1936 Chrysler Airstream C-8 Convertible Restoration

[Professor]

It looks to me as if the 8-cylinder and 6-cylinder water pumps are the same:

 

 

[Professor]

Which is odd given this from the very same parts manual for 1936:

 

 

[VW4X4]

Well just for the record, the six cylinder water pump is  available at your FLAP (Friendly Local Auto Parts).  It actually fits a lot of other makes and models.  Its much improved over the original design, and is likely going to last  a lot longer. It looks almost identical.

 

Eric

 

[Randiego]

Joe,

If you are having any difficulty finding the head studs or any fastners, try McMaster-Carr.  They have an amazing assortment of fastners and you can get them in grade 8 and above.  A lot of machine shops use them to source hard to find fastners.  Just have the correct measurements and thread pitch(s).  Also, a machinist told me not to use brass nuts on the exhaust manifold as they cannot be "torqued" to the right spec more than once due to the heating and cooling of the engine.  Instead, he suggested steel nuts and use "Never Sieze" or a like anti seizing thread compound.  And if later, you are planning on doing a complete tear down and rebuild, they will be easily  removed. 

 

Once the manifolds are installed and the car is driven, (around 100 miles), it will be necessary to re torque the exhaust manifold nuts and the exhaust flange (where the exhaust header pipe is attached) as they will loosen up causing leakage.  And you do not want to have to replace the gasket if there is a blow out.  That is avoidable by constantly checking and listening for leaks for the first 2 or 3,000 miles, just to be prudent.  I do not know if the book calls for re torquing the head after it is at operating temperature.  With the new materials that the head gaskets are made from, some do not need to be re torqued.  And they are not torqued as tight as newer engines.  But I am sure that you know that answer.

 

Good luck as we are all following and are awaiting the day that the Chrysler is back on the road.

[36 D2 Coupe]

Just a caution - it appears that the part numbers for the C7 and C8 water pumps are different. There must be a reason for that. Reading my parts manuals. there appears to be a lot of part numbers that are unique to the C8 water pump in the 1936 manual. Going to my 34-39 master parts manual, the same part number for the complete water pump assembly - 947545 -  applies to the following cars and years: 1935 DeSoto SF; 1935 Chrysler CZ, C6; 1936 Chrysler C8; 1937 Chrysler C14, C15; 1938 Chrysler C19, C20.  Be sure you get the right one.

[Professor]

7 May Update:

 

Going seems slow, but things are coming back together nicely.  I had the remaining exhaust parts vatted, sand blasted, and surfaced ($60) and today I used high temperature primer and paint to paint the intake and exhaust manifolds.  As best I can tell, the intake manifold and head were painted an aluminum color and the exhaust parts were left bare cast iron.  The exhaust parts had so much surface rust that there is no telling what the original color was; regardless, I like the contrast between the intake and exhaust parts so that’s the way I am painting them.

 

While the paint was drying, I managed to lap two more valves.  I could do more since the day is still young, but I am happy with the six hours of work I put in today so I am going to chill for awhile and hit it again tomorrow.

 

I still need to order valve spring keepers, head studs and nuts, and the intake and exhaust nuts, along with some miscellaneous parts.  I wish things were going faster, but I am trying to do it right and not rush anything.  The water pump is a bit disconcerting since the 8 cylinder is clearly different from the 6 cylinder… but maybe I will get lucky.  If not, I will take my water pump apart and weld up the cast iron tab that is broken. Might as well get more practice eh?  🙂

 

Here are some pictures from today’s work:

 

 

[Professor]

One final image:

 

 

[VW4X4]

Joe,

     I always enjoy this part of an engine rebuild the most.... If I lived closer, I would have to be there just to see it go back together...   Have fun..

 

ERIC

[Professor]

$255 at McMaster-Carr today.  I ordered five head studs (one more than I need) and all of the hardware I need to put everything back together.  It is important to note that many of the grade 8 items were in counts of 100; considerably more than I need, but I can always use additional hardware.  I ended up getting stainless steel hardware (black oxide coated)  for all the exhaust components since I did not want to fool with brass after discovering how loose they were and how stripped most of them were when I tried to take them off.  I will just torque them correctly and then re-torque them periodically.

 

I also ordered NORS valve springs (found them on eBay surprisingly) and new valve retainers.  After having one stuck exhaust valve, I just wasn’t comfortable reusing the old springs, even if they tested good.  I will clean the original springs and test them and if they test good, I will keep them as spares.

 

The long pole in the tent remains the water pump which I can reuse if absolutely necessary since it doesn’t leak.

