Gary Lewis

Sounds strong, Angelo. The extra 1/2" in stroke should give you lots of torque.

Didn't know that. 'Tis a shame. But a new Stant is probably better than a leaking OEM.

No, the dealer is down in BA. Bought a Stant at the local parts store.

So if the stand were on the other way 'round the engine wouldn't have to be swiveled and it would work fine?

In my experience if the top seal in the cap leaks then it'll pull air in and not coolant. I've had that happen several times, especially with the Mr Gasket caps, which did it consistently. Turned out the top seal was at an angle and it couldn't seal.

Rob - I think I understand how the radio goes in. Makes sense. And, it should work nicely for a small CB. Thanks. Now I'm curious how the speakers sound. Kadett. Hmmm, my best friend had one of those, and I know of several stories about them. The first was that he and his brother added A/C, which worked fine. Then one day he tuned it up and it ran horribly. He brought it over so my father could take a look and told Dad the story. Dad played with it a bit and then timed it by ear and it ran well. Turned out that every time the compressor came in it slowed the engine just enough that the outside of the harmonic balancer was slipping so the timing marks were way off. Another time he got out w/o setting the parking brake. It rolled into one of the small galvanized trash cans that was against a wall, and it bent the bumper on the Kadett.

Isla has just joined me and says she can barely get into Big Blue, so she'd like a grab handle. And that MRAP handle sure is cheap. But the color doesn't work so I'd have to powder coat them. And, they'll look like jug ears. So, I think I'll hide and watch for the F600/700 handles. But thanks!

The old cap is marked 1.1, which I take to be atmospheres. So that would be roughly 16 psi, and that's what we went back with. I'm thinking this was an iterative scenario, where the system pushed a bit out and didn't suck it back. Then it got warmer and it pushed more out and didn't suck it back. Until finally it was working with too little coolant and the temp gauge started seeing air, then coolant, then air. As for the head gaskets, been there and had them replaced with the better gaskets. So, I sure hope that isn't it. The issue is that our daughter is to drive it to/from Wichita on Sunday and then, in a couple of more weeks, the whole family is to drive it to Charleston where they are moving. So I need to get this sorted.

Then what about where the green arrows are? I'm just looking for a way to direct it and keep it out of your eyes.

I agree - don't drill the jets. Buy them. Years ago I was planning on drilling jets and someone pointed out a Holley jet chart which showed the diameter of the hole in the jet. And in several cases two jets with different #'s have the same hole diameter. Apparently the difference on those is in the taper going into and coming out of the hole. I can't say that Honda jets are the same, but jets aren't expensive and I seriously doubt you can drill them and get accurate results. However, if you decide to drill them you'll need a set of numbered drill bits. As for speed, there will certainly be big differences in rough sections. Plus, I'm a grandpa and won't be trying to push things. I'm out to have fun and see what there is to see. So I'll come along at my own pace and pick up the pieces.

Ya know, if you read ALL the words it makes a lot more sense! I had read "why not put the engine on the shop crane the other way 'round?" I couldn't make that work out for me. So to give you my answer to the question you ACTUALLY asked... I haven't use an engine stand any more than I've used a shop crane. But it seems to me that I'd want to be working on the front of the engine more often than the back, and the crane would be more in the way like that. Of course it would make it easier to get at the back of the engine for attaching it or removing it from the stand. And it would be a wash for working on the sides, top or bottom, which are more common locations to work than the front. So it probably wouldn't be much worse, and the convenience of being able to go directly from the truck to the hoist might make it a better option overall. LOL! That explains the question. I'll see if I can take some measurements today, but I don't think there will be an issue with getting to the front of the engine. I say that because I'm sure the boom will be extended to at least the 2nd if not the 3rd notch, which puts the engine, and engine stand, out quite a ways. So when the engine is on the stand the boom can be retracted and dropped almost straight down, giving a lot of room. But that also means the whole contraption will be that much longer in the shop as the legs can't be pulled in, much less folded, while the engine is sitting on them. So it isn't a good solution for long-term storage, but may not be too bad for R&R work.

