Restoration begins on my '72 Kingswood Estate this week!

FINALLY! I have put it off long enough (6 years to be exact)! I am on vacation this week and I have decided to get the engine back together and see if I can get this car on the road again! I had taken the engine down to the timing chain cover, then could not get the harmonic balancer (?) off of the front of the engine (even with a puller) and stopped there. I was wanting to check the timing chain for wear, but since I cant get it off of there, I guess I will forget it and put it back together and try some other things.

I am thinking my problem may be more with the distributor. I plan on replacing it and try to convert to electronic ignition if I can figure it out. Now that my dad has retired, I am hoping we can do this. The weather forecast is for mostly dry conditions all week and mid to upper 70s... we shall see.

Since I will need to uncover the car and have leaky window issues until I can have that problem addressed, as much as I hate to, I guess I will drag out a caulk gun and seal up the best I can around the upper part of the windshield and cargo area windows.

Pray and wish me luck that I can get this car roadworthy by the end of summer!

 

any small block or big block factory HEI distributor will work make sure you turn it to TDC on #1 this will make it easier.MAKE sure you use HEI plugs and GAP them for an HEI. Good luck! If ya need anything ask!

When dropping in the new distributor make sure it goes down tight on the intake(this will assure it's in the oil pump drive) If it does NOT rotate engine a lil one way and watch for it to drop when it does make sure it is down tight on intake!put the lil foot hold down back on it(you should not have to remove this completely loosen it and it will slide back far enough for removal and reinstall) and take back to TDC and make sure it's where it';s supposed to be.remember when removing to watch the direction it moves as you pull it and where it STOPS rotating, reinstall in same general spot leave the rotors on them for reference.

 

These links might help you out:

http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?t=710709

http://forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?t=722457

And particularly this one:

http://www.hoigto.com/tech/powerHEI.htm

 

What was the problem to begin with?

You can check the chain for looseness by pushing on it with your finger through the fuel pump opening.

 

BV, how much time you got?

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4599

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6794

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10420

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11233

Oh, and BV, you can thank me later.

Tony, I'm kidding around, but I really do hope you can get someone that really knows these engines to help you with it, so you can finally enjoy that beautiful wagon.

David

 

Thanks David.

That engine has been sitting a long time.
Do you have a factory service manual for the car Kingswood?

Do you want to go with an HEI or convert the distributor to an electronic points eliminator ignition like a Pertronix unit?
If I lived closer I'd be all over that engine, I love a good challenge.
I'm no pro mechanic but I did spend last night at a Holiday Inn Express.

 

NUT!


Do you think the body is rusted around the windshield? Hubby says it's pretty easy to snap the chrome trim off around the windshield and see if it's rusty or maybe the urethane just dried up. Of cousre if it's dried up or rusted you'll need to pop the windshield out and fix the rusty areas or clean up the old urethane. Either way you'll need to reseal the windshield back in with new urethane.

Glad your starting on your wagon again. Good luck you CAN do this!

 

This will kinda be a new thread like Vettemans '71 Grand Safari progress.

Ha! I had forgot about those threads. Notice that it has been three years since I even mentioned the car again?

Guess if it hadn't of been for morons and people saying they were coming that I were willing to pay to work on it, then it wouldn't have never flowered into a mess like that. Now I know is this something I have to do on my own. My dad is finally going to help though.

I think I do, but it didn't help me any. I was told about 12 different things my low power problem could be. Finally decided to may go with a new distributor and then have the exhaust system removed to see if that is the issue with it being clogged. It feels like there is a lot of air coming out of it, but someone said that didn't matter. We will see.

Huh? lol!

 

Ok, here are the pics of this project progress. These were taken today (4/29/13). I was able to remove the covers from the car and I cleaned the very dirty windows. I plan on moving the car to the upper part of the driveway tomorrow so the work can begin...















Yeah, its a disaster area...





Never could get it off of there...

