Working Man's Burbon

[HO455]

As promised the cap with gasket removed. It certainly looks like a plate could be missing.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

Hmmmm! There is no brass backer place under the gasket. Not even a flat surface. May be that has been the problem all along. I will get a photo of what is under the gasket and post it.
Thanks again LockDoc. You Da Man!

I was going by what you said in post #396: "I just don't have a clue as to what the thin plate is supposed to do." I thought you were talking about the gasket backer plate that I have the arrow pointing at in the photo below.

LockDoc

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

As promised the cap with gasket removed. It certainly looks like a plate could be missing.

OK, I see now. What my arrow is pointing to is actually part of the casting. Most caps have a flat brass plate in there that backs up the gasket and makes it seal. If you have a stock cap pull the rubber seal back with your fingernail and you will see what I am talking about.

LockDoc

[HO455]

I found a stock cap to look at and I see the brass backer. I will get some shim stock and make one for mine and maybe glue the gasket to it in the hope that the brass will slide on the casting and the gasket won't have to slide on the filler neck thus solving the problem with the gasket deformity.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

I found a stock cap to look at and I see the brass backer. I will get some shim stock and make one for mine and maybe glue the gasket to it in the hope that the brass will slide on the casting and the gasket won't have to slide on the filler neck thus solving the problem with the gasket deformity.

That should work. Put a thin coat of grease on the back of the backer plate.

LockDoc

[HO455]

I ran with LockDoc's idea of a brass backer for the gasket. Used some shim stock (about .020) traced the gasket, and trimmed the outside to fit. (I ended up not being satisfied with the cut lines I made with the marker so I set the gasket on the brass and sprayed a light coat of paint on them to get a nice sharp cut line.) Then cut an X in the center with a sharp scraper and with my lefthanded tin snips spiraled outward until I was close to the right inside dimension. Then I glued the gasket on to the brass. And to finish I used a Dremel with a grind stone to smooth the edges and get the brass to the exact size of the gasket. To remove the burrs on the back I sanded with 150 grit sandpaper. The cap now turns much easier ( I'm sure the grease helps) with no sign of the gasket bunching up. That should finally finish this little adventure. All this just to keep the gas cap from walking away on its own.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

I ran with LockDoc's idea of a brass backer for the gasket. Used some shim stock (about .020) traced the gasket, and trimmed the outside to fit. (I ended up not being satisfied with the cut lines I made with the marker so I set the gasket on the brass and sprayed a light coat of paint on them to get a nice sharp cut line.) Then cut an X in the center with a sharp scraper and with my lefthanded tin snips spiraled outward until I was close to the right inside dimension. Then I glued the gasket on to the brass. And to finish I used a Dremel with a grind stone to smooth the edges and get the brass to the exact size of the gasket. To remove the burrs on the back I sanded with 150 grit sandpaper. The cap now turns much easier ( I'm sure the grease helps) with no sign of the gasket bunching up. That should finally finish this little adventure. All this just to keep the gas cap from walking away on its own.

That looks great. Hope it seals good.

LockDoc

[HO455]

Well it quit raining so I got a chance to fill up and test the cap. I didn't get the gas smell. Whoo Boo!! But later I noticed this. So some leakage still but it is reduced to the level that doesn't smell. I guess that the fill will need to have more massaging to stop the leakage.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

Well it quit raining so I got a chance to fill up and test the cap. I didn't get the gas smell. Whoo Boo!! But later I noticed this. So some leakage still but it is reduced to the level that doesn't smell. I guess that the fill will need to have more massaging to stop the leakage.

Glad all the work you did helped. Yeah, the lip of the filler neck has to be pretty true and smooth.....

LockDoc

[HO455]

Well then it looks like the next step will be pulling the fill and doing some massaging and soldering that crack up. Maybe add a vent tube and go non vented cap. Thanks for your input Doc.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by HO455

Well then it looks like the next step will be pulling the fill and doing some massaging and soldering that crack up. Maybe add a vent tube and go non vented cap. Thanks for your input Doc.

No problem.

