Pulley Sketch

 

For anyone interested in the triple groove pulley on my ’66 engine, here are the dimensions. The sketch was made in MS Publisher and is not drawn to scale, so use it a rough reference only.

 

Flipper Springs

David Nielson sent me some aftermarket torsion springs to test for possible use on the window seal flippers.

The size difference is obvious, but it was the closest fit from the manufacturers list of stocked parts.

I installed two of the new springs on one flipper and while the mechanism does operate, the spring action is noticeably weaker and I doubt they would hold the seal against the glass tight enough to prevent wind and water from passing through.

I guess it's time to come up with a plan B, but parts to match the OEM dimensions would be a special order, and the manufacturer's sales rep stated that they were not insured to make springs that will be used on autos. Yet another example of our overly-litigious society's good intentions and pathetic common sense.

The Day the Music Died

Not a February goes by that the loss of Buddy Holly, doesn't come to mind. Just as the beauty of the classic cars from my generation will live forever, so will the music. That bitterly cold day in 1959 when a small plane crash took the lives of three young pop music stars has been called the day the music died...and I suppose it did for some. Now it's almost as if it was a predestined exclamation point on the demise of a unique and innocent era that gave way to wars, strife, drugs, irresponsibility and vanishing civility.

Getting old is not something I relish until I realize how lucky I am to have been alive to see and experience those good times when tailfins ruled the road and songs were about love and happiness, not anger, hate and vulgarity.

Buddy Holly gained his fame to the beat of rock and roll, but songs like this proved that even without the feverish thunder of drums, the twang of a guitar, or the wailing of a saxophone, he made the music, and the world loved it any way he did it.

Damper Location Help Needed

Here's the damper/pulley combination I have to work with. The damper diameter is 7", while the front pulley is 8".

As you can see, the size might create a clearance problem and can't find a clear picture anywhere that shows how far forward the engine is mounted, but with the rear mounted distributor, there isn't any room to move the engine back, or raise it much, so at this point I'm flying blind.

Any photos or measurements that might give me a better idea of the engine location would be greatly appreciated.

1-31-15

Finished tearing down the engine and the only problems I found were the previously mentioned pushrods, and the skirts of pistons 1 and 3 scuffed. The rings were also carbon-stuck in those two cylinders, so that area must have had a cooling issue at some time. Probably another result of a teenage hot-rodding session.

The bearings and journals all looked excellent for an engine that age. The oil pump has Chrysler markings and appears to be original. Ditto for the timing chain, and while there was slop, the gears were steel so there were no pieces of nylon to chase. Every part I removed had Chrysler markings, even the alternator, so the owner either had all his repairs done at a dealership, or everything performed remarkably well to last this long.

All in all, I'm pleased with what can be seen visually, so I'll be interested to see what they find in the machine shop.

1-28-15

Another beautiful day! It actually hit 80 so I had to work in the shade to keep from getting a sunburn, and it looks like one more day of unseasonably warm weather before winter returns.

The sticking rocker shaft soaked all last night in penetrating oil and with a shot of carb cleaner today it finally broke free, so the heads are ready to take to the machine shop. I had planned on doing some mild porting and cleanup, but decided it wasn't worth the effort with so many other things to do. The rumors still persist that an aluminum head is in the design stage, so if that happens I'll get a set.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning the exterior of the block. After removing a half-inch of oily dirt, it appears that the pan has never been removed as the edge of the gasket shows the original orange paint. The timing chain cover looks as if it has been off, as sealer has oozed out around gasket, so the timing chain has probably been replaced. That suggests the engine likely has seen 100k plus miles, if previous experience with typical wear items on A and LA engines serves me.

Sure wish the car had come with the stock motor mounts so it would be easier to decide the proper location for later model mounts. As best as I can determine, the oversize three-groove pulley is not going to fit without raising the engine at least an inch higher than the stock location, and that likely places the distributor very close to the firewall. I think I'll build a full-size engine and transmission mockup to check clearances before installing the spool mount saddles and transmission cross member.

Engine Teardown

So far, so good. After a morning of obligatory yard work, I pulled the heads off the '66 engine and they look surprisingly good. Very little sludge anywhere, only normal carbon buildup in the combustion chambers, and no burned valves. I have no idea how many miles showed on the odometer, but everything about the engine appears to be original. Steel head gasket, uniform paint under layers of oily dirt, no tooling marks on any  bolts. The only bad parts I've found to this point were some slightly bent pushrods. Junior must have been racing dad's 4-door grocery getter.

