Things to do to get that old thing running. Part One.

Open wide and say... AHHH!

Now that I'm going to have space available in my garage, I need to have all my cars in running condition. The Mark VII is the only one that isn't currently running.

A while back I checked to see if the motor would turn freely. Luckily, I still have the replacement battery that I removed from the XJS, which still holds a good charge. I pulled the sparkplugs and squirted some Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders. I let that sit overnight then turned the key. The motor spun easily.

The carb linkage was stuck solid. I pulled the carburetors off and found that the butterfly shaft of the front carb was stuck in the carb body.  It was gummed up with what looks like shellac. There was also a broken bushing in the carb body for which I sourced a new replacement.

I changed the old oil and refilled it with Castrol 20-50w. These motors hold a lot of oil! When I replaced the oil filter cartridge I found that the supplied oil filter cartridge ring gasket didn't seal very well. It's very thin and wouldn't stay in position. My plan is to cut a wider gasket out of a sheet of gasket paper.

I traced the outline of the housing on a sheet of gasket paper.

I cut the center hole out with a very sharp utility knife.
I cut the outer circle with a steady hand and a pair of scissors.

I reassembled the filter assembly and the homemade gasket seemed to stay in the proper position.



What about the points, and vacuum advance? The vacuum advance canister arm is seized. Usually this will seize up when the engine has been sitting for a long time, so that it will remain in the retarded, at rest, position. This is a common problem with the XJS V12 and it can lead to overheating when being driven. I don't think that this will be an issue if I only run the motor for a short time.

There's no coolant in the radiator. I sure hope that the motor doesn't have a blown head gasket. This was a common problem for these motors, back in the day. I'll put that off for another day.

The fuel system will have to be addressed. I'm not going to mess with the tanks and pumps, yet. Usually I would just run a fuel line from the mechanical pump into a small gas can. The mechanical fuel pumps on older American cars work by creating a suction in one chamber of the pump, then forcing the fuel through a one way valve into the fuel line, creating pressure. Similar to the workings of the human heart.

An electric pump has to be located below the level of the fuel tank. Gravity causes the fuel to flow into the pump which pushes it down the line. My plan is to set up a small container above the level of the carbs and let gravity do the work.  Sort of like the system on a Model A Ford. The Model A stored the fuel in the cowl ahead of the windshield, not a comforting thought!

Maybe all they need is a good bath.

I'm going to dive in and disassemble, clean, and lube these carbs. I'd already freed the stuck throttle shaft. Hopefully they will be in good enough adjustment to get the motor running.

Since I had it apart, it was good time to clean this area up a bit.
I cleaned and chased those threads.

I made up some new manifold gaskets from a sheet of gasket material.
A hole punch was used to make the bolt holes, I cut the center hole with a utility knife.

I have to free up and adjust the hand brake system. That might be effective enough to use once I get the car running and moving, at least in and out of the driveway.

I've already removed the rt.front wheel brake cylinders. In an earlier post I showed how I used a grease gun to force the cylinder pistons out. Still have the left fronts to do.

Even that cheap little trolley jack will work using the jack points.
It doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Be careful.

I jacked up the rear wheels to see how freely they turn. The good news was that they turned quite freely. The bad news was that the handbrake was engaged! Well, at least the handle was pulled up. I'm not going to be stopping the car with these any time soon.

This is a simpler system than up front. Just one wheel cylinder.

That little mechanism bolted to the cylinder activates the rear hand brake. It's and unusual
sliding cam design. Of course it was gummed up solid.

I thought that I should take a look inside the brake assembly and removed the rt. rear drum. (I found that the left had been previously removed!) Compared to the front brake, it is much simpler design. Just one wheel cylinder. It appears that the mechanical brake cable acts upon the wheel cylinder to engage the brake. On my old American cars, the cable works on a separate lever that engages the shoes without any help from the wheel cylinder. Not on this car. The entire cable lever and cylinder are seized up solid, there's no way that the handbrake will work without freeing up the works. That means disassembling the wheel cylinders. It looks like I should just dedicate an entire day to the task. At least the brake lining and drum look to be in pretty good shape.

There's not going to be an easy work around for the brakes.

The car also has a hydraulic clutch mechanism. I suppose that this was used to lighten the pedal pressure but it just adds some more complexity. There was also a vacuum booster for the brakes which had been removed by the original owner. His Son had told me that his Dad drove this car until he got too tired from dealing with the manual transmission and now unassisted brakes. The Jag was parked and the Bentley was pressed into daily service. (What a choice!) I wonder how much pressure the brake pedal requires?

