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1500 Advice Request...

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Phireman

Jedi Hopeful
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As most of you know I’ve reentered the LBC community with the recent purchase of a ’77 Midget. I bought the best car I could afford with regards to body and interior condition. The body is tight, rust free, the paint is decent and the interior is excellent. Most of the car has been gone through as far as brakes, exhaust, electrics, tires & wheels, etc.

The 1500 motor is the weakest part of the car. The block seems tight, as there are almost no leaks. I currently have an oil pressure problem, it runs about 20 cold idle and 40-60 at speed when cold. When she gets warmed up the pressure drops to 10 or lower at idle and 20 to 30 at speed. She overheats pretty easily and I think I might have a slight leak in the head gasket. I’m a neophyte mechanic and would prefer not to tear into the engine block myself, as I do not have the tools and equipment necessary. I’d like to “make hay while the sun shines” and enjoy the car for the remainder of the season as I think the engine will need a rebuild before too long.

Could I get some recommendations with ideas on how to get through the warm months? I’ve looked at some Slick 50 stuff and some Bars Leak head gasket solution as a temporary crutch. I’m hesitant to use these products and I don’t want to screw up the engine prior to the rebuild. I’ve spent most of my capital on the car and probably won’t be able to afford a rebuild until winter.

I apologize the lengthy post and thank you for your considerations. All comments welcome and anticipated.

Marvin
 
heavy oil 50 weight for starters. Just plain old 50 wt.
 
and Baby it. You didnt say how many miles you have on it. From your description your engine sounds a little tired. Your oil pressure is about half of what it should be. Most likely your thrust washer is worn or sitting in the bottom of the pan. a quick test would be , with the engine off, gently lever the crank pulley back, have an assistant depress the clutch while you observe how far the crank pulley moves foward. I think the spec is around .01.


mark
 
oh yea, and the leak stuff works great.
 
Mark is correct....pull forward and back on your front pully and see if there is more than about 0.010 of "slack". If there is a measurable amount more, you should not really run the engine too much (If there is more than 0.025, I wouldn't even start the engine).
If this is OK, I'd run 20W-50 oil and install a 165 F. thermostat to keep the engine cooler (this will help oil pressure somewhat).
 
It could also be big end (rod) bearings. How many miles on the car?

You can replace these with the engine in the car. Should take 2-3 hours.

If you do replace the head gasket, it is not a difficult or as intimidating a job as it might seem. I know, I did it one afternoon in a motel parking lot.
 
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