I think I'd have an 8 year old with a sore butt. It wouldn't be just about the car door, though that is certainly an important factor, but of more importance is the potential of falling out of the car due to negligence and being permanently folded, spindled and mutilated. Doors can be fixed or replaced, a child's life can't.
God to know tat she hasn't become one of the many sacrifices that active duty personnel are constantly challenged with. From one old sea dog to another, thank you for your service.
I was able to fabricate some new pins for a grand total of $0.68. I began by using a bolt spacer available at the local hardware store into a drill chuck. I turned the diameter down to match the original, cut the pin to the correct length and then chamfered both ends. I made two, even though I only needed to replace one... just in case.
These little jewels locate the front cover in relation to the block and crank and prevent leaks by keeping the crank snout centered in the front seal when applying torque to the oil pan bolts and as a result, not chewing up the seal. It seems that there are lots of people that had no idea that these pins were even there or if they did, what their purpose was.
It seems obvious that 86Cougar has his priorities pretty well thought out. It isn't the destination, but the journey that is important. He can't take his girl out to celebrate her journey until he gets past the emissions test. If that means that she gets a bit of a chill between home and where ever she decides to celebrate, then she can snuggle up next to him... seems pretty well thought out to me.
Enjoy your retirement and your projects, as virtually nothing has a time critical component any more. I am spending my vacation pulling the engine out of my Dad's Exploder, replacing the long block, thoroughly cleaning, stripping and refinishing virtually everything before it goes back in. I only wish that I had the time to get some of these things powder coated instead of painted... eh, maybe next time.
I have a missing front cover locating pin and need to find a source of these things as quickly as possible. They are, according to Joe at the local Ford house, still available in Detroit stock, but no one else, and I mean NO ONE is able to locate these from a 3rd party. It could be because they might be called something else, it could be that no one else makes them... I just don't know.
If the intake manifold gasket slips during installation, you can see coolant (water) in the oil and it could also leak into the combustion chamber, which would be the reason for the white smoke. If this is a 5.0 liter, you can use a section (about 2 1/2") of 7/16 allthread on all four corners as locating dowels which will not only help you get the manifold aligned properly, but will also greatly reduce the possibility of gasket slippage during installation. I just bought some allthread at my local hardware store for this very reason and paid $1.23 for 24" of it. Then al, you need is a hacksaw and either a bench grinder or metal file to clean up the cut ends. I hope that this helps and good luck!
Um..ok. So are you saying that the 6 holes, that would appear to be equidistant are not, and thus the flex plate can only be bolted to the crank one way?
Can any one tell me how the balanced weight on the flex plate is supposed to be clocked? I noticed that their are three "slots" inline with the weight and I know that there must be proper way to install the darned thing, but before I wasted time on researching the subject, I thought I'd ask you guys.
I think the original point of the thread has been sidetracked. It really matters not whether the LS engines are good, great or suck eggs, if GM can't or won't make decisions, overall that keep them in business without tapping the taxpayers pockets. Like GM and Chrysler, Ford has made decisions that have been, shall we say questionable, the latest attempt to make a Thunderbird come to mind, though it can't go without notice that Ford managed to shed debt, cut losses and avoid tapping the taxpayers pockets to stay in business. They will be rewarded for their efforts, as they should be. Maybe some day Ford will purchase GM for a song or at the very least hire those brilliant engineers that have contributed to the LS engines and perhaps other overlooked areas of superior engineering, bolstering their talent pool and providing the consumer with the best of the best...again, as it should be.
