A few general questions

[61canuck]

Hi folks! I've been reading up on all your projects and teething troubles and I'm starting to pick up some good tips and troubleshooting ideas. I stripped out my engine bay to paint my engine and firewall/inner fenders and wanted to ask a few questions before I start reassembling.

1) My valve cover has a pipe with a press on breather at the front and a PCV valve at the back. This is probably a dumb question, but how much air gets sucked through a PCV valve when it is operating. Is it just a little bit? Does it matter if the PCV is not super tight in the valve cover grommet?

2) What is the generally accepted method for applying gaskets to engines? For example, I'm putting a cover over the fuel pump hole in the block. Do I just use a gasket, or do I also use a little Permatex, and if so, do you glue the gasket to the block, or the cover. Same question again for valve cover.

3) Why are some vacuum lines hard lines and others rubber? I have a thin hard line going to my distributor and a bigger diameter one going to my Fordomatic. Can either of these be replaced by a rubber line? Is there enough vacuum present to collapse a rubber hose?

4) My carb is a non-stock item, and I would like to identify the model number. It is a Holley with a glass float bowl, manual choke. The opening size on the bottom is about 1 7/16", at the top about 2 1/8". The air filter was modified at some point to clamp onto the carb. I'll send a photo if required, I'm a little behind the curve on posting photos right now.

5) I'm removing all the heater related stuff for the moment as everything was mousy and my plenum is pretty well shot. I want to plug off the block and water pump for now and just get the car running again. Should I use teflon tape or anything on these brass plugs, or just put them in dry?

If you have any other suggestions or tips for someone doing what I'm doing pass them along too.

Thanks

 

[bubba22349]

1. how much air gets sucked through a PCV valve when it is operating. Is it just a little bit? Does it matter if the PCV is not super tight in the valve cover grommet?

1. Moves quite a bit of air though the engine this is to help keep it clean. The Grommet should fit somewhat snug to the valve cover and to the PCV or it could pull some dirt into the engine if it's old and hard best to replace it.

2. What is the generally accepted method for applying gaskets to engines? Do I just use a gasket, or do I also use a little Permatex, and if so, do you glue the gasket to the block, or the cover. Same question again for valve cover.

2. Ideally you should only need to use the gasket if everything is clean and straight a little Permatex is also good to use. If you glue the gasket to a part like a valve cover so you can remove it a few times what out needing to replace the gasket than glue it to the valve cover. If the part probably won't be removed than you can glue either side or both. Use care not to over tighten the tin parts like a valve cover and oil pans this can distort them and they will leak.

3. Why are some vacuum lines hard lines and others rubber? Can either of these be replaced by a rubber line? Is there enough vacuum present to collapse a rubber hose?

3. Hard lines work the best they stay in place if clamped, are undamaged by heat and oil usually you can clean them up and repaint to look great. They can be replaced by rubber though you will need to find a way to support and clamp them in place. When rubber gets old and or oil soaked they will crack leak vacuum and can collapse on long runs.

4. My carb is a non-stock item, and I would like to identify the model number. It is a Holley with a glass float bowl, manual choke.

4. Sounds like maybe a Holley 1904 these were stock on the 1961 Falcon / Comets. However if you are planing to change it out with a new carb I might be interested been looking for two like that.

5. Should I use teflon tape or anything on these brass plugs, or just put them in dry?

5. Technically you don't need any thing with a brass plug just clean the threads in the water pump. But I like to use pipe dope with Teflon or the Teflon tape works better than dry threads.

 

[thesameguy]

For #5, I really like Permatex's High Performance Thread Sealant. It works great on a variety of materials and with a variety of fluids, and can be used on the carb's fuel fittings where tape should not be used. It helps prevent seizing/corrosion/galling, and when it's removal time, it cleans up easily with a wire brush. Good stuff!

 

[bubba22349]

X2 works great and makes it nice if you should need to take it apart later on

 

[61canuck]

Thanks folks.

My 80 year old neighbor helped me roll the car to a new spot in the yard today, and he had a good tip: cover up the hole for the old fuel pump before the mice set up shop in the bottom end! He learned this the hard way after whipping up a batch of boiled mice and tarpaper in the rad of his tractor one year during harvest when he took the rad cap off for a couple of days.

The carb is not original to the car, or even to the 68 engine I'm running. It was a swap meet special, probably not even rejetted or anything. But it seems to work fine, all the factory linkage is still in place, so I doubt if I'll replace it.

The reason I was asking about the hard lines is that they are all bendy looking and crusty. If it is not a totally stupid idea I would like to run rubber lines as a temporary measure until I can get some proper size tubing and bend up some new ones. I realize that I will need to leave a stub to attach the rubber line to.

I'm starting to get caught in the old trap of painting/refurbishing one thing and then realizing that twelve other things now look grungy next to the first thing.

 

[thesameguy]

I've replaced a lot of the metal lines in my car for the same reason. It's just a matter of getting the right-rated rubber hose (like, don't use heater hose to carry fuel) and giving adequate support so that rubber hose doesn't end up getting caught on something moving or rubbed through. Hose is cheap, so I tend to go overkill (like, silicone vacuum hose and braided fuel hose) - and that way you end up with hose with a better, more durable structure that can put up with more abuse. A probably restored engine compartment looks really superb, but for a driver the hard lines really aren't a necessity.