The Green Machine Diaries: Scalpel Please!
/March - July, 2020
“There’s no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.”
The Green Machine won’t be taking any laps around the track, nor see any time on the drag strip. So why quote Garth Stein’s novel? Because there is a definite intimidation factor when it comes to coaxing this mailbox on wheels back to life. There were so many issues . . . where to start?
March 8-10, 2020
This entry from the Green Machine Diaries is not one of the first in chronology, but it definitely is one of my most satisfying. As you can see from the picture, I improvised an alternative fuel system (more on that in another entry). At this point in the build I had fuel, I had spark, and I had compression.
That wonderful trifecta had not come early or easy. After pulling the nasty old fuel system and rigging a temporary fuel supply, I discovered the battery, coil, points, condenser, and fuel pump were shot.
Happily for me, I have my friend and master mechanic, Chuck, always willing to help. When Chuck says, “Call me anytime,” he means it — and so I call often. Chuck helped me trace the problems and find solutions.
“Test and replace” became my one-two punch. Finally, after multiple “fixes,” I shot some starter fluid into the original Holley one-barrel, turned the key and for a moment — a very brief moment — the engine coughed to life.
I walked out of my shop as if I had just summited Everest. I went to get Shannan. “Babe, it started! I need you to come and take some video for posterity.”
This small victory was a big deal, all the more because this was the last day in my shop. It was March 2020 and we were enjoying Spring Break until the reality of the growing threat called COVID meant we needed to hightail it back to PA to address issues at school. We were returning In the morning.
Shannan came. Once again I sprayed starter fluid, turned the key, and this time . . .
So my moment of engine elation was just that, a moment. The van wouldn’t start. I closed the shop, hoping to be back in the summer to try again. Such is the nature of projects!
June 27, 2020
We returned to Arkansas and the Green Machine in June 2020. When you see any vehicle on floor dollies, it’s not the best sign. Still, I was closer to starting it. A few more days and a few more adjustments and . . .
The big 300 was idling all right, but there was a distinct ticking under that valve cover. It was time to pull the cover and take a closer look.
July 11, 2020
I started the old Ford and the problem was quickly apparent.
July 29, 2020 — Time for surgery!
The ideal way to fix this kind of problem is to pull the head and take it to the machine shop for a valve job. Not yet! I just wanted to get the old box on the road and then determine how deep I wanted to go on this 55-year old patient. So I pulled the rocker arm to take a closer look and discovered the valve stem was causing the rocker to slide off.
I pulled the rocker arm and then took out the pushrod, and the cause of my troubles was apparent. “Houston, we have a problem.”
Since my intention was to get the van running with a view to mapping my long-term plan, I opted to see if I could fix the issue with a new pushrod, rocker, and doing a little surgery on the valve stem.
Surgery (grinding and filing the valve stem) took a day and a half, but I finished it. After I adjusted the values a bit, I turned the key, fired it up, and the old Ford was running like it should.
The Green Machine had gone from dead on the side of the road to purring (not quite like a kitten), but it was running. No time to stop. Climb under, take a look. Next up . . . brakes!
It’s not a concourse restoration, but . . .
The ‘66 Econoline is no concourse restoration. Heck, at this point it isn’t even a parts hauler. And yet there was such great delight in performing a little surgery and watching my patient come out of the operating room stronger than it went in.
So here’s what I learned:
Don’t be afraid of things that don’t work. I remember Master Mechanic Aaron Kaufman saying, “Engines want to run.” I agree.
Figure it out and when you can’t figure it out, get help. There’s no shame — and a lot of progress — in that! Thanks Chuck! This old box is running because of your expertise and long-distance help. My lesson is that from Proverbs: Humility comes before honor (Proverbs 18:12).
Laughing is better than cursing. God says, “A joyful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). When I worked so hard to get the van running and it did, and then it didn’t. Bummer! But what are you going to do? Laughing at myself seemed perfectly appropriate. Churchill said to his soldiers on the Western front, “Laugh a little & teach your men to laugh — great good humor under fire — war is a game that is played with a smile. If you can’t smile, grin. If you can’t grin, keep out of the way till you can” (Martin Gilbert's Winston Churchill: A Life, page 345).
The sweet satisfaction of hard work and seeing progress because of it. Proverbs 14:23 says it so well!
The car hobby reveals the wonder of God. My friend Chan Kilgore once said to me, “Tommy, do you know why you love fixing up old broken cars?” “No, Chan!” “Because you are created in the image of God who loves bringing dead things (people) back to life!” (Ephesians 2:1-10). Amen to that! Thanks Chan. I will never forget that good word.