We’ve reached a milestone with Guido’s Project VK – it now has fluids in it and they seem to be staying on the inside! Very happy with that.
Just prior to that I did all the cabling for the battery, which is now mounted in the rear of the car as I didn’t want to clutter up the engine bay. I painted where I needed to modify the floor, so it won’t rust, and now the carpets are back so you wouldn’t know I’d been in there.
There’s an extra earth loop on the engine mount and it’s now ready for the auto electrician. We’ve also had the exhaust people in to have a look at the flanges they require.
What happens now is, when it’s back from the auto elec, we’ll need to get some oil through it.
On a Chev or a Ford, you can take the distributor out and drive the oil pump. And you can push oil into the lifters. You can’t do that on a Holden (in this case a 304 taken out to 355), because the oil pump is driven off the timing gear.
The only way you can do it is crank over the engine. We’ll disconnect the ignition and then crank the living daylights out of it, to the extent we may well exhaust the battery a couple of times.
I’ll then start it but won’t run it for long. The reason is, when you start an engine with just the headers, you can’t hear any wayward noises. So it really will be an ultra-brief test fire.
Once we have the full exhaust system in, we set the timing, run it to bed in the camshaft and check all the silly bits and pieces for leaks. We have a lot of custom-made hoses in there and there’s a good chance we’ll need to correct something. You allow for human error and move on.
Then we’ll go over bedding in the brakes and driving the car a few times to sort out any wrinkles. Finally, we’ll get those Aero rims polished up, and fitted with fresh rubber, before we hand it over.
Then I believe it will get a towbar fitted, as it’s to be the family hauler.
Happy Honda
Hi Mick. I’m looking at buying a 1992 Honda CRX 1.6lt targa top twin-cam VTEC, with five-speed manual, from a mate.
It’s a local delivery, has a good service record and seems to be in decent condition. Is there anything I should be looking out for on these?
Amy Rennick
Mick says…
My only question with a car like that is, have I got enough money in the bank? Just buy it. They’re a fun car and one in good shape with a service record should be a no-brainer so long as the mileage isn’t to the Moon and back.
They are a great little package and that VTEC engine is just sweet. And even when the VTEC packs up, they are cheap and easy to fix.
The seals for the Targa top need to be replaced periodically, and the same can be said for any car with that style of roof.
If the history checks out and you can trust the seller, go for it. If in doubt, get it on a hoist.
Steaming BMW
My old E24 BMW (a 635) seems to have a bit of steam emerging from under the bonnet, but I’m not yet not sure where it’s coming from.
These have a reputation for needing a fresh head gasket around 200,000-plus. Mine is getting close to that.
How do I go about checking for head gasket leak?
Damon Trent
Mick says…
A head gasket leak is the easiest to find and there are two things you should do. First is take your oil filler cap off and see if it is white with a mayonnaise look to it. That at minimum means there is condensation in there and is a sign the gasket is on the way out. The next one is easy, too. Make sure the cooling system is full. Start it up with the radiator cap removed and see if there are any bubbles. They are both simple things you can do at home, so you don’t have to pay me to tell you the gasket is blown.
If it were my car, I’d get ahead of the problem and do the head gasket anyway. It’s a fairly straightforward job on that car and it means you’re not driving around wondering if or when it’s going to let you down.
That’s also a good time to shout it a fresh set of hoses.
Tired GTi
Hi Mick. I’m the lucky and happy owner of a first-generation VW Golf GTi, with the injected 1.6lt engine. It’s getting on a bit and has fairly big miles on it and I have a couple of issues.
The first is a ‘soft’ brake pedal and I’m wondering if there’s a leak somewhere.
Number two is the engine is starting to feel and sound a little tired. How far do you think I should go to freshen it up?
Don Smith
Mick says…
They are so sought-after and are a great car. When it comes to your brakes it’s not necessarily a leak. If you still have a pedal, albeit not great, it won’t be a leak. As you probably know, most brake fluid is hygroscopic, that is it absorbs water. If yours hasn’t been done for a while, it will need a freshen-up. Flush the system, Suck out the fluid in the master cylinder and then clean it up as best you can with a rag.
Then, starting with the wheel that’s furthest away from the master, run new fluid through until you see clean fluid coming out of the bleeding point.
If it’s still a bit spongy, it’s probably the rubber lines flexing. We’ve just done a Mustang with new lines that are Teflon-lined with a stainless-steel outer, so you just don’t get that flex.
When it comes to your engine it depends on how deep you want to go. You could give it a full restoration. However. a top-end freshen up will probably do everything you need and is a relatively easy job.
You pull off the head and sump and you can actually do the rings and bearings with the engine in the car. Pull out the slugs and bearings, get the numbers off them and buy new ones, run a hone down the cylinders to deglaze them, face the head, fit new gaskets and make sure it’s reassembled with lots and lots of oil. That will easily see it go another 60-70,000km.
XB upgrade
G’day Mick. I’m in the middle of a Ford project. That is an old XB sedan where we are replacing the original six with a warmed-up but not crazy 302. The driveline change-over is going pretty well.
However, I was wondering if it was doing a major upgrade on the brakes, maybe with discs all-round instead of the drum rears. What are your thoughts on this?
Jim Anderson
Mick says…
I reckon people often over-think the whole brake issue. If the car was going to be a monster build with a gazillion horsepower then yes, you might go a for a complete brakes revision.
However, for what you’re describing, the standard disc front and drum rear can be made to work really well. Drums can be very effective and I like the fact you can adjust them. You’ve probably noticed that after a good service, where everything has been cleaned and adjusted, the brakes feel brilliant. There’s your clue.
You’ll find the front calipers were same for the sixes and eights.
My advice is go through the standard system as thoroughly as you can. Upgrade the rubber lines, check the calipers up front are working as they should – they’re easy to rebuild; ditto the rear drums and cylinders. New pads and some careful adjustment should give you a good result.
Hot VH
I have an old VH Valiant with the 265 six that I use as a daily driver. It seems to be struggling in traffic during summer, when the temp gauge gets uncomfortably close to the red.
The car gets lots of use and I’m happy to invest a bit into cooling it down a little.
Should I be looking at a bigger aftermarket radiator?
John Adams
Mick says…
Traffic was very different when Chrysler was still making the mighty Valiant and you generally didn’t cop the huge delays and queues we now see. The first thing I would do is a conversion I’ve done several times, which is get a Melbourne mob called Auto Cooling to upgrade the water pump. They change over the standard impeller for a cast iron unit of a different design which actually pumps the water rather than beating it to death. That change alone can make a big difference.
It would be worth getting the radiator checked and perhaps rebuilt, or you could go bigger and aftermarket.
Power Steer HZ
Hi Mick. Maybe I’m getting old, but I’m finding wrestling my Holden into parking spaces seems to get harder and harder.
It’s an HZ Kingswood with a 253 in the nose and auto transmission. So far as I can tell it’s never had power steering, but now might be the time to fix that.
What do you suggest?
Andrew Tackett
Mick says…
Your biggest challenge will be finding a complete Holden set-up from a wrecker. They’ve been in demand over the years and are getting harder to source. The recyclers know this, so be prepared to pay.
Remember you need everything, which includes the pump with reservoir, the hoses, the steering box, the brackets and the appropriate pulley. You can reuse the existing steering column.
Installation is simple and can be tackled by a reasonably competent home mechanic. The trickiest part is making sure you tension the new drivebelt correctly.
We did exactly that job on Guido’s Kingswood a few years ago and he reports it was well worth the trouble.