1954 Nash Healey LeMans Coupe

[Luv2Wrench]

Please allow me to introduce my next, next project.   Full restoration is tentatively schedule for early 2024 or as soon as the 1913 Metz Model 22 Roadster is completed.  I bought this car from fellow AACA member @Olympic33 and I can't say enough about how easy he was to work with during the process.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything he's selling, super guy.  I had @Bills Auto Worksship the car to me and that was also a great experience.  Super communication, right now time and very professional.

 

The car will need a considerable amount of work.  All of this was known before the purchase and I even flew up there to visit and try to get a grasp on how to do the work.  The rocker panels and other areas were built in such a way that they rusted from the inside out.  This car is no exception and the solution is to cut the rockers out, fix everything behind them and then replace.  Fortunately for me an Aussie restored 2 Nash Healey and posted detailed pictures of the repairs I'll need to do.  The second issue is the engine is not original.  It is the correct type and can be made to look original and that is one solution.  The second solution is to do what multiple Nash Healey owners did back in the day and swap in an AMC 327 V8.  Nash technical engineer Carl Chakmakian installed an AMC 327 in his Nash Healey and, literally, wrote the book on how to do so.  I've located a couple of suitable AMC 327s and I'm leaning towards this solution.

 

Since the full restoration will not being for so long I feel like the best thing to do at this time is get the car running and driving.  I don't have a lot of room and will need to move the car around some so having it under its own power would be very helpful.  In addition I *really* like the car and feel like with a couple weeks work I can get it to the state I feel comfortable driving it around.  I think it would be fun to take out even with its extra patina paint job.   Plus... if I drive fast enough maybe the rest of the paint will flake off and I won't have to media blast it.

 

I started looking at the brake system last night and the wheel cylinders/shoes look fine.  Hoses seemed reasonable in age but I ordered new ones.  The master cylinder was empty and looked a bit corroded inside so I order one of those as well.  Since I overdo everything... I plan to remove the engine/tranny, break them down and do a full inspection before hopefully putting them back together with fresh gaskets.  I'm going to check the compression as well and if it seems reasonable I might dingle ball hone the cylinders and put some new rings in. This will give me a good idea of the cost involved should I choose to keep the engine as well as some confidence should I choose to drive the car around.

 

Below is as it arrived off the trailer and then in the shop after a bath.  Note how amazingly clear the glass is... like a new car.

 

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by Luv2Wrench (see edit history)

[Lahti35]

Looking forward to following along as you restore, I like this car!

[r1lark]

Sweet, sweet, SWEET!! Love those Nash-Healeys! A 327 AMC V8 would be great, they are very robust engines and very overlooked both in the past and today. But a Nash OHV six Le Mans Dual Jetfire engine is cool too! Either way you go, the engine will be neat.

[trimacar]

I’m glad this found a good home, as you know, the people it came from are salt of the earth (an old, old saying, meaning the best).

 

Excellent project, glad you have it…as W.C. Fields once said, “ah, yes, had I been a younger man….”

[Luv2Wrench]

Got the engine out.  It was a little tricky and since I pulled it with the bell housing on it was really tricky.  I'll use the chain hoist attached to the engine leveler when I go to put it back in.  I think it will be much easier to hoist the engine up, roll the car under, lower it and then bump the car forward to get it in place.  The car weigh nothing without the engine in it.

I'll get the engine stripped down this weekend and take it to my engine guy Monday so he can magna flux it and measure the wear. 

I think I have everything for the brakes so once the engine is broken down I'll start on those. 

 

[Roger Zimmermann]

Another interesting project to follow! Those Nash coupes are not to be found at every corner...

[alsancle]

I have always thought these were pretty cool. Really love the interiors. Looking forward to your project. Good luck.

[John Bloom]

I was so impressed with your TD project and how it turned out. Thanks for sharing your work on the forum and I look forward to following along with this car when you get started. 

[Barney Eaton]

Keep us supplied with updates and photos........ love to see someone else's progress without getting my hands dirty. 

