1973 Series III SWB (Austin, Tx) project update

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A quick howdy and introduction to y'all! Have been following the forum for some months now and have already learned a lot so thanks for that -- I'm in Austin, TX and recently purchased a 1973 Series III SWB, 35K miles, from original owner (have owner and shop manuals, purchasing paperwork, receipts for parts replaced, etc). Rig has not been started for 9 years so I am not sure what all I'll be facing but it is rust-free below in spite of its intense Texas sunburn above! Trailered the rig home on Xmas eve and have been slowly going at it, system by system, as the day job permits; initial clean up showed that the oil-based air cleaner had been doing its job -- the little scorpion found floating in the oil bath is very nearly pertrified!

Cleaning the fuel tank was a big effort -- good news is that it was nearly full with 10 gallons of gas; bad news: the gas sat in there for 9 years and about a pint of sludge slowly oozed out and almost clogged the filler neck. It took a long time to chemically and mechanically clean the tank (would have been easier to just buy a new tank but I wanted to see if I could in fact clean it) and followed the cleaning with the POR 15 tank sealer treatment -- the fuel tank will now outlive me, ha ha! Will attach pics of the clean tank in another note.

I'll update this thread as I move things forward. Have rebuilt its original Zenith carb (came with a Weber attached) and am moving forward on the fuel system. Might even try to start it this coming week.

I'm sure that I'll have many more questions to come! Thanks again for all of the great tips and advice!

(removed the sludge picture 2010_11_10)

[gambrinus]

Don't fall prey to "Shipfitters Disease"

Do a basic service.. change the fluids, fresh plugs.. and see what happens. It may just fire up and chug along nicely.

RW

[mongoswede]

Squirt some Marvel Mystery Oil into each of the cylinders and let it sit for a while...days..weeks. It might help work the rings back into a state of freedom and help get the engine working properly.

[txffjim]

Replace all fuel lines and fuel pump while you're at it. They have the same goo in them.
Check the electrics to make sure you don't have a short that'll cook the wiring harness like mine had.
Grease and change oils!
f&r axles, front swivels, engine oil, filter, air filter, transmission, xfr case, driveshafts, steering box,?overdrive?, relay box in front of radiator, hubs and wheel bearings.
Radiator fluid good? Brake fluid?
If you trip across anything that you need help with just ask.

[SafeAirOne]

I have to say---I'm amazed by your fuel tank sludge. I've never seen anything like it. Impressive!

[SGS714]

I have to say---I'm amazed by your fuel tank sludge. I've never seen anything like it. Impressive!

Mine had what smelled like varnish in it....and enough rust that the $185 for a new tank seemed cheap after boiling old tank and still having rust fall out. Maybe mine is what the sludge turns into after another few years. Didn't replace fuel lines when we started it up with a gallon jug but the stuff that came out the exhaust proved we probally should have.

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fuel tank cleaning

Yes, the sludge was amazing and it just kept coming and coming -- that pic shows only a small portion of it! Good thing I don't charge for my time! I could not find anyone in the area to boil it out. I made and used long handled scrapers made from 3/16" diameter wire with the tips hammered flat and ground into small blades for the tough stuff-- I could easily bend these to the angle I needed to get at nearly all spots in the tank. I was able to look inside the filler neck and sender hole with a small gooseneck mirror and flashlight to follow and plan the progress. Would have been easier to buy a new tank, but once you're into it, well, as everyone on this forum knows, you're into it! The POR 15 tank treatment cleaning (Marine Clean) and etching (Metal Ready) was easy but the sealing a bit tricky. As others have noted, reinstalling the tank is a bit tough to do single handedly so I used two cambuckle straps and a board to cinch it up into place and hold it so I could bolt it down.

Will follow the advice and pull the fuel pump, thanks for that -- have cleaned the bowl and inserted new washer and screen -- and am in the process of replacing the fuel lines. The Weber that was on it was so gummed up that the throttle linkage wouldn't even move so yes, the old fuel had gummed up the entire system. I did rebuild the Zenith and posted some questions on it that I will bump up to see if anyone has some answers for me.

Oh, did use the Mystery Oil and let it sit in the cylinders for about 6 weeks and was able to hand crank the engine so that is sage advice. Pulled the oil pan and found only dirty oil, no bits of rings, etc. so am hopeful that it might actually start! Will keep y'all posted as to the progress.

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Fired up!

After some months of doing general clean up and letting penetrating oil sit in the cylinders, fuel tank sealing, carb rebuild, new fuel lines, fuel pump, spark plugs, distributor cap and wires, rotor, points, condenser, filters and fluids all around, etc., and more etc., I dropped in a battery yesterday. Electrical system seemed to be ok (all lights work) and so I turned the switch and after a bit of choke action the engine started right up! It had not been started in 9 years. Adjusted the carb settings and the engine sounds great! Still lots to do but the engine appears to be there. For now...

[jac04]

Nice! What a transformation! Very clean with just the right amount of patina to let you know it's a real deal low mileage vehicle.

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Smiths heater rebuild

Added a new, separate thread on the rebuild of my Smiths' heater. Probably should have just stuck it here but maybe it will be easier for interested folks to search as a stand alone under "Smiths" or "heater."

[gambrinus]

Congrats! Time to hit the road.

RW

[amcordo]

I think if I found that scorpion anywhere in mine I'd throw a match in the gas tank and walk away.

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Other animal guests...

At least the scorpion was dead! I think I'll embed it in plastic and hang it from the rearview mirror with the fuzzy dice. When I opened the charcoal canister to clean the filter I discovered that a colony of large red ants had moved in! Also found the remains of several wasp nests in the fender wheels. But, then, this is Texas, and there are a lot of small critters here about. Thankfully, no sign of fire ants...yet!

[txffjim]

Yea, if the fire ants take over --- abandon ship! I was lucky to just have carpenter ants in the drivers seat.
Great looking engine bay. Haven't seen a "evaporative control system" stock on one before (can next to air filter) Everything looks real good.

(PS anyone that hasn't experienced fire ants- I'll gladly ship you a box of them- or 2)

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thanks!

I'm waiting for the first report of a nest of killer bees in an abandonded LR!

The evap system seems to work (but it was hooked up bass akwards when I got it). I removed the tank located up in the rear left wheel well and cleaned that up and it is sound. All of the elbows on these lines were cracked so I replaced them with some originals that I found on the web. It was only after they had arrived that I realized that fuel hose would handle the tight 90 degree bends just fine and for a fraction of the price. Oh well! There is a metal line that goes from near the intake manifold to the exhaust but it is sealed off near the dipstick. For the life of me, I have not been able to figure out what that used to do and have not found any reference to it anywhere. Anybody know?

Looked at your blog txffjim, and your work looks great! You are aiming for a work of art! Love the fact that the PO had to mow before you could look it over, ha ha! That is so Texas!