Thread: Bought an old race car today.

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

The tranny fluid is full and is a clean purple color (Royal Purple maybe?)


Don

it could very well be B&M trick shift that stuff is purple and the stall you said was blue thats a B&M has well

Paul, I didn't realize those rear parts were that much money. I'm going to take a real close look now.

Steve, thanks. This was one of those cases of being in the right place at the right time I guess.

Pat, thanks. That is good info. I bet you are right. The transmission is black and has a deep pan on it with a drain plug, so it is somebodies built tranny. I don't think they ever got as far as actually driving the car because it looks like a lot of things are unfinished yet........like no shifter was installed. I have the feeling they put break in time on the engine and that was it. There are a couple of B&M decals on the car so that makes sense. Plus, the fluids are all extremely clean.

Pat, do you have a feeling about the slop in the rear clearances?

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Paul, I didn't realize those rear parts were that much money. I'm going to take a real close look now.

Steve, thanks. This was one of those cases of being in the right place at the right time I guess.

Pat, thanks. That is good info. I bet you are right. The transmission is black and has a deep pan on it with a drain plug, so it is somebodies built tranny. I don't think they ever got as far as actually driving the car because it looks like a lot of things are unfinished yet........like no shifter was installed. I have the feeling they put break in time on the engine and that was it. There are a couple of B&M decals on the car so that makes sense. Plus, the fluids are all extremely clean.

Pat, do you have a feeling about the slop in the rear clearances?

Don

did gloss over that if both wheels turn its a mini spool or the real deal there will be no slop .but should need C lip eliminators it will if it,s a real spool. if you get about 3/4 of a trun then lock hard then someone may have filled the teeth with weld and left some teeth to turn some what some guys did this but its hard on the parts. if the other wheel will make a turn but bangs or hopes a bit but will make a full turn then the limited slip could be dry from setting or set up realy tigth had a 9 like that many years ago 28 years ago still have it under my chevy never rebuilt after some miles the hopping stop.it could be a powertrax carrier ??. pull the cover will tell you more if the rear end is nice shape i hang on to if there not bad and if under some of older cars and turcks . i would take every thing off it and keep it other then the shell if you have room .but you knew that

Thanks Pat for that info. I'll stick a camera up in there tonight after I pull the back cover off and post them. Maybe you can see something in there that will help me make a decision.

I appreciate the input Pat.


Don

Ok, I know a lot more about my new purchase than I did yesterday. I left work early today (was running into overtime) and tore down the engine and removed the transmission.

The transmission is a B&M. I found part of their decal on the top of the transmission case....the B and part of the M. The converter had a part number of 20413 on it and is also B&M. They call it a Holeshot 3000. It goes for about $ 475.00. The flexplate is a TCI with and SFI approved sticker on it.

Got the pan off. It IS a 4 bolt main block. (insert big smile here) The pistons and rods are all stamped with the number of the cylinder they go into and I can see where material was removed from the underside of the pistons on some and also on the connecting rods. So evidently it was balanced.

The pistons are forged but nothing special. The are Sealed Power 2244P .020 over. I researched that number (it is an old number) and it works out to be just about 9:78 to 1 with my 62 cc heads. The connecting rods have no real number on them except for GMA and 687. I couldn't find that number on the internet.

The cam has a number stamped on the back but I couldn't find it anywhere either. It is SE1090P. But it is going into the trash as are the lifters because I found the 3rd lobe from the back is wiped. Every other one is perfect except for that one. Maybe a bad break in proceedure or they set that one too tight? Any thoughts?

The engine also has screw in plugs instead of tap in ones, and the inside is really clean. However, it will go to my machinist for a hot tank and complete check over. The crank spins very freely in the bearings, and the bearings all showed some minor scoring, probably from the cam shavings getting circulated. The journals are all nice on the crank and it is marked 010 and 010, so the rods and mains are 10 under.

The crank is not remarkable either, the part number is 3932442 which comes up as a cast crank, medium journal with a 3.48 stroke. Being that this will become a street motor it will be more than I need.

Finally, the oil pan has no markings but is a deep flat sump model and the oil pump sits way down in it with a square pickup........some brand of racing setup obviously. It also has a heavy duty oil pump driveshaft.

So, that is what I have and overall I am really happy with my purchase. I got a lot of nice, expensive parts and a good basis to get my 46 running. Thanks for looking and for all the advice and tips.

