Projects Fly in, Drive home in my late Dads car. Attempting 2000 miles

I'm not sure at this point if this is going to be a deal killer or not ?
I had heard what sounded like a miss, but with the exhaust leaks, it was hard to tell. Once I had the car on the pit and ran it while I listened underneath for exhaust manifold gasket leaks, I heard that there was a little bit of a mechanical noise coming from the front of the driver side valve cover.
I took the exhaust off, got it ready to braze up the holes,
I changed out all the push rod tube seals on the passenger side, everything seemed to be going well. But when I took the shroud off from under the driver side head, I knew right away what the noise was. The pushrod was bent, bad enough that the pushrod tube was bent as well.
I confirmed that the valve is good and stuck. I tapped it with a brass hammer and it did move inward, but I didn't want to go too far, I need to leave room between the coils to try and pry it back out.
I don't think Dad has a valve spring compressor. So now I'm wondering can I get this thing unstuck while it's in the car? Do I have to pull the head? Do I have enough time and tools to pull the head, get the valve on stuck, and put the head back on. I've come so far with the car, I really hate to give up right now. I am running out of time that I can be away, and I'm getting a little tired of being away from home as well. I'll have to weigh all the options and make a decision.

 

@Hemi Joel

I will be in Glendale for the Chev swap meet in the early AM.. Let me know if you need to use it..

 

I just reviewed the process in the service manual for removing a cylinder head with the engine still in the car. It's a huge process. I'm going to try and get this valve un stuck without removing the head. If I can get the valve spring off, I could get in there with some berryman's B12 spray and trying to dissolve whatever varnish is hanging it up. Assuming it's not bent or something.

 

Can you come up with one of these valve spring compressors? No need to remove head. Put a rope or similar in cylinder through spark plug hole to keep valve up when using it.
Oops, hang on picture didn't load.

 

A year or two I freed up a few badly stuck valves in an installed engine.

First, I removed the spark plug and stuffed sash cord into the cylinder to keep the valve from falling in after it was freed up.
I used a screw type valve spring compressor to take off the valve spring. Then removed the stem seal and sprayed carb cleaner on the valve stem. Then tapped on it with a brass drift to get it started, and after that grabbed it with Vise-Grips over copper strip. I could then get the valve turning a little bit, with more spray a little bit more and more until it was moving freely.

After this I sprayed WD40 on the stem to provide lubrication, and reinstalled the valve spring.
The job was a complete success, after my friend found one of the keepers that flew off into the grass twenty feet away. I thought it was hopeless, but he said, "No, I can find stuff. I'll find it". And by golly he did.

Oh yeah, one of the pushrods on this heap was bent too so I got a couple used ones from a parts car.

 

Junkyard dog, I appreciate the offer but I don't think I'm going to pull the head. I'm going to try and do this with the head in place.
Car cruise I'm going to see if they have one of those at the parts store. I have to wait till tomorrow morning for that. I did get the valve to move a little bit by tapping it in and prying it out. It's very stiff still.

Means that sounds like the plan to follow. I got a good feeling that it's going to work. There's another Corvair engine laying on the garage floor that I can snag a push rod and tube from.

 

If you have enough equipment, it doesn't take long to drop the power unit. But of course, there are things that can go wrong....

 

I respectfully disagree with your premise. I think you have it exactly backward. The air cooled VW flat four was a world wide success and especially popular in the USA. That, I submit, provided the inspiration for the Corvair flat six. Six cylinders because the Corvair was heavier than a VW and needed the extra HP/torque. Bear in mind that the VW was designed by Ferdinand Porsche in the ‘30s and evolved into the Porsche 356 and it’s further evolution into the 900 series models.

That doesn’t even take into consideration the potential/probable influence of the various air cooled opposed light aircraft engines that also appeared in the late ‘30s and were commonly four cylinder and six cylinder, produced by Continental, Lycoming and Franklin. Lycoming even built a flat eight cylinder version. The horizontally opposed (flat) air cooled engine is still the most common light aircraft engine design in use.

