Buck's Dirty Bird Build Thread
- Thread starter blbuck12
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- build build thread fj60
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Where did you send it?Figured since I pulled it off again I'd post a few pictures of the gasket and how the pressure is being applied to the manifolds and gasket. After taking a pair of calipers to the manifold flanges I found that the Exhaust flange was anywhere from .5 to 1.1mm thicker than the intake manifold depending on the bolt location. Sent the intake off to be machined flat again, after placing it on a real flat surface I realized it definitely has some warp to it.
1- this shows relatively even pressure on the manifolds around where they meet.
2- here the exhaust manifold is getting way more pressure than the intake
3- This was another spot where the intake side is leaking and the exhaust is taking all the pressure.
Got it.
- Thread starter
- #65
Got around to another small fix today. Though it was small it's made a huge difference in driving. Over the last few months I've been working on improving the steering, New tie rods ends, relay rod ends, welded my OME spring eyes (that were slipping) and adjusted my steering box. After all of that there were still some small clunks and pops in the steering. These were especially noticeable when driving slowly in parking lots and over curbs/into driveways.
Well today I pulled apart the relay rod ends and cleaned the internals and hand packed them full of fresh grease then re-adjusted the plug to 3/4 of a turn out from bottom. Backstory; I replaced relay rod ends along with my TRE's about 5 months ago and they have never felt as good as they should have (555 brand). Greased them multiple times and adjusted the plug, and after a short drive they would start making noise.
After putting the relay rod ends back on I tried pulling the steering shaft between the steering box and the firewall. Key word is tried. Was able to remove the bolts locking them on, but the joint next to the firewall would NOT come apart. Was able to pull the bottom half of the shaft out. All of this was to check for slop in the u joints and the slip joint. The bottom u joint is in good condition and the slip joint looked good, but was bone dry, like there had never been grease on it. So gave that a nice rub of grease and put it all back together which took some doing.
Happy to say that after the hand greasing of the relay rod ends and of the steering shaft slip joint, essentially all of the pops and clunks of the steering is gone. No pictures since my hands were covered in grease the whole time so here's one from the last Seattle Cruiser Heads meeting I made it to.
Well today I pulled apart the relay rod ends and cleaned the internals and hand packed them full of fresh grease then re-adjusted the plug to 3/4 of a turn out from bottom. Backstory; I replaced relay rod ends along with my TRE's about 5 months ago and they have never felt as good as they should have (555 brand). Greased them multiple times and adjusted the plug, and after a short drive they would start making noise.
After putting the relay rod ends back on I tried pulling the steering shaft between the steering box and the firewall. Key word is tried. Was able to remove the bolts locking them on, but the joint next to the firewall would NOT come apart. Was able to pull the bottom half of the shaft out. All of this was to check for slop in the u joints and the slip joint. The bottom u joint is in good condition and the slip joint looked good, but was bone dry, like there had never been grease on it. So gave that a nice rub of grease and put it all back together which took some doing.
Happy to say that after the hand greasing of the relay rod ends and of the steering shaft slip joint, essentially all of the pops and clunks of the steering is gone. No pictures since my hands were covered in grease the whole time so here's one from the last Seattle Cruiser Heads meeting I made it to.
- Thread starter
- #66
Anyone heard of a seasonal head gasket leak? For the last 2 years I've had a sort of foam that collects inside the top of the valve cover and in the oil fill cap. Only happens in the colder months, once the temperature warms up it goes away entirely. The weird thing is that there has been zero evidence of water when I've changed the oil, either in the summer or winter. Thought it was a freak thing last year as it went away in the spring, but it came back again this winter.
Doesn't seem to be burning coolant either, no smoke(steam) and rarely have to top off the cooling system
Thoughts?
Doesn't seem to be burning coolant either, no smoke(steam) and rarely have to top off the cooling system
Thoughts?
Nostradamus
SILVER Star
Does your normal driving pattern get the engine hot for a good period of time during the winter? If not, then it's possible that there is condensation forming inside the valve cover and not being fully evaporated when it's cold outside.
