News:

Due to a technical issue, some recently uploaded pictures have been lost. We are investigating why this happened but the issue has been resolved so that future uploads should be safe.  You can also Modify your post (MORE...) and re-upload the pictures in your post.

Main Menu

High School Reunion with 1967 Sedan DeVille

Started by savemy67, December 07, 2014, 11:57:13 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

savemy67

Hello all,

Completing the rebuild of my TH400 left me at the point of bench testing it.  Being able to prime the pump, fill and check the converter, check line pressure, and check for leaks is advisable before the transmission goes back in the car.  This can be done as the following photos show, but in this case, my “dynamometer” wasn’t up to the task.

To test the transmission, I needed to duplicate the action of the engine in so far as it rotates the converter.  Photo 4397 shows an old saw blade I obtained, in which I inscribed an equilateral triangle.  Photo 4399 shows three notches that I ground into the circumference of the blade at the vertices of the triangle.  The flex plate on my ‘67 attaches to the converter using three bolts located at 120 degree intervals around the converter.  I welded a socket to the arbor hole of the blade and attached the blade to the converter (photo 4418).  My dynamometer is an old 1/2 inch drill with a no-load speed of about 600 RPM.

Photo 4424 shows the drill attached to the socket/blade.  With the drill running, the pump can be primed, the converter can be filled, and the cooling circuit can be checked as shown by the tube full of fluid in photo 4420.  The TH400 has one pressure test port on the left side of the case.  I attached a gauge (photo 4422).

Unfortunately, the no load speed of my drill, and or the drill’s torque was insufficient to generate more than ten psi on the gauge.  Without enough pressure, I had no band apply for reverse, so I could not get the output shaft to turn in reverse gear.  The output shaft did turn in all forward gears.  I did not notice any leaks.

Going with the theory that my drill did not have enough power to fully duplicate the engine, I put the transmission in the car (photo 4425) thinking the engine will certainly have the power to fill all the hydraulic circuits, and pressurize them.  the only question was how much additional fluid was needed.  When a transmission is rebuilt, all the hydraulic circuits are usually dry, the converter may only be half full, and the cooling tubes are probably dry, so it pays to follow the manufacturer's procedure for filing and checking the fluid level.  Even though I primed my pump and converter, I still needed about 2 1/2 quarts of fluid once everything was warm. 

I have to admit, I felt like Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein when the car moved when put into gear - "its alive!".  I took the car for a spin to the local snowball stand and got the car up to about 35-40 mph.  The car shifted smoothly through al gears.  Some of you may recall I had a problem with the car stalling when downshifting at a stop.  I theorized the problem may have been related to the absence of the switch-pitch/kickdown switch at the carburetor.  I found a working switch a couple of months ago and installed it along with my rebuilt transmission.  The stalling issue seems to be resolved as well as the idle speed seems to be more tractable.  My guess is the stator is now in the correct position at idle.

My first transmission rebuild post is dated March 21.  It has been about 140 days since I started my car.  I grounded the distributor primary, and cranked the engine to get oil pressure.  This took three 10-second engagements of the starter.  I then dribbled a few ounces of gas down the carburetor bowl vent, pumped the gas pedal twice, and the car started on the first crank.  My mechanical vacuum gauge showed about 22 inches of Hg, and my mechanical oil pressure gauge showed about 30 psi.

I parked the car on an old, white, shower curtain liner so I can see if there are any annoying leaks.  I still need to plumb in my pressure gauge so I can observe the transmission pressures while driving, and install a tachometer so I can see when the car shifts under different driving conditions, but in the meantime, its time for a beer.

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

harry s

"...meanwhile it's time for a beer." Well deserved.     Harry
Harry Scott 4195
1941 6733
1948 6267X
2011 DTS Platinum

DeVille68

very nice!
Luckily the 68 Trans has a simpler filter. Someday I will also rebuild my trans, it shifts nice but is leaking at the output shaft seal.
What is your next project?
1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (silver pine green)

savemy67

Hello Nicolas,

I plan to do a few test drives and check the operation of the transmission with a pressure gauge and tachometer installed.  If all goes well, I will disable the car (yet again) and remove the intake manifold, valve lifter cover, valve rocker arms, pushrods, and lifters.  I will clean all of these parts including  disassembling and reassembling of the lifters, and check for wear.  I also plan to borrow a scope and view the condition of the camshaft gear.  If the nylon on the gear teeth  has been eroded away, I may have to consider working on the front of the engine.  If the gear looks OK, I will move on to bodywork after putting the valve train back together.