LockDoc

[HO455]

During the new motor installation I was reusing the old mounts which looked good. But after an hour of cursing and shoving on the passenger side I pulled the mount off the and found that the last time someone installed the bolt they had cross threaded it into the mount and now the mount was junk. A trip to NAPA got me two new mounts and new bolts. An hour later it was all bolted down. Although it did take removing the bolts on the tranny mount and pulling the tailshaft to the driver's side slightly, as well as leaving all bolts on the block loose until the bottom two were snugged up. After all the front mounts were tight I reinstalling the tranny mount bolts. I could have avoided that step if I hadn't bolted the tranny up while the new mounts were being picked up. So much for trying to be productive. I don't understand why Chevy stuck with these mounts for so long. The Pontiac style is so much quicker to install.
This little detour to the past leads me to the project of the day. Apparently my new engine is a torque monster as I have already destroyed the driver's side mount. While attempting to beat traffic out of the driveway at work I nailed it and suddenly the tranny jumps into neutral. Akk!!!! I see the tach swung pass 5000. Gaa!!
So I get home and raise the hood and power brake the WMB and the engine spins to the right and I get to see the cross member. Yikes!
Went down and got two new ones from Dan's Classic. I do like the design of these better than the NAPA ones I got. I believe they will be harder to tear apart due to the flange on the bottom that should catch the bottom of the rubber block. I didn't have to undo the transmission this time but I did have to loosen the motor mount stand on the driver's side to get all the holes to line up.
Two things I learned from the first time around is that chasing the center bolt threads will make starting that bolt easier. And that grinding the corner off the driver side mount makes tightening the front bolt easier.
I'm thinking it will be a smart idea to install some limiting straps like the factory did so I don't have to do this again. Although horsepower related repairs are more fun than other repairs.

[HO455]

I have been living with air leaks since I got the WMB on the road. My hope was that the leaks would get worse and thus easier to locate. Which to a certain extent has worked out. The rear bags work just fine and will stay up for days. The fronts however leak down in about 4 hours. Which wasn't unbearable, but now the tank has started leaking down at the same basic rate.
I backed the truck up to the garage and connected the shop compressor to the truck's air tank and bumped everything up to 150 psi and dove underneath with my bottle of leak check. After an hour the only thing I came up with is that it seemed like air was leaking past the check valve and out the compressor intake. So I dashed down the hill to Grainger and got a new check valve. Installing that caused to the swivel fitting next to the original check valve to get all loose and start leaking. So I pulled that off and used a bolt, punch and a vise to hold the bolt so I could smack the punch and get the swivel to quit leaking. The downside of smashing the center together tighter is it doesn't swivel very well anymore, but seems to hold the air in. (See picture 1. Vice not shown). Now things are looking pretty good there. (Photo 2)
But none of this has anything to do with the front end dropping. It donned on me that the only place I had not checked for leaks were the new guages I had installed. Since I had ordered a set of guage angle adapters awhile back it decided to install those and to swap the guages to see if the problem followed the guage. I didn't get photos of the adapter installation but it was pretty straightforward. I just had to cut the back hold down straps to different lengths and grind out some clearance for the light bulb holders. The directions were not much help in that they only addressed setting up the adapter at 90 degree locations (like north south east west) where I wanted them halfway between east and south. (I hope that makes sense) (Photo #3 before & #4 after. Photo #5 is the guage angle set from Auto Meter). So guages swapped, and the tank aired up it's time for lunch and some sanding on the bookcases I'm building to keep peace in the house. 3 hours later I walk out to check things out and even before I get to the truck I can tell the rear bags are down. Sure enough the rears have bled down 20 psi. All this time it has been a leaking guage. I had discounted the guage as the problem as it was #1 new and #2 I didn't think both sides of the guage would be leaking (dual needle guages) down. I called Air Lift hopefully for some kind of warranty help. After a short conversation about the leaking since installed and why it took so long to figure out the guage was bad they said no problem and they would ship me a replacement guage. Hooray!
It also appears that the check valve has stopped the air tank from bleeding down. So things have improved here today. When the new guage arrives I will post some photos on the guage hold down straps.

[LockDoc]

-
It seems like it just goes from one thing to another...... Glad you are getting a handle on everything though.

LockDoc

[HO455]

Well it is 51 years old and there are still some parts I haven't got to yet. I've only got just under 6000 miles on it at this point.
I was looking into replacing the hose from the compressor and during the course of that I noticed the fill times given by compressor manufacturers to fill a 2.5 gallon air tank. They all seemed to be in the 2-5 minute range which is very different than the 15 minutes it takes mine to get to 150 psi. So I ordered a new compressor (with hose!) since it appears that mine may be worn out. When I got the truck the shut off on the compressor was set above 200 psi which I thought was too high. I am sure that contributed to its wear and tear. So I reset it to 145 psi and magically things got guieter inside.

In other news I feel like I am living a Dwight Yoakam song as of late.

