Hey everyone,
The '60 LeBaron I bought in Augusta, Georgia, 4 weeks ago, is breathing once again. Coughing up smoke and fire anyway! My father and I have spent the last four days rebuilding the top half of the engine. At 8:30 this evening, April 10, 2004, the car roared back to life. Every mosquito within a one mile radius fell to the ground, as did several onlookers! Actually they ran for cover.....
The car had not been driven in four years, and not started in over one. The engine had apparently been vandalized. The air cleaner had two inches of water sitting in it when I picked up the car. The carburetor was trash, the intake manifold, and at least three cylinders were full of water to the top. I found, and purchased, a '60 LeBaron Southampton in Pratt, Kansas, two weeks after buying this car. This second car was bought for parts, and being an hour from my parents' home, was picked up by my father.
My dad had stripped the engine compartment clean, rebuilt the gas tank, carburetor, manifolds, and lots of misc., and brought them here, all ready to go on this car. This really saved a lot of time on this end. We should all have such wonderful fathers who drive a 1000 miles, to arrive with a truckload of finished parts for our cars! Thanks Dad!
My parents arrived Wednesday, here in Atlanta, and we preceded to tear down the sedans' engine. We took everything down to the block. I bought this car with the idea of creating a driver out of it. The former owner had receipts, from 2001, that totaled around $5000 on engine and brake work. However, illness ended his driving the car soon after and it sat until four weeks ago. This gave me reason to believe we could get the car going again. It's been a horrendous amount of work. I think the best part is how much I have learned about the mechanical aspects of engine rebuilding. Generally aesthetics are more my interest.
We found that everything was as clean as new under the valve covers and valley pan. There was really only some light rust residue in two of the pistons and only one with some etching on the walls. I cleaned all the pistons and chambers with razor blades, solvents, and paint scuffing pads. We found that the pistons had been bored 30 over. Judging by the teal paint, we discovered that the whole engine and trans had been out of the car for overhaul at some point. So, we know the engine does not have the 104,000 miles indicated by the odometer. Assuming that is a working gage in the first place.
The receipts received with the car included much service, a new timing chain, fuel pump, water pump, gas tank etc. So, we should be ready to go for a while. My dad had already done up the gas tank from the Kansas car, so we blew out the line and swapped tanks. The NOS one in the sedan will go in my Crown, after blasting out the rust inside. Four years created about 10 gallons of rusty orange grunge in the new tank.
After getting the cylinder walls clean I moved on to the heads. I cleaned and degreased them, then reset all the valves using a grinding compound. The valves were in generally good shape, having no erosion to the stems, but some pitting at the tops necessitated the grinding. We replaced all the gaskets and reassembled everything. New plugs, new hoses, new belts. We have to re-flush out the coolant tomorrow, the radiator seems to be holding its own. Tomorrow we will adjust the timing and check the connections as my dad thinks one piston may not be firing. After we get everything running smoothly we will begin working the brakes over with all new cylinders. The drums had been turned, and all brake components replaced four years ago, none of that matters now as the whole system is dry. In fact, when we started loading the car on the trailer the rear wheels were locked. They broke free about half
way up the trailer. I hope to get this car to our local cruise-ins soon, but have been talked out of the initial goal of getting the car to Anniston next weekend. Right now all the accessory loads are disconnected, and vacuum lines plugged, until the engine is running smoothly. Then we will start the process of hooking up heat and air etc. The Kansas car provided some working window motors so we are working on some electrical problems also. Hopefully after this week, all I will really need is to get the car over to an exhaust shop and replace the pipes. We found that the welds in the existing system had big holes in them when new! With holes in the exhaust, and holes in the floor, I thought I ought to get at least one window working! Chris Hawkins has been over several times to check our progress and his interest and support have been much appreciated. Big Thanks to Chris!!!
Right now the interior is toast. White pearlescent rock is what we have. I fully detailed the dash so it looks presentable. If I really get the thing going, new wind-lacing, headliner, and carpet will be about as far as I am going to take this car. Other than repairing the lead mess around the rear window, which I have a quarter done already. I spent the last three weeks cleaning mildew out of the interior, wire brushing the floors and ceiling, and spraying everything with Eastwoods' black rust encapsulator paint. To drive this car this summer, I have to get some roof insulation back in or I will have a barbecue on whitewalls. Its a black car in the Georgia sun after all. If I can get a couple years of driving out of the car, use it for reference in the restoration of the LeCrown, then all the work will be worth it.
I will probably add this story to the '60 page so everyone can see all the gory pictures!
Anyone else gone to the auto parts stores 18 times in three days?
Richard Burgess
'60 "LeCrown" (Crown with dealer installed LeBaron emblems)
'60 LeBaron sedan (with a custom ordered full leather "Crown" interior)
'60 LeBaron Southampton (with 1956 upholstery inserts)
I buy all the scrambled '60s!
lecrown60@xxxxxxxxx
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