I keep reminding myself that at some point I should be enjoying driving this car, not just repairing it.

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

DeVille68

So some interesting post from you to be expected in the future!
I just did a compression test (see my thread) which turned out good. So I will not remove anything, expect the valve covers. Need to replace the seal. I also need to check the nylon on the chain. Just to be sure.

Currently I am working on tires and A/C.
1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (silver pine green)

savemy67

Hello all,

My current chore on my '67 is cleaning the valve train.  The plan/goal is to remove the rockers, pushrods, and lifters, and clean everything.  Part of this process is the removal of the carb and intake manifold.  The manifold has been sandblasted and painted.  I do not plan to rebuild the carb at this time.  The previous owner of my car told me he had the carb rebuilt.  Based on the way the carb looks, and how the engine starts, idles, and runs, I have no reason to doubt what he told me.

However, when I bought the car, I noticed that the air conditioning (A/C) idle speed-up diaphragm was not connected to the carb.  On '67s with A/C, the A/C power servo sends vacuum to the idle speed-up diaphragm.  The diaphragm has a rod connected to a link which, when actuated, opens the throttle a small amount raising the engine idle RPM.  This design is to help the engine stay cool when the A/C is on, and the car is idling (which might occur in traffic on a hot Summer day).

Photo 4457 shows the idle speed-up diaphragm re-attached to the carb.  There are two problems.  The first problem is the end of the idle speed-up actuating rod is not connected to anything.  The link to which the rod is supposed to be attached was installed upside down (I have to assume by the previous owner's rebuilder).  With the choke and fast-idle linkage installed, I could not right the position of the link.  I had to loosen the choke/fast-idle linkage in order to get the rod linkage in the correct position.  Photo 4460 shows a wider view of the right side of the carb.  The upside-down link is in the middle of the photo.  The hole into which the idle speed-up rod goes is just under the mid-point bend of the secondary air valve rod.  Photo 4462 shows the link in its proper position, but not yet attached to the idle speed-up rod.  Photo 4463 shows a screwdriver pointing to a tab on the idle speed-up link that operates a tab on the throttle shaft.  This is how the throttle plates are slightly opened when the idle speed-up diaphragm actuates the rod, which moves the link (shin bone, knee bone, hip bone, etc.).

The second problem was that my idle speed-up diaphragm did not respond to vacuum.  I suspected that the diaphragm itself was no good, so I went looking for a replacement assembly.  I found a replacement assembly on-line, but the vendor wanted about $100.  I considered buying a generic pull-off assembly for $10, but I would have to modify it and or the rod from my original idle speed-up assembly.  I decided to have a go at repairing the diaphragm assembly.

I was able to dis-assemble the assembly, and I discovered that the diaphragm was in fact no good.  I cut a piece of bicycle tire inner-tube to the diameter of the assembly housing and used contact cement to attach the rod to the inner-tube/diaphragm.  Photo 4461 shows the pieces.  The old diaphragm essentially disintegrated.  The inner-tube rubber and the rod are glued together at the right of the photo.

Photo 4464 shows the re-assembled idle speed-up assembly, which, when I apply vacuum to it, moves the way it should.  Photo 4465 shows the assembly on the carb with the rod end correctly located in the link.  There are two small jam nuts on the rod.  These are for adjusting the idle speed when the A/C is operating.  The adjustment should be made after all other idle adjustments have been made.

Hopefully, this repair will hold up long enough so when I work on my A/C system, the idle speed will respond appropriately.  We will see.  In any event, not having spent $100 on a replacement idle speed-up diaphragm assembly, allows me to spend that $100 on other things, like a hydraulic lifter removal tool because my lifters are stuck in their bores.  They rotate and move freely - but they won't come out by hand.  Just another day under the hood.

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

DeVille68

Hey Christopher

Do you know how to remove and replace the kick down switch case connector in the transmission? (I guess the 67 version is identical to the 68).
Mine has started to leak some oil.


