52: Wayne 70 Gas Pump

As if Abbey is not enough, TD added a new item to his garage workshop and found this beauty at a local auction:

Not impressive, and definitely not beautiful

This is a vintage 1940s era Wayne 70 Gas pump, but I wasn't impressed with it. 

At all. 
Not even a little bit. 

Not to be discouraged, TD explained how beautiful it could be. 

Still not impressed

So I went online and saw this:

Another Wayne 70

That was refurbished to become this:

Okay this is impressive

Whoa. That's a good looking pump!

Here's the deal, you can make these into whatever brand you like! Parts are readily available, and there are tons of gas pump junkies out there to assist if you hit a snag in the rebuild. Who knew?

So now I'm a believer and enjoy watching TD take apart and begin the task of our his vintage Wayne 70 makeover. 

Abbey will look good parked next to it. 

I'm always thinking in terms of Abbey photo ops, but TD thinks of it in terms of the BEST MAN CAVE ADDITION EVER!

51: Painting the Dashboard Among Other Things

So where have we been? What's been happening?

Well, while the 261 engine is out for the rebuild, TD has been very busy. 

He rebuilt the starter and painted it. 

Rebuilt the generator and painted it. 

Touched up paint around the upper cowl vent. 

Painted the engine compartment. 

Cleaned and painted the engine mounts. I just have to say...that was a horrendous mess. (Think 65 years of grime) 

Rewired absolutely everything. 

Replaced the hoses on the interior and engine compartment. 

Replaced gaskets for the upper cowl vent and reworked the handle so it opens and closes smoothly. Actually, he's done so much it would take up the entire page to list it all out. 

Currently, we decided that since the dash was staring at us and naked and empty, it was a good time to (Gasp) attack it with paint.  

Because we have no plans at present to completely paint the entire interior, TD began the huge job of covering everything - which was no small job. These precise moments are why I'm glad he is a Virgo and fastidious with the huge job of taping everything off.  

This was tedious.

Ghost Truck 

After sanding and priming the dash, he farmed out the paint job to a really great guy who came to the house and did the deed. This guy was a real pro. 

So crisp and pretty. Next comes the reassembly. 

For anyone wanting to attack small paint jobs on the dash like radio grills or glove box doors, go find "automotive masking tape" and use that. Regular masking tape should not be used because paint will actually deteriorate the edges leaving you jagged paint lines when you are done. 1/4" automotive tape can be found at your local parts store (or online if you want to wait for delivery) and is a godsend when taping off thin lines. 

See? Shiny and Sharp. 

Some people actually opt to paint the entire glove box door a solid color but we like the pizzazz of the natural polished stainless steel lines. 

The inside brackets for the windshield were also painted and when all is back together the entire dash area should look pretty dang sharp. 

50: 216 / 235 / 261 Engines: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Recently, things got pretty interesting. It's been a roller-coaster ride. 

We made the decision to pull the old 216 straight-6 engine and set it aside. 

The Good:
Next we found and purchased a 235 straight-6 out of state. It had already been rebuilt, so we made the plans and GREAT effort to get it shipped out to us. Exciting!

Receiving the Crated Engine

The Bad:
It had not been rebuilt, and people are dishonest. 
(TD had a beer and I had a White Russian)

The Ugly:
...and, though the guy thought he had a 235 it was not. 
(Then we opened the wine)

More of The Good:
The engine was a 261!  

Let's Recap: 
Abbey's old engine was a 216
Abbey's new engine was supposed to be a 235
Abbey's ACTUAL new engine is a 261 

What are all these numbers and what do they mean you ask, and why was there any confusion in the first place? Ahhh, identifying the differences between engines is key and this little article from Stovebolt Tech Tips explains it all. Truly. Normally I'd take the time to explain the differences but Stovebolt did it best.  

Even More Good: 
The overall condition of the 261 was actually in much better shape than the old 216, and though a rebuild is definitely happening, it is still a lesser task than getting Abbey's old engine up to speed. (Pun intended) 

So long story short, we thought we were getting a 235 but got a 261 =  Great
We thought it was rebuilt but it wasn't = Bad
It will be overhauled and painted = Great!

Side Note: 

Not all people will take you in, just do your best when purchasing. In case you wonder, we did get photos, and we did have conversations prior to purchasing. I won't say the "spidey sense" didn't tingle once or twice, but overall, we put our trust out there and this time it went sour. Bad things happen, move on. Just don't be afraid to take a leap once in a while. 

