1969 2800 E3 - Bringing "The White Car" back to life!

dang

dang

Administrator
Site Donor
Messages
4,353
Reaction score
3,419
Location
Rocklin, CA
Okay, I've finally gotten around to working on The White Car "aka The Turd" that I bought at Copart last year. I finished the '51 GMC and have pushed The White Car into the garage to start work. Last registered in 1994 but the car looks very complete and original. The plan is to get it roadworthy then I'll decide what to do from there.

As purchased...
5.jpg
6.jpg
3.jpg
4.jpg
7.jpg
13.jpg
 
Now in the garage. The hood prop/torsion bar is not working so the hood won't stay open. I've never had to deal with one before so I'll have to do some searching on a fix. Decided to take the hood off because one of the bolts holding the hinge was stripped and I had to grind it off, plus I'll be working in the engine compartment anyway.

Battery from 1980's.
IMG_20190523_180939687_HDR.jpg
IMG_20190523_203626596.jpg
IMG_20190523_201815034.jpg
 
The first thing I did last weekend was change the oil and filter. I used a WIX filter from the auto parts store and the filter housing is stock with the canister and bolt from the bottom. I put the new filter inside the canister and then noticed the new o-ring seemed a little too large, able to move slightly on the surface instead of being tight around the inner wall. Well, I put it on and worked on getting the engine to run. Fired a couple times and ran for a few seconds and then I noticed a puddle of oil on the floor. Yeah baby, that was smart. The old o-ring is amazingly still pliable and good enough for now but I was disappointed that the new one didn't fit. FYI to anyone else using a WIX filter.

EDIT: After putting the old o-ring on I bolted the canister back on and it leaked again, then I noticed that the canister wasn't seated quite right. I got it lined up flush and tightened it up and no leak, so the Wix seal might work, not sure.
 
Last edited:
I have a couple of top-bolt filters if you want one. I have one without the check valve and 2 with the check valve. I think the old style filters use the housing without the check valve.
 
Mike Goble said:
I have a couple of top-bolt filters if you want one. I have one without the check valve and 2 with the check valve. I think the old style filters use the housing without the check valve.
Click to expand...
Thanks Mike. It's not a big deal to me so I'll just go with what I have.
 
I'm checking the fuel pump tonight and I noticed that the rebuild kits have been discontinued. Assuming it's bad, do you guys just buy a rebuilt pump or is there another way? I see diaphragms being sold in Germany.
 
Dan, my delicate eyes wince whenever I read the word "turd" applied to the Great White or whatever you may want to call this beauty in the rough. The expression, "You can't polish a Turd" certainly does not apply to this survivor. Just a gentle thought. Steve
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, it was beginning to get less turdly when I cleaned out the trunk and this is what it looked like. Then I went to take the sending unit out of the tank and found it completely stuck in muck, then noticed the entire side of the tank rusted through.

IMG_20190528_194218054.jpg
IMG_20190528_194226421.jpg
IMG_20190528_194230773.jpg
IMG_20190528_194609633.jpg
IMG_20190528_200349537.jpg
IMG_20190528_200548470.jpg
IMG_20190528_200720112.jpg
 
Dan, your trunk looks amazing. If you are going to clean it and then paint, I would have a paint place mix up some custom grey paint. Although SEM Storm Grey is close is doesn’t have the olive tint that is original.
 
