Before getting to reassembly I made a quick survey and touched up paint and undercoating as needed; it was just a few places and it was quick. Next I assembled the freshly-powdercoated, old cylinder covers. They went in almost perfectly, unlike that aftermarket crap. Interestingly, the additional thickness from the powdercoating changed the dimensions just enough to be noticeable; I would have never thought it mattered. After that it was on to the fan cover. Reassembled the fan/generator/backing plate (vent hole is oriented down) and installed that whole puppy into the fan housing, then installed new flaps.
Getting the fan housing back on was more troublesome than I thought. I had to figure out the right place for the thermostat rod to go and it turns out that the piece connecting the left and right flaps has to go on after the housing is connected, not before as I was trying to do it. And it also turned out that something wasn't assembled right 'cause just when I thought I was done, I spun the generator and the damnit if the fan wasn't rubbing on something. I fiddled with the fan for a bit and by the end of the day it seemed that everything was properly adjusted and installed except for a bolt that I busted the head off of. Looking good!
The most annoying turn of events was when I went to install the thermostat bracket and realized that the engine block didn't have a stud for it. Really? After all that effort to acquire the missing parts?
From what I hear the later Mexican blocks omitted the bracket. Looks like somewhere down the road I'll have to drill & tap & install one - the boss is still there. I guess that's why the thermostat was missing. They must have thrown in out when the new engine went in. Lovely workmanship.
Monday
Bought a screw extractor of the right size and removed the broken bolt no problem. But after removing the housing (to replace all four generator backing plate bolts, cause why not?) I reinstalled the housing and the damn fan was rubbing again! After removing and replacing the housing like a million times I finally realized that the fan was rubbing because the powdercoating made the pieces thicker. I had used the same number of shims as before, but that just wasn't working. Adding a new shim finally made things better. In the process I also bent the thermostat bar just right so that the flaps move with no resistance... now if only I had a place to attach the thermostat bracket!
Of all the times I dis- and re-assembled the fan housing, I didn't lose a part till the very end – one of the clips for the flap system went into lala land. Seriously. I saw it fly off. Looked everywhere. Swept the ground and looked through the pile. Everything. Never found it. I don't think it will be easy to replace, but it can wait until the body is back in place, especially now that I have to remove the engine to replace the rear apron.
Having finished the fan housing adventure, I installed the front shroud. It went in nicely, though I can't quite remember exactly how the accelerator cable housing goes. I also got the intake manifold back in. It turn out that it's much easier to get the center portion of the manifold in before the fan housing and generator are in place, so I once again removed and replaced the fan housing.
While attaching the manifold to the muffler I stripped the threads for one of the bolts. I'll keep an eye on it, but I think it is OK. It still seems tight enough, but I'll inspect for heat leaks later when it's running.
Now all that is left on the engine is the rear shroud, lower shroud, carb, and heater boxes. If I want to use an impact wrench for the crankshaft pulley bolt, I'll need to to this before the rear shroud goes in. The heater boxes need welding, and it will be better to do this out of the car, but I'd rather have them installed so I don't risk falling behind schedule. The body needs to get back on for the move!
Rest of the week
Tuesday: Love for the Jeep. I took it to the shop for a good pre-trip inspection.
Wednesday - Friday: House-hunting trip in Corvallis.
Left to do prior to body replacement on this Thursday:
- Engine reassembly (almost done)
- Replace that little clip I lost
- There's a little asbestos(?) piece that slides inside the connector around the heat risers. It would be nice to find new ones... but it can wait
- Replace rubber grommets as needed
- Heater insulation replacement
- Put on body seal (using rubber cement)
- Clean out body threads
Sunday: 4 hrs; Monday: 3.5 hrs
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