1949 Cadillac Restoration project

Started by southdiver1, July 23, 2007, 05:06:39 AM

Soup DeVille

Quote from: etypeJohn on July 30, 2007, 11:17:03 AM
I remember a friend of mine who was dropping a 289 Ford V8 into a Ford Cortina.? The V8 needed 12 volts and the car chassis needed 6.? The solution was a 12V battery with a 12 V alternator and ignition system.? The guy modfied the battery with a tap (actually a big screw) in the middle that acted as a positive terminal post for 6 volts.? I don't remember if it worked or not.? In theory it would.

You could also hook 2 6 V batteries in series; connecting the positive terminal of battery one to the negative of battery two.
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

Danish

Quote from: Soup DeVille on July 30, 2007, 04:14:28 PM
You could also hook 2 6 V batteries in series; connecting the positive terminal of battery one to the negative of battery two.


That's so simple its bloody genius!

100 points for you!
Quote from: Lebowski on December 17, 2008, 05:46:10 PM
No advice can be worse than Coug's, in any thread, ever.

S204STi

Quote from: Danish on July 30, 2007, 10:42:11 AM
Seems to me, if you are doing a complete restore, may as well bring the entire electricals into the 21st century :huh:

Many of the bulbs/relays in the car are probably shot anyways and it'd be cheaper and easier to find 12V ones

Just a thought

Well, then it wouldn't be a restoration, in a technical sense. :tounge:

southdiver1

I found this in another board but, I am posting it here since it is on my work CPU and I don't want to loose the bookmark.
Basically, it is a "how to" manual of what I need to do to my car this weekend.

Subject: "un-storing" an antique car
Question -
I recently inherited a 1949 Buick Roadmaster sedan (mostly original w/under 65k mi.) that has been in dry but unheated storage since 1988.
What must I do to make this car drivable again? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Answer -
First of all, my congratulations!  This is every car hobbyist's fondest dream - and the '49 Roadmaster is a beautiful and timeless design, and a car that can be driven in modern traffic without any problem.

It is important that you proceed carefully with this car - there are some very common mistakes that can cause serious problems in the future if you don't avoid them.

We'll start with the DON'Ts!

Do NOT try to start the engine.  Do not even try to turn it with a wrench on the front pulley or a pry bar on the flywheel.  You'll very likely break something, and even if it does crank over, you'll circulate the gritty mud in the bottom of the oil pan all through the engine, ruining the bearings in short order.

Do NOT install a battery even for purposes of seeing "what works".  These cars have cloth covered wiring, and that is a favorite food of mice and other rodents - leaving you with bare copper wire in contact with metal surfaces and other wires - a likely cause of fires.

Now the DOOOOS:

Jack it up and take off the wheels and what remains of the tires.  Get the wheels sandblasted and/or painted as required, and mount a decent set of tires on them.  You'll have to choose between the correct looking and driving original style bias ply tires, and modern radials.  Radials are probably safer for high speed driving, but they don't look right, no matter what others say.  The profile (cross section) of the tire is wrong for a '40s car.  There are various antique car tire dealers to deal with, Coker is one that many of us use, and they will know what tire is right for your car.

When you get it up and rolling on its own wheels, have it transported (Flatbedded, please!) to wherever the mechanical work is to be done.

Jack up the front end and put it on sturdy safety stands, then drop the engine oil pan.  Clean it out (you'll be astonished at the grit!).  Even though you checked the dip stick and thought you hade spanking new oil in it, what has happened is that the dirt all fell to the bottom of the pan.
Clean everything you can see from there, including the oil pickup screen and the oil pump.  While you have the oil pump apart, check the pressure relief valve and free it up if it is stuck.

Reach through the front of the crankcase into the timing gear area and see if there is excessive slop in the timing parts.  If you can wiggle the chain more than 3/8 inch in and out, you are going to have to service this area soon, but this is not an emergency.

Remove each bearing cap (don't mix them up) and visually inspect each bearing for scratches or bare copper showing.  If all looks well, check the clearances with Plasti-Gauge.  If the clearances are 0.0025 inches or less, it is safe to proceed.

