steering wheel, all vinyl interior, full carpeting(including carpet on the door bottoms, and seat backs, deluxe arm-rests, stone shields, full wheel hub-caps, 15 color options, and interior and exterior emblems denoting that is a GT.

 Engine options for all cars were the 170 slant-six, 225 slant-six, and the 2bbl 273(64′ only). So you can apply these sort of offerings to most of the other American compacts of the 60’s. Remember we are using only the 63 and 64 Darts for examples here. So take all that information, and narrow it down to what interest you. Are you happy with a base model bench seat car, with dog-dish hub caps, or do you want to go a little sportier with the GT buket seats, floor shifter, etc..  Also consider manual and automatic transmissions. The GT had a cool 4-speed floor shifter option, or the lesser models had 3 on the tree manual transmissions. The automatic was the same across the board, either push-button shifted, or floor shifted(GT). 

Now you are armed with this info. Now research what is and what is not available for these cars. Mechanical stuff is generally readily available for the Darts, but trim, and the bits and pieces are harder to find. So the object is to find something with all the trim intact. No speaker holes cut into the doors, or back dash, and original wheels and hub-caps.  Even if the interior is worn, it is replacable as long as it’s not drastically altered. Look at the engine, and see if it has things like the original air cleaner, original oil filler cap, and the little things like that. And just look at the general condition of the whole engine compartment. Everybody always wants to know what the mileage is on a car. When a car is 45 years old it doesn’t really matter. Unless it was some grandma car with 2200 original miles. But with a normally used vehicle, it really doesn’t matter. Our goal here is to find something you can drive while restoring,so if you find a car take it for a spin, drive it for at least 20 minutes so it gets to full operating temperature, and see how hot it gets. Stomp on the breaks and see if it grinds or pulls to one side. If it has power steering, pay attention to it, and listen for noises coming from the pump. Do a walk around and check all the lights. Get any maintainence records the owner might have. Check how well all the body panels match up, and how easily the doors close. And most certainly check the floor-boards for rust.

Now, not all these things have to be perfect, it’s not a new car after all, but it just gives you an idea what you’re up against. And if you do decide to buy the car, you will know what the immediate cost will be. If the tags are out, try to get the owner to renew them. It’s easier for him than it will be for you. Now if the tires are bald, half the bulbs are burnt out, it needs an oil change, a radiator flush, a transmission service, plugs and wires, etc. That is a lot of expense right off the bat. Thats not a deal breaker, but just something you need to figure into your intial cost. So let’s assume you found a good candidate. And you’ve paid cash(not a check, cash talks), and you’re on your way home in your new old car. We will discuss what to do next in my next installment.

Straight Sixes and manifolds.

 In this installment I will be addressing an issue I had with my exhaust manifold. And by reading this you could save yourself a ton of time. The engine in my Rambler is a 232cid straight six cylinder Torque Command. It is of the over-head valve variety. The block and head are both cast iron, and it puts out about 145hp at optimum tune. It is a very simple engine and is not too dissimilar from other ohv sixes of the time. It is a very reliable engine, the design lasted from the mid 60’s until last year(2007). It survived in the Jeep after Chryslers take over of AMC in 1987. And that helped in my decision making in buying the Rambler. An engine with a 40-plus year production run is easy to find parts for. Everyones comment when they realize it’s an AMC is…”You must have hell finding parts for that.” …. thus far they have been plentiful and cheap. Now on to the the manifold issue I was having. I began to notice a ticking sound about 2 weeks after buying the car. After a process of elimination I realized I had an exhaust leak. I took it to my good friends at JT Automotive for a second opinion and they agreed. So I bought a new manifold gasket set and proceeded to remove all the necessary parts to replace it.

Now this blog is intended for the shade tree guy who wants to do as much work as possible himself. I had 2 years of auto-mechanics in high school, and worked as a mechanic at Pep-Boys during and just after high school. So I am by no means an expert, but I do know my way around. And I do know that many other straight six engines have similar problems, so whatever your make, this may be helpful. In most of these engines their is a fuel line to the carburetor, a vacuum advance line from the carb to the distributor, a line of some sort for a heat source to the choke coming from the exhaust manifold to the carb. And a throttle linkage to the gas pedal. All these things will need to be removed. If it’s not obvious where it’s going to go when it comes time to put it back together, mark it with masking tape and a sharpie.

