Wrenchin... Adventures under the hood... Put em here.

[basinbeater]

I gotta stop readin about these Audi v8 motors. I had a nightmare last night that I had timing problems with my bmw v8.

https://redlinespeedworx.com/blog/au...the-real-story

[PassTheDutchie]

Here's my adventure: took beat-up old VW Jetta Wagen to VW dealership for an oil change as I had a coupon. Dealership tells me they need $1k to fix/replace busticated vacuum pump. I tell them to fuck themselves, go to garage a half block away who does it, all in, for $600. Shove it up your ass Autobarn.

[Art Shirk]

All great insights and I am totally confused an honestly not sure how those crazy germans connected all the systems. Linking the clutch issue, which is always the first sign that something is going wrong, to the steering, electric and thus engine is confounding me. My mechanic says its throwing no codes and running like a top today. I drove it down to Bend a few months ago with some serious speed up and over the pass and through some serious heat and had no issues but maybe the accessory belt tensioner is now just getting too hot, but I had only been driving the car about 15 minutes when this started to happen. Wanted to take it to Tofino soon but just know that I will end up on the side of the road.

[Djongo Unchained]

My mechanic says its throwing no codes and running like a top today.

JFC, it's an even money bet your car will shape up just long enough to go see the mechanic.

I've had CEL's evade me, just disappear for a 2 hour window in a month... right before and after the guy tries to duplicate the issue or read it.

[Slopetime]

Here's my adventure: took beat-up old VW Jetta Wagen to VW dealership for an oil change as I had a coupon. Dealership tells me they need $1k to fix/replace busticated vacuum pump. I tell them to fuck themselves, go to garage a half block away who does it, all in, for $600. Shove it up your ass Autobarn.

Never use a dealer to fix anything unless it's a warranty issue.

[basinbeater]

I bet your clutch issues happens more and more, and eventually you will have to drop the transmission to get the release bearing replaced.

Looks like people have figured out an upgraded serpentine belt tensioner for those. The standard one is not automatic tensioning, you set the tension, then lock the pulley in place. I would remove the belt, check all pulleys, replace any that are dry, or loose, throw a new belt on there, and see if that fixes the alternator, and power steering issues. Cheap, and shouldn't be too difficult. If this fixes your electrical and power steering issues, get a new tensioner, one that works automatically... like this....


https://jhmotorsports.com/jhm-automa...2l-v8-40v.html

[highangle]

Ol Skoolin last Sunday...F350 rear drums...

Attachment 250676Attachment 250677Attachment 250678


So what has this thread come to that a nice clean drum brake rebuild with TOL parts and materials gets 0 love? Do you have to cut into a Porsche engine to get a nod in this fkn thread anymore?




It's real mechanic'n y'all, even if you do get to sit on a tire on the last bright weekend day of the year and have plenty of room to work.
Those old brakes have 300,000 miles & 22 years on them. (Same with those leaf springs. I live a half mile up a gravel road that gets calcium chloride dust control. )

Drum brake shoes float in 3 dimensions, held by spring tension. Brake fluid expands the cylinder and expands the circle of the brake shoes. Forward smaller shoe typically engages the drum first, then the both shoes sorta "Cam over" and jam against the drum.
Only thing that holds those shoes to the backing plate is the mousetrap springs hooked to the bent nail-looking thingy. Holding all that shit straight while applying enough pressure on the mousetrap spring (#11 in the 1st drawing) to bend it over and hook under the loose nail (with a screwdriver or the handle end of brake spring pliers) is a classic 3-handed job. The second shoe is a little easier if you loop a tie-down around both shoes to hold the loose shoe in position against the slide points on the backing plate. Bottom spring not as burly as that top one, so you put that in first, then you pry the bottoms of the shoes apart to fit the adjuster wheel in the correct orientation, then the adjuster ledge that catches and rolls the adjuster cog when you back up.
Then that red top spring is a fkn man's job with brake spring pliers. But so simple & elegant.
Then there's the parking brake "BENDIX" apparatus. Both rear wheels. Gonna do a job, do it right. Replace the automatic slack adjuster cable and bushing and spring assembly, and get new locknuts for the trunion pin that holds the p-brake lever to the top of the b-plate. Cable hookup was a breeze for me. My cables were in great shape, and I paid attention to the drawing, where the p-brake cable is drawn on top of everything else. That means you should deal with it last, so you can hook it up before you mount the lever by the pin with just a little tug on the cable..