[Laughing Coyote]

On 10/27/2022 at 7:56 AM, Luv2Wrench said:

Full restoration is tentatively schedule for early 2024 or as soon as the 1913 Metz Model 22 Roadster is completed

Jeff, You finished the Metz already? You move quickly. I guess the machines and addition will have to wait a little longer. I can understand your excitement to start a new project. Looks like a nice one and with a V8 option I bet it will move pretty good. I will be following along on your progress and I'm sure once it's done it will be just as nice as the MG. 

 

[Luv2Wrench]

3 hours ago, Laughing Coyote said:

Jeff, You finished the Metz already? You move quickly. I guess the machines and addition will have to wait a little longer. I can understand your excitement to start a new project. Looks like a nice one and with a V8 option I bet it will move pretty good. I will be following along on your progress and I'm sure once it's done it will be just as nice as the MG. 

 

Haven't finished the Metz, it is still the next project.  I figure it will be nearly 2 years before I start the full restoration of the Nash Healey and I didn't want the car to be in a non-running state during that time.   As such I'm getting the Nash running and driving right now.  The order will be... Nash running and driving, expansion, machine shop, Metz and then Nash full restoration.

 

[1957Birdman]

Jeff,

Is white the original color of the car? Was the vinyl roof an option or a 1960's add on? I am not a big fan of those roofs, especially when added to the car later. That color combination reminds me of a 1966 Mustang my wife owned that was Wimbledon White with a black vinyl roof. There has been maroon car at Hershey the last few years that looks really good. Do you know what colors these cars came in. Were they unique to the Nash Healey or the same as other Nash cars. I believe that actor George Reeves owned one in silver and can be seen in a few episodes of the Adventures of Superman.

Lew Bachman

1957 Thunderbird 

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

I can’t wait for you to start the restoration. Looks like a good time. Mike

[Luv2Wrench]

2 hours ago, 1957Birdman said:

Jeff,

Is white the original color of the car? Was the vinyl roof an option or a 1960's add on? I am not a big fan of those roofs, especially when added to the car later. That color combination reminds me of a 1966 Mustang my wife owned that was Wimbledon White with a black vinyl roof. There has been maroon car at Hershey the last few years that looks really good. Do you know what colors these cars came in. Were they unique to the Nash Healey or the same as other Nash cars. I believe that actor George Reeves owned one in silver and can be seen in a few episodes of the Adventures of Superman.

Lew Bachman

1957 Thunderbird 

Lew,

 

The original color was a two-tone green.  The "vinyl roof" is really just black paint with some strips glued on to make it appear to be a vinyl roof.  As to why someone would do that.... well I guess it made sense to them when they did it.   

From 1952-1954 when Pininfarina made the body they painted the car and it was their colors and not Nash's color.   I've read that there was a very fine metallic silver, green and light red.  In addition there was a non-metallic maroon and off-white. The coupes also had two-tone with silver and dark top and green with a dark green top (which is what my car was).  As per what color I'll paint mine... I don't really like the two-tone green so I'll be choosing between maroon and very dark blue.

 

[Luv2Wrench]

A productive weekend but I came up just a bit short of my goal of having the engine completely torn down by Monday.   I got down to the crankshaft, camshaft and timing cover/gears.  I should be able to get that done Monday afternoon and get things packed up to take to the machine shop Tuesday.  As per the condition of the engine, I'm not really sure. I kinda think the bearing and crankshaft look pretty good.  The tops of the pistons are cruddy and the number 3 piston was really difficult to remove however the cylinder appears to be fine.  Broken rings on 2 of the pistons.  From what I could see of the camshaft it looked fine.   The only real concern I had while tearing down the engine was the incredible amount of sludge, albeit on the outside.   The oil/dirt layer was nearly 3/4" thick in areas and really dense... almost like rubber.   That gives me the feeling this poor engine has a lot of miles and leaked a *lot* of oil during the process.   The good news was I didn't find much sludge inside the engine.  Once my engine guy checks all the measurements we'll know what we have.

