Friday, June 29, 2018

Sliding backward into progress

Seems like the more I work on the car with the goal of getting it back on the road, the further I get from that goal.  The plugs came out today and they were in decent shape.  But - while I was fishing around looking for the #2 plug, I discovered that the thermostat linkage rod wasn't connected to the flaps.  So I pulled the top tin to inspect everything. And then I realized that the spring is missing.  This engine has less than 200 miles on it since being built.  I'm hoping that this is the reason the engine ran so damn hot last year.  I'm also hoping that there aren't any more surprises like this elsewhere in the engine.  There's a small, but growing, part of me that wants to tear the engine down and inspect it before it blows up...but another small part of me that suspects I might be overreacting.
Here's where I left things - slightly more dismantled than yesterday.  But there's a fairly clear path forward so that's where I'm steering the rest of my energy.  I'd like to be able to drive this car again next week.  It's frustrating to spend all of this time working on the car - only to leave it in the garage again.  I've got a few weeks here until I'm planning to pull the pan out and get that done.  The IRS conversion will happen at the same time so I only have to take it apart once.
Toward the end of the day, the rest of the exhaust arrived and I mocked it up on the floor to see how it all fit together.

The idea is that I can get it installed on Monday - after I have put the top of the engine back together.

I'm still trying to get the one piece I need to convert the rear axle to IRS - CSP is not being easy to work with but I'm going to keep trying.

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