That orange spooge on the backing plate slide points is Permatex ceramic extreme 3000degree brake anti-seize & lubricant (hexagonal boron nitrite nanoparticles suspended in a high temp silicone dielectric grease - waterproof, will not drop out, washes instantly in brake cleaner).

I did the other side of the truck first. You can't see the jackstands, but bought $23 2-ton jack + stands for this job because didn't want good one outside.. The red shocks are KYB MonoMax ( - highly recommended for 4x4 OBS Powerstrokes with up to 4" lifts- Particularly if getting Bils is a pita where you are )
Used vacuum brake bleeder. Cleaned/insp/bled RABS valve. Sucked >a quart of Prestone DOT3 through all 5 bleeders. (DOT 3 because I literally live in rainforest.)


New drums were cleaned in brake cleaner and exterior scuffed with red scotchbrite abrasive, then primed and painted with high temp paint that needs to be annealed @ 250f, allowed to cool, then heated to 400F then cooled again, for max durability. That's pretty easy for a set of new brake drums if you finish up on a Sunday afternoon, test drive, then hit the showers before dinner people show up...
Hubs got a little antiseize, studs got brake cleaned and slightest touch of antiseize before drums went on.

Initial brake adjustment was by amount of force necessary to slide drums over shoes, as it was just me against a 7500# limited slip rear axle with cold 75w140 royal purple in the diff, and it was a bitch to spin that entire rear axle by hand, even with the tires on. (LS definitely works on this truck)


US FHWA estimates it takes +200 gentle to moderate stops from 35mph, with a bit of rolling cooling time between each, to properly season a set of new modern brake shoes against a new or machined steel drum.


Friction materials make considerable gas under heat & friction, this gas is ultimately what causes hot brakes to push away from the drum and "fade" (same with disk brakes).
Aside from "shaping" the shoes to the drums, gently braking in brakes for a week or two makes the friction materials give up as much gas as possible up front, and shrinks and hardens the shoes slowly enough not to microcrack, which makes them last longer.


Coming up on two weeks now. Brakes work great. Spring parking brakes start about 2 clicks of the pedal, and progress all the way down. Auto adjusters work. I'll post another one of these big goddamn brake rants in another 300k miles.

[Norseman]

Nice blog post.

I appreciated the rebuild. Whatchu want, a stroking?

[MakersTeleMark]

I appreciated the rebuild. Whatchu want, a stroking?

No shit, right. I emptied the trash bag in my truck yesterday. Was going to post about it, but didn't take pics.

[pappag]

So who has experiencing working on a 455 block? Have this 1972 Pontiac Grand Ville with 29k original miles. Already replaced starter, fuel pump/filter, water pump, thermostat, radiator, resealed engine block, and rebuilt carb. Having vapor lock anytime outside temperature is over 85. Haven't checked the fuel lines yet but suspect they're cracked.

Also need to replace the hydraulic cables for the top; motor still functions.

And hell... if anyone in the Denver area who wants to help, I'd welcome that.

Sent from my SM-J327T using TGR Forums mobile app

[highangle]

Imma make that shit look harder next time. So you ingrates will finally appreciate a mechanical mastermind.
That post took 2 days to write, BTW.

[highangle]

So who has experiencing working on a 455 block? Have this 1972 Pontiac Grand Ville with 29k original miles. Already replaced starter, fuel pump/filter, water pump, thermostat, radiator, resealed engine block, and rebuilt carb. Having vapor lock anytime outside temperature is over 85. Haven't checked the fuel lines yet but suspect they're cracked.

Also need to replace the hydraulic cables for the top; motor still functions.

And hell... if anyone in the Denver area who wants to help, I'd welcome that.

Sent from my SM-J327T using TGR Forums mobile app

You might have a bad pickup in the gas tank. It amounts to the same thing as a cracked line.

You ever do get fuel to that 455, you better hang on! They'll git on down the road way better than those brakes and tires will stop it...

[pappag]

You might have a bad pickup in the gas tank. It amounts to the same thing as a cracked line.

You ever do get fuel to that 455, you better hang on! They'll git on down the road way better than those brakes and tires will stop it...

Luckily there's a gas station by me that sells 91 ethanol-free. Makes a HUGE difference and well worth paying $4.40/gallon.