 

 

[Luv2Wrench]

Dropped the engine parts off at the machine shop today and the initial analysis is it will need a full rebuild.  They're going to tank the parts and then magna flux the block, heads and crank to make sure we've at least got a solid foundation.  Then they'll measure everything to get specifics on what I'll need to buy.  Looks like it will need to be bored out about 20 thousandths.  To add to the misery... since no one wants to work in a machine shop these days... it will be a couple of months before I can get anything back.   It looks like the cost will be enough that I'll need to decide between rebuilding the non-original 6 cylinder and sourcing/building a 327 V8 to replace it.  As I've done more research on the 327 it is looking to be very expensive and the install is non-trivial.  As much as I hate to say this, I can see future versions of ourselves dropping in some batteries with an electric motor and having a fantastic car with *way* less issues and cost.  I doubt I'd ever do that but I could see the next generation doing it.

[63RedBrier]

15 hours ago, Luv2Wrench said:

Dropped the engine parts off at the machine shop today and the initial analysis is it will need a full rebuild.  They're going to tank the parts and then magna flux the block, heads and crank to make sure we've at least got a solid foundation.  Then they'll measure everything to get specifics on what I'll need to buy.  Looks like it will need to be bored out about 20 thousandths.  To add to the misery... since no one wants to work in a machine shop these days... it will be a couple of months before I can get anything back.   It looks like the cost will be enough that I'll need to decide between rebuilding the non-original 6 cylinder and sourcing/building a 327 V8 to replace it.  As I've done more research on the 327 it is looking to be very expensive and the install is non-trivial.  As much as I hate to say this, I can see future versions of ourselves dropping in some batteries with an electric motor and having a fantastic car with *way* less issues and cost.  I doubt I'd ever do that but I could see the next generation doing it.

Regarding your last couple of sentences...  It is already happening!  There's a couple close to me that have a Karmann Ghia and a early 50's pickup truck that have both been converted to electric power.  The guy is an electrical engineer.  The really cool thing about both vehicles is that they still use their original manual transmissions!  They were trying to sell the KG a year or two ago and the price was $25-30k, if I remember correctly.  I've seen them together at a local Cars & Coffee and just the other day saw the truck coming out of the Home Depot parking lot.  

[Lahti35]

15 hours ago, Luv2Wrench said:

As much as I hate to say this, I can see future versions of ourselves dropping in some batteries with an electric motor and having a fantastic car with *way* less issues and cost.  I doubt I'd ever do that but I could see the next generation doing it.

I can't see myself doing either but I did happen to watch Jay Leno's garage last night and they featured a 1949 Mercury that the folks at ICON electrified. I was impressed with the craftsmanship and the effort that went into blending the electrical bits into the car. It's a neat video if you get a chance. 

 

On another note, I feel your pain about machine shop wait times. It's crazy how long it takes anymore to get work done, I'm at a year now trying to get the machine work completed for my '68 ford. Another layer of frustration to deal with it seems since the pandemic shutdowns put a wrench in the works.

[JV Puleo]

It would seem to me that if you had one of those old Van Norman portable boring bars you could bore the engine yourself. Your shop now is likely as well equipped as most machine shops save only the dedicated automotive tools. I like the idea of hot tanking the block but if the goal is just to make it move under it's own power perhaps it would be better to put it together with the minimal effort expended in finding new parts. You may want to get the crank ground but it should have insert bearings so those wouldn't be difficult to replace.

 

In a case like this, I'd do the minimal amount to get it ambulatory and think about where you want to go from there...

 

jp

[Luv2Wrench]

5 hours ago, JV Puleo said:

It would seem to me that if you had one of those old Van Norman portable boring bars you could bore the engine yourself. Your shop now is likely as well equipped as most machine shops save only the dedicated automotive tools. I like the idea of hot tanking the block but if the goal is just to make it move under it's own power perhaps it would be better to put it together with the minimal effort expended in finding new parts. You may want to get the crank ground but it should have insert bearings so those wouldn't be difficult to replace.

 

In a case like this, I'd do the minimal amount to get it ambulatory and think about where you want to go from there...