Also my cable has broken off in the connector.  Do you know where to get the kick down switch cable connector and the case connector for the TH400?
I found something listed on opgi, but I don't know if these parts would also be correct for 68 th400.
https://www.opgi.com/chevelle/11980/
https://www.opgi.com/chevelle/G241657/

Best regards,
Nicolas
1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (silver pine green)

savemy67

Hello Nicolas,

It is virtually impossible to remove the kickdown case connector from the outside of the transmission case without damaging the connector.  You will probably have to drop the pan.  Once you have access to the connector from inside the transmission case, you can use a socket (3/4 inch/19 mm) to safely remove the connector (see the attached photos).  The socket evenly depresses the plastic tabs on the connector.

I am not sure I understand what you mean by, "Also my cable has broken off in the connector".  Do you mean the wire?  OPGI's case connector is too expensive.  Also, I think the Chevy wiring harness would be a waste of money for your '68.  You can probably get the case connector at transmission rebuild kit suppliers.  I found one on eBay here:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/181397856832?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true, for much less than OPGI, and it appears to include the o-ring.

The '67 connector is a two-prong connector (for the kickdown and the switch pitch stator), and I have only two wires from the carb-mounted switch to the case connector.  '68's use a one-prong connector, so I have to think you have only one wire from wherever the switch is mounted (gas pedal? firewall?) to the connector.  Check the wiring diagram in your shop manual.  If you have only one wire, grab a couple of meters of the appropriate gauge wire and make the repair yourself.  If the plug-in connector at the end of the wire is still intact in the case connector, you can probably remove it and reuse it.  I think it is rubber to keep the connection free of water and road debris.  Post some pictures if you can.  Good luck.

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

DeVille68

ok, very good! Sorry, yes I meant wire not cable.
Yes the 68 has a single wire. There is a switch on the carburetor which just applied +12V to this orange wire running to the kick down switch inside the trans.
My problem is that the connector inside the pan is leaking oil and the connector outside the pan has a broken wire just at the point where the wire exits the molded plastic. So I can not solder a new wire one. Would need to cut the molding.
I probably only need to change the o-ring. Glad you mentioned this, have not know this.

Thanks for your picture.
1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (silver pine green)

savemy67

Hello all,

I have made some progress on my valve train project.  After removing the carb and manifold, and getting sidetracked with a small repair to the carb (see previous post #105), I was able to concentrate on cleaning the valve train area in the cylinder heads, and the valve lifter area.  This is a tedious job with the engine in the car, but with patience and perseverance, the job can be done.

Having replaced the valve cover gaskets several months ago, I knew that the valve train area in the cylinder heads was dirty (photo 3766).  After removing the valve rocker arm pedestal mounts, and pushrods, I knew that to effectively clean the cylinder head area, I had to remove the valve spring assemblies as well.  Since the cylinder heads are still in place, I had to hold the valves closed using compressed air.  I made an air hose adapter for the spark plug holes (photo 4486) so I could fill the cylinders with compressed air (photo 4483).  I also plugged the oil drain-back holes at the ends of the cylinder head and the pedestal mount holes to minimize my cleaning solution draining into the block.

Even though the compressed air (40 psi) will hold the valves closed regardless of the position of the piston in the cylinder, it is recommended that the piston be near the top of its stroke.  If something goes wrong with the air supply, the last thing I needed was to drop a valve in a cylinder.  Since I work alone, I had to insert a "measuring device" into the cylinder and rotate the engine by hand to note when a cylinder was near the top of its stroke (photos 4488, 4489).  This was a bit of a hassle as I had to get under the car to turn the engine with a breaker bar using a bolt in the crankshaft snout, and then get up to look at the position of the measuring device - so back and forth several times for each cylinder.

Photos 4485 and 4484 show the before and after spring assemblies.  Along with cleaning the spring assemblies and the cylinder head area, I installed new umbrella-type valve stem seals.  The original seals are plastic, and they were very loose on the valve stems (the car has about 90,000 miles on the odometer).  The new umbrella seals were a nice snug fit on the valve stems.

As far as I could determine, with the valves seated I could not detect any side to side play at the valve guides save for one valve.  While stem to guide clearance should be checked with the valves off the seat, I am at least encouraged that the valves appear to be straight, with little guide wear when viewed in this fashion.  The tips of some of the valve stems show a little wear, which is not the case with the valve stem end of the valve rocker arms.  I will describe what I did with the rocker arms in my next post.

