Wow I got up at 5 and spent the morning trying to get caught up on the stuff I used to read on this sight like Mike's Monte Carlo copo now it's 8 and all I've got done is ordered a set of h4 headlights. My how time flys! I should probably get something done today!
78 cutlass W-31 build
- Thread starter Clutch
- Start date
10:08 all I did was shower and get dressed,... I'm a bum! LoL truthfully I don't know what I'm doing on it today anyway. I'm running out of spare parts laying around that it could use and I'm really not into bodywork today. I think I'll go find my carb amusement tool and put the timing light and vacuum gauge to good use. Maybe pull the plugs again and try to figure out that slight miss and stumble. Although I think that it's carb.
I don't think I have any good news other than I went to the shop and moved the car back outside for Monday. What took place between those events not so good. If you're following along from the beginning you'd know this motor always had a tap. Never understood why but some things I did made it better than it was. Well as you know I got everything in the dashboard working in the last week or so. According to the gauges when it warms up it looses oil pressure. That would explain a lot! If the gauge isn't lying to me now in the past I recall when driving it around the building it seemed like when I went to park it it ran a little worse and tapped a little more. I didn't investigate it because I didn't think much of it it always tapped. When I was working on it with the valve covers off there was oil up top, it wasn't squirting like some other motors I've worked on but enough I didn't think much of it. So today I brought my carb amusement tool and had the vacuum gauge on it and timing light. Trying to get it right, you know what I mean? Obviously I let it run long enough for the choke to come off and I was getting it pretty good. I was definitely heading in the right direction. Then it started getting worse, and tapping more. I'm under the hood like wtf? I just had it at this setting well then I jumped in the car and I was putting it in gear giving it gas feeling the way it's running and the miss I heard was intermittent so not a plug or a wire. Then I seen it that evil little oil pressure gauge drop to "0" when I came off the gas. Was I seeing things throw it in park give it some gas, up it goes, let off drops like a rock! So what now? My current mood tells me to give up and with the history of the car want it is, what it was for. I'd load it in the crusher myself before I gave someone else the chance to enjoy it. I thought about lighting the car next to it on fire in the parking lot. Idk all my life I built cars for other people now I want to enjoy one and it's just not going to happen here I am another year into a pile of junk that dose nothing but cost me money and keep me from my family that's waiting to enjoy it with me.
I just give up
At least for today. Now I need to forget about it without starting drinking again or is that not worth it either
I just give up
At least for today. Now I need to forget about it without starting drinking again or is that not worth it either
Of course. Just a glutton for punishment. I've already priced out oil pump rod and main bearings because that's where the pressure has to be going. The only thing stopping me is not knowing what the bill for the daily driver is going to be there replacing the mid plate in it at the diesel shop. Also will the pan come off an olds motor in the car? I don't think I've ever tried that. When I had this motor apart years ago I should have done it but everything looked really good so I only pulled the rear main did the seal and checked a couple of rods. I distinctly remember everything looking exceptionally good and putting it back together. It was supposed to be a good runner that had just been installed in the 69 it was in. I guess hind sight is 20 20 and coulda shoulda woulda. Nothing to do but press on now.
I have always found the Olds 350 extremely reliable, problem is, the last ones are over 40 years old! I got burnt as well, flooding carb going over half throttle out of no where, just moving it from motor to motor and ignition issues. Then, knock knock, whose there? A bearing 🤮. You can try dropping the oil and throw in some VR1 20W50 as a band aid.
Not sure about dropping the pan and doing all that in the car. Honestly, the engines come out easy enough, I'd rather spend the couple hours extra and put it on a stand. I know, not what you wanted to hear. I'm just repeating that little voice in the back of your head.
Sleep on it for a week or two. It's not like it's your daily transportation, so no need to completely burn out on it.
Sleep on it for a week or two. It's not like it's your daily transportation, so no need to completely burn out on it.
So in the Monday morning conversation with the bosses the typical (what did you do this weekend?) Came up and I told him what happened and my thoughts. Told him I'd wait because of my truck in his diesel shop and he interrupted me with. I got you! I just bought a Napa I got pallets of that stuff all old stuff old stock in getting rid of it all anyways we will get the part numbers you need and whatever I have for it is yours! Let's hope he's got what I need. In other news I forgot I ordered a set of what looks like stock headlights for this car. They look like a regular sealed beam but they take H4 bulbs. Anyway they came today. I was worried they would look like cheap junk because they were but now that I've seen them I'm glad I got them
Now if I only had a house with a garage that required GPS coordinates to find it. Life would be good
That’s great news. Sounds like you really hooked up with a good shop when you went there. Hopefully you can find what you need.
Curious what lights you bought. I’m looking for the same.
