Just a little more work done

Did some easy stuff today. First, I attached the flexplate to the engine block. Here are 2 before pics. The rear of the engine...

And the flexplate itself...


The plate fits onto the engine with 6 bolts that connect it to the end of the crankshaft. It looked like the 6 bolt holes were evenly spaced, but not quite, and the directions I saw on the web (since none really came with the plate itself) never mentioned that. So I started with 3 bolts all going in fine complete with the blue thread locker, only to find that the next one would not match up quite perfectly with the hole. I ended up rotating the shaft and trying again, 3 more times until I stumbled onto the correct matchup. Other than that, it went very smooth. Here is the final outcome.


Next, I took off the engine lift plate and set the carburetor in place. I am missing part of the stuff I will need to get it to link up with the transmission, so I am just sort of setting it in place for now.



While I continue working on acquiring the transmission, I can now plumb the rest of the fuel system. I need to connect the dual carburetor bowls to the mechanical fuel pump I installed in the engine months ago. And I still need to connect the fuel pump to the hard fuel line running from the tank. I think I may end up buying a special kit, probably from JEGS, that will come with almost everything I need.

Back to Work on the Car

With spring just around the corner, I decided to go ahead and start cranking out some work on the car. Last week I took care of the rusty steering stuff from a couple of posts ago. I used a little oil and some scotch brite pads and then painted with a rattle can of black paint. Turned out okay, but I may still touch them up some more later and will post pics when it comes time to install them. I also painted the power steering pump bracket that Jerry and I modified to fit in the engine bay.

I also noticed that the front brake rotors had a bit of surface rust too. I will have to hit them with the same oil/scotch brite solution as the steering shaft. Here you can probably see a little of what I am looking at...


Today, I removed the engine from its stand and dropped it into place on the frame. Here are the pics, before...


and after...


Also, here is a picture of the new clearance that has been created for the power steering pump. You can see that it no longer makes contact with the driver side control arms.


Next up, I will probably remove the engine lift plate and put in the carburetor. I should also be able to install the flexplate. That piece is similar to a flywheel, but for an automatic transmission. Basically, it is a huge toothed wheel plate that attaches to the engine between it and the transmission. It functions to turn the engine over when you turn the key. The starter motor moves an arm into place and engages the teeth on the flexplate to get it going. Think of the old movies of cars being started. Sort of replaces the guy in the front of the car with the big bar turning the engine over as it gets started.