Started her up again today and let it warm up. She settled in at about 750 RPM and now has no more white smoke, but has an intermittent hiccup. Maybe a change of plugs and wires may be in order.

She also has a LOUD noise coming from under the hood. The air pump isn't hooked up and it sounds like an exhaust leak, but I couldn't find one. Not sure if the noise is coming fom inside the engine or if it is an air/exhaust leak of some sort. Don't want to mistake that for an internal engine noise though and tear it up. Does anyone know what that might be? Hard to answer I'm sure, but I'll take any and all advice.

So, to get it on the road and drive it I turned my attention to the brakes. Took off the drivers side tires and started with the front. Removed and cleaned up the caliper and inspected the pads, caliper mounting braket and other hardware. All seems in order so I painted the caliper with clear, cleaned up the pads, shims, and reinstalled. Before and after pics follow.

I couldn't get the rear drum off however and I know from loading it up that the emergency brake doesn't work. So, maybe that has the pads locked up on the drum. Weird thing is that when I ran it today, I had the gear box in neutral, and the rear drum would spin!! What the HECK?!?! Shut her down and turned the drum by hand, and the drive shaft spins as I turn the drum. Could this be due to the clutch not being fully disengaged?? Any suggestions or ideas?

Here's some pics of the work I did today.

 

Awesome looking project - good luck with it!

As far as that stuck clutch, did you make sure to check there was plenty of pressure coming out of the master and the slave cylinders? I had to prime the back side of my master and slave, then depress the pedal before any pressure would be applied to the clutch. Just an idea.

 

Thanks for the tip lindahlish! Although I didn't fill the slave cylinder, I did have my son cycle the clutch pedal while I bled the system. Took a while and a lot of really nasty old fluid came out. After no more air came out I looked to make sure that the slave cylinder engaged the fork and it did, and the fork moved back and forth.

I'm hoping I can get the brakes completed then I'm gonna take it for a spin. If the clutch is still engaged, I'll find out. Fingers crossed!

 

Here's a link to my 1:00 minute video of it running the first time I tried it the other day.


It definitely has a miss, and is LOUD, but it almost sounds like I have an exhaust leak?? It's hard to describe but I'm afraid I may have a big problem. The sound I'm concerned with sounds like an old radial piston aircraft engine - a really loud popping noise that sounds, to me, like an exhaust leak but it sounds like it's coming from the front of the engine. I couldn't actually find an exhaust leak. Maybe someone with some experience in these things can tell what that noise might be. I'm afraid it's a mechanical problem on the inside.

Hope someone can listen and watch and tell me if it's got a fatal problem or if it's sounding about normal.

Thanks!

 

The clutch is on the other side of the transmission. If you turn the axle the shaft is gonna spin.

As for the spinning of the wheels when the car idles in neutral; that's normal. There is enough friction in the gear box to pull the wheels around when they are off the ground. However, it would be a major issue if your on the ground in neutral and the gearbox is pushing the car. :O

 

those popping noises are most likely exhaust leaks and the air control valve. I ditched the factory exhaust. It's not worth crap.... Get a good exhaust system and change the points distributor to electronic ignition..... Those are the first two things you should do. Make sure your gas tank is clean also as they are prone to be be cruddy since they are old....

 

Thanks Qingdao and Rotaryhaven for the tips!

I'll def. look into the exhaust leak thing. My instincts tell me that's what it is. I'm on a low budget so maybe Santa will be nice to me and get me a new exhaust!

I still need to free up the drums so I can inspect and go thru the rear brakes. Buggers are really stuck on there.

 

Interesting predicament, not sure on how that works... I'm subscribed now so I'll keep chiming in with ideas

 

Wow, that PB Blaster is some great stuff!! Looked in the copy of the factory service manual and found that it showed how to contract and expand the shoes from behind the wheel. Hit those two studs/nuts with some of that stuff, took my son to practice, came home 3 hours later and put a wrench on there and man, they were easy to turn!

Here's a pic of the left rear drum brakes. You may or may not be able to tell, but the leading shoe is worn paper thin. Trailing shoe has about 1/4 inch of pad left. Placed an order online for new shoes, wheel cylinders, and bleeder screws. I hope it comes before this weekend, but if not I'll be chasing down that suspected exhaust leak.

 

congrats on getting the car running. it is a great feeling

 

Have you tried adjusting the clutch pedel?

 

Hey Quingdao, I haven't. I'm thinking it's ok.