No way getting around refurbishing all the hydraulics. Still, I could still try to get the motor to fire first, that would provide a lot of motivation to finish off the hydraulics. And, I could just do the rear brake cylinders first so I could use the handbrake system. Maybe.

Besides the hydraulic clutch, and vacuum brake servo there really isn't much complexity in the car.  If this was common car with easy availability of new cheap reproduction brake components I wouldn't be bothering to rebuild the system. I would just throw the old junk away. But I don't have that luxury in this case.  The parts are uncommon and expensive. I could have guessed.

I wanted a simple old car that didn't have any more equipment than what it takes to run the car. I didn't want to be saddled with getting an old automatic transmission to work. In many ways the Mark is similar to my old F250. It had power brakes and an automatic transmission but that was all. Hand cranked windows and a very simple heater and vent system.

There's still quite a bit of work to do and plenty of subject matter for the next installment.


I'll give this process a couple of weeks. If I'm not successful then it will go in the sideyard for another Winter!

My life on the Riviera. Or in my case, my life as a Contrarian.

Leaning forward like a shark!
Like the Chuck Berry lyric sang, "I'll put you in a car that will eat up the road!"

It wouldn't fool anyone into thinking that it was a hatchback.

con·trar·i·an

kənˈtre(ə)rēən/

noun

1. 1.

   a person who opposes or rejects popular opinion, especially in stock exchange dealing.

adjective

1. 1.

   opposing or rejecting popular opinion; going against current practice.

   
   

   "the comment came more from a contrarian disposition than moral conviction"

Life in Silicon valley in the 1980s was the Yuppie dream. I suppose that I was lucky to live in a nice neighborhood surrounded by Beemers and Benzes. My daily commute was spent navigating through a herd of the things. It's not that I thought that they were bad cars, it was just the suggestion of smugness that dripped off them like the condensation of the morning dew.

My blue collar upbringing sometimes rankled at the noveau riche displays of wealth. But it wasn't always really wealth. Usually just a good lease plan. But who cares when you drive a Benz?

I was still riding my Harley Sportster as a daily commuter. I was driving a mini van as a non descript family vehicle. I needed something that would make a statement and define who I was.

I was looking for the anti Yuppie staement car.

And I found it!

One day I was poking around some of the lower line used car lots around South First St. when I discovered an interesting car parked along the back fence. (Where else!) A 1972 Buick Riviera. The infamous boat tail, or as the Low Riders were wont to call it, the "Diamond Back."

This was a big hardtop coupe with a monstrous protruding beak and a slanting rear roofline like a denizen of "Jurassic Park." A seven liter carburated V8 nestled under that dramatic hood.

This was a typical Bill Mitchell masterpiece which unfortunately went somewhat under appreciated, even back in it's heyday.

What better car to poke in the eye of the Yuppie crowd? Just stay away from that back bumper!

Believe it, or Not!

This particular car was not in really bad condition, but it definitely needed some work. So I kept on looking. However, the seed was planted. I'd already had many older Cadillacs by this point, so I thought that I was ready for something different. This car would fulfill that requirement. In my mind the Riviera would blend the dramatic presence of a luxury car with the performance capabilities of a road car. If you don't believe that, check out this video of Bud Lindeman's road test of a 1972 Riviera. Video from YouTube.

That particular car was in okay shape but I wisely  decided that I would find a nicer example, which I did. Since this was before the birth of the Internet, newspaper classified ads and the once ubiquitous Auto Trader magazines were used in my automotive pursuit. It's hard to believe that there was once a time when you couldn't sit on the couch in your pajamas and scrutinize thousands of cars.

Auto Trader magazines came in many flavors;
Car, Old car, Truck and motorcycle.

How we pored over these ads like this! I only bought the local magazines and
chased down numerous leads over the years.

I also followed another old time strategy, telling people that I knew, about the car that I was looking for. Then they could keep their eyes open for me. This was known as "bird dogging" if you offered a finder's fee. This strategy turned out extremely well. My Brother in Law, living in Fresno, called me to inform me that he had seen a really nice Riv for sale in the area. After a very detailed conversation he provided me with the seller's phone number. I called the seller and arranged a meeting. I set out with my best buddy Rick, and a wallet full of cash.

These meet ups can be hazardous, you're meeting with someone that you know nothing about, carrying a wad of cash. Since you are a potential buyer, he knows that you've got cash on you. It's best to take a friend and arrange to meet in a public place. I chose a nearby shopping mall. I know that shopping malls are not particularly safe, but it was a better choice than a back street in some barrio! Buyer Beware!