 Now the carb usually has a couple nuts screwed down onto studs sticking up from the intake manifold. By removing those you can remove the carb, and keep in mind there is still fuel in the bowl so don’t tip it. Hold it flat put it somewhere clean and dry and protected from debris. On the AMC 232cid, both manifolds are held on by the same set of bolts. So you simply remove those bolts, and the two connecting bolts that connect the exhaust manifold to the tail-pipe. Then it should be free and ready to remove. Inspect the flat mounting surface and you will likely determine the source of your leak.

There is usually some sort burn indication where the exhaust gasses were escaping. Also the gasket will probably be burnt through in that same spot. If the manifold surface has deteriorated you will need to replace it. I got a brand new manifold on ebay for about $100 with shipping. Next, inspect the side of the head(engine) and look for any damage there. Now that may not be as simple as looking at it. The best thing to do is get a piece of fine grit sand-paper(230 grit is good) get a flat piece of wood or something equivalent, about the size of your palm, wrap it in sand-paper. And then run the sand-paper over that falt mounting surface. The color of the sand-paper will show on the good spots, and not appear on any low spots. So if you see a low spot you will need to pull the head off, which I will address later. Now lets assume all surfaces are ok, then you basically slap on the new gasket, and re-assemble what you’ve just dis-assembled. But chances are if the gasket burnt out, there is a reason why. Those surfaces basically have to be perfectly flat, or the exhaust gasses will eventually find the weak spot. Now here is a list of things NOT to do. TRUST ME!!!

I found a gouge burnt into my manifold, and had the bright idea that I would put some JB Weld on it, put it back on the car with the new gasket while it was still wet. And therefore it would dry replicating a perfect flat surface. I was a genius! I let it sit for the rest of the day until about lunch time the following day. I went to start it and VIOLA!!! NO leak! I drove around town with my head high and swagger in my strut. That lasted for about 48 hrs. I was cruising on the highway and thought I heard a slight tick, I wasn’t sure though. Once I exited onto surface streets and stopped at a light, I still heard nothing. The light turned green and my heart sunk. The leak was back! So I pull it apart again and decide to buy a new manifold. Ebay was the best source, and the most economical. But I’m sure any decent parts store can score one for you. Thats the beauty of this engine, that manifold was used forever on a series of vehicles. You guys with other makes, good luck!!

 So the car sits for a couple weeks and I finally get the new manifold. I put it on with new gaskets. Drive it for 48 hrs. and the leak is back. I am heartbroken….. But I come up with the idea of using two gaskets and a tube of form-a-gasket. I slathered the form-a-gasket all over everything, and put it all back together again. Test drove it for about 2 hours. And it was good. Got in it the next morning, got out on the highway and there it was again. I was just plain pissed off at that point.

So, I take it apart yet again, go buy another gasket set, and stare the car wondering why I’m going to just stick another gasket set on. It will just leak again. Thats when I decided to do the sand-paper trick. It worked and I could see the imperfection, and it was in the same spot that matched the burnout on the old manifold. I then pull the head, which is really self-explanatory. I highly recommend a good torque-wrench for removing and installing the head bolts. And I left the valve train intact. I left the push rods in place and just lifted the head straight up. Also prior to removing the head, you will have to remove several small items that attatch to the the engine(coil, temp guage cable, thermostat housing and thermostat, etc.) I took the head to the best machine shop around, High Pursuit Engine Rebuilders in El Monte, CA. For about $185 I had the head resurfaced and a valve job done. When I pulled the head I flipped it over and noticed quite a bit  of wear on the valves, hence the valve job. So I should get the head back in a couple days and I’m confident that will fix the problem.

Now just to round out the assembly process…. When re-installing the head. You will have to remove the push-rods, make sure to take that masking tape and sharpie and mark each rod. They have to go back in the same spot. TRUST ME!!! As for tools. You will need a good set of sockets, both shallow and deep. Plus short and long socket extensions, just to work around all the stuff that gets in the way. Plus a good set of medium length wrenches. And set of regular old pliers. And if you got’em, a set of flare-nut line wrenches too. So the moral of this story is, when you have an exhaust leak, get a new manifold, machine the head, and use new gaskets. Do that the first time around and save yourself a bunch of money and disappointment. It will set you back less than $300 if you go ahead and do the valve job. Which I highly recommend, because when are you going to want tear all that apart again? And in doing this yourself, you have saved yourself many hundreds of dollars in labor cost. Just getting a new gasket put on will be $250-$300 at a garage with parts and labor. And if that doesn’t work you just wasted $250-$300. All of these things are fairly easy. And in the Rambler I could get to everything without much effort. So, stay tuned for the final result of the menacing manifold! Thanks for stopping by!