Maintenance Schedule

[Mooch]

I'm putting together a maintenance list for my build and was looking for opinions/advice regarding what other people are doing on a regular basis.

Realize that people's opinions on intervals are never going to agree, so explain why you do it your way - not why someone else is an idiot for doing it their way. This is going to be a comprehensive list, so that it may seem WAY over done at one point and everything may not apply to you. Hopefully once this is rounded out everybody can refer to it, editing it for personal use.

Here's the list, and it will be edited as people's advice is added:

Every Fill Up/Every Start
Check engine oil
Check coolant level
Check tire pressures/spinners

500 Miles
Change engine oil and filter

1000 Miles
Change engine oil and filter
Check tightness of all chassis bolts
Adjust valve lash (solid lifters)

Every 3000 Miles
Change engine oil and filter
Check clutch/brake hydraulic fluid
Check engine drive belts for wear and tension
Adjust clutch play
Grease the lower spherical joint of the front shock

Every 6000 Miles
Inspect front brakes
Check timing
Check tires for wear
Alignment

Every 12,000 Miles
Check transmission fluid
Grease rear axle and driveshaft universal joints
Grease front upper and lower ball joints and outer tie rod ends
Inspect hoses and belts for wear
Change lifters

Every 24,000 Miles
Change PCV Valve

Every 24 months
Change coolant
Check rear brakes
Apply anti-seize to spinners

Every 3 years
Flush and replace brake fluid
Check valve lash (hydraulic lifters)
Clean/replace air filter
Change fuel filter

[patrickt]

Mooch, are you opting for a solid cam? If you are going with a hydraulic you never need to check it -- especially on an FE if you run a bead of RTV around your VCs to keep leaks down. You should also check your coolant a little more often with a "no coolant recovery" system. Remember it's just spitting it out on the road, little bits at a time. Safety wire your spinners, but still remove them once a year or so and anti-seize them. Also, you should check for loose stuff every couple of months. A big FE rattles these cars like you wouldn't believe and everything that isn't safety-wired has a tendency to vibrate loose.

[Mooch]

Turning towards a solid roller at this time, but haven't nailed it down yet. And no, I'm not doing a flat tappet...

I agree with your advise on anti-seizing the wing nuts - has been added. I had the "check the wing nuts" at every fill up since you are checking pressure at the same time and it takes half a sec so make sure your safety wire is intact.

Changed coolant check to with fill up.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Mooch

Turning towards a solid roller at this time...

OK, plenty of threads on solid roller cams and FEs, so I won't harp on it. Just make sure you understand it all and make an informed decision.

[kayakjack]

Mooch,

You check trans fluid at 12,000 miles. How long between changes? I put GM Synthetic in my Tremec 3550 a while back. Expensive stuff, but I'd be glad to change it out from time to time if it will keep the trans happy.

Jack

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by kayakjack

Mooch,

You check trans fluid at 12,000 miles. How long between changes?

If you're not tracking the car hard, your heirs should be tasked with the first Trans and Rear Differential fluid change.

[Gunner]

Originally Posted by Mooch

I had the "check the wing nuts" at every fill up since you are checking pressure at the same time and it takes half a sec so make sure your safety wire is intact.

Please, let's call them spinners. I make a firm practice of never paying attention to wingnuts, right or left handed.

[Mooch]

spinners it is. wingnut.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Mooch

spinners it is. wingnut.

He deserved that.

[bobcowan]

Maintenance on most of these cars is really not that differant than any other car you won. Do you check the oil on your DD every time you fill the tank? Do you check tire pressure that often? Do you change the oil that often?

Unless you're really running it hard, or use a solid lifter cam, maintenance is pretty much the same as a Ford, Dodge, or Chevy with the same equipment.

[patrickt]

Treat your leather seats with a good leather conditioner/protection every few months.

[Gunner]

Originally Posted by bobcowan

Maintenance on most of these cars is really not that differant than any other car you won.

I haven't won any cars lately, but I'll assume you mean "own."

I'd have to qualify that statement by era. These cars have almost exactly the maintenance needs and schedule of any 1960s vehicle... which is vastly more demanding than most cars of the last twenty years.

We've had four new vehicles between us since 2000, and I've done less maintenance on all of them than in about any year of my older vehicles. There's almost no such thing as a tune-up, spark plugs last 100k, oil change intervals are in the 10-15k range, interior materials are far more durable, paint and finish need hardly anything besides washing. Brakes and wipers... that's about it.

I had to stop for a fuel filter for 707 this afternoon, since I have the rear wheels off, it's right there, and I don't think it's ever been changed in the three years/5500 miles of life. She commented that she thought a new car shouldn't need so much service... I just laughed.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by Gunner

Please, let's call them spinners. I make a firm practice of never paying attention to wingnuts, right or left handed.

What about the wingnut on the air cleaner? Gotta check that wingnut. Wouldn't want that clanking around the engine compartment.

[427mudflap]

Oh, What about the loose nut behind the wheel?

[Mooch]

or the two on the seat?



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[Gunner]

Originally Posted by patrickt

He deserved that.

Well, I'd call them knockoffs but mine are REAL Halibrands...

[bobcowan]

Originally Posted by Gunner

I'd have to qualify that statement by era. These cars have almost exactly the maintenance needs and schedule of any 1960s vehicle... which is vastly more demanding than most cars of the last twenty years.

You're exactly right, and that's why I qualified it with, "the same as a Ford, Dodge, or Chevy with the same equipment."

If you use a good modern synthetic oil, why change it every 3K miles? If you use a new tire and wheel, why worry about the pressure so much? If you use a closed coolant recovery system, you won't loose any coolant.

Partly it depends on how you build it, and what parts and systems you use. And partly it depends on how you drive it. I'd bet most Cobra's would do perfectly well with changing the oil once a year.

[Mooch]

Originally Posted by bobcowan

You're exactly right, and that's why I qualified it with, "the same as a Ford, Dodge, or Chevy with the same equipment."

If you use a good modern synthetic oil, why change it every 3K miles? If you use a new tire and wheel, why worry about the pressure so much? If you use a closed coolant recovery system, you won't loose any coolant.

Partly it depends on how you build it, and what parts and systems you use. And partly it depends on how you drive it. I'd bet most Cobra's would do perfectly well with changing the oil once a year.

Like I said it the beginning, intervals will never be agreed upon.

I do agree that many Cobras would be happy with a once a year oil change, but would I? I will admit that I change the synthetic oil in my daily driver every 10k miles. It is a modern engine made for daily use at moderate driving.

Just the engine I'm putting into my Cobra will cost about half of my daily driver. It will be driven hard and will be stressed every time it is driven. So I'm going to do frequent changes. Will it make any difference to the engine? It's debatable. Even if I know it makes no difference, I'll still do it. The placebo effect to my conscience is worth it.

To make it easier I'm doing some things.

1: Top-side oil changes with a Mityvac. The remote filter is easily accessible. It takes me ~10 minutes to do an oil change. Every third change will be traditional through the pan.

2: Rare earth magnets, pulled from old hard drives, on the remote oil filter. poor man's version of: http://www.shopfiltermag.com/ This should catch the bulk of small metal in the oil for when I do the top side changes, and the drain plug on the third change should get the rest.