I also found out more about the exhaust manifold. Would you believe the son of the original owner phoned me a few hours ago to tell me that he was writing up a detailed history of the Valiant and that he was including an old photo of his parents in front of the VE?! Basically he rang me to let me know it is in the mail. Anyway, I took the opportunity to ask him about the exhaust manifold and he said that his father changed it in 1987 when a large crack appeared but he was totally unaware of the heater tubes missing on the new manifold. Also, he told me the old auto choke failed in 1980 so a Chrysler dealer in Canberra had a manual set up installed. He thinks the manuel choke bracket may be a factory part that was added then as many of the auto chokes failed. The great things about this car is Maurice Snr told his son Maurice Jnr pretty much everything that was done to it hence the great, detailed history that exists on the VE. I haven't spoken to him for months to it was great to tell him about the recent rebuild, which he was very surprised it needed.

So you were right Dan! Great spotting!

Cheers Gordo

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This is the transmission inspection plate after being stripped of it's original black powder coating. I thought the plate was hidden by the engine so I left it in it's original state which was pretty scratched up and splattered with overspray from when the engine was painted in back 1967. Chris and Simon (the guys who helped drop the slant in) said that it would look awful if it was put on the gearbox left looking as it was, so I took it home and addressed it. In a way, this prevented us from moving forward with the engine installation along with an earthing wire that had a lug snap off when we were fitting it.




After being hit with a few coats of VHT satin black engine enamel.




This is after the transmission inspection plate has been cured in the oven at 100 °C for an hour.




BEFORE - The original air-cleaner cover was in amazing shape with no dents or damage what so ever but the silver finish was faded, was blotchy & in need of a freshen up. I removed the '160 HP High Performance' decal, sandblasted it and sprayed it in etch primer (as pictured) ready for a fresh new coat of 'Argent Silver'.




AFTER - Here the air-cleaner cover is painted with Mopar brand 'Argent Silver' muscle car wheel paint which matched the original hue. The first coat was a bit of a failure with an inconsistent surface finish. Lots of small droplets of paint from a build up on the nozzle of the spray can spoilt the first coat so I lightly sanded the uneven finish with 1200 grade wet and dry sand paper to smooth the surface out before the second coat. Also as the covers were shaped by a press back in the day, the second coat help hide the stress marks in the metal. I would have thought a few coats of etch primer and one coat of paint would have been enough but the stress marks still showed through. The second coat came up nicely, which is what you see here and the stress marks are only visible if you really look for them in the "wrong light".



BEFORE - Here is the base or bottom half of the air-cleaner cover in etch primer.





AFTER - The bottom of the air-cleaner cover given a second coat of 'Argent Silver'.

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Cool story! Note that a very good electric automatic choke can be had for that carburetor -- it attaches directly in place of the original heat-tube style automatic choke housing (or the manual choke dingus that has replaced it) and does not require any particular kind of exhaust manifold.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

This is the original master cylinder after being rebuilt down in Melbourne by 'Superstop Brakes, Clutches and Shockers'. After looking at how much it cost in Sydney to rebuild it (or should I say exchange it for a rebuilt one) it was still way cheaper, even after postage, to get it done down in 'Mexico' as we Sydney siders call the southern state. Once the master cylinder was removed (many month ago), I stripped the paint off the lid which had been sprayed in 'Chrysler Turquoise' at some stage and I rust converted everything before sending it off to be rebuilt. I really didn't mind the look of the lid being painted in the same colour as the engine and was going to "refresh" it with the POR 15 but a few people commented it wasn't a very "authentic" look. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of it before but there are "BEFORE" shots of it in the original engine bay photos.




While I wanted to zinc coat the lid and lid fastener to be "factory correct", time has run out to wait another week for it to get coated so I sprayed the cover in 'Argent Silver', the same colour as the air-cleaner cover and sprayed the fastening bracket in VHT satin black engine enamel. The car needs to be finished and running before the end of the week so I had to pick a "neutral" look and a compromise. So much for the original authenticity! The body of the master cylinder is now sealed with 'Penetrol' rust treatment which hopefully keeps it rust free. It came up looking pretty good.

The transmission inspection plate, the starter motor and alternator was installed today as well as the flex plate being bolted to the gearbox. The manifolds go on tomorrow as will the carby, the fan, radiator and master cylinder. Almost there!

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Thanks Dan! I'll have to keep that in mind but as time has run out (and funds) as well as this Valiant not being a daily, the manual choke doesn't bother me at this stage. While I have followed the "flavour" of the original factory look, there are things I have let slip as I just want to get the car going now. As usual with any resto or rebuild, I've gone far beyond my initial budget yet I must admit, in the last few weeks, some of the things I have scrimpt on have bugged me.

