Progress Thread The "grátis" 1966 Coupe - a rusty 2̶8̶9̶ 302

[02 281 GT]

I was going to shoot a video of my fender repair. I scrapped that idea because the kids wouldn't stop running through the garage.

Got the headlight bucket where it needed to be and welded that in. Then started on the graft.

I still have some welding to do. I'll pick it back up tomorrow. I'm also going to need to make a small filler piece because, of course, I cut one side just a tad short. I think this may actually turn out pretty good.

 

[horse sence]

Damn ! You are getting good!

 

[horse sence]

I had to do this on a fender for a 36 ford truck ,it was like welding on a big metal ball

 

[02 281 GT]

Damn ! You are getting good!

There's definitely a difference between my welds now and two years ago!

I had to do this on a fender for a 36 ford truck ,it was like welding on a big metal ball

I'm definitely doing this the hard way. I'm sure most would just get a new fender. This fender fits really well up to the cowl and window post, so I still want to use it. Plus, if I pull this off, the experience will likely pay dividends down the road.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

Not all that big ,about 6 foot by 3 foot and very fancy ,but they were autopsy tables ...kind of destroyed that for me

Should have been perfect for tear downs. Did it have channels for fluid leaks?

 

[02 281 GT]

Trust me, it actually doesn't look nearly as good in person. If this was done by a body shop, I'd refuse to pay them. In any case, I'm just about done with the fender repair. Filler will definitely be needed. I still need to re-weld a section. I've noticed two areas where I didn't get much weld penetration. You can still see the seam where the two pieces meet. I had my welder set two notches above the recommended setting for the thickness. Still, I was only getting penetration into the metal every second or third weld. Every time I have to weld involving old metal, it always behaves like this.

 

[02 281 GT]

@horse sence any tips on getting better weld penetration with original sheet metal? I never seem to have this problem with new metal. I was able to make my hybrid battery apron with relative ease. I'm always having issues with weld penetration on old sheet metal regardless of how clean it is.

 

[horse sence]

Could be your ground ,i somtimes have problems on conversions because i cant get a good ground ,any tar or dirt or even paint from the back side of a gap weld can cause problems

 

[02 281 GT]

The parts I ordered from CJ arrived last week. In spite of its good reviews, the upper stone guard from CJ was a horrible stamping much like the '67-'68 radiator support I purchased from them. I ordered a new Dynacorn part, and once again, the difference is night and day. I'll post some pictures in a day or two. It's too cold in the garage and I'm too lazy right now.

 

[wicked93gs]

The parts I ordered from CJ arrived last week. In spite of its good reviews, the upper stone guard from CJ was a horrible stamping much like the '67-'68 radiator support I purchased from them. I ordered a new Dynacorn part, and once again, the difference is night and day. I'll post some pictures in a day or two. It's too cold in the garage and I'm too lazy right now.

Its really confusing when ordering from CJ's because a lot of the "CJ classics" line ARE Dynacorn parts...or rather parts from the same suppliers Dynacorn uses(which in fact are the same parts), but not all of them. I can't speak to the stone guard though since I actually have 2 OEM pieces in good shape to choose from there(one from an old '66 I had and one from this one)

 

[02 281 GT]

Its really confusing when ordering from CJ's because a lot of the "CJ classics" line ARE Dynacorn parts...or rather parts from the same suppliers Dynacorn uses(which in fact are the same parts), but not all of them. I can't speak to the stone guard though since I actually have 2 OEM pieces in good shape to choose from there(one from an old '66 I had and one from this one)

From my experience, a lot of their CJ Classics line of parts have Dynacorn part numbers. Some parts, like the ‘67-‘68 GT rear valance I ordered, arrived with Dynacorn stickers. Some didn’t have them, but were still quality stampings. Others, like the stone guard, and the first radiator support and ‘67 battery apron I bought, were just terrible stampings. Tons of waves and soft corners. I’ll try to post some pictures this weekend. The difference between the stone guards is pretty stark.

 

[02 281 GT]

My Dad agreed to bring the free 289 from my old coworker. He also wanted me to do some work on his '97 Chevy Silverado. I installed new shocks all around and a new fuel pump.

The fuel pump was way more of a pain that it should have been. I told my Dad to get a Delphi replacement since it would probably be pretty good quality. Only problem was that the new pump housing was around .050" larger in diameter that the original. This meant that it and the really thick o-ring it uses wouldn't seat in the tank. The housing is plastic, so I ended up using a flap wheel on my Dremel to remove plastic until I was finally able to get it to fit. The new pump fits multiple applications and so came with a different style plug for the pump and sender. Splicing in the new connector was actually the easiest part.

After getting that done, I turned my attention to the engine my Dad delivered. This thing has some history. I need another engine stand. The first thing I noticed was that it didn't want to turn with a socket on the crank. The passenger side head and lifter valley were both rust city. I'm thinking this engine must have had one or both blown head gaskets, after which it sat for a very long time. I couldn't remove the distributor by hand. I literally had to use an air hammer on the bottom side of it to get it out.

At least it was free! I'll try to disassemble it the rest of the way after I get another engine stand. I sprayed all the cylinders down with a lot of WD40 in the meantime.

The cam gear was stuck as well. Had to take it out in pieces.

In spite of all that, I broke absolutely no bolts during disassembly.

 

[wicked93gs]

Holy rusted metal Batman! Its unlikely the rust pitted the cylinder walls, but still a possibility....I assume it will be bored?(actually making a lot of assumptions about the condition of the cylinder walls)

 

[02 281 GT]

Holy rusted metal Batman! Its unlikely the rust pitted the cylinder walls, but still a possibility....I assume it will be bored?(actually making a lot of assumptions about the condition of the cylinder walls)

I’ve had all the cylinders soaking in WD40 for the last couple of days. Bought an engine stand for it today. Plan is to keep it soaked and then see if I can remove a lot of the rust with a fine bristle wire wheel on a drill. A lot of it looks like thick scale rust. It honestly doesn’t look like it’s eaten up the cylinder walls. Once I get it apart completely, I’ll take it to a machine shop to be tanked and everything else. I don’t want to bore it any more than I have to.

 

[02 281 GT]

The saga continues. Got one piston out so far. Oddly enough, the rod bearings didn’t really look bad at all. I’m not going to try to salvage these pistons.

This thing may be a lost cause. I’m at least going to get it apart the rest of the way before I make that determination.

Edit: you can see from the casting number that this engine is a ‘74 302, not a 289.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

WD-40 is good stuff, but it is NOT a rust remover or penetrant. 50/50 Acetone and ATF was tested to be the best penetrating oil by some machinist magazine. There is a brand of tractor engine freeing liquid in quart cans some friends use. We last got it at O’Reilley’s. They run the engines after freeing the pistons or rings up until they are ready to go for a rebuild. If you still have stuck pistons, I can ask for the brand. The acetone and ATF is cheap enough to DIY in large quantities.

 

[02 281 GT]

Thanks. I'll be sure to get some ATF and acetone once the snow melts.

 

[2Blue2]

Wow ! so bad you had to vacuum the oil pan.

But it is still progress

 

[02 281 GT]

I picked up some ATF and acetone today. I'll see about trying this trick tomorrow.

 

[wicked93gs]

A '74? Good thing you aren't trying to save those pistons then...I think the compression ratio on the mid 70s "Smog Dogs" was like 8:1...good for 20+psi of boost....but not for anything else.