Fitzy's GP is back!

[Fitzy]

I read 'beach' and 'fridge,' so I'm in. Yes, the numbers will go through the roof but then settle down. We'll get there, but as you correctly predict, next year. I'm no fisherman but will happily drain your beer supply as you are cavorting on the sand trying to control the drone whilst half cut!

Cold beer, fresh fish, homemade chips - I warn you, you'll need a shotgun to convince us to leave!

Did the cam pic not show up? I had a little trouble uploading it. My firmware is probably taking precedence tonight - I've been away, you know.

[64 kiwi boni]

6 minutes ago, Fitzy said:

. My firmware is probably taking precedence tonight - I've been away, you know.

your firm is ware ? me no understand!! hahaha. and yeah no pictures of that lumpy thing yet !!

by the way, i am no serous fisher man either! i am happy to get my  fish at the fish n chip shop ! 

but i will show ya what really fresh fish tastes like!! ... there is no  going back after that!!..

oh and we ran out of beer!! there none left anywere in nz... so you will have to byo

Edited October 19, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[Frosty]

Gawd I love a good chippie! The next to the Tower of London was for crap. 

Fitzy's trip to see Kiwi reminds of an old Saturday Night Live skit from back in the day....

 

[JUSTA6]

4 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

your firm is ware ? me no understand!! hahaha. and yeah no pictures of that lumpy thing yet !!

by the way, i am no serous fisher man either! i am happy to get my  fish at the fish n chip shop ! 

but i will show ya what really fresh fish tastes like!! ... there is no  going back after that!!..

oh and we ran out of beer!! there none left anywere in nz... so you will have to byo

Need to go to the Failure of the server post from Ringo about the downtime here.  Probably involves a lil blue pill as I'd bet there's not an app for that!!

[64 kiwi boni]

5 hours ago, Frosty said:

Gawd I love a good chippie! The next to the Tower of London was for crap. 

Fitzy's trip to see Kiwi reminds of an old Saturday Night Live skit from back in the day....

 

hahahahaha 

[Frosty]

1 hour ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

hahahahaha 

You laugh....you've been warned mate!   

[Fitzy]

As you know, my nice new 067 Mellings cam turned up and it went to the machinist so they could hone the new cam bearings to suit.  All the bits will be ready to pick up next week BUT we're going on a little road trip for a few days, but upon my return, I get to pick up my stuff and then comes the crucial bit: reassembly. The machinist offered me some tips and I share them here for the general good: A small smear of assembly lube on all the bearing shells, some specific cam assembly lube on the cam lobes, some zinc additive to go in with the initial oil fill to help protect those lobes during break in, run engine at 2000rpm upon starting, for 20 minutes. This is critical to ensure lobes will last the life of the engine. Lastly, he made me promise to get an oil pump priming tool that you turn with your power drill, through the distributor shaft hole in order to guarantee full pressurised lubrication upon start up. 

Is it 3am yet? I need to start worrying.

I'm now concentrating on all the bits bolted to the firewall. I cleaned up the regulator box and the throttle linkage. Check out the 'printed circuit' under the guts of the regulator. THAT is how electric connections were made in the 60s - out of metal that is 2mm thick, and certainly the reason why that regulator is still regulating 55 years later.

One last thing: Butler emailed me to tell me that the Cold Case radiator I ordered doesn't even exist, even though it clearly exists on both websites. I have given up, ordered a refund and will now go with an Aussie Desert Cooler aluminium job, for about the same money.

[Frosty]

Great info and tips from your machinist Fitzy. Thanks for sharing.

One last thing to remember. Pontiac distributors (and oil pumps) turn anti-clockwise (while Chevy and most of the rest of world turn clockwise). So when you use your priming tool adaptor on your drill, make sure your drill is spinning anti-clockwise as well.

[Fitzy]

Thanks Frosty - I was aware that was the case for Pontiacs but didn't realise Chevs were opposite. I'm not sure what drugs were on offer at GM thru the 60s, but you'd reckon they would have shared some parts & engineering compatibility to a greater extent. I suppose the various GM divisions back then had much greater autonomy before financial constraints finally forced a merger of shared componentry. Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into the reassembly. Stay tuned for hilarious photos of things being installed backwards, upside down, and in the wrong hole. What I WON'T be doing is asking my missus for assistance: I have a Ryobi battery charger and a charger for my toothbrush - both are designed to be foolproof and you can only insert those devices one way. The world's best engineers made sure that they could not be compromised. What they didn't count on was the tenacity of my missus to 'insert at any cost.' I came home one day to find my toothbrush jammed into the charger the wrong way AND a Ryobi battery also installed exactly 180° the wrong way: a feat that God Himself could not achieve! I will be using a baseball bat to ensure she doesn't come anywhere near my engine.