Also: As always I have to reiterate, Abbey will still retain her vintage good looks, but her engine will be more suited to our current driving needs. (She's not pulling stumps any more!)

49: Wiring Harness and Dashboard

Abbey came to us with a new wiring harness in a box. Now that the engine is out and TD is painting the engine compartment he also decided it is a good time to set that wiring harness into play. The harness looks confusing, and the mass of spliced wires inside the truck cab looks even harder to decipher, but with the proper reference guides it is not all that difficult. 

Note: TD found some of the old wiring in the engine area spliced and held together with duct tape. Don't do that.

Spaghetti Junction

With the dash off, it is also a good time to replace those old heater hoses because....

...I don't think they provided much heat. 

Turn signals will work again, as will parking lights, tail lights, headlamps and all things dashboard related. Yay!

This may also be a good time to clean up the dash and possibly repaint it. *gasp* The dash paint is worn through in a few spots and the fronts of the glove box, center speaker grille and ashtray cover look very tired. Some of what you see below is dust, some is wear, and some is plain old oxidation. 

Dash Before

Dash During...

Repainting is scary. Where to start, where to stop, how much do you want to do, how much will you HAVE to do. Honestly, if we were not doing all the wiring and hadn't taken the dash apart we'd probably leave it as-is and just give it a good compound rub and and live with the worn areas, but staring at gaping holes and knowing this is the perfect time to attack such a thing makes beginning the task much easier. 

Maybe. 

48: Happy Birthday Abbey

This month Abbey is 65 years old!

Like many of her human friends the same age, Abbey is experiencing things like low pressure and clogged arteries. 

Fortunately for her, our gift is: The Gift of Life.

We found a considerable amount of sludge and rust that held us hostage inside her lines, block, and head and if you read the previous posts you will understand the measures TD is taking to correct all of it.

There will be no major face lift, we like her natural good looks. 

When he is through, Abbey will run great...and TD will need a new project car

...and a bigger garage.

Happy Birthday Old Gal - 65 years young!

47: Abbey's Engine Updates

With the '49 engine yanked out and on the stand, TD has been busy with disassembly. He found rocks in places there should be no rocks, and gunk in places you'd expect for a car that will soon celebrate it's 65th birthday. The Assessment? The valve guides are worn, there are bent push rods, the rocker arms are worn out, as are the rings, the cylinders need to be bored, the crank needs to be ground... and this is where TD stopped and we deliberated. 

Meanwhile for the new transmission:

First we drove out to St. Louis to pick up one from an S10 truck that would work, only to find out it was labeled wrong by the company selling it and it would definitely NOT work so we left empty handed. 

(It's best to consider these disappointing road trips as sightseeing outings.)

Then it was off to Indianapolis where a correct transmission waited for us.

Back home TD again took stock of Abbey's engine condition and how much everything was going to cost once completed and weighed that against how we want her to drive...so he got on Ad Hunt'r (again) and found a completely rebuilt (and even painted) '62 Chevy 235 engine. Though it is located in Idaho, it will still be cheaper (even with shipping costs) than rebuilding the current one -- and -- it's all d-o-n-e, not to mention more reliable. 

FYI: You can just Google "Search all of Craigslist" and get the link to search ALL territories/states for Craigslist - or - you can use Ad Hunt'r and it will pull in not only Craigslist, but Backpage, Kijiji, eBay Classifieds, Gumtree, and Oodle in one spot. Neat!

It has been a busy automotive period.

We're pretty stinkin' excited about this new engine. The owner had yanked it from a  family owned vintage truck and had it rebuilt by an engine company. The idea was to stick it back in but the family decided to beef up the power on their old ride (no big surprise) to a V8 in instead. The rebuilt beauty needed to be sold and was even still on the skid - literally waiting for us to pick it up. 

TD found a great company to pick up and crate the engine and have it shipped to us. (No road trip to Idaho.) 

Take a look at their website and give them a call to help YOU! 

From custom packing, custom crating, vacuum sealing, to you name it...

"From priceless artwork to grandpa’s favorite chair, CW Products can crate your personal or business items, coordinate with interstate or international shippers and ensure your items show up at their destination working and in one piece."

CW Products

www.cwproducts.net

(They're good people!)

46: Engine Rebuild

Finding Abbey and bringing her home was where I experienced my first automotive learning curve. After the monetary exchange and pleasantries, it was time to arrange the transport so my conversation with TD went like this: 

Me:   "Wait, we aren't just going to drive her home now?" 

TD:   "Hahahahaahaaahaa.  No." 

