1977 Westy renovation project thread

[MorkC68]

[popuppopdog]

[popuppopdog]

[Hoody]

Have you tried turning it over? Are you sure it's seized? Have you drained the oil and looked at it?

[Dkwautounion]

Why don't you just pull the heads and take a look? See if it rotates with the heads off... maybe it's just top end work and your good to go.

[popuppopdog]

[popuppopdog]

[Hoody]

You don't need to pull the heads to see if it turns over. Pull the plugs and put a shot of oil down each plug hole. Let it sit for a day. Put a socket on the fan hub bolt and see if the engine turns. Being that is been 12 years the piston rings may be hung up with rust. But it may still not be seized. You should drop the engine and look at it much further before getting a rebuilt one in my opinion. I would guess that it may need a rebuild. But why not see if you have a working engine to begin with. Your blindly trusting one shops opinion. Don't get gorrilla crazy with the socket on the hub. You don't want to break anything. Others will chime in on how to test if it turns over. Leave the plugs out when you do it.

[Abscate]

Once you get it turning over get a good battery and check compression on all four cylinders. That will reveal any valve or big piston/ring problems.

Most sudden road stop engine mechanical breaks are valves.
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.ssS!

[popuppopdog]

Thanks all to those that have put the word in ...so here I am...jacking up this ol girl....I think this is the safest method....tell me I am an idiot and going to die, My wife has an insurance policy on me so....I think this is really stable, did the one side today next is the other side....tips ?, am I a Darwin canididate

[Hoody]

I hope to God there was no stress put on your door jam. For future reference you can just chalk the front wheels and put quality floor jacks under the rear beam. Then jack up the front in the middle of the front beam and put 2 quality floor jacks on the front beam. Your wooden jack stands would make excellent "fail safes" However now that I think about it your base maybe unstable being that your not on concrete. But in the future do the front then the back. Not one side at a time. There are very specific places these unibody rigs need to be lifted from unless you want crushed steel.

[popuppopdog]

[quote="Hoody" and put quality floor jacks under the rear beam. Then jack up the front in the middle of the front beam and put 2 quality floor jacks on the front beam. Not one side at a time. There are very specific places these unibody rigs need to be lifted from unless you want crushed steel.[/quote]

Interesting enough that is my same thought, I went to the rear jacking point but it lifted the whole side....worked out fine. I have now jacked up all sides , 8 inches in the air, seem to be really safe and will not move unless we get a San Andreas. I do not really trust jack stands as their jacking points are minimal. This vehicle is sitting on its own wheels on a 16" x 24" base with wheel chocks, looks good to me, I am on concrete slab btw.

[popuppopdog]

Okay I got this thing up 8" in the air, thinking maybe higher if I work to clean up undercarriage, I don't have a lift....so we are getting ready to pull the engine got my blocks which I think only an earthquake could move this vehicle, my wife has an insurance policy, see she made me put a tie off to another vehicle so I would not tip this vehicle jacking up, is there a tipping point, don't want to find out.

I got a nice shag rug to lay on and let us begin....I think a rebuild...have some great advice on this site here is what I saw, virtually rust free undercarriage and some oil leaks

I don't mean to be dumb is this the fuel filter

Let the games begin.. of course work at night is a must

and it must be below 50

[Wildthings]

Hopefully your tranny has not been run dry of oil, the old "it used to leak but doesn't any more" story.

Yes that is your fuel filter, hate to think what it looks like inside.

[BUSBOSS]

[Wildthings]

For what it's worth, I would much much rather have a vehicle with its tires supported by blocks than have a vehicle with its wheels removed and sitting on jack stands. I all but refuse to wrench on a vehicle if it is sitting on four jack stands. Just too easy for things to slide around when the contact is steel on steel and once things start sliding it's no telling what is going to happen.

[Busstom]

Damn dude, your rims look great. Put some shiny hub caps on it and that thing will look like a million bucks. One thing that isn't so great is those fresh rollers bolted up to rusty drums. That rust is going to tattoo the back sides of your rim discs with funky orange Maybe scrub those babies down and get a clean face on them, then hit 'em with a thin coat of black It does look like at least one rotor is black, hopefully it's clean under the wheel.

[popuppopdog]

[popuppopdog]

[popuppopdog]