8/21/14

Well, we went to the shop Saturday and found out some things.  Some good, some… not so much.  First off, I think I might have fingered out what I did wrong with the wiring to cause the oil pressure gauge to go wonky when power was turned on.  I had a look at the instructions and, sure enough, the wire to the oil pressure sender and the wire to the right turn signal are both dark blue.  Switching them would cause an intermittent full voltage spike to the gauge… well, actually it would cause an intermittent loss of ground when 12v was sent back up the wire which the gauge thinks goes to ground.  Whatever. I stripped the under hood wiring harness back and cut the two wires to try another test.  It didn’t go as well as I had hoped but I think I am on the right path.  We also had a look at the starter situation.  Yeah, what we had been blaming on a weak battery appears to be the wrong starter after all.  This one appears to engage too deep into the teeth of the flywheel.  As in, it is too close to the crank centerline and therefore doesn’t mesh properly… or at all to be frank.  We also learned that there is supposed to be a spacer plate between the block and transmission the lack of which could be hindering things as well.  How the hell we put this thing together without it, when we had the very same problem with a VG30 in a 510 a few years ago, is beyond me.  So, I think the plan is to get the correct starter and sandwich plate then try to see if we can make this damned thing work.  My thinking is: if we can get the correct starter in and spaced “properly” without the sandwich plate, we’ll move on with the status quo.  If we cannot, we will make one attempt to install the sandwich plate without removing the engine or transmission from the car.  I have an idea which worked once on… hell, this very B-210 actually, which involves trimming the plate to the bare minimum so it will slip into place.  I’m not too optimistic about it though.  I’m trying hard to not let that lack of optimism taint the procedure and doom it to failure before attempting it.  We’ll see.  If the engine has to come out though, we’re going to have a serious re-think about the cars in the fleet.  Here is what I have in mind if the V8 has to come out of Lil' Wiggly: Lil' Wiggly would get moth-balled for the time being.  We would move on to the revival of the Chickenhawk.  We would also buy, assuming it is still available, that V6 Hardbody truck at Jerry’s with the blowed up engine.  After the Chickenhawk is “done” we’ll move on to putting the V8 into the Hardbody’s frame to make a Rat Rod suckup Truck for hauling the Seven around.  We will then move back to Lil' Wiggly and convert it to right hand drive (myriad reasons) and install the rebuilt VG30 from the Hardbody.  We might do the Spitfire at some point along the line as well.  I’m not sure where it fits into the grand scheme of things though.  Oh, I just remembered the Subaru that the Andrijeskis are going to give me.  Hmm, since it won’t be a major rebuild situation, it will probably slot in when we get bored or pissed-off at other projects.  So, I was just sitting here thinking about the Rat Rod suckup truck.  I think I want to try and get the Hardbody for that project even if it means building it with the V6… y’know, assuming Lil' Wiggly works out with the starter and such.  A VG30 otter be plenty engine to haul the Seven on its back, I should think.  I’m trying real hard to not doom Lil' Wiggly with other plans even though John and I were talking ourselves into the various schemes the other day.  We’ll see.  Well, I think I have just about said all I have to say today so I think I’m going to call it an rant.  This is an off-week at the shop so I won’t have anything new to report next week.  Well, there is a gun show this weekend so I’ll probably have something to say about that.  Juan never knows what I’ll come up with.  Have a day.