Progress: massive sigh of relief!

[drooartz]

With a timely bit of advice from Jack (lesingepsycho) about how speed bleeders work, I now have a basically working clutch!

I switched back to a standard bleeder, and used a Mityvac to pull some fluid through the lines. Once I had fluid moving, I switched back to the speed bleeder and pumped for a while. Not perfect, but better.

Then I took put the car back on the ground and confirmed that the transmission was hooking and unhooking from the engine by rolling the car around on the ground in gear. Clutch pedal in, car rolls. Pedal out, it is in gear.

WooHoo!

With that at least working on this level (and thus the likelihood of engine removal is diminished) I can move on with all the final adjustments and projects. Now on to the brakes...

 

[Brian_James]

Keep it up! Finish something, no matter how small every day, and in no time it will be running. Then in a few months, you will be contemplating what you need to take apart and fix next. For me it is getting the disk brakes in and the sway bar installed. Having a "complete" / running car is boring, even in the Houston spring.


Brian

 

[ralph_s]

Drew,
That advice on speed bleeders was priceless. I'll be there later this year and would not have thought of that. Keep on posting as it answers a lot of questions for me as I start to reassemble my BE.

 

[drooartz]

ralph_s -- that's what this forum is for! I'd been pumping that pedal for probably 30 minutes before I posted here looking for ideas. Once I had that bit of knowledge, the process went smoothly. BCF for the win again!

 

[tdskip]

So I sign-off and spend the day bopping around with the kids and look at what you go and do Drew. Right on!

 

[drooartz]

The warmer(ish) weather has me motivated, Tom. If I'm going to have the Tunebug street legal by the end of April, I've got to get moving.

 

[tdskip]

So next up is bleeding the brakes? What after that Drew?

 

[drooartz]

I did get the brakes bled (mostly) on Sunday as well, so they are working but there is still air in the lines somewhere. Good enough for now.

Next up is the exhaust setup and finishing up the wiring for the electric fuel pump.

 

[Guest]

I usually gravity bleed things a while first. This might not be an option for you if you have nice freshly painted bits about.

 

[Brian_James]

I did get the brakes bled (mostly) on Sunday as well, so they are working but there is still air in the lines somewhere. Good enough for now.

Next up is the exhaust setup and finishing up the wiring for the electric fuel pump.

May not be air. Make sure all of the drums are adjusted, or you will never get good pedal.

Brian

 

[drooartz]

Nothing is properly adjusted yet. I was mostly concerned with getting basic functionality. Before I'm back on the road I'll do a proper adjustment and bleed everything out again.

 

[Brian_James]

If you had the brakes apart during the rebuild you will need to adjust them to get any pedal. Jack a wheel up, pop off the hubcap, turn the adjuster screw until the brakes drag and back it off a notch. You usually have to adjust them again after the first drive. If you haven't done this, you may be chasing nonexistent air in the lines for a long time.

Brian

 

[drooartz]

I've had all of the brake system apart (it's essentially new down to the lines and hoses). A real brake tuneup will happen next weekend once I have a few other things settled down. Just didn't bother this time as the goal was just to have *some* sort of brakes to prove I hadn't completely made a hash of them during my rebuild.

Getting closer to that magic start-up date as well. Woohoo!