More Memories

I really enjoyed walking down memory lane in my last post sharing some memories of the initial work I did on the LeMans back in the mid-80s. Given that the initial post of this blog glosses over a lot in the interest of space, I figured I’d elaborate in some more posts. Another reason is I want to keep the blog going even though work on the car has stalled (more on that later). Let’s start at the beginning. In my first post I wrote:

When I was a child growing up in California during the late 60's and through the 70s, I would play in the front yard and watch the cars go past. Often I'd see a neighbor, Mr. Hayes, drive by in his convertible, and I would think what a nice looking car he had.

I also remember that the top was always down, and I could easily see the contrasting parchment interior against black exterior. I was struck by how shiny the black paint was except for a large patch on one rear quarter panel where the paint had lost is shine – like something had spilled on it. At this point, all the paint is in pretty rough shape, so I can’t tell which side the dull patch was on.

I’d like to share the cars my parents owned during my childhood. While I can’t remember anything of the first two cars I ever rode in, I’m sure they had an impact on my current car-craziness. The photo to the left is of my mom and dad getting ready to head out in his Triumph TR-3 shortly after they were married in Denver, CO. After my birth in the hospital in Frederick, MD in 1961, my dad drove my mom and I home in that TR-3. I doubt the top was down, but it was early April so it may have been (perhaps my first experience in top-down motoring). Soon after, he traded in the TR-3 for one of the first TR-4s imported into the US. When I was eighteen months old, I rode in the space behind the seats all the way from Maryland to California. There's a photo somewhere of my standing up on the driver's seat and smiling with both hands on the wheel. I need to get my dad to dig it up and send me a scan. My sister’s arrival a couple years later meant it was time for a family car, so the TR-4 was replaced by an early-60s VW Beetle. I don’t hold step down against her anymore.

At some point, before I was five, I do remember riding in the front seat of that Beetle when my mom rear-ended a ’64 Chevrolet (no, it wasn’t a Corvair – it was a Bel Air or Impala). I can still see in my mind’s eye the basically undamaged Chevy pulling away and turning left after the collision. I don’t remember what the front of the Beetle looked like after the incident, but I do know my dad had to come and got us in one of the county’s cars (he worked for the county health department), and that the gray Beetle was replaced with a newer, blue one soon after that event. Another poignant moment from the collision is my mom’s version of child restraint. This early-60s car did not have seat belts like most in that era (and before), and when my mom knew she couldn’t stop in time she flung her right arm out and held me back enough to keep my face from hitting dash board. I’m still impressed by the power of adrenaline.

Another memory of the gray Beetle is my dad building a platform in the back in place of the rear seats. This gave my sister and I a place to sleep when we went camping (which we did a lot) while my parent slept in a pup tent. The platform made a great play area where we could while away the hours as we made our yearly drives to visit relatives in other states or did our weekly summer trips up to the Sierra Nevada mountains for weekend fishing and camping (in that order).

While I don’t remember much else about the gray Beetle, I do recollect more about the blue one. It was a few years newer (I think it was a ’63) and my dad bought it used. The platform fit in place of the backseat just like it did in the gray car. The car had a cream-colored interior and my spot was always sitting behind my dad on the driver’s side of the backseat. I thought the strap hanging from the top of the b-pillar was neat, but to this day I don’t know what purpose it served other than having a small boy hang from it. I remember one night when I was seven or eight my dad opened the rear engine lid and explained how the last mechanic that replaced the spark plugs put one in too tight, and now it wouldn’t come out. It was time, he said, to start looking for a replacement.

Soon, the rest of the cars of my childhood.

I promised I'd talk about why there's been no progress on the LeMans. Well, family life has taken a huge chunk of my spartan spare time, and Mikhaila's Golf is still not road-ready.