 

Question:

By the way, anyone have a good cold valve clearance for intake and exhaust valves?  I have found values on the web, but I would prefer to check with the experts here before I use a web value.  I do not want to have to adjust the valves hot given the lack of clearance available once I install the manifolds, but of course, I will if I must.  I would really like to start with decent cold setting values.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Joe

 

 

On 5/1/2022 at 11:33 PM, Randiego said:

Joe,

If you are having any difficulty finding the head studs or any fastners, try McMaster-Carr.  They have an amazing assortment of fastners and you can get them in grade 8 and above.  A lot of machine shops use them to source hard to find fastners.  Just have the correct measurements and thread pitch(s).  Also, a machinist told me not to use brass nuts on the exhaust manifold as they cannot be "torqued" to the right spec more than once due to the heating and cooling of the engine.  Instead, he suggested steel nuts and use "Never Sieze" or a like anti seizing thread compound.  And if later, you are planning on doing a complete tear down and rebuild, they will be easily  removed. 

 

Once the manifolds are installed and the car is driven, (around 100 miles), it will be necessary to re torque the exhaust manifold nuts and the exhaust flange (where the exhaust header pipe is attached) as they will loosen up causing leakage.  And you do not want to have to replace the gasket if there is a blow out.  That is avoidable by constantly checking and listening for leaks for the first 2 or 3,000 miles, just to be prudent.  I do not know if the book calls for re torquing the head after it is at operating temperature.  With the new materials that the head gaskets are made from, some do not need to be re torqued.  And they are not torqued as tight as newer engines.  But I am sure that you know that answer.

 

Good luck as we are all following and are awaiting the day that the Chrysler is back on the road.

 

[Piaras]

In the service manual section called Service Standards, page 319, you will find Intake 0.006” and Exhaust 0.008” Hot.
To get another sanity check. In my 1940 to 1962 GM manual, most of the early engines, like 1940 to 55 L6 w/ SOLID lifters fall into Intake 0.006” Hot, exhaust 0.013” Hot. The L8 were 0.012” and 0.018” Hot. 
Enough similarities that you will be fine using the Chrysler numbers.

Pierre

[Professor]

Hot… ugh.  LOL.  I am in for a messy fun time.  I would almost rather do a thermodynamic model of the entire engine and calculate the expansion of the valves and lifters.  ROTFL.

 

Thanks Piaras!  Hot it is.

 

Joe

 

38 minutes ago, Piaras said:

In the service manual section called Service Standards, page 319, you will find Intake 0.006” and Exhaust 0.008” Hot.
To get another sanity check. In my 1940 to 1962 GM manual, most of the early engines, like 1940 to 55 L6 w/ SOLID lifters fall into Intake 0.006” Hot, exhaust 0.013” Hot. The L8 were 0.012” and 0.018” Hot. 
Enough similarities that you will be fine using the Chrysler numbers.

Pierre

 

 

[Piaras]

Note further down. Not entirely sure what they are inferring.

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Piaras (see edit history)

[Bloo]

3 hours ago, Piaras said:

Note further down. Not entirely sure what they are inferring.

 

 

The second red circle is not the valve adjustment, it is for checking valve timing with a degree wheel or something similar. You might want to do this if you suspected the timing gears (or chain?) had jumped, or if you suspected a flat camshaft lobe and did not have the engine apart enough to see, or if you suspected an incorrectly ground camshaft, etc. Valve clearance can change the valve timing numbers a lot, so there is a specified clearance to make the check. Most likely you would want to do this if a car was running horrible and you suspected the cam timing had jumped. It will always be a little late due to wear, but it should not be more than a whole tooth late! You can mathematically derive how many degrees a tooth is. There is usually a picture of the gears or sprockets somewhere in the manual that can be used to count teeth. I checked this on my Pontiac by using a dial indicator on the tappets with the side covers off and temporary marks made on the balancer made by division. On some cars it might also be possible to use a dial indicator with a foot on it through a spark plug hole, depending on where the spark plug is located in relation to the valves. A 1930s mechanic would have just taken the head off. It is much easier on a car of this age than taking the balancer and timing cover off to look at the gears.

 

So yeah, nothing to do with what @Professor is doing. What he needs is the first red circle. Like a lot of flatheads they want you to set it hot. Its usually impossible . Ok, someone is going to jump in now and say it isn't that bad but in my opinion it is an exercise in frustration. What I would do is set them all about .0015-.002 too loose cold and then CHECK them hot. Make notes on how much they need to change, change them when cold, and recheck hot. Flatheads usually are expected get tighter with heat, and more on the exhaust valve than the intake. But, if by some chance this one goes the other way, that would show up too.

