Off Season Plan

[KenDemp]

Seems as though the cool weather is the norm now, so I guess it's time to start the off season. I had a good summer, for the most part, getting the car running reliably.

I have a few things I want to knock off the list this winter, and wanted to put them up for discussion. I am really just seeking input, ideas, thoughts on prioritizing, etc.

My big items on the to-do are the new wiring harness. I got one from PaulA but didn't get around to putting it in, as I wanted to maximize my driving time in the good weather. I was also thinking about fabricating a walnut dash along with this project. I have done some woodworking, and have the shop equipment to do a reasonable job on this.

Also, I plan to rebuild the floors on the passenger side. There are some other small sheet metal repairs to be done, bottom of the spare tire well for example.

The splines on my wheels and hubs are, I think, completely trashed. I want to have a little more flexibility in wheel choice eventually, so I was planning on replacing the hubs with 4-lugs. I think I have a rear end, front hubs and set of wheels sourced reasonably local.

Here is where I think I need a little more input: The engine, I think, is running great. I did a compression test, and the #1 cylinder has about 135 psi, and the 2, 3, &4 have about 150. Is this enough difference to worry about at this point? or should this be a priority to figure it out?

Also, I noticed the oil cooler has been bypassed by a PO. It looks like one of the connectors in the cooler itself has been damaged and knocked loose, so I assume it is bypassed to avoid catastrophic oil spilling. The motor runs cool. Is getting an operable oil cooler a priority?

Thanks for any/all input.

 

[puff4]

Cranking pressure for your car should be 175-185, so your motor's a little tired. The difference between 135-150 is kind of on the borderline... you want no more than a 10% difference between cylinders and you're right on the line, so that's not particularly great news either.

Try injecting about a teaspoon of gear oil into the clylinder and cranking it with the throttle wide open and the distributor-to-coil high tension lead disconnected. Note your figures. If you see a significant increase in cranking pressures you're looking at tired rings. If there's no change, then make yourself a pressure adaptor... take an old spark plug, knock the ceramic guts out of it, twist off the electrode and tap the metal housing for an air fitting (1/2 NPT)... screw in a standard air hose fitting and install the adaptor in the plug hole... with that piston at TDC, clip an air hose onto the adapter and listen for leakage. If you hear it in the intake or carbs you've got a bad intake valve, and if you hear it at the tailpipe you've got a bad exhaust valve.

The oil cooler is not necessary. The factory oil cooler isn't terribly effective anyway.

 

[KenDemp]

Thanks Kevin, as always.

You lost me on the air adapter though. It's probably something that will be easy to wrap my brain around if I see a picture. Off to google I go...

 

[puff4]

Thanks Kevin, as always.

You lost me on the air adapter though. It's probably something that will be easy to wrap my brain around if I see a picture. Off to google I go...

OK, so here you go:

I added a valve to mine to make it easy to turn the air on and off at the plug and to regulate just a small amount of air as needed. Note the base is just a spark plug with the guts removed, then threaded using a pipe tap, then the valve and hose bib are screwed in. Works a treat.

 

[KenDemp]

Ok, now I get it... I was lost on what I was listening to. The air goes INTO the plug adapter! Now it all makes perfect sense.

Thanks again

 

[puff4]

Ok, now I get it... I was lost on what I was listening to. The air goes INTO the plug adapter!

Yes... and with any luck, it doesn't come out... anywhere!

BTW, I forgot to mention... you can also listen at the oil fill to hear if the rings are leaking, too. That simple little tool can tell you a lot about the internal condition of the motor.

 

[puff4]

Oh, yeah... and I should note, as it just occurred to me... I have one of the later heads that has no spark plug tubes - it's cast and more open in that area. If you've got a tube-head then you may want to make this tool with a short piece of pipe threaded between the spark plug body and the valve, or else you won't be able to twist the valve.

 

[Paul N.]

Try injecting about a teaspoon of gear oil into the clylinder and cranking it with the throttle wide open and the distributor-to-coil high tension lead disconnected.

Best to connect it from the coil to an earthed spark plug. If you don't, the HT may track at the coil and leave a carbon route for future problems. Even worse, the insulation may break down inside the coil. Either way, it's not worth the risk.

Far simpler to remove one of the LT leads at the coil or crank the engine with the ignition off by using the button on the starter solenoid if you have one old enough to still have the button.