Memories - I've Still Got Them

A few months back, while filming a segment on repairing a wire harness, I shared views of the notes I'd taken during the early years of working on the LeMans. These included what I bought, how much things cost, what I measured, as well as the successes and failures I experienced. The great thing was, while reading my notes, I was transported back to the mid-80s and our condo's carport. I could, in my minds eye, distinctly remember events just as I wrote them. Events like buying the car, getting my buddy, Steve, to help me push it down the street to my folks' house, getting the engine to first run for a few minutes before it seized up, borrowing a cherry picker from a neighbor and removing the engine for the first time, loading the bare block and crankshaft into my dad's VW bus and taking them to an machine shop for work. I remember using the lovely Loriann's sewing machine to sew a navy blue, tonneau cover for the salon of the car since the top was in shambles, and I remember the frustration of the day I spent trying to get the newly rebuilt engine to start, and how, after a phone call to a car buddy, I turned the distributor 180 degrees and immediately the engine fired up. I remember storing the heads and the manifolds in the rusty trunk and praying they didn't break though and damage the fuel tank, and I remember painting the empty engine bay. Something that didn't make the list, is my trip to an exhaust shop where I can still picture the craftsman creating exhaust pipes using a pipe bending machine and a card with lengths and angles on it. I'm not sure what I paid to have the two pipes made, but I bet it wasn't any more than $75. Try having that done for triple the price today - if you could even find a shop that had the cards.

Speaking of the cost of things, check out the prices I paid for some of the items. $43 for a title, registration, and plates. $27 for a good, used radiator. $107 to the machine shop for boiling the block, installing new cam bearing and freeze plugs (including the price of the parts), and turning the crank journals. Crazy!

I'm so thankful I still have those memories in my head, since no Instagram or YouTube existed back in the day.

