Took a short drive from the back yard, into the garage. The gauges are mostly working, too...haven't got it warm enough to see if the temp gage is working. Chasing power to the brake lights now. And there's a neat rattle from the bellhousing area? But it's running OK. I replaced the fuel pump and rubber fuel lines, and added a big filter before the pump to catch the stray crap from the tank.
Spent several hours cleaning stuff...like the interior... and went for a little drive around the block. It runs mostly OK, although it did some popping stuff, and it's kind of loud. The brakes work. The steering is effortless, and it has a very tight turning radius. It's also a big old boat, and not very peppy. The temp gauge doesn't work, it looks like it's the sender, since it measures "open" and putting a resistor in it's place makes the gage move like it should. I ordered a new one, it's NORS because no one makes them any more. At least I hope I ordered the right one, it's for International trucks and a few jeeps from that era. The resistances might be close enough, and it's the right size. I'm tempted to replace the thermostat, as it didn't open on the test drive, but then the head only got up to about 200 degrees. So maybe if I push it a little more it'll start working like it should. My kid was measuring big block engines and the engine bay, and seeing what it would take to put a real engine in there. Oh...we also installed a new old radio antenna, and I'm happy to report that the original Checker AM radio still brings in the tunes! See the neat little plastic housing for the speaker under the middle of the dash?
Went for another test drive, the temp gauge started working, and the thermostat started working. Still popping. I checked the brake fluid and it was low in the rear reservoir, and I noticed a drip from the back of the master cylinder. So, time for brake work. It looks like the master is for a 70 Belair with power drum brakes, the online catalogs only show the disc brake master. I also ordered the wheel cylinders, and some hoses that might fit. So no more driving until later next week. I'll also pull an axle and see what the wheel bearings in back look like, as I can't really tell from what parts are listed for it. oh, and a gratuitous picture of the assembly line, lifted from a sales brochure.
Popping - most likely cause is an intake not sealing. Either due to wear, a sticky stem or a weak valve spring. I wouldn't rule out ignition until checked either. Seems it's waking up for you, with the usual some stuff springing back to life, some stuff giving up.
I put a condenser in, but haven't had a chance to test it yet. I also pulled the spark plugs to see how they're doing, and they all look quite happy.
Looks like the rear wheel bearings are A10 tapered roller, with a seal inside the housing, and another between the retainer and the funky thrust ring on the bearing. I'll do some lubricating, probably replace the inner seal, and call it good. This design was used on some jeeps, internationals, buicks, oldsmobiles, and cadillacs in the late 60s to mid 70s. The parts are easy to find.
I have a portable Heathkit ignition analyzer, with a power supply that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket. Built it about 1980, haven't used it in years. Picture taken this morning, it is alive in the calibration mode. Comes with the manuals. I did not test the power inverter this morning ("Ran when parked"). I can drop them off. I'll PM my phone number (Going out to the shop to crawl under one of my projects...). Russ
In my EIS catalog I'm showing E66705 for power drum, which is the same as 67-70 Buick and Oldsmobile, 65-70 Checker
I assume the axle bearings are pressed onto the axle shaft. The Mopar 8 3/4, and a Dana 9 3/4 both have the same set up.
Checkers sourced a lot of GM parts, which you already know. We tuned up some where I worked and I have aligned more than 1. We also did shocks and exhaust, all parts right out of the catalog.
While the brakes are apart, I decided to do a quick check of the engine using the scope that Russ brought. Here are a couple waveforms. I didn't spend much time on this because the fan belts were off the engine...I should have adjusted the horizontal position and expanse. I also looked at more of the numbers on the parts on the car. It looks like it still has lots of original parts, the carb and starter have the right date codes. The alternator and regulator are Motorola parts, so I don't know if they're original, but they could be. They do have Checker Motors stamped on the tags. No one cares about this, but I think it's interesting. And I looked in my box of old chevy truck headlights, and found one 68-71 T3 high beam bulb, to replace the one on the Checker that had been replaced with a later bulb. The date code on the bulb I installed is from July 69, so it's just about perfect for the car. Vital stuff if you're looking for the top points at the Checker concours!
Generic picture from the internet, but this is what mine looks like. Really hard to get a picture of mine in the car under the power steering pump, etc.
My '66 Rambler American had a Motorola alternater and a friend of mine has a light airplane with one on it. Gary
They made a lot of police car items too. Real heavy duty service pieces. We would run across them in junk cars sometimes. The rebuilders paid a premium on the cores. Like $15-20 as opposed to $2-4 on an alternator.
Some things you can fix for free, or with very little work. Other things just open a huge can of very wriggly worms.
@squirrel , I'm deep enough into this car thing that I completely understand. I also think it's funny as hell that one group is known for such trivia, the other is more likely to just keep it running and that you have flipped the script on each. Explaining the joke often kills it, but here you go. @TrailerTrashToo It strikes me that way too. I doubt Jim did it on purpose, but is well aware of the look. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/mid-life-crisis-62-vette.1292401/page-6#post-14871315
I got a few brake parts today, so it's going back together. The fronts seem to be ok, I had to grind a bit off the tops of both new wheel cylinders to get them to fit. And the new wheel seals don't fit, they're loose in the hub. I did some more looking, all the catalogs say it takes a size that's too small. No interchange on the part number from the old seals, but I measured and found a replacement number that is no longer available, but there are some NORS on ebay, so I ordered a pair. They're felt seals, good old fashioned stuff. I'll put the new seals in one of these days, but I put the old ones back for now, which should last forever. The rears, looks like the last guy put the springs that old the bottoms of the shoes together, in backwards. They were dragging on the adjusters, and I think they were not adjusting. It had very little pedal movement, and the shoes had lots of embedded dust on them, like they weren't being applied. perhaps the pistons in the wheel cylinders weren't moving? the fronts were working, but it's hard to tell if rear brakes aren't working. Anyways, I got one back together with new wheel cylinder and moved the spring to the other of the adjuster so it's not in the way. Also new inner seal, and lubed the bearing. before picture I'll work on the other side tomorrow.
It's all back together, and driving again. The exhaust is the next big thing it needs. I made an appt with a local shop to bend up some tubes and put a new muffler in next week, we'll see how that goes. The engine is running better, although it does 0-60 in "eventually, maybe". I got the idle speed adjusted down, it idles at 500 in gear. Greased the speedometer cable and oiled the fitting on the back, and it operates smoothly and accurately. Fixed the tag light. Even knocked out the big dent in the grill, although the fender is still back a bit where it's supposed to meet the hood at the corner. after and before
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