Hi All, I'm starting to crawl out of the hole that had me totally consumed for the last 10 years; building my retirement house & shop. All I've been doing is getting splinters, and hammering my thumbs, oh, and going broke. But I have a nice shop now, with lifts & everything! All along, my trusty '61 patina wagon of a 3500 GT has been my therapy (we won't mention 5th gear shedding 3 teeth some years ago). But despite that, it's pretty much been old faithful (fuel pumps don't count). When I got it, it had been sitting outside for some 30+ years with the carbs & sparkplugs removed. I managed to revive the car, and have been using it ever since. Part of my revival was changing the cam chain (the one I replaced had 5 master links in it!), and adjusting the valves. I sent the Webers out to Pierce Manifold because I was scared of them (I was a flathead Ford V8 guy before this). I've been running Valvoline Racing 50wt all this time. I used to change the oil & filter religiously. I look at my records, and it's been 10 years since I last changed it, some 10,000 miles ago! It's a gooey mess. The reason I tore into it, is because the exhaust side cam cover gasket was really leaking bad. I figured that I'd change the cam cover gaskets, check the timing chain tension, and perhaps adjust the valves. I'm just starting to remember how to use a wrench again, and I remembered that I scored some "reground" cam shafts from Craigslist of all places. They appear freshly ground, with a flat black finish to the non-contact surfaces. But I can't tell what the grind is, and I can't really find any markings on them. So, my questions are; is there any new product recommended for the super thin, paper cam cover gaskets? I used to just use grease, but perhaps there is an adheasive, or glue preffered these days? Is there a way to tell what my extra cams are? I like low end grunt, and mid-range power & torque; I'm not a top speed, high rpm guy. Are there any other suggestions while I'm this far in? Are there any wear items on the sidedraft Webers I should be concerned about? I was going to switch to Valvoline Racing 20-50 this time. The car was running great, just leaking a lot of oil from the cam cover (I hope). It sill has the original spark plugs, wires, and distributor cap I originally dialed it in with some 20 years ago! And the plugs look great! I'm surprised it still ran though with the dist. cap. BTW, I was the gueanea pig for the Pertronix electronic ignition back in the day. So I use their set up times 2 for the dual ignition. TIA, RF.
Love the 3500GT and would love to see some pictures of your car. No, I don't have one and cannot answer your questions. Perhaps you can make your own paper gaskets for the cam covers. And, as I am sure you know, messing with cams is tricky business. Particularly in a vintage-low production motor. Good luck with your efforts.
You can measure the new cams with a dial indicator to get the profile and compare it with the original. The original cams could be worn but you should see the wear if it exist, and checking the profile will tell you everything. For the cam cover gaskets, the original paper gaskets are OK but you should be using a proper gasket sealant on both sides to get a good seal. I like the Pematex Blue RTV, it is high temp and non harding. For oil I recommend the 20-50W classic by Castrol, It has increased zinc to protect the cams and followers. I think the 50 wt Valvoline racing also has the increased zinc but not sure about thier 20-50wt. I buy it from Walmart here in Idaho but in CA you may need to order it on line. THe Webers should be fine since you sent them to Pierce. The main wear is the shafts and bushings. But Pierce would have repaired them at the time. Check the cam followers for cracks, best to have them magnafluxed. And I would fit seals to the intake valve guides to reduce smoking. Good time to retorque the head also.
Also do a compression test and leakdown before you start to see if you need to go any futher. I thought you also had a rear main leaking. If that is the case the engine needs to come out and disassembled.
Thanks Eugene! It's always soothing to get your advice! I'm wondering if my oil leak was from the cam covers all this time? Perhaps it's time for me to get a degree wheel! Many Thanks, RF.