HB Chris said:
Dan, your trunk looks amazing. If you are going to clean it and then paint, I would have a paint place mix up some custom grey paint. Although SEM Storm Grey is close is doesn’t have the olive tint that is original.
Click to expand...
My friend does interior work and mixes dyes all the time. I could shoot them with dye right? Or would I need to use paint? I have to admit, it's near the bottom of my list right now. :)
 
I was working on swapping the carbs last night and noticed this linkage was binding about halfway along the slot. The slot shows wear but is too tight and makes the roller bind. This one is on the carb that came off my coupe and one of the carbs on the E3 is doing the same thing. Weird. Anyone else experience this before? Cause? I'm baffled that it's too tight and not too loose after wearing for years and years. I tested the roller on the other carb linkage and it fits and moves fine.

zenith_linkage.jpg
 
Last edited:
Okay, no comments on the carb linkage so I guess it's not common. Got the carbs swapped and since I'm still dealing with a fuel tank that needs repair I put a gas can on the roof and went for it. It's alive after 25 years! It runs rough but idles, haven't checked vacuum leaks yet but the bigger issue is the oil pressure light goes on and off at random rpms. It gets oil to the rockers okay but I can't tell what's going on. There's some oil build up in the valve area so I guess I'll start by cleaning everything hoping maybe it's the sensor? What do you think? Hook up an oil pressure gauge to the sending unit port?

IMG_20190622_161901210.jpg
 
Last edited:
Two new things... one major announcement and another dumb move by me.

So, I realized I never call my E3 "The Turd", my wife and I refer to it as "The White Car" so now that's the official name. Yeah, that one's never been used before. Anyway, how's that for a major announcement!

Now on the dumb move I did. Remember my comment about the oil pressure light coming on randomly when I tested the engine? Maybe the three people that looked at this thread remember, but it turns out the oil level was just low enough (just below the dipstick) that it made the oil light freak out, which is a good thing. I had trouble with the oil filter housing and had it off a couple times and forgot to add oil. Duh. I added oil and fixed a couple coolant hose leaks (which was the mess on the floor) and now it runs with no leaks and good oil pressure. Nice.

The fuel tank has been soaking in vinegar for four days now and I'll rotate the tank to get all the sides, then I'll start the treatment from the Eastwood's kit that Mark was so kind to give to me! Once I get the fuel system squared away I'll move onto the hydraulics.
 
Last edited:
dang said:
Two new things... one major announcement and another dumb move by me.

So, I realized I never call my E3 "The Turd", my wife and I refer to it as "The White Car" so now that's the official name. Yeah, that one's never been used before. Anyway, how's that for a major announcement!

Now on the dumb move I did. Remember my comment about the oil pressure light coming on randomly when I tested the engine? Maybe the three people that looked at this thread remember, but it turns out the oil level was just low enough (just below the dipstick) that it made the oil light freak out, which is a good thing. I had trouble with the oil filter housing and had it off a couple times and forgot to add oil. Duh. I added oil and fixed a couple coolant hose leaks (which was the mess on the floor) and now it runs good with no leaks and good oil pressure. Nice.

The fuel tank has been soaking in vinegar for four days now and I'll rotate the tank to get all the sides, then I'll start the treatment from the Eastwood's kit that Mark was so kind to give to me! Once I get the fuel system squared away I'll move onto the hydraulics.
Click to expand...
Well now, I appreciate your candor, I mean how many times have we wondered why a car won't start, then find that there is no fuel in the tank? So not enough oil, nice simple fix! Onward and upward! I also prefer "The White Car" too ;)
 
A crappy update! I changed plugs, wires and dist cap, checked for vacuum leaks and did another once over on the engine to see i could get it to run better but it still runs rough. I "lost" my compression tester (don't you hate it when tools don't get returned and you forget who borrowed them?) so my new one arrived in the mail yesterday. Did a test at lunch and found #5 low and #4 sort of low. 1) 160, 2) 150, 3) 150, 4) 127, 5) 75, 6) 150. I've heard that the early heads are known for cracking, is that true? Since the engine sounds decent except for the misfire I might as well take the head off and see what I'm dealing with. 8-(

On the bright side, this makes my gas tank issues not seem so bad.
 
They are prone to cracking near the exhaust valves, check date on your head. BTW, my wife and I are at Brickyard for beer and dinner.
 
Pressure testing will tell you if you have a crack. Our 2800 had one and was welded successfully. Time to check the valves and at least get new valve stem seals if everything else is good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top