jensenracing77 Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Just got home from the 1300 mile trip to get my next Jetfire project. This is going to be a short term project. The goal is to make it a road worthy reliable car. I will restore most everything under the hood. I want it to look very nice there as that is the main draw to these cars. Other than that, I will just be detailing and polishing as much as possible. All the interior will come out and be cleaned. I understand the seat covers are backordered for 6 months or longer. For now I will clean these and use them. The carpet is nice enough that I will just recolor it and reuse it. The replacement carpets for these cars are not very good and then the 4 speed adds a larger hump and there are no carpets for that. The guy I got it from has not heard it run since around 1992 and wanted to hear it run again. I took some tools and got it to fire up a few times on just a carburetor full of gas so he could hear it run again. This is not an original paint car but it does not appear to have any bad body work and there really is no rust that is serious anyplace. One place on the passenger inner fenderwell but it is an easy fix. The floor pans are fantastic! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 Don't laugh to hard at my really poor video but the last half of this video is when I fired it up for him. I actually done much more to it before firing it up but not that much of prestart is on video. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 I bought this car with no keys. I was hoping that there were numbers on the lock cylinders to get some made. Well, On the way home we were at a gas station and I was looking around the car. I noticed something in the fuel door. I pull it out and what do you know!!!!! My lucky day. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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jensenracing77 Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 I pulled the interior out and cleaned the floors and trunk pan today. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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keiser31 Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 (edited) You might be able to get an interior kit from Legendary Interiors. May be the same as Chevelle or Nove. Edited February 6 by keiser31 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Super cool! Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 I picked this turbo up a couple years ago. It was rebuilt in 1984 and never used. I pulled it apart to have a look. Other than dried assembly oil, it looked really good. I am repainting it and will use it for this car. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE POLLARD Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Very cool !! Looks to be in great shape ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 On 2/8/2023 at 8:32 PM, STEVE POLLARD said: Very cool !! Looks to be in great shape ! So far I have been very pleased with it. Had a couple surprises but nothing to bad yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 Pulled the engine, transmission and front suspension out today. Tomorrow I will do a compression test and a leak down test. At this point I do not plan to rebuild the engine. Just clean, detail, paint pieces and make reliable. I will be replacing the gaskets as well. May have to pull the lifters apart and clean them as well. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MERRILL Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Now that is the way, remove everything in one assembly, the reverse of the way the factory did assembly. This will make life a lot easier to repair, clean and paint !! Merrill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 7 hours ago, MERRILL said: Now that is the way, remove everything in one assembly, the reverse of the way the factory did assembly. This will make life a lot easier to repair, clean and paint !! Merrill For sure. I see people struggle pulling just the engine on these cars because it is a tight fit coming out the top. For the same amount of struggle you can have it all out the bottom but now you have easy access to everything. I have a lift at home and a crane at work so it makes it even easier for me but even if I had to block it up with jacks and a cherry picker I would still do it this way. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Model56s Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Nice find, I'll be watching this project. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike "Hubbie" Stearns Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 I don’t want to sound like a you know what, but you shouldn’t use tie down straps for lifting. They aren’t designed for that. Lifting straps aren’t that expensive and are so much safer. Proper rigging should be a must. I’ve seen it first hand when things have gone wrong. We seem to say it’s not going to happen to me. It might not this time, but it will at some point. I do like your find. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 2 hours ago, Mike "Hubbie" Stearns said: I don’t want to sound like a you know what, but you shouldn’t use tie down straps for lifting. They aren’t designed for that. Lifting straps aren’t that expensive and are so much safer. Proper rigging should be a must. I’ve seen it first hand when things have gone wrong. We seem to say it’s not going to happen to me. It might not this time, but it will at some point. I do like your find. Mike I totally understand but it is only lifting about 600 lbs. The front of the car does not weigh anything without the engine and suspension. each of the two straps are 2000 rating so 4000 total. I would typically use something else but I left it at home. I doubled them up for safety but one would have made it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 I was not going to pull the heads but decided to reseal the valves. There is zero compression groove at the tops of the cylinders. I will clean it all up and reseal the heads and start putting it back together. I still need to pull the timing cover. I will put a new timing set in it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike "Hubbie" Stearns Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 7 hours ago, jensenracing77 said: I totally understand but it is only lifting about 600 lbs. The front of the car does not weigh anything without the engine and suspension. each of the two straps are 2000 rating so 4000 total. I would typically use something else but I left it at home. I doubled them up for safety but one would have made it. I do understand, but I don’t want to see anyone get hurt or worse. I just don’t do it. I do all lifting as safe as possible. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 Pulled the heads apart and done a light cleaning of the heads. The valve guides are fantastic! I will clean up the valves tomorrow and reseal them. Hopefully they can just be lapped in. Without cleaning them up, so far they look perfectly fine and no wear. