G749 preservation

[rustystud]

Hey, speaking of forging, I just found out Tesla worked with some European company to build the best forging press on the planet....so far. Hot aluminum is injected into some very complex forms for large automotive parts....not too fast or it creates bubbles and not too slow or the aluminum cools....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rWCTasV2t0

.....but even better than that. and I can't say it enough, will be the Pistons these fellas are making for a local G749 302 project........https://www.rosspistons.com/ More to come on that. Wouldn't want to take away from the birth announcement.

We have baby deer at the G749 farm. We've only seen a pair which is good news because they won't take away the glory from the big birthing news.

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Triplets.

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Don't get me wrong, I know how difficult birth can look but not many ladies will say they used a 4 foot hoe to get a piston out. The mechanic boys said if I put a wooden dowel under the pistons I could just beat them out. Since I farm and landscape, all I had was a 4 foot Italian hoe. My buddy Tony, god rest his soul, showed me more ways to skin a grade and move material with this ridiculous backward shovel, I knew it would get pistons out.

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The stuff that came off the top of the pistons is laying on the deck. Looks like after aluminum.

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The first one crowned after 30 hits. The second one only took 15 because I hit it twice as hard. The third one made me think that weeding an acre of garden would be easier so we only have triplets. I need a bigger hammer to get the rest out but I think it can be done. We have some tiny scratching on the pistons and from what I see in the 3 bores, where the rust didn't invade, this baby is a keeper.

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As long as the ring grooves are intact and the top of the piston is un-damaged they should be fine. A little sanding with some green scotch pads should do the trick.
If you have a sand blaster you can blast the pistons with "coconut husks" media, or similar . If you don't have one then soaking them in aluminum cleaner (bought at NAPA) for a day or two will help. Getting the ring grooves clean is a top priority for good function of the pistons.

 

[rustystud]

I forgot to mention. You need to check for piston skirt collapse. Use a micrometer to measure the top and bottom of the piston skirt. They should be the same or very close. If there is too much difference (piston skirt collapse) then you will have piston slap in the piston bores. This measurement should be in the engine rebuild section.

 

[Another Ahab]

Thanks Ahab, but I'm just old enough to have rebuilt them in the past. Back then they still came in the shop.
On my first rebuild of an old straight six I didn't align the rod bolts correctly. Guess what happened !

Must have been SOME fun:

- Kind of like the Fourth of July and Castle Bravo, all at the same time!!

 

[rustystud]

Must have been SOME fun:

- Kind of like the Fourth of July and Castle Bravo, all at the same time!!

Well, when it came time to install the next piston assembly and the crank stopped turning, I did have a moment of extreme panic ! Then I saw what I had done and fixed it before anyone could comment on my stupid mistake. Back then the old mechanics could be merciless! Today you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Might make them cry.
Now I'm not saying that that is the best way to learn something, and I never did that to my apprentices. But public shaming sure motivates you to learn fast !

 

[Mullaney]

Well, when it came time to install the next piston assembly and the crank stopped turning, I did have a moment of extreme panic ! Then I saw what I had done and fixed it before anyone could comment on my stupid mistake. Back then the old mechanics could be merciless! Today you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Might make them cry.
Now I'm not saying that that is the best way to learn something, and I never did that to my apprentices. But public shaming sure motivates you to learn fast !

.
I never will forget "JJ". He was one of my first helpers or apprentices and he had some pretty good skills but very little practical understanding WHY things worked like they did. Can't remember why, but we were working on a Ford 330 Industrial motor. Had to removed the distributor. I was working on something behind him and I was watching what he was doing.

He so carefully removed it and gently put it on the work cart. He turned around and I had it in my hand spinning the gear on the bottom of the shaft . He was going nuts! "How in the world are we ever supposed to know how to put it back and be in time!?" I used it as a learning experience. Taught him about TDC and how to figure out the compression stroke with a whistle... At least when we were done, he had new skills and understood "why".

Another thing - and yeah, I was pretty hard on him for this one - was reading a ruler. He was under a truck measuring for a PTO driveshaft. We used 1 1/4 inch hex shaft. He was laying on his "sleeper" and he is calling out the measurements so I could cut it. He calls out "44 inches and a quarter and three little lines". Oh gee... Everybody in the shop heard it when I hollered back over to him with "what the hell is three little marks!?". Another learning experience. He was eventually able to read a ruler reliably

Public Shaming isn't necessarily a bad thing. Of course like you said, today's push button generation expects the answer to fall in their hands without using their brain. Everything isn't possible with a screen and push buttons...

