Fitzy's GP is back!

[Fitzy]

Believe me - there was nothing worth taking a pic of. I never thought I'd admit this, but the Atherton Car Show was far superior. I can't figure it out.

[64 kiwi boni]

Oh stink no pics ! 

[Fitzy]

Yes, sorry about the lack of promised pics. I'm gonna stick my neck out here and will happily announce that I see no value in your average crappy old Aussie car. They were all we could afford when we were younger and I remember feeling underwhelmed even back then. Euro cars were so much more advanced, Yank cars were unattainable and Jap cars were 'Jap Crap.' We certainly got THAT one wrong! So, every car show I now attend is full of misty eyed old men who peer into the engine bay of a 60s Holden or Falcon and recall stories of how the transmogrifier broke one day, or how the Star Drive never did function properly. I also become misty eyed upon hearing their stories, but only because mine are glazing over with boredom!

Back in the 50s & 60s, Australians were never offered the flash Yank cars that were so plentiful & cheap in the States. We were either deemed not worthy or we didn't have the necessary disposable income to be able to afford such an extravagance. Australia and the US share almost the same amount of land mass, and so you'd think that what worked over there would have worked here. Fullsize pickups, big long distance cruisers with simple robust mechanicals but no - our idiot government knew better and so we ended up with a diluted version of a US car, or you could have a Pommy car or a Beetle.

Does covid make you cranky? Sounds like it.

[Fitzy]

I heard with some interest on the news the other day that the price of coffee is going to go up next year due to, wait for it...'climate change.' We'll be hearing a lot of price rise excuses like this in the coming years.

Because my Pontiac is running perfectly (for now) I have nothing Pontiac related to tell you. However, I will share with you my experience when reinstalling the valves in my sidevalve Briggs after it's rebuild. To make the job easier you really need the special little Briggs valve spring compressor which I bought. One valve spring is retained by a disc keeper with an elongated hole, so that when you pull out the compressor, it slots into place and retains the spring. Easy. The other valve inexplicably uses collets. So there I am compressing the spring with the retainer and collets in place when the spring lets go and all the components fly off in different directions. I found the spring and the disc shaped keeper and then eventually stumbled across one tiny collet - no sign of the other one. I spent the next hour on my hands & knees with glasses and a work light searching for the other collet. I gave up when it got dark. The next morning I was idly looking at the mower when something caught my eye. There, under the mower was the other collet. I suspect greater forces were assisting me so gave appropriate thanks. You can't just go down the road and buy another collet because it's a 23 year old motor whose design was superseded many many moons ago. Anyway, the reassembly can now continue.

[64 kiwi boni]

its that old story mate!!!

sometimes its best to walk away from the job, and come back to it with fresh eyes and sometimes it works!! hahaha

i have done the same thing when doing brakes on my Daughter car... spring took off into the far corner of my garage..... took me best part of 2 hours to find it !!!😡

[Fitzy]

I'm hearing you. If my workspace was contained by 4 walls it mightn't have been so bad, but I'm under a carport and when the concrete floor stops, it's dirt, grass and plants. Hours of fun. Anyway, motor is back together and back in mower, so will attempt to start it tomorrow. It's been raining all day and I had plans to do some significant miles in the GP but not in the rain.

[Fitzy]

Had a couple of mates visit today so took them out for a spin in the GP - it's an obligatory exercise to take whoever turns up for a quick spin - they all love it. As usual, car just purrs.

But...I have a question. I have no kickdown function. It looks like there should be some little electric thingy that attaches to the throttle arm on the carby but it has never been there. Any ideas? It's a TH400.

The mower is another story - the drama continues to unfold however just briefly I am happy to report that it runs like a superstar - it has never run so well. Now, I can't turn it off! And the new starter sounds like it's chewing itself up each time I use it. So, a bit more fiddling & swearing before it can be used again.

[Wrongway]

Hey bro, my 63 was set up the same. No kickdown installed. I used a Lokar kit. I believe this is the kit and part number for the one I used. Hope it helps.

