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The "What Did You Work On Today" thread

3M views 36K replies 388 participants last post by  cerial 
#1 ·
4 hour work day for me at the shop. Used the time to do a valve body swap on a '01 Jetta 1.8t auto .... I successfully installed a transbrake on the car .... that however wasn't my intention.

Its in 2 gears at once in park, all other gears (R/N/D/2/1) are forward gears.... they all seam to be first gear.

I have it torn back down most of the way. Tuesday I'll actually get the VB back out and see whats up.... but part of me wants to take it out for a test drive the way it is just for the fun of it.
 
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#2,522 ·
What type of engine does the rambler have Flattie or Ohv dont know any thing about it But i like it would like to have one or a wagon to drive .or a metropolitan ,i know yours is a better car than a metro .but i like both
Yep a flatty (sorry Marge, but you don't big ones, sorry).



I get such a kick out of the thought that I am driving around town every day with this flathead, this obsolete motor, still doing it's job.

Brian
 
#2,524 ·
Marge is a sweetheart. Actually driving something like your Rambler makes complete sense. She will give you cheap transportation, never depreciate and never fail an emissions test. Consider this. I sold my El Camino today for 7800 dollars and bought a 2006 minivan last week for 8000 dollars. In 10 yeas the El Camino would be worth 12000 and the Minivan will be worth 650... If it is even still running. Buying a newer vehicle makes no financial sense.

On the other hand, We just have to have a place for those grand kids. :)

John L
John,Kids LOVE riding in the back of a truck...All mine do..They whine a little when it rains but but as soon as you close the door and turn up the radio ,thats the end of it...
 
#2,526 ·
For me riding in the back was ok... but on the roof ........Now THAT was cool...
Grandpa said the wagon was full of tools and he didnt know where else to put me,I did put up a fuss at first and he got mad because I kept climbing down the windsheild before he could get going to fast so he had to tie me down but after he hit 30 mph he couldnt even tell I was up there............

Story #2
Grandpa went to the supermarket and set me on the roof to load the car up and forgot all about me up there.... when he got home I had this big grin on my face and wouldnt come down so he got his camera and took this picture...

Well Ok I made that one up too......but the pic is for real.... I look a little like that kid on TV,dont I? Oppie
Everybodys so worried about screwing up their kids but I turned out just fine:drunk::drunk:
 

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#2,527 ·
Temp gauge stopped working in the '56 Jimmy so I went trouble shooting while the charcoal was getting ready (had some ribs to cook) - - - anyhow, I was lucky cause it turned out to be a loose connection created by an incorrect nut size so after I located a nut (present company excluded) I tighten'er down and now gauge is working.

Also, got some feelers out for a set of seat covers that I can put on myself - - - - samples are supposed to be in the mail.
 
#2,533 ·
I wish I had the number of miles I rode in the back of my dad's 55 F-100 with a bale of hay or two, it would be a LOT. However, I am just fine with the laws on this issue. I think children belong in a seat with a belt.

Brian
 
#2,535 ·
So I took the 3 disease-el fuel injectors in to have them tested - 2 were pretty much pooched and the third was only so-so, so I told them to rebuild all 3.

That's the good news

AND I got the diesel compression tester from Horrible Fright and tried it out on that li'l 3 cyl Disease-el

#1 was 425 psi
#2 was 450
#3 was - well - er- ahem - OK, OK - it was approx ZERO! :( :mad:

(That's the not-so-good news)

(Wonder if I may have found a part of the problem?) :confused:

Not a lotta use even trying to do a "wet and dry" check - with one hole reading a bit less than 2/3 of the square root of nothing whatsoever, I'm going to have to go into the little guy anyway so I'll see what's up then. :smash:
 
#2,536 · (Edited)
Dave, In the words of Jamie on Mythbusters, "Well there's your problem".

I had your usual project, assemble an 800 Thermoquad and a 59 Rambler idler arm. :D



I was sick, absolutely sick, I was assembling the carb (this is not my thing) and everything is going well until I find that I am missing a piece of the linkage! I had cleaned the air horn with carb cleaner out in the driveway then blown it off with the air hose so it likely is gone. My driveway isn't a smooth nice piece of concrete, it is cracked and rough and a strip of dirt runs right there, the chance of finding this thing was pretty slim, it was a tiny piece. Before I gave up and came in the house I looked over the area with a flash light and found it! WHOOO HOOOO!