 

jp

 

The new plan is basically just what you said.   My engine guy took pity on me and lent me some tools so I can get a few things done myself.  I now have an old school cylinder ridge reamer that belonged to his dad.  It centers itself in the cylinder below the ridge and you set the cutter there.  As you spin it the upper half moves up and cuts off the ridge.  After that I will use the honing tool.  One of the best "tools" he gave me was a case of old school brake cleaner and a big plastic pan to put under the engine to catch all the junk as it falls off.  With a scraper and 8 cans of the brake cleaner I got the block looking pretty respectable.  I'll remove the ridge and hone it Saturday.  I still need to clean all the other parts like the oil pan, various covers and stuff.

 

As of now (I'll know more tomorrow) it appears that I've located a ring, main bearing and rod bearing set as well as valve guides,  all of which were reasonably priced.  I have a nice valve spring compressor so I will take the valves out and replace the guides and seals as well as clean and lap the valves.   If things work out it looks like I can get the engine back together in a reasonable state for just under $1000.   While I'm putting it back together I will have the chance to measure all the clearances and that will give me an idea of what might need to be done, if anything, at a future date.  This will accomplish my goal of having the car in a running and driving state and allow me to get back to the shop expansion and finishing the Metz.

 

Regarding which engine to use... I talked to two of the bigger suppliers of parts for older engines like the Nash Ambassador engine.  The message from them was crystal clear... for the Nash Ambassador 6 they are not replacing inventory and are simply selling off what they have in stock.  This explains why I was having a hard time getting an idea of what is available.  In addition to that... they've significantly increased the costs of the remaining parts.  If I could get what I needed to rebuild the engine (and I can't) it would be over $3000 in parts.  The same parts for the AMC 327 are half that amount (and that's for 8 cylinders vs 6) and they ARE in stock and that stock will be replenished on a regular basis.  As such... it looks like the original plan of getting the 6 cylinder running and build a 327 next year is back to plan A.  As per getting the 327 in the Nash Healey,  Carl Chakmakian, a Nash Engineer, wrote a book on the process.  I ordered that "book" and it came today.  It is a rather extensive process but I'll put on my big boy pants and take it a step at a time.

 

Since no post is complete without pictures... here's some of the engine block after my cleaning today.  I'll do some more and paint it this weekend.

 

[r1lark]

The block is looking good! 

 

May I suggest, if you haven't already, use a pressure washer to clean the block, especially all the oil passageways, as well as the water jackets. Also, a rifle brush cleaning set is great for cleaning out the long oil galleries. 

[dalef62]

Looking good!  My dad had a 54 Nash Ambassador with the Dual Jetfire Lemans engine and did a valve job on it and when he went to get the gasket set for it he almost fell over at the price!  Was something like $1000 for a complete set.  Hope you find a set a lot cheaper.  Does that have the aluminum head or the cast iron head?

Will be a great car when you get it done!

[Luv2Wrench]

1 hour ago, dalef62 said:

Looking good!  My dad had a 54 Nash Ambassador with the Dual Jetfire Lemans engine and did a valve job on it and when he went to get the gasket set for it he almost fell over at the price!  Was something like $1000 for a complete set.  Hope you find a set a lot cheaper.  Does that have the aluminum head or the cast iron head?

Will be a great car when you get it done!

Thanks! 

I have the dual carb cast iron head which I've heard is somewhat preferred as the aluminum ones do tend to crack.

Kanter and Egge have the gasket set at around $800+ but I was able to find it at Olson's Gaskets for *only* $505.  I also about fell over when I saw those prices.  When I received the gasket set it did look like a reasonable price as there are a lot of gaskets and the quality was evident.  In addition it included some NOS parts and those certainly don't grow on trees.

 

 

[JV Puleo]

It looks good Jeff. I'd guess your "just get it running" overhaul is going to be better than about 90% of the so-called rebuilds out there. I hate working on a dirty engine so I'd probably have done the same thing!

[1912Staver]

Nash Healey's can command some pretty high prices. Would the V8 swap effect the price in a  similar way to what happens to Austin Healey's with V8's ? I know you are doing it for yourself, but sooner or later they all get sold. Is the V8 swap easily reversible ?

 It looks like a great project ! 