 

[Bulldogger]

.Another thing - and yeah, I was pretty hard on him for this one - was reading a ruler. He was under a truck measuring for a PTO driveshaft. We used 1 1/4 inch hex shaft. He was laying on his "sleeper" and he is calling out the measurements so I could cut it. He calls out "44 inches and a quarter and three little lines". Oh gee... Everybody in the shop heard it when I hollered back over to him with "what the hell is three little marks!?". Another learning experience. He was eventually able to read a ruler reliably

I get the same from my wife when using a tape measure. She can't be bothered to learn the measurements. I am across the room, ready to cut a board and get told it needs to be "ten inches and three little ticks" long. On top of that the fact that some tapes have 1/32 versus 1/16 graduations makes it especially challenging.

BDGR

 

[Mullaney]

I get the same from my wife when using a tape measure. She can't be bothered to learn the measurements. I am across the room, ready to cut a board and get told it needs to be "ten inches and three little ticks" long. On top of that the fact that some tapes have 1/32 versus 1/16 graduations makes it especially challenging.

BDGR

.
Yes Sir and the hard part is that I could give my helper a "ration of crap" and make him better. You try that at home and you get to Report to the Dog House. Do Not pass GO either!

 

[rustystud]

.
I never will forget "JJ". He was one of my first helpers or apprentices and he had some pretty good skills but very little practical understanding WHY things worked like they did. Can't remember why, but we were working on a Ford 330 Industrial motor. Had to removed the distributor. I was working on something behind him and I was watching what he was doing.

He so carefully removed it and gently put it on the work cart. He turned around and I had it in my hand spinning the gear on the bottom of the shaft . He was going nuts! "How in the world are we ever supposed to know how to put it back and be in time!?" I used it as a learning experience. Taught him about TDC and how to figure out the compression stroke with a whistle... At least when we were done, he had new skills and understood "why".

Another thing - and yeah, I was pretty hard on him for this one - was reading a ruler. He was under a truck measuring for a PTO driveshaft. We used 1 1/4 inch hex shaft. He was laying on his "sleeper" and he is calling out the measurements so I could cut it. He calls out "44 inches and a quarter and three little lines". Oh gee... Everybody in the shop heard it when I hollered back over to him with "what the hell is three little marks!?". Another learning experience. He was eventually able to read a ruler reliably

Public Shaming isn't necessarily a bad thing. Of course like you said, today's push button generation expects the answer to fall in their hands without using their brain. Everything isn't possible with a screen and push buttons...

Yeah I had a few apprentices that should not have gone into mechanics. I might have lost my temper with them a few times.
But on average I did try and teach them what they needed to know. My wife says I'm a horrible teacher though. She was a middle school teacher before retiring. I think I did a decent job with the material I had to train. Though to be totally honest, I never liked training apprentices. I just like working by myself. This one kid asked so many questions I would get totally distracted. I once installed an Allison flex-plate incorrectly. The torque convertor holes where not aligned. I got a ration of crap from my fellow mechanics for a month about that. Especially since I was the Allison "expert" ! Man, that was embarrassing .

 

[rustystud]

After reading that back to myself I realized some here might not know what I was talking about with "aligning the flex-plate holes" for the torque convertor. On large trucks the "flex-plate is made up of several plates of steel. Some have as many as six plates. They all have the crankshaft holes and the holes for the torque convertor. Usually six holes. I installed the flex-plate "assembly" without aligning the torque convertor holes. So you could see the first plates holes and try and start the bolt, but the other plates holes didn't align. So, you were going nowhere in a hurry !
The mechanic who followed me was pretty ticked off. I can't blame him. I would be ticked off too. Stupid mistake. Even with a nattering apprentice I should have been paying attention to what I was doing.
I bought donuts for the shop the next day.

 

[m1010plowboy]

Any human that has the patience to put any machine together without making a mistake or throwing tools across the shop is a divine human. Taking it apart is one thing but TDC and valve lash and gear mesh and gap and firing order and electrical and welding and brakes and steering and hydraulics and plumbing and and and and the three clicks when a torque converter goes on..... that takes a different type of human regardless of the training they receive. My kind of mechanic work is usually bloody or includes shoving the input shaft in the back of the motor knowing the next four hours putting everything together will need to be redone because you put the fork in backwards. Mechanics are a special kind of human and say things like "it's just nuts and bolts" or " it's just an engine, don't let it outsmart you" or " all ya do is drop the trans then loosen the motor-mounts and use this little tool to replace the rear seal on your engine".....ya right, that's all you do.



Yes Sir Rusty, mechanics that "do" is one thing but mechanics that can 'teach what they do" is another level again. Sounds like you did both. Either way, folks that can come up with ideas to improve a deuce front end or look at a book with a pile of parts and just....'put it back together' ..... Mechanics are amazing humans.

 

[Mullaney]

Any human that has the patience to put any machine together without making a mistake or throwing tools across the shop is a divine human. Taking it apart is one thing but TDC and valve lash and gear mesh and gap and firing order and electrical and welding and brakes and steering and hydraulics and plumbing and and and and the three clicks when a torque converter goes on..... that takes a different type of human regardless of the training they receive. My kind of mechanic work is usually bloody or includes shoving the input shaft in the back of the motor knowing the next four hours putting everything together will need to be redone because you put the fork in backwards. Mechanics are a special kind of human and say things like "it's just nuts and bolts" or " it's just an engine, don't let it outsmart you" or " all ya do is drop the trans then loosen the motor-mounts and use this little tool to replace the rear seal on your engine".....ya right, that's all you do.

