What did you do to your G-Body today 2024
- Thread starter 64nailhead
- Start date
Finishing up torqing the bottom end and installing the rear main seal. Ford 460 seals fit nicely in sbb. Fun fact: on rod caps without locating dowels, use a feeler gauge between the pair of rod caps when torqing to prevent them twisting and touching eachother.
used a rotary file to enlarge the pickup tube hole from basically 7/16 to 5/8 to match the tube.
To save myself an extra cost I started on the Wheel Bearings, Rotor and Brake replacement (Images Shown). This job would have gone better if I didn't have to do some running around and mostly for Tools I thought I or my Step Father had. I forgot some pic's of the brake pads, I am surprised I had any brakes at all when I removed the old ones (They were that non-existent), likely the rear brakes is what got me to a stop. While I was able to get the Passenger side done I also found out I need to buy more Lug Nuts as two are willing to tighten up other 3 look stripped out. . . . If it wasn't one thing it's another on top of it being a Mothers Day and I am sun burned at bit too. Tomorrow, early, I will get to the Driver Side, Process should go a little faster for me. I haven't done this in a long while, I did have to back the car up slightly after putting the tire back on (Pumping the Brakes before I put it into reverse). The brakes on that side grab real good, so I don't think I screwed it up. Bearings and every thing surrounding it I made sure to pack with grease. Crossing fingers it'll be alright.
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So a few weeks back I managed to get up onto the mezzanine deck and locate and retrieve the radiator that had been in my Monte prior to the start of its rehabilitation. This week, while doing a major cleanup and sorting of all the debris that had accumulated over time, I elected to bring it down and take a good look at what shape it was in. Externally, it looked perfectly useable; no signs of corrosion or copper cancer. Only thing that I did notice was that it rattled like a maraca when I shook it. So I unscrewed the cap and a flurry of while debris cascaded out when I turned it upside down. A quick peek down the throat of neck disclosed major deposits of white calculus around the ports for the cross tubes. I do happen to have another potential candidate up there as an alternative but getting to it means another trip upstairs and that would mean having to do a lot of sorting and shuffling of stuff up there into the bargain. The mezzanine is my very long term storage area and anything up there tends to rival the Sahara for depth of dust.
So I guess the next step is to either try and locate a rad shop around here that actually knows how to wash out radiator tanks or find some kind of solution that I can use to do it myself. Along the way I will also need to find some bungs or plugs to stuff into the upper and lower rad hose nipples as well as the filler neck so that when I dump the cleaning solution into the tanks it will stay in there and do its thing instead of bleeding out all over whatever is below it.
Not too sure about where to source those plugs. Used to be you could buy kits of them but that was then and this is..................well not then and demand does not equal supply.
Oh, yeah, along the way I did drop my Monte off its jack stands and back onto the dollies so I could move it around by myself. Makes cleaning and access a whole lot easier and simpler to effect.
Nick
So I guess the next step is to either try and locate a rad shop around here that actually knows how to wash out radiator tanks or find some kind of solution that I can use to do it myself. Along the way I will also need to find some bungs or plugs to stuff into the upper and lower rad hose nipples as well as the filler neck so that when I dump the cleaning solution into the tanks it will stay in there and do its thing instead of bleeding out all over whatever is below it.
Not too sure about where to source those plugs. Used to be you could buy kits of them but that was then and this is..................well not then and demand does not equal supply.
Oh, yeah, along the way I did drop my Monte off its jack stands and back onto the dollies so I could move it around by myself. Makes cleaning and access a whole lot easier and simpler to effect.
Nick
Actually this brings up a thought and question, Will CLR purge a radiator core of the "salt" deposits around the tubes?
Nick
Nick
You might try to find a stock tank or a tub big enough to fit the radiator inside of and fill it with water/oxalic acid. It's perfect for cleaning and restoring brass and copper alike- it'll clean all the junk, won't hurt the metal, and you won't need any plugs. Just be sure to flip it and soak it a second time to clean any areas previously blocked by trapped air. Remove all of the air that you can by gently shaking the radiator while submerged as well as keeping a corner elevated to allow it to escape.
You could also leave the cap and hoses connected and fill it via the hoses, closing those off however you see fit.
Mercedes Benz recommends citric acid. You can buy that in powder form in the canning section at the grocery store, and 2 lbs will flush both an engine and radiator.
If you go this route (acid), you'll need to neutralize the acid after rinsing the heck out of it by utilizing baking soda, Borax, ammonia, or another mild PH basic solution. I wouldn't want baking soda inside my radiator tubes though. Let that solution soak for 24 hours to ensure complete neutralization, rinse for a final time and you're done. Unless of course you want to protect against corrosion, in which case ActiveRadiator.com and Nyalic.com have products for the outside and Prestone, Permatex, and Motor Medic have additives for internal protection.
If locating a stock tank is out of the question, you can stack bricks in a large rectangle or simply dig a hole in the ground and use plastic sheeting like a pool liner.
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Regular CLR won't do enough. It's good for scrubbing rust stains and calcium buildup off of things but it absolutely will not dissolve what's inside your radiator enough to be flushed out.
They do, however, sell a Heavy Duty Radiator Flush/ Cleaner: https://clrbrands.com/PROLINE/Products/CLR-PRO/CLR-PRO-Heavy-Duty-Radiator-Flush-and-Cleaner
here's another alternative which is supposedly safe to dump to creek
Restore Your Engine’s Cooling System | CRC EVAPO-RUST®
Remove the rust and corrosion that causes overheating by treating the cooling system with Evapo-Rust® Thermocure® and restore it.
www.evapo-rust.com
Got the Monte out to some shows this weekend, sounding like it has an exhaust leak and doesn't seem to have the power it should. Hopefully will get to look it at some this week
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