Running ragged in SoCal

[rktmanfj]

Most of the outside cleaning was probably unnecessary, but I'd decided that as long as I had them all apart I might as well make them as clean as I could. I'm not too big on unnecessary cleaning - my cars have been known to go years between washes (but I do keep the windows clean, as that is necessary). I've seen bumper stickers that say, "I'd rather be..." surfing, sailing, flying, riding my FJ, whatever. But I have never seen one that says, "I'd rather be cleaning"! <g>

cheers,
threejagsteve

So Steve, have you met Dean yet?     

Randy T
Indy

[simi_ed]

Or perhaps Paddy?

[threejagsteve]

quote author=simi_ed link=topic=625.msg5171#msg5171 date=1250187040]
Or perhaps Paddy?

Ahhh, the sort that washes the outside of their house, eh?

Back when my wife was new, she had this '71 VW. One weekend it was in the shop for tires, so she was driving my '69 El Camino. I'd had the El Camino for about 3 years, and had never washed it (except for the windows, of course). It looked like its paint might've been called "Desert Sand" or something. While she was out and about, she ran across a high-school cheerleader fundraiser car wash and thought it'd be nice if she got the El Camino washed for me. Carol was standing right there, the way she told me the story afterward. The girls hosed it off, and one of them took a swipe at a fender with her sponge. Then she turned to my wife and asked, "Lady, did you know your car is WHITE?"

[threejagsteve]

THE MONSTER LIVES!!!

And she's doing pushups in the driveway!

After getting everything back together, of course I had to take her out for a test spin.

Sure, the idle mixture is still a little lean, and she needs a proper sync, but my bench sync is pretty damned close... and who could wait?

Well, I took a cruise up a local residential canyon, nice and twisty but too populated for serious speed. It's pretty, though, and good for testing throttle response etc. You can do the whole thing in 2nd if you want. Everything aside from that last bit of tuning seemed quite fine. Enough grunt to pull out of a 10-mph uphill right-handser!

On the way back on the freeway I was doing about 80 when somebody in a Mitsubishi 3000GT passed me at about 90. Figuring my 10-year-old rubber would last for a few seconds (heh, heh, heh...), I let him get about a carlength ahead of me, dropped her down into 4th and rolled on the throttle, just sucking his headlights right out! After just touching about 110, I figured he'd been spanked a bit  and dropped back down to 80... my offramp was coming up fast!

So aside from a little twiddling tomorrow, I'm happy to say that she's running fine!

Thanks to all who helped... through the loan of a tool, information and advice, or just good old-fashioned encouragement!

And waricle, I'll now and then put about a third to a half a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the gas.  I don't know what's available there, but I usually use Gumout in the silver bottle. Put the rest of the bottle in your car; it might keep, but once that seal's broken, it might also evaporate.

Next: Fork seals!!!

[rktmanfj]

[quote author=rktmanfj link=topic=625.msg5165#msg5165 date=1250169798

So Steve, have you met Dean yet?      

Randy T
Indy



Ahhh, the sort that washes the outside of their house, eh?

Back when my wife was new, she had this '71 VW. One weekend it was in the shop for tires, so she was driving my '69 El Camino. I'd had the El Camino for about 3 years, and had never washed it (except for the windows, of course). It looked like its paint might've been called "Desert Sand" or something. While she was out and about, she ran across a high-school cheerleader fundraiser car wash and thought it'd be nice if she got the El Camino washed for me. Carol was standing right there, the way she told me the story afterward. The girls hosed it off, and one of them took a swipe at a fender with her sponge. Then she turned to my wife and asked, "Lady, did you know your car is WHITE?"

Um, not quite.

I was thinking that you are kindred souls...     

Randy T
Indy

[threejagsteve]

Oh, ok... I had it bass-ackwards!

[Dan Filetti]

Nice job.  Glad to hear a little persistence paid off.

Dan

[ssuv93]

Persistence is a prerequisite for working on old Jaguars.  Just ask Steve what he thinks of the bolts that attach the intake manifold to the block on a 4.2 litre 6 cylinder engine.  The ones underneath AND behind the intake.  Or working on the inboard brake calipers on an E-type.  In my opinion, Steve has persistence in spades.  Great Job Steve!

                   Murray

[threejagsteve]

Aw, shucks, Murray!

Intake manifold bolts are made much easier with liberal applications of Solv-o-Rust.   But true, they're still no fun, and knuckles are skinned with ease!

