Author Topic: Getting an oooold junker running again: (Read 21767 times)

booksmart · « **Reply #25 on:** May 15, 2015, 10:38:47 am »

But think how nice she would look with a nice, dark midnight blue gloss for all that chrome to pop out against...

WeTheArmed.com

only1asterisk · « **Reply #26 on:** May 15, 2015, 11:58:59 am »

Quote from: booksmart on May 15, 2015, 10:38:47 am

But think how nice she would look with a nice, dark midnight blue gloss for all that chrome to pop out against...

Think about how much body work... The rocker panels alone scare me.

luke213(adamsholsters) · « **Reply #27 on:** May 15, 2015, 12:07:11 pm »

Looks like it's all sun damage rust top down can't see The rockers well but they don't look bad to my eye.

only1asterisk · « **Reply #28 on:** May 15, 2015, 12:23:05 pm »

Quote from: luke213(adamsholsters) on May 15, 2015, 12:07:11 pm

Looks like it's all sun damage rust top down can't see The rockers well but they don't look bad to my eye.

They aren't like the stuff you see in MI, but I can smell it from here. There acres of of body on that car and it would all need to perfect for booksmart's "midnight blue" to be right. I find body work to me the most tedious of automotive endeavors. Just right for a young man!

A blue-black would look good. I think Ford's Black Jade would be suitable as well and in keeping with the time period.

luke213(adamsholsters) · « **Reply #29 on:** May 15, 2015, 12:28:58 pm »

I know what you mean stuff here is flat out rot hard to tell from pictures anyways but it looks fairly solid to me. That said your right on bodywork sucks and anything like that will usually take allot to look good;)

booksmart · « **Reply #30 on:** May 15, 2015, 12:30:15 pm »

Perfect to keep a young man outta trouble...

only1asterisk · « **Reply #31 on:** May 15, 2015, 12:46:44 pm »

Quote from: booksmart on May 15, 2015, 12:30:15 pm

Perfect to keep a young man outta trouble...

Exactly.

booksmart · « **Reply #32 on:** May 15, 2015, 02:47:41 pm »

Though a nice crimson red would do the trick, too... Like Buckeye's, but a little darker, with some metallic sheen to it...

Grant · « **Reply #33 on:** May 15, 2015, 09:13:27 pm »

Quote from: booksmart on May 15, 2015, 10:38:47 am

But think how nice she would look with a nice, dark midnight blue gloss for all that chrome to pop out against...

Oh believe me.....I've thought of it.....

In the end I said if I go that route I'll buy one that just needs a paint job

Part of it is I'll get the enjoyment out of making people point and laugh at the old junker......and then show what it's like

A friend did that with an old '68 chevy pickup...looks like crap......runs like a cheetah.

Grant · « **Reply #34 on:** June 08, 2015, 06:17:16 pm »

Well she's now fully roadworthy, all leaks fixed, timing set,etc.etc. All I need to do is installed the blue fuzzy '70's fur for the dashcover, seatcovers and she'll be done.

The 390 is a bit "tired", the local ford guy thinks the valve springs are weak. There's also a manifold gasket that makes it pop, but I'm going to run it a bit, as the bolt is seized solid and I don't want to put her down in the shop since I won't have time to work on it.

ksuguy · « **Reply #35 on:** June 08, 2015, 09:07:47 pm »

Heh, that picture makes me think of Fallout. Almost looks like the cow in the background has two heads too.

Grant · « **Reply #36 on:** June 09, 2015, 07:49:21 am »

DAMN, I never thought of that. Lol, I've watched gameplay but ain't ever played fallout yet.

RevDisk · « **Reply #37 on:** June 09, 2015, 08:32:16 pm »

Needs some TLC and you're good to go!

Buckeye Redneck · « **Reply #38 on:** June 18, 2015, 05:38:30 pm »

Looking good man, she'll be a sharp one when she's finished.

sqlbullet · « **Reply #39 on:** June 18, 2015, 07:09:44 pm »

She is a beauty.

Grant · « **Reply #40 on:** July 24, 2015, 11:43:25 pm »

Having "fun" learning older motors

She started running rough...REALLY rough, couldn't figure it out. Checked it when it was dark....BRAND NEW blue-line Napa plug wires were sparking super bad.

Okay, that's the problem. Swapped em out.....Still running rough. Not gas, definitely electrical. got worse, worse, not the coil, worse, finally wouldn't stay running more than 10-15 seconds before dying.