[Luv2Wrench]

1 hour ago, 1912Staver said:

Nash Healey's can command some pretty high prices. Would the V8 swap effect the price in a  similar way to what happens to Austin Healey's with V8's ? I know you are doing it for yourself, but sooner or later they all get sold. Is the V8 swap easily reversible ?

 It looks like a great project ! 

This car already lost its original engine so that in itself affects the resell value.  The V8 swap would be "period correct" in that I would use an AMC V8 from the late 50s or early 60s as did multiple Nash Healey owners.   Nash merged with Hudson to become AMC and the Nash Healey project was cancelled soon after.  The first V8 to come from the new AMC was the 250/287/327.  An engineer from the technical division of Nash (and now AMC) literally wrote the book on swapping the new AMC 327 into the Nash Healey.  An article or two was written about the swap and then multiple other cars were done.  At least in my mind, exchanging the non-original inline 6 cylinder for the AMC 327 as was done back in the day will increase the value.  Here's a good article on Carl https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/carl-chakmakian 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by Luv2Wrench (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

In that case the V8 conversion seems like a reasonable choice. Looking forward to your updates. Too bad they are so expensive these days, yet another one I would like to own but can't possibly afford.

Edited November 4, 2022 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Luv2Wrench]

On 11/3/2022 at 7:40 AM, r1lark said:

The block is looking good! 

 

May I suggest, if you haven't already, use a pressure washer to clean the block, especially all the oil passageways, as well as the water jackets. Also, a rifle brush cleaning set is great for cleaning out the long oil galleries. 

Thanks for the suggestion as it was a vey good one and much needed, it certainly made things easier and I don't think I could have gotten the water passages clean without it.

 

I rented a 4000psi pressure washer from Home Depot and spent half of Saturday pressure washing everything I could.  I managed to get the water passages very clean...  It took multiple attempts to get clear water to come out the various passages.  I think the previous owner used "Stop Leak" or something similar and it took a long time to get it all out.   Once the engine and all the various part were cleaned I got in the engine bay and tried to get that area cleaned up.  It worked pretty well.  Both front engine mounts are broken and will need to be welded so getting that area cleaned up was helpful. 

 

The next step was to go through the head that was on the engine.  I took all the valves out and tried to assess the valves and valve guides to understand if they might be usable and they seemed just ok.   The valves themselves seemed a bit worn and the seats, particularly the exhaust seats, were rough.  I lapped one of them in and it worked ok so that head was indeed usable.   While the head was certainly usable as a "runner" it would need machine work if it was to be used long term.

 

The next step was to go through the dual carb head.  It appeared to be in really rough state, in fact my engine guy said it would be a "grand" just to go through it.   All but 3 of the valves were seized but after getting the first two out I noticed that the valves and the seats appeared to be in very good condition.   With a good bit of work I managed to get all the valves out, cleaned up and lapped all the valves in.  I think the reason the valves were seized is because there was very little wear in the guides and a thin bit of dried oil managed to lock them down.  When I got them out and cleaned up they moved nicely in the guides when I put them back int.  I feel like the valves seat very well, the guides are still within spec and the only weak part is the felt/neoprene seals on the guides. I'll see if I can find some replacements for them but they are certainly usable. 

 

With the valves sorted it was all about cleaning the head up and getting it painted and ready to put back together.  I managed it get that done and I was happy with how it turned out. The Nash Healey version of the head was cast aluminum and I think the aluminum header paint I used came out pretty good.  I also cleaned out and painted the valve cover though I was less than thrilled out how the color turned out.  I would have liked it to be a bit more red, not as much orange and a lot more gloss.  If I do end up keeping this engine I will repaint the valve covers.  In addition to the head and valves covers I managed to get the water pump cleaned up and painted as well.