Cheers Gordo

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Yesterday we came up with a bit of a disappointment. When we went to attach the inlet and exhaust manifolds to the block, it became apparent that there was an issue with the new manifold studs. Basically there wasn't enough thread to put the manifold washers and nuts on. While the new studs were the same length as the originals, the non threaded section in the centre of the new studs was not as large which meant that the studs screwed into the block about 5mm deeper. In essence, there was more thread on the new studs (on the block side) so they travelled further into the block leaving less thread exposed for the washer an nut. In order to get the correct amount of thread to be able put the washer and nut on, the new studs would not be screwed in fully which we felt would compromise the security of the manifolds. We ended up going back to the old studs which fortunately were in decent condition otherwise it would have been a few days wait for another set, obviously from a different supplier. How the hell can someone sell these as legit slant manifold studs when they don't match or replicate the originals?!!!! To slow things down further, I dropped one of the D-washers into the down pipe when it slipped out of my hand so I had to remove the pipe and get the washer out. Apart from that, everything came together fairly nicely although the manual choke needs some fiddling around with to get it to work properly.

Tonight we should get the master cylinder on and a few other parts.

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Good call -- those studs seal into water passages, and leaving them loose would've caused a messy leak. See here regarding manifold studs and nuts. As for how the hell they can sell what you bought as a slant-6 stud: they don't know or don't care what the problem is.

Your manifold heat control valve appears faulty (stuck in the "off" position); see here.

I'm lovin' that engine bay -- clean, clean, clean!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Hey Dan,
Yeah, it's stuck/rusted in that position and unfortunately a new manifold would be the only solution to it. I've tried loosening and lubricating it but to no avail. While you have acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the principles behind the heat control value (which is second to none going by your description in the thread you linked to), everyone I have asked about it has taken a look at my exhaust manifold and said that it is at least seized in the best position once the engine has heated up. Unfortunately my steep learning curve has been through a comedy of errors or taken place after components have been installed.

I certainly should have consulted you earlier in this rebuild.

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Available, but costly to ship. And Dutra Duals, whilst easier to ship (no oversize box) wouldn't quite be in keeping with the 200% original underbonnet theme you've got going, would they!
Agreed.
That's how this universe works: experience is something we gain just after we needed it!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

They look interesting, especially the modified factory manifold with the Dutra combo. I can pick up a OEM slant exhaust manifold in Australia for around $550 AUD. I know I can order the same piece of gear in the States for much cheaper but the shipping makes it virtually the same.

http://www.pentastarparts.com.au/sunsho ... ail&p=4991

My budget has been violated enough already!

Very true! Imagine the damage you could do going back to high school with the wisdom of life experience that you have at your age, but as an 18 year old version of yourself. The opportunities that I missed with girls because of youthful ignorance and a lack of life experience.... just as well because it would have been criminal.

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wow...first time seeing this thread and just read the whole thing. kudos to you on your documentation and intensity to get this done right.
i was jealous of the condition of that engine even before you bettered it!

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-proud new owner of a '61 lancer 170
-previous owner of a '74 dart swinger (R.I.P.)
-coming here for some schoolin'

Thanks twentyshots! The engine was very presentable as it was, although after what I see now, it has pointed out how rough it really was. If it was just a case of replacing the rings, I would have left it as was and would have been very happy with that. Now I've got one extra thing to keep clean and maintain when I wash and detail my Valiant! That's the only downside but it's a small price.

As for the photos and documentation, I love photographing the process as much for points of reference and the writing is similar to a diary entry. It tells a story that quite often gets forgotten when you have completed something like this. I also consider that it covers up for my lack of knowledge and inexperience with regard to mechanics and working on cars. I'm new at this and have learnt a wealth of information from this rebuild. If only I knew before what I know now, so much time and money would have been saved but that's the way it goes in life, as Dan pointed out.

Cheers Gordo

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How'd you get the oil pipes so shiny? Replated or…?

And what type of starting motor is fitted? Looks like a Bosch unit, but can't tell if it's the direct-drive or the gear-reduction type.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

No replating. The pipes were polished using soap infused steel wool which not only removed the years of grime but took off the rust as well. So cheap and sooooo effective. Just a bit of water and elbow grease and metal comes up shining.



If there were any areas of rust that was a bit more stubborn, I used 1200 grade wet and dry sandpaper. Then when all the rust is no longer present, I used 'Autosol' metal polish. It's the last step in polishing the pipes. I got a finish almost as good as with a buffing wheel. Just like with the steel wool soap pads, the more elbow action you put in, the better the finish.




Yes, the start motor is a Bosch. It is the original type that was fitted in the factory. I'm not sure if it is direct-drive or the gear-reduction type. Here is a better photo example of the type as it should look:



I had my starter motot totally sprayed in 2 pack black purely because someone could do it for me for free and it would seal it nicely.

Cheers Gordo

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