WALLY'S EK

Post photos of your pride and joy, or updates on your rebuild!

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Blacky
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by Blacky »

Happy days mate 8) it's a great feeling driving around the day you receive new plates after a rebuild - enjoy !!
When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
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FJWALLY
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by FJWALLY »

She's been driving round nicely but 30 years sitting on it's ass does take it's toll. Bearings have become noisy as have the uni joints so new ones all round this week when I pull the steering column out to have the box done.

Diff needs attention also.

bit of a leak coming from rear gearbox seal which coincided with the speedo cable braking so will have a look at that when we drop the tailshaft.

Have some bling for the motor so I might bite the bullet and get it done from front to back then I know I'm good for a few years.
You will find me lost somewhere!
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FJWALLY
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by FJWALLY »

So I decided I want to get the Ek pretty much 100% mechanical before I worry about paint and stuff.

getting steering column removed this week and done by Roger while it is also getting new bearings all round
New Uni's
Possibly gearbox done - at min rear seal needs replacing
Diff looked at but preparing for rebuild - might see if i can find a red 3.55 to get the speedo back to correct - any idea who is good for this in Melbourne east???? Been recommended Transdiff in Thomastown but it's a bit of a lottery.
rear leaf springs tidied up with new isolators and rubbers but happy with the way it's sitting so wont worry about re-setting them - don't want it harsher.

Aaaaannnnnd - due to some yucky noises putting the motor into Top Torque in Nunawading to get a rebuild - extent of which to be discussed once they can take a look inside
Going to add my Speco rocker cover and Speco Twin carb manifold(getting a couple strombergs from Extreme fuel Systems added)
Going to try a set of Ebay extractors to round it off.

Excited!!
You will find me lost somewhere!
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FJWALLY
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by FJWALLY »

Got the twin strombergs fitted up to the Speco manifold this week - looking good

Only thing I'm not totally happy with is the bar and the brass linkages - the bar is an easy fix and will replace with a nice bit of stainless but what are the thoughts on the levers - as you can hopefully see form the pics the centre lever is broken at the top hole - do I need the top hole - can I just tidy up the centre lever and stay with the brass ones - the option is a redline set but they look a bit cheap and nasty - I also see that Stromberg have some die cast levers but they are used in different orientation to the old type so not sure they would work the same?

Any comments/advice welcomed.
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Harv
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by Harv »

Wally,

Those brass levers are worth keeping. The Redline ones are stamped steel, and allthough serviceable are pretty cheap. You can also get ones from the Sydney Carb Service Co made of brass with a wedge-clamping design... pricier but very neat and no slip.

Whether or not you need the top hole on that brass throttle lever depends on how you set up the rest of the linkage. Grey motor twins were not a factory fit, and need some modification to the throttle bars/linkage. Some people opt to replace everything with a cable, others modify the bars/linkage.

As a starting point, put your carbs somewhere secure, either on an engine or in a vice. Move the brass throttle lever from closed to Wide Open Throttle (WOT). Check that your linkage actually delivers WOT... some do not get the throttle plates fully open!

Once you are sure that the carbs get WOT, get your ruler out and again mover from closed to WOT. Measure how far the brass throttle lever needs to move. It looks like you have five different holes, so you will get five different distances - the holes closer to the rod move less.


Your task is then to connect one of those holes with a part of the GMH throttle bars/linkage that moves the same distance.

Lets start with the little lever that pokes through the firewall near the accelerator pedal. You could attach a cable to it, and get the cable to pull your brass throttle lever. On my FB sedan, that firewall lever moves only about 12mm at the tip. That is probably not enough for one of your brass lever holes. You could weld a bit more steel bar on the firewall lever to get more swing. Extending my firewall lever 40mm would give me 35mm of travel. Still not really much, but may be enough for one of your brass throttle lever holes.

Maybe instead you could connect to the bar that sticks out from the firewall over on the passenger side. This one swings a bit more - my FB sedan moves 35mm at the tip. You could weld (or bolt) a bit more steel bar on to this lever too to get more swing. Extending mine 100mm would give 50mm travel, a 200mm extension would give 70mm travel, and a whopping 300mm = 85mm travel. Note that this bar can extend more than the other one as there is nothing in the way.

Once you have found a part of the GMH throttle bars/linkage that moves the same distance, you connect it to your brass throttle lever. If it is a long way away, you use a cable. If it is close, you can move the brass throttle lever along the rod and use those ball-joint links similar to the ones on your carbs.

Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
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FJWALLY
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by FJWALLY »

Thanks Harv - Hearing you loud and clear.

I'm going to replace the bar with a piece of stainless to make it nice and tidy up the broken end of that centre lever or maybe even swap it with the one on the left as that linkage attaches only half way down to match with the short lever on the right - that will give me a bit more leverage on that centre one for a start.

Whats the best way to secure the levers to the bar? might replace the screw bolts in the levers with stainless cap screws and nyloc nuts. Does it help to put a little lock tight on the shaft where the clamp goes over?
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Harv
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by Harv »

FJWALLY wrote:Whats the best way to secure the levers to the bar? might replace the screw bolts in the levers with stainless cap screws and nyloc nuts. Does it help to put a little lock tight on the shaft where the clamp goes over?
Best way to secure them is a very small tack weld. Need to be a better welder than me though... I'd end up with a big dob of pigeon crap. Weld it once everything is in place and tuned. The grub screws slip over time no matter how hard you tighten them.

Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
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Joe_FBHolden
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by Joe_FBHolden »

Twins are looking good Wally!!!

Has anyone used Sydney Carburetor Service Company in Burwood recently or in the past? Are they highly recommended?

I'm looking to get a few of my spare carbies refurbed and linkages set up on a twin manifold. Any suggestions for Sydney area is appreciated. Thanks in advance
kelleigh54
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by kelleigh54 »

Exceptional ute you have Wally. Definitely one to be very proud of .
If I can put my point of view across without offending anyone --- Regarding the paint ---- Firstly it is your car and above all , your choice as to what you do with it .
My point of view is to firstly find a bloke that is bloody good at paintless dent removal (if you can't live with it's beauty in the rough ) and grill him to the point that if he has any doubt's as to his ability he will back out . Then outside of painting the tail gate and de-oxing the surface rust , just give it a bloody good buff followed by a soft polish .
You can pay for faultless panel's and stunning paint work but what you have from the factory cannot be replicated , It is priceless . Every chip and scratch has it's own story of which you personally don't know how or why , but if you sit and look at them or study them as you wash the old girl , sometimes your imagination can fill in for some possible scenario's . Like coming to realize that all the shallow gouges in the paint of the boot lid your studying has probably been caused from the dragging over the boot surface of a pair of teenage bum's in Levi jeans with brass rivet's at the corner of the pocket's as they climb up and down from the boot lid while parked tail first at the Drive -In on a warm summers night with your girlfriend . These are the thing's we did back then and that is a story that the paint can tell .
My son has an EK sedan with about 95 % original factory paint ( small rust repair section's and one small accident damage ) which is Garrison Grey and White roof . He purchased the car when he was sixteen and wrestled with the idea of leaving it as it was mechanically or to upgrade all the running gear and suspension , brakes etc . Which in a sense is a shame but it is his car and was his choice . What he has done though , is to maintain it's character , it's fault's and it's natural aging beauty . Just treat the surface rust , buff it and soft polish it to see it gleaming in it's natural splendor . The result is priceless and draws more attention than my EK with 25 k of panel and paint . I envy his worn thin factory paint and he has the bonus of not being shattered by every new chip or scratch because that is a part of his car's natural beauty which includes surface rust along the ridges that have worn through to the metal and red oxide showing through where arm's hung out the windows on warm day's . Embrace it's panel and paint for what it is and I am sure there will be plenty of others that will admire you for it . Enjoy Wally , as it is your turn to leave some unwritten stories of your youth on it's blemished body for hopefully another 53 or 54 year's .
I would rather work on a Morris 1100 than use a computer !!!!!!
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Harv
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by Harv »

Joe_FBHolden wrote:Twins are looking good Wally!!!

Has anyone used Sydney Carburetor Service Company in Burwood recently or in the past? Are they highly recommended?

I'm looking to get a few of my spare carbies refurbed and linkages set up on a twin manifold. Any suggestions for Sydney area is appreciated. Thanks in advance
Have dealt with CSC a lot. Very highly recommended.

Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
Blacky
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by Blacky »

Very nicely put Leigh 8)
When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
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FJWALLY
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by FJWALLY »

Yes indeed Leigh - nicely put - I am heading down that path with a company I have found down here that do only holden restos - hoping they can repair the couple of rust spots - prevent any more rust from taking hold and fix a few of the major dents and blend any required painting(mostly tub and either side of the tailgate) and to be honest spending another 15K on paint is not what I want anyway - I want to drive it hence spending my dollars on the mechanical / comfort side of things and a set of new rubbers all round will make it feel more like a new car.

I had the carbs supplied and fitted to the Speco from Extreme Fuel Systems who are also in Sydney area - Nigel has been great and also did a couple repairs to the manifold for me as well - yet to turn them on of course but so far so good.
You will find me lost somewhere!
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FJWALLY
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by FJWALLY »

Motor is now done - very happy with the job thus far from Top Torque

+20 thou bore and pistons
All new bearings and re-surfaced journals
New lifters and springs but used same followers with a re-surface
Head and block were both in great shape as were crank and cam so just a tidy up and they went back in.
New valves with unleaded grind to suit.
had dizzy converted to electronic with a new coil/leads and plugs
Twin carbs and a set of pipes going on as well so it should run sweet.
Restored Remote oil filter fitted also.
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Craig Allardyce
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by Craig Allardyce »

G'day Wally, the motor looks great.
You might want to check the oil filter connections though. The return to the block should come from the centre port at the bottom of the filter housing not from the drain port where it is currently connected. As it is it won't filter any oil at all.
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FJWALLY
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Re: WALLY'S EK

Post by FJWALLY »

Hey Craig - thanks - I did question them about that this morning but they reckoned it was correct - When we get it back I'll get it swapped over - cheers
You will find me lost somewhere!
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