Well, it wasn't to Big Blue, but I filled up Blue after 635 miles and he got 20.3 MPG. That's a new record. But, I have a question for y'all. My daughter and wife came back from a short trip in the Subie yesterday and said the A/C wasn't working well and the coolant temp would go up and down, but never get to HOT. My SiL and I looked when the engine was cold and the coolant recovery reservoir was full to the brim with about twice as much coolant as it was supposed to have. And the radiator was down that much and more. So we pulled the extra out of the recovery reservoir and put it in the radiator and then topped it off completely and started it up. With the A/C on both fans run and the A/C kicks out cold air. And with the A/C off neither fan runs until the engine gets warm and then one comes on for a bit. So it looks to me like the fans and cooling system are working but that the radiator cap was bad. My theory is that it allowed coolant to go into the recovery reservoir but didn't suck it back when it cooled. And with several iterations of that the cooling system was too low to cool properly. We replaced the radiator cap tonight, but I'm just looking for other thoughts about what might be going on.

I'm not sure what a "snail's pace" is, but I drove the roads across the Tall Grass Prairie from 30 to 45 in Blue. Not sure what speed I'll want to go in Big Blue, but if I can get the rear suspension softened I should be good for those speeds in him. However, a heavily-sprung rear end will "walk" out on some of the corners so I'll just have to see. But I understand not wanting to eat dust, so do expect y'all to set your own pace. I'll be along after a bit, relaxed and having enjoyed the A/C in the truck. As for your bike, I think I'd leave the graphics off for a bit. I kinda like it w/o them, and it is lots easier to put them on than take them off.

Man, that is looking GOOD! On the Highliner, what wellnut did you use? I may need to know that. And, how are they used? Does that plate have screws that go into the wellnuts and that holds the "U" up there and holds the radio in? And, is that a DIN opening? As for the pedals, I think I had the same covers with the chrome strips on my '58 Impala back in about '65.

Yipes! That could cause some serious problems.

I was wondering about placing the lights where the yellow arrows are. Is there a way you can put them in place temporarily to test? Maybe a few magnets?

I thought about a swivel hook, but then I decided there wasn't any reason not to reverse the engine stand. And I like having the engine fairly well constrained so it won't swing and hit the vehicle.

I wouldn't try to start one by opening the throttle fully. Instead I would set the choke and the open the throttle briskly to shoot fuel in with the accelerator pump, and crank. As soon as it catches I'd start pushing the choke lever in, meaning take the choke off, slowly. If you crank too long with the choke on you can flood it, and if you don't start pushing the choke off as it starts it might die. As for what else it could be, give that a try and then think about other things. But correct timing is very important.

You've had the block cleaned and machined? And the truck was brought home? Or the whole engine built and installed? I'm confused.

Yes, it could be a fuel problem, like David is suggesting. And if so it could easily be a bad fuel pump or something as simple as rotten fuel hoses. There are short sections of hose from the tank to the steel fuel line and from that line to the pump. And if you have dual tanks there are sections from the steel lines to the switching valve. I've had significant problems with those hoses getting so bad that they leaked fuel when the truck wasn't running and leaked air in when it was running. And the air kills the vacuum the pump uses to move fuel. Or, it could be electrical, as in the ignition module or the pickup in the distributor. But one thing at a time - check out the fuel system.

Cool! Gonna look good.

I haven't used a shop crane much (I've shown my redneck engine hoist before). But would that mean bringing the crane in from the rear of the truck? Unless I'm not getting what you are asking that seems like it would require a pretty big shop crane! (my redneck engine hoist) http://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/file/n54374/DSC_7801.jpg Bob - No, the crane comes in from the front. Then the engine stand is placed on the legs and the engine lowered down and bolted to the stand. Then the boom can be retracted and lowered so it is out of the way. The advantage is that there's no problem with the legs of the crane hitting the stand. Just lower the engine, slide the stand up to it, and bolt them together. The disadvantage is that the overall combo will be quite long.

They are rare. But that rare?

It is a big time commitment. So I'm thinking we'll have two kinds of people: Those that go the whole way and locals who will do part of the run with us. Those that go the whole way will probably be well outfitted and may well have more experience than we do. And they'll be riding/driving capable vehicles that don't make a lot of noise 'cause they've learned that noise creates fatigue. But I think we will attract locals that will ride with us for a while, and they may be the more noisy. We will just have to see how it goes. Speaking of that, we need to see if we have members along the way.