The best way to attack Jag inboard discs (anything more than a pad change) is to simply drop the rear end. The entire IRS comes out in one piece, but you've gotta take off the exhaust first. Still, it's usually easier than attempting to do it in place.

Yes, old Jags were put together in ways that are little short of perverse in some cases. My favorite is the way they attached the interior upholstery around the doors and other spots. There's a channel in the sheetmetal, into which a 1/2" x 1/2" strip of rubber-and-fabric is nailed all the way around each opening with a nail that has a twist like a concrete nail, every 6' or so. This stuff looks for all the world like a strip cut from an old tire. The outer upholstery that you acually see is nailed to these tire strips with dozens of tiny upholstery nails.

So why bother? Because rust frequently starts behind these tire strips. So all those nails have to be pulled out. And because they are 40-year-old nails, the heads frequently come off. Then you have to attack the remaining wire with vise grips and muscle, and they're amazingly difficult little buggers to get out! Only then can you wire-brush, prime, and repaint the little channels so your door sills don't rust out from under you!

Back to my FJ, my test ride yesterday was 3 months practically to the day since I bought a new battery as the first step to getting her going again. Yes, I wasn't fast about it, but persistence paid off in the end. All that I have left to do really just amounts to catching up on normal upkeeep maintenance. Funny thing is, I figure I'll finally get her all sorted out and completely up to snuff just in time for the SoCal cold-and-rainy season to start! Oh, well, there's always next year!

[FJmonkey]

Steve, we have to get at least a short ride in before the rainy season....Wait! It doesn't rain in SoCal, we can ride as soon as you give her a clean bill of health. Maybe Mike will join in as well for ride up Angels Crest or the Rock Store. My first 10 months on the FJ was commuting to NoCal (San Jose) twice a week, it rained almost every trip (north end). The FJ sliced through the rain like it wasn't there, I was cold and wet but bike seemed to like it.  

[threejagsteve]

Heya, Mark!

Yeah, that'd be great! I was actually not too far from your neighborhood this afternoon...

I twiddled my idle mixture screws a bit (now 2-1/4 turns out) and reset the idle. She's now even better than yesterday!

I took her straight up Verdugo to Foothill, then across to Tujunga Canyon and a speed-limit (ok, maybe a little over now and then ) putt about 10 miles up Big T. Then I turned around, came back down to Sunland, and got on the freeway home.

Yes, I definitely need to do my front brakes. They feel a bit weak, and there's little feedback - those 18-year-old lines are probably making like balloons every time I squeeze 'em! And both fork seals are shot too. (That's maybe next week if I get some ambition) And the freeway-squared back tire has to go, but I think the front is probably ok for a while yet.

But one other thing I need to do is knock the rust off my own edge. Remember, I haven't ridden at all for 6 years, and for two or three years before that, I was only commuting to the West Side and back. That was part of the purpose of today's ride - to see how rusty I've gotten, in a relatively easy canyon. And I'm sorry to say that I was not pleased with myself.

But not to worry... I'll be riding a bit almost every day, in between doing the work that needs to be done. I'm not paying for my tags and insurance just to keep her in the carport, after all!

So I'll keep you posted!

Cheers,
threejagsteve

[waricle]

Persistence is a prerequisite for working on old Jaguars.  Just ask Steve what he thinks of the bolts that attach the intake manifold to the block on a 4.2 litre 6 cylinder engine.  The ones underneath AND behind the intake.  Or working on the inboard brake calipers on an E-type.  In my opinion, Steve has persistence in spades.  Great Job Steve!

                   Murray

And don't forget the Churchill Special Tool No?-(or a hammer & chisel)

I was trying to sell my Mk2 3.8 manual one day and the guy was gunning it up the hilly street and a HUGE cloud of blue smoke came out the exhaust- he said "no thanks mate" and took off and when I had a look at it the bloody brake booster diaphragm was split and brake fluid found its way into the inlet manifold and BLUE SMOKE!!!!

My favorite was tie rod end for a Jag was three times the price if a Commer tie rod end and the only difference (apart from price) was a "j" after the part number!

[threejagsteve]

And don't forget the Churchill Special Tool No?-(or a hammer & chisel)

Instead of the Churchill Special Tool that's used for pressing out the hubs on wire-wheel cars, I use an 89-cent cast-iron disc intended for something involved with plumbing, and my handy 12-tn hydraulic press.