Last weekend I decided to get Leo’s type 4 engine starting, running and give it a tune. The plan being I would then bleed his (new) brake system and take him for a bit of a drive up and down the street. Estimated time was an ‘easy’ day to do the lot.

I bought a new Bosch starter for him and charged up what should have been a good battery overnight on the Friday. Woke up Saturday and went and had coffee (large caramel latte – yum sugar and caffeine) and breakfast with the kidz at GJs in Pako….read papers in between helping kidz with Take5 magazine puzzles and daydreamed about an easy and quite satisfying afternoon getting Leo running and having a little drive (I’ve never actually driven him).

Go home full of caffeine and sugar (as previously noted) ready to go. The battery charger’s indicator light was showing fully charged (as was I dues to caffeine and sugar as previously noted) - sweet!

Filled new oil filter with oil and fitted. Pulled one of the lines to the remote oil cooler and filled that with oil too. No oil spills very pleased about saving the environment. Fitted the battery and disconnected the coil lead and the electric fuel pump as the plan was to crank a bit of oil around the engine first. Fitted a remote wire to starter so I could crank from the engine bay….already then! Put power on remote starter lead and…

That ‘thunk’ sound you get when the starter pinion engages but doesn’t crank. Think the first relatively mild swear word for the day (mild and not vocalising yet so everything’s still cool). Pull the starter, which is a bitch of a job because of the top starter nut on the engine bay side is behind upright tin and a sexy weber carb (I remind myself that anything that looks really really sexy is always trouble in the long run!).

Test starter on supposedly ‘good’ battery – no spin. Hmmm my new starter is a dud or what should be a ‘good’ battery is kaput. Test starter on the Ford’s known to be good battery. Starter spins. Ergo the supposedly ‘good’ battery is kaput. Think same relatively mild swear word again. Go and buy new battery.

Install new battery. Refit starter (see note above on top bolt, but still OK on caffeine and sugar and haven’t barked knuckles or cut hands yet so its still good). Go to step 1. Engine cranks, red light off, little bumpy movement on oil pressure gauge. Sweet.

Reconnect coil wire and power to electric fuel pump. Have statically timed engine and set carbs (idle mixture 2 turns out, air volume 2 turns in after engaging lever) so expecting things to burst into life with a healthy roar and the sexy sound of weber induction roar and the whine of straight cut cam gears (have I mentioned that I think anything that looks or sounds really really sexy is always trouble in the long run?).

Crank and ……..nada. Nada nada nada. Vocalise relatively mild swear word. Caffeine and sugar wearing off slightly at this stage. Methodically test ignition circuit. Power to coil, power to points, points trigger test light, pull spark plug leads and test when cranking, nice spark. Conclude ignition side OK.

Gotta be fuel. Jack leo up and pull fuel line at filter expecting it to be dry because of some fuel pump problem. Petrol pours over arm (I HATE getting petrol on my skin – I can smell it for days!) and environment. Vocalise first swear word that’s not so mild.

Put fuel line back return to engine bay and review options. Can’t actually look down barrels of sexy webers because not enough room (but looking really really sexy) but know I set the float levels OK and fairly sure they have petrol given its being delivered OK. Have spark. Must have (not so mild swear word)’ed up the timing – gotta be 180 deg out. Switch plugs leads around to shift 180 degrees.

Go to step 1. Crank. And……..ACTION! Well, sounds like 2 cylinders of action combined with a massive exhaust leak on the LHS. Not the smooth turbine like whine of a fully balanced engine…So much for the induction roar of a pair of sexy webers and the sweet whine of straight cut cam gears! My teeth chatter as I hold the throttles and the engine jumps around. Haven’t been bumped around this much since I was last in a splitbus running a 68/69 front beam lowered on adjusters!

Cut ignition. Ponder. Begin to worry that if I got the ignition timing 180 out I may have also got all the valve timing out when I set up the engine. Don’t think so but (sigh) better check it. Put leo back on jack. Not a lot of room to do tappets on a type IV in a splitbus. Was thinking I wouldn’t have to worry about it for 500 miles……think about going back to GJs for another large caramel latte, decide that’s avoidance behaviour and press on.

