Help for a friend

[daveymc29]

So, here are the Ace Mechanic and his assistant off on a rescue mission. Our friend had brought his car to my house with a slight miss. A couple of us had determined that he had a valve that was stuck open, moved a bit but not setting on the seat. We fished around and got an old fangled brake spoon in the spark hole and managed to work the valve all the way closed. We know this because now we had improved the compression in that hole from zero up to about 90 like the other three. This was a recent rebuild by a shop in the LA area. So now the car runs fine and all is well.
Our next adventure is to go to Vallejo's Mare Island ship yard and have a look at what transpired there for the last 100 plus years, grab a bite and come home. Not so good on the come home part. Car barely pulls the little inclines from Vallejo to San Ramon.
He brings the car back to my house and another zero compression. Whipped off the head and see that the valve is being help open by the valve seat insert that has become un-inserted and now is laying cockeyed arounds the valve. Pull the engine out and send it back to LA. Meanwhile we put a B engine that has recently been built and never put in a car in his car so he can drive again.
I get a call that he now has been driving it a bit and all was lovely until he went to Home Depot close by and on the way home it began to heat and wouldn't run more that about 5 or so MPH.
Comes the rescue team. I think it may be that his accelerator is not making the full swing and my able assistant tells me he suspects the spark advance rod. We meet another helpful chap at his house and while someone fetches him I raise the hood. My able assistant is correct. There before our eyes is the spark advance rod laying below the distributor. I put that on as the owner comes out and we tell him, "All done, $200.00 please for the house call."
He and I drive around his neighborhood and for once again the little gem is running like a Japanese watch. (Didn't really collect the &200.00)

[Jim Brierley]

He does owe you an adult beverage!!!

[Pilotdave]

Wow - it'd be great if all road side seminars ended so quickly!

[Jacksonlll]

Very well done write-up.

[DHZIEMAN]

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Originally Posted by daveymc29

So, here are the Ace Mechanic and his assistant off on a rescue mission. Our friend had brought his car to my house with a slight miss. A couple of us had determined that he had a valve that was stuck open, moved a bit but not setting on the seat. We fished around and got an old fangled brake spoon in the spark hole and managed to work the valve all the way closed. We know this because now we had improved the compression in that hole from zero up to about 90 like the other three. This was a recent rebuild by a shop in the LA area. So now the car runs fine and all is well.
Our next adventure is to go to Vallejo's Mare Island ship yard and have a look at what transpired there for the last 100 plus years, grab a bite and come home. Not so good on the come home part. Car barely pulls the little inclines from Vallejo to San Ramon.
He brings the car back to my house and another zero compression. Whipped off the head and see that the valve is being help open by the valve seat insert that has become un-inserted and now is laying cockeyed arounds the valve. Pull the engine out and send it back to LA. Meanwhile we put a B engine that has recently been built and never put in a car in his car so he can drive again.
I get a call that he now has been driving it a bit and all was lovely until he went to Home Depot close by and on the way home it began to heat and wouldn't run more that about 5 or so MPH.
Comes the rescue team. I think it may be that his accelerator is not making the full swing and my able assistant tells me he suspects the spark advance rod. We meet another helpful chap at his house and while someone fetches him I raise the hood. My able assistant is correct. There before our eyes is the spark advance rod laying below the distributor. I put that on as the owner comes out and we tell him, "All done, $200.00 please for the house call."
He and I drive around his neighborhood and for once again the little gem is running like a Japanese watch. (Didn't really collect the &200.00)

Great use of ingenuity on the valve and fishing around to do the trick!