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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Engine taken apart

After battling with snakes, rain, a leaky headgasket and other problems, I just decided to tear the engine down and do an overhaul. It only took a few hours to take it apart. I have always enjoyed tearing engines down, I just wish they went back together a little more easily. We had to be careful to put all the parts where they could be found and they are in many different boxes. Hopefully they will all be there when the rebuilding occurs.

Anyway, everything looked in good shape. No pitting, no scoring, just 40 years worth of dirt and gunk. A rebuild kit from Kanter, a classic car specialty shop, should fix the engine up nicely. Just purchased a set of rebuilt heads off of eBay, as there are not many machine shops around East Texas any more willing to redo a set of heads. Hopefully we'll have it up and rumbling again before Independence Day.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Snakes in an engine

It's fun to be oblivious, but when reality sets in it can be quite frightening.
While working on the 272 V8 engine I was oblivious. A couple of weeks ago I had tried to crank the engine but the starter was shot, after getting it back from JKs Starter & Alternator in Palestine, who did a beautiful job on repairing and restoring the starter. While putting the starter in the bell housing I noticed there was something funny looking inside of it. After closer inspection I found it was a snake.
After running around for a few minutes I settled down and like any brave man would do, I called my wife to come help.
She tried poking the snake out with a wire and managed to get its tail out, but that was about it. After thinking for a few minutes we decided we had two options: We could stick our hands in there and pull the serpent out, or we could spray something in there and see if the snake would come out on its own.
Naturally, we opted for option two, as the though of touching a snake makes me light headed and have heart palpitations.
So, we tried spray. You have to be careful when spraying stuff around a bell housing, as not everything mixes with clutch components, but I did have a can of brake parts cleaner and it works well with clutch parts. So, armed with a can of brake parts cleaner I boldly sprayed it into the starter hole and then bravely ran backwards about 20 feet to see what would happen.
After waiting about 5 seconds the snake made its way out of the engine and ran straight toward the chicken pen. A garden hoe finished the job and in an ironic act of vengeance, the chickens began to eat the snake.
Needless to say the motor work will wait for another day — just another day on the farm.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

June edition at printer

The June edition is currently at the printer.
Subscribers should expect to receive magazines through the mail late the week of May 16.
It is an eclectic array of stories covering a wood carver from Lufkin, a lavender and olive farm in Austin County, near the Central Texas town of Chappell Hill and a look at the Fort Worth Stockyards and Sundance Square.
In our recipes we featured ice cream and other summer favorites. There's a lot more in there. So look for it in newsstands starting next week.

Thanks,

Wayne

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

First attempt fizzled

The excitement was tense Tuesday evening, after days of getting the engine ready to try and start I finally hooked the battery up and sent a current of electricity to the starter. The old engine turned over once and smoke started coming from the starter.
Needless to say I was filled with disappointment, but a couple of phone calls and another starter was found. Hopefully I can get it on and give it another whirl. I just want to hear it fire for the first time in almost 40 years.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Work progressing slowly

Work continues on the 1955 Fairlane Town Sedan.
Right now we are checking out the engine. The engine was removed a few decades ago to run a sawmill. Luckily, it was placed on a frame. The frame was dragged to the house by a tractor. Having the engine on it makes working on it easier.
Right now I am working to get it started. We've located the starter and did a little work on it to get it turning properly. There was other work to the engine, of course. The carburetor was removed, cleaned and new gaskets installed. A new set of spark plugs and plug wires were placed on it. The old fuel pump looked like it has seen its better days so a new electric fuel pump will be delivering the fuel.
Before all the traditionalists start complaining, once the engine is reinstalled into the vehicle the electric fuel pump will be at the rear of the car just below the gas tank. The old fuel pump will still be attached to the engine block and will have hoses hooked to it, it just won't be functional because there will be the reliable electric version in the back.
The transmission is attached to the engine. It was stuck in high gear by a little work, hopefully solved that problem. Once the starter gets mounted we'll hook a battery up and see what happens.
The engine is currently set up for six volts, but with the addition of a ballast resistor any conversion problems should be negated for now — there will be much more work when it's attached to the electrical components of the car.
Hopefully, with fuel and spark, the old engine will fire right up. Of course there will need to be compression tests done and a look at all the seals. Even if the engine is in tip-top shape all the gaskets will have to be renewed as today's neoprene varieties far outperform the old paper kind, or the rope gaskets used on rear-main seals.
Will let you know how the start up goes.
It's all work, but we didn't grow much of a garden on the far this year so what else do I have to do?