“Success has many Mothers, Failure is an Orphan”

Ray

 

Good luck, I'll be following. A great read, I hope it doesn't stop your adventure. Hey, you will have to fix it eventually anyway so fix it now and continue... ( so says me in my lazy chair)

 

I hope that this little mechanical setback, can be remedied fairly quickly ! No doubt, you have a set amount of time, that you can be away from home. Here is a little positive, visual graphic, that hopefully will get that valve unstuck !

 

I hope things are working out. I'm rooting for ya!

 

Nice simple summary from @Beanscoot. And being a pancake engine, less worry about the valve falling in.

Yep. Can pretty much be done with a socket set, jack stands and floor jack. In my heyday I could drop one in an hour, maybe a little longer if we happened to have an abundance of full serve customers.

Shoot, now I'm hooked. I'll be checking in all day hoping for a successful report.

 

Sorry for your loss, I hope you get the car running and get to drive it home. Sounds like your close.

 

This thread has all the drama, twists and turns of a Drag Week adventure thread. We're pulling for your success!

And, sorry for your loss...your dad is watching over and rooting for you too.

 

Great thread. Good luck with your trip. I hope you get it rolling soon, enjoy the journey, and reach your destination.

 

When you head out you may consider throwing a map and timeline of the trip on here, probably lots of HAMB members along the way that can help in a pinch.

 

Seafoam or Marvel Mystery oil works wonders on stiff valves.
JB 80 also, but it is harder to get your hands on.
Some on the valve stem, work the stem, more on the valve stem work it, repeat.
Maybe some down the carburetor with the engine revved up a little and then MMO added to the fuel
My $.02
Good luck

 

Sorry for your loss, did your dad get to drive that much before it was parked? Why was it parked? This tread is great, similar to Squirrel getting ready for a lemon rally but with a cherry-er car! Sounds fun, Good luck!

 

I'm in the "much easier to drop the engine" camp. I could have that thing out in 45 minutes in my prime. It takes me 30 minutes to get up off the floor now.

With that said, I cannot critique your current plan. Soldier on!

 

Good news! I got the sticky valve all worked loose without pulling the head or removing the engine from the car. I used a combination of berryman's B12 spray to dissolve the varnish and PB blaster to penetrate and lubricate.
I started digging through some of the other cars to see what was in the interiors and trunks for parts, and I found one that had a disassembled engine in the back seat and the trunk. So I grabbed a push rod and a push rod tube from that. While I was in there I also found another exhaust system that is in very good condition and doesn't have any holes in it, so I'm going to switch over to that.
I haven't started it up yet since unsticking the valve. I need to put the exhaust on before I do that and before I put the exhaust on I need to put the air tubes on, and before I put the air tubes on I wanted to check that heater blower motor. That's shot, it won't run with 12 volt supply directly to it. But I think I'll drive home without it working. The cooling air from the engine should push some warm air into the car, I would think.
I discovered that those nice looking used heater tubes that I had found had shrunk in diameter. They were pliable enough to maneuver them into place but I couldn't get them maneuvered over the spout. So I just got back from town, where I went and bought some dryer duct at the hardware store. Hopefully that works.
While I was fiddling around with the heater, I also sprayed electronic contact cleaner and lubricant into the blinker switch while I was working the lever back and forth and viola! It completely fixed the blinkers.

I'm getting anxious to get out of here and get back home. Hopefully that will happen very shortly.
Now for the bad news. Due to Cam being desperately needed at work, he can't get off to come down here and ride home. So I'll be making the trip without him.

 

Bravo Joel ! Good show.
The spirit of your father is helping out indeed, with parts stashed in the other cars he owned.
Bummer that Cam wont be on this trip with you. I hope that there are no other issues that will present themselves !
Perfection cannot be rushed !

 

Cool!, That's a gratifying fix. Sorry, Cam won't be along for the ride.
So, what is the plan for all the other cars and parts in the backyard? Apologies if you have already discussed this.

 

Glad to hear you are making progress. I agree that it is a bummer your son can’t make it, but maybe God knew you needed some time to yourself as well. Praying you can get it buttoned up and on the road soon.

