Quote:
Originally Posted by Cliff R
I'm NOT reading any of it. I tried to help out many pages ago but sadly was unable to make a dent in the OP's armor.
I've been at this deal for over 45 years, over 20 of it running a FULL-TIME business dealing thousands of customers. When I closed the books on the working side of the shop almost three years ago, I had completed just 13000 work orders. Most of that was carb work, but I also did quite a few engines, transmissions, distributors, set up some diff's, custom tuning, and did a few engine installs and swaps.
Over the years I have had quite a few folks come here asking me to help out with their "project" car. I learned very quickly to avoid any customer who wanted a "quick fix", "cheap fix", or ever uttered the words "just get it going for now (cheap) and I'll fix it right later". They NEVER do it right later. I don't care about that, however IF you take on their half-ars repair and charge them for it, the very first time they have any issues at all you will get a call telling you how it all worked fine BEFORE you touched it. Bottom line and getting to the point, NEVER, EVER cut a job short, band aid fix its or just patch it up so the car can keep going till you can do it better. ALWAYS bite the bullet, even if it's not in the budget to do it right the first time and while it's right in front of you.......FWIW.......
|
In this case I never say always and I never say never, I started with a second-hand project and it will always be a second-hand project. For that very reason and the reason that I am learning, at the same time, I am moving slowly and surely so that I may gain the experience you have already obtained in your lifetime. I built a 327 ci from scratch and did all the things you're talking about in the correct order only to have it stolen because the person that I commissioned the install into my 1967 Chevy flat windshield Van left the Engine in the van outside the building when he was told to put the engine in the building if not the van, he might have well stolen it himself, but I found out I was set up from the start by a tow truck driver , who ended up dead anyway. I must be able to learn from the mistakes of my predecessor, that began this project and cut the corners you speak of, not me. I am fixing his mistakes first and foremost; I thought you would have figured that out by now.
By the way the Vehicle is finished and tested in the driveway and I can say at this time that I am impressed with both the Pontiac and 421 cooling mods. As I have gained about 30 degrees cooler Engine temp. without using the Side Kick nor the Elec. fan in front of the AC condenser in drive way tests with the hood down and by using an Elec. squirrel cage fan, external to the vehicle, blowing air through the Radiator as in real world moving conditions. Soon to come are the test results coming up this weekend as I plan on highway driving, Plus, I have been gathering data as I tested in the driveway over the past 2 weeks.
For what it is worth, I like to repair everything in the area that needs repairing as you do. However, attacking the lower end of this motor is not an easy task and will take my saving the money to rebuild the lower end, like another grand with turning the Crank, new Bearings, Rings, Seals and possibly Pistons and Rods that need replacements as well. The Engine needs to be pulled, Block cleaned and Magnafluxed, Crank needs line- bored as well as the Cam, new rear main seal etc... "Not now later please".
When I commit myself to Degreeing the Cam to this forum, I will eventually get to it, better late than never and whatever the results. likewise, I said I would pull the Heads and while I was there, I performed the Pontiac and 421 cooling mods. You people said I can do better, so don't mock me for trying and succeeding please. My goal was to not have to use the Side-kick and Elec. fan out front of the condenser, except in an emergency like Parade driving or stuck in traffic, I have accomplished this finally. I have yet tried to run this vehicle without rec-89-90, instead I will be using unleaded 93 octain with 10 percent Alcohol in it, to see if the motor will vapor lock, it has not done so, since I doubled the fuel lines forward, used a by-pass filter to the fuel tank and removed the Alcohol from the fuel I burn.
You said this: "Over the years I have had quite a few folks come here asking me to help out with their "project" car. I learned very quickly to avoid any customer who wanted a "quick fix", "cheap fix", or ever uttered the words "just get it going for now (cheap) and I'll fix it right later". They NEVER do it right later. I don't care about that, however IF you take on their half-ars repair and charge them for it, the very first time they have any issues at all you will get a call telling you how it all worked fine BEFORE you touched it. Bottom line and getting to the point, NEVER, EVER cut a job short, band aid fix its or just patch it up so the car can keep going till you can do it better. ALWAYS bite the bullet, even if it's not in the budget to do it right the first time and while it's right in front of you".......FWIW...
I pulled my car into a Muffler shop for service to the Exhaust system, concurrently the starter had an Elec. problem. My roommate is an Elec. / Electronics master who was there also. The owner sold me a starter for the price it would have cost me to get towed. Great if I made it home. Mind you, if the owner would have let my roommate inspect his man's work, he would have been able to fix the wires that was the cause, in the first place. Now, the owner asked me if the starters Elec. was the problem or was the issue prior to coming to his shop. I told him yes it was, he said that most people say that he caused the problem and he was responsible for fixing it and he commended me on my honesty. But I never made it home and my roommate ended up repairing it on the side of the road anyway. So, the owner misdiagnosed the problem and had his guy install a new starter with the old wires "not" individually wrapped then taped off in a harness correctly. So, it works both ways and is the reason we do our own work on this car. The owner put an R+R person on an Elec. problem that had no right to evaluate an Elec. issue in the first place. I was in a jam and needed to get home, I paid for his professional ability and got taken. We had to fix it ourselves anyway after purchasing a part we did not need.