http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1631107499.jpg

Got this far, all systems go! Then came to a screeching halt. M&K about to come out with a new ST version 2 in 1 out. It should be the perfect muffler for me so I am sitting on my hands until I can get them on one. I call Brian at M&K every couple of weeks to see about availability. He, like many others, is having parts and labor issues.

Love the look of those SSIs!

I could reinstall the motor as it sits then add the muffler later, but really no point in that. If M&K cant get this muffler to me soon I will explore other options. When things start moving again I will update.

regards

Your engine looks great!! Going to have to do the same to mine at some point. Very helpful thread.

A thing of beauty!

Haha thought you might like those SSIs on there since you sold them too me!

Thanks again for a square deal Joe.

Thanks for the complement.

Wish I had more progress to report. Changing the oil tank seal, installing an AFR gauge etc. If you look around you can always find something on these cars that needs attention.

Project stalled for quite awhile awaiting a new muffler. Trying hard not to fall down the “while you’re in there hole”. Looked at the dirty oil tank today and was tempted to remove/clean/restore it but its not leaking and the sender works as it should so i will leave it be for this year.

Indications are my muffler should be arriving soon so time to clean up a couple of items prior to its arrival. Today I changed the external thermostat oil line that is required with SSIs. The old nut was a beast to get off. Had to remove the other line as well (that nut came off easy peasy) for access and it still took me a couple of whiles to get the nut to break loose.

Open end wrench 36mm, same with extension, same with longer extension, air chisel on three different sides, removed the other line, pipe wrench with extension, cut oil line off the nut with dremel, impact wrench with 36mm socket, dremel a channel in the side of the nut, put the air chisel blade in the channel and Yipee we have movement. Even after it broke loose it was still hard to turn.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1635970923.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1635970973.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1635971062.jpghttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1635971219.jpg

Used anti-seize on the new ones. They look much nicer!

In preparation for my first engine reinstall got a few questions.

1. New muffler should be here soon. Should I wait for it and install it while on the engine stand, or put the engine in then add the muffler later. I feel like the engine install would be easier without the muffler taking up space.

2. Starter mounted before or after install? It’s an 83 stock 3.0. My preference is before but I have read it can interfere somehow.

3. The trans is still separated from the engine. Should I put the omega spring/release arm assembly on before the trans is mated to the engine, afterwards, or after the drivetrain is reinstalled in the car? Am concerned about damaging those pieces when it comes off the engine stand onto the lift table.

Thanks guys. Can’t wait to get her going again.

1. I have a new Dansk muffler I installed with the SSIs
while on the stand.. have taken the muffler out while
engine is back in the car.. not to hectic at all.
2. I did install the starter while the trans still out
With the engine..didn't find any interference when
Putting engine back in the car.
3. I would leave the omega spring and clutch arm
Off until engine in the car, due to you have to do
a little measurement ( feeler gauge) when installing
Your clutch cable.
Good luck.

Glad to hear the starter will not cause a problem. Easier to put it on while everything is out of the car. Will def leave the Omega spring bits til after. May also put the muffler on after as I don’t want to worry about denting or scratching it on install. Thanks for you response.

+1000 on this type of kit. I have the same type of kit from Craftsman and it has saved my bacon more times than I can count.

Yeah those things are a must have. They just work. Found them much cheaper online since I bought my set.

1: Leave the muffler off until the motor is back in
2 and 3.... Mate the motor and trans out of the car, leave the omega spring off until the whole thing is installed, then install it. Install the starter after mating the trans, before it goes in. There is NO interference when reinstalling and putting the starter in is a real PITA with the motor in the car.

Muffler arrives tomorrow!! After a trial fit I will take it off, get the motor off the stand onto the lift table and proceed as you have outlined.
Thanks

You have the heat exchangers on? It makes for a nice flat surface to keep the engine on during install.

Yes I do.

I put all of it on before install. But as a complete rebuild I could flip it upside-down on my stand.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1636563401.JPG

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1636646228.jpg

My test fit has become an install. Some levering required to get the flanges lined up so for now I’m going to leave it on and install everything as a unit. This muffler is also smaller than the original so clearance should not be an issue. If things become difficult I can take it off if necessary.

Looks great!!!

She’s in! Took me most of Thursday afternoon but mounts all torqued up and I didn’t seem to botch anything up so far.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637505700.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637505728.jpg

I retrospect if I ever had to do this again I feel ok with doing the drop by myself. I had never done it before and managed it in a couple of hours with no issues. However…..

If I ever put one of these back in again the best tip I can give anyone doing this for the first time is….. get a friend to help you with the install. I put the motor in alone and would not do that again. It would have saved me a couple of hours and lots of head bumps and sore knees having someone to bump the engine around while I layed underneath trying to get that first trans mount bolt in. It was exhausting to get up, move the motor 1/4 inch, get back under, try to wiggle the bolt in, then back up to make a slight adjustment etc etc many times.

In the end it got done. Now to start hooking up everything else.

So Friday I start hooking up my all new oil lines to complete the SSI mod. Very disappointing.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637506519.jpg

First the mounting tab might work if it were welded to the very end of the tube up near the threaded end, but its welded on about a quarter inch from the end. It looks close to the tin screw in the pic but is not really.

Second the crossover tube is laying against the header. The least of my worries.

Third is the hose kink. A common problem that I was hoping would have been fixed by the suppliers by now. I will loosen everything up today and try to lessen the kink but am not feeling confident that will help much. May have to resort to the hose clamp trick that I have read about but hate the thought of having to do that. It just seems like a bailing wire fix for something that really should fit better.