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

savemy67

Hello all,

In my previous post, you can see in photo 3766 that there is a good deal of sludge in the valve train/cylinder head area.  I knew this was the case, but as I delved deeper into the valve train, it became painfully obvious that my engine suffered from too infrequent oil and filter changes.  In addition to the sludge, I noticed when I removed and cleaned the spring assemblies, that there was corrosion on the valve stems between the top of the guides and the keeper groove (photo 4483), even though the valve stem tips showed little wear (photo 4484).  On the other hand, the tips of the valve rocker arms that contact the valve stems showed a good deal of visible wear and corrosion.

The valve rocker arm assembly on my 429 engine uses a pedestal system instead of a rocker shaft.  The rocker arms are mounted in pairs, and are held on by a bracket that mounts under the pedestals (photo 4466).  The pedestals and brackets are held in place by cylinder head bolts.  When a camshaft lobe pushes up a lifter and pushrod, the rocker arm pivots on a fixed pedestal arm and the valve stem tip of the rocker arm pushes on the valve stem actuating the valve.

Photo 4470 shows the wear that I found on nearly all the valve rocker arms.  The rocker on the left shows a little wear, but the rocker on the right shows a great deal of wear. as well as some corrosion/pitting.

What to do?  I priced replacement rockers and found them to be more expensive than I cared to pay right now given that I am not rebuilding the engine.  At this point, I also had to consider what I might encounter when I got around to inspecting the lifters, again, trying to avoid an engine rebuild at this time.  I decided to refresh the surface of stem-end of the rocker arms using a sharpening stone used to sharpen knives.  This was a laborious task, all done by hand, but I was able to restore a nice finish on the rocker arms, as can be seen in photo 4475,  The before rocker is on the right, and the after rocker is on the left.

All the pushrod ends of all the rockers were OK.  However, the rocker surface where the rocker pivots on the pedestal arm, and the corresponding surface on the pedestal arm itself showed wear and corrosion on several of the rocker arms and pedestals.  I obtained some small Dremel wire, abrasive, and buffing wheels (photo 4526), and used some valve lapping compound to remove most of the corrosion and wear on the rockers and pedestals (photos 4527 and 4528).

Keeping the parts organized is important for a job like this.  Photo 4468 shows a little fixture I made for keeping the rocker components in order.  I had so much "fun" doing the valve rocker arms, I can hardly wait to tackle the lifters!

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

savemy67

Hello all,

In a clean engine, the valve lifters should lift out of their bores by hand, or with the aid of a small pick tool or magnet.  Well, even though my lifters rotated in their bores, and moved up and down an amount equal to the cam lobe lift, the lifters did not want to come out of their bores without the use of the tool in photo 4476.

Photo 4456 shows why the lifters were stuck.  Sludge like this is a result of too infrequent oil and filter changes, and neglect of the PCV valve.  Similarly to my clean-up effort in the cylinder head area (see post 109), I cleaned up the sludge in the lifter area by blocking the drain-back hole, and while leaving the lifters in place, used a cleaning solution and a shop vac to remove the sludge.  Photo 4482 shows the area in need of a final pass, but before that task, I removed the lifters with the aid of the tool.

Photo 4494 shows the tool in action.  The assembled tool will not fit through the pushrod holes in the cylinder head, so the lower part of the tool was unscrewed from the shaft of the tool, and the shaft was inserted through the pushrod hole and reattached to the lower end of the tool.  The lower end of the tool is essentially a collet that expands into the rim of the lifter.  For most of the lifters, this placement worked OK to remove the lifters.  Some of the lifters were very stubborn, so I removed the spring clip from the lifter, and inserted the collet into the spring clip groove of the lifter.  This placement is more secure, but one runs the risk of losing the spring clip down an empty lifter bore, so I only used this on two of my lifters that I could not remove any other way.

Once the lifters are out of the car, it is important to keep track of them.  Photo 4495 shows how I organized my lifters.  Two things come to mind - I’m glad I like cottage cheese, and I’m glad I don’t have a V-16!  Not only do you want to replace the old lifters into their respective bores, but when you take a lifter apart, all the parts for that lifter should stay together for reassembly.