 

@Professor, Off topic a bit, but one thing I believe you should do is verify the accuracy of your top dead center mark while the head is off.

 

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Professor]

@Bloo, I will check TDC. Great suggestion!

[Steve9]

On 5/9/2022 at 5:32 PM, Professor said:

Hot… ugh.  LOL.  I am in for a messy fun time.  I would almost rather do a thermodynamic model of the entire engine and calculate the expansion of the valves and lifters.  ROTFL.

 

Thanks Piaras!  Hot it is.

 

Joe

 

 

 

My old Dodge guru kept extra long handled end wrenches to do the dirty deed without burning flesh. Sure miss him…

[Professor]

Hi All,

 

Just a quick note to let you know that Mr. Dick Taylor who gave me this Chrysler, passed away today at the age of 94.  I got to be there when he passed and it was a bittersweet moment.  Dick was 6 months past wanting to be alive, and his death was a blessing to him.  I however, lost my best friend who was really more like my father.  I have visited him every weekend for the past five or so years and I will miss him terribly.  I am glad I got to take him for a ride in his car, and sad that he did not get to see it finished.  I will however, do and spend whatever it takes to make this car perfect and then I will drive the wheels off of it, thinking of Dick every time I get behind the wheel.

 

On a more upbeat note, the McMaster-Carr hardware arrived today and I have everything I need now to put the Chrysler back together.  I think counting parts and machine shop work, I am close to $2k to rebuild the top end.  It is amazing how quickly things add up.  I will post an updated total investment cost for the Chrysler once I have it back on the road this month or early next month (barring any unforeseen problems… lol… famous last words).

 

Joe

[maok]

Sorry to hear that mate, his Airstream will live on with you as the new custodian.

 

I have a similar story, I just purchased a '34 Airflow CV Imperial and the person who has been restoring it for the past 30 odd years also passed away recently. I feel I need to continue his legacy.

 

[Professor]

I skipped going into the university today and spent 9 hours working on the Chrysler.  I needed the break, and it was my way to grieve I suppose.

 

I feel like I did not get much done, but I guess I did.  I chased all of the threads on both manifolds and the cylinder head studs, installed four new grade 8 cylinder head studs, test installed all the new McMaster-Carr hardware, re-ground two exhaust seats that needed it badly due to pitting, and lapped four more valves (two intake and two exhaust).  I do not think I will have room for the grade 8 lock washers on the cylinder head, but I have them just in case there is room.

 

All that work, and only one image to show for it.  Here it is:

 

Joe

 

 

[ol swede]

Nice n clean

[Professor]

Update:

 

I checked TDC on the harmonic balancer and it is perfectly lined up with TDC on cylinder one.  I checked for timing chain slop, and there is none.  At the request of @Steve9, I checked the cylinders for a cross hatch pattern and I can still make it out faintly.

 

One thing is puzzling me about this engine.  Why did an original engine with factory standard pistons, and no ring ridge have ALL the wrong valves?  The exhaust valves were about .15 inches oversized, the intake valves were .1 undersized?  The exhaust valves destroyed themselves due to the oversized heads not having any heat sink.  Why would the valves have been changed out?  I could see one or two valves being changed, but every one of them?  Remember, this engine still had a factory head gasket on it, suggesting that if the head was removed, it was done quite some time ago.

 

Any ideas?  I have a hard time believing that the factory could have used incorrect valves, but I also cannot figure out why all the valves would have been replaced on what appears to be a low mileage engine.

[JV Puleo]

I would suspect that it got a "valve job" early on. That was a routine bit of maintenance before WWII so, depending on the mileage, it probably had several during the time frame a factory head gasket was readily available. I'd guess that the last one was done by a not-so-good mechanic. They had those then as well!

Edited May 13, 2022 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[Bloo]

They used to re-use head gaskets in those days.

 

[JV Puleo]

The junk yard I used to frequent, Bill Auto Parts in Valley Falls RI, had literally thousands of NOS McCord head gaskets going back to the 20s. I once had to take the heads off a 1922 Marmon and was able to find new gaskets at Bill's. I was on good terms with Bill because, even though he had the gaskets, he didn't have a McCord gasket catalog so even he didn't know what they fit. I gave him the catalog and he, in turn, sold me whatever gaskets I needed (which wasn't many) at a very low price.