If the clearances are larger than that, you are going to have to rebuild the engine anyway, so you might as well stop here and prepare to remove the engine.  With 65K on the car, this should not be needed, unless the car has been run with dirty oil (or it turns out to be 165K).  If the bearings check out, coat everything with engine oil and reassemble the bearings and torque them to spec. You do have a factory Shop manual, right?  If not, get one before you do anything on the mechanical parts.
These are available from one of the literature dealers like Ed Faxon of Riverside CA.  They are expensive but you are going to need it for sure!

Don't reinstall the oil pan yet.  Shoot oil all over everything you can see from under there, and really soak the area of the camshaft bearings
and lobes, plus the timing gears.   Shoot oil up into the pistons and
cylinder walls too.

Now, let the car down and remove the valve cover.  Oil everything you can see from there also.  Remove the spark plugs and fill each cylinder with oil.  I'd use just plain SAE30W oil at this point - buy good stuff at NAPA or other parts place.  Do NOT reinstall the spark plugs yet.

NOW, get back under the car with a long large screw driver, or a tire iron, or some other beefy lever, and try to move the flywheel a little bit by prying between a flywheel tooth and the block surface.  If you can rotate the crankshaft this way, you're in very good luck.  If you cannot, again, the engine will have to come out to be disassembled, so you might as well quit here and get ready to pull the engine.

If you can rotate the crank this way, turn it in the clockwise direction (as viewed from the front), slowly, a little bit at a time, feeling for any abrupt increase in resistance.  If it seems to stick at any point, STOP!  You can easily bend a part if you put a lot of force on it.  If it seems to turn all the way around, go through at least 2 complete
rotations.   If you've gotten this far, its time to see if the car will
run.

Put the oil pan back up, clean out and replace the oil filter, and fill the crankcase to spec, plus 1 QT for the filter. Still leave the spark plugs out for now.

Now we have to backtrack to the electrical system.  By now, you need to have carefully inspected all the wiring you can see, including up under the dashboard.  If you see any evidence of frayed or bare wires, you are
probably going to have to install a new wiring harness.   Also, pay
special attention to the headliner of the car.  If there are any bulges that don't belong, investigate. These are a favorite place for critters to build nests, and if they've built nests up there, they've probably chewed through the wires too.  You'll have to remove the headliner and clean out the mess and dead critters (wear a mask!) and check that wiring too.

Once you are comfortable with the wiring, install a new battery and try the starter to see if it will crank the engine.  Just crank it for a second or two to see.  If it will, install a temporary mechanical oil pressure gauge where the dash oil pressure gauge sender is normally installed on the engine block.  Now, have a helper crank the engine to see if oil pressure builds. If you see 30 PSI while cranking with no spark
plugs installed, you are in great shape!   Leave the valve cover off, we
still need to verify that there is oil circulation upstairs - these engines can develop a blockage in the oil feed to the rocker area that you need to check for.

Now you can install the spark plugs, and move on to the next item - the Fuel System.

While all this is going on, take care of the fuel tank issues.  After that many years, you are going to have to remove the gas tank and send it out for complete cleaning and perhaps sealing.  There are commercial places that specialize in this - do a Google search on "Gas Tank Renewal" and you'll find them.  Also, replace all the rubber parts in the fuel system with modern rubber parts - this includes all the hoses and the fuel pump.  Inspect the steel fuel lines for rust, and blow them clear with compressed air or replace them as needed.   Rebuild the carburetor, or send it to a reputable carburetor shop - don't let the teenager down the block do it!

Attend to the ignition system also; do a complete ignition system tune-up:
Plugs, points, condenser, rotor, cap, wires and set everything to spec.

Now, you can try to start the engine.  Yes, I know we haven't looked at the cooling system or brakes yet, but let's hear that wonderful straight 8
run for a few minutes anyway.   You don't need to do anything to the
transmission at this point (assuming it is the Dynaflow) other than verify that it has fluid in it.  Take a quick look at the rocker shaft area to verify that oil is getting pumped up there.

