By the 17th March '83, I had worn out the crap tyres which came with three of the second hand HD/HR rims... and fitted Semperit 185/70's to complete the full set of five. These were really good tyres. But a little wide for the 4.5" rims.. they "walked" a little in a straight line and I could feel "flex" in them when cornering.. but, they were great tyres and I had no issue with these... unlike the Kleber V229's I had fitted many years previous in which two of them developed huge blisters in the walls when the rubber and belts de-laminated... that was scary.
I was still having brake troubles.. it simply wouldn't pull up in a straight line. My log book shows that I sanded both sides of each front disc with emery and replaced the brake pads for Hardie GDB 525... at that time, they cost $21.79 for the set of four pads.
On advice from Lumenition - I opened up the spark plug gap to 0.040 and filled the fuel tank for another test run.
At mileage 157,010 - I filled the tank again after a day trip to Gembrook, Upper Yarra dam and back via Yarra Glen, Research and Warrandyte... again, this magical figure came up at 29.22 mpg... I was now pretty happy and relaxed that the motor had settled down and the vehicle was running relatively free... with little concern for it dragging brakes.
At mileage 157,500 - I changed the oil, spin on filter and Frantz filter element - the first time I got to see what it had trapped from breaking in the engine.
There were a number of small shiny metal particles.. almost microscopic, at the top of the Frantz element (toilet roll lookalike). There weren't any "lumps" but there were bits of broken away silicone gasket.. which I will never use again. I am now a devoted believer in the "Permatek" range of gasket goo's and sealants... I have such a hatred for silicone in vehicles that it is congruous I should avoid them entirely.
I opened up the spin on filter, removed the element and spread it out... quite clearly - it did not trap these very fine metal particles - there weren't any in it... so, if we think about it - they went "through" the spin on paper thin element of a Ryco Z30.. but were trapped by the extremely finely bound up face of the sheets of filter element in the Frantz.... all 4 1/2 inches of it.
At the same time, on the 1st May '83.. is where insurance renewal (previously mentioned) was refused by AAMI and we now have full comprehensive insurance with RACV.. with all included mods... for the princely sum of $94 plus the $35 annual RACV membership fee....
My records show that I had concerns with the float level - in the next two months, I have adjusted and re-adjusted the level... some time at 5/8" below the main body chamber surface.. and "supposedly" some at 43/64ths... my fuel consumption figures don't suggest there were concerns - but I do recall for many years, the car "stuttered" when making a downhill right hand turn on accelerating... I don't know if this was due to the angle the motor eventually sat at.. or whether there was something amiss with the float level starving the check valve of the power pump by-pass jet.
I must have given up and lived with it, for there is no further mention of fiddling with the float level until many years later.
On 26th June, 1983 - my log shows that I removed the generator and regulator.. and fitted a Bosch BX-1 40 A alternator with built in regulator - that unit continues in faithful service to this very day - and has never been serviced.. it just works.
It was in fact on 28th June, '83 that the head was changed by RAM automotive.. in Dandenong.. not earlier as previously believed.
Mileage was 158,602.... so, the motor had done some 6,000 miles with that amazing power.. but the terrible run-on and pinging no matter what I tried to do with ignition timing...
Couple of pix to break up this monotonous drawl... these were taken in January of this year... I did a "refub" in the engine bay some years back.. the alloy of all components was polished and coated with "Glisten PC"... this amazing product keeps maintenance of the almost chrome like finish polishing can achieve very easy and quick.
As you can see, the proximity to the exhaust manifold seems not to compromise the coating...
Pix..
- 011 alternator 1 mail.jpg (121.97 KiB) Viewed 706 times
- 012 alternator 2 mail.jpg (106.6 KiB) Viewed 706 times
On 14 July, '83 at mileage 158,879 - Nulon E-30 teflon engine treatment was added at an oil change.
I am a firm believer in this product. In hindsight, during February 2005 - at mileage 216,181.4 - the motor was removed and every conceivable part was disassembled... looking for a "knocking" sound under load at between 1850 and 2400 rpms.... which still has not been found (later - years later, well come to this)... the Nulon treatment certainly stunned both the chap (mechanic) who was helping me source the knock and myself... not one sign of wear could be found in the engine... some 57,000 miles later. The cross-hatching was still evident in the cylinder walls. Using "plasti-gauge" all main and connecting rod tolelances were within spec... there was no scoring or marking of any of the journals or bearing caps... whether this is due to the E-30 or the Frantz filter (which was temporarily diconnected to ensure full treatment) - is beyond determination.. but, with both - it certainly "worked".
On 11th August, '83 a "Karina" mileage master was fitted between the throttle body and manifold. I firmly believe it did something to the economy of the vehicle.. along with the E-30..
A return trip to Benalla via Merton resulted in figures of 28.53 mpg with speeds of 60 and 70 mph in the log.
The return trip, at a more sedate pace of between 50 and 60 mph - produced the best ever recording of economy - at 32.03 mpg.. I had my 30 mpg 179 motor...and very happy.
1984 and 1985 go pretty much without mention, save for servicing. Not a lot was going on, and I appeared to have learned to live with the braking and steering issued that went with the modification... these would not be finally resolved for another 20 years.
180,000 miles came up on 31st Mar, 1986.
Again, not much to report for 1986, save that it was in May that my father passed away... I seem to have either not done anything to the vehicle - or was otherwise too occupied with the plethora of duties and life-changing events to make entries.
I show replacing the battery with a 7 plate battery costing $49 on 2nd Sept that year.
Nothing outstanding shows up in the log from then until 5th November (Guy Fawkes Day) 1988 - the year of our bi-centenary.. when I purchased a replacement 3:08 coarse splined diff centre from Kumbak auto dismantlers in Braeside... for $150.00 with a $10.00 deposit...
We'll continue on from here picking up on removing the 3:55 centre in the next post....
frats,
Rosco
