heidigirl

desirablity is a major factor in the value, and you certainly have that with a 98/J2. use the 'old car' magazine guidelines as a starting point in determining a value range. in the end, the car is worth only what you are willing to pay.

this could very well be a restricter of some sort used to slow down the rate of water return to the radiator, allowing for better cooling. more than likely, you will find another one in the other head. i seem to recall a very similar arrangement in my 324 olds rocket engine. well, now that you mention it is rubber, my restricter theory doesn't sound very good. the pieces in my car were basically drilled out freeze plugs.

don't be too surprised if the judge teaches $$civics$$.

it is a device that fits inside the air filter. i try to avoid expressing my opinion on these sites, but i'm going to make an exception here. this thing is a pure waste of money for which there is no chance of recovering the seventy odd dollars it currently sells for. any savings that you might attribute to this thing, really comes from adhering to the driving tips provided on the instruction sheet. the savings could just as easily be psychological. knowing it is there, you will subconsciously alter your driving style to accommodate it. save your $$ for a tune up. that will not necessarily increase your mileage either, but your truck will operate better.

there were some cast valve covers on ebay last week that looked remarkably similar. supposed to be for the early oldsmobile v8 rocket engines.

give consideration to having a radiator shop look at your tank. they should be able to let it soak in a bath for a day or so. its worth a shot, because generally, it is just cheaper to repair than replace. i would think that the sending unit is okay, but the only positive way of knowing is to test it.

uhh, its time to let go.

has this car been a driver before the carburetor change? if so, how were the brakes? a soft or spongy pedal could be an indication of nothing more than a need to readjust the brake shoes. a loss of fluid will provide the same symptoms and indicates bad seals in the master. if by chance, you have power brakes, check the inside of the vacuum hose. if it is wet, there is no question that your master cylinder is dead. check master power brakes web site for trouble shooting your symptoms http://mpbrakes.com/

buicks.net is also a good site for help. post your specific question in the 1980's and up section

you mention cylinder, in the singular, so i am assuming you are referring to the master cylinder. you can inspect the wheel cylinders, possibly without having to remove the tires. if you have a leak, something is bound to be wet, like a backing plate, inside of the tires, or a fluid puddle on the floor, etc. however you may have to pull the brake drums to be certain. check the front hoses for cracks. if all of this checks out, i would think your master cylinder has a ruptured diaphragm or some such failure.

Cal Tex should have the transmission gasket as a shelf item. one of there locations is in montclair, calif.

the dealer will want to do a diagnostic test. after all, the mechanics don't want you coming back complaining about your car not running properly after THEY worked on it. doesn't sound like you want to do the repair yourself anyway. speak to the dealer, determine their policies and go from there.

think of this as a health issue. what you have discovered are symptoms but necessarily the illness. if you are not intending to do the repairs yourself, advise your mechanic of the codes you found, but do not tell him to replace or repair specific parts, because that is what will be done and it may not resolve the problem. your doctor has better diagnostic equipment than you. let him figure out what has to be done.

the chances of an electrical failure in the instruments is pretty slim and that lamp came on for a reason. you really need to know why the 'check engine' light is burning before determining whether or not you can afford to ignore it. if you do not have a diagnostic reader, here's a simple means to read the codes with the aid of a paper clip. http://sethirdgen.org/dtc.htm

the power steering pump is a relatively easy rebuild. you probably don't need much more than a seal kit and fresh hoses. there is a business in NJ that lists on e-bay. their seal kit for the '56 runs a bit more than $60.00. hoses can be done locally. if the plate that the vanes rotate against is scarred, it will need to be resurfaced. i would think a machine shop can grind and lap the faces for you. the vanes will need to be reduced the same amount. can't offer any advice on the steering box, other than clean it and take up any free play in the sector gear. karps power brake supply in upland california can rebuild your treadle vac. alternatively, a search on "power brake and your city" should offer you a starting point.

i believe the idea is to absorb/offset harmonic vibrations, or some such.

no, you do not necessarily have to pull the engine. obviously, you do have to remove the oil pan which, may require taking down the steering linkage on the passenger side of the car. this provides clearance to drop the pan. remove the starter and bottom half of the bell housing. there are two cross bolts to remove and i have found it easier to start the disassembly right here. support the engine and take down the transmission cross member. remove the two cross bolts and replace the cross member. seems like a lot of work, but you cannot completely back out those cross bolts before they hit the cross member. ok, once all of this is done you can remove the rear main caps. they are torqued to 140lbs/ft. so you might as well line up a cheater bar before you start this little endeavor. soak the new packing in engine oil, overnight. do NOT remove the seal that is in the block. with a wooden or brass rod, pack the seal tighter into the block and fill the void with material cut from the new seal you just bought. for the cap side, cut the seal material about 1/16 inch proud on both ends. some people like to put a bit of silicone on the end of the seal ends, others do not. if you do this step, do not apply more than a drop. put a bit of silicone on the corks and you can start the reassembly.

your rear main seal is leaking

it blocks spent exhaust gases from exiting the tailpipe. its primary function is to accelerate the heating of the intake manifold, improving fuel vaporization on a dead cold engine. if you live in a mild climate, you can get away without it, but expect driveability problems below 40 degrees on a cold engine. in a four season climate, i can think of no reason not to have it

think of this as your wedding night. you'll get over being nervous soon enough. keep in mind that you are rebuilding an engine, and not performing brain surgery. some of the work requires a bit of finesse, but for the most part, this is grunt labor. you can do that, right? your workspace must be kept neat, clean and the sequence of events are done in a logical and methodical manner. in order to pull the crank, you need to remove the heads, pistons and main caps. number your main bearing caps and the crankshaft caps, pushrods and lifters. number the bearing shells if you don't intend to replace them. by doing this you can put everything back where you found it. draw diagrams, write notes, and take pictures if it helps. rope seals come in a wide range of thickness and diameters. rubber seals are manufactured specifically for your engine and the ford dealers or after market vendors should have something available. if you haven't already done so, get a copy of the dealers manual specific to your car. its a great resource for this project and any repair you want to do in the future.

not 100 per cent certain of the definition of 'parts book' but faxon in riverside california could be a source for you.

if you are against pulling the crank, don't use a sneaky pete. push the existing rope as far down into the block as you can, fill the void with fresh rope and then install fresh rope in the cap as well. alternatively, webrodder.com has a currently running article on the buildup of an FE engine (cobra venom), in which, your question is answered. i have forgotten whether or not you can apply this technique without pulling the crankshaft, but it is an elegant solution. why wouldn't you want to pull the caps, if for no other reason than to inspect your bearing shells? you already have the block on a stand. why not spend another 5-10 minutes pulling the crank and you can turn a half hearted repair into a great fix? oops...just took another look at the webrodder site. my reference should have been directed to the 'FE Ford Hotrod part 3' article. looks like you need to pull the crank to do the seal properly.

typically, zocchi does nothing under the hood except clean and detail whatever is already there. i have not seen the car, but would be surprised if it was anything other than stone stock.

pomona swap meet is june 5th. one of the biggest in the country. i guess it really depends upon how long you are in the area, if you can attend.

i would suggest you use one of the newer materials, such as dynamat, etc. it doesn't come cheap, but you won't be disappointed. also, there has been fifty plus years of R and D since your car came off the assembly line. the tar paper materials were used by the factories because it was quick, easy and cheap to lay down.