Very clear and understandable......I just learned something new...thanks

 

Thank you! I'm glad to help.
(';')

 

This afternoon I got all the new spark plugs in, including non-stick grease on the ceramics for the next time I have to change them.

I decided not to change the wires because all the plugs were firing Just Fine, and the wires aren't standard lengths so have to be individually cut and fitted. These are top quality wires anyway so I left them. That made the job a Lot quicker and easier.

This evening I got the starter back up, and all the bolts are *Reasonably* tight; they won't fall out/off but can be removed with *Reasonable* effort; what I can pull on a 8 inch ratchet.

I would have put the right exhaust up too but I think I'd like to have a new gasket. Maybe tomorrow if I can find a good quality one. I want one with a metal crush ring like this one has.
(';')

 

Looking good.


When I removed the starter from my SBC, the bolts were merely snug. The starter wiggled just a tad. Interesting, as I used to think it was just a bit noisier than I expected. It cranked well, though. that is til it began to not do so and my "adventure' began!! It's bench test was inconclusive??? It is in a box awaiting a time to look some more. The Malaysian made new unit is quieter and cranks healthily.


As to the gasket. That is a commonly used gasket on header flanges. If the local Napa or similar doesn't have it, look up a "hot rod" shop.


Brass nuts on the studs??? But, you didn't report any issues with stuck fasteners.


Carl

 

Thank you, Carl,
I'm told our local "Parts House" (NAPA) only carries the fiber 'blow-out' kind. I might have to go to town to find a Real one like this; fiber-steel sandwich.

I was a bit surprised how easily the pipes came down, actually! When I was in college we used to have some Real Winners pass through the shop (we worked on students' cars, they provided the parts); nuts missing, brass nuts rounded, or my personal favorite, completely rusted together and rounded with vise-grips.

Most of these nuts are brass, the rest cad plated. I imagine the original brass ones crawled off and someone grabbed whatever was in the bin at the time.
(';')

 

The right down-pipe is back in place finally. The simplest jobs seem to take on a life of their own sometimes.

This morning I stopped by our local parts house, a NAPA franchise, to pick up exhaust flange and heat riser gaskets for my Chevy 350, examples of which I put on the counter.

Husband had warned me they probably wouldn't have them but I was raised that you trade at home whenever you can, so I didn't want to dismiss them without giving them a proper chance.

First off the high school kid behind the counter with nails in his earlobes (where I grew up this is frowned upon) asked what car. I said the engine was a Chevy 350 and then he asked what year?

What year?? Who cares what year! It's a 350! They made Bazillions of these! Well, he didn't know if they had it or not, and the guy who runs the place wasn't there so I left. If I wanted a pair of fuzzy dice he knew where they were though. What can you expect in a town this size?

So, after lunch husband and I took off for town to the nearest O'Reilly's, again with the old gaskets in hand. The guy behind the counter, who should have been plenty old enough to know better (totally gray), again asked what year! I said, "It's a 350. Weren't they all the same?"

After several minutes on his computer station he wrote down a number and disappeared into the back. A Loooong time later he came out with the wrong size! It was Obviously too small. He said, "This is what I have."

Third time is the charm they say, so we went to the NAPA store in that town and again I put the gaskets on the counter; if they didn't have them the next stop is the hot rod shop husband likes in the next town down the line. I don't like to go there, they don't treat me very well (being a mere woman), even if I came in with hundred dollar bills hanging out of my pockets - but of course my money is good enough for them.

The fella took one look and announced, "Chevy." and disappeared into the back. 3 minutes later he had Both gaskets, the Correct ones, and they cost about $6.

That's how the parts houses are where I grew up. Some of the newer stuff slows them down a bit, but employees is expected to KNOW the common items.

As we left I told husband "This will be my parts store of choice from now on! This is how it's Supposed to be!" He said, "I tried to tell you," which he did, and eventually I may learn to listen.
(';')

 

Tis a different world. Nails in the ears??? I've seen and heard of other stuff in male ears. But, never nails???


There was a day before computer libraries in parts stores. It was a huge rack of catalogues from the various makers. So, when you came in with your flange gaskets, the guy had to know which catalogue to check, Victor, McCord, etc. Then, he needed a make, year, etc. But, many were illustrated, that helped a lot.


But, in our mix and match world, it doesn't always work!!! OK, with factory stock.
But, your SBC like mine has a center dump manifold. More ABC's used a rear dump.
And the Ram horn's of Corvette vintage and copies thereof had two outlet sizes.


So, the by the book parts guy was way out of his league. As your Hubby opined, it took a fellow mix and match guy. The Hot Rod Shop. Odd, though, hot rod guys always liked gals to my experience????