Task	Date	Cost
Bought car, filled tires, removed driveshaft, checked battery, checked electrical	11/19/1984	$75
Got prices for water pump and battery (Grand Auto $13.83 + $5.00 core (pump) / Sears $38.08 (48 month batt.)	11/20/1984	$0
Attempted to straighten hood hinge with some success	11/26/1984	$0
Finally moved to home	12/08/1984	$20
Removed water pump hsg.	12/09/1984	$0
Removed seats, carpet, padding, and center console. Threw out carpets and pads.	12/12/1984	$0
Checked all spark plugs; put on other hood hinge; took pictures of car, engine, and interior; attempted to turn engine w/ starter (no luck); attempted to lower roof (no luck); radio works (sort of); removed battery plate.	12/23/1984	$0
Changed title	01/02/1985	$16
Re-removed hinge, raised front end onto blocks, took valve cover bolt.	01/14/1985	$0
Removed oil from pan, checked spark plugs (need new ones), checked rear brake liners, cleaned carb.	01/26/1985	$0
Cleaned under pan and suspension. Bought engine cleaner. Removed alternator.	02/09/1985	$3
Bought 8 spark plugs, timing kit, oil filter, carb cleaner, wire brush.	02/16/1985	$15
Removed air conditioning comp., power steering (moved), cleaned engine completely.	02/18/1985	$0
Replaced plugs, points, condenser, cleaned carburetor, adjusted points.	02/23/1985	$0
Changed oil filter, filled with oil, attempted to start.	03/02/1985	$0
Set points correctly, got spark to 4 right bank plugs, assumed other 4 ok too. Checked fuel line (no fuel in tank).	03/17/1985	$0
Replaced fuel filter. Got a gas cap for free (wrong size). Tested compression. All about 90 psi, suspect tester wrong. Found there was gas in lines & tank. Hooked up plugs. Turned engine with oil in cylinders. Started engine. Ran few seconds and I turned it off due to automatic trans. shooting out. Tested radiators. threw out one with hole. Remounted alternator and power steering units. Flushed out engine coolant system with garden hose. Quite dirty, but ran clean after a while.	05/25/1985	$5.05
Connected transmission fluid cooling lines to radiator. Flushed coolant lines in engine again. Started again. Took a while and a lot of B12 (starting spray), but finally ran. Made a lot of grinding noises, but I figured it's now or never. Smoothed out after 10 seconds. I turned it off soon after that and found that transmission fluid was leaking at the splined driveshaft connection. I jacked up the rear, bolted up the shaft, removed, filled, remounted the two rear wheels (one was completely flat). Lowered back onto cinder blocks. Will start again after I get some gas or quick-start.	06/03/1985	$0
Loriann bought belts & water pump	07/17/1985	$30.88
Attempted to install, no bolts, need 5/16 fine X 1 1/2 L (7). 1 nut same thread, 1 3/8 course bolt.	07/27/1985	$0
Loriann bought bolts and nut. I bought gasket sealer. Bolts wrong size. Should have been course thread	07/30/1985	$4
Installed water pump with fine bolts. Made new threads. Holds well. No problem. Taped roof. Bought ATF, bolts for pulley wheels (5/16 fine X 1" L), quick start, and funnel. Put on pulley. None of the fans fit. May need to move power steering pump because it might be in the wrong spot. Fan says FORD on it. Must check w/ twin by work.	08/12/1985	$102.97
Returned core of water pump. Went to Milpitas Auto Dismantler and found a '65 LeMans coupe in perfect condition. Bought a side view mirror and two window rollups. Went to Tex's Auto Wrecker and bought a fan, extension, and 4 bolts. Put the fan and mirror on. Hooked up hoses and belt to alternator and steering pump.	08/17/1985	$15
Filled up radiator and watched it leak. Also found leaks in heater core and timing chain cover. Removed the radiator. Removed the alternator and power steering ump to make timing chain cover more easily accessible.	08/18/1985	$0
Bought gasket set.	08/19/1985	$13.85
Removed alternator bracket and filled up with water again. Assumed that leak was in timing chain cover gasket. Took out front seats and swept out interior.	08/21/1985	$0
Rented electric impact wrench, hub puller, and socket.	08/23/1985	$16
Removed everything for timing chain cover; (see page 1165-1166), found holes in cover; will replace, $25 at Tex's Auto Wrecking	08/24/1985	$0
