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Finally got my misfire worked out (Intake Air Temp Sensor), and spent a Saturday polishing her up. I posted all the photos in this thread but thought I'd share a few here too.
In process of polishing, you can see the line between before and after
Been a while since I've updated this thread. Wanted to share some new stuff.
I compounded and polished the paint, which took a lot of the orange peel and most of the scratches out, as well as left her with a mirror shine. If you're interested, I used the Menzerna 4-step polishing system, followed by Chemical Guys V07 sealant and Meguiar's Carnuba wax. Before I go for a car show I'll probably top that off with a Chemical Guys Butter Wet wax, which isn't terribly durable but which produces a REALLY nice shine. It's really only for car shows though-it doesn't last but a few days.
The finished product. Looks better than it did when it rolled off the factory floor.
I've also found that my valve seals are leaking. I need to replace them but haven't found the time. If I'm honest I'm a little intimidated by the job, but I'm losing about a quart of oil every 500 miles or so and fouling spark plugs because of it.
For the last few days I've been painting the underside of my hood with a flat black BBQ paint. I wish I had taken before pictures but I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out. Before the paint was peeling, scuffed, and scratched-in general it just looked BAD, and with all the work I've put in cleaning up the engine bay I didn't want that big ugly distraction up there when I open the hood.
I've also found that my valve seals are leaking. I need to replace them but haven't found the time. If I'm honest I'm a little intimidated by the job, but I'm losing about a quart of oil every 500 miles or so and fouling spark plugs because of it.
Have you done a leakdown and compression test ? A quart every 500 mi seems high for just bad valve seals, unless they are completely shot.
If it does just need valve seals the job itself is not very hard, just take your time and you will be fine.
Great work on the paint, your car definitely looks better than the day it rolled out of the factory.
Have you done a leakdown and compression test ? A quart every 500 mi seems high for just bad valve seals, unless they are completely shot.
If it does just need valve seals the job itself is not very hard, just take your time and you will be fine.
Great work on the paint, your car definitely looks better than the day it rolled out of the factory.
I really need to do a compression test but I haven't. Car runs great so I figure it can't be to bad, right?
I really need to do a compression test but I haven't. Car runs great so I figure it can't be to bad, right?
You would be surprised. My 68 Caprice had one cyl with very low compression and still ran great.
I would do both tests just to be sure you do not have bigger problems, you might not like the results but it is always better to be fully informed. Besides, it could be a good excuse for an engine upgrade.
You would be surprised. My 68 Caprice had one cyl with very low compression and still ran great.
I would do both tests just to be sure you do not have bigger problems, you might not like the results but it is always better to be fully informed. Besides, it could be a good excuse for an engine upgrade.
Raising this thread from the dead to say I think I've finally fixed the Overdrive in it.I had the OD unit from my parts car that's been sitting around for about a year (along with the transmission from the car). I got a long weekend this weekend and finally had the time (and help) to get it done.
Found out that the clutch was practically new in the car-must have been swapped right before I bought it. While looking at the FSM for reference on replacing everything, I saw that the chattering on upshift I've been experiencing is caused by burned OD clutch. I really should've started there but didn't think of it at the time. Regardless, I put in a new clutch and flywheel since I was in there. Also put in a rear main seal, which required dropping the oil pan. From there, it was also not hard to swap the front main seal. It looks like both seals and the oil pan gasket were all leaking, which is probably why I've been losing so much oil. Still think I need a valve seal job too but this should significantly help my oil leak issues.
Everything's gone smoothly so far, except when we put the donor transmission in. Got it full of fluid and up in the car, when we noticed a pretty significant crack in the aluminum housing. I was hoping to just swap the entire transmission/OD as a unit, but because of this we had to pull both overdrives and swap them as well. That was actually pretty easy though with both transmissions already out of the car. Everything is looking pretty good now, going to double-check my linkage as I can't get the car into reverse and I think I put something on backwards. Hopefully should be back on the road today!
This must have happened in the wreck of the donor car, because I never had any issues with it before.
Thanks for the update. Good to see that you might have fixed the OD, sucks about the cracked case though. I have a ton of projects to get done, but since it is 8 deg here now with a windchill of -13 that is not going to happen.
Another update-ever since I replaced the OD unit, I've been noticing some vibration in the car at certain speeds. At first, I thought it was the OD, but after doing some investigation it appears to be the U-joints. I replaced the main shaft joints, one of them was in really bad shape. There were no needle bearings left and the cap was cracked. That cleared up a lot of the vibration, but not all. Next up the driver's side wheel hub was squeaking, and when I jacked it up it was pretty loose. So, I replaced that. Then I noticed a 'ping' sound coming from that side. Now the REAR HALF SHAFT u-joints appear to be bad. I think it's a case of fixing one weak link and making the next weakest link worse. Luckily, I'll have pretty much the whole drivetrain replaced by the time I finish these u joints, and I'm hoping that's all it takes.
I replaced the old work out Monroe shocks with KYBs. I understand they’re not as good as the Bilsteins, but man did they make a huge difference. I’ve always heard the ride is rough in a C4 so I just assumed that was the issue. Nope! Those old shock wetter doing nothing for me. The car rides so much better now. The job was also very easy and one of the first projects I’ve done on this car where literally everything went according to plan.
While I was in there, I’ve cleaned up the suspension parts and painted brake calipers. I really want the suspension to look great with the wheels off. I realize most of the time you can’t even see this stuff, but I like everything to be clean when I take it apart to do any work.
I left the calipers on the car Primed for paint Finished Close up of the calipers
10-26-2017, 12:07 PM
