Today’s workshop adventure was employing over an hour and a team of experts to remove just one bolt from a Lexus. It’s a GS300, kind of an upgraded V6 Camry. We went in to do a belt change, which is usually a pretty simple job. Not this time!
The bolt holding the harmonic balancer simply would not come undone. So here’s an example where you never burn your bridges as you never know who you’re going to call on for help.
In this case it was my mate Jack, who I knew had a one-inch impact gun he calls Rambo, as opposed to the three-quarter inch item we usually use. It’s designed for the trucking industry and has a lot more power.
With the bolt off, we then had problems getting the balancer to part company with the shaft. We eventually won, after I custom-made a puller. It was a good illustration of why you should spend a little extra time doing any job and think of the person who works on it next.
What should happen is you go over the balancer and shaft with a little emery paper, put the bolt on the wire wheel and then apply a small amount of ant-seize when you put it back together. All that might take an extra few minutes, however I ended up losing an hour I’ll never see again!
Thinking ahead applies to anything you do on a car, including building it. I’ve spent hours making up custom brackets for hoses, so the next person along doesn’t have to waste time when they go in to service it.
You often can tell the quality of work that’s gone into a car through simple things, such as how they’ve fitted a split pin.
Speaking of builds, work continues on Guido’s VK wagon. Unfortunately our auto electrician has gone on an extended holiday, so while he’s sunning himself somewhere, we’re getting a few other jobs done.
For example I’ve got a specialist in to match our 600 Holley to its adapter plate, so it will operate with the lock-up converter on the four-speed transmission. It’s a fiddly task that I’m quite happy to hand over.
Old rubber
I’m wondering how old is too old for tyres. One of my cars, an Alfa GTV6, has 2009 stamped on the sidewalls, so I know they’re well past the use-by date. One of the things I’m getting is steering wheel wobble over some bumps.
Another car, my VF SSV Commodore, has rubber that’s now five years old. Though it still has plenty of tread, I’m getting next to no feedback from the tyres or steering. Is it time for a change?
Clem Anderson
Mick says…
THAT WOBBLE you’re talking about suggests you have some front-end problems which could be ball joints, movement in the rack ends or in the bearing hub.
Basically you’re going to have to get it off the ground and go over it carefully. As for tyres, I’m not comfortable with anything over 10 years. The rubber should still be okay at five years, but it won’t feel as good as a new set. Keep in mind that exposure to the elements accelerates any deterioration.
To my way of thinking, changing them is relatively cheap insurance. If you’re unsure of the date of your tyres, look for the four-digit number stamped on the sidewall. The first two digits are the week and the last two the year. So 1020 reads as week ten in 2020.
Roaring Ford
Hi. My partner and I are looking at a home-built Ford GT40 replica, which I’m told is a Roaring Forties kit car. It seems much of the build was done by the owner and it appears to be well done. With six-speed transmission.
It’s running a Coyote engine. It’s registered, everything seems to work, but I guess my concern is how good is the build? Maybe you can offer some tips on what to look at.
Julia Williams
Mick says…
THE ROARING Forties cars were actually well-engineered and the fitment of the Coyote V8 suggests it’s a late model. These were the pick of the GT40 replicas. Look up the company online and you’ll see they’re still going and there’s every chance they’ll have some record of the car.
People put a lot of time and effort into these builds, so I would hope it’s been completed to a high standard. Nevertheless I’d get it up on a hoist and go over it inch by inch, in part to assess whether it needs any updates.
Look closely at where the body mounts to the chassis – hopefully there won’t be any cracks in the fiberglass body panels. As for the drivetrain, they’re pretty bulletproof.
Damped out
Maybe you can help me with this. My 2002 E39 BMW (a five series) is starting to feel a bit rough on bumpy roads.
It still handles okay and is fine on the freeway. But take it somewhere that’s a little rougher – say the Olympic Way in NSW – and it seems to struggle.
The car has about 220,000km, so I’m guessing the dampers are done. Would you also replace the springs? The original dampers are Bilsteins, which are expensive. Should I go for the same?
Jim Crombie
Mick says…
THERE IS a quick way to check what shape your dampers are in, which is to bounce a corner of the car up and down a few times and see if it takes time to settle. If it springs back just once, that’s good.
If it keeps bouncing a little, your damper is on the way out. However keep in mind that a damper is but one element of your suspension – and BMWs tend to be complex in this area, seemingly using 10 components where someone else might use three.
I would also be casting an eye over any bushes or mounts and paying particular attention to the rubber used in the bearing plate. People change shockers and springs and not the bearing plate and then wonder why the car still clunks and bangs.
Old Beezt
I found a photo of my paternal great grandparents Thomas (aka Johnny) and Mary Ann Becker, who lived on Stonecroft Station about 100km north of Taroom, Queensland, and eventually retired into Theodore.
I only met them the once and just have a very vague memory of them but the photo reminded me of a story Dad used to tell about Johnny and his driving. Being born in March 1870, he was very much in the era where the horse was the major form of transport and he appeared never to fully grasp the concept of four wheels and a steering wheel versus reins and four legs.
He bought a 1920s Willys Knight. Dad said it was a lovely looking car, but Johnny never got along with it. It had a cone clutch as opposed to the flat disc clutch that became the industry standard.
The cone was covered in leather and went into a bevel flywheel – it actually worked okay. However, Johnny was not into this gear changing business and he would get the old Willys rolling plonk it into top gear as soon as possible, but rather than change gear when he had to slow down, go through a gully or up a hill he would just slip the clutch, build up a few more revs and hope the old car would chug its way through.
This played havoc with the clutch, and you will have to use your imagination here and try to think of the sound leather would make slipping on steel. Dad would say it went “beeezt” and he had a private nickname for his Grandfather: Old Beeezt.
Even at a young age Dad was very mechanically minded, word would come Johnny was on the move and to keep an eye out for him, invariably he would not turn up in a reasonable time and Dad’s father would tell him to grab his pushbike and go and find him, usually in the bottom of a gully or creek with the clutch very hot and slipping so badly there was no drive.
The cone clutch was very easy to adjust, Dad would attend to this and send Johnny on his way with advice to “drop her down a gear, don’t slip the clutch”. Anyway, Johnny would get going and continue ‘beeezting’ all the way along the track.
The leather had to be lubricated with neatsfoot oil, the same as used for saddles, bridles and such.
The old Willys did not run well and a drilling contractor, Paddy Hockey, always said he knew what was wrong but would never let on. One day it was playing up particularly badly and Johnny was totally frustrated and said he would sell it, Paddy chimed in and said how much. Johnny replied 25 pounds and Paddy not believing his ears said “sold”.
Paddy got it home and pulled the carburetor apart, the jets were small round steel balls of various sizes, and these had been mixed up and in the wrong place, Paddy fixed that up and Dad said he used it for years and it ran like clockwork. Great grandfather then bought a 1929 De Soto.
Vaughn Becker
Mick says…
BALL BEARING jets! Now there’s something I haven’t heard of for a while. The way they worked is they relied on the pressure of the fuel pump to open it and the weight of the bearing would close it again. A very simple idea that works.
If you go to work on one, just take your time and pay close attention as you take it apart because you can put the wrong bearing back in the wrong place.
As for the clutch, it’s a very simple and pretty effective design, though the idea of treating it with neatsfoot oil will come as shock to most of these days.
These old cars can be great fun though you will find yourself learning new things along the way. If you’re in the market for one, as always, rust is what generally kills a project as it’s the most expensive thing to fix.