[nsbrassnut]

For the Professor

 

I have been following along and enjoyed your posts and hope that the engine repair turn out well.

 

But I do want to pipe up about the head studs, nuts and lock washers. I have been taught that head studs are one of the few places that lock washers should not be used. Instead heavy flat washers should be used under the nuts on the studs. The correct washers are thicker than the standard ones (perhaps 1/8" inch) to spread out the clamping force without distorting.

 

It's the way that I found my 120 Packard eight head studs and nuts installed and the way that I have continued to install them.

 

Perhaps another experienced mechanic can help confirm if my understanding is correct.

 

Best of success.

 

Jeff

 

 

[Professor]

Thanks so much Jeff.  There were no lock washers under the nuts in the first place, so I will leave them off.  There must have been a reason Chrysler did not use them, and it certainly was not cost since I think roughly 243 of these Airstream 8 cylinder engines were made in total.  The Airflow uses a different 8 cylinder engine. 

 

I am uncertain why lock washers were not used and I cannot think of a physics based reason they would skip using them.  I can tell you that I think there is not enough length on the studs to use lock washers and leave a sufficient number of stud threads exposed ( I want to say that five threads need to be exposed above the top of the nut).

 

Thanks again Jeff.

 

Joe

 

2 hours ago, nsbrassnut said:

For the Professor

 

I have been following along and enjoyed your posts and hope that the engine repair turn out well.

 

But I do want to pipe up about the head studs, nuts and lock washers. I have been taught that head studs are one of the few places that lock washers should not be used. Instead heavy flat washers should be used under the nuts on the studs. The correct washers are thicker than the standard ones (perhaps 1/8" inch) to spread out the clamping force without distorting.

 

It's the way that I found my 120 Packard eight head studs and nuts installed and the way that I have continued to install them.

 

Perhaps another experienced mechanic can help confirm if my understanding is correct.

 

Best of success.

 

Jeff

 

 

 

[Bloo]

+1 for @nsbrassnut's comment about washers. I am trying to remember if I have ever seen lock washers on head bolts. I don't think I have. A thick, hard, flat washer is a common way to mount a head. No washers at all wouldn't surprise me either. Today traditional split lockwashers are largely discredited. You won't find many on an aircraft. In 1936, the automakers were still putting them on almost all the other fasteners.

[Roger Zimmermann]

As a help for my 1:12 Cadillac V-16 project, I have a parts list. Flat washers are used on the V-8 engines for the cylinder heads screws.

[VW4X4]

The  reason for flat washers, in any "bolt down" application is to ensure the stress is evenly distributed, or possibly the stress is distributed more.   One reason would be when you do not have two flat surfaces matting.  In the case of the six cylinder engine, the face of the nuts, and the head itself are completely flush, and therefore have no washers used.  From what I can tell in some of the pictures, the eight cylinder follows the same setup.  Another reason would be possibly when you have an aluminum head. Using a flat washer will help distribute the stress over more of the AL head.

Lots of head bolts, or head nuts have a slight over cut, specially for this application.

 

ERIC

[Piaras]

The engines that I had taken heads off and /or rebuilt completely never had lock washers on the heads or main caps etc. Many had been washer head bolts and others with SAE washers. SAE have a tighter ID compared to typical hardware store washers.

Pierre

[Professor]

My summer vacation has begun, and although I may need to go to the University a couple of days per week, updates will be more frequent.

 

I finished cutting the exhaust valve seats on cylinders 1-4, and then lapped all valves on cylinders 1-4.  I then cleaned off the right hand side of the engine block in preparation for tomorrow’s installation of NOS springs and cold (initial) valve adjustment.  With any luck, tomorrow I will have all the valve springs installed (new keepers).  Here are some images from the end of today’s work:

 

 

[Professor]

Let me apologize in advance for being a bit off topic, but yesterday, I was a pall bearer and gave a eulogy at Mr. Taylor’s funeral.  It seems appropriate, even if a bit off-topic, for me to share a few images with you.  Many of you have been around since my first post two years ago and I hope no one minds too much. 

 

 

[Professor]

And last but not least, fittingly I think, yesterday’s moon, the day we laid Mr. Taylor to rest.

 

 

[Piaras]

The car’s story is forever attached to Mr Taylor’s story. He must of been pleased with your owning and restoring the car and without him the story could of been lost. I am honored to be witness to the final act of his time here.

Pierre

[Professor]

All,

 

Does anyone know how I can obtain a directory of AACA members across the United States?  Does the AACA publish such a thing?