I cannot stress enough that if you do NOT possess in your human auditory senses an ability to hear strange pings and knocks, find someone who does. As I've mentioned before, TD has this ability while I drive on happily hearing nothing. Those little sounds will be your life ring when it comes to diagnosis and repair. 

Also, unless you buy a completely overhauled vehicle, be prepared to tear in to your new acquisition at some point for some reconnaissance work. You are the automotive doctor and your vehicle the patient. All it can do is make sounds and it is up to you to figure it out.  

If all of that sounds fun to you, then you’re on the right track when making your vintage vehicle purchase.

Currently, TD has diagnosed much of Abbey's ailments and is curing her of all ills. Because of the knock he heard last fall, and because of the subsequent missions to find out what the noise was, he provided me with a list of "to-do" items yesterday. 

Much thought, pondering and research occurred as we weighed our time/money/wants accordingly. 

So this week we begin this: 

The Project Triangle

Pull off the hood
Pull off the front end 
Pull out the transmission
Pull engine
Put engine on engine stand
Disassemble engine
Hot tank engine and inspect
Re-build engine
Paint engine
Install valve guides in head
Get new rocker arm shafts
Assemble head
Locate and purchase BW T5 transmission*
Adapt transmission to engine
Install new clutch
Install engine
Install front end sheet metal and install hood
Replace brake shoes on all 4 wheels
Replace steel brake lines
Buy 8 lug wheels and tires (16x6) (235/85 R16)
Get drive shaft modified and balanced

*BW T5 Transmission = awesome

So THIS: 

Me:   "Wait, we aren't just going to drive her home now?" 

TD:   "Hahahahaahaaahaa.  No." 

Now makes even ME laugh. 

Education. It's a beautiful thing. 

45: Detergent Oil vs. Non Detergent Oil = Hot Topic

Definition:  DETERGENT OIL 

In essence, detergent oil was designed to cleanly scrub down your crankcase* and take all that debris to the oil filter. It "suspends" those gunky particles so that they can be taken to the oil filter – and of course the oil filter traps and collects that gunk to help keep the engine clean. It’s the circle of life in engine speak.

*A crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft**

**Crankshaft: Click here to see a neato Wikipedia animated clip explaining what and how it works 

Definition: NON DETERGENT OIL

Non-detergent oil does not hold the particles in suspension so the gunky stuff tends to settle out in the bottom of the oil pan--where theoretically--it would be drained out during a routine oil change. 

Most automobiles built early-on and through the 1940’s did not have oil filters; (This would be Abbey) subsequently, they used the oil available in that day which was non-detergent oil (or just “oil” as detergent oil hadn’t been invented yet). 

The Discussion:

A big problem today is what to use when you get a vintage vehicle, so the rule of thumb is: 

If it doesn’t have an oil filter and you aren’t going to overhaul it, use a non-detergent (or non-suspense) oil … then just wait until a good overhaul to switch over. Or not... (wait, what?)

People who have these old vintage vehicles and use detergent oil before tearing in and completely overhauling an engine may not realize that the newer stuff will probably dissolve that sludge at the bottom of the oil pan and start to circulate all those particles through the engine causing rapid and excessive wear. 

With the low miles that these old cars generally get driven, and with the proper oil the engines should last a long time, but with the wrong oil, the wear will be so rapid on the engines that they will eventually need to be rebuilt, and that can be expensive if you want to stay o-r-i-g-i-n-a-l. 

Let’s face it, you probably won’t be taking the old gal (and by old gal I mean the vehicle) for a cross-country road trip unless you overhauled the engine right?

Seems simple enough, right? Wrong... (What?)

The topic of non-detergent oil vs. detergent oil is a HOT one and everyone weighs in on it. 

A good public discussion thread with many opinions can be found HERE and worth the read. 

Another view offers specifics in favor of non-detergent oils: HERE

You can still buy non-detergent oil from various auto parts stores but you have to ask for it. It will typically be marketed as compressor oil, available in 30W, 40W and some dual weights.

So, to recap:

(1)   No oil filter or not doing a complete rebuild of the engine - use non-detergent oil

(2)   Filter, or just completed an engine rebuild - use detergent oil (Or not)

(3)   Do whatever you want and see what happens, it’s your time and money.

44: Bent Push Rod and Organizing the Parts

Well there's your problem!

TD proudly declared a victory; his acute engine-noise hearing was correct because he found 3 bent push rods. Seriously, it's like he has an innate Spidey Sense when it comes to engine clatter. I on the other hand, hear n-o-t-h-i-n-g. 

