Now that I’ve more or less go the engine down to the long block, I think I have a general plan of what needs to happen to clean this up, upgrade certain components, etc. Of course, I haven’t pulled the heads off yet so this could change and I’m still worried about the interior components. It already has from my prior plan.
The plan was to do as minimal as possible to get this running solid and reliably, and then put it into the Yellow for sale which was always my goal for it. I know I won’t remotely get the money out of Yellow that I spent, but I’ll try and get any money spent on the engine refresh out during the sale. Plus I’ll feel better about the work I’ve done instead of putting an unknown sometimes running engine back in.
Electrical System / Stand
I committed to the upgrade of the engine from a 12V generator to a new internally regulated 60amp Alternator. At only $114 for the full kit, plus a little bit more for the oil filler, it should definitely provide a better and easier swap into the 74’s wiring.
Intended replacement includes:
- Generator to Alternator (IAP) – Will try to resell the generator from the vehicle
- Gen stand to Alt stand with new oil filler – Breather hose will run from filler to the air cleaner intake
- Will clean-up and reuse the fan
- Will replace the mismatched stand studs/bolts will proper new studs
- Will replace the oil splash and install gaskets which were not installed on the engine (likely why the front top is oily)
Oil System
This will be minimal work that will include:
- Removing the oil pump and inspecting it all
- Installing new pump gaskets – hard to tell if there even are any on it
- Pull oil cooler and inspect and replace cooler to case seals if necessary
Valvetrain Components
This will be minimal work that will include:
- Pull the heads and replace the push rod tubes and seals
- Clean and repaint valve covers.
Case
This will (hopefully) be minimal work that will include:
- Replace the sand seal at crank pulley since the engine has one
- Replace main seal and gaskets
I am really really worried about the cam plug and am hesitant to remove the caked on RTV sealant. I know I am opening up a can of works if I do address this, having to tear down short block, then crack the case, etc.
I’m thinking that I may try and scrape this off to see how bad it is externally, but my gut feeling is that I’ll need to go the long route of replacing it and not just resealing it.
Pistons and Cylinders
I have no intention of replacing these, but I need to remove the heads anyway to redo the push rod tubes so I’ll see what the valve situation as well as the piston tops look like.
I am thinking of running a compression test before I do any of this removal, but of course I should have done that prior to taking off the crank pulley. I suppose I can throw that all back on to be able to turn the crank.
My concern is really with the rings, and not so much with the pistons and cylinders themselves. The oil came out horribly dark (and was changed just last autumn without actually driving the car much). Now in trying to deal with the engine/fuel issues I did run it a lot and there is the distinct smell of gasoline in the oil. It was obviously running extremely rich, and the plugs show that too.
I think the compression test will at least point me in the direction if it was just the carb being off and nothing else here.
Fuel System
The pre-heat pipes on the intake manifolds are clear so I am going to just leave things as-is with only the following work:
- Scrub down the manifold and repaint it, reinstall new boots.
- Break down the carb and inspect it, cleaning it and reassembling
I still need to sort out the possible causes of water in the fuel lines but that has nothing to do with the engine itself..
Ignition System
I had already replaced a lot of the ignition system throughout my ownership of the car during prior tune-ups. However, not all was installed and committed to. The intent now is to:
- Keep the new Bosch Blue coil
- Install the basic SVDA distributor I have in lieu of the generic 009 that was on it
Tins
I was able to salvage almost all of the tins on the engine. However, as I’ve had happen before on so many prior engine tear-downs, the discovery that the heat exchanger tins were damaged at their mount points (at the case) has meant I’ve had to invest a little in this.
- Install new heat exchanger tins
- Install new heat riser covers (that were missing when I bought the car
- Scrub down and clean up all tins
- Repaint a tins a satin black oil resistant paint (paint alternator as well since I like the look)
Drive Train
Based on inspection, and my son’s thoughts on the clutch disk, there will be some investment here as I:
- Replace flywheel o-ring
- Replace clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing
If I could have the flywheel resurfaced I would but I don’t think that is going to be possible and I really don’t plan on buying a new one.
Now of course, this could all change, especially based on the outcomes of the compression tests and such.