I got the right rear drum off and boy was I surprised! I've never seen a wheel cylinder bend the end of a shoe before. I wonder if someone mashed the brakes real hard for that to happen. Sheesh! It even bent the backing plate. Hope that the backing plate flexes back into shape/position, but if it does, seems to me that it would be weak and suseptible to deforming again. Maybe a new backing plate?

Wow. Check out these pics!

 

Well, after FINALLY getting my rear brake parts I got back at it today, but not before stopping by and introducing myself to Rotaryhaven, who gave me a sweet hookup on the new lower valence that goes under the radiator, and some SWEET 79 manuals - THANKS RotaryHaven!

Check out the before and after pics of the lower valence:

 

Got into tearing down the old drum brakes...

 

Installed the new brake shoes and wheel cylinder. All on the drivers side today. Had other honey - do's to take care of today, so only got one side done. I think I know why only the leading pad was working. The trailing side of the wheel cylinder is frozen shut and doesnt work. Was hoping to disassemble and reuse this thing, but as luck would have it I sheared off one of the 6mm bolts in the wheel cylinder. CRAP!

 

no problem.....Next time you come, I will look in the drum brake rear to see if there are any bolts that hold the wheel cylinder.

 

Thanks Rotaryhaven! Got a replacement from Autozone, but I'm interested in whatever 79 bits and parts you have. Lemme know when you dig out those tail lights.

I got the right rear shoes and wheel cylinder replaced today - hurricane Sandy be damned! Now all I have to do is bleed the brakes, make sure the tires have air and get it out on the road! Mom and Dad called to check on the progress. I explained why I thought that the shoe had bent (check out that pic). Mom said she remembered braking hard for a squirrell that had darted out in front of her one day! Those wheel cylinders were locked tight on the trailing side, so all the stopping power went to the front side of the drums. No wonder the front side shoes were worrn, and thanks to the squirrell, I had a bent shoe. I'll post some pics of the wheel cylinders in a minute. Those are disassembled and sitting in brake fluid as I write.

I even took the time to paint up the inner fenders. Check out the before (of the passenger side rear) and the after (of the drivers side rear). I have some rust repair to do because afterall, it was a NY car. The more I probe, the more I find and eventually, there's gonna be some serious metal replacement needed. All body panels, but no frame damage. Found a couple soft spots in the floor though. OUCH!

I wanna make those waffle wheels look like new even if I need some bodywork done. I'm gonna have to find that post about restoring those things, they looked GREAT when they were done!...

 

Here's the pics of the wheel cylinders. Man, never seen any before that had been locked on one side... Both left and right were locked in the back.

 

The window crank on the drivers side was very very hard and the window almost wouldnt go up, so I took it all out, cleaned it up and oiled it. Now it works better, but the dang window doesn't stay in the tracks! ARGH!

It's gonna take some time to fiddle with this and get it lined up correctly. Busy week ahead though so prolly won't get to it until next weekend.

Got the brakes bled though, and I'm ready for some nice weather and get this thing on the street!! Gonna let her stretch her legs a little, but again that'll have to be next weekend. I need to replace one brakelight too before I do that. No need in getting pulled over for inoperable brake light.

 

its good to see this work progress, keep up the good work its a great looking car...

 

here are the tail lights:

 

Make sure to paint those calipers. They won't keep that nice shine very long with bare metal.

 

You've got that right KC, they won't! I need to take the other one off and clean it up. For right now just checking that it works. Dad had just had the front brakes done before he put it up 9 years ago, so the pads were like brand new.

THANKS SO MUCH Rotaryhaven for the hookup on the tail lights! They are BEAUTIFUL! You're awesome man, thanks!

 

no problem, I am glad and happy to see that you got that passion for the car. you will get get it straight.....

 

Well, finished fixing the window track in the drivers door (was missing a bolt - someone rigged it up the last time) put air in those leaky old tires, dropped it on the ground, backed it out of the garage and DROVE IT!! LOVE this thing! Thanks for the advice and parts Rotaryhaven!

Man is it LOUD though. I think I'm back to thinking I have an exhaust leak. Good thing it's getting cooler - it'll make it easier to spot! Called my dad - he said he wants me to bring it back! NO WAY DAD!!

Next on the list: find and fix that exhaust leak, put the door trim back, clean it up real good under the hood, clean it out on the inside, try to ascertain the extent of rust damage and fix what I can, clean up the old wheel cylinders and put them away, tires, fix up the wheels (still need to find that post again), get it inspected (or antique plates - haven't decided yet), paint, suspension.

THEN it will be a really sweet ride!

I'll post a video this weekend! Don't dare go too fast or out of the neighborhood on those old leaky tires!! I'd hate to ruin all the hard work.