 

Next week I should have rings, main bearings and rod bearings coming.   While waiting on those I'll get the pistons cleaned up along with all the other stuff.   There's a lot of work to be done but if things go my way I think I might start putting it together next weekend.  I doubt I'll be able to get it back in the car and running but maybe the next week.  This certainly has turned out to be more involved than I thought.   I definitely underestimated just how dirty the engine was and the amount of effort it would take to get it cleaned up.  I spent 2 hours this evening just cleaning my tools and workspace to get some semblance of normality.   The other mistake I made was assuming that because a website said that parts were in stock and available that, well, they were in stock and available.   I understand why this is the case but after being spoiled by Amazon it is hard to accept. 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by Luv2Wrench (see edit history)

[Randiego]

Jeff,

Nash painted the insides of their engine blocks.  It looks like yours has remnants of the original factory applied paint.  I think that the original engine color was a shade of red.  One thing about painting the inside of the block......if the paint is applied to a cleaned surface, it prevents oxidation on the interior of the block.   I know that was a practice  manufacturers did to keep the oxidation from forming on the inside of the engine.  

 

As you mentioned, there aren't a whole lot of Nash Healeys around.  Anything that you do to enhance the car is money in the bank. We will be watching (and waiting) to see this car transformed.

 

Randy 

[Restorer32]

There is a fellow relatively near us who has 80, yes 80!, Nash Healeys and No he will not sell even one.

[Luv2Wrench]

46 minutes ago, Restorer32 said:

There is a fellow relatively near us who has 80, yes 80!, Nash Healeys and No he will not sell even one.

I believe you're talking about Leonard McGrady.  He and his son also reproduce some parts for them and I'll certainly be buying a few.

[Restorer32]

That's him.  He also has 4 Healeys that ran at LeMans in the 1950s. All identical, still have the numbers on the doors.  Client of ours wanted to buy one of the 4, have us restore it and enter it in the Historic races at LeMans. Offered Leonard basically "name your price" and would have paid a ridiculous price for one of the cars but no deal. Leonard also has a Spohn bodied car but I was unable to look at it closely.

[1912Staver]

There are some real characters in this hobby, but 80 Nash Healeys ?? That has to border on a true disorder. It also means that 50 or more people who might become holders of knowledge about these cars are locked out of participation. And the price of those left in general ownership rises beyond all but the few's reach. 

It's not like owning 80 Corvettes, there are tens of thousands more out there. 

[Luv2Wrench]

18 minutes ago, 1912Staver said:

There are some real characters in this hobby, but 80 Nash Healeys ?? That has to border on a true disorder. It also means that 50 or more people who might become holders of knowledge about these cars are locked out of participation. And the price of those left in general ownership rises beyond all but the few's reach. 

It's not like owning 80 Corvettes, there are tens of thousands more out there. 

I definitely understand that feeling.  I would note that the father and son are also a great source of knowledge and one of the few if not only source of reproduction parts.  He's making parts that fail out of stainless which is a huge lifesaver so maybe that cancels out the hoard factor a bit.   I will certainly make sure I spread the knowledge I acquire as far as possible.

Edited November 7, 2022 by Luv2Wrench (see edit history)

[Luv2Wrench]

Finally got the block cleaned up and ready for paint.  I took out the ridge at the top of the cylinders and gave them a light hone.  I measured the cylinders with a bore gauge and found 2.5 to 5 thousandths wear side to side and less than a thou front to back. I was a little surprised the wear was not more significant and I'm hopeful that a hone and new rings will give the engine a new life.

 

I dropped the radiator off at the radiator place and the news was not good.  The brass is "rotten" and the radiator is basically junk.  They were able to get it sealed such that it would hold water but will not warranty it nor work on it again.  I was advised to find another radiator.  I had a suspicion this was the case because it looked like the radiator, head and water pump were full of Stop Leak.  It took me forever to get that stuff cleared out.  Hopefully the radiator will last long enough for me to find another solution.  In the AMC 327 conversion "book" Carl talked about how the Nash Healey radiator was fine but yet talked about how it overheated at idle on a hot day.  I noted that he reference 85 degrees F as hot... my how things have changed.   I think I'll be replacing the radiator with something modern when/if I swap the 327 in and I'll do my best to make it look period correct.  Absolute worst case scenario is I can get a modern core and build a brass tank to go on top that looks like the original radiator.

