7 MORE WEEKS! Not sure if I can make it…
I had so many things to iron out with build last year, looking forward to an uninterrupted 2019 season. Hoping to enjoy her 50th birthday year trouble free (knock on wood)
Silver cad painted lower a-arms (foreground), plated bushing blocks and other small items in the garage, bolted some items on the firewall. All sub-assemblies have been R&Rd, the goal is engine install in two weeks.
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I’ll bet when you turn those on it looks like you hung the Sun in the garage. 
Hi John
Is the engine going in thru the top like the book shows?
Hi Guys.
Working on this 68 1.5 that came with my late uncles farm we bought 10 years ago. He bought the car in 1997 ( 95% restored I remember him saying) But he never once drove it, and loved tearing things apart. Wish I had asked more questions about it when he was alive. I have found many of the pieces in various buildings, but not all. Interior was mostly ripped out, although i have found most of it, and in reasonable shape. I think the conversion to triple SU’s was something he was in the process of doing. (Not done before him)
So today ( on topic) I have been working on 1 of the carbs. Stuck throttle shaft, damper etc. I found a rebuild kit under a pile of garbage in a different building.
Trying to see if we can get it to run, before fixing everything to the max.
Think it would be cool to have it running beside it’s 50 year younger sibling.
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A carb rebuild kit or all three? I certainly wouldn’t do just one if it’s been sitting around. Also be aware that some of the aftermarket kits that were being sold in previous decades had diaphragm jets of the wrong dimension that would cause them to run way too rich, and also issues with needle dimensions. To make matters worse, the rubber bits aren’t likely to be Viton and won’t hold up to ethanol. In short, I probably wouldn’t waste my time with that particular old item unless it’s not really very old.
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You are right. It is just like wotking outside on a sunny day. No annoying shadows like you get with halogens. My vision is not as good as it once was so they help a lot.
Hi Benny,
No, I removed it through the bottom and that’s how it will return. Rear tires are on steel ramps, just lift front frame with hf lift & webbing, slide engine and trans in on hb furniture dolly.
Best,
Hi John
Sounds like a practical way to remove the engine if you don’t have a lift. I hope I never have to do that. But if I do I might follow your method. When you’re ready to remove the engine can you post pictures.
Thanks
Benny
Today I installed Chrome mild steel resonators in place of the Stainless ones that are turning gold.
I wish I had saved the originals and just had them re-chromed.
plus I never liked the cherry bomb style of the Bell resonators.
I will post pics of engine and new original ac install. Through-the-bottom method is well described in the archives and I think the most popular method among posters on this forum.
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I found the cause of the erratic oil pressure I was seeing in my OTS.
The bottom chain tensioner came apart. The little cylinder pushed the rubber slipper off the backing plate. There can’t be very much pressure on the joint between the cylinder and backing plate, so the part has to have been defective. The chain wore a good sized hole in the end of the cylinder and all of the little pieces ended up in the sump. Some of the spring bits found their way into the oil pump, left imprints on the inner rotor, and cracked the outer rotor.
Hey Ed. Was that an original or replacement lower chain tensioner? The originals seldom fail but some repops have a bad reputation.
Yup first thing I thought of was “Rolon”. I guess this is proof that the oil pump doesn’t make a good disposal. Did it not make a tremendous racket Ed? I would have though that would be the first tell rather than the oil pressure.
I believe I’ll be using my 50 yr old ones
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Hi Nick.
Most likely this one was not original. It would have been installed around 15 years and 50k miles ago. I’ve heard about issues with the repros failing and sure don’t want this to happen again. Do you have any suggestions?
This incident trashed the main bearings and scored the crank. The plus side is pistons, bores, and rods appear to be fine. Another plus, all of the other work, including a proactive rebuild of the 5 speed, that can be done with the engine out.
And, yup Erica & Steve. If I had an original, I’d sure put it in. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the bond between the backing plate and the rubber shoe on an aftermarket part just failed. Early in life I had experience molding pvc to steel in the auto industry and it wasn’t an easy thing to get right. In this case it looks like the fit between the cylinder and the backing plate must have been very loose, as the cylinder protruded through the opposite face of the plate and the bond wasn’t strong enough to hold the rubber in place. Of course, maybe the shoe fell off before the cylinder moved.
As far as the noise, it wasn’t a quiet engine, but I guess I must have gotten used to it. I’m getting hard of hearing too.
The better usuals are aware of the Rolon issues and should have alternatives on offer. I’d suggest having a one on one telephone conversation with one of their sales reps before purchasing a replacement. It’s not that all Rolons fail - there are many rebuilt engines, including mine, with them installed - but their annectdotal failure rate is high. When I pull the timing cover this summer to address the repop upper timing chain damper failure I’ll be putting back the original lower damper.
How did the debris make it past the filter to the crank bearings?
There was a thread about this last year. Apparently the best brand to look for is Renold but it doesn’t have a 100% perfect record either. Rolon has many well known failures though