thejohnnyguy
Young Gun
When reviving a zombie car from beneath the grave, what are a few things to look for? What usually goes bad quickly? What should I check before I take her out to punish the evil honda and toyota punks? :toothy10:
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abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
BRAKE system. all the steel lines, all the rubber lines master cyl calibers/wheel cyl. make sure its all in great working order and a flush of the fluid would be a good idea also...
fuel system. tank, lines filter pump and carb..
hoses and belts
wiring in good shape.
lighting
etc ...etc...etc
fuel system. tank, lines filter pump and carb..
hoses and belts
wiring in good shape.
lighting
etc ...etc...etc
thejohnnyguy
Young Gun
I think I can put a check next to all of that, except the belts, but I do plan on getting new belts soon. If all goes well this Scamp will be my daily driver, just to and from work which is maybe 6 miles from home. I have negative friends who think that because the car is so old it will have a lot of problems. Want to make sure I've got all my ducks in a row so that "I told ya so" wont be said
I'll be getting an 8 3/4 rear end from a member here right after christmas so I will have to look that rear over for any problems (although i'm sure there wont be any). The only part of the suspension that hasn't been replaced is the leaf springs, shouldn't they hold up pretty decent? seem to be sturdy...
abodyjoe
Well-Known Member
any old car will have bugs to work out. sooner or later they will be worked out and the car should be fine..
4flats
Well-Known Member
Check and flush the cooling system, make sure it is not full of rust. Might work fine for a while, but rust (or just crud) can break loose from the radiator, heater core, thermostat, waterpump and cause leaks, or worse, plug something up. Also the heater hoses can "swell" inward cutting down the flow.
Check the trans fluid to make sure it is not burned, if it is, change it and install a trans cooler. This will take some of the losd off your radiator.
If you have manual steering, make sure the box is tight (nut and screw on top) and make sure the bolts that hold it on the frame are tight (that will make your steering loose and can crack the framerail).
Other than the things already mentioned, throw in some new plugs, wires, coil and battery, maybe voltage regulator and you should be good.
Check the trans fluid to make sure it is not burned, if it is, change it and install a trans cooler. This will take some of the losd off your radiator.
If you have manual steering, make sure the box is tight (nut and screw on top) and make sure the bolts that hold it on the frame are tight (that will make your steering loose and can crack the framerail).
Other than the things already mentioned, throw in some new plugs, wires, coil and battery, maybe voltage regulator and you should be good.
thejohnnyguy
Young Gun
Best way to flush the cooling system is unplug the drain and flush with a hose? (I may be off on that one
) rebult the trans with a shift kit so that's all new fluids. PS pump is there, not 100% sure of it's functionality. bought brand new bosch platinums and wires 3 years ago and it hasnt run so they should be ok right? It's running an Accel supercoil which I'm not sure how old it is but it works. Not sure of the history of the regulator, will the supercoil affect the regulator if the regulator is stock?
4flats
Well-Known Member
First in absolutely no order, I'm not sure about the regulator, but some regulators are created more equal than others (Black?, orange or chrome). This is common knowlege among Moparists, but completely escapes me right now (done WAY too many fords recently.
The plugs should be fine, if you really want to make sure, pull them, run some 200 grit sandpaper through the gap, recheck the gap and re install them.
The way I like to flush the cooling system is to pour in some "radiator flush" (I think it's made by Prestone), follow the instructions. Some guys use draino, or laundry detergent, but I'm not brave enough for that. After you let it run through for the recomended time, disconnect one of your heater hoses, stick the garden hose in the radiator and crank her up. Let the water do the work. This way, you will not put too much pressure through, and you can tell if your pump is actually working. You can disconnect bothe heater hoses (with the engine off) and shoot the hose through one, then the other to get the gunk out of the heater core.
That's the way I do it, others may have a better way, but this works.
Also, not a bad idea to watch for leaks in the heater core after you clean it out. Sometimes the gunk is the only thing plugging a hole, but I'd rather find out about it in my driveway than on the highway.
The plugs should be fine, if you really want to make sure, pull them, run some 200 grit sandpaper through the gap, recheck the gap and re install them.
The way I like to flush the cooling system is to pour in some "radiator flush" (I think it's made by Prestone), follow the instructions. Some guys use draino, or laundry detergent, but I'm not brave enough for that. After you let it run through for the recomended time, disconnect one of your heater hoses, stick the garden hose in the radiator and crank her up. Let the water do the work. This way, you will not put too much pressure through, and you can tell if your pump is actually working. You can disconnect bothe heater hoses (with the engine off) and shoot the hose through one, then the other to get the gunk out of the heater core.
That's the way I do it, others may have a better way, but this works.
Also, not a bad idea to watch for leaks in the heater core after you clean it out. Sometimes the gunk is the only thing plugging a hole, but I'd rather find out about it in my driveway than on the highway.
varlo
Joe- Long Island, Oakdale
I would get the car mechanically sound. Then you can always do panel replacement/body work when thats done. and then interior.
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