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Thu Jul 01, 2004 7:49 pm

Just bought '71 Fasty with 79K original miles. It drives great. Needs a few things. The engine does not look like anything other than new distributor cap and wires done to it. It has 2 distinct oil leaks. One of those leaks looks like about 10-15 drops in a 10 hour period and the other about 1/3 of that. ?'s are as follows:
1. Who publishes the best repair manual for my car and where can I aquire one?
2. I have read about replacing the seals. What does this entail, can I do it myself or do I need to take apart the whole engine?
3. If I do need to take apart the engine, I might as well get a rebuild. (My original engine of course). How much am I going to pay for a rebuild? How long am I going to be without my car?
4. Anybody know of a good mechanic (one you would use for your own car)? A good place to get parts in Charlotte, NC?
5. Anyway to clean up the sloppy linkage in the shifter? A ton of play and vibration at various speeds.
Any help is greatly appreciated! You guys know your stuff!
THANKS

Thu Jul 01, 2004 8:04 pm

So you got a type 3...welcome to our world.
To answer your questions:

1. Get a Bentley manual

2. where are the leaks? Replacing seals means removing the engine. If it's the main seal, it can be replaced without taking the engine apart. If it is leaking from the camshaft seal, well, the engine should come apart to be properly replaced. If it's leaking out of the front of the engine around the oil pump, new gaskets can be installed w/o taking it apart. The pushrod tube seals can be replaced w/o splitting the case or removing the pistons.

3. Depends on what it needs and what you want to do to it while it's all apart. Anywhere from $250-750 for a stock rebuild, $1000+ for a performance build on it.

4. No idea, since I'm not from that area.

5. Never really had any probs w/ my T3 linkage, although on one of my busses it was horrible. To fix it, I just needed to replace some bushings and tighten some loose bolts. Does it go into gear ok (no grinding) and stay in gear or does it pop out? More info on this and I bet someone with more experience could help you out.

Thu Jul 01, 2004 8:46 pm

1. Where can I get a Bentley manual?

2. I will clean the engine this weekend so I can specifically tell where the leaks are coming from.

3. Stock rebuild.

4. Thanks anyway.

5. The car stays in gear with no grinding. I do have to double clutch when shifting from 3rd to 2nd gear. I will look at the bushings and bolts this weekend to see what needs to be done. If that doesn't do the trick I will be back for more info.

Thanks

Thu Jul 01, 2004 9:58 pm

I got my bentley from ebay, that's a good place to get one, then you won't feel so bad about getting it all dirty since someone else already did that for you. If you'd like to experience the pleasure of getting a new one smeared with grease then you could order a new one, either from your FLAPS or order one online. JC Whitney used to have them, most VeeDub sites should as well. As for the oil leaks, the main seal on the end of the crankshaft will leak, especially after 79,000 miles. Once you take a look at the leaks as well as the shift linkage let us know what's up.

Fri Jul 02, 2004 10:05 am

Your sloppy shifting is probably due to either a worn out bushing under the shift lever or a worn shift coupler at the rear of the tunnel. Fixing either is not a huge job, but get the manual first.

Fri Jul 02, 2004 10:20 am

Ordered the manual today. Should get it early next week. I will look at the vehicle closely this weekend. Will come back if I find anything significant or more ?'s.