I found that a Pete & Jake four bar bushing is going to work perfect on the idler, I mean perfect. Wild, it's like it was made for it. I picked up a seamless bushing at the hardware store and some machine washers and will be making an idler arm better than AMC did that's for sure.



I came close to getting the carb back on and firing it up but when I saw that it was 9:30 I figured that will be for tomorrow night.

Brian
 
#2,537 ·
So I took the 3 disease-el fuel injectors in to have them tested - 2 were pretty much pooched and the third was only so-so, so I told them to rebuild all 3.

That's the good news

AND I got the diesel compression tester from Horrible Fright and tried it out on that li'l 3 cyl Disease-el

#1 was 425 psi
#2 was 450
#3 was - well - er- ahem - OK, OK - it was approx ZERO! :( :mad:

(That's the not-so-good news)

(Wonder if I may have found a part of the problem?) :confused:

Not a lotta use even trying to do a "wet and dry" check - with one hole reading a bit less than 2/3 of the square root of nothing whatsoever, I'm going to have to go into the little guy anyway so I'll see what's up then. :smash:
Well, in all honesty I was afraid that might be the case with the blown out injector in that hole. I was hoping for your sake that they had quit running the generator when it developed the miss. Continuing to run the engine with the blown out, over fueling injector has wiped out that cylinder. The raw fuel running down the cylinder walls has worked like a cutting fluid and most likely the cylinder is now worn oversize and the rings and likely the ring lands in the piston are also likely worn out. Been there and seen that too many times before. People who are not familiar with the diesel engine do not realize that running a diesel engine with a miss can cause a lot of internal damage. Also the fuel dilution in the engine oil has not done any favors to any of the engine bearings. Even the cam bearings need checked. Sorry for your sake that you were dealt this kind of problem. Be prepared to get deep into this engine to make it right. Allan
 
#2,538 ·
Dave, In the words of Jamie on Mythbusters, "Well there's your problem".

I had your usual project, assemble an 800 Thermoquad and a 59 Rambler idler arm. :D



I was sick, absolutely sick, I was assembling the carb (this is not my thing) and everything is going well until I find that I am missing a piece of the linkage! I had cleaned the air horn with carb cleaner out in the driveway then blown it off with the air hose so it likely is gone. My driveway isn't a smooth nice piece of concrete, it is cracked and rough and a strip of dirt runs right there, the chance of finding this thing was pretty slim, it was a tiny piece. Before I gave up and came in the house I looked over the area with a flash light and found it! WHOOO HOOOO!


Brian
A big magnet Brian! I keep one handy, as I've lost stuff more than once in the driveway, or the garage! It usually picks up a lot of stuff I didn't want to find also, but what I lost is in there somewhere! ;)
 
#2,539 ·
I had a change of plans on my Falcon gasser project. After discussing it with a local rodder, he suggested I look into the 8.8" Ford rear axles. I did a lot of research online, and read some good things. It seems the 8.8" Ford is basically a copy of the 12 bolt Chevy, and in Explorers it's a 31 spline vs. the 12 bolt's 30 spline axles. The Explorer also has big 3.25" tubes, and is a pretty stout looking rearend! It's also the smaller 4.5" bolt pattern, vs. the 5" on the 9" I bought.
Seeing as I still had not found drums or a third member for the 9", I decided to look into finding a 8.8" instead. Surprisingly the 8.8" are plentiful, and I found a 3.73 posi from a 1993 Exploder for $175! Once they pulled the rearend and I got a look inside to ensure it looked good, they loaded it up and ready to take home!
I'll resell the 9" Ford, and since it's a narrow 53" to the backing plates, it should be easy to recoup my $100, and go with the new axle.
 
#2,540 ·
A big magnet Brian! I keep one handy, as I've lost stuff more than once in the driveway, or the garage! It usually picks up a lot of stuff I didn't want to find also, but what I lost is in there somewhere! ;)
Good thinking, that is the perfect thing for Harbor Freight. :D
I'll pick one up next time I go in there.:thumbup:

Brian
 
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