Legends of the Engine Compartment

Part 15

October 9-10, 2002

 The last couple of days have seen a lot of progress on the Vair. Despite our best efforts, we could not get the final little bits of rust of the transaxle, so Wednesday night Jeff and I put in some time painting it instead, and as you can see above, it doesn't look too shabby.

Wednesday night we also installed a moisture trap on the sandblaster, and that was the last glitch with the Hillbilly Blaster. It is now working great. The moisture trap is the black canister on the left side of the picture:

 Yesterday afternoon I stopped in at Delaney's to check progress of the motor. I took a few pictures showing the heads after installation. The motor is upside down for installation of the oil pan.

 

 Pat paid high complements to the work of Larry Shapiro on the heads, pistons, and connecting rods. Winston Lane, the former owner of Pat's shop has had experience rebuilding Vair motors and they worked together on it for some time yesterday. They said that everything was going together easily, and from what I can see they are doing a first class job.

There seem to be a lot of parts left over, but hopefully Pat knows what to do with them:

 I picked up the axles and promised Pat I would see him Friday.

Last night we blasted the valve cover hold-downs and painted them with engine paint. Here some of them are awaiting paint, nice and clean:

 After painting with high-temp engine paint:

 We cured the paint with a heat gun:

 I took yet another one of Rick Norris's sage suggestions, and perforated the bottom of an old coffee can with a hammer and a screwdriver.

 I then threw all the U-joint hold downs and bolts in the can, and took it over to the sandblaster. Point the nozzle down into the can, jiggle the can for awhile, and voila! clean parts. Here you can see the cleaned parts as well as the painted axles ready to go:

 While were sandblasting and painting, we cleaned up the half valve-covers I bought from Clarks in 1987, which we figure we will need for adjusting the valves after we get the motor back in the car.

Today in the mail I got new jets for my carbs from Larry Shapiro and Amsoil Series 2000 75W-90 Gear Lube for the transaxle courtesy of Ken Hand. The end of this project, and of this chronicle (hallelujah! cried the masses) looms ominously near. Speaking of which...

Entries for the Legends of the Engine Compartment Celebrity Charity Pool are now officially closed.

The entrants are as follows:

Frank Walker: October 15 at 10:05 p.m.

Chuck Armer: October 16 at 9:37 p.m.

JR Read: October 18 at 10:39 p.m.

Bob Kenan: October 18 at 11:40 p.m.

John Hower: October 18 at 11:55 p.m.

Tom Willcox: October 19 at 1:07 a.m.

Dave Aldrich: October 21

Brian Levene: October 20 at 4:00 p.m.

Keith Hammett: October 26 at 5:00 p.m.

Rick Norris: November 4

John Cole: April 13, 2003

 

It is clear that "the last minute" is a popular choice. For Pool details, see Legends # 12.

Expect a LONG post on Monday.

 

FINE PRINT FOR LEGENDS OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT CELEBRITY CHARITY POOL:

In the unlikely event of a water landing, your transaxle will act as a flotation device. Past performance is no indication of future results and individual earnings may vary. You must be at least this high to enter this pool. In the event of rash or skin irritation, discontinue use immediately and consult your physician. Please do not taunt or feed the lawyers. Recommended by 0 out of 10 physicians. Forest fire danger rating: Low. Trespassers will be violated. Patron parking only; all others will be towed and crushed. Keep your hands and feet inside your seat at all times. All prizes are for amusement purposes only...gambling is prohibited. Not to be taken internally. Do not begin any rigorous auto restoration program without first consulting your physician. Price excludes destination, tax, title, license and dealer prep. Celebrity voices impersonated. Member FDIC. Viewer discretion advised. Intended for viewing by mature (?) audiences only. Keep out of the reach of children. Void where prohibited by law. All sales final; 25% restocking fee. Do not try this at home, children. No shirt, no shoes, no service. Do not remove this tag under penalty of law. Thanks to John Hower for additional disclaimers. You are advised to seek legal counsel.

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Back to Part 14.

On to Part 16.

All images and text copyright Norman C. Witte 2002.