I drive a beat up '67 Chevrolet
With a torn up seat
That pokes a brand new hole in my back near every day

Part of the front seat spring has broken and turned fairly dangerous. With one or both of the two pieces waiting to shred me every time I get in or out. I am pretty carefull as of late. I located a set of 40/20/40 seats from a 2013 GMC on Craig's List. The truck had under 10k on it so they seem like new. The center seat back is missing so still some searching to do. But only $200 into it as of now. I had to drive down to south of Salem to get them. The first long trip with the new rear gears and the rest. I filled up before leaving, drove there and back and then to work the next day and filled the tank back up. I checked the speedometer against the 5 miles test sections the state has set up going down and coming back. Surprisingly the speedometer is one of the most accurate ones have have ever had. It was 1/2 of 1/10th of a mile off after 5 miles. Is that 1/20th??? Anyway the end result for MPG was 14.9. I have to say I am pleased with that as I have done no carb tuning. I stayed at 60 mph for most of the trip.

Posted with Dwight in the back ground.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7hojsYK12eY

[Average Joe]

15 mpg is pretty darn good. Especially with 3.73's and no overdrive.

I think you will really like the new seats. I love the seats in mine. They were from a '04 Silverado. Way more comfortable than the worn out bench seat they replaced plus integrated shoulder belts. Nice score!

[HO455]

I'm hoping the seats work out. I had back surgery about five years ago and since I have found that some seats get painful on any kind of trip over 30 minutes. My S10 and our old Lexus were bad. I had a Camery rental earlier this year that was good and amazingly the bench seat in the WMB doesn't bother me. The lack of a head rest and constantly having to wedge myself in around corners does bother me. So the plan is to bolt them in and try them for a while before deciding if they are keepers.

Around town I get 11.5 mpg and didn't expect much difference from that so I am pleasantly surprised. I'm sure that there is more to be had with some work. The 3.07's were nice on the highway but I reallllllly like the driving around town with the 3.73's. Now I just need to make up my mind whether to go with a Gear Vendors or a 700r4.

[HO455]

Finally got all the pieces together to replace the compressor. First off the power lead had to be replaced as it was only 12 guage wire. The new compressor called for 8 guage wire for the 18 foot run from the battery. Biggest challenge to do this is replacing the wires that currently go to the control relays. The compressor is rated at 23 amps max load. The relays are rated for 30 amp loads but to the leads coming from the relay connectors are only 12 AWG. So to prevent voltage drop at the compressor it is best to upsize all the wiring. My compressor circuit starts at the factory power lug on the front fender then goes to a 20 amp circuit breaker ( auto resetting). Then to the power supply relay next to it. (1st photo, relay on the left.) The power supply relay controls the power to a second relay at the compressor. The power supply relay is operated by a signal that comes from the fuel pump controller (Revolution Electronics). This prevents the compressor from operating when the engine is shut off. (The PO had a fuse under the hood to do this. Pull the fuse every time you park for the night. ). Once the power supply relay is pulled in power is supplied to the compressor control relay. This relay is controlled by the pressure switch at the tank and starts and stops the compressor as needed (on 110 psi, off 125 psi).
Now connecting an 8AWG wire to the relay is not a plug and play operation. Here is how I did it. After removing the lug from the relay connector body, cut it about 1 1/8" from the lug and strip the insulation. Carefully open the first clamp on the lug. The one that secures the insulation to the lug. Set that aside and strip about 5/8" of insulation from the new wire you are replacing the old lead with. Then divide the strands into two sections. The first section will be smaller than the other as it will replace the insulation in the clamp you opened up. The other section gets trimmed back 3/16 of an inch and folded back for now. Place the first section in the clamp and close the clamp down on the strands. (See photo 2). Then solder those strands to the clamp. Let that cool completely. Then realign all the strands of the new wire and wrap the previously stripped strands, that are secured in the second clamp of the lug, around the new wire. (Photo 3). Then solder the two together (Photo 4). After it cools completely heat shrink and reinsert the lug back into the connector body. Be aware of the connector body's size and make adjustments to the size of your connection before soldering so it will click back into the body of the connector. If you are concerned about getting it to fit make a trial run to see if you will have a problem. In my project the total amp draw is not the issue but preventing voltage drop at the compressor causing it to run slow and hotter is the goal. I would not do this type of connection if the amp load was near the limit of any of the components.
Once all the lugs were upgraded I installed some chaffing protection on the wires where they ran between the fender and fender well from the relay area to the frame. (Photo 5)

[HO455]

