White lead in a rear end that whined over time they will quiet down. The stuff is hard to find now that they don't use it in paint.
As has been mentioned already, the early Y blocks were notorious for top end noise. Back in the day, a somewhat shady great-uncle of mine would pull the valve covers and lay a couple of Kotex saturated in STP in the top of them, then slap them back on the motor. They would run quiet long enough to get them to the auction and through the ring.
I have used waterglass twice in my life. You just have to make sure the cooling system and heater core are flushed completely clean or the stuff will gum up with antifreeze. Drain, flush until CLEAN, pour a quart in and fill with clean water. Put a big piece of cardboard over the radiator and drive it until it gets good and hot at the gauge. Let it cool down over night, start it up and check for leaks or bubbles in the radiator.. If not, then drain, again flush until clean, fill up with needed coolant mix and go. And I helped a Buddy of mine back in HS install a leather piece from a shoe tongue in a rod in a '55 Ply. Savoy 6-banger to get him on a hot date that Sat. night. He junked the car the next week. But it got him going that night fine!! pdq67
"Repaired" a power steering leak in a 60 Ford while in high school 67-68. Added a pint.of STP. Worked well until the outside temperature dropped to 0. Would not turn for about a half hour or so. Had to run the car and keep rocking the wheel back and forth a bit at a time
One of my dad's favorite car stories he used to tell; " when I was your age (about 18 he was born in 1931 so it must have been around 1949 ) my uncle had an old Plymouth with a bad rod bearing. Couldn't find any parts but he worked at a meat packing plant. To fix it we took a slab of pork and cut it down to fit. Drove that car for years like that. Even sold it like that still running good."
No one has mentioned... you can 'fix' low oil pressure by disconnecting the oil light (black tape is too obvious). The real artist will connect the oil light to the gen light so they light up together. The oil soaked blanket trick was so common you could buy special felt pads for Chev six and Y block Fords in the sixties. They used to be in every Canadian Tire catalog.
Mid 80's chev pickup, side mounted gas tanks, get pinholes thrown gravel from front tires, sanded down with heavy grit sandpaper, fiber glassed front of tank, no leaks, still good years later. Friend with a 46 chev, dropped in a tide detergent packet, (you know, the ones you feed little kids), ran it 200 miles, flushed all the crap out of the cooling system.
Brake fluid and water poured down the carb throat to free up carboned up rings(worked for me on a Henry J), bacon as a shim under a worn bearing insert, feeler gauge as a shim under bearing insert, 90 weight as Gear Oil. Then there was Grandpas tricks, oatmeal and or sawdust in the trans and differential, and draining half the water out if an old Plymouth before driving it in to the dealership to trade in. Got real hot, but quit smoking long enough for a good trade in. He would not ever buy from a used car dealer though.
Coming down Echo canyon on I-80 one day when I started getting anti freeze through the hood louvers on my windshield.....pulled in the rest stop half way down to find the radiator was pissing a little stream right out between the grille bars! Borrowed 2 cigarettes from my kid and put the tobacco down the top of the radiator...stopped pissing in about 15 seconds..made a mental note to fix the radiator when I got back home.....3 years later is still held. Had a 57 Pontiac that ate oil.....dumped 3 quarts of 90 weight in the crank case. The blow by smell wafting through the firewall holes would turn your stomach. Put a fresh 389 in it. In high school I had a 55 ford with a 272 that was totally worn out. It leaked so much oil from the rear main it wouldn't go over 55 mph because the clutch slipped from wind resistance. I was so broke I went to the local truck stop and skimmed the used oil off the top of open 55 gallon drums...from diesel trucks! Working the used car lots in S.E. 82nd street in Portland I musta used about 1000 of those JC Whitney "rebuild" pills in the spark plug holes.....they worked great in chevy 348s...good enough to get the cars sold.
The Jalopy Journal