Condenser was bad. Brand new condenser was junk after only 450 miles of use. Put a new one on, runs like a charm again.

Funny how something simple, takes some time to learn.

coelacanth · « **Reply #41 on:** July 26, 2015, 12:56:46 am »

Yup. It takes a while to learn the old ones. Can't hook 'em up to a diagnostic computer - you just have learn what makes 'em tick.

Buckeye Redneck · « **Reply #42 on:** August 22, 2015, 11:13:28 pm »

Quote from: Grant on July 24, 2015, 11:43:25 pm

Having "fun" learning older motors

She started running rough...REALLY rough, couldn't figure it out. Checked it when it was dark....BRAND NEW blue-line Napa plug wires were sparking super bad.

Okay, that's the problem. Swapped em out.....Still running rough. Not gas, definitely electrical. got worse, worse, not the coil, worse, finally wouldn't stay running more than 10-15 seconds before dying.

Condenser was bad. Brand new condenser was junk after only 450 miles of use. Put a new one on, runs like a charm again.

Funny how something simple, takes some time to learn.

Luckily, once you learn them, it's a darned small set of variables.

scarville · « **Reply #43 on:** August 25, 2015, 12:40:03 am »

Quote from: booksmart on May 15, 2015, 12:30:15 pm

Perfect to keep a young man outta trouble...

Amen to that. Yeah, a fast car might have got me into a lot of trouble if I hadn't spent so much time making it fast.

Re the OP: Remember, it is not junk if somebody wants it. I can tell you from experience that a 390 and a Cruiseomatic (C6 or cast iron) can be a heckuva combination.

Grant · « **Reply #44 on:** August 25, 2015, 08:17:01 am »

Yeah she's a pretty weak runner at the moment. Just keeping ahead of keeping it going rather than "upgrading" it. And at 91,000 miles I'm not sure how much life the ol' 390 has in her aside from rebuilding.

Something will turn out though

I'm thinking of leaving this car "as is" and have it just being a fun cruiser and then getting something a bit fancier to be the tweak and tune car where I try for pure horsepower.

sqlbullet · « **Reply #45 on:** August 25, 2015, 10:33:59 am »

Looks like a rebuild kit is about $300 for that engine, plus machining on the block. Depending on machine shop rates in your area it might be pretty cheap to have the short block done if you think the heads are OK. If not summit has aluminum heads starting at about $850 assembled.

JackCrow · « **Reply #46 on:** August 25, 2015, 05:37:52 pm »

Man, weld a roll cage with expanded metal over the top and bush busters front and back and you are ready for the Zompocalypse!!

Grant · « **Reply #47 on:** September 20, 2015, 11:38:59 pm »

Had a blast this weekend

Been planning on, but never got around to it, taking my old '67 to the drag races locally:

Wasn't "real" races, just a for-fun test & tune period (real race was the season-ending $100 entry fee), but had a blast. Did just good enough to have a good time

Slow reaction time, but I did an 1/8th mile in 12.01, 12.01, 12.02 and 11.96 seconds, average of 59MPH. So not specactular, pretty good considering it's a 100% stock engine that hasn't been worked on in 93,000 miles

Grant · « **Reply #48 on:** December 23, 2015, 07:13:46 pm »

*sigh*.....yet again....lol.

Had it in the shop, put in a new heater blower motor, added a ground,etc. tweaked a buncha little stuff.

Took it out and was going to run and get some parts in town.....heat light came on.....it's 15 degrees out and never overheated all summer......Crap.

Blew off the vent hose and steamed all over. Upper radiator hose (coming out of the thermostat) hot, lower hose dead cold. Entire radiator dead-cold except for the top tank. Also the "In" hose going to the heater core hot, "exit" hose dead cold.

Bad thermostat? I believe the heater core is plugged, but the heater valve turned off so that shouldn't have any effect on that (I wouldn't think?)

Getting more kinks worked out of it.....seems endless though, lol.

Longer-term projects: Purchasing a good-shape but not-run-for-10-years 390, plan on rebuilding it, and still using the motor in my car, hopefully get the motor done by next winter and swap out, along with a good C6 transmission replacing my "MX" tranny.

This winter yet, going to put in a trac-loc into it.

JesseL · « **Reply #49 on:** December 23, 2015, 07:20:19 pm »

If the top hose was hot, your thermostat is probably fine and you probably have a plugged up radiator.

The heater core may or may note be okay - since the heater valve was closed you'd expect the in to be hot and the out to be cold. If the valve was open you'd expect the in to be hot and the out to be warm.