Cleaned half of rear seat. Looked great.	08/26/1985	$0
Old timing chain cover stolen. Don't have a match to use at Tex. Need to find a cover on the engine to assure the right match.	09/13/1985	$0
Went with Dad to wrecking yards. He had called and found that a wrecking yard at the end of Mowry had some 326 cu. in. engines. We went and found two. A '64 Tempest & a '65 Tempests. Pulled the cover off the '64 along with a hose off the '65.	09/13/1985	$21
Installed timing chain cover and fuel pump. Before I did this I investigated removing the oil pan to investigate brg wear. Impossible.	09/13/1985	$0
Bought Sear's DieHard Battery. Old battery tested, "no good."	10/13/1985	$59
Removed heater core and bought mat'l. for cover.	10/20/1985	$6
Bought MAP gas, solder, flux, and spare key. Attempted to patch heater core, no luck. Will try again.	11/02/1985	$10
Bought more solder. Worked on cover. Bought grommets.	11/16/1985	$2
Finished cover. Disconnected power top cylinder rods. Dropped 7/8 socket into car. Must remove cylinder. Put cover on - looks good. Needs hooks for center of dash. Bought battery cable ends.	12/08/1985	$1.5
Bought used radiator. Bought caps for water pump and block to bypass heater core. Bought radiator hose (1 3/4" dia X 1 1/2" dia. X 22" long). Bought coolant flush and anti-rust. Discovered that auto-trans. lines' fittings are too small on new radiator. Cried. Remounted the following: alternator, power steering pump, a-c condenser. Put on battery cable. Put on caps. Removed socket.	12/28/1985	$39.3
Bought 5/16" dia SAE inverted flare to 5/16 hose fittings, 4 clamps, and 3/8 dia fuel hose. Sawed off a-t lines. Connected all up including radiator hoses. Will fill up in daylight tomorrow.	01/03/1986	$5.5
Filled radiator after attempting to flush the engine. Hooked up fan and fan belt. Started and ran engine. Made noise like nut grinding in pan. Stopped after a while at bottom rpm. Need to time tomorrow and adjust valves.	01/04/1986	$0
Started up again. Ran for a couple of minutes with intermittent clanking. A couple of times, the engine slowed. At the end, the engine just froze up. Wiped out brgs? Will ask for suggestions as to what to do next.	01/05/1986	$0
Rebuild costs (check Car Craft mag.) Kragen: $38.99 set bearings, main, $40.00 gaskets, $30.00 rings.	01/05/1986	$0
If rebuild is necessary, the following steps shall be followed. 1) Remove carb. 2) Disconnect lines, linkages, etc. and follow instructions on pg. 1162. Removed intake manifold and heads first, if possible.	01/05/1986	$0
Drained oil, will save, removed converter cover, removed starter, loosened some oil pan bolts. Found how to lift engine and remove mount bolts.	01/08/1986	$0
Removed a starter bracket, 17 oil pan bolts, jacked up engine as far as it would go, broke pan loose, can't remove unless engine is removed, too much in the way. Next step is to remove a head to see the condition of the cylinders. This will tell me whether I'll need to replace the pistons. bolted the oil pan with 4 bolts, put 13 in a coffee can w/ all the starter & converter cover fasteners & hardware. Disconnected one exhaust pipe. Found I need to borrow Rob's torque wrench, maybe next weekend.	01/12/1986	$0
Removed timing chain cover.	01/19/1986	$0
Took out seats and rear arm rests. Wire brushed loose rust from back 2/3 of salon. Bought rusty metal primer & brush. Applied.	02/08/1985	$5.28
Bought (2) 20 gauge pieces of sheet metal 24" X 24" to put into rear floor pan. Borrowed Rivet Gun from Jerry Smerecky.	02/28/1986	$15
Wire brushed front half of salon and underside of holes. Swept out. Bought caulking.	03/01/1986	$1.69
Painted w/ rusty metal primer the front half of salon. Repacked front wheel brgs.	03/02/1986	$0
Removed Emergency Brake to de-rust. Put seats back in.	03/03/1986	$0
Borrowed electric sheet metal cutter from Steve Downs. Cut some holes in the floorboard. Bought distributor wrenches.	03/04/1986	$2
Bought black paint, a brush, and paint thinner. Cut out one patch and shaped it.	03/08/1986	$6.97
Cut and shaped the second patch. Primed and painted the bottom of the patches. Painted the area in the car where the patches go.	03/09/1986	$0