Photo 4478 shows a dished lifter.  A new lifter will have a slight crown which unfortunately, none of my lifters had.  Again I was faced with the dilemma of buying new parts or refreshing old parts.  I priced new lifters from about $40 to $100 for sixteen.  While this is reasonable, for me it did not make sense as there is a chance that new lifters might adversely affect my old cam, and then I would have to replace the cam, at which point I would rebuild the engine.  Since I am trying to avoid an engine rebuild, I will re-use the old lifters (after rebuilding them) and assemble the entire valve train with assembly lube.  Keep in mind that the engine was running quite well despite the dished lifters and all the sludge in the valve train areas.

Photo 4511 shows the 9 pieces that comprise a lifter for a 429 engine.  At the far right is a spring clip that holds everything together.  With a clean lifter, once the spring clip is removed, the innards of the lifter can easily be slid out of the lifter body (far left).  In case the innards get stuck - and Cadillac must have had good reason to think they would - a special Kent-Moore tool, as seen in photo 4498, can be used to dislodge the lifter innards.  The tool is a J-4160, but I refer to it as a “Slam-It”.  A lifter is inserted into the tool upside down, and the tool, with the lifter in it, is slammed on a wooden surface.  The concept works, but since I don’t have the tool, I improvised with a socket (photo 4506), slamming the socket and lifter together on my workbench, coaxing the plunger and innards out of the lifter body.

In photo 4511, the lifter parts from left to right are:  lifter body, lifter plunger (shown upside down), check ball, check ball spring, check ball and spring retaining cap, plunger spring, metering disc, pushrod cup, spring clip.  Each of the nine pieces was cleaned in degreaser.  The lifter and plunger bodies were also cleaned with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper soaked in degreaser.  Brake cleaner was used on stubborn varnish, and everything was rinsed in acetone and dried with compressed air.  Reassembly will be described in my next post.

Christopher Winter

Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

savemy67

Hello all,

Reassembling the lifters requires some attention to detail.  Perhaps the most critical step is to make sure the check ball and check ball spring are working properly.  I don’t think it is necessary to drown the lifter parts in engine oil.  I think that just the small amount of oil residue on your fingers is sufficient for reassembly with the exception of filling the plunger per the shop manual instructions.  The fit between the lifter body and plunger is so close as to engender capillary action to lubricate the sidewalls of both pieces.

The reassembly procedure in the shop manual works perfectly well.  Photo 4512 shows the plunger (upside down) with the check ball and check ball spring in place.  Bear in mind that the check ball is covering a hole in the plunger.  Be careful not to lose these very small parts.  Be sure the spring is oriented vertically.  In photo 4511, the check ball and spring retaining cap is in the middle of the photo.  This piece goes over the check ball and spring, and snaps in place into the bottom of the plunger.  Once the plunger, check ball, spring, and retaining cap have been assembled, I think it is a good idea to check that the spring is actuating the check ball correctly.  To do this, I used a small piece of brass tubing and gently poked the check ball through the hole in the bottom of the plunger.  Photo 4514 shows that you can observe the action of the check ball and spring through the slots in the retaining cap.  The check ball spring is very small so it requires very little force to compress - be gentle.  If you don’t get this step correct, the lifters will not work properly.

Photo 4515, 4516, and 4517 show the plunger spring placed on top of the plunger (shown upside down), the lifter body being placed over the spring and plunger, and the lifter body being compressed to check the spring, and to check for free movement between the lifter and plunger bodies.

Photo 4518 shows the assembly right side up, and the extent to which the plunger sticks out of the lifter body.  At this point, per the shop manual, the plunger is filled with oil.  The manual says to jiggle the check ball with a piece of wire.  I did this with the brass tubing as seen in photo 4519.  Again, hardly any force is required to move the check ball off its seat against the check ball spring’s pressure, so be gentle.  What happens when the check ball is jiggled off its seat is that air is released through the hole in the plunger creating a small vacuum.  Oil is pulled into the space between the plunger outer wall and the lifter body inner wall, and the plunger moves down into the lifter body of its own accord (photo 4520).  All that remains is to drop the metering disc into place, followed by the pushrod cup and retaining clip (photo 4523).  To facilitate installation of the retaining clip I used a small socket, but you could use a pushrod.  Do not overfill the plunger.  If you do, you will have a difficult time trying to depress the plunger to install the retaining clip.

