03.29.2004

George was kind enough to come down and help me with the pull of the six-shooter. It was a pretty straightforward pull, for me it was very different to what I was used to (AMC V8); getting to the transmission bolts was kind of a pain, but all-in-all there weren't any major snags.

With the engine out, now I can really get into the engine bay to clean things up! I'd like to put the 401 into a nice, clean engine bay... I might even repaint certain areas, I haven't decided how far I want to take the cleanliness.

03.30.2004

Went to work cleaning out the engine bay. With toothbrush in hand, armed with a squirt bottle filled with degreaser, I set out to defeat the grime that had infested the bay for many, many years. After getting the passenger side wall cleaned, I had the brilliant idea to roll the car outside and use the powerwasher. Brilliant, in fact, because it was 40º outside and just a little bit drizzly. Of course, on the first go 'round with the washer, I manage to SOAK my one leg, making me all the more cold!

All in all, I think the results were worth it - I inadvertantly freed inches of grime that had accumulated upon the steering box & that alone was worth my shivering in the cold. There is still much more cleaning to be done, but I figured I would save that for a warmer day.

Pictures of the Engine Bay Refinishing

09.04.2004

I powerwashed the engine and painted it up using AMC Blue. I have to go on record saying that I really DON'T like the color. I liked it better Black, I would've liked it even better if I had painted it Cast Gray. But, I guess that if I want to do this car semi-correct I should do it AMC Blue.

I couldn't bring myself to paint the Torker - my excuse is that, if the original owner had put a Torker on, it would (hopefully) be unpainted. I have no excuse for the timing cover/water pump. I just couldn't do it... I wasn't about to paint those nice aluminum pieces. I will be removing the valve covers, sandblasting them and painting them off the engine.