It continues.
Yeah, it was leaking.
It continues.
Yeah, it was leaking.
In reply to AxeHealey :
Several of the YouTube channels I watch use this company for leaf springs. Keith is local so maybe he knows more about them.
In reply to Stampie :
Interesting, thanks.
The driver's side was, um, never going to seal.
This PO continues to be the absolute best PO. Anti seize on the header bolts for the win!
The passenger side header will not come out as it sits. It seems I'll either have to notch the inner fender or lift/tilt the engine. Time will tell.
Well he didn't use anti seize on the driver's side but it wasn't an issue. I got the driver's side header out and confirmed that I ordered the correct gaskets but they are damaged.
With the header out I can now get a better view of the mount the PO whipped up and I really don't know how I'm going to be able to cut it out of there without removing the engine.
The lower portion is going to be especially difficult to get to. It may need to be some creative combination of a sawzall, angle grinder and Dremel but it's extremely tight in there.
Interestingly enough, before I clicked "Post" on this post, I did some more searching and just may have found a left and a right mount for ~$40 each and have ordered them because it's worth a shot. It would be amazing to just swap the rubber isolators around.
Well, they both have showed up and they are both passenger side mounts. Dangit.
I spent a bunch of time this afternoon looking at big block mounts and I think I can make one for a different car application work so I've got a driver's side mount for a Galaxie on the way. Fingers crossed.
If I strike out on this, it'll be on to cutting out the existing home-made pedestals and using the custom kit.
This time, RockAuto sent me the entirely wrong part. I ordered A2368 and they send A 2638. I'm not giving up yet on using the Galaxie mount assuming I can actually get one...
I stopped by the tool store earlier this week to get one of those engine support bars. I intended to just support the engine with a jack from underneath but realized that won't be possible due to the steering linkage, etc.
My plan was to use header bolts to chain it to the support bar but the bolts don't fit through the chain. I'll figure something out.
Miata is always the answer.
After some finagling and fighting, the driver's side mount is out.
I think not only did he put the engine in with the headers on but also with the engine mounts bolted to the block (I guess that's obvious if the headers were on). Either way, I had to remove the oil filter to pull out the long bolt from the mount to the pedestal and also had to grind the top of the pedestal to allow one of the bolts to the block to come out.
And, yeah, it needed replaced.
The passenger side continues to be a big time struggle. Using the support bar to lift the engine has allowed the header to move more but it still won't come out of there. Going up, it now hits the header bolt I used to mount the Miata lift point and on the way down it's hitting the track rod. I have a fresh track rod ready to go in so I may just pull it to drop the header. I may also pull the starter which, I think, will do it for me as well. I feel like this is all snowballing and, for whatever reason, my mind wants to tackle the steering as a separate and distinct job.
The bottom mount bolt on the passenger side is going to be nearly impossible to get out. I may need to super heat and bend a wrench to make the angle work with the cross member.
Fun, fun! Good thing Elmore is a highly valued member of our family and fully deserves all of this long-needed attention.
Starter removal did the trick and the passenger side mount was totally roached too.
Just to be clear, those mounts should not be two pieces.
I may have to set the engine down on the cross member, release it from the support bar, remove the carb and lift it back up. At this point there's like 1/16" between the top of the carb and the support bar and there is no way a fresh mount would fit back in.
So, yeah, this is almost certainly going to work.
I figured the mounting pattern to the block had to be the same - it is. I also figured the hole placement for the mount to the pedestal would be the same - it is. I'll have to trim a couple things here and there but at the moment this is very positive.
The carb is now off and the engine is lifted enough that I should be able to slide the driver's side in. The passenger side has almost zero clearance and it's getting difficult to crank it up any more. I'll find a way.
Passenger side is in!
The driver's side, which is the mount for a Fairlane (not Thunderbird), is giving me troubles. I have now compared it to the old mount many more times and the holes for the block, angle of the rubber and tabs that go to the pedestals all really do seem to line up but it's almost like things just need to be tweaked a little. It does have extra metal in various places so maybe I need to trim that to let it flex some...
It's also possible that the holes in the new piece are 1-2 mm smaller than the original piece, need to measure with a caliper. I may enlarge them but it's missing by more than that. At this point I still think I just need to find the right combination of angle and lift to position it in just the right spot.
This last time around I struggled more than normal to get Sven's engine in and that was a Miata engine into a Miata so it's not surprising that this home brew swap is cumbersome to get done. At some point it's going to just fall into place like nothing ever happened. At least that's what I'm telling myself.
Say it ain't so!
I give my three year old credit for making it happen. He's been asking and asking to go under "Blue Trucky" because he sees me slide under on the creeper so often. This afternoon before his nap I rolled him under there and he did a great job bopping random stuff with a hammer. Clearly that's what did it. And by the way, Elmore is high enough off the ground that I can slide under while it's on the ground. I did not put my three year old under a big ass truck on jack stands.
Once I get it all tightened down, I need to spend some quality time poking around the steering box. There was a leak from that general area that got worse and worse over the summer. It's almost certainly the steering box and not the master cylinder as it's never been down on brake fluid as much as it was leaking but before I pull the steering box out I want to be certain. It makes sense to do it now when the headers aren't in even though I'm now dying to get moving on the exhaust.
Since the brake master isn't weeping this amount of fluid, I'm pretty convinced it's the steering box leaking. I assume there is a seal up top and a seal at the bottom although I haven't looked through a parts diagram as of yet.
I know that flex/solid brake line junction looks scary but it wouldn't be soaking up that high on the frame rail. I also thoroughly cleaned the brake master and then mashed on it a bit and there wasn't a drip from the lid or fittings there. Unless I'm missing something, steering box it is.
Here's where I've run into a mental road block.
It seems like rebuilt steering boxes are available off the shelf. Easy button and just replace the whole unit?
The PS pump leaks a bit. Do I get a fresh one of those?
There's a slight weep from the high pressure line. Should I get a new one of those made? While I'm at it should I get it made shorter so there's no longer a loop? Should there be a loop?
I've now spent a ton of time poking around the engine and just about everything on the front cover is leaking. Do I replace all those gaskets while I'm at it? Better do a water pump since it's off.
It leaks out of the oil pressure sender. That's easy enough but that gets me looking at the stock cast iron intake manifold. With this fresh new exhaust going on, do I treat Elmore to a nice aluminum piece and make some more ponies and torques?
This is the sort of procrastination I get myself stuck in with cars.
Also.
Cool little kid.
New steering box and PS pump on order so I have started disassembly.
And since it was like 60 degrees in Cleveland today, I took advantage of the front yard paint booth.
VHT primer and header paint is expensive these days!
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