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

DeVille68

Hey Christopher

Thanks for these interesting posts!
I would have thought that after so many years the lifters would not be in tolerance with the specs anymore.  But I am sure you have checked that too.
So basically, if they are not worn out there is no reason to replace em?
Why did you think that new lifters would damage your cam? (different hardness of the lifters?)

Regards,
Nicolas
1968 Cadillac DeVille Convertible (silver pine green)

savemy67

Hello Nicolas,

Under normal engine rebuilding circumstances, I would replace the cam and lifters.  In my post (reply 111) I show a dished lifter and mention that good lifters would have a "crown" which would allow the lifters to be rotated by the cam lobes.  I am re-using my old lifters because they have "mated" with their respective cam lobes, even though they are dished, and it is possible that the lobes may not rotate the lifters.  I am trying to avoid an engine rebuild at this time.

All my original lifters moved up and down in their bores, and were able to be rotated by hand.  This is primarily due to the fact that the lifters are in the direct path of the oil gallery, and are constantly flooded with oil under pressure.  And, there is hardly any side loading of the lifters.  Virtually all lifter wear occurs on the bottom of the lifter where it contacts the cam lobe.

My concern with new lifters and an old cam is that when the new lifters are pressurized when the cam lobe is lifting the lifter, the un-mated surfaces of the lobe and lifter may cause accelerated wear of the old cam's lobes.  Again, trying to avoid an engine rebuild at this time, so wish me luck.

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

bcroe

Quote from: savemy67Hello Nicolas,
I plan to do a few test drives and check the operation of the transmission with a pressure gauge and tachometer installed. 

I keep reminding myself that at some point I should be enjoying driving this car, not just repairing it.        Christopher Winter 


I had not until today read the entire TH400 rebuild story.  Glad those steels sent
solved the clutch pack clearance problem.  Really appreciate your information that
the 2 input shaft bushings must be of different lengths, no one including the parts
suppliers seem to be aware of this.  Since my TH400/425s go into my own cars,
bushings don't get replaced unless they are definitely flawed, rare in this trans. 
Perhaps I have never replaced an input shaft bushing, but I did have a trans start
squealing as soon as the engine was started, think its still on a shelf around here. 
Likely the wrong bushing blocked the oil hole.  I will be carefully checking this on
future work. 

What I was wondering, was if that 67 has done some road miles to prove in all the
work?  Did the stator switch get fixed, so high stall was activated at idle?  That
switch is eliminated in my cars with the electronic control. 

Decades ago I stripped a lot transmissions for a scrap yard, so they could get
top $ for the bare aluminum case.  My reward was/is a big inventory of TH400
internal parts.  A lot of subtle TH400 changes (not affecting operation) were
made over the 60s and 70s.  I try to take a pair of transmissions from those 2
decades and combine the best parts into a single optimum (my opinion) trans. 
Changes include boot dipstick, later pan/filter/tube (metal), wider rear thrust
bearing, swapping plastic spring retainers, swapping 9 element intermediate
roller clutch, swapping plastic sun gear thrust washer with rear thrust metal,
using teflon insulated wire on earlier generation (higher resistance) solenoids,
rubber seals on servo pistons to avoid case wear out, upping the direct clutch
to 6 frictions, converting early (switch pitch) TH425s to later higher volume
pumps, converting later cases to 8 bolt pumps and switch pitch, swapping in
O ring style output shafts, sealing TH425 chain covers, some custom parts,
and finally an electronic control to replace and outperform the OEM switch. 

A few special TH400 tools were purchased, but a lot more were created here. 
It started with engine and trans supports and special jacks, then all manner of
time savers for internal work.  And some assembly hints.  When it was installed
there might be some fine tuning of the shifting and speedometer gearing. 

When I moved, one tool now allows me to continue this sort of work long after
my retirement.  Bruce Roe

savemy67

Hello Bruce,

Time flies whether or not you are having fun.  I can't believe it has been almost two years since I put the TH400 back in my car.  I have put very few miles on the car since.  In the Fall of 2016, I refreshed my valve train (see previous posts).  Shortly thereafter, I got sidelined by work, and a couple of large projects around the house.