 

Joe

[Professor]

Today’s update:

 

Executive Summary:

A mystery solved, dried non-detergent oil is devilishly difficult to remove from the valve cavity, all valve springs and valves are installed.  9.5 hours of work.

 

The Verbose Version: 

I started this morning by rolling the Chrysler out of the garage, jacking the front end up, and using two six ton jack stands to hold the front end up.  I drained the oil because it was mixed with brake cleaner and gasoline remnants, and then I left the drain plug off. After I removed the left front tire, I had a better look at the top surface of the valve cavity.  I cleaned it with a toothbrush and brake cleaner (I always wear industrial gloves when I work on engines and around chemicals), letting the liquified black goo run into the oil pan and out the drain plug.  I think I spent roughly two hours cleaning the valve cavity area.  I absolutely hate putting anything back together dirty.

 

After making sure everything was clean, I started installing valves.  The front most valve on cylinder one and the rear most valve on cylinder 8 were the toughest. I had to use a magnetic pick up tool to hold one valve keeper in place while I snapped on the second keeper.  Exhaust valves were much easier to do this than the intake valves.  You may ask why.  Here goes:

 

The Egge intake valves were non-ferrous while the ahem… the incorrect intake and exhaust valves (both new correct and used incorrect) were ferrous.  It makes me wonder what material the Egge intake valves are made from.  I will have to research this.

 

The next most difficult valves were on cylinders 2 and 7, followed by 3 and 6. Cylinders 4 and 5 were easier than cylinders 2 and 7, but more difficult than 3 and 6 because the valve cover separator between cylinders 4 and 5 added a degree of difficulty.

 

After installing the NOS valve springs, new valve keepers and my original used valve retainer washers, I oiled everything in the valve area with synthetic oil.  I also added oil to the valve shafts before I installed the valves.  Speaking of valve springs, the old used valve springs were 2.268” long while the NOS springs were 2.311” long, making me glad I chose to replace them.

 

After installing the valves, I (ahem) poured fresh gas into the oil filler tube and rinsed out the oil pan (with the oil drain plug installed) and then lifted the rear to ensure that the entire oil pan was clean.  I ended up doing this twice until the fuel out of the drain plug ran clear.  I then used low pressure compressed air into the oil filler (with my hand sealing the tube against the air nozzle) until there were no vapors coming out of the oil drain plug.  Normally I might just remove the oil pan and clean everything, including the oil pickup, but I had already done this previously and I wanted to run the engine on a fresh oil fill and filter and then remove the oil pan and clean everything after a few hundred miles and refill with fresh oil.  For now, I filled with 5 quarts of synthetic oil and a new filter.

 

Having finished all that, I spun the engine using the electric starter to circulate the oil asking my wife to check pressure on the instrument panel.  The cold pressure with the starter spinning (remember, no cylinder head) was 80 psi… the same as it was before cylinder exhaust valve 3 stuck.

 

I positioned the pistons so that no cylinder was at the top, and added a mixture of acetone and automatic transmission fluid.  I will check the level on each cylinder to see if the fluid leaks past the rings.

 

Now… let’s solve the mystery as promised.

 

As I was cleaning out the valve cavity (behind the valve covers) with a magnet on a swiveling telescoping extender (I was checking for any metal shavings or debris) and I heard a click.  Hmmm… what the heck was that.  I pulled the piece of metal out, cleaned it with fuel, and discovered it was an original two-groove valve retainer.  All of the incorrect intake and exhaust valves that were installed on this engine were one-groove retainers.  This brings about two conclusions:

 

1.  The mechanic who installed the incorrect valves was incredibly sloppy.

2.  The incorrect valves were definitely not factory valves, which confirms our suspicions.

 

After a little over 9.5 hours of non-stop work… I am exhausted.

 

Tomorrow I will adjust the valves.  I suspect that it take all day because I am a perfectionist.  If, by some miracle, after triple checking the valve clearances, I have time to install the head, I will. 

 

Here are some images:

 

 

 

 

[Professor]

A few more:

 

 

[Professor]

More:

 

 

[Professor]

One side note.  I am replacing all rubber fuel lines with the proper metal lines, and am getting rid of the inline fuel filter in the engine compartment.  I have an line fuel filter on the output of the fuel tank, and I do not see a need for two (plus I hate the way it looks).  Additionally, I will replace the windshield wiper vacuum booster metal lines that run from the fuel pump to the windshield wipers.