Riveted the patches in.	03/12/1986	$0
Painted the floorpan flat black. Put hooks in the car cover. Works better.	03/16/1986	$0.89
Returned sheet metal cutter and riveter. Borrowed valve spring compressor from Al Schafner. He made offer of use of valve lapper. Removed carburetor, intake manifold, valve covers, rocker arms and valve lifters.	03/17/1986	$0
Removed 10 head bolts on P-side. Removed P-side head. Step on cylinder and cylinder bore look good.	3//19/86	$0
Removed D-side head.	03/23/1986	$0
Borrowed ID mic. from Paul in 2-1. Dimensions as follows:	03/27/1986	$0
3.7231 / 3.7230 / 3.7230 / 3.7212_() front of engine	03/27/1986	$0
3.7230 / 3.7240 / 3.7230 / 3.7220 () front of engine	03/27/1986	$0
3.7230 / 3.7240 / 3.7180 / 3.7190 remeasured	03/27/1986	$0
Called dealer and found that bore should be 3.717, therefore oversize from .004 to .007. Good news. Talked to the Eugene Yu about borrowing his cherry picker. He says no problem. Took off the #8 valves. Broke the retainers. Need to price replacement.	03/28/1986	$0
Took off clamps for P-side exhaust and tailpipes. Found that Midas welded the muffler on. Removed the drive shaft. Drained the A/T. Some metal flakes. Disconnected the A/T linkage, speedo (see bracket), some wire , mount (2 bolts). Got cherry picker. Removed hood. Lifted engine and removed oil pan and splash pan. Put engine back in, while losing the rubber mount for the A/T. Put in box. Punctured oil filter accidentally. Replaced hood.	03/29/1986	$0
Removed all pistons and rods. Rod brg #5 had spun. Small step, must measure OD of crank and ID of rod, might be able to get away with just going to an oversize brg. Removed the rest of the valves on the P-side head. Seals and locks replaceable. Fond '66 Tempest Shop Manual at Mtn. View Library. Checked out.	03/31/1986	$0
Removed all valves from heads. Bought oil.	04/01/1986	$6.6
Thoroughly cleaned heads.	04/07/1986	$0
Thorough cleaned valves, springs, etc.	04/08/1986	$0
Lapped the following. Bought paint and oil filter.	04/09/1986	$6.29
Intake 1 3 5 7	04/09/1986	$0
Upper dia .34 .34 .34 .34	04/09/1986	$0
Lower dia .34 .34 .34 .34	04/09/1986	$0
Exhaust	04/09/1986	$0
Upper dia .337 .34 .34 .34	04/09/1986	$0
Lower dia .334 .341 .34 .34	04/09/1986	$0
Intake 2 4 6 8	04/10/1986	$0
Upper dia. .34	04/10/1986	$0
Lower dia. .34	04/10/1986	$0
Lapper broke!	04/10/1986	$0
Bought the right paints. 2 cans and a smaller wire brush. Bob's Auto Parts. Lapper broke again.	04/11/1986	$9.62
Lapped last valves. Loosened main bearing caps. Took off distributor and timing set. Bought valve seals.	04/12/1986	$4
Cleaned oil pan and intake manifold.	04/13/1986	$0
Removed engine. Separated tranny from engine. Removed crank.	04/19/1986	$0
Rented ridge reamer and glaze breaker and used. Removed main bearings and camshaft valvetrain.	04/21/1986	$10
Brought block and crank to Calaveras Auto Supply for work. Loriann bought me 3 of the correct hubcaps to complete the set.	04/22/1986	$25
Picked up block and crank. Crank ground .010 under on both mains and rods. Paid for block boiled, new freeze plugs, new cam bearings. Finished cleaning oil pan and timing chain cover. Bought engine cleaner.	04/26/1986	$110.4
Cleaned and painted heads. Painted oil pan, block, timing set cover, water pump, and intake manifold. Ended up being wrong color. Used anyway.	04/27/1986	$0
Bought timing chain and degreaser.	04/28/2008	$12
Bought the following: Gaskets, Bearings, Rings, Oil filter, and black paint	04/29/1986	$94.29
Cleaned A/T, oil pump, lifter cover, valve covers. Assembled heads. Cleaned engine compartment and some accessories on firewall.	05/06/1986	$0
Painted valve covers, lifter cover.	05/07/1986	$0
cleaned excess bolts. Installed lifters and camshaft and timing chain cover stud.	05/08/1986	$0
Received bearings, gaskets, and rings and cleaned and painted engine compartment.	05/20/1986	$0
Installed pistons, crankshaft, rod & main bearings, timing chain, and fuel pump eccentric. Had to rent ring compressor and buy gasket sealer	05/24/1986	$8.89
Installed oil filter adapter, oil pump (after putting it together), oil splash pan, oil pan, timing chain cover, dampener, weights.	05/26/1986	$0