It does help a whole lot to take in the bum part to be matched and assure a fit. I did that recently, when I needed a new starter cable. The newbie on the computer found it on the computer, but out of stock. The older guy, merely went to the generic stack and matched it just right. Better ends as well. although not cheap, probably a lot less than the Jaguar #'d one.


Still thrashing!!


Carl

 

Thank you, Carl, and Good Morning.
Husband says I'm not suitably submissive for the hot rod shop.

Can you imagine!?

Me!

Not submissive, to a bunch of guys who think THEY are the only ones on the planet who know anything about cars!?

The very idea!!
(';')

 

Great humour !!!


Still think hot rod guys like gals with spunk & spirit.


Way back when, Shirley Muldowney and Don Garlits competed in big time drag racing. off track, friends.


Now a days, funny car racer John Force's daughter is faster than he is


Naah, while it may seem that way, it isn't. at times, merely a friendly grow.


Check "Fast and Loud". Host Richard Rawlings and assistant tattooed chick spar
continuously. submissive, not even close.


I forgot which show it was. They wanted a model. Here she came, done to the 9's spikea tats, weird hair color, etc. Did the shoot. then weldng came up. Still in scanty gear, she popped on a helmet and ran few seams. Grudging acceptance. but, not a put down at all.


And, my dear departed was helpless with tools. But spirit, oh yeah. Submissive. Not even close, as opposite as it gets. She did love HER Jaguar!!!


Although a German by birth, she loved all things English. Princess Diana was her heroine. Both gorgeous blondes, hmmm.....


Carl

 

My work is seriously interfering with my car time but this afternoon after I got home I was determined to get the radiator out of Nix.

Under "normal circumstances" (whatever those are) I wouldn't have bothered except that on our last club drive in October we got behind a truck load of rice straw bales which were shedding badly. I stayed a few hundred feet behind and thought I was OK (I had put a screen over the condenser/radiator as there was nothing to keep the bugs and bees out when we go the car), until I checked when we got to our destination and saw that a Lot of straw went Around the condenser and clogged the front of the radiator as you can see in the picture below. I also attached a picture of the back of the rad.

I thought about just blowing all that out, but the shroud made that hard and I would be blowing it into the back of the condenser which seemed kinda dumb, and since Nix was going under for major reconstructive surgery over the Winter anyway I added the radiator to the list.

The ROM says the first thing to do is get an AC specialist to empty the system. No need for that with this V8 conversion because the engine is Several Inches shorter, sits quite farther back and allows the condenser to merely fall forward away from the radiator, and once the custom shroud is loosened, the radiator can then be lifted right out. There was not even the need to remove the fan! However, you DO need to drain the coolant out before loosening any hoses or you'll have One Sweet Mess!

After lifting the radiator out I noticed the fan had only 3 bolts! Really! Not only that, those 3 bolts were holding the fan with only about 4 threads on the very end!! They had Loctite but still...! You can be Sure 4 bolts will go back in, and they'll have more than 4 measly threads into the water pump!

The hoses though, were a Lot of fun! The trans cooler hose had been leaking for a looooooong time and was oozing with a mere touch because the clamp was so tight it had actually cut the hose against the barb in the rad! In fact, had it been under any real pressure the transmission would have run out of oil. (don't ask how I know that) I'm thinking this is a Real Good time to put in a trans cooler (and steering oil cooler) because there's an extra body mount forward of the condenser on each side. (I think they call this Project Creep.)

Soon after she came to live with us Nix blew a heater hose one night in November so we changed all the hoses Except for the bottom radiator hose; Because it was gonna be a Real Dog to get the end off the water pump. We knew it was a time bomb, all the hoses doubtless being the same age, but it was just Too hard to access.

Having the radiator and the front suspension out it was Still a Real Dog to get off, because some IDIOT put the clamp in a place totally Impossible to get to without taking off the air pump pulley (which would be Really difficult with the radiator in place) because the clamp screw was squarely Behind It!!

I could see the screw head, I could touch it, and it seemed like if I just had the right combination of sockets, extensions and swivels I could get it off. Didn't happen.

It was like Absolutely No Thought was given to Ever having to change that hose! I'm wondering how they got it in there in the first place! It Had to have been done at the time of conversion, and they put the hose on the water pump AND THEN put the air pump on! (So that bottom radiator hose Has been on there since 1986!!)

OK, so it came off after a while, with a well placed razor knife to help it along. That clamp situation will be changed when it goes back together, because I fully intend keeping this car long enough to have to change that hose again!

The radiator has 4 rows and is the biggest the JTR manual says can be installed without modifying either the tank or the body. I have No desire to do either of those so I'll have it boiled out and cleaned and put it back in. I'll also change all the belts now that I have such easy access to them, because at the moment, I can almost crawl into the space between the condenser and the front of the engine!

