Need some encouragement.

Topic: Need some encouragement. (Read 1184 times) previous topic - next topic

Need some encouragement.

June 30, 2008, 01:10:44 AM

Well I'd like to say thanks to everyone that has helped me in the past, and I hope I have added at least alittle to our little community. I have been working on a 87 t-bird for the last couple of months. I feel like I have hit a snag, although I have still been making progress.

I was having problems with lifter preload, so I talked to a guy and he recommended I get a shim kit for the rockers from crane cams. It has helped out quite a bit, before hand it was really tight and would barely turn over when they were tourqed correctly. Afterwords, I put in both the small and large shims, and I ended up with about what I need, but alittle too much room still. I can easily twist all the rockers by hand and the push rod easily spins. I wouldn't feel so bad about it if it didn't make any noise.

Alittle history on the car, I bought it for $400, and had it trailiered to me from about 50 miles away. This was the first time I bought a car without driving it first. I was told it runs and drives fine. Ended up with a junk tranny, and a motor with alot of knocking. After tear down, it ended up have a bad bottom end with just about a spun bearing. It was also 4 quarts low on oil and the hood was smashed shut and looked to have been that way for quite some time.

I threw in a stock h.o. bottom end, stock tbird cam, and stock heads. The heads looked fairly new, and didn't leak any gas that I left in it overnight. I also threw in a AOD out of my old 3.8 cat. Now I am worried that the tranny will go bad easy. I am going to put a new tv grommet on it just in case, and if I have time and money, a shift kit.

I replaced every part possible exept the top end, which seemed to be in pretty good shape. It looked like someone was in there fairly recently.

All I have left is a couple of vacuum leaks and a slight leak and the output shaft and a tv grommet. Then to get it on the road I need 4 new tires and a new ler. I still haven't had it together long enough to make sure the tranny is shifting, or to make sure where all the vac lines go. Its driving me nuts, cause my wife Is missing alot of work and about 5 month pregnant, and I have been working 30+ hours overtime whenever possible. It just feels like this project will never end.

Should I go with new pushrods? Or should I replace the whole top end? I could easily get to the parts and a junkyard, but I will have to tear down the whole motor again.

Should I just drive it till it pukes?:D :burnout:

Need some encouragement.

Reply #1 – June 30, 2008, 06:43:35 AM

Good luck.It just takes time and patience.I've been building mine for 16 months now and I'm still not finished.One piece at a time as I say.My Sport is also my daily driver,so,whatever project I start on has to be finished by the time I have to go back to work.Plan everything out in advance,and acquire the parts you need and have them ready.I bought the Sport from a salvage yard for $250.00,and it looked like $250.00 was still paying too much,but,we're still together.LOL.Keep it going one day at a time and eventually,you'll get it fiinished.Don't settle for parts,or parts that aren't "right" for what you're doing.If you have to wait for the right part,then wait.Do it right the first time so you won't have to go back and do it again which takes more money,and more time.

Need some encouragement.

Reply #2 – June 30, 2008, 09:12:47 AM

I suppose it depends on if you use it as a daily driver.
fortunately this isn't a race, because I would be coming in last.
If you need it to get around, then I would say to drive this and mabe find another motor to build up and swap it.

If you don't need it daily. then of course rebuilding this one would be the cheaper way out.

Remember, your not alone in the rebuilding. sometimes it seems like it's forever. but it will be done the way you want it done in the end.

I'm also sure someone will have another plan.

Need some encouragement.

Reply #3 – June 30, 2008, 01:28:40 PM

Just about everybody goes through this when they are building/tinkering/playing with a car.

Just this weekend, it took me two tries just to get the stat housing to seal. I replaced my stat, THOUGHT I cleaned the housing/manifold surfaces well and buttoned it back up. Fired the motor,,, LMAO.. It was g coolant like it was not even sealed.

Off it all came again... took a dremel and cleaned the surfaces, got ANOTHER new gasket.. re-applied the gasket maker and put it back together. AWSOME it worked.. but after I shut it off.. it started dripping coolant from the upper hose, right down the stat housing neck. YAY... more parts.. LOL.

Goes to show.. your not alone.

Keep at it..

Need some encouragement.

Reply #4 – June 30, 2008, 01:36:22 PM

i am in a race to pay off my 2 cars before i move out so i can't do 2 much the next few months because i gotta save up some Ca$h hell my old car was in the shop every other week so i know how you feel keep working on it just pace yourself.

Need some encouragement.

Reply #5 – June 30, 2008, 02:02:09 PM

Quote

I threw in a stock h.o. bottom end, stock tbird cam, and stock heads.

Which stock heads? E6? E7?

Quote

I was having problems with lifter preload

As I'm reading this it sounds as if you're rockers are stock as well.....

Where and what are the pushrods from? Somethings amiss. If you indeed have all these stock parts in there then a shim kit should not be necessary. How much lifter preload are we talking about?

Need some encouragement.

Reply #6 – June 30, 2008, 02:17:36 PM

Sound more like some kind of timing issue,dis cam gear?,bad lifters ?,

Need some encouragement.

Reply #7 – June 30, 2008, 08:20:35 PM

Quote from: V8Demon;225298

Which stock heads? E6? E7?

As I'm reading this it sounds as if you're rockers are stock as well.....

Where and what are the pushrods from? Somethings amiss. If you indeed have all these stock parts in there then a shim kit should not be necessary. How much lifter preload are we talking about?

stock H.O. bottom end(Not flat tops) E6 heads. With only the thin shim on when i torque it to specs, the motor bogs down really bad and dosen't really want to start. If I loosen it half a turn it runs fine, but the rockers are still loose and make slight tapping noises. Then I put only the thick one in and it seems alittle loose and I can still move the rockers alittle by hand, but it starts and runs fine. The tapping noise is still there, but not very loud.

The only thing I can think happened, is that I am running a smaller head gasket then the one on the motor before, and maybe the heads were machined, and maybe the block was too? Thats the problem with not knowing the history of the car does.

Or maybe the lifters are bad......

Need some encouragement.

Reply #8 – June 30, 2008, 08:23:13 PM

Quote from: kitzdnm;225300

Sound more like some kind of timing issue,dis cam gear?,bad lifters ?,

Timing is on the right tooth on both gears. I put a new distributor in and the cam looks like its in good shape. I haven't finalized the timing cause I just barely got done with the lower intake and thought I might have to pull it back off to get to the lifters...

Need some encouragement.

Reply #9 – July 04, 2008, 12:52:43 PM

Get a pushrod length checker and measure....