Stepping into PV444 realm by T5 for Life

4 minute(s) of a 29 minute read

So there was definitely a leak at the rear of the manifold gasket...made evident when the brand new Dorman stud snapped under the lightest of tightening attempts.  

I ordered a remflex gasket and will replace that stud when I do the gasket swap. They just don't make 'em like they use to....

11-18-2016

So, turns out 2 of the rear-most exhaust studs broke. Brand new Dormann studs...made in China, nor over-torqued at all. Just pure $h!t. They are such low quality metal that I was able to drill it in 30 seconds to get a tap in it. I'll try backing it out tonight, then the Remflex goes on.

11-22-2016

Those studs are pure junk. I managed to get the Remflex on there, and it sealed up nicely. I used your starter fluid trick with no up-ticks in idle speed noted. I also tested the fuel injector plugs I put in the head with the starter fluid as well, just in case air was pulling through there. Nothing. Also got rid of the recirc tube and swapped out my oil filler cap from the B16B.

Seems to run a bit better, but the timing still hunts a bit due to the slop in the dizzy. I'll deal with that in the Spring, as for now it's perfectly drivable and needs to get some mileage on it.

I don't mean to sound like an info-mercial, but if anyone is having issues sealing off their intake or exhaust manifolds on the B18/20 setup...PLEASE do yourself a favor and put Remflex on there. It was yet another example of how well this stuff works.

11-28-2016

Update:

Finally got the hood back on after feeling confident that no more major fixes will be required for now, as it was just easier to work on it without it in place. Oddly enough, the passenger side hinge (B16B car with "narrower" hinges) doesn't clear the front air filter. &@&^!#. These newer repro air filters use the same backing place for front and rear carbs, and as a result, the front ones sit too far forward. Looks like more modifications are coming.

At least I have them off the car as I work on a choke setup.

2-19-2017

Since the weather has sucked in the Northeast and I have some time on my hands, I decided to pick up a used 009 dizzy from ebay to rebuild mine. They said it was "good for parts" but I'll be danged if it wasn't in excellent condition. The shaft is smooth with barely no vertical play at all, it spins perfectly, and everything else in it is tighter and in better condition than the one in my car now. I already removed my other one and am using that one for parts instead. I am almost done rebuilding this other one I picked up, will paint it today, and get it back together later this afternoon. But I can definitely see where the creeping timing issue was coming from with this current dizzy.

Not sure if I'll try to run it just yet though, as there seems to be a coolant leak from one of the fittings on the rear of the head. Oddly enough, neither of them "feels" wet, but it leaked enough to lose all the coolant below that level. It drips down through the bell-housing to pool below the car. And it's pissing me off. I may order a brand new coolant pipe (that runs along the side of the head to the water pump) to eliminate any corrosion-related leaks where the hose clamps on. Then I'll pull the other pipe fitting and put more thread sealant on that.

At any rate, there is still a ton of salt and melting snow on the ground, and the old blue car won't be leaving the driveway for those road conditions!!