Swapping the physical compressor was straight forward. Drop the old one. ( Photo 1) Drill new holes in the mount and bolt back in place. Once it was in place the old 1/4" fittings at the tank had to be removed and replaced with 3/8" fittings. Bigger is better, right?
Just before this little project kicked off I discovered two other issues.
One was the external line hook up would leak past the shut off valve and past the female connection. So a new valve was installed. (Photo 2)
Two was there was no over pressurization protection. I also wanted to install a water trap in the supply line to the controls. Ideally I would have liked to put the water trap a little farther away from the tank but the water trap I ordered (Link below) has no provision for a mounting bracket. So it had to hang off the piping from the tank and the new 150 psi pop off valve shared the tee. (Photo 3).
The last photo shows the new compressor. (Viair 485C) I am quite happy with it although at initial start up I thought it was going to be much noisier than the old one. It actually seems no louder than the old one. I do notice the lights flicker when it starts up. I can actually watch the guage and see the needle move.

https://www.jegs.com/i/Air-Lift/022/21012/10002/-1

[Average Joe]

Great write up as always!

At one time I considered going full air ride on mine. However, after reading your experiences and others, I think I will keep my current set up. I admire your tenacity and ability to make things work right.

[HO455]

Thank you sir. Still dealing with air leaks although smaller ones at this point. The weather has dampened my enthusiasm to dive under the WMB and search further. Plus I have a new item to fix. Treated the Burban to a nice detail and paint sealing for the winter but when I got it back the 3rd door will not unlock. GRRRrrrrrr! Waiting for a dry day.

[HO455]

The weather was nice yesterday and I had some free time so I drove the WMB down to Salem. Its about an hour drive the traffic was good and was an nice drive. I had decided to visit the dealership the truck where had been sold when it was a shiny new model. I had looked up the address (photo 1) from the owners manual on the web and it looked like it was still there. I thought it would be cool to get pictures of the WMB next to the building if possible. Driving into Salem I passed the current version of Capital Chevrolet. If I could get a picture of the old building I would stop and get one of the current one too.
I found the address and got lucky enough to park next to the address number on the building. (Photo 2 circled) I had to get the pictures from across the street. Having to wait for the traffic to clear between the traffic lights turned this into about a 45 minute photo shoot. I don't know for sure but it looks to me as if the dealership was likely the whole block at some point. The address being in the middle of the block may have been the original location and as the business grew they took over the adjacent properties and built new buildings. (Photo 3 & 4)

[HO455]

The cool Art Deco corner building likely has had a window replacement at some point. I can imagine it with larger windows with new Chevrolets and Cadillacs inside. The double doors just in front of the WMB certainly look to have once been a door to roll cars in and out of the building. (Photo 2) Up close you can see they have been awkwardly converted to the double doors.

I did stop on the way back home and took some photos of the new location but it is no where as interesting to look at. Just another cheap box with windows. After I had parked the truck and was I was walking out to get the pictures a 20 something salesman came out and wanted to talk. When I said I just wanted to a picture of my truck at its dealership. He said "Oh". Then he turned around and as he was walking away staring at his phone he said " That must have been a long time ago". I just the pictures and left.

I hope this wasn't too boring.
And thank you everyone for looking. I find it hard to believe that there has been 40k visits to the thread.

To all. Best wishes for a HAPPY NEW YEAR !

[Average Joe]

Very cool pics! Thats awesome having the original sales info.

I remember in the late '80's looking at the used car lots in Salem. You could always find 1960's muscle. IiRC their were a few lots on Lancaster and one on Capitol Street where me and my Dad would alwas stop and drool.

[HO455]

A nice shiny Friday turned ugly. I was pulling into the parking lot at the deli I frequent for lunch when this 10-15 year old BMW suddenly backs out of a parking spot, turns and smacks into the side of the WMB. I tried to dodge him, but I was barely moving and had no chance. Hit me right at the rear wheel.. He pulled ahead 10 feet, I got out of the truck and he looked back at me and took off. I got the plate number and called 911 to report the hit and run. About 5 minutes later a patrol car arrives, the officer takes my information, asks me how long I have owned the WMB, compliments me on having a nice truck and goes off. I return to work and try to call the better half but she doesn't answer. Around 45 minutes later the officer calls me to say he is knocking on my front door. The girl friend answers the door while I'm talking to the officer and she immediately jumps to the conclusion something terrible has happened to me. After everything is settled down I learn they have found the driver. He is 16 driving on a permit. He had no adult with him and no insurance either. Freaking wonderful!
Tomorrow I get to call the parents and try to figure this out. I'm betting they owe $4500 on their $5000 car, have maxed out credit cards and barely make rent.
On the up side the nice folks at the deli said they will get the camera footage for me, plus they gave me lunch for free.
I know the damage isn't terrible. The part that makes me angry is that all that will happen to this miserable $&@+&#@ kid is he will get a ticket and IF he decides to buy insurance in the next 5 years it will cost him more.

I hope everyone else had a great Friday!