- Thread starter
- #68
It's been my daily driver for 2 years, last winter was 20-30 minute commute and this year is 10-20 of commuting. Usually driving it for errands on the weekends too. I've heard the condensation idea before, but unsure how there could be so much and how its condensing inside the motor
- Thread starter
- #69
After letting my carpet kit from @dnp marinate in storage for a year I finally got around to installing it (mostly) this past weekend. After pulling the stock carpet I found a little cancer. Cut, patched and sealed which helped keep a lot of sound out of the cabin. Yellow paint is rust converter/sealer. Sealed the top with seam sealer, and sealed the underside with fiberglass after this photo was taken.
While doing that I also did some extensive sound deadener. Used Kilmat throughout the floor and then added some closed cell foam in the front section and on the wheel wells. Didn't take a great picture of it but I got this one
It's a tedious process putting the carpet in but it's worth it. Lots of aligning and then slowly making the commitment to make the cuts. Used a couple different blades and a small piece of copper pipe and a torch to cut bolt holes. Started on the rear bench area to gain the confidence to tackle the front section. Did the front second since it's what I'll see all the time and i wanted some practice. Haven't gotten to cargo area as I ran outta time and needed to put the interior back together for the week. Below is the front sections nearly complete, minus the final edging and shifter hole cut.
Final Images of the front
My only issue with the carpet was that the jute was misaligned a bit and some of the edge binding was loose/sloppy on the front section. The jute isn't noticeable when installed, just made cutting it a bit more difficult. The binding isn't too noticeable either since it mostly sits under the seats.
While doing that I also did some extensive sound deadener. Used Kilmat throughout the floor and then added some closed cell foam in the front section and on the wheel wells. Didn't take a great picture of it but I got this one
It's a tedious process putting the carpet in but it's worth it. Lots of aligning and then slowly making the commitment to make the cuts. Used a couple different blades and a small piece of copper pipe and a torch to cut bolt holes. Started on the rear bench area to gain the confidence to tackle the front section. Did the front second since it's what I'll see all the time and i wanted some practice. Haven't gotten to cargo area as I ran outta time and needed to put the interior back together for the week. Below is the front sections nearly complete, minus the final edging and shifter hole cut.
Final Images of the front
My only issue with the carpet was that the jute was misaligned a bit and some of the edge binding was loose/sloppy on the front section. The jute isn't noticeable when installed, just made cutting it a bit more difficult. The binding isn't too noticeable either since it mostly sits under the seats.
- Thread starter
- #70
Well, time for a 6month update. I previously made a sleeping/storage platform in the back of the cruiser and this weekend i made some drawers to put in it. Slides are made from VHMW (very high molecular weight) plastic which is very durable and self lubricating. Similar to UHMW (Ultra high...) but more easily sourced for me locally. Put a couple 1" strips down before the drawers and they slide pretty easy even fully loaded. Internally, the drawers are about 18"wide, 38"long and 9"deep. Today I gave the drawers the first coat of Polyurethane and will do another coat tomorrow after a little sanding.
A few months back I had the pleasure of going through another cruiser right of passage, the knuckle rebuild. Luckily it was rather uneventful and glad to have it done. Green sway bar links add 2 horsepower.
Following the wiring diagram from @slcfj62 I built an upgraded headlight wiring harness to be able to run some HOT bulbs. Ordered relays, weather pack connectors and heat shrink from Waytek, wire and H4 plugs from Ebay, Amazon,... It's definitely overly built, and ordering an aftermarket harness would have been easier and possibly cheaper but it was fun learning how to build a harness. Also the improvement in lighting is incredible. I already had the semi sealed Hella conversion lamps, but was able to throw in some 100/80W bulbs with the heavier wiring.
Low beam comparison with stock harness and 60/55W on the left, upgraded harness and 100/80W bulbs right
A few months back I had the pleasure of going through another cruiser right of passage, the knuckle rebuild. Luckily it was rather uneventful and glad to have it done. Green sway bar links add 2 horsepower.
Following the wiring diagram from @slcfj62 I built an upgraded headlight wiring harness to be able to run some HOT bulbs. Ordered relays, weather pack connectors and heat shrink from Waytek, wire and H4 plugs from Ebay, Amazon,... It's definitely overly built, and ordering an aftermarket harness would have been easier and possibly cheaper but it was fun learning how to build a harness. Also the improvement in lighting is incredible. I already had the semi sealed Hella conversion lamps, but was able to throw in some 100/80W bulbs with the heavier wiring.
Low beam comparison with stock harness and 60/55W on the left, upgraded harness and 100/80W bulbs right
