Well, here I go again! Bound for AZ in April!
Tonight was the time to drop my engine back into the frame for the umpteenth time! Hopefully it will be the last time for some 100K miles or so! The frame is all welded up and pimped out again, and the ZF is back together and sealed up properly, waiting patiently to slip into place.
The weather has been/is threatening to be a nasty weekend, so seeing as I have to move the motorcycle outdoors, along with a pile of other misc garage stuff...to get the hoist in the proper position to drop the engine in place, I decided to make a go of it tonight! Temps were mild, no wind, and no wetness!
Started setting up at 8:30 and by 9:15 the engine was attached to the DeTomaso frame mount adapters, and I was putting the hoist away! WOW! Paint loss was minimal...but then it was just me....one mm at a time...and a bunch of strategically placed towels and old t-shirts to cushion things... push... look... lower... adjust...drop another mm or two....push...look.... move a hose..... etc!
If anyone needs specific pictures of a car going back together, or information, please advise before the weekend! I intend on installing the clutch and ZF this Sat. ...during the expected rain...but I should be high and dry as the ZF install, when using the hoist, can go in straight from the rear. No clearing of the garage required!
I also recently spent a lot of time on the pilot bearing adapter and it's relationship to the clutch disc etc. I intend on putting together a tech article for the POCA newsletter with all that I find in it. Should help the next Goose or early Pantera owner out! Easy things to check with a wire type feeler gauge set and in other cases, simple bits of modeling clay! But I'll outline how to do it with proper measuring tools....the clay will just double check your math skills!
I'm working with my clutch guy to come up with a Goose/-1 specific clutch disc with Kevlar friction surfaces on both sides. I really like the way that this engages and doesn't tear the hell out of the flywheel or the pressure plate! Nice and smooth! I know that others out there will like it too! The disc I have currently is not without it's issues in terms of being an exact fit but I have worked around the issues sufficiently. Right now the challenge is to find a proper blank to start with...that doesn't require a lot of machining!
I found that when you surface a flywheel, or replace one, or replace a clutch disc, you should be checking a couple of critical areas for proper clearance to allow for the friction surfaces of the disc and flywheel to wear without causing unwanted contact between the clutch disc hub and the pilot bearing adapter!
Ciao!
Steve
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