Outstanding!
I was lucky to have the missus on hand to bump things around and that knocked down the number of trips my knees made to the concrete floor and back…

Looking forward to the first run around the block!

Had one of these laying around:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637534342.jpg
Slid the rubber sleeve off and put it on the band clamp:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637534397.jpg
Protects the hose from the clamp edges somewhat. The clamp is not on very tight. Just enough to round out the kink. And it looks a tad less sketch than a bare clamp:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637534483.jpg
On to the next thing.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637534619.jpg

Thought this would be tough to do. Watched Heidi and Franny do theirs and it made the whole thing a snap.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637628192.jpg

Does this conical set screw look like its in far enough? It’s a Wevo coupler. Took it apart 10 months ago and can’t remember how far down it goes. Seems like it should seat further down.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637628379.jpg

Thanks

As long as the screw is bottomed out in the shaft and the nylon material is covered by female threads you are good to go.

How is the engine compartment surround rubber supposed to fit with the engine tin?
Both sides above the tin, both layers below the tin, or split upper and lower? My old rubber seal was falling apart and was all over the place. Both layers are currently above the tin. My fingers are separating them in this pic.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637720395.jpg

On my earlier car there's a hole in the shaft that it goes into. I'm sure you're aware of that. I don't have a Wevo shift so I can't say how that should look, but I'd try loosening and moving the linkage and retightening. Once the pin isn't in the hole, it will stick out a lot more. Then if you loosen, reposition, and find any position where it goes in further, you must be in the hole.


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Re the kinked hose, it looks like if you made the nearby pipe bend a touch more acute that would unkink the hose. You can get springs to insert in pipe to bend it without kinking. Probably too much trouble if it's all on now and filled with oil. Highly frustrating when you've paid good money for an assumed good quality product.

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Agreed. I wouldn’t be able to live with the hose clamp solution.
Everything else looks great though.

One flap of the rubber seal above the tin, one below… a nice sandwich.

Yep, and you'll almost for sure do it wrong and have to lift the engine up and down for a bit to get it right. Bring a long, blunt nosed screwdriver!

Yes the clamp is annoying but it works and I don’t have any pipe bending tools so it will be something I clean up later. Look at this:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1637774382.jpg
New breather hose is at least an inch to short. The hose was not a lot of money but this kind of thing is just aggravating. Effectively all three of the oil hoses were just a bit too short, and now this one. I “made them fit” but for gosh sake it should not be this much trouble.

Lucky for me the back edge is sandwiched perfectly thats just the way it went in!
But I will have to do some tucking on the sides.

Thanks!

After 11 months finally got her started and running again today. Had 2 small oil leaks that just needed snugging at the fitting, no fuel leaks. Not perfect though. When I cleaned, lubed resealed the distributor back in the summer, on reinstall I felt like it was off a tooth. I pulled and reinstalled it several times and could not get it lined up perfectly. After awhile I thought it was close enough and it was my imagination and it was ok.

It was not. Today I could not turn the distributor clockwise enough to get timing set to 5 degrees BTDC. Note the pic before and after:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1638222859.jpg
After:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1638223153.jpg

Also rotor seems a bit off the mark at TDC:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1638223220.jpg

I need to pull the distributor and rotate the tooth one clockwise? Either way I will get it figured out. Wish I hadn’t been so lazy when I put it back in about 6 months ago!

If I rotate the housing CCW to my scribed lines the rotor does line up with the TDC mark on the housing. If I am definitely at TDC (#1 on compression and crank pulley on the Z1) then can I assume the distributor is in correctly and look elsewhere for my timing issue?

Doh! The timing light is adjustable. I always forget about that. It was set on 15 BTDC.
Glad it was me being off and not the car!

What also stinks about this hose is its not a hose you want to have pull pressure on all the time. It’s the very last hose on the car I would want to replace with the engine in.

So I was getting excited because my car has been out of commission for 11 months. Engine is now back in the car and running great on the lift. The very last thing to do before taking it out for her first drive in nearly a year was install my new axles and CV joints. Got the drivers in easy. Passenger side in, 11 bolts in only one to go. Big car show Sunday here we come!!

And then this happened. My last new bolt with new schoor washer and moon plate attached would only thread in about half way. Tried to turn the wheel for better access, wheel will not turn. Loosened the other five for wiggle room, no luck. Took all bolts out and removed the axle again. Wheel locked like the brakes are on. See if you can tell what happened from this picture. These are the axle mounting bolts I took out 11 months ago. I always keep old stuff at least til the new stuff goes in:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1638585313.jpg
The tip of one of the old bolts sheared off inside the threaded stub axle hole when I took them out in January. Now its jammed against something on the wheel side of the axle so the wheel won’t turn.

I’m thinking car show is out.

Any ideas on how to get that piece out without taking off the stub axle nut?

I'm very sorry but that job is going to be difficult even on the bench. Under the car - a recipe for doing more damage.

There's a reason it sheared - which is that the fragment is siezed in place.

You CAN go to the car show - but only by putting the one sheared bolt back in (assuming it's secure) and retrieving the fragment later.

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I like your enthusiasm but the wheel won’t turn. When I put the other bolt in it moved the broken tip far enough to jam the wheel. Maybe it turned with the new bolt which may mean I can back it out somehow.

Argggg!

You likely need a bolt extractor. You drill it in, turning anticlockwise, it has reverse thread, and it bites in the bolt and unscrews it. But it's going to be a nightmare on the car as you have to keep it straight enough not to mangle the female threads in the hole. Also, those will be high tensile and not easy to drill. Also, the fragment will be a good way in, so the bolt extractor needs to be long enough.

Someone with more knowledge than I of the hub assembly will know what it's catching on and whether you can access from the other end with some disassembly.

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