"So, aside oil and a new filter it's ready to drive again now" famous last words at the time.
Between then and now, I tasked myself with coating the garage roof beams with anti wood-worm stuff which meant clearing out the garage of cars. So to be able to do that I got the skoda to starting on the button so I could get it outside/turned around and then when all done back in. Turning round would allow me to do the other side front brake caliper. Which, I did.
I then was thinking the top end sounded a bit clacky considering I did the valve lash to spec already, again the skoda bites, rocker cover off, looks to be really dry up top considering everything thats been done to the engine. Would seem there's no oil getting to the top end. Filter/oil was new not even an hour of runtime, and was oil pressure as the light goes out, and when sensor removed oil is coming out the hole. After the sensor the galley then goes straight upto the head so I can assume the new headgasket is the blockage. I'm not a big fan of slapping on sealant to gaskets, I let them do their job so I'm fairly certain no silicone has blocked a galley because I generally don't use it. Huff.
Back onto the Corvair. The above statement that the car will be driving soon spurred me onto doing what I can to get the car actually back together because I haven't driven it since 2022 with the rewiring last year. A fella in the facebook group posted up an oil filter which I went and collected, picked up oil and zinc addative on the way home. Chucked it all in and cranked her up. Turned over slower than I remember, then slower and slower before smoke from underneath.
Immediately I thought the starter had gone bad as you do. Removed the starter, gave it a smell, didn't smell burny, tested it on the floor with jumper cables, worked fine... hmm. Put it back in, again turned very slow, I could smell something rubbery/electrical burning. Now it's not to eay to turn the key and see whats going on. So I bumped the starter with screwdriver whilst I was under the car and thats where I saw where the smoke/smell was coming from.
The handbrake cable was glowy/melty.
Now you as well as I would understand this 60 year old car doesn't have an electric handbrake and I never laid any of the new loom anywhere near where the handbrake cable goes, on purpose - I didn't want any of the loom running under the car, nothing was touching it along its travel.
What does this mean? Well, that the power into the starter wasn't earthing the route it should, IE - through the earth cable I have mounted between the alternator bracket and the chassis. I tested this by having a jumper cable go from the starter body to the battery negative - cranked as good as it ever has before and - crucially, no burning smell/smoke.
Starter motor back out, cleaned up where it mounts to the gearbox, went and bought two more earth cables. Took the time to remove the heater blower and what was left of all that crusty ductwork and fit in two more earth cables. One directly from the trans to the chassis. The other mounted to the engine block roughly below where the other one is mounted, this one goes straight back to the battery rather than to the chassis though. So now I have way more grounds than there ever was before.
Bit of fuel down its throat last night and we're back in business, I cut the silencers off the crossover pipe and refit that for now, sounds like a proper Porsche with open exhaust. Almost in time for drive-it-day. I've got some things coming from America which will hopefully fix the now slightly melted handbrake cable, some of the rust and other smaller things. Currently researching some suspension upgrades and ways to replace all the bushes, I'd prefer poly but aside from making them myself they're not really available for these cars so any custom things
I'll add pictures once my phone decides it wants to co-operate with the airwaves.
Between then and now, I tasked myself with coating the garage roof beams with anti wood-worm stuff which meant clearing out the garage of cars. So to be able to do that I got the skoda to starting on the button so I could get it outside/turned around and then when all done back in. Turning round would allow me to do the other side front brake caliper. Which, I did.
I then was thinking the top end sounded a bit clacky considering I did the valve lash to spec already, again the skoda bites, rocker cover off, looks to be really dry up top considering everything thats been done to the engine. Would seem there's no oil getting to the top end. Filter/oil was new not even an hour of runtime, and was oil pressure as the light goes out, and when sensor removed oil is coming out the hole. After the sensor the galley then goes straight upto the head so I can assume the new headgasket is the blockage. I'm not a big fan of slapping on sealant to gaskets, I let them do their job so I'm fairly certain no silicone has blocked a galley because I generally don't use it. Huff.
Back onto the Corvair. The above statement that the car will be driving soon spurred me onto doing what I can to get the car actually back together because I haven't driven it since 2022 with the rewiring last year. A fella in the facebook group posted up an oil filter which I went and collected, picked up oil and zinc addative on the way home. Chucked it all in and cranked her up. Turned over slower than I remember, then slower and slower before smoke from underneath.
Immediately I thought the starter had gone bad as you do. Removed the starter, gave it a smell, didn't smell burny, tested it on the floor with jumper cables, worked fine... hmm. Put it back in, again turned very slow, I could smell something rubbery/electrical burning. Now it's not to eay to turn the key and see whats going on. So I bumped the starter with screwdriver whilst I was under the car and thats where I saw where the smoke/smell was coming from.
The handbrake cable was glowy/melty.
Now you as well as I would understand this 60 year old car doesn't have an electric handbrake and I never laid any of the new loom anywhere near where the handbrake cable goes, on purpose - I didn't want any of the loom running under the car, nothing was touching it along its travel.
What does this mean? Well, that the power into the starter wasn't earthing the route it should, IE - through the earth cable I have mounted between the alternator bracket and the chassis. I tested this by having a jumper cable go from the starter body to the battery negative - cranked as good as it ever has before and - crucially, no burning smell/smoke.
Starter motor back out, cleaned up where it mounts to the gearbox, went and bought two more earth cables. Took the time to remove the heater blower and what was left of all that crusty ductwork and fit in two more earth cables. One directly from the trans to the chassis. The other mounted to the engine block roughly below where the other one is mounted, this one goes straight back to the battery rather than to the chassis though. So now I have way more grounds than there ever was before.
Bit of fuel down its throat last night and we're back in business, I cut the silencers off the crossover pipe and refit that for now, sounds like a proper Porsche with open exhaust. Almost in time for drive-it-day. I've got some things coming from America which will hopefully fix the now slightly melted handbrake cable, some of the rust and other smaller things. Currently researching some suspension upgrades and ways to replace all the bushes, I'd prefer poly but aside from making them myself they're not really available for these cars so any custom things
I'll add pictures once my phone decides it wants to co-operate with the airwaves.