Long story short, the car was in quite good shape. It had been recently painted in a very dark brown Mercedes Benz color with a  full white vinyl top. The interior featured the deluxe interior with pearl white vinyl bucket seats. Another important feature was a nice set of whitewall tires wrapped around a set of Buick road wheels. Money exchanged hands and I drove the Riv home while Rick drove my Civic back.

Whenever you buy a car far from home and drive it back, it can only turn out two ways. It can end up with frustrating breakdowns, delays, buyer's remorse, and leave you with a permanent bad attitude towards the car. Or the car can run like a champ and the drive home cements a strong, positive bond. I was lucky, and the '71 and I had a rewarding trip home. I later had the same experience with my XJ6.

Of course it needed a few mechanical repairs. It started leaking from the water pump. I pulled the water pump then decided to change the front seal. When I pulled the timing case to change the front seal, I found that the plastic timing sprocket was failing. So I replaced the timing chain and sprockets.


Overall it was a very nice car, I cleaned and detailed it and kept it covered up in the garage. Even so, I drove it regularly.

I found a reference to the Riviera Owner's Association in a magazine article. Since I wanted a line on parts and advice I wrote to the Association. Of course this was all before Internet forums. After returning the application I was a member in good standing. One of the benefits was receiving their award winning club magazine, The Riview.

The Riview was a source of mechanical advice, event coverage, member's vehicle show cases, and of course classified ads. It also provided a sense of community and encouragement, vital to an old car endeavor. Every month your enthusiasm gets re-charged and your motivation gets a tune up.


As I became increasingly immersed in Riviera lore I decided that I wanted to own an example of all three early generations. 1963-1965, 1966-70, and 1971-1973. An ambitious plan to say the least.

I thought that the appearance of the 1971 model was very dramatic, although I really couldn't describe it as beautiful. It was more about the statement that it made.

The original 1963 was well received and it is one of Bill Mitchell's best designs of the 1960s.

My favorite early Riviera is the 1966 model. It is smooth, sleek and simple. I think that it actually looked like a custom car with the hidden headlights and tail lamp detailing. It was described in many Buick collector guides as looking like a Motorama showcar that you could actually buy, and park in your driveway. It also features the final appearance of a long line of Buick Nailhead engines, the 425. In my opinion the Nailhead is a thing of beauty and part of what makes the Riviera so distinctive.

Once I located and purchased my '66, I put my '71 up for sale.

I advertised my '71 in the Riview and I was contacted by a European buyer. He was on a buying expedition in the U.S. and had already purchased two boat tails. I sent him a video of the car, a VHS tape, not a smart phone video, and he agreed to the deal.

He had arranged for shipping from a South San Franciso container company. He had his bank wire the money to my account. Then I delivered the car to the shipping agent. The car was on it's way to the Netherlands. The buyer told me that theses cars were considered to be like '59 Cadillacs. An iconic over the top American design.

My '71 had been a very nice, presentable car. For some reason I made a drastic change of direction (orientation) with my '66. While the styling of the 1966 model is beyond comparison, my specific example needed a lot of work. I imagine that I felt that I would restore it, eventually. Unfortunately that's not what happened.

A factory made custom car.

If one car in the garage is good, two cars are even better.

These are the two smallest cars in my fleet.

This is the third and final update on my garage situation. At least for now. This whole garage episode might be considered very boring and pointless to many readers but I hope that others will find it encouraging. I will bet that many out there struggle with finding a place to work and store their hobby car. Most suburban houses built in the Bay Area since the 1960's featured an attached two car garage. When did garages become storage areas instead of refuges for our automobiles? Of course we all make do with what we have available, but wrenching is much more pleasant when you have the proper space.

My old workbench is sitting outside on the back patio while I decide what to do with it.

At my house any flat surface will soon be covered by stuff.

I found that not having  a workbench or table was already causing me some problems. While I didn't really need anything as large as my old  workbench, I still wanted a versatile table.

The 2 x 4 framework fits snugly into the angle iron table legs.
I sprayed those  red paint patches to prevent poking myself in the eye.

I mentioned last post that I had an old tool stand/table that I bought at an estate sale along with my bandsaw. This is of sturdy, angle iron construction but it is not so heavy that I couldn't move it around fairly easily. I wanted to make it even more convenient so I decided to mount it on casters. I constructed a framework of used 2x4s that slipped within the table's frame. I positioned this framework so that the table was only raised about one inch. I obtained a set of heavy duty casters from my Wife's stash. These didn't include a wheel lock, but I came up with another solution. I can slip a 24 inch long   2 x 4 under each side of the table. This will prevent the table from rolling. This entire operation didn't cost me a cent, since I used stuff that I had already lying around.