Oh, tomorrow in the daylight I plan on looking inside the rear end. I have the junk man lined up for Monday to come and take it away so I have to get moving.
Don

Way to go Don! Must feel good to see quality stuff inside.

Yeah Steve, I got to sit in the shop today and fondle all of it. I also found out the carb isn't a 650 double pumper, it is a 750 double pumper. I read the part number wrong. Too much for the street but probably ok on the track. I also don't think the guys who built the engine were the same guys who built the car. The engine is done so well and the car is really thrown together. I would guess they bought a built engine and did the rest. Probably why they toasted the cam on break in too.

I feel like a kid at Xmas time.

Don

I have been following this, what a score!! I was waiting to hear what was in the rear end before I posted but we haven't heard anything yet
Ken

Rust was in there. I pulled the back cover off today Ken and there wasn't a drop of gear lube in there, bone dry. So rust had ruined the gears and also the mini spool. Nothing worth anything so I kept the Mr Gasket rear cover and the rest goes with the car when the junk guy comes Monday.

I did find out what the clunking was when you turn the yoke. Not the gear lash but the axles being sloppy inside the spool. Not sure what was up with that, but since I didn't want it anyway it didn't matter. Oh, the gear ratio was only a 3:42 also.

Thanks for asking though, I forgot to post about that.

Don

Great fine. It's all about the hunt.

You're right. I love it when someone says in passing "I know of an old car that is stored away and they might want to get rid of it." THE HUNT IS ON! Chances are it is something like an old Citation, but sometimes, just sometimes it turns out to be a real jem.

The day I found the Camaro I actually walked into the office of the storage place and asked if any of the old boats stored there were for sale. She said "No, none of the boats are for sale...............but that old race car back there will be going up for sale when we get the lien completed."

Yep, that is what makes this stuff fun.

Don

Thanks Don, I was just curious. Not to beat this to death but did the axles look stock and was their a C clip eliminator kit on it? With a mini spool I don't remember if you had to do that but if it does and the axles are after market it would be worth saving for future projects. Just a thought.
Don't you have a 12 bolt in your roadster?
Ken

No Ken, I have a 10 bolt S10 rear in my 23 and the 27 has a 9 incher. I really didn't know what I was looking at when I peered inside the housing. I knew it wasn't a spool and I knew it wasn't a limited slip. It was obviously a mini spool because I did some on line searching before I got in there and saw pictures.

As for the C clip eliminators, I don't honestly know. My knowledge on these rear end setups is very limited. Plus, with all the rust it was hard to see much of anything. They evidently put the rear together and never added one drop of gear lube. So it sat pretty close to the ground for 6 years and the moisture got at it all. Even the inside of the housing was rusty, top to bottom. If it had been some deep gears I might have tried to salvage some of it and clean it up, but 3:42's weren't worth going all the work to pull out.

That slop in between the axles and the spool was odd though. Maybe they set these up loose for racing?

Getting ready to go to the shop now. We got half of Dans floor permanently installed last night and today we are doing the second half. That will put him very close to being able to start priming the undersides and rest of it. We used 3M body panel adhesive and cleco'd it down to set up. Now he is going to rivet everywhere there is a cleco. This picture is of the panel adhesive spread out ready for the floor to be laid down. That gray colored stuff on the inside of the cowl bottom is cold galvanizing. He wanted that to resist rusting and knew once the floor was down he could never get back inside there to shoot epoxy primer on it.



Don

there no way to set a spool loose if more them 3/4 of a turn they welded some of the the spider gears teeth up if a mini spool you would need clip elminators if that loose the spline on the axles were worn out from hard use . but alot of time the center pin that the spinder are held in the carrier get beat out all load will run thru the pin that holds the mini spool in all power run thru it thats why mini spools are not that good

That makes sense Pat. The pinion and ring gear had no slop between them but I could see the spool move quite a bit before it moved the axle.

The old Camaro goes to the scrap yard tomorrow. Don helped me clean out the shop of every old transmission, engine block and a ton of the old manifolds and risers he replaced on his boat. We put so much steel into the Camaro the back end is dragging. That should make it worthwhile for the junk guy to haul it away.

Tonight Dan and I permanently installed the passenger side floor in his RPU, so there is no turning back now. That 3M body panel stuff really sets up. The rivets are going to be incidental. The side we did yesterday was cured today and it really made a strong installation.

Here is a picture of the drivers side all cured and ready for rivets. The passenger side hadn't been installed yet in this picture.

Don