A bent push rod will lead to unwanted sounds and an unhappy engine which leads to miscellaneous purchases and fixes like the aforementioned "Old Car Domino Effect" warns.

After the head assembly was taken down to be hot-tanked TD had the fun job of trying to get the valve springs out. Luckily, he had a neato tool that does the trick. If you need to do a valve job you will want one. Actually, you might enjoy TD’s system below for organizing the various parts that come off Abbey’s innards. 

  

Valves and Springs

Valve Lifters

Pretty cool, right? 

Using simple 2x4s, TD drilled out and labeled accordingly for the various parts. Easy-peasy. 

You can choose to be e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y organized like him or not, but he stresses it WILL make it easier during disassembly if you keep track of things in an orderly manner.  

Truth!

43: Removing the Valve Train (and Other Things)

In a sequence of photos, I will explain what has recently transpired.  

First:
…all of that stuff I said in the prior post. (Please don’t make me repeat it)

Removing the Manifold

Removing the Valve Train

Valve Train Removed from Head

Second: 

The head was lifted out of the engine compartment using that 2-ton engine hoist TD bought at a local house auction I mentioned back in November. It was a cool $75 and worth every penny.

Lifting the Head

Third: 

TD cleaned the head some more using a wire brush and a hand drill to get all of the carbon deposits and gasket cement off the surfaces and combustion chamber. (Do this outside)

Engine Head Being Cleaned 

 Meanwhile TD inspected the push rods and took inventory of anything awry. 

All of this (and more) is required to do a SIMPLE valve job. I don't understand it all but am happy to just have more words added to my growing automotive vocabulary.

42: Exiting Hibernation

With the warmer temperatures lately (and by warmer temps I mean ones that are over 25 degrees Fahrenheit) TD decided to peel back the cover on Abbey's frontal region and look under the hood.

The purpose of this was to see if the manifold bolts were frozen.

"Why" you ask? ...me too.
(Okay actually I asked what a manifold was first)

After a brief pause to explain to me (yet again) how a 4-cycle engine works, TD said the bolts could in fact be loosened and was very pleased as he could now pull the head off and inspect the the valves.

In essence all that work was actually getting him TO the valves.

Let me explain:

You know when you open your big storage closet and want to get at a specific box you labeled "IMPORTANT" but now realize you loaded it first so it's way in the back and you can't reach it because it's barricaded first behind the suitcases and Christmas decorations, followed by other things and boxes you want to store so you have to pull everything out of the closet just to get at it?

Like that.

TD performed the automotive equivalent.

First he took off various small pieces - I'd give you details but have no clue because I missed that part. Then he unbolted and removed the manifold, drained the radiator and removed the valve cover, which led to the removal of the valve train mechanism and push rod cover, so he could take the head bolts off and remove the head (which required an engine lift because of the angle and height of the truck sides) ...because Abbey needs a valve job.

Fascinating.

That thing TD has his hand on is the horn.
(I pride myself on the fact I knew that) 

These items were then taken to an engine shop for degreasing because TD has done that job in the past and was happy to farm it out for $50 and get everything back nice and clean. FYI: Degreasing parts is also known as Hot Tank. 
(Example: "I want to hot tank the parts") Seriously, this is a foreign language.

With Abbey's hood gaping open and engine parts missing I felt it necessary to ask my inevitable and oft repeated $60,000 question which is:

"Will all of this allow me to drive Abbey over 35mph?"

TD laughed and said, "You aren't going anywhere for a while."

....note he didn't answer my question.

41: Police Light

Weekend conversations while reading the classifieds in the newspaper...


TD: Hey! There's a guy selling a police light.

me: You mean like a red and blue flashing bar?

TD: No, an old fashioned side crank-out spotlight. It's pretty cheap.

me: *ignoring him now*

TD: Might be fun to have.

me: *still silent*

TD: We could put it on Abbey.

At this point he is staring directly at me and completely serious so after considering it for a mere second, I'm on board. 

Abbey will look good with this type of bling and I cannot even fathom how much fun it will be to have one. (Seriously no clue).

A few hours later it was ours and I have to admit, it's kinda cool.
Once we take her out of winter hibernation we can put it on. 

Winter has not been kind and the garage colder than usual. Cold garages mean no work on Abbey. Hibernation was necessary for vintage vehicles and practically the humans this season. Now that warmer temperatures are creeping back, the itch is there to commence being the garage mechanic..or in my case the garage mechanics naive side-kick.