 

This black one will either go to me or my brother. If he gets it, I'll probably grab another one and bring home for myself.
Then everything else will be sold off. It'll be 10:00 or 11:00 corvairs, I think there is a triumph spitfire, some kind of Alfa Romeo roadster, the remains of an MGTC, a flat top t body, A couple of Vegas and a Monza and an RX7. There's a pretty nice Corvair convertible in the garage I think it's a 62. But it has been completely blown apart for restoration and there it sits. No rust at all. None of the cars are really rusty, but the ones that have been sitting out have got just about everything except the sheet metal deteriorated. I'll be back in the winter and take a bunch of pictures and start putting the stuff up for sale. I'm not going to ask a lot, I just don't want them to go to scrap.

 

Too funny ... a car guy names his son Cam ... who woulda thunk it

Best of luck during your adventure

 

Keep in touch with Cam via text messages, particularly coordinating times you know he will be available and you won't be driving during the trip. Not as good as having him in the seat next to you, but a way to stay close on this heartfelt journey.

 

Sorry I haven't been answering each individual post from you guys. I have read them all, and I appreciate all the prayers and good thoughts and support and advice you guys are offering.

Somebody asked a couple pages back how did this Corvair spyder convert come to be in this condition?
Well, I would say about 20 some years ago, my dad started really slowing down on getting anything done. He still loved his cars and his projects, but it seems he was more interested in acquiring, and taking apart, then actually seeing things through to completion. I'm sure it was age thing. It gets a lot harder for some people as they get older.
So he was driving a 64 Corvair Coupe if I remember right as his regular transportation, but he didn't like it because it had an automatic. I think he started taking it apart to swap a four-speed in or something like that, and the project stalled.
Back about 10 years ago, right around his 75th birthday I picked him up in Arizona and we drove out to California to visit some relatives and do some stuff. We went to the Pomona swap meet, and I saw this black, original paint, Corvair spider convertible for sale. I talked to the owner and he told me that his neighbor had bought it new, drove it about 90,000 miles. At some point the car went from his daily driver to his treasured collectible. Determined to preserve it, he took very good care of it. But then passed away. The widow had hung on to it for many years, when finally a neighbor persuaded her to sell it. Somehow the seller was connected with the neighbor and they made a deal on the car, then did a few things to it to turn it back into a running and driving car. It looks like they had the gas tank boiled out and repainted and undercoated, and they put a new master cylinder in it, as well as points and condenser. Then he brought it to Pomona to flip. I may not have all the details exactly right on it but I have the guys phone number so I'm going to phone him and get the straight story and write it all down.
So anyway, back at Pomona I had to alert Dad about it right away and started working on persuading him to buy it. Because it was presumably a running driving car that he wouldn't need to do any work on. I figured at least he'd have a cool old car that he really liked that he could just hop in and drive. He and the seller did not see eye to eye on the value of the car and we left without it. But over the next couple of months some negotiations happened over the phone and the seller ended up hauling it to Dad's place.

Dad just couldn't leave it alone. He took the seats out of it right away to get everything in the interior clean. My dad loved to detail clean stuff. When he was done cleaning the interior of a car, it was probably cleaner than when it rolled off the assembly line. So in his mind to do it right, he had to take the seats out.
And he figured it needed new tires. He was determined to find 13-in tires where he really liked the size of the white wall and buy those. Being that he was not on the internet, he would drive around to tire stores in all the different towns and up into Phoenix and everywhere else trying to find somebody who had just the right tire of available. That probably took a couple years. And by then the battery was toast. And on and on it went. Finally, about 5 or 6 years ago, he told me he just couldn't do any work on cars anymore and he was giving up.
So the car just sat in the garage and slowly time took its toll.
Dad loved to bring project cars home, but he found it very difficult to part with anything. So that's why the big accumulation of project cars.

 

It's true! I was going back and forth between naming him Cam or Cylinder Head. When the wife weighed in on it, Cam was the final choice.

 

The choke cable is really long, and it was seized up. So I used the old inner tube trick I hose clamped a piece of a bicycle inner tube to the end of the cable, and poured some kerosene in there and let it sit for a few days. That freed up the cable. Then I pulled the core out of it, and greased it as I reinserted it. It seems to work pretty good now.