For some reason it won't let me post the link Fitzy, I got mine from Summit Racing

Lokar Hi-Tech Kickdown Kits KD-2400HT. Part number:  LOK-KD2400HT

Edited August 29, 2022 by Wrongway

[Fitzy]

Well, after a month's absence from FP,  I'm back. I had to give myself a break and allow the steam to clear from my ears for a bit.  Thanks to JustA for enquiring as to my whereabouts. I will need some time to catch up with all the goings on. I also played Candy Crush in the afternoons as an alternate entertainment - Jeezus, it is so addictive. I tend to think that at the age of 60 I should have moved on to more academic endeavours but I guess I was wrong.

So - 2 things to report. My 4WD Holden Rodeo ute (Isuzu Trooper in the US) has manual freewheeling hubs and they were really tight, in fact impossible to engage with your fingers so I disassembled them, cleaned and lubed everything up and now they work fine but you're gonna get sore fingers if you need to engage and disengage more than once a day. I looked online and they sell a special little tool that sits over the slots and allows you to easily turn the tool with your hand via a large knurled handgrip. $60??? I knew I could make one - check the pics. Total cost: zero. I am happy to sell the Hubmaster 3000 for $29.95. Be quick - stocks are low. The item is a poly pipe joiner ring and I hacksawed a coupla slots into it. Works a treat!

After months and months of dicking around trying to convince myself that my Pertronix electronic ignition didn't need 12V at the coil, the GP started to play up - missing and running erratically. I checked the plugs, nice new rat unfeasted HT leads, I even pulled the carby and disassembled it - squeaky clean. So, today was 12V To The Coil Day. After reading extensively about how to go about it and checking various wiring diagrams I learnt a lot. GM wired the ignition switch with an IGN 1 & IGN 2 position. IGN 1 is the default running contact which feeds voltage through the resistance wire, ending up with about 6V at the coil to ensure long point life. IGN 2 contact is a secondary circuit that provides a full 12V to the coil to allow easy starting but as soon as the key is released, the circuit defaults to IGN 1. All I did was insert a jumper wire from the yellow IGN 2 wire to the pink IGN 1 wire. 12V to the coil all the time. It was that easy. No relays, no bypassing the resistance wire, no extra wires snaking through the engine bay. I have earnt this beer. Cheers!

[Frosty]

Fitzy - I've always believed that laziness/sloth should be on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The invention of TV dinners, the remote control, cruise control, satellite radio, fast food, all can be attributed to laziness/sloth! I applaud your genius for the Hubmaster 3000.

Now if you hook it up to a 12-20V power tool, some schmuck will pay $300 for it!

[Last Indian]

Good to hear from you Fitzy. 
So the Hub gave you fits, so you made a tool! So maybe you should think about the name, NOmofitzhubbababba! Or not!

Again my apologies!

[64 kiwi boni]

11 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Well, after a month's absence from FP,  I'm back. I had to give myself a break and allow the steam to clear from my ears for a bit.  Thanks to JustA for enquiring as to my whereabouts. I will need some time to catch up with all the goings on. I also played Candy Crush in the afternoons as an alternate entertainment - Jeezus, it is so addictive. I tend to think that at the age of 60 I should have moved on to more academic endeavours but I guess I was wrong.

So - 2 things to report. My 4WD Holden Rodeo ute (Isuzu Trooper in the US) has manual freewheeling hubs and they were really tight, in fact impossible to engage with your fingers so I disassembled them, cleaned and lubed everything up and now they work fine but you're gonna get sore fingers if you need to engage and disengage more than once a day. I looked online and they sell a special little tool that sits over the slots and allows you to easily turn the tool with your hand via a large knurled handgrip. $60??? I knew I could make one - check the pics. Total cost: zero. I am happy to sell the Hubmaster 3000 for $29.95. Be quick - stocks are low. The item is a poly pipe joiner ring and I hacksawed a coupla slots into it. Works a treat!