Pop rocker cover and left hand side. Check valves gaps, they’re OK, #4 inlet and outlet a bit tight for some reason, bark first knuckle undoing jam nut to reset. Pop cover on RHS and check. They’re OK. Clean rocker covers, fit new gaskets with sealer on rocker cover side (hate leaks) and refit. Take leo of jack.

Return to engine bay. Crank again illogically expecting the turbine when really why would I since nothing has changed since the last attempted start? Logic wins and Leo bumps’n’grinds away on two with massive LHS exhaust leak. Wind up idle so he’ll bump’n’grind by himself and check oil pressure. 50-60 PSI cold – sweet.

Decide I better start pulling spark plug lead wires to find missing cylinders. LHS (#3 and #4) have nice healthy spark but are not ‘running’. Hmmmmm. Ponder whether the massive exhaust leak on that side could be reflecting some sort of loss of compression. Vocalise swear word with adjective and modifier. Can’t see how that could be but put Leo on jack and crawl underneath to look for signs of blow by. Can’t see anything (swear word with religious overtones offering thanks…).

Hmmm. Not running on #3 and #4, but valve/ignition timing is OK, spark is good, and fuel is being delivered to the carb (but I can’t look down the sexy weber’s throat to see what’s happening, I do like the way it looks though). Decide to pull the LHS carb and check it out.

Well I thought setting the valve clearances was going to be a bitch of a job…..

Have to pull em at the head cos you simply can’t get at one of the nuts that holds the carb to the manfold. Work the two middle head nuts off 1/32 of a turn at a time and then spend a happy half hour fishing one of the nuts out from where its dropped (and jammed which also stop the manifold coming off). Who cares about barked knuckles and cut hands anymore? Get sexy weber and manifold off.

Getting dark now, caffeine and sugar buzz disappeared hours ago.

Dismantle carb. Both idle jets are completely blocked with crap. Must have come out of the bottom of the tank and been delivered to that carb first. I wonder what my $15 Ryco fuel filter actually does…….

Blow the carb out and reassemble. Remember hoping that this wasn’t going to be an ongoing thing – I was always cleaning the carbs on Chrissy’d notch when she ran it low on petrol.

Saturday was done and Leo wasn’t running.

Woke up Sunday. Took kidz down Pako for coffee and GJs and Sunday paper and Take 5 puzzles. Beginning to think I have a serious addiction here. Have a large caramel latte and trade in my freebie card for another regular. Skip home working on a new guitar riff in my head (pity I’ve nearly sliced the top of my left hand index finger off somewhere along the line and I won’t be able to play it for a while - I was never into the blood on the frets thing – its rusts the strings and they’re expensive…).

Refit LHS sexy weber and manifold…see comments above re what a bitch of a job that is. Return to step 1. Crank. Leo bursts into what I assume is fully balanced turbine like life, with sexy weber induction roar and the whine of straight cut cam gears. If I could hear it over the massive exhaust leak on the LHS…..

Jack Leo up and pull his exhaust and LHS heater box. One of the copper exhaust gaskets is skewwiff and hasn’t seated properly. In fact its nearly bent in half. No wonder the big exhaust leak. Clean the high temp RTV silicone off everything, fit new gaskets, silicon and reassemble. Go to step one.

Crank. Leo burst into life sounding like a fully balanced turbine. The whine of the straight cut cam gears is serious without being too obtrusive and the induction roar of the webers is really really quite sexy………

RobK

[Edited on 9-5-2005 by splitbusaustralia]

That's excellent rob, Good to see you got those sexy bastards going... so tell us , did you take him for a spin?

Rob, a well written excellent read.

Sometimes I find if you hide your VW engine in storage for 10-20 years or so then it will turn after a sip of petrol and 2 turns of the key.

Well thats what every barn find story appears to indicate.

I went through similar trouble in Ireland a few weeks ago with my 68 and its freshly rebuilt 1300TP. The dizzy was 180 degrees out!

