Maxi Blue Javelin: Engine Work Updates

4/30/03 UPDATE: This past Friday, my boyfriend and I FINALLY started real work on the 401. He is still recovering from his operation, and I am just plain out of shape, but somehow we managed, with tools, to turn the engine over on the stand... after draining the oil, of course, and removing one exhaust manifold that was in the way. Next, we removed the oil pan, which Todd was a bit jealous of because it is undented and non-rusty. The first thing he noticed was on that funky War of the Worlds oil thingie that sticks up into the pan. There is a little plastic plug that was missing. I later found it stuck to the oil pan.

Todd started to peek at the crank and all those nifty, oily parts. He pointed out crosshatching on the cylinder walls, stuff on the pistons, the rod bolts, then the condition of the rear bearing (the first that we removed). I guess it is ultra-clean in there, too. He was really beaming as he looked around, then came to the conclusion someone had rebuilt the motor at some point, or at least did some work. Plastigauge showed the rear bearing to be just fine. Then my father showed up to slow things down....

A few nights later, we opened it up again, looked at that middle bearing that is so special (stops stuff from moving back and forth, I think), and he said it looks sweet. Then came the hard part: removing and replacing the rear main seal. We ended up having to remove the front pulley, balancer, etc to lift the crank and do that rear seal. Todd used a steering wheel puller to get the balancer off, which was just plain luck, as it was almost too small for the job. Oh, and he got to peek at the timing chain, he says it's tight

The next thing I did was buy a timing cover set so we can change the front end seal (that circular thing the end of the crankshaft sits in in the timing cover). I managed to get the set at a parts place right down the road from work, and even got a discount because they billed it to the dealership!! We have removed the water pump, and the next session should result in a removed timing cover.

Soooo, it looks like the engine will be good... so far. Only thing so far that worries me is that when I peeked at the valves after taking one manifold off, they weren't clean. The outer 2 were cleanish, just black. The middle two seemed caked with shmeck. I guess I am used to seeing them in a brand new replacment engine... I keep forgetting that thing was built in late '73...

5/19/03 UPDATE: Yesterday Todd and I FINALLY picked up my 727 transmission from a big AMCer here in MA. We also came home with a front fender for me and a gas tank for Todd. Then there was the two alternators, two starters, 2 valve covers, PCV valves, 3 models....... A truely generous man... He even has Todd thinking about buying one of his two seater AMXs!! Generous, yes... but a bad influence also!

Work on the engine has sort of hit a lull. We cleaned the timing cover, cleaned the oil pump, packed it with Vaseline, which I later learned is normal practice, then put it and a new waterpump back onto the engine with paint. We have also finished checking the bearings, and only need to clean up the oil pan, give it some initial paint, and seal up the bottom end. After that, we will have to figure out a way to turn the engine back over and clean the top without totally ruining the first coats of paint. Must also make sure nothing was damaged under the valve covers when the engine got "dented". Todd thinks maybe the Jeep the engine was in rolled over, thus the odd damage. I hope it's all ok... I won't take it well if all of a sudden this clean 401 has big damage I can't fix myself...

6/8/03 UPDATE: Recently searched for a local shop to check my donated starters and alternator, and only one had someone answer the phone who spoke some form of English. Their verdict was that the alternator was junk, and only one starter was correct for the car, but needed work. They made one good starter out of two, and rebuilt the alternator. Total was about $120. The alternator looks totally different now! I should have taken a photo of how it looked before! While the paintjob could be better, the visible inner parts look brand new! Hopefully they were right about the starter and I'm all set.

One big goof on our part was with the flywheel. I didn't realize it wasn't part of the transmission, and Todd thought he had it. Turns out we MIGHT have had one, but if it's what came with the engine, it may be incorrect. Just ducky... another part to find...

Did a little overview of parts I have and parts I need. I recently placed an order with American Parts Depot and got transmission cooler lines, distributor cap and rotor, and other bits. There sure are a lot of parts to a car! And they all cost something... Yesterday, my brother helped flip the engine back up and I tried to clean the intake manifold. Took a while, but it's getting better and better. I pretty much have to clean the top a bit more, and replace the valve covers. Then it's just painting to do! Woohooo! And that's GOOD, because..............

MAXI IS HOME!! Well, almost... it's a block away at Todd's house. Yesterday he and his friend covered about 400 miles going back and forth picking up cars and stuff. I was home cleaning and breathing carb cleaner. This morning, I got to see Maxi outside for the first time! It sure looks different in the "sun". It was another gloomy day today, but the color looks more blue outside, and purple inside. After a few quick peeks at the car, we drove out near the storage spot in Todd's CJ5, first doing a little almost-off-roading in a state forest, then putting the Jeep where Maxi was, and returned home in comfort in his Crown Vic. Aaahhh... after hours in a jumpy, exhausty Jeep, my backside, head, and lungs were happy to be back in a police car... But the Jeeping was interesting. Out in a real forest, but not going nuts on hills that I find as bad as a large roller coaster! But all we saw for wildlife were some fast chipmunks. Must have been 401s.........

When we returned home, we sat in Maxi and looked around a bit. The armrest/console is funky, needs work. Glovebox door won't latch, needs part. All interior panels different shades of blue, needs paint. Knob for setting clock not attached, needs glue. Carpet installed by an ape, needs attending to. Seats need recovering, rob a bank and get fixed. Etc etc etc... And don't even TALK to me about the quarter panels!!! I am stressing out... must relax.... One thing I AM looking foward to is cleaning the car inside and out. Todd used some light compound on some oily hand marks on the rear spoiler, and the result was a shiny area! A little wax, and it would look like new paint! I may have to do a little hand buffing soon.

6/28/03 UPDATE: Lots of stuff has happened lately. Orders placed with Kennedy American & American Parts Depot, some bits and pieces bought through Ebay, etc. I decided I wanted to put in a new intake gasket, and it was an interesting chore, as I had finished painting most of the engine already. But we did the job, and I added on the real valve covers, balancer, alternator bracket, water neck, and fuel pump. I was told not to add anything else until the engine was in the car. I learned how to replace a distributor cap and rotor, which was also interesting as I was sent the wrong rotor! I was upset, but thankfully Todd had a correct one.