69 Dauntless Project - the 'Heep'

Picked up the short block, the heads and a few other parts today.

All new bearings, new rings, a new cam, I have a NOS cloys timing gear and chain to install. had the heads done, valves got a grind on them, and a bunch of other goodies. I have a couple of seals to get, need to wash the parts that were glass beaded and we're tracking down an oil pump kit. If my guy is out of stock, then I'll likely go the TA performance route.

Picts will have to follow later, swamped right now, guilty pleasure to read a bit and post this note.

 

No pictures killing us.

I have had good luck with TA performance BTW.

Jeeps going to run real good after this.

 

Here's a few photos mid-way thru the engine. I don't have the original cam that had a bad lobe yet (was 'somewhere' in buddy's shop), a melling cam replaced the OEM.

The goal was not a full blown rebuild and blueprint, just not in the cards at this time. This was minimal viable/logical refresh, hone and check. Right now with parts and labor we're sitting around $900, with a few parts in transit. You'll see a stain on the cylinder walls after honing on the cylinder that ended up with rust.









There's some pitting from cavitation here, what's your opinion?










This looks gobs better other than covered with sludge that started collecting likely in 1969.








I need to get across town today to the paint guy and have him mix some "Hampstead Green" or "GM 200". I cleaned the bolts yesterday...

 

Maybe when I hone the cylinders I over do it, but I get a clear cross hatching when I am done. I might be doing it wrong or too much? I would just replace that entire oil pump assembly.

As far as parts go, kits including pistons for the 225 are around 500 bucks. Gaskets, pistons, Timing chain kit, rings, bearings, cam, lifters and oil pump included. Thats all name brand stuff.

 

Tools and time, combined with experience. I saw terminal damage. My buddy saw repairs. That saved me $$$ off the top for all kinds of new parts and machining I assumed. Once he pulled it apart, he had the appropriate tools to mic bearings and rotating assemblies (the cam was obvious, no equip needed) so he had the right stuff ordered, did minor polishing where needed and so on.

I've been travelling and working too much so this keeps forward progress tangible.

I was looking at a full f-head rebuild he was working on, had the boring bar mounted to it as he had only done one cylinder...

 

things starting to look closer together...

I had a thought while cleaning out the garage, ran across a can of hammered-dark-green shake and shoot. Looks darn close enough for my engine... (3 cans @15 vs a pint at $70 of matching). Valve covers, and some smalls painted. Oil pan next, and then some assy. required before I spray the bigger pieces. No it's not GM, it's not honda's hampstead green, but it's close enough.

Been running my sandblaster, washing parts, drying with air, cleaning with Dollar-store 'awesome' (cat-pee yellow stuff), lather-rinse-repeat, etc. the 'white' quart bottle of 'citrus awesome' and a rag with my shoe cleaned up the floor of all the oil, anti-freeze residue and other glop before I rolled the frame in (having an epoxy'd floor makes this cleanup nice).

I hogged out a hole in the garage for the jeep frame to roll in. I have a 4ft square of 3/4 ply on the rear of the jeep frame holding the T-98/D-18/OD combo, the heads, and a bunch of other engine parts waiting for me to put them together...

used the 'barrell fan' (or barn fan, or what ever they're called), moved some air thru the garage, made it nice on a 90+ day.

Picts of stuff coming soon.

 

Trip today around town landed me a the paint supply store by way of the dentist then FLAPS, (the auto paint store) followed by HF and OSH 'on the way home'.

Picked up a gallon of PPG epoxy gray primer and related hardener

Picked up a gallon of Ditzler PPG code 43038 ... Spruce Tip Green.

Associated thinners, hardeners, etc...

I was out the door in less than 30 minutes with a couple dozen filters, a hand full of stir sticks and a couple of mixing buckets for less than $430 with the taxes...

Grabbed some lucas assy. lube and permatex copper spray and black rtv from a FLAPS I ran across on the way to the paint store.

Picked up some disposable tools from HF.

Picked up a few cans of shake-n-shoot for the motor and associated small parts at Osh

Now I need some time to GIT SHINOLA DONE. GSD.

 

So is this $430 just to paint the motor?

 

HA! $15 in rattle cans for that, the $430 is for the rest of the jeep...

 

this weekend was semi-productive.

I started assembling the engine pieces.

I noticed on the head, there's a small hole, about 1/8" or so in diameter. one on each side... oddly I noticed it from the valves side of the head... I had one that was completely clogged, and looked like it was an imperfection in the casting. but it was too symetrical.

Piece of bailing wire, and went at it... I had to unclog about 4" of a small oil drain (thanks to @tarry99 for his meticulous engine build, I noticed this on mine).
it was clogged end-to-end with oil-mud-cake. was a real stinker to clean out.

I assembled most of the engine, but as I was pre-lubing and dropping in the new lifters. As I put the rods on the lifers, I noticed one was bent... so: waiting on a new set of rods...

I placed an order from rock-auto as well to get some parts (a set of points/condenser, a cap, a rotor) and a new water pump among them...

I'm deficient some picts, so here's a few...

the old cam... see anything wrong with the first lobe? no, it's not a image trick, that lobe isn't there.



