The Ferrigno Family's 1976 Palm Beach

I still haven't done much with the Palm Beach. We used the Glenbrook a few more times since it was easy. With camping season behind us, it's not on the "urgent" part of the endless to-do list.

I did score a nice deal on an Olds distributor. I'm pretty sure it's what I need for my EFI/ESC/EBL swap later on. Got it for $10 shipped off of ebay. Anyone know how much axial play one of these should have?

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I still haven't done much with the Palm Beach. We used the Glenbrook a few more times since it was easy. With camping season behind us, it's not on the "urgent" part of the endless to-do list.

I did score a nice deal on an Olds distributor. I'm pretty sure it's what I need for my EFI/ESC/EBL swap later on. Got it for $10 shipped off of ebay. Anyone know how much axial play one of these should have?

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I believe the distributor shaft is pulled downwards by the gear drive. So the bit of up/down "play" does not cause it to move upwards when the engine is running.
 
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I believe the distributor shaft is pulled downwards by the gear drive. So the bit of up/down "play" does not cause it to move upwards when the engine is running.
Thanks for the reassurance. I'd been wondering if it was assumed to be thrust in one direction by the helical gear cut. It has a decent amount of axial play, but feels smooth if I push down on it and spin.
 
There is always some vertical play, but it is side to side play that would require a new bushing. When running that would show up as a wobble in the dwell, best checked on a scope.
 
With spring quickly approaching, it's time to take some action on this coach. I'd been avoiding tearing into the engine. I think deep down in my heart I knew what I'd find. Plus, the trusty ole Glenbrook has been continuing to serve our needs. But, it's hard keeping two of these things dry and dehumidified, so I'd like to fully move over to the Palm Beach and sell the Glenbrook eventually.

A close friend acquired a ten-year-old alignment rack with a 16K rating. It was from an Alaskan island where they use lots of salt, and was then stored outdoors. Needless to say, some of the controls and whatnot need some work. But, it's all there. It sat on a trailer for a few weeks while another friend of ours was repairing a camp trailer, and the camp trailer was occupying the shop bay we needed at my close friend's house.

Anyway, last Friday I get the call that the shop is empty, and it's time to bring in the lift! I went and bought a slow-moving-vehicle triangle for my tractor and headed down the highway. My friend has a skid-steer, but we needed to double-team this one. The trailer had to go into the shop head-first.
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Then we lifted the lift, put the trailer tongue on a machine skate, and skooched the trailer out of the shop. All went well, and the lift landed right on the mark.
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A few hours of shimming, drilling, and bolting later and we had things up in the air. We tested it out with something lighter, then moved on to the Palm Beach.
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What a game changer this will be! Procrastination efficiency should start plummeting any day now!

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The new perspective afforded me visual angles I'd not yet enjoyed. Check out these exhaust gaskets! Yikes. I guess that explains the exhaust leak. They were out of place in similar fashion on both sides of the engine. Sheesh. I'm not sure what type those were, but they were junk.

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Now for the bad news...
I removed the starter to check the flex plate (since I've often heard they can emulate a rod knock). No cracks, no fretting dust, tight bolts. Next, I finally got out the stethescope and listened to this thing while it was running. The knock is prevalent all over the engine, but it's crazy loud at the oil pan. It's louder toward the rear of the pan than the front. So I started pulling plug wires one at a time. Most made no difference to the knock. Pulling plug wire #7 made the knock notably quieter. So, that's the official diagnosis for now. Rod knock on #7.
 
What a cool lift, Paul. How does the "safety" system work on that lift.
I'll have to add some pics next time I'm over there.

I had too many "assistants" tonight, so I didn't get much done. Yesterday I got the new engine from Spokane. Fingers crossed that it runs well for many years.

The little guy learned how to chase threads tonight. There was a lot of crud and paint inside most of the holes in the block and heads.
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Looks like it's a 1973 motor. Invoices mentioned the PO dropping off C heads, but alas, they are J heads. Must've been for a different motor he was working on. Invoices also mention an RV cam, but no part number or specs. I may have to see if I can squeeze some more details out of the shop.