 

The valve guide seals are no longer available (like a lot of stuff on this engine) so I took one apart to see how it was made.  The Nash Technical Reference Manual described it and it was indeed just like that.  A felt seal at the top holds oil for initial lubrication while a neoprene seal below controls oil on the valve.  These two pieces are stuck inside a thimble of sorts and that goes over the top of the guide.  I soaked the felt in oil and it appears to be usable again.  I was able to find the neoprene seal at McMaster Carr.  I'll finish putting those together tomorrow and will put the valves back in.

 

I took the alternator apart to see what condition it is in.  It squealed pretty bad when I tried rotating it by hand.  It was a bugger to get apart but I managed.  Once apart everything looked pretty good.  I found a bearing in the front and ordered a new one.  It should arrive this weekend or early next week. I'll go ahead and clean up the wiring, stator, rotator,  brushes and get it painted.  Once I get the bearing I should be able to put it together and I expect it will work fine.

 

The compression rings and main bearings came today.  I haven't heard a word from the eBay seller I bought the oil rings from and I'm getting a little nervous about that.   Rod bearings should be here by end of the week.  If the oil rings show up I should have what I need to start putting the engine back together. 

 

I went through the list of things I still need to do for a "driver" and it is rather long.  Gas tank, brakes, wiring, torque tube trunnion, chassis lube, etc.   I'l admit the "get it running" has turned into something closer to a mechanical restoration.   I don't think that's a problem but it is going to take some time.

 

[pvfjr]

Very cool project! I'll be following along.  It's nice to see something different.  I wish our local car shows had more diversity. It seems like it's 90% Mustangs and Chevelles these days. 

[Luv2Wrench]

Fun story on the oil rings I purchased from an eBay seller.  Never got a "thanks for buying email".  Never got a "your item has shipped email".  Sent 2 messages asking about when item would ship and never got a reply.  However... the rings arrived yesterday but in two big boxes.  One big box contained, of course, the small box for the rings for one piston.  The other big box contained the small box for the rings for the other piston.  I'm not kidding.    To make this even more fun... today I got a message saying the items had shipped and would be here tomorrow.  

 

The rubber seals I ordered for refurbishing the valve guide seal turned out to be a little too thick and the ID was a bit too big.  On Friday ordered 4 more types from McMaster Carr and spent two hours driving over the and back to get them.  Fortunately 1 of the 4 fit perfectly.  

 

Yesterday I applied some rust converter to various areas on the car.  It worked very well.  It is nice to see the black instead of rust and gives a bit of peace of mind that the rust is not going to get worse.  This morning I rolled the car out of the shop to get some room.  I took the time to clean things up a bit and get a bit better organized.  I managed to paint the bellhousing, fans blades and front pulley assembly.  

 

With the valve guides refurbished it was time to install the valves. I got that done in a reasonable amount of time and then switched to getting the pistons cleaned up.  The ring grooves had serious carbon build up and it took forever to get them all cleaned. It was worth the effort as they cleaned up well and are ready to go.  I installed all the tappets and slid the camshaft in place.  Tomorrow I'll put the rings on the pistons, install the main bearings, timing chain and pistons.  If things go well I might be able to get the head on.  I still have to finish rebuilding the alternator and fuel pump as well as paint the starter.   There's still a lot left to do but at least we're moving in the right direction!

 

 

[Bloo]

27 minutes ago, Luv2Wrench said:

However... the rings arrived yesterday but in two big boxes.  One big box contained, of course, the small box for the rings for one piston.  The other big box contained the small box for the rings for the other piston.  I'm not kidding.

Just rings for 2 pistons?

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

Looking good. Mike

[Luv2Wrench]

9 hours ago, Bloo said:

Just rings for 2 pistons?

Sorry, that is confusing.  From the eBay seller I purchased 2 ring "sets" with each set containing 2 oil rings for a total of 4 oil rings.  I was able to find 2 other oil rings earlier so I needed those 4 to have enough.  I was able to buy all the compression rings, 1st and 2nd, as well.  The Nash piston has 2 compression rings and 2 oil rings.  The first oil ring is like a standard oil ring.  The second oil ring is a "U-Flex" oil ring.  I was not able to find those so I'll be reusing the ones that came on the piston.  

Edited November 13, 2022 by Luv2Wrench (see edit history)