If the engine will start, now is the time to get after the cooling system and the brakes.  Pull the radiator and get it cleaned out (rodded).
Replace all the belts and hoses, and rebuild the water pump.   Try filling
the radiator to see what the leak situation is.  If it doesn't leak, it is OK to start 'er up and let it run for a while.  It will smoke like crazy for a while, but it should settle down after a half hour or so.  Keep
checking the temperature and oil pressure.   If the dash temp gauge isn't
working, get a candy thermometer from your local housewares department and stick it down into the radiator top.  Watch into the top of the radiator to see that the water is circulating OK.  If not, you may have a stuck thermostat.  Feel the upper radiator hose to see if it is getting warm after a few minutes, if it is this is a good sign.  If not, pull the thermostat out and run the engine without it for a few hours.  If it will do that and not overheat, you've passed another milestone.  If it does overheat, you are going to have to pop out all the core plugs ("Freeze out plugs") and clean out the water jackets.

The braking and exhaust systems are going to need to be completely rebuilt before you can drive the car, but leave that until all the other items are in good shape - then have the car flatbedded to a brake and muffler shop and get all that taken care of.

You'll also need to lubricate the chassis and the differential, and all the body lubrication points (check that shop manual!).

Now, finally, you have a drivable car - and you're ready to tackle the cosmetics.

I'll stop here, my fingers are getting sore!

These are great cars, and well worth your bother to do them right!
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

S204STi

Now THAT was an informative post.  +1000 points for Southdiver, good find man. :rockon:

southdiver1

Well, bad news ladies... the engine is seized... No good.. kaput

I changed the oil and dropped and cleaned the pan. It smelled bad but, not too dirty.
After that, I went ahead and put in a new battery and attempted to bump it over. Nothing.
rechecked the connections and tried again... Nothing.  The lights work and the voltage gauge indicates all is good but, when I try to start it, she doesn't move very much.

looks like it is time for a small block?
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

Secret Chimp



Quote from: BENZ BOY15 on January 02, 2014, 02:40:13 PM
That's a great local brewery that we have. Do I drink their beer? No.

southdiver1

For those keeping score....

Money To Spend   $5,000.00    
      
Oil Filter   $14.05    Cheap filter for initial change
Oil Filter   $31.00    good filter for royal purple
Oil Catch   $9.83    Need to drain the oil at home
Seafoam   $15.22    Hopefully this will flush everything out
Bungee cords   $6.99    Gotta hold down the tarp
Oil pan gasket   $17.93    Gotta scrape the pan.. Yummy
13/16 Deap socket   $4.25    That is for the sparkplugs.. BIG
11/16 deap socket   $4.25    Needed for the crankshaft
Marvles Mystery Oil   $3.70    Hopefully a 1 week piston soak will work
Brake Cleaner   $6.46    Evaporates quick and cut grease
Battery   $63.30    Money well wasted so far?
      
      
Money Left   $4,823.02    
Money Spent   $176.98    


So far I am close to $200 bucks in the car and I still haven't even gotten the engine to turn over..(sigh)
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

The Pirate

Is it a set in stone $5K budget, or do you have some extra to work with?  It seems that projects always run over budget, planning for that goes a long way in project success and personal sanity.


Either way, hope you're having fun, and I'm looking forward to hearing about your continued progress.
1989 Audi 80 quattro, 2001 Mazda Protege ES

Secretary of the "I Survived the Volvo S80 thread" Club

Quote from: omicron on July 10, 2007, 10:58:12 PM
After you wake up with the sun at 6am on someone's floor, coughing up cigarette butts and tasting like warm beer, you may well change your opinion on this matter.

southdiver1

Quote from: The Pirate on August 06, 2007, 11:29:24 AM
Is it a set in stone $5K budget, or do you have some extra to work with?? It seems that projects always run over budget, planning for that goes a long way in project success and personal sanity.


Either way, hope you're having fun, and I'm looking forward to hearing about your continued progress.

5K is a personnal goal of mine. Also, I ned to point out that it does not include things like new glass (mine is good but, not show quality), Radio (not really needed), or custom paint.
I am targeting 5 grand to have it on the road with a coat of paint so it will be a nice weekend cruiser.  Anything spent after that (like airbags, CD player,ect) does not count.
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

GoCougs

Quote from: southdiver1 on August 04, 2007, 09:44:49 AM
Well, bad news ladies... the engine is seized... No good.. kaput

I changed the oil and dropped and cleaned the pan. It smelled bad but, not too dirty.
After that, I went ahead and put in a new battery and attempted to bump it over. Nothing.
rechecked the connections and tried again... Nothing.? The lights work and the voltage gauge indicates all is good but, when I try to start it, she doesn't move very much.

looks like it is time for a small block?