Cheers

Steve

I dont normally read long posts...... but ....sorry Rob..... that is funny :P

I think it is time for a beer now instead of the latte

awesome mate just awesome!!! so did u get to drive leo??
i know your theory behind sexy things thats why i dont bother :P:P
cheers
rhys

Wooohoooo!!! Well done Rob.

Now for the drive.....

Isnt it just beautiful when things go to plan!!

I hope you pulled up a chair and an esky and sat there listening to the donk and the straight cut gears and looking at the sexy webber - thinking DAM STRAIGHT!
:thumb

Well done Rob, it's great to hear that it got going without too much of a hassle

Don't forget to factor in the costs of the GJ Caramel Latte's in the resto budget

one more thing rob i also love gloria's mocha caramel late's especially with caramel around the top,cream oooooohhhhhhhh yum im going there know

Rob

That esay rates a A +

Mate the ideal way is to go get a bell housing and sit the engine on a 20L tin hook up battery and temporay fule supply and hit the starter....

MUCH EASIER to start the engine out of the car especially with carby and exhaust problems etc etc NEXT time OK n stop drink that shitty Caramel coffee YUK

so did u get to take him for a run? man i wish i had your knowledge (working on it)

Mate, that is a great read, and congratulations on your success.

BTW, I was laughing my #$% off when I read this:
(swear word with religious overtones offering thanks…).
It works better than actually writing the swear word.

All I can say is top story. Well written and posts like this are the main reason I keep returning to the site.

Cheers
Dave

APPLAUSE


and band aids



and a double shot tall latte from zaraffa's

that should keep you going!



well done :party:party:party:party

Nice read Rob. Dont know about you though... when its my own project I always feel a little ripped off if the engine starts first time. The feeling that somehow it was all to easy and cheapened the experience... keep looking at the engine suspiciously and wondering when its going to come to its senses... start giving me trouble (like it should....right?)

Who ever believes theyve heard the last of it when the engine is purring sweetly!!

Awsome read - congrats on getting it running too! Makes it all seem worthwhile...

R

Heheh i dont usually read long posts either but this kept me glued to the monitor

Long, too long ago are the days of old when I heard a Weber/s howl, still the memory remains.

One day, I too will realise your elation,
for webers and large caramel latte-ations!

Great read!
Rock on.

Excellent read ! Not sure which addiction is stronger - The coffee or the car.


At least I'm not the only one that has hassles when fighting /fixing my cars

good read mate glad t hear you got it running

Rob

how long before you cut an acess hatch in the top to get to those "sexy" webers???

Would make life much easier to clean blocked jets

Like all others, I'd have to agree that was an entertaining and well written post Rob...glad to see the story had a happy ending!

I know I would have degenerated into heavily vocalised multiple strings of expletives though so I think you did well to contain yourself!

Great read.
You know you have got it real bad when your twin webers/dellortos are louder than your exhaust and stereo combined and you love it!

Brendan

So how well does he go?

will he pull seconds?

BTW, I thought you were gonna tell us there was no oil pressure and he seized when you said sad and terrible.

[Edited on 11/5/2005 by pete wood]

Nah - sorry guys. Haven't driven him yet. Still got to bleed brakes and roughly check front wheel alignment.....this weekend if time permits?

I'm not sure he'd be extremely quick over an 1/8 or 1/4 (although I would expect him to be a bit faster than yer average splitbus). He was built with a view
to being a comfortable and fast cruiser (for a splitbus). I'd personally put a built swingaxle in a 'drag' splitbus rather than IRS it.

However, I am starting to have these weird thoughts about barney......

RobK

[Edited on 11-5-2005 by splitbusaustralia]

oh no i dont like the idea about these wierd thoughts rob!!! please dont do it!! make him like he was out of the factory and ill drive it while u drive the dual cab or vica cersa kissduh
cheers
rhys

Could fit a blower in there without cutting a thing Rhys!

What a great read Rob. It does look sexy too.

Now then, are you going for a latte at Pako's and a bit of Take 5 action with the kids beforehand....and then start another thread.....?