The Blue Turd(le)

[Deaf Bob]

Wow! I'da derby this one and drive the one I got my flatbed motor out of... It is parts storage now, to be derbied one day..
Wagons have the bigger bolt pattern rims, sedans have the smaller pattern.. How cool is that??

[SuperBuickGuy]

That'll happen after I win the lottery. I have too many spare engines sitting around now to go learning another new-to-me architecture. I have enough spares that I could put a second motor in each vehicle and still have left over.

I prefer the term pack-rat to hoarder.

use the word "investment"
in a sentence, I'm investing in motors against a future shortage because of electric cars/zombie attack

[68scott385]

6bt Cummins fits..

That'll happen after I win the lottery. I have too many spare engines sitting around now to go learning another new-to-me architecture. I have enough spares that I could put a second motor in each vehicle and still have left over.

I prefer the term pack-rat to hoarder.

[68scott385]

all for naught

as in naught, nary, zero.

I have been wondering about a big wagon (LTD) for a Powerstroke. I wonder how a duramax would fit in there.

Yes, literally chased my tail with this thing.

[68scott385]

that doesn't answer my "why" question... it can't need to pass any meaningful smog regs now...

Oh, that why? Because I thought I could keep it stock until I was ready for a transformation. Maybe see what kind of mileage the CCC would yield. I can tell you that the C without the CC only supplied 7.5mpg.

See?

I've just got to 12/12 so far. Other events creep up that affect my directive decisions.

[Bob Holmes]

Ah, I know this story well...

[tardis454]

6bt Cummins fits..

[Beagle]

all for naught

as in naught, nary, zero.

I have been wondering about a big wagon (LTD) for a Powerstroke. I wonder how a duramax would fit in there.

[SuperBuickGuy]

They were dry-rotted, cracked, broken, deteriorated, etc. It was all for not, but I have an abundance of spare vacuum line.

You'd be surprised how many times I've caught myself in reflection with this camera.

that doesn't answer my "why" question... it can't need to pass any meaningful smog regs now...

[68scott385]

When you go to the salvage yard to pick up the new gear set grab a new cover and forget drilling out the old plug. That plug IS in the cover, isn't it?

Dan

No, it's in the housing. It's done, that was NYE 2011. Gears replaced 9/12ish.

[68scott385]

The radiator cap was toast but the rest of the system held pressure. I had a suitable cap on hand, bought for another vehicle in probably '94 or '95. After six months or so the radiator sprung a leak. It was a small task to find a metal one as most suppliers are using the plastic tank on aluminum core model these days. I prefer all metal as I've replaced several plastic/aluminum radiators over the years because they leaked at the o-ring(s).

I hadn't yet decided what engine would replace the 307 so the replacement radiator was the same size as the stock unit. At the same time I replaced the thermostat, both radiator hoses and the three v-belts.

Later in the year (2012) I thought it would be cool if I could find a big block Olds to replace the 307, since bbo & sbo aren't as obviously different as Chevy motors, and keep the stockish appearance under the hood. That quest can be found here>>http://www.bangshift.com/forum/showt...n-block-wanted

Then the battery died.

And an exhaust donut gasket that had disappeared.

And the right front turn signal socket that wouldn't stay grounded.

And the ignition lock & tumbler set that was worn well past its usefulness.

And the tailgate needed some attention to function both as a door and as a tailgate.

And the loose u-joints.

And when the we went to replace the ring & pinion, the axles were heavily worn in the bearing area. Moser "street axles" are competitively priced with replacement axles for normal street cars. I wanted to keep the same gear ratio because this is/was to be a family driver, I can live with slower acceleration to get/keep fuel mileage on this one. So now it has Richmond 3.23 gears and Moser street axles.

Remember when I said the bolt pattern information would come in handy? This is it. The rear end in this car has the larger axle bearings like my '97 C1500 and the smaller 28 spline drive end like my '75 Monte Carlo. I have read the procedure to set up rear gears but have never done it or have all the quickie tools to do so. I paid a trusted mechanic to do the work. http://www.bilbreyracing.com/ This guy and his staff have taken care of the big things I cannot. I have dome business with these guys since 2007 and am satisfied with their work. Anyway, the axles had to be special ordered to get them right. The first set sent weren't right, and the first set of gear delivered had to be returned as well. For some reason the axles came with metric studs instead of the 1/2"x20s like the old axles, to match the front. With a little research and some measuring I drilled the stud holes out to fit the factory studs and installed the factory studs in the Moser axles. Yes, I completely voided any warranty that may have existed.

Then on the way home the brake line that follows the frame to the rear end sprung a leak and left a nice spot at the end of my driveway. After replacing about four feet of brake line I had a hell of a time getting the brakes bled. Once the brakes were bled and felt good the transmission started leaking.

And leaking, and leaking. I replaced all the seal one can with the trans in the car. Then it was determined that the input seal was leaking too so the trans came out. The torque converter needed to be replaced due to wear in the seal area. The front pump is worn but serviceable for the time being. After being sealed up and reinstalled the trans still leaked. The exhaust had a small leak in a metal tube that connected to the catalytic converter that directed exhaust gas at the trans and caused an o-ring to harden on one side and leak. That was fixed but the trans still leaks.

[DanStokes]

When you go to the salvage yard to pick up the new gear set grab a new cover and forget drilling out the old plug. That plug IS in the cover, isn't it?

Dan

[68scott385]

I don't know about anyone else but when I get a new-to-me vehicle I go through things to check their serviceability and state of maintenance. It was obvious this vehicle had not been maintained well so a basic fluids change and tune-up was high on my priority list. That's when I spent several hours on New Years Eve on my back trying to drill out the differential housing fill plug. It all started out innocently as a drain/inspect/fill routine. And this was the delight I was greeted with once the rear cover was off.

[68scott385]

This car was equipped with air shocks as part of a towing package. There is a sticker on the door jam, like it was installed as a dealer add-on or some place besides a previous owners driveway. They both were totally blown when I got the car. That was the first parts group to get replaced. I put regular shocks on the rear. It always looked like the rear was sagging, like the springs were weak so I decided to put overload springs on it. It raised the rear some but not excessive, IMO. This is the difference in static height between the factory springs and the Moog cargo springs.

[68scott385]

hmmmm... I'm confused - are you replacing the vacuum lines? why?

still, neat car bonus now you have some selfies for the Christmas card picture

They were dry-rotted, cracked, broken, deteriorated, etc. It was all for not, but I have an abundance of spare vacuum line.

You'd be surprised how many times I've caught myself in reflection with this camera.