Day 17 and 18 - It's about time!

The weekend was absolutely amazing. My very good friend Jocke joined me for some solid hours in the garage, accompanied by some hard drinking nights! I have to admit the drinking took away a little of time from the garage, but we really managed to do a lot of things in limited hours. If you're reading this Jocke I really want to thank you for all your efforts, it's worth a lot!

So, here we go! The first intention was to remove the Torqueflite 727 transmission since it's been sitting there since engine removal and obstructing other stuff I need to do. DynoDave sent me a comment on my last post(thanks a lot for your input mate) regarding the way the seat belts are fastened through the floor. I might have been mistaken and I will try to verify this, DynoDave tells me it can be a nut that is welded under the floor so it's actually removable from the inside anyway, but if memory serves I think the nut from underside the floor is not welded. I'll be sure to get back on this!

We started off by removing the driveshaft...

This is the little bracket that keeps the universal joint intact,
once removed, it can be disassembled with a few firm strikes
by a hammer.

To avoid a lot of transmission fluid coming out when sliding the
drive shaft out of the transmission I removed all but four bolts on
the transmission pan(it was not fitted with a drain plug). I then gently
separated it from the transmission using a screwdriver. Be sure to catch
the fluid in some kind of container - it's really bad stuff!

With universal joint removed and oil gone, drive shaft
was easily slid out of transmission. Notice how extremly
clean the end in the transmission looks. Amazing!

Now it's time to remove the torque converter. Remember it's also
filled with fluid, so on removal, be sure to flip it outside down.
This way oil is contained within and not a drop leaked for me.

The wire from the spedometer was... beyond description.
I can't understand how it was still operational when I started
the project??? Fitting is obvious.

To the left, the torque converter. To the right, the throttle rod linkage.
It was only fitted with a clip to the throttle control lever. Now this is
one of the areas of which I have the least knowledge,but from what I
understand this controls the line pressure in the transmission. It is extremely
crucial that this is assembled and adjusted properly, or the transmission will
suffer early failure. The top part of it is connected to the carburetor linkage
and pushes back on the throttle control lever depending on the throttle ammount.

Kind of hard to take a photo of the levers on the transmission,
but it's in the middle of the pic attached to the housing. As
visible on the picture there are two levers. The below one is the
gearshift control lever,and I believe it's used to change gears
between drive, reverse, etc? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Since the transmission is also cooled from the radiator, the fluid
lines needs to be removed. They are fitted to the transmission
but I was unable to take better pictures than this.

This is how the transmission bellhousing looks inside with
torque converter removed. It's splined so on reassembly it's
important to rotate the converter while pressing inwards lightly.

This piece of frame is near the far back of the transmission and it
really helps to remove it. Just two bolts secure it to a larger frame under
the body, but it will allow for another 10-15 cm of clearance when removing
transmission. There is also another bolt through it that holds the transmission
secured to it.

Since the piece of frame had been removed and clearance increased
we slid a jack under it, with a piece of wood between it and the transmission
pan to increase balance. We then heightened the transmission lightly
and pushed the jack forward. Without removing the piece of frame we would
have been forced to tilt the transmission and that would've made this a lot harder!

This is me. Pretending I'm a mechanic. ;) Really satisfied to see
the Torqueflite 727 outside the vehicle!

The transmission/drive shaft tunnel. Looks really good underneath
the Cordoba. Nice to know!

The engine compartment is soon empty!

At this point I had a tremendous sneeze-attack. So Jocke did some
minor stuff meanwhile. This is the hood lock support plate. It was
fitted with four bolts on the top, and two below.

Here he is, the hardcore chevy enthusiast removing the condenser
for the AC. This must've seriously disturbed airflow to the radiator.

Some kind of filter for the AC. Right now I can't bother on what it is,
it ain't going back anyway. Fitted with two bolts. At this time,
transmission was out so we figured we should move on to the engine.

This bracket was attached to the front of the right valve cover,
obstructing the removal of it.

We removed all the bolts securing the intake manifold. Good
thing is it can be removed without removing the distributor which
enables for easy access. Furthermore, it can actually be removed
as an assembly with ignition coil and carburetor.

The intake manifold was stuck. It's been sitting there for 37
or so years! Kind of a tense situation when a chevy enthusiast
holds a hammer to my Chrysler 400 cui!!

After removal we found this strange insulation material. Does
anyone know what it's for? Possibly the front has also had this
material, but if so it's long gone.

The plate, for which I do not have the proper term, below the intake
manifold was secured by this smaller plate with three bolts on one end...

...and furthermore two brackets served as another point of attachment.