 

Sheesh… I cannot stop myself.  🙂

[VW4X4]

2 hours ago, Professor said:

Today’s update:

 

Executive Summary:

A mystery solved, dried non-detergent oil is devilishly difficult to remove from the valve cavity, all valve springs and valves are installed.  9.5 hours of work.

 

The Verbose Version: 

I started this morning by rolling the Chrysler out of the garage, jacking the front end up, and using two six ton jack stands to hold the front end up.  I drained the oil because it was mixed with brake cleaner and gasoline remnants, and then I left the drain plug off. After I removed the left front tire, I had a better look at the top surface of the valve cavity.  I cleaned it with a toothbrush and brake cleaner (I always wear industrial gloves when I work on engines and around chemicals), letting the liquified black goo run into the oil pan and out the drain plug.  I think I spent roughly two hours cleaning the valve cavity area.  I absolutely hate putting anything back together dirty.

 

After making sure everything was clean, I started installing valves.  The front most valve on cylinder one and the rear most valve on cylinder 8 were the toughest. I had to use a magnetic pick up tool to hold one valve keeper in place while I snapped on the second keeper.  Exhaust valves were much easier to do this than the intake valves.  You may ask why.  Here goes:

 

The Egge intake valves were non-ferrous while the ahem… the incorrect intake and exhaust valves (both new correct and used incorrect) were ferrous.  It makes me wonder what material the Egge intake valves are made from.  I will have to research this.

 

The next most difficult valves were on cylinders 2 and 7, followed by 3 and 6. Cylinders 4 and 5 were easier than cylinders 2 and 7, but more difficult than 3 and 6 because the valve cover separator between cylinders 4 and 5 added a degree of difficulty.

 

After installing the NOS valve springs, new valve keepers and my original used valve retainer washers, I oiled everything in the valve area with synthetic oil.  I also added oil to the valve shafts before I installed the valves.  Speaking of valve springs, the old used valve springs were 2.268” long while the NOS springs were 2.311” long, making me glad I chose to replace them.

 

After installing the valves, I (ahem) poured fresh gas into the oil filler tube and rinsed out the oil pan (with the oil drain plug installed) and then lifted the rear to ensure that the entire oil pan was clean.  I ended up doing this twice until the fuel out of the drain plug ran clear.  I then used low pressure compressed air into the oil filler (with my hand sealing the tube against the air nozzle) until there were no vapors coming out of the oil drain plug.  Normally I might just remove the oil pan and clean everything, including the oil pickup, but I had already done this previously and I wanted to run the engine on a fresh oil fill and filter and then remove the oil pan and clean everything after a few hundred miles and refill with fresh oil.  For now, I filled with 5 quarts of synthetic oil and a new filter.

 

Having finished all that, I spun the engine using the electric starter to circulate the oil asking my wife to check pressure on the instrument panel.  The cold pressure with the starter spinning (remember, no cylinder head) was 80 psi… the same as it was before cylinder exhaust valve 3 stuck.

 

I positioned the pistons so that no cylinder was at the top, and added a mixture of acetone and automatic transmission fluid.  I will check the level on each cylinder to see if the fluid leaks past the rings.

 

Now… let’s solve the mystery as promised.

 

As I was cleaning out the valve cavity (behind the valve covers) with a magnet on a swiveling telescoping extender (I was checking for any metal shavings or debris) and I heard a click.  Hmmm… what the heck was that.  I pulled the piece of metal out, cleaned it with fuel, and discovered it was an original two-groove valve retainer.  All of the incorrect intake and exhaust valves that were installed on this engine were one-groove retainers.  This brings about two conclusions:

 

1.  The mechanic who installed the incorrect valves was incredibly sloppy.

2.  The incorrect valves were definitely not factory valves, which confirms our suspicions.

 

After a little over 9.5 hours of non-stop work… I am exhausted.

 

Tomorrow I will adjust the valves.  I suspect that it take all day because I am a perfectionist.  If, by some miracle, after triple checking the valve clearances, I have time to install the head, I will. 

 

Here are some images:

 

 

 

 

You can test springs.  Its fairly easy.  By applying a giving amount of weight on the spring,  and it should compress to a giving length.  Where you find these specs. use to be in the shop manual.  I haven't seen the specs in a while. 

 

As for sloppy mechanics there everywhere. Along with people who just don't care, and people who don't know any better, I wonder everyday how any car runs...

 

ERIC

[Steve9]

One piece of rubber fuel line will stay. That’s the one that links the lines on the frame to the lines on the engine. This way flexing of the lines as the engine revs is absorbed and won’t result in a snapped ridged line. Great tutorial Joe!