When I put this all back together, I will have a screen across the Entire width of the radiator opening and from bottom to top, so there will be Little chance of straw, bees, flies, mosquitoes, or grass seeds finding their way into the fins of the condenser, the oil coolers of the future or the radiator.

Roger Mabry said Everything on this car is taking 400% as long as it should.
(';')

 

Apologies for the messed up post effort. Al factors lined up against me. I share some guilt, I am sure.


Mission creep can be divided as to voluntary and involuntary. My latest thrash included elements of each But, yahoo, mostly just fine.


I've never thought much of the flex fan thing. Better than pure static. A time to upgrade. Thermo couple fan clutch? or better yet, Efans. My car has the latter. I am very pleased with them.


Yup, my car has a four row brass radiator. Some say the alloys are better and some the opposite. No need to change.


Yup, I've cut more than one hose to get it off. In that spot, I might have gone to a Dremel to cut the clamp's band. But, my "knock off" Dremels are dead. a huge assortment of tools for them. shopping to do?


I like the screen idea. When I lived and worked in the Imperial Valley, many cars used them. Lots of crops, lots of bugs!! Not to mention the chaffe.


Going to weed whack some more. And button up the Jaguar. Cranks and runs nicely.


Oh, and fuse panel with all Lucas fuses to run continuity on. I've printed out a SAE equivalent chart.


Daughter comes with lunch later. Yum, better cook than me.




Carl

 

Thank you, Carl, (and Clarke and Steve),
I sort of like this flex fan, it seems to be a little stouter than what I grew up with, so to speak, which fans amounted to fiber glass blades and 1/8 inch rods for reinforcement. I heard tales of them letting go at inopportune times and leaving bullet holes in the hood. I think this one is stainless though, so it probably won't come flying apart so easily.

I am thinking of a pusher fan to help out my cooling, which I might need when (not if) I add trans and rack coolers. I've had more than one thermo fan fail on me so I'm a bit bummed on those. It was expensive too! Fortunately it wasn't beastly hot and I was on the open road most of the time.

Where I grew up Everyone has a screen over their radiator and not those rinky dink plastic things you find around here! They were Metal with mounting eyelets in all 4 corners. They were intended to Stop Stuff! At some times of the year grasshoppers are so thick you can't see the road and the windshield is smeared beyond any safe visibility. At night it's moths clogging things up.
(';')

 

Husband is feeling quite energetic today and wanted to press out the one stub axle before we take the radiator for cleaning.

He found a pipe Just the right size in his collection, which he says I Must show you one day. Had the axle assembly been a mere 2mm longer it wouldn't have fit in the press.

He was pumping about to his limit, probably only 30,000 pounds on the press, when it let go with a Heck of a bang! The press was under so much pressure that when the stub came loose everything he had stacked on the top was unsettled and he spent time picking up stuff that was shaken off.

I wasn't ready for the axle to let go with such a bang or I would have put in my ear plugs. As it is my ears hurt at the moment and ring a bit; probably damaged my hearing which I try to be Very careful about that.

There's quite a difference with the two stubs lying together. The old one is cast iron!! See the casting numbers and the seam!

XAW2748
DDF 10163

No wonder they're so soft! How incredibly inconceivable!! It's quite evident by the colors that the new stubs are steel.

You'll also find below the NAPA part number for the lower radiator hose for this 350 Chevy conversion: 7592. It even has a Very nice bell mouth on the water pump end.

We're off to the radiator shop.
(';')

 

Very interesting. I'd never dream of cast iron as a suitable material for such a critical load bearing piece like a spindle. Usually, the parting line is a clue as to whether it is a forged piece or a cast piece. Thin vs thicker. Trouble is, I forgot which is which.


But, crankshafts come in either cast iron or forged. the former OK for ordinary use, the latter for high performance engines.


And, cast iron in most uses pure iron. Pure ore kinda rare nowadays. A lot of scrap used. This invites impurities. Over come, somewhat by heftiness of the part. But, other materials added. Henry was known for his use of vanadium to make his iron stronger.


Now, any machinist will tell you that automobile blocks are vastly different. And machine easy or hard. Old Hudson and GMC blocks were hard!!!


Son tells me that the few flat head Ford blocks he machined were poor in iron quality.


Oh, why does not hubby post his own pics of his pipe collection????


Jag on the bum again,. Same issue returns. I'll leave t be for a tad. More think and research needed!!! Jumped 12v to ignition feed and t fired right up but no dash lights and check engine stays on.


The horn only hot with ignition on worked, but now dark??? Fuse somewhere??


