Shoestring Budget '83 Caprice Wagon

Old cars, trucks, wagons, motorcycles------------it's a hobby. No one said it was gonna be easy! The behinder you get and the more disappointments, the better you will feel when you get finished.

 

Haven't givin' up yet did a little work on my motor today during my lunch hour and hopefully a little each day. Starting to sound like a broken record I know but hopefully this is the year!

 

Get on it, Tman! Don't make me come down there.

 

I am getting pretty good at bad luck with everything on my wagon build. My latest problem is with my freshly rebuilt block, so here goes the story. I bought it from a guy that was working at the dealership a while back. He told me it was rebuilt, he put it in his car, started it and heard a bottom end knock. He pulled it right back out for a crate motor and had figured the crank was the only thing that wasn't new in the block so that must be what was wrong.
Last week Mr.Walter (my mentor at work) started helping me change the crank. We found #6 rod had a little slack and knew that was the problem.As we pulled the rod and main caps we noticed a little scarring on the new bearings that were installed during the previous rebuild.All bearings, rods and pistons are new. You can still see the hone marks on the cylinder walls, proof the motor never was run. We began wondering if they put the motor together dry but upon further inspection found the cam bearing installed wrong, only 1 oil hole was lined up So for $60 bucks I am going to run it to the machine shop and they will provide and install new cam bearings for me.
Thankful for Mr.Walter to be as meticulous as he is and catch that because I have everything new for the motor and would have really been at the end of my rope if I would have installed it just to tear it up with in a couple miles!

 

NO kidding! That would have SUCKED with a mighty suckage!

 

My mentor Mr.Walter had time after lunch to work on my wagon motor. I got a picture of him putting the crank and pistons in. Said he don't know what they have for him tomorrow but he may try to get my heads on!:banana:

 

Best of luck...maybe that project will get back on track now that you've got some expert help.

 

Mr.Walter has 51 years experience turning wrenches so I think he qualifies as a expert and Fox lit a fire under my hind end to get it back on track so hopefully I will have updates more often!

 

Looking forward to it.

 

Friday Mr.Walter got the heads bolted down and torqued, the cam installed. Closest I have been in 2 years to getting my motor together but since I have procrastinated so long I have had to move my parts several times so I am missing the harmonic balancer, rocker arms (which I had 3 sets of around there) and the bolts out the cam sprocket, timing cover and oil pan bolts I work with a guy that when ever he misplaces something he goes into a rant about someone stealing his stuff so when I said what I was missing stuff he said "Someone stole it!" I told him I have moved it for so long and so many times I am sure it was misplaced and thrown out by accident...luckily it isn't too high priced items.

 

After a long pause and management change at work and 3 different job titles within the company things have settled down, have freed up a few extra dollars but still keeping a "cheap cruiser" in mind the budget has went up a bit but mainly due to the bumps I ran into with engine. What started as a $1200 engine wound up around $2100 after needing to abandon my other 2 blocks but that is long over and still think I will have less than $3000 in it. ($3000 in a $1200 car only us car people would do that )


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Had to work 6 days this week and had Sunday dinner with the family (sister, brother in law, mom, dad ) so not a whole lot accomplished on the wagon. I did slip out after dinner and at least run the other plug wires, put plugs in, bolt on carburetor and water housing. Have to finish putting one end on my wires. I also hunted down my new starter I had still in the box but I have at least done something, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to it last 3 weeks in a row. Which is more than I have done with it in a few years. This is what the motor is looking like now.

 

VERY nice!!!!!!!!!

 

Not a whole lot this weekend but I did some junkyarding with my dad today, in the rain, and am rethinking my bracket and pulleys for my engine. Did go to the part's house and get a new waterpump and fuel pump and got my new wheels and tires ordered. Pushing forward a little at the time...

 

One step at a time; it'll get done.
Engine looks great!