What OT crap are you working on

Stupid ugly dd 2001 Mercury Sable DOHC 3.0… no heat, just cold air coming out the vents, at the same time noticed the needle almost all the way on H. Let it sit, checked and the expansion tank is almost empty. Topped it off with coolant and let it idle for 10 minutes, came back and needle is on H, and some coolant seeping out past the cap. No leaks, no puddles on the ground, no sign of coolant in the oil. First thought is thermostat stuck closed. I friggin hate new cars and sideways engines.

 

***mins ISX 485 that has been turned up quite a bit…

 

Great engine

 

Yep, and pre-DEF, so a keeper. We bought this truck new and plan to keep it a long time still.

Parallel parked it in downtown OKC this morning. It took up a couple spots…

 

Nice! Are you getting to drive the Super Witch around town?

 

We will see.

 

Took a week, but the Malibu is on the road. Drove it to the gas station a mile away, and it made it home. Two more water leaks (radiator tank pinhole and heater core), and the front brakes were getting a little smelly, but I think they'll be OK. They're not dragging now, and a lot of the rust on the rotors has been knocked off, and it stops OK.

Drives like a nice big luxury car, compared to anything else I've driven lately. Neat.

 

I have a solution for the heater core leak. It also should increase the Index of Effluency.





The blower motor only has a few hours on it. And it has a resistor for 2-speed operation.

This was the driver's heater in a 1986 Ford/Grumman Wonder Bread van.

"Ran when turned into a storage shed".

Russ

p.s. Free delivery

 

This week has been spent yanking out the Duramax out of my dually transport truck. Definitely not for the faint of heart. This engine doesn't owe me anything with over 3/4 of a million miles on it as well as the trans & rear axle (788,000 actually). Still running great & not using hardly any oil. For the last year or so it has had an external head gasket leak (very minor, but it wears on my mind when I am 2000 miles from home).

Dealerships raise the cab to do this job & yes it is easier, but neither of my trucks cabs have ever been off, so I am a bit weary of doing it even though I have the lift. All of the parts on, under & around the table had to come off before pulling the engine...UGH.

Funny side note...I always use the fork lift to pull engines & the Duramax are the only ones I have to use "Ballast" on the back side of it, because they are so heavy. Two battery cores & the box which contains Stubby's new hogshead!

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

Working through a small list of long deferred maintenance on the miata. Found the poor fuel economy was from the rodent chewed fuel line bleeding fuel.

 

Wow!!!! I hope I get half that out of my 2018 L5P . It has 90,000 right now.

 

Damon,
I was shooting for a million on the engine, trans & rear end, but that head gasket leak bothered my mind & gut while I was on the road even though it didn't drip until I got home & it sat a day or two. These things last forever & that is why I use them, all but 120,000 of those miles are pulling one of the trailers.

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

That is pretty impressive on the entire drivetrain.

 

Still some welding to do , then onto the p***enger side, yuck. Won’t even talk about the back OMFG

 

When you get done welding, get a caulk gun style tube of seam sealer and coat every weld seam or spot weld, then paint the top surface. Then the patched area will probably outlast the next weaker points.
Don't be too concerned about the bottom side, grind off the big ******s if they really bother you (or leave them there). Unless you are expecting a lot of under car inspections, no one is going to see them, or care.
Solid floor pans were the goal.
I did this kind of stuff for 30 years!

 

Got the bare metal & bondo covered up on my old Holden. Applied the 2k with foam rollers, whole car in one morning. Started at the sills, worked up the jambs, then doors, then roof, then the rest.

build thread; https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-to-drive-down-the-same-first-road.1316267/

 

Neighbor brought this over today a buddy of his was cleaning out his Dad's garage and thought I could use it

 

Err, yeah, thanks..
You could build a neat car around that one piece, whoa.

 

It’s Cub Car racing season for my Cub and Scout Troops, I believe these are called Pinewood Derby Cars south of the border.

we have a Scouter’s race where the leaders get to build cars with almost no rules, here’s my entry for this year.

 

I just found this thread, some awesome stuff on here!
This is my new daily I’ve been working on. Bought it from the original owner, has sat for 10+ years so just working through the bugs as I drive it. Not a spec of rust, the paint shined up really well!

 

That is a rare one. Those early 90's Aerostar's were typically destroyed by kids and soccer moms. Had a buddy in high school that swapped a 302 and 5 spd into one. Talk about a sleeper.

 

The hydraulic pump that powers the bale bed started acting odd on the feed pickup . So I thought it was the solenoid. Changed it out . Nope the motor is going bad . As I was undoing the hoses I found aluminum flakes in one set of hoses that go to the cylinders for the lift arms . The mounting pins are rusted in the cylinder ends . Only way to get to them is pull the bed off . I decided to cut a big hole in the floor last night . If the manufacturer would have extended the access door another 18” things would have been better

 

Camaro paint is done, time to start screwing it all back together.

 

Making progress on the Duramax,

Originally I was going to pull the engine, because of the external head gasket leak, put a new set of gaskets & a set of Fleece Performance "Cupless" Heads on it. The more I thought about it, I decided with 788,000 miles on it & all the work it takes to swap it I decided to find another engine. Boy did I luck out! Found a really clean, complete engine with only 25% of the mileage on mine just 2 hours from home.

The cupless heads will now go on that one, its heads will go on my original engine & now I will have a spare complete engine with all the wiring & accessories (which are really expensive to buy) !!

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

That sounds amazing, I need a build thread on that project!

 

For a car with minimal rust on the exterior I’m definitely a bit surprised by the amount inside, p***enger side butchery and a preview of the rear

 

Talk about a jig-saw puzzle!! Damn, you're a brave man!