Fino's 58 Wagon

This is what its doing on the passenger side - makes a nice little puddle of oil between the ram horns.

True...Plan is to bend new line and route it more in the OEM path after getting other stuff done. FWIW - that line is quite far from the exhaust manifold as the photo shortening is a bit deceiving, but it still isn't right. The fuel pump outlet is forward, and so the line as I understand would have come up the front of the engine and then along the inside edge of the passenger valve cover and a 90 turn into the carb....of course there is the heater hose line in that space, but I think the hard fuel line should work fine underneath that. That heater hose line is supposed to be a few inches higher to connect into the shut of valve on the firewall - but since that valve was leaking I bypassed it and it goes directly into the heater core which is lower and heater hose basically lays across the valve cover in the rear.

I wish I would have known more about sbc's before I got this....I think I would have been more selective (both with the engine and the wagon in general)...not to mention anytime an engine swap is involved, there is a lot of odd aspects for someone like me to account for and deal with. Maybe I should have just stayed away from an engine swap....I am still not sure how I am going to handle the cooling - probably build a complete fan shroud but that doesn't solve the fan being offset so far from the center of the radiator. An electric fan might be a good solution, but probably have to figure out the the alternator installation which is a bit tricky on this early block without the mounting options. That also means digging into some significant wiring upgrades. I think there is an option to move the alternator to the passenger side on these early blocks, which would then allow the power steering pump to be mounted (assume there is a PS pump and bracket for this early block)....the current generator/PS homemade combo bracket runs off the single belt from the crank and water pump, but the geometry worries me about how much of the belt is engaged with the water pump and PS pulleys - I'd like to have a little more belt-pulley surface contact. Some slip of the belt on the water pump/fan pulley might be some of the limited cooling. I am still fighting some gas seepage out of the carb throttle area - so not sure if I can re-bush that or not - and I am not sure the secondaries are working correctly (opening) when needed - but can't really do much with that until its running and driving more. I also need to figure the clutch linkage out...I don't think this engine swap required any relocation of the transmission etc, so not sure why the clutch linkage and fork are all bubba'd up....Maybe the shape of the V8 required something to be changed with regard to the pedal linkage....but it does work and shift so far.

I really don't know anything about the condition of the engine - other than after getting the ignition/distributor stuff worked out, it starts right up, runs smooth with no discernible odd noises other than an exhaust tick from a leak at the driver manifold collector to exhaust pipe - it just leaks LOTS of oil and gets hot when not moving. I don't know how much money is worth dumping into it (and the entire wagon for that matter). I am trying to just fix the 'big' stuff that will allow it to drive and see what its worth to me in terms of spending more money and effort on it. But there seems to be a lot of 'big' stuff....I am hesitant to just tear it all apart and start from scratch - it would end up as the example of a never finished project, and there is no way my budget could handle it. I just need it to be reliably driveable to be enjoyable....

 

Thanks for the links John - I find searching for sbc stuff is overwhelming as there is so much aftermarket support....
The center high alternator mount might work...as long as it doesn't hit the hood, but I think there is room as the engine is mounted so low. Then I could get the PS pump mounted a bit cleaner. I have a double groove pulley on the water pump (and maybe on the crank) so should be able to set-up a 2 belt system in some manner....I don't know that I dislike the generator, but I do think an electric fan may be the only way to cool this thing and thus I think a decent output alternator might have to be part of the arrangement.

 

Oil pan out, oil pump out and bearing cap out....making progress, but honestly, the lower half of the seal looked good and was completely dry....



The split section of the seal was not ideally offset/clocked at bit from the cap/block mating surface, but it appears a touch of RTV was used on the metal mating surface...I am not really sure this is a big issue....I am worried I'll make it worse by replacing it.

Also getting a leak at the front - so I guess the front crankshaft seal is probably not great. I understand the seal can wear a groove into the harmonic balancer sleeve - but replacement sleeves can be slid over the top: Video: How-to Stop a Timing Cover Oil Leak Forever!
I have the early harmonic balancer with the bolt-less crank. Anyway, that was mostly a side distraction....with the oil pan off and a bit more access and visibility, it still appears that a lot of the oil is coming from up higher....I don't know....It seems trivial to find an oil leak this big (like a quart of oil in less than 30 miles), but I am struggling. I think i am going to pull the valve covers again, pull the distributor and coil to get more access to the rear of the engine. Some have mentioned that maybe the drain back holes in the heads are plugged....guess I will get a pic of that and post.

 

anyway to determine that without pulling the engine or the transmission?

 

Also wondering if its leaking oil from the rear of the intake manifold gasket - is that possible? That is something I messed with last fall, and that means its more likely to be an issue....I had problems with those rubber end pieces which I hear a lot of people just put a bead of RTV in place of?

 

I also understand there is on some version of the early sbc an oil galley plug just under the head on the driver side - think the pic is a 327, so not sure if this applies to my hodge-podged 283 (random internet pic).