Oops I don't mean to hijack the thread, only a side bar comment.


Carl

 

While he was pressing out of the spindle husband said I Must show you his collection of pipes which he uses not only as mandrels but also for bending things into curves.

For bending he usually selects one of a smaller diameter than the curve he wants to compensate for the spring-back.

Those shown below range from 5-1/2 inches diameter down to 1-1/4 inches. The lineup is arranged by descending diameter.

As you can also see they nest very neatly for compact storage.
(';')

 

"Must" !!!! What went with the not submissive thing?


Neat idea, though. Goes with having a big sturdy press. My son got one from HF.
But, he found it not sturdy enough. cut out some iron and fired up the TIG, and added the bracing it should have had in the first place!!!


Caveat: Should there not be a screen to catch stuff when it lets go?


Now, as already mentioned, think those new spindles are made from forged bar stock. Nice work as well.


Never saw a two piece spindle. Domestic ones are on piece. At one time, car guys/gals, cut off the axle portion and welded it back on at a higher location on the upright portion. Instant lowering of the front with no odd alignment issues.


I wonder as to Jaguar parts. New hole further up???? Weld and drill????


When I did my A v8 project, IO started with a cast off A frame and running gear.
Way back in it's past, a PO had added hydraulic brakes. probably a good thing. but, oddly done. the spindles were a mix of later Ford with provision for hydraulic stuff and parts of the A spindle for the linkage. Big weld seams. Looked decent to me. Son appalled. So, I got better stuff. Not a place for questionable parts. Busted spindles can be embarrassing, to say the least.


And, even further back, while in college, I worked at a full service station. One of our customers drove a tattered 37 Cadillac phaeton. Just another old car then. Now would be a very desired critter. Well, one day, a spindle broke as he wheeled around the corner. No big issues. I was tasked to rescue it. Only tool, our big manual operated rolling jack. It worked. I don't recall ever seeing it again, a shame...


Carl

 

Thank you, Carl, (and Clarke,)
"Must" is a tongue-in-cheek term around here that carries no command weight. It means, "It would be a lot of fun if you..." as in, "Oh, you Simply Must...."

Besides. I am Relatively submissive to him, because after all, I did marry him; although he says I told the preacher beforehand that I wouldn't say the Obey part so don't even ask (I don't remember that). So I guess, if it Really comes down to it, I don't have to unless I want to.

The press was here when I got here, and it just seemed to belong so I didn't think anything about it. I asked where he got it, he bought it from a neighbor woman who had a Huge yard sale in celebration of a new divorce. He knew it was good quality so he brought it home.
(';')

 

OK, you can skate that one.


Carl

 

This evening we changed the lower steering column. It sounds Way more frightening than it really is.

First the old short column had to come out. This required removing what are called Pinch Bolts from both upper and lower U-joint, A & B in the picture below.

Mine were not "Pinch" anything because they had Nylocks which I highly recommend there, and so were not excessively tight. It's only necessary that the shafts don't fall apart, although they need to be tight enough so the splines don't slip.

The shaft is held in place by these bolts passing through a groove in the splined part of the shaft as seen below. Upon removal of the bolts the old shaft came right out with a minimum of effort and left its little white collar behind just as it should. However, a little penetrant applied to the splines while still in the U-joint probably didn't hurt anything.

The lower bolts holding the upper column (C & D) also required loosening but not removal. This allowed some 'wiggle room' to get the shafts out and in. The bolts seem to be quite long, I turned them out 1/4 inch with no difficulty.

You can plainly see the difference in length between the old short lower column and the new longer column.

It takes 2 people to put in the new part, obviously, (be sure you don't forget the plastic collar [red arrow] between the boot/gator and U-joint!) and we 'lucked out' because it took only about 10 minutes to get all the parts aligned and they simply slipped together - and the first time was correct and the bolt simply fell into place!

We've been agonizing over this little task since it all came apart. Now I can reassemble the underskuttle and finish up the rest of the interior!!
(';')

 

That stuff is Awesome!!
I "wrapped" the fuel line with it from the clip at the back clear up to the fuel pump, the entire length that was near the exhaust pipe.

Thermo Flex comes in several diameters in 36 inch lengths. Husband got me 5/8 and 3/4 inch diameter from Summit Racing.
http://www.summitracing.com/search?S...=thermo%20flex

I discovered also, if you absolutely positively can't loosen the gas line to put it through the tubing, Thermo Flex can be sliced along its length, opened up, slid onto the gas line and closed again.

It comes a bit compacted and can be stretched or worked around curves with ease. It cuts easily with a razor knife or shop scissors; I wouldn't advise wife's sewing scissors.
(';')