The table is a handy size. I believe that it is a mid 1960s
Sears design.

The wheels can be raised off the floor by slipping a 2x4
underneath.

Having the table on wheels makes it easier to shift the fixtures around to maximize the available space.


I managed to squeeze my Mustang into the garage to help visualize the set up with two cars. Both the XJS and Mustang are quite a bit smaller than the XJ6. Even the Mark is shorter than the XJ6 by about six inches.

There is quite difference in the styling of the two cars.

The Mark will fit easily alongside the XJS, but since it's currently not running, this is a real problem. My driveway slopes downward at a fair angle. The Mark will roll down into the garage easily but pushing it out of the garage and back up the slope would be another matter. Especially by myself!

I'm thinking that perhaps the priority should be to spend the next couple of weeks getting it running. If I can get the handbrake operational, then I could use that when moving the car. Even if the main hydraulic system isn't functional. However, I can ignore the hydraulics that operate the clutch release. I'm going to have to get under the car to remove the assembly so I can rebuild it.

I can clean up the carbs and set up some kind of fuel feed without bothering with the fuel tanks. I could even fit a small, in line electric fuel pump if it appears necessary.

Having the Mark mobile would make things so much easier. Then I could park it in the side yard while I deal with the XJ6 and XJS suspension problems. Heck, even if it isn't running I could  still just roll it into the side yard and leave it there. There's no hurry to move it since I built that other entrance into the backyard, Yeah, but I don't really want it sitting outside through another rainy Winter. But this may turn out to be the most practical and expedient choice.

Hey! I can actually fit a car in my garage! (Again) A "Real Life" adventure.

The XJS is not as small as a Smart Car
but not as big as the '56 Cadillac that once sat in this spot.

Note the car's position relative to the center floor seam.
That empty space between the locker and the metal shelf has been eliminated.

It has taken two sheds to empty out the garage but it's almost done.

How do I reconcile storing two cars inside as well as dealing with storage and work space?

Good question.

Just a disclaimer. I know that the garage still looks like a real mess. I guess that I could be a little more embarrassed about it. I am a bit, but the show must go on! It's a work in progress. Updates should show steady improvement.

Most houses of my home's vintage were constructed with an empty two car garage space, devoid of any built in shelving or storage, and usually lit by a single light fixture. Electrical outlets are scarce and the walls and ceiling are unfinished. The laundry facilities, a/c, furnace and water heater are also housed in this space.

Most garages have a 16 inch section of wall that borders both sides of the front door. My garage is also using the old style, one piece upwardly opening single wooden door. The door hinges swing through an arc that requires clearance to operate properly. Luckily I had some 15 inch deep metal shelving units that can fit along the wall behind that hinge. I lined them up along the wall on the passenger side of the car. I wasn't going to have anyone exiting a car while it is in the garage.

Those hinges have to clearance to swing through their arc.
Maybe someday I can upgrade to a roll up door.

This empty space doesn't look like the best use of this area.

Directly above the door I have built two 4 x 8 ft. shelves. These were my first projects following retirement. Just two full sheets of plywood, but strong and spacious. Primarily to hold  Christmas decorations. Earlier, I had built a series of overhead shelves around the perimeter of the garage walls for the same purpose. Luckily we (?) have quit adding to the quantity of decorations.

Good, out of the way storage.
perfect for stuff you don't need to access frequently.

Jack Olsen, eat your heart out!
This is before the straightening out. I added that attic access panel a few years back.

There is an existing cabinet on the wall up by the foyer entrance door. This cabinet has not been used to it's full utility. It is currently holding some spray cans and other junk. Need to organize.

My house's garage was the sales office of the sub division development. This meant that it had a finished ceiling, walls, and quite a few electrical outlets placed around. There is even an extra 220v outlet. I guess I really could buy an electric car!

The water heater, a/c and heating unit, as well as the washing machine hook ups were all placed in a closet like enclosure. The dryer is sitting to the right of this enclosure. I used the old interior doors that I replaced to build some shelves over the dryer. The space underneath can accommodate my compressor among other things.

I added a 6 ft. shelf next to the locker. I lined up the tool chests in front of the XJS.
 Those small plastic drawer units have been moved with the pedestal mounted grinder.
The tool chests can be rolled away to gain access to the locker's contents.

I have placed the same shallow shelving units along the driver's side wall of the garage, I have to allow enough space to open the driver's door, as well as walk alongside the car to the door. Actually a last minute change was to move my six foot unit to the opposite wall, opening up another space along this wall.

Luckily I drink a lot of coffee.