The color is rustoleum hammered dark green. $6 per can. Used a few squirts over 2 cans so far. Was going to have the color matched, but that was $60 a pint with all the accessories (hardener and reducer). If I'd done all the work that was done on Terry's Balance and Blueprint thread, I'd probably have spent the extra.


my eyes seem to suck more and more, this helped, didn't realize this was sideways... I'll have to rotate the stand next time.






and Terry had a pile of great ideas on his motor build: so I couldn't resist a hack's version of one (some testors model paint and a little clear sprayed on it).
also, lined right up so I guess I'm set with TDC (really, I moved things to TDC before I set the heads on though).


I'm stalled out right now waiting for a few parts (oil pump, water pump, rods, and like an idiot, I thought I had a pan gasket, so I had to order one of those too).

Heading to home depot in a fewd to get some 'tool dip' (plasti-dip) and a few storage buckets for other projects. Hope to sand and prime a little tub / fenders / dash / floors and such later this afternoon.

 

Hey Dane , I'm glad you paid attention..........On the head there is one of those holes at either end........just cause the heads and be either Left or Right......that hole is not a drain hole as you mentioned but the pressure oil port passage coming from the oil pump to lube the rocker stands & push rods. The big question is , while having the engine apart did you clean out the bottom half of that hole that is in the block?

 

Terry, I noticed the holes at both ends, was clear at both ends on one head, and clogged on one port of other. UGGG, didn't think about the block. Will pull it apart and look Gives me something else to do later tonight...

Haven't put the final torque on the heads yet, tightened in according to pattern, kind of farmer-tight with a 3/8 ratchet...

Update to follow.

 

Not unusual to see one end plugged as long as that's at the rear of the head which does not line up like the front holes do with the oil galley hole in the block. Might be tough to check the block now with the camshaft in place as that port comes through the front cam bearing , do you remember blowing those oil holes & galleys out in the block prior to assembly?....................Go back and look at my build towards the end where I primed the oil pump while still on the stand while also leaving the rocker stands loose to verify adequate oil flow was getting to the rocker stands and rockers............if you have an issue it's much easier to fix while still on the stand rather than in the vehicle......Your probably OK but those holes in the block should always be rooted out prior to final wash & assembly.........

 

I had that part of the work outsourced... can't verify with certainty at the moment. I've been using pre-lube (Lucas assy lube) and then my little oil can getting squirts of oil where it makes sense (the timing chain for instance).

I'll pull the heads and inspect the holes. I'll prime the pump on the stand and make sure oil flows for certain, I will need to make sure my oil pump rebuild works before I fire the thing up.

I ended up cleaning the backyard where I will need to work on the tub (it was long overdue as a 'catch-all', aluminum-ox was all over the place. Amazing what a shovel, rake and then a high-pressure water nozzle will do.

Build a stand to hold my spare axles and some wood I had lying around, out of some wood I had lying around.

 

Added the TA Performance HV oil kit tonight. Followed Terry's instructions. Didn't take photos, there were bald-eagle sized mosquitos in the garage trying to vamp thru the fur on my legs...

I had to use a flat file (small mill bastard 8" or so) and a small rat tail file (1/4" or so) to open the adapter plate up a little over one hole that was punched out a little off center (rectangular hole that passes oil thru). The other holes would have to do, and were just about perfect enough, as I don't have the tooling to make them 'perfect', but I left it without obstructions and clear passages.

If ever there is a quick minute of truth, it's when you're drilling the two 1/8 holes into your existing timing cover for the adapter plate's roll pins. I used stainless buttonhead screws to align the plate and hold it in place (in every screw hole - 6 I think) as I fitted the gears and the 'shim stock' in for clearance... directions called for only using two bolts... 4 other places where Murphy could hose me good imo.

Had to assemble, disassemble, reassemble, etc. a lot to set it in my mind that it was good. Had three oil pump gaskets, two in the kit and one that came with the seals for the engine. Using the two in the kit, following the directions supplied, fitting things dry, I had zero clearance on the gears when all bolted together, slightly more than finger tight (may be - what I could get finger tight with a 3" extension and a socket on the bolt heads). gears no spinny...

I disassembled, pulled the outer seal off, and used the seal that came with the motor seals (about 4x thicker than the hair-thick one I had on there), and I had good movement on the gears. I don't have a run-out mic long enough to reach down in there and see what the total end play is, supposed to be 0.001 to 0.005. Going to have to go with what I have. I have the bolts on the pump seated to about 10# or so right now, it's packed full of vaseline and waiting for me to prime it and then double-check the torque on the bolts.

Sealed the oil pan up, bolted down. I used a little copper spray seal stick-um on the cork pan gasket. I just don't want it leaking.

Flipped the motor over on the stand, will pull the valve covers loose next, as I left the rockers loose so I could check for oil when priming. Oh yeah, have to go get a 710 filter before I try and prime the pump.

I wet sanded the fenders a little today. I have some pretty good dings where the one fell. Will fix that up and then re-prime again. Realized I have the tailgate buried in the shed... need to dig that out so I can sand and prime too.

I don't see the epoxy primer such a pain to work with a week or two later, it's just time consuming to scuff everything... I guess that's the pain of it... This is sort of like yoga, relaxing.

 

Very cool thread and meticulous nice work

 

Dane , looks like you have been busy.........