After months and months of dicking around trying to convince myself that my Pertronix electronic ignition didn't need 12V at the coil, the GP started to play up - missing and running erratically. I checked the plugs, nice new rat unfeasted HT leads, I even pulled the carby and disassembled it - squeaky clean. So, today was 12V To The Coil Day. After reading extensively about how to go about it and checking various wiring diagrams I learnt a lot. GM wired the ignition switch with an IGN 1 & IGN 2 position. IGN 1 is the default running contact which feeds voltage through the resistance wire, ending up with about 6V at the coil to ensure long point life. IGN 2 contact is a secondary circuit that provides a full 12V to the coil to allow easy starting but as soon as the key is released, the circuit defaults to IGN 1. All I did was insert a jumper wire from the yellow IGN 2 wire to the pink IGN 1 wire. 12V to the coil all the time. It was that easy. No relays, no bypassing the resistance wire, no extra wires snaking through the engine bay. I have earnt this beer. Cheers!

ah a plumbing fix for a automotive problem!!!!!

[Fitzy]

The Hubbagrabba? Hubbabaloo? The Hubble Hubbascope? I'll think about it.

[Frosty]

How about Hub-A-Bubba?

[JUSTA6]

15 minutes ago, Frosty said:

How about Hub-A-Bubba?

Whats bubble gum from our childhood got to do with a tool????   Quick fix?

[64 kiwi boni]

5 hours ago, Frosty said:

How about Hub-A-Bubba?

oh i remeber that chuddy 🙂

[Fitzy]

We also had Hubba Bubba gum when I was a kid. 'Chuddy' must be a Kiwi expression for it. Another popular one was 'Big Charlie' which was in the form of a long cylinder. Happy days with teeth in my head, now long gone.

[JUSTA6]

  Big Bubbles.... No troubles.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-fc-2212&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-2212&hspart=fc&param1=7&param2=eJw1i9EOgjAMRX%2Blj5qY0W5jwPgMn4zxYcLEhcEIYDB%2BvSXRNGnOubftQnutb%2BcLISql1fV0G9nZcsa9wgpJSpZmz0uGMDFJg2ip4NWSRivZraNC2UdVOVs2qK0sK77ufOLz18L4ckxD%2BoQYXZYLhMMWxjZtC4wrEAqsgQOja3gbfQQ3TdFv%2Ft6HNctVIZSBQ%2F9ch3iCGHoPnW%2F6dITmOafBZ4SFwH1gcQ83h%2F%2BLb7tfR5pKIc0X0s5FEA%3D%3D&p=Hubba+bubble+bubble+gum&type=fc_A30C76C6185_s58_g_e_d090122_n1005_c18#id=9&vid=b0cef371226fa288ea426b71359f4b2a&action=view

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, Fitzy said:

We also had Hubba Bubba gum when I was a kid. 'Chuddy' must be a Kiwi expression for it. Another popular one was 'Big Charlie' which was in the form of a long cylinder. Happy days with teeth in my head, now long gone.

yeah mate, we would walk to the shop at lunch time on a friday and buy chuddy so we could chew all afternoon in music class,,, 

she was the one teacher who didnt give a Sh-t what we did hahahaha !

and we really didnt want to learn how to play the flute 

[Fitzy]

I had an oddly satisfying day today. GP runs sweet again, so nothing Pontiac related to report.

The ahem, "Boss" wanted a pergola to grow vines and stuff over, so I knocked one up. Then I replaced the rear brake shoes in the Yaris and changed the oil in the Isuzu. Tomorrow I get to sit around and twiddle my thumbs. I'll say this now: there is nothing quite as satisying and easy to do as changing the oil & filter in your chosen steed. I have the smug satisfaction of knowing that all 3 cars now have good tyres, fresh oil and no problems. This is also called tempting fate.

[Frosty]

So nothing new on the "GT Mow"?

[Fitzy]

9 hours ago, Frosty said:

So nothing new on the "GT Mow"?