I ended up re-using an old Ikea bookshelf that I was ready to take to the dump. The smaller adjustable shelves are perfect for my coffee can collection of nuts, bolts, screws, nails, and other miscellaneous hardware, that I like to have easy access to. I've still got plenty of additional shelves to be able to re-arrange the configuration. Coffee cans, what would we do without them?

It looks like this will be useful and the price was right!

My neighbor gave me a wire rack that usually hangs on the back of a door. It is shallow enough to fit  above the wooden foundation enclosure/ base board. I covered the back of the shelves with cardboard panels to prevent things from falling out the back. It holds all kinds of cans and containers and I can hang my collection of spray bottles on the top shelves.

I don't think that I'll be able to keep my workbench. It was a cool long desk that was made by California prison industries.  Long and rectangular with five drawers on one side. It looks more like a workbench than a regular desk. That's too bad because I really liked the way it looked in the garage.

I used to keep my drill press, bench vice, and grinder on top of it. My plan is now to store those types of tools in the metal shelving units behind the door hinges. For a tool stand I have the table that came along with my old band saw. I am planning on building a wheeled base for that table so that I can move it around the garage as needed.

Keeping the floor space clear means that I need to find an out of the way storage space for my floor jacks. I will  probably just roll them under the XJS, since that won't be coming out every day.

I plan to store two cars inside when not currently involved in a mechanical project. This will also make it easier  to rotate the use of my hobby cars.

Looks like there is plenty of room, now.

This was the space I had available when I changed out the transmission.
Note the cars position to the center floor seam.
It was like a single car garage.

Clutter does not preclude the work of genius. This is famed car customizer and master metal man, Bill Hines. (1923-2016). His shop does look a little "cozy." I met him a couple of times at the West Coast Kustoms Nationals at Santa Maria Ca. I saw him and that Cadillac the last time I went to the Nationals.

Photos source: Auto  Week
He was in his mid Eighties the last time I saw him. He just kept the faith over all those years.
Respect.

A "She Shed" she said, Part Two.

Here's where w decided the second shed will go.

Right now I'm sitting on the couch writing this post while I'm waiting for the contractor to arrive to construct our second shed. Yes, there is a lot of stuff that still has to be moved out of the garage.

While this post follows last week's entry, almost ten months have passed since the first shed was completed. I had only painted it in the last few weeks. It quickly became apparent that one shed was not going to be enough. So the decision was made to have another one constructed.

But it had to be done. Having a garage available for my automotive hobby really forms the basis for my retirement "dreams." Some guys want to move out to "the country." I have spent years listening to many of my co workers telling me how they plan to move out of California. To Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, even Atlanta Georgia. Atlanta?  Somewhere that they could afford to buy a nice house on some land. It's a common dream. My Brother actually moved out to Wyoming to give it a go.

When discussing all of this with the Wife her question is always, "What are you looking for?"

That's a good question. It's not that I don't like my house and neighborhood, even my city. I'm semi retired so I don't have to go to work every day. I only have to deal with heavy commuter traffic occasionally.

My house is not very big, but it's big enough now that I have only one kid living at home. I have my den, which is a triumph and a joy. I don't care how much bigger our house could be, I've got a special space right now. Even if my house was a McMansion, I don't need it.

photo source" McMansion Hell
Not my house!

What I've really wanted for a long time is a garage that I can really use as a shop. The dream of having a big property that I could build a dedicated shop on, is a good dream, but not really necessary. How many cars do I really need anyway? ( A question to ask yourself, you know what your Wife's answer is going to be!)

I know a guy that built a barn on his brother's country property. He had fifteen cars, mostly Mopar muscle cars,  Well only twelve were intact and complete. Six were actually "finished" usable running cars. Three or four were "projects" and the rest were parts cars. His barn was located about an hour from his house. Not quite the best set up. Still he made it work.

Until a divorce put an end to most of his collection. Haven't spoken to him much since.

So the question came up "Why not work with what you have?"

Years ago I used to keep my cars and motorcycles in the garage. Of course we only had two cars at the time.

Somehow if left unattended, the garage will fill up any available space with "stuff."

Once my Wife set up her studio in the house she was happy to help me find a solution to my problem.

I came to the conclusion that if I cut down on the size of my potential car collection I could make do with a two car garage. If Jack Olsen could do it, why not me?

I'll be trying to make maximum use of the space that I have. The goal is to have a flexible and usable space.

It's done. What color will I paint it?

Now that the second shed is built, it sure is filling up quickly!

My plan is to be able to park two cars in the garage on a regular basis. When I have a big job in progress I can park the car in the middle to allow more work space on the sides.

I will detail my garage set up in following posts.