When you state that it doesn't move very much, are you referring to the engine itself (as in, not turing over very far)?

southdiver1

Quote from: GoCougs on August 06, 2007, 02:02:48 PM
When you state that it doesn't move very much, are you referring to the engine itself (as in, not turing over very far)?


Sorry, I should have been more specific. The engine itself does not move at all....  I was able to get a BIG breaker bar on the crank last night and really lean into it and still nothing. I might as well have been pushing an oak tree.  I was hoping for ANY movement but, none so far.. Maybe a few more days of soaking in oil will help....
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

GoCougs

Quote from: southdiver1 on August 06, 2007, 02:31:09 PM
Sorry, I should have been more specific. The engine itself does not move at all....? I was able to get a BIG breaker bar on the crank last night and really lean into it and still nothing. I might as well have been pushing an oak tree.? I was hoping for ANY movement but, none so far.. Maybe a few more days of soaking in oil will help....

That's too bad. Perhaps if it's just rust on the cylinder walls, there's hope to get it running, but one would think it'd still need a rebuild.

Sure, what the heck. Give it a gallon of WD-40 and see what happens!

Soup DeVille

Quote from: southdiver1 on August 04, 2007, 09:44:49 AM
Well, bad news ladies... the engine is seized... No good.. kaput

I changed the oil and dropped and cleaned the pan. It smelled bad but, not too dirty.
After that, I went ahead and put in a new battery and attempted to bump it over. Nothing.
rechecked the connections and tried again... Nothing.? The lights work and the voltage gauge indicates all is good but, when I try to start it, she doesn't move very much.

looks like it is time for a small block?


Nooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please, anything but that!

Try to at least look into what it would take to rebuild the 331.

If worse comes to worst, put a later caddy motor in there.

It might be prohibitively expensive to rebuild the original motor, I understand: but a decent 472/500 won't cost you anything more than a mildly built small block will.
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

southdiver1

Quote from: Soup DeVille on August 06, 2007, 03:26:15 PM

Nooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please, anything but that!

Try to at least look into what it would take to rebuild the 331.

If worse comes to worst, put a later caddy motor in there.

It might be prohibitively expensive to rebuild the original motor, I understand: but a decent 472/500 won't cost you anything more than a mildly built small block will.
I was leaning towards the 350 because I can probably get the engine/trans for free however, I suppose looking in the junkyard  for a 70's model Caddy won't hurt......

Rebuilding the 331 won't be too bad but, I am afraid that if I strip it down and start to wack on the pistons to break them loose, I might have an issue if the piston cracks or if I break a rod.
In the meantime, I am going to start to concentrate on the body.
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

omicron

How did I miss this?

Restoring Cadillacs :rockon:

FoMoJo

Quote from: southdiver1 on August 06, 2007, 02:31:09 PM
Sorry, I should have been more specific. The engine itself does not move at all....? I was able to get a BIG breaker bar on the crank last night and really lean into it and still nothing. I might as well have been pushing an oak tree.? I was hoping for ANY movement but, none so far.. Maybe a few more days of soaking in oil will help....

Did you try this?

NOW, get back under the car with a long large screw driver, or a tire iron, or some other beefy lever, and try to move the flywheel a little bit by prying between a flywheel tooth and the block surface.  If you can rotate the crankshaft this way, you're in very good luck.  If you cannot, again, the engine will have to come out to be disassembled, so you might as well quit here and get ready to pull the engine.


Any luck yet with the engine?
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

southdiver1

Quote from: FoMoJo on August 09, 2007, 01:01:37 PM
Did you try this?

NOW, get back under the car with a long large screw driver, or a tire iron, or some other beefy lever, and try to move the flywheel a little bit by prying between a flywheel tooth and the block surface.? If you can rotate the crankshaft this way, you're in very good luck.? If you cannot, again, the engine will have to come out to be disassembled, so you might as well quit here and get ready to pull the engine.


Any luck yet with the engine?

