Help me identify sabotage?

[Siedl]

Hello! It’s been a long time since I’ve been on here but I finally got my 1972 gmc Stepside back! Yay! Not without complication of course. My ex decided to steal my battery, disconnect a cable off the carburetor, there were three small washers sitting on the manifold underneath the cable but no screws or nuts, there was some broken plastic on the ground under the truck but unidentifiable. I’m not proficient enough to look and see what’s been disassembled so I’m hoping you all could help. I’ve attached pics. One of the last pics has a paperclip (don’t laugh, I know it’s so very....) attaching the previously disconnected cable in a slight attempt to at least be able to start the engine.

When I attempted to start it the starter made a horrific grinding sound like when you try to start an engine that’s already been started. Since am familiar with starters, basically a took a look and the teeth on the starter are pretty ground where they hit the flywheel and I’m wondering how bad those teeth can get before it’s a lost cause. I am aware there are two ways to shim a starter, the round shim inside the body or the rectangular oblong shim that sits where you bolt the starter on. I just don’t know if it’s worth trying if there is a point when the teeth on the starter gear are too damaged. I did “futz” with it enough to be able to attempt to turn it over without grinding it but it just cycles like it’s not getting gas. (Sorry my vocabulary is way off the industry norm, (my engine talk is like my Spanish) I understand more than I speak, lol. )

Oh yeah, as far as the starter teeth, they are ground down in the middle of the tooth so my amateur mind tells me if I positioned the starter so that gear hits 100% of the flywheel instead of the roughly 60%-70% it is now, then the top and bottom edge of each tooth with will catch and the pits in the middle won’t matter as much. Maybe get a few more starts before I replace it. Does this even make sense? Ugh 🥴

Any and all help is appreciated, thank you!!

[Astro-Balls]

Please post pic of your ex so we can steer clear of her..
Sounds like she is evil..

[Steeveedee]

Maybe the starter bolts are just loose? You might try to find someone more knowledgeable to take a look.

And yes, post a pic of your hex-wife to alert us to run away.

[Ol Blue K20]

I would pull the plugs to make she didn't dump stuff into the cylinders. It almost sounds like the engine is frozen up.

[Ol Blue K20]

I didn't realize how close you are to me. The pic might be a good idea. ...lol

[BigBird05]

You already need a new starter. Change it before you need to replace the fly wheel. Looks like the oil line going to the gauge has been cut. You must repair that before you attempt to start it. The washers and that piece of wire had some thing to do with your down shift cable. The wire circled in yellow is a ground wire. You probably have a professional look it over and fix any thing else that you haven't seen.

[LockDoc]

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Maybe the missing nuts and bolts are down inside the engine. Have you tried turning the engine over by hand? (with the plugs out)

LockDoc

[jimijam00]

That btch. Yeah, post a pic so others can steer clear.

Since you filed a police report and the local PD arrested her for vandalism, just have it towed to the mechanic of your choice to have diagnosed and repaired. The bill will obviously go to her or you'll pay and get reimbursed when you take her to small claims court if the criminal court doesn't require her to pay.

One of my favorites..

Beastie Boys - Sabotage (Official Music Video) -...

[Siedl]

Hahaha you guys are so funny!! This is my ex ...
Does being sans penis disqualify me from help? 😁😘

[jimijam00]

Man, woman, other. Still a btch in my book for doing this.

[firedemon]

small pieces on intake manifold take the air cleaner off and look to make sure nothing got poured in there before you do anything

[Siedl]

The starter bolts were in tight.
In regard to local law enforcement, well, the night I called the sheriff asking for assistance to remove him from the property and tell them he was trying to steal my truck, despite CHP saying don’t let the truck leave the property, the deputy got scared when he got mad and told him go ahead, take the truck, I’m not gonna follow you. I screaming no, and the sheriff tells me to be quiet, save my breath, let him go Chp will get him....

Yeah, no one got him. I had to get it myself. For any doubters, the pink and the reg are in my name. :-). So, calling the police is not an option for me anymore. Sadly...

How do you guys feel about women owning awesome trucks? I can personally attest to discrimination, this encounter was just one example of many...

[AussieinNC]

Sans penis ?

You mean you are a female...no worries here as we are all here to help...

The cable laying on the manifold under the linkage is the TV cable for the transmission....do not drive it until it gets looked at by a professional....

If you have the skills and tools, remove the plugs and hand turn the engine over to see if there are any parts down inside the engine,,,,if it locks up or knocks, stop immediately and seek professional help.
remove the air cleaner and look for small parts down inside the carb,
remove the carb and look down inside the manifold for small parts...
if you find any small parts in there you must remove the heads and make sure all parts are removed prior to attempting to start the engine.
Repair the oil line at back of engine.
Check the oil level and check for water in the oil.
Check water in radiator.
Check oil in transmission.
Check brake fluid and make sure pedal feels solid.
Check all steering joints and ensure they are secure.

Keep us informed on progress.....

[Siedl]

Thank you AUSSIEinNC, yes, I’m a mom. �� I appreciate the solid instruction. Yes I can remove the plugs and try to manually turn over the engine. I’ll go through your list and post what I find. I fear the worst ... items dropped down in there is a very good possibility. :-(

[Siedl]

If I hand turn over the engine does that screw up the timing?

[special-K]

What a big baby

[jimijam00]

Originally Posted by Siedl

How do you guys feel about women owning awesome trucks?

I won't speak for the knuckle draggers in this thread, but I dig it. Actually, I dig women even if they don't own awesome trucks.

[BigBird05]

If he was this big of an A.H. you might want to drain the gas tank in case he poured some contaminant in it.

[67C10Step]

If it were me I’d drain the gas tank, change the oil in the motor and transmission. Probably do the same with brake and power steering as well. Cheap insurance.

Check brake lines and steering components for tampering along with all the engine recommendations.

Long list but if you have a vindictive pice of crap doodling with your truck you never know. I hate people that mess with folks rides. Cowards as the ride didn’t do anything and they are too chicken to stand up face to face.

[fourspeedwagon]

Yep- flashlight and or one of those long skinny magnets down the carb to make sure the screws/bolts didn’t go down there.
The yellow circled areas in pic 2 I believe are fine, the red wire circled in green pic 3 may be a wire for the tach. Help in person is probably your best way to proceed.
Good luck

[Steeveedee]

My apologies for assuming that you were a guy. What kind of Deputy Sheriff ever waffled when a guy yelled at him? My experience (watching people I knew do it) was a bit...different, to say the least. Title's in your name, he goes away, if he knows what is good for him. Wow, this is weird. Like others have pointed out, it needs to go to a trusted mechanic for evaluation.

[BigBird05]

After looking at the photos again, It looks like the power to the distributor has been removed. It could be the big red wire in the bottom of the photo. Take another photo of the end of that wire for us.

[dmjlambert]

What a terrible story, sorry you are going through this. I recommend installing a hood lock soon, or at least chain and padlock. Locking gas cap. I think you're going to have to inspect every inch of the truck, even underneath, up under the dash, etc.

[Sheepdip]

Originally Posted by Siedl

If I hand turn over the engine does that screw up the timing?

Nope no issues with timing, your crank and cam are married together with a chain behind that long pan behind the water pump. I doubt he opened that up way too much work. But he could have re-clocked the distributor real easy so the timing would be off

[truckster]

Originally Posted by Siedl

If I hand turn over the engine does that screw up the timing?

No, that won't mess up the timing at all unless the distributor is removed.