Have you ever done anything so many times ...

[Clois Harlan]

that you can do it with your eyes closed? Recently I pulled my distributor to replace my rubber o-ring and check the teeth on my distributor gear (routine winter maintenance) in addition to replacing head, intake, and valve cover gaskets. During re-assembly I made sure that all my silicone was of proper thickness to prevent oil from leaking from the front or rear of my intake, I ran my valves (solid lifters), I did a once over of everything.

I cranked my engine to TDC by removing #1 spark plug and using a remote starter to bump my engine while I had my finger over the plug hole. At compression stroke my finger would be forced away from the spark plug hole and I knew that my timing pointer should be close on my harmonic balancer. Sure enough up comes my timing mark and I turn my crank the rest of the way with a break over until my timing mark is on about the 25 degree mark. Now I stab my distributor back in the engine being ever so careful to place the #1 spark plug wire on my distributor cap in line with the rotor on my distributor, perfect. I button everything down and start to crank the engine over expecting it to start..... Nope spins like a top but I am backfiring through the carb. You guessed it I am 180 degrees off with my distributor. I pulled my valve covers off and at TDC my valves on cylinder #1 should have some slack in them but instead they were tight and when I went over to the #6 valves they had the slack I was looking for in the #1.

Sure enough I had my distributor in 180 degrees out. I pulled my distributor out enough to rotate my rotor 180 degrees and stabbed it back in my engine. Again, I am careful to line the rotor up with number 1 spark plug wire on my distributor. re-checked all my wires to see that everything was still in the proper firing order and it was. This time it fired right up just as strong and healthy as ever. I forgot to mention that I had already hooked up my timing light so I was ready to dial in my timing once the engine fired. I had to advance my timing about 2 degrees and everything is perfect. I let my engine run until my temp reached 180 deg F and then I shut everything off. I will let it set overnignt and then the next day I will re-torque my heads and re-check my clearances on on valves.

It just goes to show you that everyone makes mistakes no matter how often you do something. The truth be told, before I pulled the valve covers off to check my valves I pulled the distributor out and re-stabbed it a couple of times because I was sure I had done this right the first time.....NOT! Have fun everyone and don't take yourself or your car to seriously.


Clois Harlan

[double ugly]

Complacency can cause a lot worse things to happen. It was a huge issue when flying the same airplane for years.
John

[undy]

Naw.... never did anything like that.

[Excaliber]

If it's 3 am and it still won't start the dist is no doubt a 180 out.

I know of these things...

[Clois Harlan]

What really pi$$ed me off was when my wife walks in and ask if I was still trying to get the Cobra to start. You know when things aren't going well my answers are usually one word or least a short series of single syllabol words. In this case my answer was "YES". And, then she say's maybe you should take it to someone! My wife left my garage shortly after that. I can't wait until she is trying on one of her favorite outfits that doesn't seem to fit this week and I can tell her "maybe we need to call somebody".
Just kidding of course.
\
Clois

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Clois;

I can pull the trans (toploader)clutch,pressure plate and flywheel out of my racecar in just a tad over an hour by myself, laying on my back on the floor of my shop!!!!!!! practise makes perfect they say, did it four times in 3 days , don't ask why...........been there, done that, skint many knuckes, bled a good bit in the process..........

David

[RedBarchetta]

David, you're making me laugh with memories! I burned up so many clutches in my high school-based Camaro that me and a buddy had the teardown (starting with tires on the ground to the flywheel out of the car) in about 45 minutes.

Clois, thank you for reminding all of us of our occasional mind lapses and that these little cars that we love aren't always perfect.

-Dean

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Dean;

When I figured I had my problem cured, I actually thought about using studs and wingnuts on the trans and bell housing, I probably could have saved another 10 minutes or so on the job!!!!!!!!!

David

[wtm442]

I have never made one mistake on any of my cars (I normally make many mistakes).

Here is a bumper sticker ....

[Clois Harlan]

David I tried that with an old 3 spd trans that came with my 63 Fairlane 500 and it didn't work so great. I ended up breaking off a couple of the ears of my transmission trying to pull a mis-aligned tranny up to the bell housing.

Back in the day you could replace the 3 spd for $50 but I choose to go with a 4sp Borg Warner out of a Galaxie 500. And then nothing fit. Drive shaft, clutch, wrong rearend, etc. so I got to park it for a little while until I could earn enough money to fix it right. Lessons learned.

Clois

[RedBarchetta]

Originally Posted by DAVID GAGNARD

Dean;

When I figured I had my problem cured, I actually thought about using studs and wingnuts on the trans and bell housing, I probably could have saved another 10 minutes or so on the job!!!!!!!!!

