A lot has been going on recently, and most of it hasn't been tail chasing. Figured out the cause of Eagle's problems (brakes, obscured by intermittent behavior and other needed maintenance items that were compounding the problem), though I've still yet to correct it. It's driving and stopping, so I've been keeping going.
I gutted the AC system from Gremlin as a result of discovering it had leaked all it's refrigerant away, as well as that it had at some point been converted to R134a, and that I was tired of it trying to kill me. The last time that I pulled the engine, the condenser was damaged in a number of places and the hard lines to the evap were bent. I figured those were plenty of excuses to delete the million pound York and keep the bay clear while I focus on getting this thing running.
You'd be wrong think I'm not going to have AC, despite not presently having all the parts to make it happen. I've come up with what I think will be a pretty good solution that will give me a system with a smaller footprint in the engine bay, as well as being cheap to set up and maintain. The compressor I'm basing the design around is from a '95-99 Dodge/Plymouth Neon. I'll get into detail about why in a future update.
Unfortunately, climate control components were not all that had been claimed by the previously-mentioned garage disaster. During one of the several moments where the AC system grabbed hold of the moving engine, Gremlin decided to make it clear that the power steering solution that was in place was not to it's liking and beat the hell out of the reservoir with a hood stud. Just to make sure that there would be no chance for recovery, it also broke the aluminum cradle for the pump assembly.
As a result, I decided to switch to a Type II pump. I had initially moved to use the pump from a Grand Cherokee, but this was complicated due to my v-belt setup and need to be a cheap ass. I found a solution, but it's not a simple yard grab, so I'll be providing a full run down of parts and such once that's finished.
We've also got the engine back in, flexplate and reinforcement ring installed, trans bolted up, rear suspension mostly in place (again) and I'm now going inside because I'm done smoking. Time to install the driveshaft and make sure this damned axle is properly positioned, once and for all.
Friday, May 25, 2018
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Congratulations! Amazon.com User! Photobucket is run by scumbags!
Just a quick fart in the canyon here:
If you're like me, over the past several months you've been getting repeatedly kicked in the bad times when searching for just about any kind of community-created documentation online. I'm not taking about Google's search engine going to complete shit in service of "we only return what index entries we can monetize, while also ignoring our own search modifiers in order to serve ads and nebulously-related e-commerce sites," no. For now, you can still manage to get some relevant info by spending 5x as much time and effort to cut through the crap you're given as a reward for your carefully crafted search string.
What I'm talking about are the fuckheads at Photobucket who weren't satisfied by making it incredibly difficult to use 3/4 of the tutorials that people spent a ton of time and effort on to document information that was nearly impossible to reference through other means. Once they realized they weren't wringing the cash out of members that they had hoped to, the upped their game by guaranteeing that a visit to their site is just a temporary stop on your way to your browser session being hijacked to alert you that your tab is now useless, but you and a thousand other people won a Samsung iGift Amazon phone card.
Photobucket, please accept these words that I have pulled up for you, from the deepest places in my heart, "Fuck yourselves to death."
Libraries be burnin' and not a mallow or a fiddle to be had.
If you're like me, over the past several months you've been getting repeatedly kicked in the bad times when searching for just about any kind of community-created documentation online. I'm not taking about Google's search engine going to complete shit in service of "we only return what index entries we can monetize, while also ignoring our own search modifiers in order to serve ads and nebulously-related e-commerce sites," no. For now, you can still manage to get some relevant info by spending 5x as much time and effort to cut through the crap you're given as a reward for your carefully crafted search string.
What I'm talking about are the fuckheads at Photobucket who weren't satisfied by making it incredibly difficult to use 3/4 of the tutorials that people spent a ton of time and effort on to document information that was nearly impossible to reference through other means. Once they realized they weren't wringing the cash out of members that they had hoped to, the upped their game by guaranteeing that a visit to their site is just a temporary stop on your way to your browser session being hijacked to alert you that your tab is now useless, but you and a thousand other people won a Samsung iGift Amazon phone card.
Photobucket, please accept these words that I have pulled up for you, from the deepest places in my heart, "Fuck yourselves to death."
Libraries be burnin' and not a mallow or a fiddle to be had.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Floor wax or dessert topping? Update or rerun?
I'll go ahead and deal with the familiar, since there's not really anything to learn from it: Eagle's sick, but running. Gremlin's engine is out to attend to a clearance problem between oil pump pickup and pan (they ended up getting a little too close. Always use a new pickup, kids!). Rear suspension is still out of whack, but hopefully getting better. Despite traveling back in time, the numbers on the calendar move forward.
Now, to the news/helpful info:
1) Previous pickup installation failed due to a combination of factors; lack of experience, poor preparation, and penny-pinching being the main causes. See, I knew I didn't know well enough to challenge repeated advisements against reusing a pickup tube, but I did it anyway. If I had made sure to get a new pickup, chances of me having to do the installation again probably would've dropped by the official ass pull number of 75% or so. The remaining 25% is from an idea that had not occurred to me at that point in time.
A buddy of mine suggested I use a dry ice/acetone bath to cool the pickup tube before driving it into the pump. I already have way more acetone on hand than most really should, and dry ice is cheap, so I decided to give it a shot. After using this combo (which chills down to around -109°F once the dry ice sublimates), installing the tube was a quick and easy job. I highly recommend going this route for these kinds of tasks (usual wards against litigious stupidity invoked here, meaning, be careful with the shit).
2) The AMX has left the car hole in quest of bigger and better things!
Two brothers from across the Sound purchased him a couple weeks ago, and are doing a round of fixes to get it ready for a navigation challenge before tucking in and doing some more in-depth restoration work with it. I'm thrilled to see it getting back in action. Seriously. They sent me a video of it moving under it's own power for the first time in over a year.
