69 140 Coupe

[xrotaryguy]

Well, the car runs and drives reasonably well now. I drove it to the gas station and put a full tank of 91 in it. The tank leaks when full. Guess I'll deal with that soon.

Drove to the FLAPS and bought some seat covers... and a fire extinguisher.

Checking the local autocross schedule! Think the PCA guys will let me race? ;)

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[bbodie52]

This type of Corvair fuel tank leak is fairly common. The special hose that connects the filler tube to the tank develops a crack or leak and spills fuel on the ground when the tank is filled. Keeping the tank partially filled is a temporary fix. Click on the link below for a comprehensive thread on removing and repairing this type of leak...

Fuel Tank Removal & Installation
viewtopic.php?f=225&t=5779

[xrotaryguy]

If I get a long stick, can I just measure 2/3rds full all the time?[emoji14]

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[xrotaryguy]

Seriously though, I figured filler hose or one of the smaller hoses. Thanks for the reference!

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[66vairguy]

Glad to see you are making progress.

Yes the Flamethrower coils have had an on and off quality problem for a while now. For a non turbo engine I've had good luck with the BWD E30 coil. Same primary impedance as the stock coil. I don't recommend the BWD E30P as it's a new "budget" coil with only a 1 yr. warranty. O'Reilleys can special order the BWD E30 (3 yr. warranty). Of course these are meant to be used with the stock ballast resistor (1.8 ohms).

I'm in the L.A. area and will be at the SCC car show viewtopic.php?f=101&t=11405. My car won't be done (are they ever), but it should be on the road by Sept.

I'm an electrical guy if you need help with the "one wire" alternator.

[xrotaryguy]

And... this motor has a bad rod bearing. I guess I'm about done with used motors. The oil looked too sparkly when I changed it last and the motor was making a faint ticking noise the last couple times I drive the car. The ticking would get louder or go away completely depending on throttle input. All the signs were there already but it stayed hopeful that it was a noisy lifter and that the metal in the oil was... just my imagination? Wishful thinking. I tried to drive it to an autocross event this morning and the knocking continued to get louder in the first couple miles of the trip so I turned around. The knock still is not pronounced. Hopefully I've caused minimal damage to the crank.

The wheels look nice though! ;)

Posi seems as though it works well. It acts like a posi on the jack stands and it tears cookies just fine behind the auto parts store.

[xrotaryguy]

Glad to see you are making progress.

Yes the Flamethrower coils have had an on and off quality problem for a while now. For a non turbo engine I've had good luck with the BWD E30 coil. Same primary impedance as the stock coil. I don't recommend the BWD E30P as it's a new "budget" coil with only a 1 yr. warranty. O'Reilleys can special order the BWD E30 (3 yr. warranty). Of course these are meant to be used with the stock ballast resistor (1.8 ohms).

I'm in the L.A. area and will be at the SCC car show viewtopic.php?f=101&t=11405. My car won't be done (are they ever), but it should be on the road by Sept.

I'm an electrical guy if you need help with the "one wire" alternator.

I'm going to swap in a late model alternator. That way I can take advantage of the stock fan/alt light more easily. At the moment, I'm relying on an aftermarket volt meter to tell me if the fan belt is on.

Hopefully I run into you at the show. I'll probably be wearing my Cactus Corvair Club shirt.

Brian Jackson

[xrotaryguy]

I suppose it may be difficult to tell the condition of the bearing from the picture but this is the first one. It seems like maybe there's a little metal in the oil on the bearing. Hard to tell. I need to get some thin rubber hose for the studs before I pull another.

I wasn't able to pull plug wires in the garage and listen for a difference in the knock because there is no knock at idle. It only knocks under load so I'm inspecting all the rod bearings I guess.

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[johnj92131]

Suggest you start rebuilding the other engine. May as well do it right and be done with it.

BTW, I was the guy you beat to this particular 1969. I was going to see it the next morning. Got a text from seller saying he sold it. Glad you got it running and working so quickly. I picked up the 1968 also in Fresno area. That engine needs two heads and a fresh rebuild. Body is very good, but engine is trash.

Did get a 69 Convertible on Ebay and that one is simply a jewel. Only 24,800 miles on it. Drives great! Unfortunately I will be out of town for the South Coast Corsa show. Plan on bringing the 69 Convertible to the Great Western Fan Belt Toss in Palm Springs.

[xrotaryguy]

Hi, John. I can't say at this point that you missed out on much. The car has been a bit of a mess. Not unmanageable but not the sweet deal I was hoping for.

So I found a bad bearing in #1. My hope right now is that the crank is still good. I won't have more time till Wednesday or later though. Further inspection will tell.

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[Gregory_Miller]

Nevermind, some idiot installed the linkage on the transmission bell crank the wrong way. Wonder who that was... [emoji85]

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LoL! At least you figured it out quick.

[xrotaryguy]

Nevermind, some idiot installed the linkage on the transmission bell crank the wrong way. Wonder who that was... [emoji85]

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LoL! At least you figured it our quick.

Right! Do'h!

Back to rod bearings:
The #1 rod journal (crank still in car) measures 1.799 in 6 places. I took measurements in 3 places toward the front of the journal and 3 toward the back. Seems round and not tapered. I can't detect any scoring on the journal.

The bearing that was installed was a 0.001 undersized. Assuming the rod bore is good, should I go back with an undersized bearing again or a standard bearing.

Also, since the motor is still mostly assembled and in the car, I'm guessing the only way I can check the rod bore is by using plastigage. Is that right?

Thanks in advance!

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[xrotaryguy]

Any recommendations for rod bearing break-in?

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[xrotaryguy]

I don't like how this shifter is always under my right knee. Have others experienced this and come up with solutions? Bend the shift lever? Smaller steering wheel?

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[xrotaryguy]

Drove the car around with new rod bearings in it about 20 miles yesterday and changed the oil. There was a small amount of shiny flecks on the magnetic drain plug. I'm 25 miles into a 50 mile test now. I'll put another 25 miles on it tonight and change the oil again. Hopefully no more shiny stuff.

If all goes well, I'll do one last oil and filter change and put Royal Purple in it.

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[xrotaryguy]

Oh, I also poured the used oil through an old white shirt and didn't see any metal captured in the shirt.

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