That is a good question....I think I have the original bellhousing that it came with L225/t90 (which I think is what came on most early cjs with 134 as well?). Its cast iron, very 'round' or circular with what looks like a clutch fork opening on each side (I think one side is called the inspection hole). I tried cramming my hand (I have really small hands) down in there to see if I could feel a puddle of oil/mud, but I am going to need a better feeling device. There is what I think is a removeable pan on the front lower half - easily accessible/removeable now with the oil pan out - have to pull the starter to do it, but will get that out and see whats going on inside the bellhousing. But at least on the driver side, I've got oil coming down the back end of the block and all over the outside of bellhousing as best as I can tell - but not necessarily out the bottom of the bellhousing only. Maybe its a combination of leaky valve covers, leaky intake manifold, leaky oil sending connection, leaky road draft tube, leaky front crank seal - adding it all together is a leaky mess. So, I will pull the starter and front bellhousing pan and continue to inspect...will also pull the intake as well.

 

I agree...yet I can't figure out where its coming from or even where its all going - like its making a small puddle when I let it sit idling, but I assume its loosing a lot more when its cruising at rpm based on the amount of oil everywhere and my dipstick. I filled it up to almost fill the other day, drove it about 10-20 miles as part of couple test drives (including some interstate cruising) - and it was well over a quart low when I drained it the next day. Maybe I am getting huge blowby as well....

anyway...I did some more searching...removed the front cover on the bellhousing and inspected the engine side of the flywheel - it doesn't seem like its coated in fresh oil that would be leaking past the RMS or the plugs mentioned above...And just for fun, I stuck my camera into the inspection hole on the passenger side of the bellhousing behind the clutch and tried to get a pic - hard to say if that is a big oil problem, but it just looks like a old, leaky engine - not a catastrophic oil leak:


I also removed the starter, the oil filter and the oil filter adapter (mostly to remove the front bellhousing cover) and that provide a bit more access. This is looking up along the passenger side of the bellhousing along the rear of the engine - this is one of the oil pathways I think and makes a puddle on the right below the road draft tube:


Here is a pic up the drive side bank where the freshest path of oil is that also creates a decent puddle dripping off the left bottom edge of the bellhousing. The driver side toe board/firewall is to the right, the rear of the exhaust manifold is across from the bolt end, and the top of the orange block is the outer rear corner of the valve cover. How much oil can you leak out of the VCs?


And finally, looking further up towards the center of the back of the block again from the driver side - the camera is placed in front the through the floor brake pedal looking up back in there....you can see the bottom of the distributor with the black road draft tube and the oil pressure line that goes to the fitting there as well...

 

It doesn't seem to be leaking as best I can tell - but i can't check it when its running as its up under the firewall notch...The coil and bracket have to be removed to see the top of it, and a willingness to burn your hand on the intake manifold to touch it...I replaced both portions of the fitting after breaking it off last fall trying to install the intake and its been run only a handful of times since....but I am going to pull the intake as there is no way to decently get a wrench on it with the intake in place...that will also allow me to redo the intake gaskets....

I am tired of this entire project...buyers remorse has been the prevailing sentiment....

I definitely got in over my head with a project that was not well assessed by me, and I chose to do it last summer when I was feeling like I wanted a bit more project and probably felt a bit overconfident in my ability as well as my life situation and stability. I don't necessarily know that I paid too much (although I probably did) compared to other wagon projects I see around here, but its less about the initial expense and more about how much the project cost (in energy, time and money) has been and is going forward...especially given that my situation is changing going forward...I probably need to sell it, but it also needs to be somewhat driveable to be sell-able (unless I can find a stupe like me to buy it)....In many ways, I am less disappointed in that I bought it initially, but rather that I can't get it to driving condition after 8 months...the weight of being unemployed (of my own choosing) in a couple months during these unusual times is only magnifying the monetary concern....

Its tough to find the right size project and I was kind of hoping I could get it running and use it for a year or so as something 'fun' and distracting from some of life's other issues. I figured if I chose a new life path after a year or so - this would be the only time I would have this opportunity to drive an old wagon (the cj5 may also have to go at some point as well but think I can hold on to that one until the next phase of life is fully determined). Worst case scenario was that in a year I would probably sell it for about what I paid - hopefully that is still true but maybe not....just disappointed I haven't gotten drive it and will have to sell it before I ever get to do much with it....Its easy to say it hasn't been worth it, but that cuts deep when the statement is less about money and more about the time and effort and emotional expense...sometimes a project is a pathway to happiness or focusing and finding time to think and reflect and clearing thoughts or meditation or zen....but sometimes a project is just frustration that does the opposite...hopefully I can write it off as my mid-life crisis mistake, as the life and career path choice is the more important one to get right. Of course, at 42 with degrees in 3 different fields and 3 different career attempts at 7 different significant employers, the odds are in my favor to get it right one of these days.

 

X2! I'd be awful suspicious of (what I assume) is a ferrule (connection) cutting through that tubing.