Cylinder wall ridges were not excessive, and were actually less pronounced than I've seen in much newer engines. No obvious damage to anything visible from the top side, but I still have to pull the pan, so my fingers are still crossed.

I do have a problem with crankshaft accessory pulleys. The OEM three-groove pulley is the first I've seen on a Mopar, but then it's the first A-engine I've torn down from an A/C equipped car. The problem is that the pulleys are joined by a rubber damper, and the rubber looks to be in bad shape. I can probably get it rebuilt, but that decision is for another day. Every other A/C engine I've torn down had a combination of cast and stamped pulleys, so I might be able to find that setup if needed.

I was reminded of one thing I dislike about A-engines, and that is tearing down the rocker shafts. One side has varnish buildup under two rockers that doesn't want to dissolve with any solvent, so the shaft won't slide out. I'm not sure how long the engine has been sitting, but what was once lubricant turns to glue after a few years. Some of the head bolts were also glued in place so securely that my half-inch impact wrench wouldn't break them free. It took a long bar and lots of curse words to pop them loose. Maybe I'm just getting too old to handle some of these tasks!

Doing a Flip

 Restoring the “flippers” has been frustrating as I couldn’t think of a good way to replace the fuzzy weatherstripping. The OEM material is metal backed and held in place by several crimps in the stainless. The old material was very difficult to remove and the deformed stainless crimps are impossible to straighten without some sort of special tool that is not easily made, so the replacement won’t fit exactly the same.

 

I was surprised to find three different flipper styles out of the four parts I have. As you can see in the photo, the ends are different, as are the actuating arms, spring anchors and their locations. Two versions have two springs, but one has three. There are other small differences and though I don’t see any one design being better than the others, once new springs are installed the differences might be noticeable.

I also could not find a vendor for an exact replacement, so had to go with a Steele self-adhesive rubber product of the proper dimensions. I’m sure it will become loose after the window is closed and opened a few hundred times, but for the time being it will have to suffice.

1-20-15

Beautiful weather to work outdoors! Between house projects I plugged unneeded trim holes, then repaired and primed the passenger door. Still needs some TLC finishing, but its solid and protected from rust so I set it aside until the body is hung on the frame.

Next project is cleaning and tearing down the engine, positioning the drive train, and fabricating a transmission mount cross member so I can get all the mount brackets installed. Another job that could use a second set of eyes and hands, but I guess I'll find a way to do it alone again.

1-16-15

The weather is improving so I can finally work in the garage without having to heat it. Not enough energy to start another big job, but accomplished lots of small part cleaning, straightening, polishing and painting.

Sent out request for quotes for custom made flipper springs, as I couldn't find a standard spring close enough to match. Murphy Spring gave me a quick brush-off and said they had nothing in stock to match and didn't even bother to respond with a price for a custom spring. The email rejection was written by someone who didn't speak English well...or didn't give a damn...or who was yet another product of our pathetic education system.

W.B. Jones claims to be interested in small custom orders, but we shall see. So far I've found only two manufacturers willing to work with the end user.

Ordered all door and window seals from Gary Goers. Beltline weather-strip has been shipped from Surry, BC company. Flipper seals were not available from Goers, so decided to go with a substitute version from the Canadian supplier. It isn't stock looking, but appears to be the correct dimension to do the job, so I ordered all the oversized weather-strip pieces together to save shipping cost. I may regret not ordering everything from Goers.

Still looking for embossed aluminum for the side trim. I found one Internet source that offered a pattern that looked somewhat similar to stock, but it was not gold colored. I decided I could color it, but then I saw the price. They only offered a 4x8 sheet and it was $1,400.00 plus freight! A company in the UK had a product that looked like it might be close, but they don't have a North American supplier.

Checked with a local sign company to see if they could create a gold vinyl decal with a pattern to simulate the stock embossing, but they said it wasn't available from their supplier, and couldn't be done by printing on the vinyl. The only solid gold vinyl they could get was nowhere near a match for the OEM color, and the only metallic vinyl product looked like the old 60s gaudy metal flake, so I'm back to square one. I'm beginning to think I'll have to go with gold paint. Yet another project moved to the back burner.