Valve cover removed on one side. A bit surprising everything
looked really good inside. Then again I have papers to confirm
the engine has only operated for 31 000 miles.

Both valve covers and intake manifold removed...

The rocker arms are fitted on a shaft assembly. 5 bolts held it into
place and after removing, all rocker arms could be removed
simoultaneously making it a lot easier to keep track of them.

Rocker arm shaft assembly removed. Valve springs look great
and have a lot of tension on them even after so long!

At this point we decided it would probably be a good idea to put
the engine on the engine stand.

Time to remove the cylinder heads. I was surprised to know these
are 452's, according to information produced between '76 and '78.
This is a '75 Cordoba so it shouldn't have them. However, there is
no possible chance these have been changed so I'm guessing since
this is a 400 high performance(which was introduced late in '75) it
was one of the first engines with 452's. Can anyone please shed light
on this? Any way, seems to be decent heads and I think I will reuse them.

12 short bolts and 5 long secured the cylinder head to the engine block.
These bolts are NOT a good idea to reuse since they are basically destroyed
on removal.

Psycho with a hammer, that's what you get when cylinder head
is stuck to the engine block! ;)

And finally, a first gaze at the cylinders and pistons. A bit miscolored
but in no other way did they seem damaged. These will be changed for
Keith Black 240-030 pistons or maybe a domed alternative...

The lifters were also in a stunning good condition. They will ofcourse
be changed, but it's amazing to see 37 year old engine components
that looks brand new!

Cylinder heads removed. A lot of hard work behind this, but a
thrill and incredibly educational for me as a novice mechanic!

A pile at the end of the day...

Valve cover with rocker arm shaft assembly, lifters and push rods.
Rods and lifters are mixed since I don't intend on reusing them.
Otherwise it's absolutely crucial to keep track on which part goes
where since they are differently worn.

So... I guess that's the end for now. I would love for you guys to comment on the above work. I'm still a novice and I might be mistaken regarding several details. One of the key reasons I have for doing this is to learn, so by ALL means. Correct me if I'm wrong! ;)

It's been a long, long time...

I'm terribly sorry for not updating for such a long time. This summer has been so incredibly busy and I have longed for the Cordoba so many times. I've reached kind of a situation where I really need to get the gearbox down in order to continue, but it's quite hard to do without help.

I wanted to start to pull some of the interior out to see how the floor looks so a couple of months ago I started to remove the front seat. The seat belts needs to be removed in order to lift the seat out(they won't slip through the sofa) and they are fitted with bolts through the floor.

Problem is, below the floor are several pieces of steel plates with the purpose of absorbing heat. The bolts are behind them so they need to be moved to be able to remove the seatbelts from the floor. The cardan shaft is just below the plates and I can't squueze them past. Also the exhaust pipes are obstructing.

Removing the gearbox and exhaust will "unlock" several possibilities to work further on the car.

Finally, my good friend Jocke will visit this weekend and the first priority is to get the transmission down so after the weekend, pictures will be posted.

Thanks for staying with me!

Day 16 - Minor stuff

I admit to not being very active lately, truth is I have so much to do. My band got a new record deal and we need to record a new album in a couple of weeks so basically all spare time is dedicated to that project at the moment. But do not worry, the restoration of the Cordoba will continue until it's done. As mentioned in the first post of this blog, updates may be days apart, or months apart, but I will complete the project!

Here's a couple of pics from the 16:th day in the garage!

I went to the garage primarily to strip the last external components
off the engine. I wanted to remove the alternator bracket, but it's
attached to the water pump housing and the heater hose connector
fitting to the left of the thermostat housing is blocking one of the bolts.

It's impossible to remove the bolt without removing the pipe, but ofcourse
it's really damn stuck. So, I'm thinking I might have to cut it off. And
that shouldn't be a problem right? Since I intend to get a new water pump
housing I should have no problems finding new fittings for the new one?
Please comment on this.

I removed the two bolts securing the thermostat..

...and this is what the thermostat looks like once removed.

EGR. Just another problem source since emission laws in Sweden
started 1976 and this is a 1975. This won't find it's way back to the car.

EGR removed, two bolts secured it.

Went on to remove the water pump. As visible on the picture
all four bolts securing it has been removed, but it wouldn't
budge at all.

I used a soft head mallet to hit it repeatedly but nothing seemed
to happen. Well I had no other idea so I just kept hitting around
it and finally it came loose.

This is what the water pump looks like on the inside...

...and this is the housing. Looks like it was a good idea to take
this apart. Some kind of build-up inside.