3). I've come to suspect Eagle's remaining problems have been tied to the brake system. Unfortunately, no improvement was seen after inspecting the drums (and finding the right shoes were installed backwards, because I'm a smarty pants) and making sure everything was as it should be. It stops when I ask it to, so the investigation ended there. To be frank, I just don't have the time to keep feeding into it, especially given that the Gremlin is at a point now where it can resume it's duties as my actual vehicle as soon as I get this rear axle mess sorted out.
Speaking of which,
3) The rear axle still isn't aligning correctly, resulting in yet another teardown of the rear suspension. I'm not going to say that I think I've got it now, but I have discovered some interesting things.
A number of things just weren't adding up in how the rear end was coming together, from the shock length to the pinion angle, so I decided to check the parts catalog to see to what extent the rear of a '76 Pacer that I found listed for parts would work out. Here's what the '77/8 page for Gremlins, etc shows:
See the adapter plate between the axle perch and the isoclamp plate? This was the first time I had, because the Gremlin doesn't have them. Now, let's look at the entry for all Pacer years (or at least from '73-8):
This layout is what the Gremlin has had since I've had it. Note the difference in axle perch, which doesn't require any adapter. That's the style of perch I have, and when these details are considered alongside the shackles that were on it (the mystery metal $10 AutoZone lift shackle special), I'm inclined to think that the Gremlin's rear may have been donated by a Pacer at some point. It's also possible that this is what it came with from the factory, and/or the catalog isn't totally accurate. Who knows? At the least, I found it interesting.
4) I've had it with trying to preserve the AC system. It's tried to kill me for the last time when I was pulling the engine, and I also found out that it actually had been converted to R134a at some point (but no sticker to announce it was ever seen). That said, I'll pull a Sanden compressor and other mess from a Fat Cherokee as soon as I can find one that isn't in the yard with extensive front-end damage.
5) In the theme of retrofitting and "wish I knew"s, the PS pump and bracketry has been given the 86 as well. Partly because I discovered that the newer GM Type II pumps will work great with my quick ratio steering gearbox (with less power sink and heat, to boot), and also because the old Saggy pump housing was mortally wounded in the aforementioned attempt on my life made by the AC system.
Fine tuning, I guess.
Now, to the news/helpful info:
1) Previous pickup installation failed due to a combination of factors; lack of experience, poor preparation, and penny-pinching being the main causes. See, I knew I didn't know well enough to challenge repeated advisements against reusing a pickup tube, but I did it anyway. If I had made sure to get a new pickup, chances of me having to do the installation again probably would've dropped by the official ass pull number of 75% or so. The remaining 25% is from an idea that had not occurred to me at that point in time.
A buddy of mine suggested I use a dry ice/acetone bath to cool the pickup tube before driving it into the pump. I already have way more acetone on hand than most really should, and dry ice is cheap, so I decided to give it a shot. After using this combo (which chills down to around -109°F once the dry ice sublimates), installing the tube was a quick and easy job. I highly recommend going this route for these kinds of tasks (usual wards against litigious stupidity invoked here, meaning, be careful with the shit).
2) The AMX has left the car hole in quest of bigger and better things!
Two brothers from across the Sound purchased him a couple weeks ago, and are doing a round of fixes to get it ready for a navigation challenge before tucking in and doing some more in-depth restoration work with it. I'm thrilled to see it getting back in action. Seriously. They sent me a video of it moving under it's own power for the first time in over a year.
3). I've come to suspect Eagle's remaining problems have been tied to the brake system. Unfortunately, no improvement was seen after inspecting the drums (and finding the right shoes were installed backwards, because I'm a smarty pants) and making sure everything was as it should be. It stops when I ask it to, so the investigation ended there. To be frank, I just don't have the time to keep feeding into it, especially given that the Gremlin is at a point now where it can resume it's duties as my actual vehicle as soon as I get this rear axle mess sorted out.
Speaking of which,
3) The rear axle still isn't aligning correctly, resulting in yet another teardown of the rear suspension. I'm not going to say that I think I've got it now, but I have discovered some interesting things.
A number of things just weren't adding up in how the rear end was coming together, from the shock length to the pinion angle, so I decided to check the parts catalog to see to what extent the rear of a '76 Pacer that I found listed for parts would work out. Here's what the '77/8 page for Gremlins, etc shows:
See the adapter plate between the axle perch and the isoclamp plate? This was the first time I had, because the Gremlin doesn't have them. Now, let's look at the entry for all Pacer years (or at least from '73-8):
This layout is what the Gremlin has had since I've had it. Note the difference in axle perch, which doesn't require any adapter. That's the style of perch I have, and when these details are considered alongside the shackles that were on it (the mystery metal $10 AutoZone lift shackle special), I'm inclined to think that the Gremlin's rear may have been donated by a Pacer at some point. It's also possible that this is what it came with from the factory, and/or the catalog isn't totally accurate. Who knows? At the least, I found it interesting.
4) I've had it with trying to preserve the AC system. It's tried to kill me for the last time when I was pulling the engine, and I also found out that it actually had been converted to R134a at some point (but no sticker to announce it was ever seen). That said, I'll pull a Sanden compressor and other mess from a Fat Cherokee as soon as I can find one that isn't in the yard with extensive front-end damage.
5) In the theme of retrofitting and "wish I knew"s, the PS pump and bracketry has been given the 86 as well. Partly because I discovered that the newer GM Type II pumps will work great with my quick ratio steering gearbox (with less power sink and heat, to boot), and also because the old Saggy pump housing was mortally wounded in the aforementioned attempt on my life made by the AC system.
Fine tuning, I guess.
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