Disassembled, cleaned, reassembled all the hydraulic lifters. Bought solvent.	06/08/1986	$3.5
Connected flex plate. Cleaned some heater and A/C stuff.	06/09/1986	$0
Put on motor mounts. ????? Assembled tranny. Drained converter. Installed motor with rented cherry picker. Installed drive shaft. Things went well excpet for reversed ????	06/10/1986	$23.5
Installed heads, lifting rods, rocker arms. Not fun fighting with the heads.	06/12/1986	$0
Installed coil, distributor, and lifter covers.	06/14/1986	$0
Installed intake manifold, fuel pump.	06/15/1986	$0
Cleaned and painted minor bolt-on pieces. Bought Naval Jelly and 4 qts A/T fluid and 3 cans engine cleaner. Wire brushed air cleaner and a valve cover. Painted valve cover. Installed Power Steering Pump and Alternator. Hooked up some wires (including battery wires to block and solenoid). Need to tighten nuts on solenoid. Bolted down carb., along with carb. accessories. Attached vacuum line for A/T.	06/29/1986	$13
Installed bracket for alternator. Installed small vacuum hoses. Need to replace the 1 hose (air from manifold). Cleaned the broken A/T fluid cooler line.	06/30/1986	$0
Connected up stuff	07/04/1986	$0
Connected up stuff	07/06/1986	$0
Finished everything except for Air Cleaner. Bought gasket (AT) and paint. Not enough amps to start.	07/12/1986	$6
Finished air cleaner. Removed starter. Suspect burnt out brushes in motor. Discovered broken brake line.	07/19/1986	$0
Removed rusted exhaust pipe with hacksaw. Removed broken brake line.	07/27/1986	$0
Bought new starter	07/28/1986	$30
Installed new starter. Got engine to turn over but there was no gas in tank.	08/12/1986	$0
Went to junkyard (ABLE). Bought brake line, battery tray, and hood hings. Installed hing. Bought gas. Started engine. Ran after turning distributor (thanks Rob Notman)! Installed brake line. Bought brake fluid, hose, air cleaner element.	08/16/1986	$27
Bled brake lines. Cleaned and installed emergency brake. Cleaned under carriage. Determined that two bias ply tires are needed. Checked seat, need spring to keep from sliding.	08/17/1986	$0
Adjusted timing and idle speed	08/19/1986	$0
Bought paint. Painted shroud and radiator holder.	08/20/1986	$6
Registered car. Brushed and painted battery tray. Painted shroud. Fixed driver's seat. Noticed tranny shifting problem. Cleaned wheel cover.	08/29/1986	$26
Bought A/T fluid and cover bolts. Drove car up ramps. Removed existing exhaust system. Put on torque converter cover. Have to fix leak. Cleaned trunk.	8/34/86	$8
Installed heater fan. Bought paint for trunk and wheel covers.	09/01/1986	$8
Installed heater ducting.	09/02/1986	$0
Bought oil pressure switch and thermostat	09/04/1986	$6
Installed oil pressure switch and crossed fingers.	09/06/1986	$0
Fit up exhaust system. Need to enlarge muffler pipes. Bought flange.	09/13/1986	$4
Enlarged muffler pipes. Bought clamps. Fit up and installed passenger side.	09/15/1986	$6
Fit up and installed driver's side. Drove to gas station. Noticed tranny slip between gears. Must adjust belts later.	09/16/1986	$0
Filled up A/T. Put gaskets on exhaust. Adjusted speed, timing, and fuel mixture. Bought primer for trunk.	09/20/1986	$9.09
Bought hood ornament, trunk mat, light bulb, flasher, tire hold down from junkyard. Loriann bought shocks.	09/27/1986	$28
Took out exhaust gasket on D-side. Switched all radials to back. Installed shocks.	09/28/1986	$0
Adjusted timing to 6 degrees BTDC and idle speed to 500 RPM in Drive.	10/04/1986	$0
Installed A/C compressor. Installed thermostat.	10/20/1986	$0
Found 2 radial tires in trash	11/10/1986	$0
Installed new tires on front	11/14/1986	$8
Bought thermostat hsg. (used)	02/12/1987	$1
Installed thermostat hsg. with new gasket.	02/20/1987	$0.85
Installed remote sideview mirror that I bought in CA.	05/08/1990	$10
Began disassembly of body. PF1 (Passenger Front #1): Screws to bottom of PF3 and pushes up into back of bumper. PF2: Clips to PF3 (3 up) and to bumper support that runs front to back and pushes up and in. NOTE that front turn marker wire goes thru hole in front firewall.	09/19/1990	$0