[Fitzy]

Can you guys have a look at this - pic shows a ported carb stud. Despite the myriad of photos I took prior to engine teardown, I can't see what is supposed to go here. My guess is distributor vacuum, but on my car that seems to come off the carb. I'm now wondering if this was the source of my mysterious untraceable vacuum leak that my car always had. There's no mention in the shop manual, and Ames sells a replacement stud kit which incorporates this ported stud. Any clues? Kiwi - your engine is possibly the closest in vintage and application.

[64 kiwi boni]

6 minutes ago, Fitzy said:

Can you guys have a look at this - pic shows a ported carb stud. Despite the myriad of photos I took prior to engine teardown, I can't see what is supposed to go here. My guess is distributor vacuum, but on my car that seems to come off the carb. I'm now wondering if this was the source of my mysterious untraceable vacuum leak that my car always had. There's no mention in the shop manual, and Ames sells a replacement stud kit which incorporates this ported stud. Any clues? Kiwi - your engine is possibly the closest in vintage and application.

Yes mate it’s a vacuum line that from memories is hooked to the choke 

but I won’t be able to confirm till Monday mate ... we headed to the beach yesterday for a long weekend and hopefully some fishing , but the weathers a bit nasty !! 

 

[JUSTA6]

Could be trans vacume, distributor advance, looks too small for brake booster or is there a vacume operated valve in your air cleaner?

[Fitzy]

You know, it certainly could be trans vacuum. My distributor advance comes off the carby but I need to re-read that discussion on vacuum porting: carby or manifold. For further investigation and if you've got nothing better to do, YouTube Uncle Tony's Garage, and see what he says about ported vacuum. He even conducts an in car demo, with an additional distributor on his lap as he's driving around! And yep, defo too small for the brake booster.

Today, I polished the brake booster & master cylinder in situ coz I'm too lazy to remove them and do it properly - it's for cosmetic purposes only, so will be fine. I popped off the ID plate and polished that, too. Tomorrow, I will Fertan the master cylinder and clean up the wiper motor & it's wires. I polished the throttle linkage, chucked some clear coat over the regulator box and just need to throw a coat of paint on the firewall and the engine bay is DONE, except for a coat of paint under the hood. Pics will follow once I'm satisfied with my handiwork.

[64 kiwi boni]

fitzy, i dont have that hollow stud like yours, only vacuum at the back comes off the carb, and feeds the booster, heater controls, idle diaphragm and  dissy.

on the passenger side i have a plate with vacuum lines that go to the coke, and top of carb. and at the front is two ports teed together heading too the trans 

Edited October 24, 2021 by 64 kiwi boni

[Fitzy]

Thanks mate - there are as many similarities as there are differences between our respective setups. 1965 was a transitional year and they seem to have made plenty of minor changes, in addition to major stuff like auto trans type and 'venturi' body style. I'll have to carefully study all my engine removal photos again - it's unlike me to miss details like that.

[64 kiwi boni]

2 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Thanks mate - there are as many similarities as there are differences between our respective setups. 1965 was a transitional year and they seem to have made plenty of minor changes, in addition to major stuff like auto trans type and 'venturi' body style. I'll have to carefully study all my engine removal photos again - it's unlike me to miss details like that.

seams odd that pontiac would use a carb mounting bolt as a vacuum line !

have you blown air through it to confirm its connected into the manifold ?

[Fitzy]

Yep. Check out the pic - it's for real. It sounds like the ideal position for distributor vacuum. I'll have to re read all the blurb on ported vacuum and will make a decision.

[JUSTA6]

Wow,  never saw that before.   Thankz for the info.

[Frosty]

On 10/24/2021 at 8:54 AM, JUSTA6 said:

Wow,  never saw that before.   Thankz for the info.

Ditto. I learned something today.

[Fitzy]

Hi Guys, I'm having trouble accessing this site, and ONLY this site and Ringo is working thru it with me to try and find a solution, so I'm using my phone in the interim.