I poured a new concrete driveway, and I am about to put the roof on a new carport before the end of the month. I do all the work myself - no contractors - so it takes me longer to complete a project than if I paid someone.  However, I am usually satisfied with the results.

Once the '67 is settled in the new carport, I will resume working on it so I can get a few hundred miles on the car before Winter arrives.

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

bcroe

Quote from: savemy67Hello Bruce,
Time flies whether or not you are having fun.  I can't believe it has been almost two years since I put the TH400 back in my car.  I have put very few miles on the car since.  In the Fall of 2016, I refreshed my valve train (see previous posts).  Shortly thereafter, I got sidelined by work, and a couple of large projects around the house.

I poured a new concrete driveway, and I am about to put the roof on a new carport before the end of the month. I do all the work myself - no contractors - so it takes me longer to complete a project than if I paid someone.  However, I am usually satisfied with the results.

Once the '67 is settled in the new carport, I will resume working on it so I can get a few hundred miles on the car before Winter arrives. Christopher Winter 

At least the work is proving out for you, satisfying results are everything. 
Retirement is no guarantee of enough time.  To-do list here is scary, but
did manage over 5 years to clear this area and erect everything in this
pic, someone else poured 48 of the 62 concrete pillars involved.   Bruce

savemy67

Hello all,

It has been a while since I have posted anything about my car here on the restoration corner section of the forum.  My last series of posts described my adventures with the valve train on my 429 engine - a dirty job, but someone had to do it.

In the interim, work and a couple of large projects around the house took over my schedule.  One of the house projects was pouring a new concrete driveway.

My old driveway was placed in 1939.  It was cracked and spalled in a few places, and heaved in one area (photo 4612).  The surface was exposed aggregate.  It was very rough, so it made maneuvering a jack a bit of a challenge.  Of greater concern was the fact that from one corner of the driveway to the diagonally opposite corner, there was a difference in height of about 18 inches over a distance of 33 feet.  Every time I raised a car with a jack, I had to consider how the car and jack were going to shift when the car was both raised and lowered.  I also had to consider whether it was safe to use jackstands, or would I need to use crib-blocks depending on the task (see reply 88).

Photo 4605 shows the driveway.  The right rear (in shadow) was the high spot.  The left front (in the foreground) was the low spot.  I wanted the new driveway to be level, side to side, for a distance of 20 feet - about the length of my car.  I did put a slight pitch in the 20 foot section, from back to front, but not so much as to cause a concern when using a jack or jackstands.  The remaining 13 feet of length follows the topography of the lot.  The new driveway is approximately 10 feet wide by 33 feet long, and a minimum of 4 inches thick.

Photo 4824 shows the soil under the old driveway after the old driveway was cut up and hauled away.  This clay soil had not seen the light of day in 78 years.  There was no re-bar or wire mesh in the old slab, but it was about 7 inches thick.

Photo 4848 shows the soil after grading and compaction were completed, and the forms were set.  The grading was done by hand.  The compaction was done by automobile and a hand tamper at the corners/edges.

Photo 4856 shows the crushed rock base and re-bar in place.  The base was compacted using a flat plate compactor.  The re-bar is held up by plastic "chairs" into which the re-bar snaps.  Since I used fiberglass reinforced concrete, I probably could have used wire mesh, but as diligently as one might work during the pour, a lot of the wire mesh winds up at the bottom of the slab.  The re-bar chairs help keep the re-bar where it does the most good.

Photo 4981 shows the end result.  At 10 feet wide, no control joints are required across the width.  At a length of 33 feet, I placed control joints at 10', 20', and 30' from the back end of the driveway.  I cut the control joints with a 7 1/4" diamond blade in my Skillsaw.  The concrete cured in November of last year, and after about eight months, not one crack is evident.

I don't pour concrete driveways every week, so there are a few minor imperfections.  I can live with these imperfections, especially when I consider that the entire project cost me less than $2000.  Now that my car has a place upon which to sit, it needs a roof over its head.  In photo 4981, you can see the beginnings of my carport construction (the subject of my next post).  The carport will be built with steel strut, sided with vinyl siding, and roofed with metal panels.  It is intended be temporary.  It will be very light, but very strong.

Christopher Winter
Christopher Winter
1967 Sedan DeVille hardtop

bcroe

Very nice work, hope your back is still fine.  Bruce