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Here is THE main evaporust thread:

forums.aaca.org/topic/345317-evaporust-question/?tab=comments#comment-2051494

We were out of town for Thanksgiving; I'll finish bolting the front clip together, then drive it this weekend and decide on evaporust or not.

As usual, lots of work, little to talk about.

Since my last update, I've gotten the front clip (mostly) re-installed - still need to pick up a few bolts to replace rusted. With the valves adjusted and the exhaust leaks fixed, it is MUCH quieter.

Oil pressure is a little lower than I would expect for new rod bearings - 30 psi at 30 mph, gauge appears to be just above 0 at idle. Seems lower than it was before, but maybe I'm just mis-remembering. I'm planning on putting a tee on the block and doublechecking with a modern mechanical gauge before I get too excited.

Still some fine tuning to do, but it's getting close.

I was getting a very strange rattle, only at certain rpm and throttle combinations. I think it's where the exhaust pipe was hitting the splash shield. The exhaust pipe was too long on the vertical section where it exits the exhaust manifold, and this drove the exhaust pipe into the splash shield. I'm having a local shop take 3/4" out of the pipe today, and hope that will fix my rattle. That is the second thing I've had to fix on my Waldron exhaust. The supplied tailpipe ended under the trunk, and I had to get one made that was 12" or so longer.

I'll post pictures of the wear spots on the exhaust pipe when I get it back.

I think I still have a little tick - maybe one valve not quite right, or the fuel pump arm, or I didn't get one of the lifters quite concentric, but I need to get some miles on it, so I think I'll let it be for a little while.

Ugh - fixed the exhaust pipe where it was hitting the splash pan, and I am still getting the dang rattle.

Also used the engine as a distributor test stand, since I cannot find anyone local to me with one. With the engine idling at 450 rpm, and the vacuum advance line disconnected, the timing is wobbling by plus or minus 1 degree of advance - so I suspect bushings, which I think I could fix.

But, with the engine revved up to 900 rpm, I get 3 degrees of advance (perfect) and 7 degrees of advance at 2200 RPM (3 degrees too low). So I either have a weight or a spring problem, which I don't have the tools or ability to correct.

I'll get that taken care of, but not convinced it will fix my rattle. Time will tell.

Merry Christmas!

Quote:

The advance issue may be just the various pivot points and moving parts gummed up. Getting to the advance weights should only take rudimentary tools. If you are replacing the bushings, you will have to disassemble the advance mechanism. Just take pictures or make sketches of how everything fits back. Clean everything up, and lightly lube the pivots and pins. I normally use a light grease like Lubriplate or engine assembly lube or 00 grease. If the pins are worn or the holes in the weights are oval shaped or the slots in the cam plate are worn, then you will have some part replacement to do.

Thanks for the info - I'll give that a shot!

Well, I forgot to get pictures of the exhaust pipe before I reinstalled it, but not very exciting. Just some rub marks on the underside of the pipe.

Waiting on my new mechanical oil pressure gauge to get here. Once I confirm my readings, I may drop the pan and re-check all of the rod bearings. I'm concerned that the pressure is too low.

I need to tune it some more. As I'm driving it more, I'm starting to feel a bog when accelerating from the mid RPM range. Maybe I'll need to adjust the accelerator pump slightly? Again, not going to do anything until I get the distributor problem fixed, and waiting on parts.

Ken, this might have been posted, have you checked the oil pump pressure relief valve to make sure it is not stuck or sticking? Shims can be installed under the spring to increase pressure.

It has been a while since I posted, but I was able to get the car running quite a bit smoother, and oil pressure is good.

Looking to clean up the engine bay a little further.

Is this heater tube the factory one? It appears to be. Should it be Packard green, like in this old picture, or black?

Thanks!

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  Heater tube.jpg (44.56 KB)

Well, since nothing heard on the heater tube, I'll paint it green and be happy.

Took the car out for about 120 miles on Saturday. It seemed to run really well, very smoothly. Of course on Sunday, it had an exhaust leak again!

Thought I would provide a little more holistic update.

I've put about 300 miles on the engine since the in-frame overhaul. She pulls well, and I solved the oil pressure problems.

A few gremlins have popped up:

1. The fast idle circuitry isn't functioning properly. It's on the list. Car seems to run fine once warmed up.

2. The darn manifold heat riser is ratting enough to drive me crazy! Just a nice little metallic rattle once the car is warmed up.

3. Still need to swap distributors. I've been pretty busy the last few weeks, and when it's been warm enough to work on the car, I've been driving it instead :)

4. I need to do a little more work on the coolant system. When I did the in-frame, I had the radiator checked out. They confirmed it is a fairly recent modern core. They flow tested it and pressure checked it, all sat. I checked the water distribution tube and pressure washed/blasted out the coolant passages on the block the best I could. I installed a gano filter when I put it all back together, and you can see in the picture below how much crud it caught! I'll probably either flush just the block with evaporust, or run evaporust in lieu of coolant for the next 3 months.

5. The darn exhaust keeps ticking. Seems I need to re-tighten the exhaust manifold to exhaust pipe flange every few trips. I have lock washers (stainless steel internal lock washers) under the nuts; I may need to find a different solution.

Overall, she's in a lot better shape than last spring, when I started really trying to fix her up.

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  Crud in gano filter.jpg (217.68 KB)


  View over the hood last weekend.jpg (115.21 KB)