I tried to turn it over with the key today but, nothing...
This weekend I will break out the tools again
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

etypeJohn

#48
Quote from: southdiver1 on August 09, 2007, 05:09:33 PM
I tried to turn it over with the key today but, nothing...
This weekend I will break out the tools again

The restorers on one list I am on swear by a product called PB Blaster.? Its some kind of very good penetrating oil.? I've never used it so I can't give you any first hand reults, but they swear by it.? If you can find it you might try a liberal shot of that stuff in each spark plug hole.? By liberal shot I mean enough to cover the entire piston crown.  Let it sit a while, several days, while you fiddle with other parts of the car.

You've got the plugs out when you are trying to turn it over by hand, right?

If you can't get good access to the flywheel yYou might also try a BABB (Big Ass Breaker Bar) and socket on the crank pulley nut. No sudden shocks, just steady force.

In any event be careful. If things move suddenly you can easily get hurt. 

And there was a story on the local news this morning about a guy that was killed when the ar he was under fell off of a floor jack.  Make sure the car is very well supported. When I have mine on hjack stands I always leave the jack under the car also, to act as a last line of defense should the car come off of the stands.   You can't be too careful when you are under there prying on stuff. 

Good luck and let us know how you come out.

southdiver1

Quote from: etypeJohn on August 10, 2007, 08:03:00 AM
The restorers on one list I am on swear by a product called PB Blaster.? Its some kind of very good penetrating oil.? I've never used it so I can't give you any first hand reults, but they swear by it.? If you can find it you might try a liberal shot of that stuff in each spark plug hole.? By liberal shot I mean enough to cover the entire piston crown.? Let it sit a while, several days, while you fiddle with other parts of the car.

You've got the plugs out when you are trying to turn it over by hand, right?

If you can't get good access to the flywheel yYou might also try a BABB (Big Ass Breaker Bar) and socket on the crank pulley nut. No sudden shocks, just steady force.

In any event be careful. If things move suddenly you can easily get hurt.?

And there was a story on the local news this morning about a guy that was killed when the ar he was under fell off of a floor jack.? Make sure the car is very well supported. When I have mine on hjack stands I always leave the jack under the car also, to act as a last line of defense should the car come off of the stands.? ?You can't be too careful when you are under there prying on stuff.?

Good luck and let us know how you come out.

It is sitting on four jack stands right now. I was planning on using a tire iron to try to turn the flywheel and I was worried that I might pull it off the stands and then it hit me.. The car is over 4000 LBS. I am strong but, not that strong.
Yeah, the plugs are out and the belt (only one) is off the fan. It is soaking in marvles mystery oil right now and I filled the plug holes to the top. I figure if it actually does turn, it will just force some of the oil out of the holes. I will worry about getting the rest out later with a small syringe or something and then just let the rest burn off and foul the plugs. As long as I get the damn thing turning.
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

etypeJohn

Quote from: southdiver1 on August 10, 2007, 08:18:52 AM
It is sitting on four jack stands right now. I was planning on using a tire iron to try to turn the flywheel and I was worried that I might pull it off the stands and then it hit me.. The car is over 4000 LBS. I am strong but, not that strong.
Yeah, the plugs are out and the belt (only one) is off the fan. It is soaking in marvles mystery oil right now and I filled the plug holes to the top. I figure if it actually does turn, it will just force some of the oil out of the holes. I will worry about getting the rest out later with a small syringe or something and then just let the rest burn off and foul the plugs. As long as I get the damn thing turning.

When I have a car up on jack stands I always grab a bumper or whatever and give the car a couple of strong tugs and pushes.  If it moves around at all it isn't secure enough for me to crawl under there.  And I still have the jacks under there contacting the lift points.....just in case.

If it does turn you will have oil running out the plug holes, thats a small price to pay though.

The Pirate

PB Blaster is great stuff, I use it for seized things all the time. 
1989 Audi 80 quattro, 2001 Mazda Protege ES

Secretary of the "I Survived the Volvo S80 thread" Club

Quote from: omicron on July 10, 2007, 10:58:12 PM
After you wake up with the sun at 6am on someone's floor, coughing up cigarette butts and tasting like warm beer, you may well change your opinion on this matter.

southdiver1

Latest update...
I was able to get a set of tires and rims from a friend who was junking his 73 Pontiac.
With the fender skirts off and the crager looking rims, I am starting to like the street rod look...