David

David, the best "job" was the one that I did while a freshman at University of Florida. We had a high curb in front of our dormitory, so we used wood blocks as ramps and I nursed the car w/slipping clutch up the blocks until the front wheels were on the curb. That gave us about 12" of crawling space, which was enough to drop the tranny and clutch. Then I strapped the iron flywheel to the book rack of my trusty Raleigh Record 10-Speed and rode the 3 miles to the local machine shop that charged me $30 (a lot of money in 1981) to resurface it. Wheelies were really easy on that bike that afternoon! Hey, the car survived the trek to So Cal about 2 months later, so we must have done good.

-Dean

[DAVID GAGNARD]

David, the best "job" was the one that I did while a freshman at University of Florida. We had a high curb in front of our dormitory, so we used wood blocks as ramps and I nursed the car w/slipping clutch up the blocks until the front wheels were on the curb. That gave us about 12" of crawling space, which was enough to drop the tranny and clutch. Then I strapped the iron flywheel to the book rack of my trusty Raleigh Record 10-Speed and rode the 3 miles to the local machine shop that charged me $30 (a lot of money in 1981) to resurface it. Wheelies were really easy on that bike that afternoon! Hey, the car survived the trek to So Cal about 2 months later, so we must have done good.

-Dean

Ahh, the things we did in our youth, had only the basic hand tools and 3 big pecan trees in the back yard, then I bought a set of ramps and thought I was really a top notch mechanic then!!!!!!! Used the PTO winch on my dad's early 70"s Bronco (dead manned against one of the other trees) with the cable thrown over the biggest limb I could reach to pull engines, worked pretty good, but needed a helper to operate the winch while I coaxed the engine out of my old junkers........

Now, I've got a 40x50 heated metal building shop and engine stands, chain hoist, big a$$ed air compressor/plenty air tools and all kinds of stuff and it seems it's not any easier working on my stuff, just a little more comfortable.............

David

[Excaliber]

OK, so now we got the nice garage and air tools, etc. How about the ENERGY to do the work? Man I recall laying in the freakin' snow to pull a trans, something I can't even imagine doing now!

[cosbytnkid]

Oh the memories of our youth. I remember one time after my freshman year at college back in the sixties, my dad had me to help my brother rebuild the engine in dad's pick up. Well I wound up doing it by myself. After checking bearing clearance on bottom end buttoned it up and dropped in the distributor. It was a "55 Chevy pick up with the old 235 in line six. Dad told me to make sure the ball was in the center of the sight hole on the flywheel. Then go ahead and drop in the distributor and take it on home to the farm. Well I forgot one little detail, I didn't check to see if #1 piston was coming up on compression. Cranked and cranked on that darned engine but aside from back firing through the carb. nothing else happened. So the next day I drove our little Ferguson tractor with a couple lengths of chain into town and towed that truck 6 miles back to the farm. Try doing something like that now days and see what happens! I drove the tractor my brother drove the truck. I'd tell him so often to turn on the igintion and see what would happen. Nothing except every so often this big loud KA BOOM out the tail pipe. Dad got home that night we told him what we did and he said we were lucky we blow the damned muffler off the truck. Next day he goes out checks the timing sure 'nough it was 180 degrees out. He brought #1 up on compression made sure everything was okay my brother and me pushed that truck down our drive way and dad put it in reverse and let out the clutch and wham that engine fired right up. Truck never stopped running after that right up to the day he sold it with the farm back in the '70's. Oh I'll never forget that experience. Dad said us kids did pretty good excepting the timing of course. I still chuckle about it to this day.

[Excaliber]

Thats a great story Dick, I've worked on the old 235's a BUNCH!!

Now this one time in North Dakota it broke the fiber camshaft gear and... well, hitch hiked to the next town, LONG story.

[Buzzmobile]

only one thing to say. PILOT BUSHING! nuff said!

[blueovalfanatic]

My story doesnt involve removing engines or transmissions, but my first car was a 73 Mach 1, which had a pretty stout 351C. I maintained it very well, but wasn't afraid to run it. After thinking I had possibly wiped a lobe or two, I figured out that I had a few bent pushrods. It got to the point where I could pull the car into the garage, and have all 16 push rods out within about 8 minutes. I used the side of a 10 gallon fish tank to roll them on, and would routinely replace at least several at a time.

Greg

[PatBuckley]

Yep. Making love to my wife. Did it so many times that eventually I could do it with my eyes closed.

[double ugly]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Thats a great story Dick, I've worked on the old 235's a BUNCH!!

Now this one time in North Dakota it broke the fiber camshaft gear and... well, hitch hiked to the next town, LONG story.

Where in North Dakota?
John

[Clois Harlan]

Your the man Pat! I think I can relate.

Buzz, I seem to recall being witness to that.

I guess everyone has their day or week...