Hey, don't knock Bubba. He can keep a $250,000 farm implement going with baling wire, duct tape, and a pair of vise grips.

Nick

Just as long as Bubba doesn't get too crazy with the BFH (hammer)!

Makes me wonder what is going on inside that engine. Might be worth pulling the heads to inspect. That engine will probably not have hardened valve seats, as it was still using leaded gas in its' infancy. Might be a good time for a valve job, or just swap in some later heads. If the bores and lower end are ok, you could be ok with just that.

Seems ole 71 has been sitting longer than I thought.

The reason it pulled the valve stud out, the valve stems must be covered with oil varnish or something and would not open. So, the cam and lifter had to move something, it just pushed up the pressed fit stud instead of opening the valve. Now the threaded stud is the stronger point, so it bent the push rod. Not being the brightest guy on the block, switched to a straight push rod and ran the starter again, now the valve is stuck open, assume jammed by the varnish. Wonder if I bent the valve shaft!!! Will have to pound the valve and see if it will let go and the spring will open it.

Again, because I am not the brightest guy, I had put rocker arms and push rods on the two valves that were dormant all those years. Yep!! You're right they are doing the same thing as the valve that did the clattering.

So, if the valves are bent and can't be freed up, time to pull the heads.

Pretty sure can't do any further damage, might as well try to free up those valves! Maybe today.

Tim, did put the studs in with thread lock. NIck, Bubba is smarter than me. Steve, probably right and I bet those valve seats are soft.

Over night the stuck valves popped free, loosened the adjustments and slowly worked the valves more open making a 1/4 turn and running the starter, the intake stud on 6 gave way so did not get it to open.

Went against all good sense and got the engine running, cylinder 6 intake stud had worked its way loose so was only running on seven of them. The problem now is there does not seem to be oil getting up to the top of the engine, the oil pressure gage does read 30 psi at low rpm. Have it running with the valve covers off, should be spraying oil all over.

The thing sounds pretty good for 7 cylinders and no top oil!

Anyone have an opinion on why not any upper valve train oil. Maybe pull the oil sending gage plug and see if the gage really works, it goes back to zero when the engine is off and the engine has fresh oil and filter!! Ran the thing a few times for a total of maybe 3 or 4 minutes. Pumped out another 3 gallons of the stuff in the fuel tank! The only thing that occurs to me is the oil pick-up screen is blocked!!

Not sure what might be my next move!! Hot rod shop is closed until Monday so cannot get another threaded stud for number 6 intake.

If the lifters aren't rattling the cam is probably getting oil. In a previous life with an abused 1954 Ford 6 (with overdrive)I spent an afternoon with several toothbrushes and a pan of kerosene cleaning the valvetrain until it worked so well it seemed worth adjusting in the oil spray. At that point it was off for a 3000 mile vacation with a 5 gallon can of refined oil in the trunk. Returned with some to spare.

With the absence of an external oil line or internal pressure feed, the small block gets all the oil for the head through the hollow push rods.

The main oil gallery in the block has branches to the cam bearings and to each lifter bore. The cam lifter has a groove around the middle and a hole that allows the oil to flow into the lifter. This oil then flows up the pushrod and out to the rocker arm. From there it drains down to the rocker arm ball, the valves, and back down to the oilpan.
Simply cranking the engine over will eventually bring up the pressure but lots of dry parts in the meantime.

It would have been a good idea to preprime the engine before the start. If you pressure feed oil into the main gallery, all the bearings, lifters and rockers will be wet. If you remove the distributor, you can use a long rod and a slow drill to turn the oil pump before starting. Run it until you see oil pressure and some on the rocker arms.

discussion here:
https://www.barthmobile.com/eve...933981277#1933981277

If you have a small oil pump you can plumb it to the main oil gallery and pump oil directly in. Be sure the oil is really clean.

Thanks for the info Steve!

Went to the Hot Rod shop got another threnaded rocker arm stud. Slowly worked the adjustment nut down while running the starter motor on and off, so the valve would not stick open. Ole 71 now runs on 8 cylinders, believe oil is beginning to lubricate the top of engine! The engine sounds pretty good at least for short runs.