 

The other way to check the timing belt is to put a socket on the crank pulley, and remove the distributor cap. See how far the engine turns before the rotor starts to move. If it is more than a few degrees, you need to get that balancer off and change the belt. The other thing about that balancer is the condition of it. If it is the least bit wobbly after you tried to use the puller, it needs to come off one way or another, because the last thing you want is for it to disintegrate while you are driving. As dangerous as a clutch letting go, not to mention the damage the shrapnel will do.

 

In my fantasy world I have the time and money to restore that school bus. That looks awesome..... and of course the wagon goes without saying.


Brandon

 

Thanks Mike. I think this car actually has a timing chain, but I guess the same principle?

lol, well the bus is a 1953 Chevy (or GMC, I cant remember) that believe it or not had been converted into a motor home when my dad bought it about 5 years ago. It had a 283 engine (not sure how it pulled it), but he sold the engine out of it. The inside was nice, my mom loved it, it was "cute" she said, but my dad gutted the inside and was going to re-do it, but lost interest and now its a storage building, FULL of our treasures we have collected over the last 30 years.

Well day #2, we pulled the car up to the upper part of the driveway closer to the work shop to make it easier to work on and closer to the tools. I aired all of the tires up (all were low) and cleaned the entire interior with Murphys Oil Soap. I cant believe how dirty the inside had got, not to mention mold where I had it covered up with tarps. The soap worked wonders and got it looking super nice again (pics later) and that is even before I put the shine on the interior which I plan on doing tomorrow. I also used the air compressor to blow out all of the leaves and pine needles that had collected in the engine compartment and up on the cowl area. Hoping to get the engine back together tomorrow or Thursday, then cut off the exhaust to see if I get the power I need.

 

Don't cut your exhaust off. Just loosen it at the collectors on the exhaust manifolds. You should be able to loosen them enough to let them hang from the manifolds and get enough flow to test your theory.

 

Nice to see you got some "umph" back in you to work on the old girl

Leaks.... I don't know where your cargo window are leaking so I'm not commenting on those but maybe...... As for your front glass it sounds like your leak is at the top. Don't make a mess with a caulking gun, clean the painted roof area and the trim and lay a strip of electrical tape on it. It's very invisible to the eye compared to caulking and when you go to remove the trim and glass you will have no gunk to remove. I've had a strip of electrical tape on my Blue wagon for years, same piece and no more drip.


As for your engine, for 6 years it's been a problem to the point of you have not been able to use the car period in 6 years and now it's showing. I'm not throwing stones, I'm just saying and have ask.... Tearing the engine apart to the point of "I can't get the timing cover off" so I'm going to put it back together and see how it runs doesn't make any sense. That's like stepping over a dollar to pick up/save a dime. You know how it's going to run, that's why you tore it apart....it's got serious issues. I'm in the same boat with my 72 Meteor, yeah I got it running but what a mess and even if my wagon had a decent BB in it, I wouldn't waist time and $ trying to fix the problems with the engine in the car, it's rebuild time or as I'm doing (some day) , I've got 2 good 460's but I'll be having them torn apart and gone over before I put one in. As for now, my 400 is a trurd but it's still running to the point of I can move it under it's own power if I need to.....but that's onlyin the drive way because of the years it's sat, it has no brakes.


I wish you fun and good luck with the old girl, don't get me wrong but some times ya just have to spend the dollar to save a dime

 

Tony, your windshield and rear side glass were originally installed with butyl tape, a black caulk that ends up drying up and losing adhesion. If your glass is original to the car, chances are this is why you have leaks. Rust results from the paint being knocked off the tiny welded tabs when the trim clips were installed. The two issues are usually unrelated, but seem to go hand in hand.
The glass removal is quite easy, but requires patience and usually a helping hand for lifting these large pieces of glass. Wire or a glass removal tool is helpful, and if you look on YouTube, I would bet there are some videos that show how to remove windshields. Unlike today's urethanes, butyl tape is very easy to cut through, and adhesion should be quite marginal.

David