I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

southdiver1

WOO HOO!!!!!

I turned the motor today with the crankshaft bolt!!!
I only got about a 1/2 rotation in both direction but, that is HUGE!!!!!!
No oil came out of the spark plug holes so it might have soaked into the crankcase.  I am gonna fill them up again but with PB blaster this time and give it another week long soaking.
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

GoCougs

Good news. How cool will it be if you can actually get it to run!

southdiver1

Quote from: GoCougs on August 12, 2007, 03:20:46 PM
Good news. How cool will it be if you can actually get it to run!

Well, I think I was a bit ambitious in thinking I could get it running in three weeks.
Lesson learned.
Anyway.. I am thinking another week of soaking will give it a full rotation.
From there, I need to figure out why the starter isn't even working. My father came over last night and pointed out that the starter button is not the factory one (thats right.. Push button start baby!!!) and the button might be bad so, I will get under it next weekend and try to ump the starter with a screwdriver to see if it even bumps. Maybe a few taps of the hammer will do it also.
Before I do any of that however, I need to get a new floor jack as the one I have was great for the F bodies and the Aveo but, not so good for this car so, I will invest in a REALLY big one. The jack stands are fine as they are.
Also, It is time for a creeper.
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

FoMoJo

Great news about the engine movement.

Does the solenoid click?  If so, maybe the bendix gear is jammed into the flywheel.  It might be worth taking the starter motor out and making sure that the bendix gear is moving freely.  Just a thought.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

southdiver1

Quote from: FoMoJo on August 13, 2007, 08:03:16 AM
Great news about the engine movement.

Does the solenoid click?? If so, maybe the bendix gear is jammed into the flywheel.? It might be worth taking the starter motor out and making sure that the bendix gear is moving freely.? Just a thought.

I can hear a very slight click but, not the big click I am used to hearing with a "regular" bad starter.
I need to keep in mind that this is a 6V system so the click might not be as pronounced. Also, the volt gauge does not drop very much even when I hold in the starter button. I expected to see a big drain but, not so much is going on. I mean, the needle hardly moves at all.
Again, I am not complaining as I am thrilled to death that the engine turns at all.
A new starter should not bee too expensive if it is a bad starter.
I will pull it out this weekend and oil that up also.
Also this weekend I am gonna try to turn it with a prybar on the flywheel itself.
I came into this world kicking, screaming, pissed off, and covered in someone elses blood.
If I do it right, I will leave this world in the same condition.

Secret Chimp

You might want to pull off the valve covers and take a look at the top end. If any rocker arms or valves are stuck, better to determine that now than when you throw a starter motor's torque at it :P


Quote from: BENZ BOY15 on January 02, 2014, 02:40:13 PM
That's a great local brewery that we have. Do I drink their beer? No.

etypeJohn

Quote from: southdiver1 on August 13, 2007, 05:42:49 AM
Well, I think I was a bit ambitious in thinking I could get it running in three weeks.
Lesson learned.
Anyway.. I am thinking another week of soaking will give it a full rotation.
From there, I need to figure out why the starter isn't even working. My father came over last night and pointed out that the starter button is not the factory one (thats right.. Push button start baby!!!) and the button might be bad so, I will get under it next weekend and try to ump the starter with a screwdriver to see if it even bumps. Maybe a few taps of the hammer will do it also.
Before I do any of that however, I need to get a new floor jack as the one I have was great for the F bodies and the Aveo but, not so good for this car so, I will invest in a REALLY big one. The jack stands are fine as they are.
Also, It is time for a creeper.

That's great that you at least have movement.  The suggestion of pulling the valve covers and checking the valve train for movement is a good one.  I doubt that is an interference engine, but why risk it. 

If it were me I would pull the starter and take it to be checked.  Make sure they understand its 6 volt.  It is a 6 volt system, right?  You probably ought to take the generator while you are at it. 

Check that the solenoid and starter are getting juice with a volt meter.  You have a wiring diagram?  If not, it's just a matter of tracing back.