Removed the bracket for the throttle and kick down linkage.
As visible on picture, two bolts. I've removed pretty much
every external part on the engine so far so I went on to the
vehicle itself.

Vents below windshield, just snapped into place and can be
removed by carefully prying with a screwdriver.

The two horns...

...fitted from the inside with one bolt each. Now removed.

And finally a question. I'm trying to get the crank in
TDC(top dead center) but I'm not sure if this is right.
The only marking I can find on the pully is a straight
line, on this picture aligned with the hole in the timing
markings. Can anyone tell me if this is indeed the TDC
on the Cordoba? I assume it is, but better safe than sorry!

Thank you all for your patience and for following my blog. There is a hell lot of more work to do on the project, but I kind of enjoy it. Not as much as riding in the car a hot summer day, but still, I know what I will get when I'm done! Stay tuned for more updates! ;)

Restoring... Toyota?

So, finally I got 5 hours in the garage...

...LOOKING at the Cordoba and longing for it! I've got four vehicles that could take me to work each morning. It just happens to be that four of them aren't working. :) So, I started with the one with the least work... A depressing toyota van that belongs to my father. I had to change the alternator and it was a boring and troublesome job.

Well, being in the same room as the Cordoba got me in a bit of a better mood so I'll be sure to continue work there soon. The next post will be about the engine and removal of the last external components to be able to tear it apart for the machine shop, then I think I should move on with the interior so I can remove the dash and all the components linked to it.

Well, I guess I need to take the weekend off. Sunday's my birthday, but you'll probably find one or two posts here during next week!

Day 15 - Engine getting naked!

So, I'm slowly getting there. While I'm waiting to get some help with removing the transmission I'm stripping all the external components off the engine so I can get the core components sent to the machine shop... This is the progress of day 15. Starting with the carburetor.

Start by removing the clip that holds the choke
to the carb and pull the lever out...

In each of the four corners of the carburetor there is a
bolt that holds it down. Two on the back...

...two on the front. After removal, pull the carb straight up.

The Carter Thermoquad seemed to be in a great internal condition.

Thermoquad on a shelf!

The intake manifold without carburetor.

The choke is attached with one bolt. This is a type of choke that
uses intake heat to determine how much the choke should open.
Basically a metal coil inside expands when heated, pulling the choke open.

On to the alternator, fitted with two bolts. Remove the
left of the two bottom ones to begin with, and then
remove the adjustment one on the top - alternator loose.

Alternator on a shelf! It will look nice to change this for a
smaller one-wire alternator in chrome.

I went on to remove the a/c compressor. Actually I forgot to take
a pic before removing it so this is afterwards. It was fitted with
two bolts on the front...

...and three on the back. Notice I removed the compressor together
with it's brackets. It seemed easier that way.

The choke also attaches to this with one cable. Attached with
one bolt as visible on picture.

The vacuum amplifier is fitted with two bolts on the
back of the engine.

The water pump hose is attached with a clamp that can just
be unscrewed and then twisted off.

And finally this is what the engine looks like at the moment.
Most external components are gone.

That's it for todays update. I will move on to remove the rest of the brackets and the distributor. This should preferably be removed with the crank in the top dead center. I will write more on this subject in the next update. Stay with me Cordoba fans!

Day 14 - Shame on me!

Yeah, shame on me! I've not been out to the garage for a long time. Instead I took a two week vacation on Malta in the mediterranean! :) Got back just a couple of days ago and figured it was time to go to the garage.

I got some stuff done but the camera battery died so unfortunately I couldn't take any pictures of the removal of the starter(just one bolt securing it to the transmission bellhousing) and vents below windshield(just snapped into place by themselves). However, I went on to clean up the engine since I will need to begin work on it soon.

Removed most of the electrical wiring in the engine compartment.

Cables and hoses looks like a snakes nest. Time to remove everything...

Including cable for the temperature sending unit...

...and the engine oil sending unit.

This will all be replaced by a painless wiring kit!

A bit easier to overlook, eh?

I also vacuum cleaned the loose dirt off of it.

That's all for day 14. Kind of nice progress in just two effective weeks worth of work. I really need to get the transmission down soon but I need some help to do it. Will update blog shortly again!

Quick update

No, the project, the blog or me hasn't died. :) Nearly though, I spent 3 weeks in a horrible flu and got better just a few days ago. Anyways, spent yesterday and today in the garage thinking the project through and started removing the front seat. Two nuts were really rusted out so I had to cut them loose and it took me several hours - that's why I have no pictures to show for today.

Stay with me and I'll do a nice update with lots of photos shortly!