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 17 Author Share Posted February 17 Cleaning on the engine some. I pulled the cam to find more wear than expected. I had already resealed the valves and now have to replace the cam so it would be silly to not just do the entire thing. Called Mark at D&D aluminum V-8 and he had the cam, lifters, rings and timing set all in stock. So I will be doing a full rebuild now. I do have some pieces and parts bead blasted and painted. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 17 Author Share Posted February 17 Started pulling everything off from under the hood to get ready to repaint all the black. This is not a restoration quality job but most people would not know when they see it done. Bead blasted more parts and ready to paint. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 So this car was already a unibody car, that’s cool. Got to love that view underneath the hood. Surprised none of the Corvair guys have chimed in with the whole “Which came first, the chicken or the egg” thing! Got to give the fellow olds owner some love. Olds never gets the respect it should get. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 On 2/18/2023 at 10:32 AM, chistech said: So this car was already a unibody car, that’s cool. Got to love that view underneath the hood. Surprised none of the Corvair guys have chimed in with the whole “Which came first, the chicken or the egg” thing! Got to give the fellow olds owner some love. Olds never gets the respect it should get. lol, I actually like the back and forth between the two models. I think it brings them both more attention. In the end it don't much matter what one was first, both were ahead of their time. That said, Oldsmobile was first, lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 Fresh parts washing fluid and the block is apart. Waiting on my parts to come in and will take the block to the machine shop to have a proper hone job done. It will get moly rings so I would rather not do it by hand. I am sure I would be fine with a fine 3 finger hone but I figure at this point, why... I have a terrible time getting rope seals to seal proper and there is no two piece available so I am seriously thinking about letting them install the crank. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 22 Author Share Posted February 22 None of the machine shops could get me in for a month or two so I honed it myself. Started with 220 and went to 400. The cylinders turned out fantastic! Got it cleaned up but still need to clean it with soap and water and blow it dry. Hope to have the engine together by Saturday nigh. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 24 Author Share Posted February 24 Done the final cleaning of the block yesterday. Blew it as dry as I could and then set it on the wood stove to fully dry. Also have the rocker shafts cleaned up. It seams the shafts are always full of sludge no matter how well the engine was taken care of. I started cleaning the ring grooves in the pistons tonight and will finish that tomorrow and then do the final cleaning of the pistons and rods. Would like to install the rings tomorrow night as well. Not sure it will happen but I plan to have this engine done Saturday before I leave for a mens meeting at Church at 6 pm. I suppose I may have to finish Sunday after Church. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 Wanted to be done with the engine today but had something else come up. Will finish it over the coming days. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yj4000 Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 This is a great project! You don't waste any time. Looking forward to more. Ryan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 Got the oil pump and oil pan on. Added oil and primed the pump till oil come out all the rockers. Working on the intake manifold and getting it ready. Bead blasted the intake bolts but need to phosphate those before I install it. Hope to do that tomorrow on lunch and put the intake on when I get home. Still waiting on the balancer to come back. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 I picked up this turbo a couple years back. it had been rebuilt by a place in Canada in 1984. I have seen some really junk rebuilds on these things before but I chanced it anyway. I pulled it apart and to my surprise, it was fantastic inside! They must have rebuilt it when the seal was still available from TRW because it is new and not a cobbled together aftermarket one. I repainted it to look more original and put most of it back together. Still need to put a controller together for it. The carburetor and fluid injection I had already built and had on my 62 4 speed car before I took that car apart to restore it. This "was" going to be the new carburetor setup for that car but then decided to do another one that would look even better for the 62. So with this carburetor sitting around and this turbo sitting around, I made a full system out of it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yj4000 Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 That looks fantastic! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nailbitten Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 I would give a left to have one of those turbo 4 epeed Olds.WOW! How many cubes is the engine? Flat tops probably put the compression up good for back in the day? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 46 minutes ago, Nailbitten said: I would give a left to have one of those turbo 4 epeed Olds.WOW! How many cubes is the engine? Flat tops probably put the compression up good for back in the day? It is a 215 aluminum V-8. With the turbo it was 215 HP and 301 torque. Sadly, the stock cam is not available in any form. The cam was worn so I had to put a higher performance cam in it. It is nothing crazy at all but I would have preferred stock. The factory compression is 10.25 and I went to a slightly thicker head gasket. Should be closer to 10.0 compression. With the 6.5 PSI boost, it has to have the factory water injection working. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nailbitten Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 2 hours ago, jensenracing77 said: It is a 215 aluminum V-8. With the turbo it was 215 HP and 301 torque. Sadly, the stock cam is not available in any form. The cam was worn so I had to put a higher performance cam in it. It is nothing crazy at all but I would have preferred stock. The factory compression is 10.25 and I went to a slightly thicker head gasket. Should be closer to 10.0 compression. With the 6.5 PSI boost, it has to have the factory water injection working. That's too cool.Goodluck with ur resto 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenracing77 Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 Getting there. Will start working on repainting under the hood soon. Get it all back together and then go to the brakes and rear end gear oil. Seat covers are still backordered so putting that together will likely be last. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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