[Greg Reid]

Since the engine is an unknown

This thread has been going so long, I don't remember the back story on your car. What's the history of the engine?

[fyrffytr1]

Just like I said, unknown! It was running good when I bought the car so I pulled it out cleaned it and installed new freeze plugs. I only drove the car one time before tearing it apart and that was only about 5 miles.
I looked up the numbers to find out what parts were on the motor. Well, that's not exactly the truth. I posted the numbers here and Y'all told me what I had!
Turns out, it is a 69 400 block with 67 670 heads and a 70 or 71 intake and Rochester 4-bbl carb. The carb is off a manual transmission car but I have the TH 400 tranny.
I don't know anything about the internal parts. The car runs very strong, it just has a slight lifter tap around the number 6 valve area. I changed oil and added a quart of Marvel Mystery oil but that didn't help.
I used Valvoline high mileage 10-30 with a bottle of hyper lube zinc additive. I checked the oil tonight and it is very clean.
I am taking the car to a mechanic the end of the week so I should know about the lifters and rear end noise by Sunday.
I hope and pray that all they need are some adjusting.

[Greg Reid]

You'll get it.

[fyrffytr1]

I was able to take the car to the mechanic today. He lifted the hood, listened for a few seconds then shut it. He then asked how many miles I had put on the car since the rebuild and I told him about 150.
He said he would adjust the valves if I wanted him to but, if it was his he would drive it for a while.
Then I told him that I didn't know anything about the internals of the motor and he replied that he would go ahead and adjust the valves.
He also said I had a small exhaust leak on the driver's side around the collector that he would fix. He went on to say that either the vacuum advance was not working or the timing was retarded and he would fix that. All of this from listening to the car for no more than 30 seconds.
He doesn't think there is any problem with the cam. And, he is going to check the lash in the rear end. I might get it back Thursday.

[Gator67]

Sounds like good news!

[Greg Reid]

Sounds like a pretty sharp guy, assuming you've had positive experiences with him in the past. That exhaust leak can sound a lot like a lifter tap too...

[goatman65]

If it has the stock valvetrain then there really is no adjustment. The rocker nuts are torqued. Make sure he knows that and doesn't try to adjust them like a Chevy.
The nuts will loosen very quickly and can lead to some bent pushrods,among other things. As they say,'ask me how i know'.

[fyrffytr1]

He knows. He has already installed new nuts. He also fixed two small exhaust leaks and found the advance plate in the distributor was stuck and fixed that as well.

[fyrffytr1]

Well, the saga continues! The rear end had to be rebuilt! I was lucky that the passenger side axle did not come out while I was driving the car. The bearing race had spun on the axle and gouged it badly.Also, someone before me had tightened the pinion nut down so hard that the pinion could not be turned by hand! Again, I was fortunate that the ring and pinion gears didn't overheat. Both the inner and outer pinion bearings were galled.
I bought all new bearings and seals and am getting an axle from a fellow PYer. Hopefully the rear end will be buttoned back up by Thursday or Friday.
If I have learned nothing else during this restoration it is this; if something can be taken apart, do it and fix it. Don't leave anything to chance!
I will update totals next week.

[fyrffytr1]

What can I say. The car is still sitting on the lift waiting for an axle. The others didn't pan out so I ordered a new one from Rock Auto and sprung for the additional shipping to get it here by Thursday.
I will update totals next week if the car is done! I hope there are no more problems.

[Greg Reid]

I had a guy from Jasper engines come into my business one day. I never realized until talking to him that they also sell recondition rear ends. Same deal as the engine. Buy theirs and trade in your core.

[fyrffytr1]

The rear end is fixed as well as the stuck advance plate and the lifters have been adjusted. But, I killed my calculator adding up all the costs!!
I took it for a short drive today and it ran great. I still have some more stuff to do but I can drive the car. I spent $243.44 on parts and $575.00 on labor.
Here are the updated totals:

My labor @ 491 hrs.............$9,820.00
Parts..............................$16,603.50
Outside labor....................$18,185.00
Gifts.................................$3,024.25

Total..............................$47,632.75

[fyrffytr1]

Hey Y'all, just a short note to keep my weekly update up to date. About the only thing I did this week was crawl under the car and adjust the transmission modulator so the car would shift a little sooner and softer. That took about 3 minutes.
Oh yeah, I did spend another 20 minutes taking the choke stove off, removing a piece of wire that was used to hold the throttle plate open and replacing the stove.
I have to replace the battery and get a new negative cable but I will post some questions in a separate thread.
Y'all have a good one.

[fyrffytr1]

Well, this has been an interesting few days. A good friend and fellow car enthusiast passed away unexpectedly last Thursday and will be buried tomorrow. The family has requested that anyone with a classic car drive it in the procession and while my car is not completely done I have agreed to do so.
I posted a separate thread with a steering wheel question but I have a radio question Y'all can help me with.
How does the small brace attach to the radio and where does it attach behind the dash? I would like to stick the non working radio in the hole just to fill it but don't know if the two bezel nuts are enough to hold it for a few hours. Thanks, in advance for any help.

[65Mark]

I used to put my radios in without the brace all the time. Most of the time I didn't have the brace. Never had a problem just using the two nuts. It'll hold.

[Old Goat 67]

It went from to back to a hole in the bottom of the dash.

[fyrffytr1]

I did not work on the car last week but I did drive it! Took it out yesterday with the top down for the first time! I still have work to do and a few bugs to exterminate but it's getting there. Y'all have a good one.

[67gtojones]

This is a great thread. Encouraging to see the work. I haven't started mine, but I hope I can be as thorough.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by 67gtojones

Encouraging to see the work.

Just don't look at the totals. I always skip the totals.

[fyrffytr1]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

Just don't look at the totals. I always skip the totals.

It does hurt!