Tomorrow, will fill the system with coolant, and let it run for more than a minute or two. Some of the rocker arm studs were drilled into the head cooling passages. There was very little coolant in the system so hope there is not a leak and the thermostat and water pump are functional.

Only pumped out about a half gallon of would be fuel today, tank might be near empty.

Checked the thermostat, it opened but the water was boiling for that to happen, replaced it with a 180 degree Stat.

Having trouble getting coolant into the system, the radiator cap is on top of the radiator and really difficult to get at.

The weather cooled off a bit and of course I put 2 gallons of water it the coach and now need to get antifreeze in the thing before it really gets cold, water went in pretty easy not so with the antifreeze.

Would like to get it filled so it could be run for a longer time and confirm all is ok with the engine and move on to the brakes or fuel tank and lines.

The more progress, the more I like this coach, really curious how it will go down the road. get all this mechanical stuff done and get started on updating the interior and outside. Specially this little ding!!

Little ding? Sounds like the teenager who tells his Dad he put "a little scratch" on the car!

It might be a good cat door! At least it is a simple curved plane so a patch should be fairly easy to cover it.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve VW:
Little ding? Sounds like the teenager who tells his Dad he put "a little scratch" on the car!

It might be a good cat door! At least it is a simple curved plane so a patch should be fairly easy to cover it.

A flush patch is what I am thinking. Might try to fit a filler in an opening if have the ambition. That area is painted, but I hope I can find aluminum to make the patch anyway. That repair will wait for warmer days.

A flush patch? Isn't that what they put on toilets? Call a plumber!

Check with an aviation mechanic. They do a lot of flush patches. Cut out wrinkled part, crimp a step onto the edges, fit the patch and use flush taper head rivets.

If you can use filler and paint, you could just rivet the patch to the back side and fill in the depression.

Good luck with the project!

Been pretty cold for the last couple of days, sun is out today, and it got up to about 30F, went out and put a bit more coolant in the 71 and fired it up, let it run for about 15 minutes. Pumped another 5 gallons of that orange stuff from the fuel tank, looks worse, the fuel gage might be working it was at about a half tank, now reads less than 1/4 tank.

Oil pressure went up to about 45 psi and the top end is getting oil, the old 350 sounds pretty smooth and it seems to be hitting on all 8 cylinders!!!

The valve covers are leaking, just put them back on, so when it gets a bit warmer, will replace the old gaskets and get onto the fuel or brakes. If my helper teenager has his way, it will be the brakes. He is chomping at the bit to go for a ride, at least around the neighborhood.

Believe ole 71 will be back to life, guess I had better go get a title, license plates and insurance.

Daytona 500 today, no work on 71.

Yesterday worked on the front brakes, installed a new master cylinder and bled the front brakes, got to the point of clean fluid only coming out, but never got to the point of a hard pedal. Pumped it a number of times and got a bit of pedal, going to pull one of the drums on the front, check the shoes and adjustment mechanism tomorrow. It is a double master so should be able to get at least a partial hard pedal anyway.

Whoever put the lug nuts on this guy used flat nuts no taper on one end to center the wheel. Wonder if that is normal for a P30 of that age the mounting holes are at least 1/16" bigger than the stud.

Sounds like some progress!

I'm not sure but I think they should be tapered lug nuts. Is the center hole in the wheel snug on the hub?

Only four months until Minnesnowta GTG! Upper 80's all week here!

Have Barth, will travel

Nope Steve, the holes a bit larger than the studs. Gonna buy a full set of tapered end nuts. Correction yes the big center hole is a snug fit!!

So did get the front hub off the drivers side, the front shoe pad actually was broken about half was missing. another fun part is the bearing caps are threaded into the bearing housing and they have about a 2 1/2 inch hex to remove them. Got nothing that size and could not get a pipe wrench on it. took an old screwdriver and tapped on the edge of the hex. Luckily, they came loose without too much tapping. A smart guy would have a nut of a usable size welded on the cap end, wonder!!!

Got new brake shoes coming tomorrow and rebuild kits for the wheel cylinders.

Unfortunately, the weather is going to go back to normal February type, not the 50F it is today, maybe have to take a break for a few days.