Oh - that was ages ago. GT Mow runs sweet and my old Greenfield with the rebuilt Briggs now runs better than it ever has. I sorted the starter issue and am proud of the fact that I pulled the engine down and rebuilt it and it actually runs. The valve seat issue still stuns me. The seats had never been installed properly from new (23 years ago) and so my machinist corrected the problem. With all 5 petrol powered machines running perfectly, I just know I am setting myself up for disaster. Stay tuned.

[Fitzy]

As predicted, took GP out for a blast and it started to miss & stumble. This car has new fuel pump, new filter and rebuilt carb. Every ignition component is new. Timing is correct, no vacuum leaks. I am now suspecting dodgy Pertronix ignition module. I am going to remove distributor, reinstall points, get back to 6V when running and see what happens. If it still plays up, surely it's gotta be the carb - there's nothing left. Yes - all wires are well connected, clean & tight. Homestly, when does this shit stop? Retrospectively, I'm now sure a modern factory injected Chev crate motor would have been the better option. There's a LOT of discussion re Pertronix on the net. It seems that as the decades have passed,  QC may have lagged due to the sheer production numbers. I do not want to talk bad about my Pertronix module as it hasn't been proven faulty but I am left scratching my head. Any home mechanic can sort a stumbling old skool engine equipped with points and a carb. Mystery electronic doodads just add that extra dimension of 'what if?' I'm back to work on Thursday due to chronic staff shortages (hello overtime - ka-ching!) so won't get a chance to look at it this week. If you have any suggestion gems, let me know. Points and condenser are now antiques, but they powered millions of cars for almost a hundred years.

[Fitzy]

Okay - I said I wouldn't have time, so I made time. Took distributor out and found a couple of things wrong. First of all, the dickhead who restored the distributor (me) didn't earth the old condenser wire to the points plate. Apparently, that should be connected even though I couldn't see why, so I reconnected that. Then I noticed a small screw was missing. This anchors the vacuum can to the distributor body. There are 2 screws that are required, so I reinstalled that. Then I noticed that the Ignitor module was nowhere near as close to the distributor shaft as it needs to be. Not my fault this time: as the unit comes out of the box, it sits too far out from the shaft lobes. Pertronix reckons the air gap should be 10 thou at the lobe high point and about 60 thou at it's lowest point. There is no way that was going to happen in it's 'out of the box' state. So, out came the Dremel and I carefully clearanced the Ignitor base plate and then elongated the screw holes so I could move the entire module closer to the lobes. Eventually, I got to that point. Put the dizzy back in and now it was time to statically time the engine so it will fire up before timing it correctly. I have always hated doing this because I always get bitten by the coil. Sure enough, as I'm gingerly turning the dizzy, 40000 of Pertronix' finest volts go through me. It felt like my right arm was gonna drop off. Started the engine, checked the timing with a gun and it was spot on (always disconnect & plug the dizzy vac line.) I gave thanks to whatever entity was watching me and having a good old laugh as I got zapped, and took her for a drive. It's better but still not perfect. I now suspect carby. Will install yet another new inline fuel filter and some fresh petrol next time I'm home and will see what happens. If I have to, I'll take carby off and dismantle and check it's internals against a factory diagram. Should have bought a Corolla.😁

[Fitzy]

Put some fresh fuel in the GP today and took her for a quick spin. It will idle, cruise and accelerate no problems at all - smooth & powerful but if I want to give her a kick in the guts, it carries on and misfires and is jerky. I am convinced it's fuel related. I KNOW the tank internals are fine coz I coated it myself. All rubber fuel hoses are new, the fuel pump is new as is the inline filter. That leaves the carby. Twice now I have torn that thing down and forensically inspected every component, but I'm not a carb expert - I'm a backyarder. I may have to send it away for someone to rebuild properly.

On a brighter and total off topic note, I replaced all the shocks in my Isuzu Pickup today and lordy, one of the front ones was 100% cactus. They all look like the original 32 year old components, complete with Isuzu stamps embedded in them. I had a set of KYB shocks sent over from Rockauto at an insanely good price and am now eager to test drive it, but we're in the middle of a bitchin' thunderstorm with lots more to come. I shall report on the test drive when the time comes. Come on, I know you want to know how it drives!