Alright. So I posted recently about a 1978 GP. Pretty solid metal wise, with a supposed 307, rocket v8. I couldn't get the hood open during pre-sale and with all the issues, I got a screaming deal (about 150 above scrap price, which includes the tow).
Anyways, I have been giving it the side eye as it sits in my drive way and I rapidly deplete my bank account buying Princess Auto tools and bits. The car came with two batteries, one from 2017, one from 2019. My daily is a ford Taurus with a 2018 battery as an aside. I hooked a battery charger/start/tester onto the 2019 battery, which had sulfonated and that was resolved and charged somewhat. I then hooked it up to the 2017, which was not sulfonated, but I charged it a bit anyways.
So I hooked the 2019 battery into the GP, put in the key and got a nice alert buzzer, I turned it to run and the gauges all bounced around and the clock started up, which confused me after the buzzer shut off and I heard mysterious ticking. I sprayed a conservative spritz of starter fluid into the carb to see if it would turn over (engine moves freely with a ratchet on the crank) and the starter tried, followed by a click and nothing. At this point, the clock is still running, but no buzzer. If I turn the key? Nothing happens and the clock goes off. Same if I hit a window switch/horn/anything electric load wise. Not shocking as the terminal ends where pretty crusty. I picked up a new universal set and some miscellaneous wiring parts, most butt connectors and rings, and plan to replace those terminal connectors and clean up and grounded spots.
However the more I dig into the engine, the more little things I notice. The car is a 1978 GP, the engine stamp makes it a 307 Rocket V8 with the 5A heads, which is 81-85. No clue if it is a vin Y or 9 motor, but it has the dual exhaust and an Edelbrock AVS2 1905 650cfm carb and some other shiny bits, so my guess is the vin 9 (the car looks like a hurst 442 tribute almost). What isn't shiny, is the engine which is caked with about 40 pounds of grease/oil, which is its own little project to complete. Regardless, the engine clearly is not a virgin and has been tinkered with a fair amount. I noticed at least 1 hose, from the vacuum canister behind the passenger headlight is connected to nothing, just sorta flopping around. I think this belongs on a little t-junction on the front of the engine, but the Vacuum diagram is making my head swim. As for wiring, never have I seen someone install 2 butt connectors AND a separate wad of electrical tape on a wire that might be only a few feet long.
So here I sit. I am planning on working from the battery outwards, but with so many weird things going on, from hoses to connectors to just a wire hanging out not attached to anything, I am going to struggle without wiring and/or vacuum line diagrams. Every search seems to bring up multiple different options. I already know I need to fix the trans leak, diagnose the source of the oil in the engine bay (front passenger side), replace several hoses and piece together the interior better. Any direction to manuals for the car and separately the engine, are very much appreciated. Free is the best price, but if I need to spend a few bucks so be it.
Anyways, I have been giving it the side eye as it sits in my drive way and I rapidly deplete my bank account buying Princess Auto tools and bits. The car came with two batteries, one from 2017, one from 2019. My daily is a ford Taurus with a 2018 battery as an aside. I hooked a battery charger/start/tester onto the 2019 battery, which had sulfonated and that was resolved and charged somewhat. I then hooked it up to the 2017, which was not sulfonated, but I charged it a bit anyways.
So I hooked the 2019 battery into the GP, put in the key and got a nice alert buzzer, I turned it to run and the gauges all bounced around and the clock started up, which confused me after the buzzer shut off and I heard mysterious ticking. I sprayed a conservative spritz of starter fluid into the carb to see if it would turn over (engine moves freely with a ratchet on the crank) and the starter tried, followed by a click and nothing. At this point, the clock is still running, but no buzzer. If I turn the key? Nothing happens and the clock goes off. Same if I hit a window switch/horn/anything electric load wise. Not shocking as the terminal ends where pretty crusty. I picked up a new universal set and some miscellaneous wiring parts, most butt connectors and rings, and plan to replace those terminal connectors and clean up and grounded spots.
However the more I dig into the engine, the more little things I notice. The car is a 1978 GP, the engine stamp makes it a 307 Rocket V8 with the 5A heads, which is 81-85. No clue if it is a vin Y or 9 motor, but it has the dual exhaust and an Edelbrock AVS2 1905 650cfm carb and some other shiny bits, so my guess is the vin 9 (the car looks like a hurst 442 tribute almost). What isn't shiny, is the engine which is caked with about 40 pounds of grease/oil, which is its own little project to complete. Regardless, the engine clearly is not a virgin and has been tinkered with a fair amount. I noticed at least 1 hose, from the vacuum canister behind the passenger headlight is connected to nothing, just sorta flopping around. I think this belongs on a little t-junction on the front of the engine, but the Vacuum diagram is making my head swim. As for wiring, never have I seen someone install 2 butt connectors AND a separate wad of electrical tape on a wire that might be only a few feet long.
So here I sit. I am planning on working from the battery outwards, but with so many weird things going on, from hoses to connectors to just a wire hanging out not attached to anything, I am going to struggle without wiring and/or vacuum line diagrams. Every search seems to bring up multiple different options. I already know I need to fix the trans leak, diagnose the source of the oil in the engine bay (front passenger side), replace several hoses and piece together the interior better. Any direction to manuals for the car and separately the engine, are very much appreciated. Free is the best price, but if I need to spend a few bucks so be it.
