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Re: Gentlemen, Start your engines!

To: Mike Maclean <macleans@earthlink.net>, spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Gentlemen, Start your engines!
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 23:12:58 -0700
Mike,

Sounds like you've been having fun...'-) Don't dispair, this seems to be
the way of things on these cars. Anyway, as to your question, you should be
able to find a small brass plug with a square head. I used a square head
1/4 NPT brass plug along with a little teflon tape to plug that opening. I
picked it up at a local auto parts store. You should be able to find one at
a plumbing shop too. No leaks...'-)

Gerard

At 10:39 PM -0700 5/5/00, Mike Maclean wrote:
>And ladies too.  Well I thought the 948 was going to run for the first
>time, since 1976, today.  I have our friendly suppliers of premium parts
>to thank for the delay.  I have everything hooked up and installed
>except for the foot pedals. I used my 2 week vacation to finally get
>some work done on my restoration and things were progressing very well.
>When I started 2 weeks ago( I go back to work on Monday) the only thing
>installed on the car was the suspension, wheels and brakes.  Now I have
>only to assemble the master cylinder (keep thinking of Felix the Cat
>cartoons and the bad guy Master Cylinder) and hook up the foot pedals.
>In two weeks I installed the instrument panel and all the instruments,
>wired the whole car, installed the drive train and all accessories
>(generator, water pump, starter, etc.,etc.) I filled the reproduction
>tar top battery with acid (made a mess) and it needed very little
>charging.  It's on the float charger now.  The radiator is installed
>with the side brackets and air intake assembly.  All instruments are
>wired and gauges are hooked up to the engine and radiator to read temp
>and pressure if and when I get it started.
>     All I had planned to do today was put oil in it and prime and turn
>it over so oil would be distributed throughout the engine in preparation
>to starting it for the first time in 24 years.  Well, thanks to VB
>and/or Moss it won't happen again today.  Every time I filled something
>with a fluid, there was a leak!  The first thing I filled was the oil
>filter with a little oil so upon first startup it wouldn't be dry too
>long before the assembly lube was used up.  Of course the canister
>leaked.  The rubber seal at the top and bottom leaked.  Off to the parts
>store for a thicker O-ring made out of rubber, not plastic so it would
>seal.  Luckily I had another oil filter element and used the ring seal
>for the top of the canister for that.  Leak cured.
>     On to the cooling system.  Mix antifreeze with distilled water
>(very hard water here in southern Calif.) and start to fill the system.
>As I'm pouring, it starts pouring out the side of the block!  So that's
>the direction of the little handle on the reproduction brass valve to
>drain the block.  Turn the handle 90 degrees, the flow stops, BUT now a
>constant drip, drip, drip from the barrel of the valve when it's
>closed!  I give up for today! After 12 hours today (I thought I'd be
>pumping oil through the engine by lunch time) I'll have to wait for yet
>another tomorrow to try it again.  I have to find something to plug the
>hole where the antifreeze drain valve goes in the block.  I'm determined
>to hear this thing run before I go back to work!
>     Anyone know where to get a decent antifreeze drain valve for the
>block?
>Mike Maclean-60 Sprite




G G              Gerard Chateauvieux
 E A
  R R        pixelsmith@gerardsgarage.com
   A A
    R G          Pixelsmith  on  Duty
     D E
      S      http://www.gerardsgarage.com







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