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Yes Sir Rusty, mechanics that "do" is one thing but mechanics that can 'teach what they do" is another level again. Sounds like you did both. Either way, folks that can come up with ideas to improve a deuce front end or look at a book with a pile of parts and just....'put it back together' ..... Mechanics are amazing humans.

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.
Well said @m1010plowboy !

There is definitely magic in making things match up and work when the job is done.

 

[rustystud]

It is kinda like "magic" in a way.
I will admit that I still get a sense of satisfaction when a transmission or engine is finished, and it works correctly!

 

[m1010plowboy]

Not sure how things come together sometimes but the Legend, Cliff Carbol managed to keep the crushers off a few G749 items. Everyone I know is working long hours and somehow Mattech still mustered the time to drag a 30ft trailer to the G749 A-1 Salvage gold yard. A Twisty skid steer with forks became available and we plunged back into the nail ridden yard to rescue what we could.



There wasn't a lot of time for pictures however the collection is in a safe place and we'll drag some stories out of the crated engines one day soon. We found 9 - G749 engines, 2 Mutt tires, Mutt Font suspension, 1 Bomb Lift truck and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. Spare Manifolds, Cams, Distributors, ....ring gears and Rod Bolts all come in handy apparently.



A few crates fell apart and revealed plugs in all of the holes on one engine. That's a good sign. One engine had a tag and it revealed the problem on this "Take-out" 302....Engine Sized. As long as it's not seized this engine could be could.



There are still a few items the Legend felt important enough to save. There's a very cool pole trailer that once was pulled by the M135. Likely a comms unit. One Batus M135 shortbox and one green M135 are still waiting their fate. Two other M135's got hauled to another yard so they are safe so far. The preservation continues.

 

[Another Ahab]

G749 engines, 2 Mutt tires, Mutt Font suspension, 1 Bomb Lift truck and a Partridge in a Pear Tree. Spare Manifolds, Cams, Distributors,

Plowboy, it appears you have happened upon:

- Christmas

In July!!!

 

[m1010plowboy]

Many of us can stop the dreaming and put the tool pouches down. Our dreams have come true. Some folks with big family have often mentioned the dream of turning their 6x6 into a bus or camper. The ambition, tools and knowledge of taking on that task is the difference of "Wanting a 6x bus and wanting to build a 6x bus. "

Talk me out of it please. A buddy spotted it and I'm always giving him the gears for not sending pictures. Now I wished I hadn't seen it.

 

[Another Ahab]

Talk me out of it please. A buddy spotted it and I'm always giving him the gears for not sending pictures. Now I wished I hadn't seen it.
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Come on, plowboy. Come on.

You KNOW you always wanted to do this...

 

[GopherHill]

That really has the cool factor going for it!
Glad I'm too old for projects like that. I get enough military vehicle work with the VFD, thank you just the same.

 

[marchplumber]

Many of us can stop the dreaming and put the tool pouches down. Our dreams have come true. Some folks with big family have often mentioned the dream of turning their 6x6 into a bus or camper. The ambition, tools and knowledge of taking on that task is the difference of "Wanting a 6x bus and wanting to build a 6x bus. "

Talk me out of it please. A buddy spotted it and I'm always giving him the gears for not sending pictures. Now I wished I hadn't seen it.

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Ahhhhhh, Goose needs a parking buddy!!!

 

[1944mb]

Many of us can stop the dreaming and put the tool pouches down. Our dreams have come true. Some folks with big family have often mentioned the dream of turning their 6x6 into a bus or camper. The ambition, tools and knowledge of taking on that task is the difference of "Wanting a 6x bus and wanting to build a 6x bus. "

Talk me out of it please. A buddy spotted it and I'm always giving him the gears for not sending pictures. Now I wished I hadn't seen it.

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Not much into modified stuff. But thats pretty well badass

 

[rustystud]

Many of us can stop the dreaming and put the tool pouches down. Our dreams have come true. Some folks with big family have often mentioned the dream of turning their 6x6 into a bus or camper. The ambition, tools and knowledge of taking on that task is the difference of "Wanting a 6x bus and wanting to build a 6x bus. "

Talk me out of it please. A buddy spotted it and I'm always giving him the gears for not sending pictures. Now I wished I hadn't seen it.

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That had been a dream of mine for decades !!! Since the late 1970's when I saw this crazy bus mounted on a large truck chassis. It had space behind the bus part to haul a car with loading ramps. I actually bought a bus to do this with, but the years caught up with my project (rust) and I ended scrapping the bus out.
Now you go and bring this back into my mind !!! Oh the PAIN !!!!