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[highangle]

All Alaska gas stations are ethanol free. By Alaska law, gas containing ethanol must be labeled.

I don't even know where to get gas with ethanol. 100ll avgas is, like, $6 @ PAWD tho. Spendy as fuck when your 180 burns 13+gph...


That 455 from 1972 prob got a bigass Rochester or Carter carburetor in it...might get 5mpg?

[Obstruction]

Imma make that shit look harder next time. So you ingrates will finally appreciate a mechanical mastermind.
That post took 2 days to write, BTW.

Oh I appreciate how tough it is to work on drum brakes. In fact the last time I posted anything about them was to say how much I fucking hate working on them. Glad you beat yours into submission!

[basinbeater]

Nod.

sent from some fucking device using some fucking program.

[basinbeater]

Put new rubber on the hundie...

sent from some fucking device using some fucking program.

[highangle]

Nod.

Thank you, Mr Porsche Upgrader!

[highangle]

Oh I appreciate how tough it is to work on drum brakes. In fact the last time I posted anything about them was to say how much I fucking hate working on them. Glad you beat yours into submission!

I would have let someone else do it, but they kept putting me back. A week turned into 2, then 3, before they could even give me an appointment.
It was gonna cost $1000 too.
So...I did it ~$400

[MakersTeleMark]

NPG, change the fuel filter. Cut that whole shit out. Instant vapor lock. You might think it's the pump, but you're clogging your lungs.

Trust me on this.

[pappag]

All Alaska gas stations are ethanol free. By Alaska law, gas containing ethanol must be labeled.

I don't even know where to get gas with ethanol. 100ll avgas is, like, $6 @ PAWD tho. Spendy as fuck when your 180 burns 13+gph...


That 455 from 1972 prob got a bigass Rochester or Carter carburetor in it...might get 5mpg?

Holly quad jet. Consistently 9-10 mpg. Supposedly I can tow 16,000 lbs with 505 torque on the beast.

Sent from my SM-J327T using TGR Forums mobile app

[MakersTeleMark]

That's a big girl.

Congrats.

[highangle]

Holly quad jet. Consistently 9-10 mpg. Supposedly I can tow 16,000 lbs with 505 torque on the beast.

Sent from my SM-J327T using TGR Forums mobile app

It definitely has the muscle to pull it. Whether the tranny or rear end can do it for long is another story...And a 16,000lb tag-along is not really something the ass end of that suspension was designed for...In the abstract though, that car is packing the gear to tow a house.

Say, does that 455 still have original flat tappet cam & lifters? Prob does, huh?
You need to be real careful with your oil. Motor oil has come a long way in the last 46 years, but a lot of it has been designed to keep catalytic converters clean and hold acids from EGR, and other shit that has nothing to do with your 1972 Pontiac. You want oil with high sulfated ash (SAPS) and high zinc (ZDDP), and prob high phosphorus (which a lot of new oil specs limit) and something that will not attack old vulcanized seal materials.
It's prob worth it for you to get a virgin oil analysis at the same time you do a used oil analysis, so the lab can baseline your wear metals and fuel and water contents, over time tell you whats wearing and how fast, and offer suggestions on how to best protect the inside of that 7.5.
Moly (molybdenum disulfide, MoS2) friction modifiers work. So does "ceramic nano" Archoil 9100 and LM Ceratec (7.3 & 6.0 diesel unit injectors love that shit).

Were I you, I'd prob look at dino Rotella T4 10w30 or 15w40 (esp if those old tolerances prefer thicker or a lot of fuel ends up in your oil). Rotella T4 has high Z and P (anti-wear), high TBN (detergency), high SAPS (bearing lube) - a stout additive package that can take care of flat tappets, and it's cheap.
Diesel oils and racing oils and classic engine oils are often very similar, aside from viscosity. The right modern oil in that car will easily take it past its 80-100k design life. Goes for transmission fluid and rear end oil too, and maybe even antifreeze SCAs. Check out bobistheoilguy.com, if you don't already go there.

[pappag]

THANK YOU for all that information! Really appreciate it and will definitely update here once things progress.

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[Touring_Sedan]

No shit, right. I emptied the trash bag in my truck yesterday. Was going to post about it, but didn't take pics.

I took a shit yesterday without crying. Do I get a cookie?