Pulling the engine February 2nd 2007,
Today I pulled the engine. Well... I had a mechanic friend pull the engine while I 'helped' (got in the way & took pictures). Because I did all the prep work we got it out in a jiffy.
Here are the back and front of the MEL 462:
We found the world's smallest van to drop off the engine at the rebuild shop.
As if that van didn't look odd enough I ended up having a low-rider...
Some more detailed info; the engine appears to be something of a Frankenstein: the 462 block has a 430 intake manifold on it from '63 (see picture). If I'm correct this means there are 430 heads on it (I have yet to check which year).
The original tranny is fitted to the 462. This shows the bolt pattern on the bell housing.
Painting the engine bay & under the hood stuff Saturday May 12th 2007,
In preparation of a freshly rebuilt engine I've spent the last few Saturdays cleaning & degreasing the engine bay. I've not taken it down to bare metal because the factory primer is very good. If hasn't come off at this point it won't come off. Most restorers even leave it on because modern day environmental friendly primers & paints aren't as good. I painted everything with two coats of POR-15 rust preventive paint and two coats of POR-15 self-etching primer. After that I painted the engine bay with spray cans I had made to match the colour of the exterior. It's a 96% match & came out well...
Some before and after photos:
Cleaning & degreasing... yuk!
The only rust was surface rust under the battery tray. Not a problem.
First coat of POR-15
After two coats of POR-15 self-etching primer:
After three coats of colour:
This is the 'U-channel'; a U-shaped cable cover that fits on the front cross member and sits under the radiator. They are prone to rust and are often missing or removed. Mine's only crispy on one end. I'm going to paint this with POR-15.
Saturday June 30th 2007,
Another problem reared its ugly head. At some point in the past someone lifted the tranny up too high and cracked this plastic cover. It's the heater housing where the fan spins. Because the hole is out of sight I decided to use some glass fiber.
Monday July 2nd 2007,
A beginners guide to 'rag joint' rebuilding
If your steering wheel has too much play it could mean a worn out or even torn rag joint. This is a potential dangerous situation because if it gives way you will have even more steering wheel play. Pictured is where the rag joint sits: between the steering column and steering box (the brake power booster and brake master cylinder have been removed for easy access):
Undo the two screws at either end, remove the three bolts that attach the steering box to the frame rails and pull it back an inch or two. The rag joint now slides out.
The rag joint contains of two iron halves and a canvas/rubber donut.
These are the parts the rebuild kit consist of ($25 at Lincoln Land). In order to fit the new parts the old rivets have to be drilled out first (using an 8 millimeter drill as a maximum). As an extra precaution replace the standard nuts for nyloc nuts. Don't forget to replace the little ground wire (or end up with electrical problems)!
This picture is the wrong assembly: you see the stud pointing towards the firewall? If there's play in the shift tube (because of a worn or even missing lower shift tube bushing) the shift tube could come into contact with the stud & possibly making the car shift gears. Imagine getting out of your car. You always brush past or touch the steering wheel.
In this picture only the stud remains that points downward to the steering box. This is the right assembly. The idea is that if the new 'donut' ever gives way this stud will minimize steering wheel play because it will get caught by the big metal piece of the bottom halve of the rag joint assembly that connects to the steering box (the one with splines).
Here's a final tip: if you remove the mud guard from the wheel well there a little window of opportunity.
Disclaimer : I am not a real mechanic just a hobbyist. These remarks only demonstrate how and why I rebuilt my rag joint as I did. If you feel you are not up to the job consult a real mechanic or hire one to do this job for you.
Page 04. At the engine shop & installing the rebuilt engine
