First time SC owner here,
The car was donated to my local Boyscout Troop for a scrap drive fundraiser that we do. Basically if you call us, we will come take your scrap metal as a donation. We will come inside to get it, or clean it from your yard/garage. You don't have to do a thing.
I'm an Eagle scout, have been for about 2 years but I've been slightly distant from scouting because Im a college student.
Anyways, I get a call that someone donated a whole car. Which doesn't happen often. The story is that the owner of the car passed away, the wife found a new man. The new guy wants the car out if the driveway so that they can sell the house. They have a title so we can scrap it. Seems like a routine job. I'm the only one with a car hauler, so they call me and ask me to go pick it up. No problem, I show up winch the car onto the trailer, and head for my house.
Now, I'm not a Ford guy, by any means, I've owned 4 or 5 Chevy pickup trucks, most of them 3/4 ton diesels, and a few small blocks. So this little car is way out of my realm. But I have been looking to buy a project car. And preferably something with a stick shift. That's why I looked into this car. I noticed the shifter, and got curious. I find out it's an SC with a 5 speed.
But the owner tells us that the car doesn't run, doesn't even have an engine. Well, I wasn't able to take it to the scrap because they are closed on Sundays, so I take it home and dump it in my yard because I'm hauling a friend's car the next day.
I got a little curious and decided to take a look at it off the trailer. I have the keys and everything, but for some reason I never looked inside the car. I just picked it up and left. (I know. Really dumb on my part)
Anyways I pop the hood, and wouldn't you know it the entire engine is under the hood and intact. Just the radiator lines are off, and the water is drained. So I charge up the battery, that's been sitting with the car for two years, check the oil, and try to crank it.
No luck, the car won't start on its own, so I come back with a can of ether, and wouldn't you know it. Fires right up. And idles on its own. It's a little rough, but it's a start.
Now I forgot to mention that the car came with a ton of extra parts, that's why I believed that it had no engine, oil pan, pulleys, a head, some odds and ends, so I pop the trunk, and wouldn't you know it, there is a block, crank, cam, another head, valves, rods, rockers, and pistons in the trunk. (Plus some other parts I'm probably forgetting while writing this)
I've been hauling cars for a while now, and I get lied to almost every time, but I've never had something like this happen. I have not one, but two engines, and one even runs.
At this point I contacted the boyscouts, and they were not interested in the car. They only wanted to scrap it, so I gave them what I believed it to be worth in scrap and everyone was happy.
I bought some radiator hoses, filled it with water, and it started running rough, steam coming from the exhaust. So I drained it and started tearing it down to change a head gasket.
It's been a rough job considering I'm not very experienced, but I've been bagging every bolt and labeling them, and I'm following a guide posted to this forum. So it's going well I would say. Hopefully the car will run again when I'm finished.
Tl:dr
Car donated to boyscouts turns out to be a SC, purchased at scrap price. Told it had no engine, turns out it has 2.
Chevy ape attempts to replace head gaskets on Ford engine.
Any tips about these cars would be great, things I should buy before I put it back together, and things I should avoid putting back on when I assemble the engine.
Lastly I have a question about the second engine, is there any way to determine what year SC that engine came out of? I have read that the injectors are bigger on the later model years, and I'm wondering if i should pop the ones that are with the other engine in while im doing this rebuild. But I can't determine their year because I don't know anything about them.
My car is a 1989
Thanks for your help, if you stuck around this long.
Glad to be a part of this forum.
😎
The car was donated to my local Boyscout Troop for a scrap drive fundraiser that we do. Basically if you call us, we will come take your scrap metal as a donation. We will come inside to get it, or clean it from your yard/garage. You don't have to do a thing.
I'm an Eagle scout, have been for about 2 years but I've been slightly distant from scouting because Im a college student.
Anyways, I get a call that someone donated a whole car. Which doesn't happen often. The story is that the owner of the car passed away, the wife found a new man. The new guy wants the car out if the driveway so that they can sell the house. They have a title so we can scrap it. Seems like a routine job. I'm the only one with a car hauler, so they call me and ask me to go pick it up. No problem, I show up winch the car onto the trailer, and head for my house.
Now, I'm not a Ford guy, by any means, I've owned 4 or 5 Chevy pickup trucks, most of them 3/4 ton diesels, and a few small blocks. So this little car is way out of my realm. But I have been looking to buy a project car. And preferably something with a stick shift. That's why I looked into this car. I noticed the shifter, and got curious. I find out it's an SC with a 5 speed.
But the owner tells us that the car doesn't run, doesn't even have an engine. Well, I wasn't able to take it to the scrap because they are closed on Sundays, so I take it home and dump it in my yard because I'm hauling a friend's car the next day.
I got a little curious and decided to take a look at it off the trailer. I have the keys and everything, but for some reason I never looked inside the car. I just picked it up and left. (I know. Really dumb on my part)
Anyways I pop the hood, and wouldn't you know it the entire engine is under the hood and intact. Just the radiator lines are off, and the water is drained. So I charge up the battery, that's been sitting with the car for two years, check the oil, and try to crank it.
No luck, the car won't start on its own, so I come back with a can of ether, and wouldn't you know it. Fires right up. And idles on its own. It's a little rough, but it's a start.
Now I forgot to mention that the car came with a ton of extra parts, that's why I believed that it had no engine, oil pan, pulleys, a head, some odds and ends, so I pop the trunk, and wouldn't you know it, there is a block, crank, cam, another head, valves, rods, rockers, and pistons in the trunk. (Plus some other parts I'm probably forgetting while writing this)
I've been hauling cars for a while now, and I get lied to almost every time, but I've never had something like this happen. I have not one, but two engines, and one even runs.
At this point I contacted the boyscouts, and they were not interested in the car. They only wanted to scrap it, so I gave them what I believed it to be worth in scrap and everyone was happy.
I bought some radiator hoses, filled it with water, and it started running rough, steam coming from the exhaust. So I drained it and started tearing it down to change a head gasket.
It's been a rough job considering I'm not very experienced, but I've been bagging every bolt and labeling them, and I'm following a guide posted to this forum. So it's going well I would say. Hopefully the car will run again when I'm finished.
Tl:dr
Car donated to boyscouts turns out to be a SC, purchased at scrap price. Told it had no engine, turns out it has 2.
Chevy ape attempts to replace head gaskets on Ford engine.
Any tips about these cars would be great, things I should buy before I put it back together, and things I should avoid putting back on when I assemble the engine.
Lastly I have a question about the second engine, is there any way to determine what year SC that engine came out of? I have read that the injectors are bigger on the later model years, and I'm wondering if i should pop the ones that are with the other engine in while im doing this rebuild. But I can't determine their year because I don't know anything about them.
My car is a 1989
Thanks for your help, if you stuck around this long.
Glad to be a part of this forum.
😎
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