Deferred maintenance on the White Elephant

I finally got the 91 running, and in the body shop to fix the hit and run damage. Now to catch up on some deferred maintenance on the White Elephant. I replaced the lower bushings on the passenger's side, and did an alignment. Everything is within spec, but I need a little more positive camber on the driver's side to correct for road crown. The bushings were a PITA as usual. I have the correct tool, but for some reason, it does not like to work the way it is supposed to. Sometimes I wonder why I do not just buy the loaded arms from Rock Auto. It is so much easier (but more expensive). I used a spring compressor, and it caused almost as much trouble as it saved work. I got the spring in crooked, and accidentally fixed it with the spring compressor. At the same time, I almost got the compressor stuck crooked in the spring. It took me about 1/2 hour to get it out.

I think every muscle in my body hurts, even my gluteus maximus (butt). It is painful to just sit down. This is getting to be too much for me at my age...pass the Alieve. After about 4 hours, I end up working for 10 minutes, then I start to cramp up, and have to work/walk it off for 15 minutes. It really slows me down. I had someone offer to help me, but was a no-show. 10 hours later...I'm done...in more ways than one.

Now onto the next deferred maintenance project...heater core...antenna, maybe not in that order.

Perhaps Santa will leave a bottle of Vitamin-I (ibuprofen) in your stocking this year. If you see buzzards circling, keep moving.

No vitamin I in the stocking.

I do not know what is worse, if I get up from sitting, it hurts, if I sit down it hurts, if I stay sitting it hurts. Same goes for laying down and getting up, but a little more on the getting up side. If I stand still it hurts, and if I walk it hurts. Even typing on this keyboard hurts...and I took an Alieve. The ads are a lie. And I still have more to do on the car.

Just moving is not enough, you have to move about. If you do not move a good bit, the buzzards will come down, and peck your eyes out while you are still alive.

Fred, there are several of us here with similar problems. It's called old age. Merry Christmas my friend.

Dave Buchholz

I added a little positive camber to the driver's side by removing 1/16 inch. It was not quite enough, so I will add the same amount of shims on the passenger's side in my attempt to counter the crown of the road.

Sounds a bit like the legendary Highland Cattle: bred in the mountains of Scotland with their left legs longer than their right. This afforded them superior footing as they walked around mountaintops, so long as they circumnavigated the peaks in a clockwise direction. If they turned around, they would topple over and roll to their death. A sad story of animal husbandry gone terribly wrong.

This also explains the rarity of the breed.

In upstate NY, we worry more about the proper camber for potholes more than 18" deep.

The afteraffects of the initial maintenance have worn off, so I am back at it today with the antenna replacement, and the heater core if time permits. I suspect I will be partially incapacitated until about Wednesday, or Thursday if the pattern follows the same trend.

I got the alignment perfect, and rotated the front tire to the rear on the right side. I got the hoses off of the heater core, but they are destroyed. As soon as I figure out what I need for the heater hoses, I will swap out the heater core. Rebuilt antenna is also installed, and works perfectly.

Completed another deferred item...the power steering pressure hose...extremely messy, nasty job. I almost took it to a garage (true sacrilege).

I picked up a manual shut-off valve at the junkyard, and am going to use it in conjunction with the restrictor to allow me to shut off the heater core in the summer.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

the power steering pressure hose...extremely messy, nasty job. I almost took it to a garage (true sacrilege).

BTDT. Took it to a garage. F that noise.

I got the heater core in the car yesterday, but I did not get the drip pan back on yet. When I removed it, I found that the top by the drain was broken and deformed. I must have caught it on the AC evaporator when installing it last time. I used a heat gun to straighten it, and a soldering iron and some scrap ABS to patch the crack. I am going to finish replacing the pan today. I will have to devise a way to get the top of the pan past the AC evaporator without damaging it.

The hole for the back screw that holds the core in is not visible even when you are on your back, and I had to use a mirror to position it. I also put some tape on the steel clamps that hold the aluminum heater core, so that the metal do not interact.

For those who have leaks when running the AC, a crack in the pan at that point can cause water to leak on the floor of the passenger's side. If you are in a high humidity area, installed a heater core, and are getting a leak, you might want to do a last place to look exam of the drip tray. It is a PITA to get off. I pulled one at the junk yard, and it was broken worse than my original one (that I got at a junk yard). There are two sizes of them. I am not sure what years and models are different, but a Caprice had the same PN as the OCC, and I got one off of an RM once that was larger than the OCC.

