I hate Murphy
- Thread starter Bill
- Start date
j-bird
Moderator
That is the "plan".....but we all know how plans go. Just for grins I may air up the tires and roll it out into the sunshine just to look at it again. I have several standing offers on it IF I decide to sell. My kids fight over it constantly. My son has threatened to cut it in half (right down the middle) if the entire thing isn't left to him. But he tends to want everything of Dads and that isn't going to happen (even if he is the only boy). I may actually sell it and get something I am less fearful of beating the crap out of as well. I bought what I did because I knew it would hold it's value, but I'm not sure now I wouldn't be happier with something I can just run the balls off of! I had it sold once - when I was tractor shopping years ago and the wife broke down and told me not to sell it and to go get my tractor.......turns out she really likes it too. Not enough to get a job to pay for the work it needs, but hey, ya gotta start somewhere!
j-bird
Moderator
Well sure as shit, we start talking about priorities and spending money on stuff for us and shit happens! The oldest daughters transmission is being difficult!!! We just spent money on this car because of a broken exhaust valve (we rebuilt the engine in the process), now of course the trans is acting up. It's a 5 speed....reverse,1st and 2nd are fine. Upshift to 3rd is fine down shifting into 3rd is nearly impossible, 4th works fine but grinds being put into gear sometimes (like to old non-synchronized trans used to) and 5th tends to pop out of gear (I am told - I have yet to have this happen to me). So for now I am driving the car to be able to see what is all going on. My daughter works and goes to college, but she is just now digging out from under the engine rebuild that we essentially financed. The linkage doesn't appear to be adjustable so my fear is the syncro's are going bad. Not surprising as I bet they are original with 170,000+ miles on it. I'm not a mechanic, so this I fear is going to get expensive....and in a car we already have too much money in. The parts tend to be not the issue - it's the labor of taking the damn thing out, tearing it apart and re-assembly and install that kills you. I drove it into work today and essentially drove it without using 4th gear! DAMN!
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Murphy paid me a visit today, but me and the Stihl have things temporarily under control until further measures.
Bill
Administrator
Venting!
One of the worst parts of old cars are the electrical gremlins. I spent hours today chasing, replacing and adding grounds.
Hazards work up front but not in the back. Horn relay hums but the horn doesn't blow. Right blinkers stop blinking when I hit the brakes.
I fixed or added grounds to every light in the circuit. Has to be the turn signal switch as it powers the signals, horn, hazards etc. bad part is that's a 4 hour job..
On the bright side the car has flip up headlight covers. The relay was shot, no repops available and the only game on eBay wants $350 I figured out how to wire a late model relay from Napa in for $15, so not all is bad.
One of the worst parts of old cars are the electrical gremlins. I spent hours today chasing, replacing and adding grounds.
Hazards work up front but not in the back. Horn relay hums but the horn doesn't blow. Right blinkers stop blinking when I hit the brakes.
I fixed or added grounds to every light in the circuit. Has to be the turn signal switch as it powers the signals, horn, hazards etc. bad part is that's a 4 hour job..
On the bright side the car has flip up headlight covers. The relay was shot, no repops available and the only game on eBay wants $350
I figured out how to wire a late model relay from Napa in for $15, so not all is bad.
John-W-WI
Administrator
jlonll
5 year old buck +
Is there an app for that???You have a headlight out.
Bill
Administrator
Ok I know this is irrelevant to a habitat site but I'm going to keep posting here about my Murphy's law on this old car.
So when the car arrived it was kinda wispy, not much power. I figured a 45 year old engine needed rebuilding anyway, so didn't pay it much mind. The plan is to fiddle with it through the warm season with my son and maybe get into the bigger stuff like engines in the winter.
Exhaust fumes were killing birds and small mammals for about a two mile radius so I decided it was time to set the timing and mess with the carb. Timing mark was like 110 degrees off???
Who ever put new plugs and wires on the car had the firing order off but they got 4 right and the damn thing ran!
She's not so wispy with all 8 of them firing.
Even sounds like a big block Mopar now!
So when the car arrived it was kinda wispy, not much power. I figured a 45 year old engine needed rebuilding anyway, so didn't pay it much mind. The plan is to fiddle with it through the warm season with my son and maybe get into the bigger stuff like engines in the winter.
Exhaust fumes were killing birds and small mammals for about a two mile radius so I decided it was time to set the timing and mess with the carb. Timing mark was like 110 degrees off???
Who ever put new plugs and wires on the car had the firing order off but they got 4 right and the damn thing ran!
She's not so wispy with all 8 of them firing.
Even sounds like a big block Mopar now!
j-bird
Moderator
When my boy bought his dart I told him I could easily double the value of it......he asked me how I could do that. I reached into my wallet and laid a Jackson on the dash and said, "Yep, just doubled the value of this pile!" We both busted out laughing!!! Then he told me to go do something nasty to myself! The simple and basic mechanics of an old school car can keep a teenager busy....and frustrated for years. Keeps them out of trouble.....at least until they do figure it out and can get the heap down the road!!!!
Bill
Administrator
I took all the taped numbers we put on the spark plug wires off. Then I unplugged all the wires from the distributer and mixed them up.
Then I told my son to go fix the car by himself
It's one thing to get a lesson by Dad, but I think it's more remembered and understood if you have to do it without Dad.
He did it. Then the carb float decided to stick and dump gas all over and into the block before we caught it. :(
Tonight's lesson was carburetor removal, cleaning and float adjustment. We're leaving the gas mixed oil drain over night.
j-bird
Moderator
Well Bill, you got out the multi-meter.......that's when I give up! If I have a meter in my hands - somebody is getting shocked (usually me) or something is going to erupt into a flash and a cloud of smoke....that's when you know it's broke!!! To prove my point - the "fuse" in my multi-meter is a ground down piece of drill bit!!!!! I hate when shit breaks, but sometimes the old stuff can be salvaged.....something today's products are not built for. Now days the damn part will cost you half the price of a new unit and them bastards do it on purpose! I used to work in that industry and used to save people money all the time in Lowes when I would tell them how to fix their faucet with a repair kit instead of buying a new $100+ faucet!!! Since that company kicked us to the curb I now just tell those folks at Lowes to not buy that Band X shit! Yep - I carry a grudge!!!! Farmer told me once - "You ever want to keep a part from failing - buy the spare and hang it from a nail in the barn......damn thing will last forever just out of spite!"
Bill
Administrator
Ha, I've smoked a few myself. All it takes is 120 and the meter on the right setting. I used it to probe out where the hot stuff was in the motor. I'm getting smarter in my old age (sometimes)
Hope you didn't work for Moen. I try and tell everyone use their faucets, just pop out the cartridge push a new one in. Heck with washers and o rings.
j-bird
Moderator
Nope - I worked for Delta Faucet for nearly 10 years.....
Yep - it's broke when you let the smoke out!!!!
John-W-WI
Administrator
Bill
Administrator
Oh and get a fuse. When you fry the drill bit, it is going to hurt!
j-bird
Moderator
What?!?!? I "upgraded" it.....takes more POWER now!!!!
