the flight of kiyreagle

[pradtf]

kiyreagle is on a new journey after being rescued by regalwizard and brought to our home.
you can read about the previous parts of the story here:

<a href="http://forums.amceaglenest.com/index.php?topic=22127.0>the rescue[/url]
<a href="http://forums.amceaglenest.com/index.php?topic=23539.0>coming home[/url]

this thread will be about our efforts to restore kiyreagle and we welcome ideas and suggestions.

in friendship,
prad

[pradtf]

the clutch

this is a big issue because we can't put kiyreagle into gear. the pushrod is missing some components and isn't moving the throwout lever far enough.

here is a pic of the clutch mechanism:



and as you can see the pivot, washer, seal need to be there to extend the reach of the pushrod. they don't exist at present and despite numerous calls to various places, it seems unlikely we'll ever get them.

therefore, we must create our own attachment.

yesterday, i talked with a customer at one of the autoparts store who seemed very knowledgeable and said that pretty well anything will work - we don't need the typical parts. what he said was confirmed by a mechanic at a napa store. both suggested making up something (a homemade pivot) to fit over the pushrod with a rounded end to go into the throwout lever's receptacle (you can sort of see it in the pic). they both said you don't need the rubber seal, but you should grease the contact point with the throwout lever. neither seemed in the least bit concerned about the contact point wearing on either item.

any thoughts or recommendations on this idea?
any suggestions as to what type of metal to use to devise the homemade pivot?

[jim]

The picture doesn't show for me.

[pradtf]

The picture doesn't show for me.

sorry jim, i missed typed the url.
it is showing now.
thx for the heads up.

[txjeeptx]

Just a guess, but the "pivot" part was probably made out of nylon plastic. That way it wasn't necessary to grease it.

Take a look at this pic - http://home.comcast.net/~gosupes/clutch_slave.jpg

Its a Jeep CJ-7 part, probably pretty readily available. Yup, partsmike has it - http://www.partsmike.com/store/store.php?crn=200&rn=23&action=show_detail

[pradtf]

that's a great pic txjeeptx! many thx!

i'm surprised it's plastic though, but obviously it does the job!
i would have thought that it would wear out, but i guess some plastics are very durable.

i'll see if we can get hold of something like that locally and try it.

[priya]

this thread will be about our efforts to restore kiyreagle and we welcome ideas and suggestions.

As it often times takes quite a while til one gets around to bodywork I'd suggest taking some rust paint and covering all the areas where surface rust is exposed.  That way you prevent further deterioration until you get around to restoring the body.  Use a scraper and remove any blisters or peeling woodgrain and then put 2 or 3 coats on.  Sometimes if there's a difficult to reach area or its behind some difficult to remove trim I use oil to allow it to seep in behind but of course that has to be thoroughly cleaned off afterwards prior to paint prep.

[pradtf]

As it often times takes quite a while til one gets around to bodywork I'd suggest taking some rust paint and covering all the areas where surface rust is exposed.

good idea priya!
there is peeling rust coating under the car with some signs of surface rust. we were thinking of using rustmort under there, but i hadn't thought of protecting the rest of the body till your post.

thx mudkicker for the point regarding polyureathane too!

[priya]

I use Rust-mort myself.  Its says on the bottle it is not intended for use as a final coating.  I found that by itself it'll protect against rust for 2 or 3 months of outdoor exposure.  On other forums I've heard a lot of people talk about a product called POR-15 (Paint Over Rust), some seem to think it works well for surfaces not exposed to sunlight.  What I've done on the undersides of my car that have surface rust is to scrape off any loose undercoating, run a wire brush over the area, apply rust mort and let dry overnight, wipe off the surface with water and then quickly dry thoroughly, and then apply a rubberized undercoating.  Don't know how well that's going to work out, I'll see after I've had the car on the road for a while.

[pradtf]

Don't know how well that's going to work out, I'll see after I've had the car on the road for a while.

ya i'd like to know about this. we've been fine with rust mort on top of our van for three years now (despite what it says on the bottle), but that could be because we don't have any severe weather out here and we've kept it covered with plastic. underneath, i can't say because we only did it this summer. we don't have much salt on the roads at all and we drive very little, but i like your idea of the rubber coating. what is the brand of the coating you are using?

[agxterra]

I use the stuff Canadian Tire sells...there are two of them one is about half the price of the other.   The more expensive one is more of a rubberized spray and the cheaper one is more of a ashphalty/petro sort of thing.   I slather the more vulnerable underside parts  of all my vehicles with the cheaper stuff at the end of each summer in prep for winter.  Both come as an aerosol so application is easy.

[pradtf]

using a long nut, a fitting bolt 8.8mm in diameter and a hemisphere-like rubber washer we were able to extend the pushrod 'reach' sufficiently to be able to put the transmission into gear. it was still difficult, so may be we need to get more of an extension, but at least we know it works!

we were able to back out all the way to the bottom of the driveway and then come back to roost.

when we try to go into any of the forward gears, it is awkward but can generally be done with some persistence.  there is no grinding though a very slight humming while it seems to be searching for a way to get in.

to go into reverse, can be more awkward and there is some grinding then, though once i've even slipped it right in without trouble.

if it doesn't work after several tries, i've turned the engine off, then put it into gear and then turn it back on holding the clutch. we wonder if the throwout lever is going back far enough, but if it were not so, then i would think we'd be 'rabbit hop' starting as soon as i turn the key.

could the problems be related to just a sticky transmission - after all, the car hasn't been driven for more than a decade?

[Smitch]

Make sure your transfer case is fully engaged in either two or four wheel drive. Make sure to chock the wheels while checking.

http://www.amceaglenest.com/~iowaeagl/guide/index.php?title=How_To_Manually_Shift_the_Transfer_Case

I also have a quick question....Did you remove the rear driveshaft before you towed it home?

[txjeeptx]

Did you remove the rear driveshaft before you towed it home?

Oh, man I didn't even think about how it was towed. Towing with front wheels up and rears on the ground with 4wd engaged(or was it a non-select-drive, bein an '81?) with the rear driveshaft in place would have taken a lot of life out of the viscous coupler in the transfer case!

The transmission being difficult to shift could be somewhat due to sitting for many years - no lubricating oil splashed up on the shifting rail mechanism, possibly some spot rust on rails and shafts from condensation inside the case. The T-5 that was in a parts car was difficult to shift at first(car not running), but became less sticky with some repeated moving of the gearshift in and out of the same gear, thus only moving the gear and shift rail, not punishing the synchros too much, like shifting through all gears sequentially, repetatively, would do.

[txjeeptx]

Yup, when I towed my "rescue Eagle" down to Jack's place on a tow dolly, I removed the rear driveshaft.