I finally got the drip tray in today. Friday I was working on the installation, and has something blocking the install. When I was getting out from under the dash, I got hit in the eye by a piece of wire that I used to hold the vacuum lines out of the way. I ended up with an abrasion on my cornea. I went to the local VA emergency room, and they gave me some pain meds, and some ointment. Today it felt good enough to work on the car again. I took the front seat out to give me better access. Since I have RM seats in my OCC, and the electric recline was not working, I fixed that while I had it out. I had to grind a rusty nut until the threads showed before it would come off. It took me longer to do that than fixing the seat.

Now to hook up the hoses to the heater core, and I have heat for the cool days coming.

The heater core I have has a 5/8 inch tube on one end, and a 3/4 inch tube on the other. The original lines are 5/8 inches on both ends. Now I must get fittings to make it all work. What a PITA.

The drip tray was a PITA as well. Every time I tried to put it in, it would catch the bottom of the AC evaporator core, and crack the front by the discharge port. I heat welded it 4 times, and finally cut the gasket a little on the bottom to allow it to go in at a lower angle. It is finally in place, and sealed. I picked up a spare at the yard today that is in perfect condition. Remarkably, even the gasket is good. It took me three tries to find a good one. If I ever have to replace it again, I will have a nice part to install.

I managed to cobble together a set of hoses from the local parts store. I am not going to use the Quick connects, because they are extremely difficult to remove. Simple hoses with clamps. A little high temp wrap on the hoses near the engine to keep them from getting cooked, and a bracket from an LT1 car to keep them out of the way.

I finally got the hoses in for the heater core. What a screwy mess. It is done now, and I hope I do not have to do it again. I put a shutoff valve in the line, so I can cut off the water to the heater core. It should allow my AC to work more effectively in the summer.

More positive camber?
My 94 wagon is at the limit, had to pull most alignment shims  to get it ok.
I figure something is bent, perhaps the knuckle, the bearing spindle??
or the frame bends.
I used to see these special parts for the upper control arms that were offset. The round bar the upper  bushings slip onto  is offset to push the upper control arm further out which increases the camber foir sale at Rock Auto.

Does anyone know what  I am talking about. or have a part number?

Those nasty click on water heater hoses, great for assembly line production. What an awful choice for GM to make, they corrode onto the tubes.

I had a 92 wagon. I used a larger heater hose and slipped it on then a screw clamp managed to seal it. I do recall you can buy hoses in 1/8 diameter increments.

I have had those heater cores out, maybe they could be modded to work better with standard hoses. Perhaps even epoxy  to the tube ends something that will work with hoses.

I managed to get some prebent hoses that matched the bends of the original ones. Some of the cores have different size input and output hoses. Some are 5/8 for both hoses, and some are 5/8 on one and 3/4 on the other. There is a prebent hose with a 3/4 inch flare on one end, and the rest of the hose is 5/8. If you need it, it will work with a splice and elbow to the restrictor. The other hose is all 5/8 inch, and since it does not reach all by itself, I put a shut off valve in it going to the radiator. I used clamps, but they were a bugger to get on. They are right up against the firewall, and barely grip the hose. If you move the wiper motor out of the way, it is a lot easier to access them. I ended up needing 6 more clamps to complete the job. Modification of the heater core was not necessary.

There probably is nothing bent, they are just made that way. If you run out of room to adjust the camber, the offset shafts are the only way to go. I have taken all of the shims out of one side, and I got the exact camber I needed. An alternative to springs and removing shims is drop spindles. The camber and caster do not change when you install them. The only drawback to the drop spindles is that you need at least 17 inch rims to be safe. The drop spindles with 15 inch rims will allow the shock end to hit the ground before the rim in case of a flat. The prior owner of my 91 OCC had that experience, and it was not pretty.

Well, now the trans in the White Elephant is starting to slip in third. Fortunately I have the almost new trans from the 91, and also the engine. I hope the engine is not full of water from sitting outside. I tried to cover it, but the covering deteriorated quickly. I "fixed" the cover, but it quickly deteriorated again. Keeping my fingers crossed. I would like to freshen it, and put both in the 92.

I have been nursing it by accelerating in second to about 40, and then taking my foot off of the gas until it shifts to 4th. It keeps the pressure off of 3rd, and I hope to get the other engine done quickly, then do both the engine and trans swap at one time.