Hammer mechanic

[enjenjo]

Josh picked up a 30 over 302 short block to build for his Mustang. We tore it down today, and whoever built it was a hack. Two of the main caps were on backwards, and all of the front four were in the wrong position. The thrust bearing had the top half on cap number three where it should be, but the bottom half of the thrust was on number four, along with the number three cap.

The rod cap bolts were all over the place on torque, so at minimum the bolts will need replaced and the rods re-sized. Two of the wrist pins were too tight, and two pistons had broken rings. One piston has signs of overheating, not one with a tight wrist pin, but there is no sign of detonation. The ring lands are not pinched, so I am guessing the rings were broken installing them. The crank can be turned, but I think we will exchange it for a turned crank. The block is good, a XXX service block. It looks like it just need a honing. I will check the line bore to see that no damage was done. The bearings were junk.

[GPster]

I thought he wanted to build a Studebaker truck? GPster

[enjenjo]

I thought he wanted to build a Studebaker truck? GPster

He is doing both.

[jaybee]

Y'mean all the parts have to go in the right PLACE? Huh...imagine that.

[kb426]

It ran in that condition?

[enjenjo]

It ran in that condition?

From the looks of things, not for long. Called the guy he got it from, and he said they had to tow start it because the starter wouldn't turn it over,and then it locked up while idling.

[kb426]

My expectations exactly.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

same stuff for decades.  in high school around 1971, a friend bought a fresh short block 283  to replace the inline 6 in his 63 Impala ...

He took it to a friend of his sister that was a hot rodder.  Pulled the 283 apart.  Oh Boy! similar stuff to what this Ford engine had, cept bearings were in correct

[jaybee]

Called the guy he got it from, and he said they had to tow start it because the starter wouldn't turn it over,and then it locked up while idling.

That's what's known as a "clue." I wouldn't try to pull start something the starter motor won't crank, but then again any time I get inside one I'll give it a few rotations by hand just to make sure there aren't parts trying to occupy the same space at the same time.

[58 Yeoman]

Way back in the 60's when my brother was working at a Ford dealer, an 'older' mechanic had overhauled the engine in a '60 Ford.  It wouldn't turn over, so the mechanic had my brother pull him all over town trying to get it to turn over.  They finally pulled it back into the garage, and my brother dropped the pan and found one rod had the bearings overlapped.

After I started working there in HS, this same 'mechanic' was cutting off the rear shocks on a '66 Ford wagon.  He melted the plastic gas line and gas started to drain onto the floor, catching fire.  He was doing this on the wash rack.  He grabbed the water hose and started hosing it down, spreading the fire.  Me, the HS kid, grabbed the extinguisher and put it out.

We had one overhead door into the garage, electric opener.  Push the toggle switch up, the door went up, but not all the way.  If you wanted it to go up all the way, for the big trucks, you would flip the toggle down, then back up as the door was raising.  This would put the door all the way up.

Well...one day someone was driving our wrecker inside, and Ron pushed the toggle up, then down (but not up again).  The door reversed, and came down on the YELLOW light on top, smashing it.  This was just after the light had been changed to yellow, as the law didn't want red ones on top any longer.  Had to special order a new light.

I'll stop here.

[jaybee]

Sounds about right. When Dad was working as a mechanic he turned as he heard shouting to see another mechanic yank a coworker on a creeper out from under a car by his feet. That was just as the last U bolt gave way on a spring over axle setup and the whole diff came crashing to the floor...no jack stands under the axle.

That guy became a car salesman and eventually owned a dealership. Must be a moral in there someplace but I'm afraid to look for it.

[Carnut]

Heh, heh, I am a proud Hammer Mechanic. I think I posted this story before, but will relate it again.

Sometime around 72 or 73 I had a friend let me know about a deal he had in his backyard. It was a 57 Chevy Convertible minus drivetrain, with some frame butchering, to drop in some other substantial type power but never completed. He also had a 65 Chevelle 283 with a 3spd stick sitting with it that he had intended to put in the 57. He wanted $150 for the car and $50 for the 283. Now in 72/73 $200 was a bit more money than it is now a days, but it was still a pretty good deal for the 57, especially since it had a good title and a one piece 'california' front bumper, so I offered $150 for all of it and he took it.