I have a question: all my engine bits are back and I'm in preassembly phase. Have a look at the pic. The highlighted item is a 'ventilator hole.' There is no mention of it anywhere. I'm assuming it's to be left alone to ventilate any potential vacuum created by the spinning timing gear. Does anyone know that it is kept free, for sure? I have installed all core plugs that came with my Mellings kit and everything is used up. I might email Butler for verification as well.

[Fitzy]

While I'm here, you may as well check out my finished engine bay. For you in particular Kiwi, the phenolic spacer I ordered from elsewhere was wrong but I got a gasket which is just as good, from Ames. If you ever need a replacement, it's a good thick heavy duty item.

[64 kiwi boni]

well its about time !!!! what the heck mate!!! it would have been quicker for me to jump on a plane, deliver you a whole new computer .... fly back to nz ..... do the 2 weeks in quarantine, and STILL be back on fp before you!!! hahahahaha 

1 hour ago, Fitzy said:

While I'm here, you may as well check out my finished engine bay. For you in particular Kiwi, the phenolic spacer I ordered from elsewhere was wrong but I got a gasket which is just as good, from Ames. If you ever need a replacement, it's a good thick heavy duty item.

mate !!! i could eat my dinner off that engine bay!!!!!!

[Frosty]

4 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Hi Guys, I'm having trouble accessing this site, and ONLY this site and Ringo is working thru it with me to try and find a solution, so I'm using my phone in the interim.

I have a question: all my engine bits are back and I'm in preassembly phase. Have a look at the pic. The highlighted item is a 'ventilator hole.' There is no mention of it anywhere. I'm assuming it's to be left alone to ventilate any potential vacuum created by the spinning timing gear. Does anyone know that it is kept free, for sure? I have installed all core plugs that came with my Mellings kit and everything is used up. I might email Butler for verification as well.

Fitzy - check inside that hole for a small plug with a small hole in it. I can't recall if it at the front or back of the motor that has a plug that Pontiac used to help control oil flow from the top of the motor to the bottom end. 

Your engine bay looks spectacular mate! Kudos to you! 

[JUSTA6]

6 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Hi Guys, I'm having trouble accessing this site, and ONLY this site and Ringo is working thru it with me to try and find a solution, so I'm using my phone in the interim.

I have a question: all my engine bits are back and I'm in preassembly phase. Have a look at the pic. The highlighted item is a 'ventilator hole.' There is no mention of it anywhere. I'm assuming it's to be left alone to ventilate any potential vacuum created by the spinning timing gear. Does anyone know that it is kept free, for sure? I have installed all core plugs that came with my Mellings kit and everything is used up. I might email Butler for verification as well.

Can't say for sure it doesn't take a plug, BUT.... Timing chain needs oil too. Looks like it's close to the return from the heads.

[Fitzy]

Jeezus - what an ordeal just to post something. I'm hotspotting my phone coz that's all that'll work! Anyway, Chuck from Butler kindly responded and told me that's an oil drain hole, so JustA was right. I thought it looked awfully big to be a drain hole, but there you go. Today, I washed the block with hot soapy water and flushed everything with a garden hose, cleaned out all the oil galleries and holes, cleaned the threads on the main cap holes and then blew everything out with compressed air. Finally found the courage to commence the rebuild, so lubed up the cam and gently installed. Then set the rear seal in place, lubed the mains and saddles and GENTLY dropped that friggin' heavy crank into place. Lightly lubed the mains bolts with 30 weight oil and torqued everything up to spec and that's it for today. Cam and crank turn nicely with no binding nor free play. Will clean those bores scrupulously tomorrow and will install the pistons and rods. A note to anyone installing a new cam: ensure they send you a new Woodruff key to go with it. I looked in dismay at my 068 Mellings cam and noticed the absence of said key, so gouged the shit out of my old one and through sheer pigheadedness and perseverance it eventually, reluctantly came out. I cleaned it up with a file and used my vise to press it into the new cam. Phew!

That first pic is of the stuff from Ames. A new rear view mirror, that wonderful chunky carb gasket and the oil pump drive tool.

Frosty was right: there is a selection of oil gallery plugs to go back into the engine. The one that some people aren't aware of is a hex head plug hidden inside the block at the back but behind a small pressed steel plug that sits in the outside of the block: that is a plug within a plug. Yeah, because there's not enough other shit to worry about...