Now, I never really had anything in mind with what to do with the car, just didn't like the idea of a 57 Chevy Convertible going to waste. Then for some really odd reason I thought it might be a nice 'first car' for my brother. So, being the frugal/cheapskate/skinflint person that I am, I decided to do a 'J.C. Whitney' restoration on the car and give it to my brother.

The car had had the original rear side mounts torched out and the front crossmember cutout where the stock mounts had been. The underdash wiring and engine compartment wiring was all gone. The floorboards were both rusted out and butchered up. So, I welded up the front crossmember, and 'cloths hanger' welded new floorboard repairs into the car. Since the car had an Xmember chassis and the stick trans out of the 65 Chevelle had a rear mount pad, I just bolted in a plate to the Xmember for the trans mount.

Got out my J.C. Whitney and ordered a 'rebuild' kit for the 283, a new clutch and pressure plate and a replacement convertible top kit for the car. Had the 3spd trans gone thru by a local shop.

The car had been a factory auto, so I had to scare up a clutch pedal and linkage which I actually seem to recall I had 'in stock'. Went to local 'yard' for a drive shaft and did a J.C. Whitney brake job and front suspension rebuild, pretty much had it all set to go.

Did the main bearings on the engine while having the block laying on it's back and then bolted the flywheel to the crank and set the block up on the tailgate of my El Camino to install the pistons. Kinda neat, just spinning the block around on the crank as I tapped the reringed pistons and rods into place.

Somewhere down the line after most of the pistons had tapped in rather easily, using one hand to guide the rod bolts past the crank and tapping with the other, one of the pistons was a bit more difficult and after some hand manipulation and some loss of patience I realized it needed some harder tapping/banging/hammering.

Soon afterwards I discovered a rod bolt firmly jammed into the crank journal. Upon further inspection I also found a nice little half moon crescent indent in the rod journal. This caused much consternation and confusion on my part as to how to resolve this possible problem. Then with my evil genius/mad mechanic mode kicking in 'heck it's just for my brother', I decided that the rod journal had holes in it anyway, I'll just make sure there's no protruding deformation metal and go ahead and use as is. I filed, sanded and crocus clothed the spot until I was sure it was smooth and went ahead and finished the job.

Just like when my 56 Chevy 265 lost oil pressure I was curious as to how this was gonna work out.

Anyhow, after rewiring the car, without a kit, and installing the top kit and a J.C. Whitney exhaust system I got the car done. A little shabby, but driveable. In a prevous era it probably woulda been considered a 'jalopy' but now it was just an old car for my brother to drive to High School.



I got the car out for a test drive on a sunny day and went ahead and drove it over to my brothers High School and cruised into the parking lot and parked in a prominent spot so he couldn't miss it.

So, when the 3:30 bell rang and the kids started coming out the car did it's share of attention and finally my brother came out and found me sitting on the passenger side with the keys in the ignition and I told him to get in and drive, it's his.

This for the kid who wiped the paint off the side of my Coupe.

Brother still has the car and it still has the same 283 in it. He says he's never had any problems with the engine. He actually drove the car from Wichita to Colo Springs and to the top of Pikes Peak with no trouble.

If I had that engine I'm sure the bearing would have spun in the first week.

Guess he really musta liked the car, he has only had 3 or 4 wrecks with the car since then, t-boned someone pulling out in front of him, so the car got a new station wagon front clip. Twice at a drivein theater, where he worked, he backed up with the door opened and tangled with a speaker post, replaced both doors. He also got side swiped in an intersection smashing up a rear quarter pretty good. Porta powered that back into shape and found a good used quarter replacement.

Brother still has the car, must be for the memories or something.

[Charlie Chops 1940]

I like to think I've gotten past "hammer mechanic" But I do have to pause once in awhile and test my brain storms....so far so good.

Charlie

[jaybee]

I like to think I've gotten past "hammer mechanic" But I do have to pause once in awhile and test my brain storms....so far so good.

Charlie

Don't we all?

[kb426]

Good story, George.