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Has this engine ever been run? If so, how long ago? In either case, please look at this article that I wrote several years ago for starting an engine that has been sitting for a long period. You want to make sure you have plenty of oil to all bearing and cylinders before you attempt a start.


Then, for oil, read this Blog and select the oil you think would work best. It is long and tedious, but has relevant info for us. For the meat of the blog, scroll down about 1/10th of the way to the ranking list. JWID

 
Has this engine ever been run? If so, how long ago? In either case, please look at this article that I wrote several years ago for starting an engine that has been sitting for a long period. You want to make sure you have plenty of oil to all bearing and cylinders before you attempt a start.


Then, for oil, read this Blog and select the oil you think would work best. It is long and tedious, but has relevant info for us. For the meat of the blog, scroll down about 1/10th of the way to the ranking list. JWID

It hasn't been run, so definitely needs a proper oiling and cam break-in. I've got some Lucas break in oil I had selected based on this article:
www.motortrend.com/how-to/ccrp-1108-camshaft-break-in-guide
 
If you read the blog I suggested, you will find that all of the break-in oils test very low in ability to resist wear....metal to metal contact. I read the Motortrend article in it's entirety and find a number of things stated that are in conflict with what 540rat has concluded in actual scientific testing. So, it is all in who you want to believe relative to break-in. In the 540rat testing, the Lucas break-in oil tests 295 of the 298 different oil blends tested for the ability to resist wear. I would encourage you to use the #1 listed oil and follow his break-in procedure. For me, while it is hard to get past his bluster and the critical language used for people who do not follow his train of thought, too much of his actual testing results rings as accurate and engineering solid. JMHO Hope things work out for you.
 
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If you read the blog I suggested, you will find that all of the break-in oils test very low in ability to resist wear....metal to metal contact. I read the Motortrend article in it's entirety and find a number of things stated that are in conflict with what 540rat has concluded in actual scientific testing. So, it is all in who you want to believe relative to break-in. In the 540rat testing, the Lucas break-in oil tests 295 of the 298 different oil blends tested for the ability to resist wear. I would encourage you to use the #1 listed oil and follow his break-in procedure. For me, while it is hard to get past his bluster and the critical language used for people who do not follow his train of thought, too much of his actual testing results rings as accurate and engineering solid. JMHO Hope things work out for you.
Thanks for the info. I've started trying to go through the blog, but it's rough. It seems he's a bit of a self-important blow-hard, but it looks like a real treasure trove of data! I'm definitely data-driven, and prefer to make my decisions based on test results instead of myths. So I can't ignore any of this info, but I sure wish he could boil it down and organize it better.

It's interesting to read that ZDDP supposedly doesn't do much for flat tappet cams. It's pretty crazy that the entire auto world seems to promote it. Maybe too crazy.

Funny thing is, my shop is already full of Quaker State full synthetic 5W-30. It's what I run in both our daily drivers. Of course I'm seeing mentions of gen2 and gen3 formulations with the latter having worse results, so it's hard to say if I've got the best stuff right now.
 
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I've been starting to prepare for the engine swap and fuel system upgrade, while working on the Glenbrook in parallel (it must be available as a backup option in 6 weeks in case I don't finish in time).

I've got a double check valve assembly mocked up for dual fuel pump inputs. I don't trust the internal check valves on in-tank pumps. I've seen them go bad before, and accessibility leaves something to be desired. This assembly will reside on the frame rail, and will probably get nylon fuel lines running to them. I'm still pondering running flare adapters and steel line, but the nylon has been growing on me.
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I've also got a fuel pump and sender assembly identified that I want to try retrofitting. More on that later.
 
I've been starting to prepare for the engine swap and fuel system upgrade, while working on the Glenbrook in parallel (it must be available as a backup option in 6 weeks in case I don't finish in time).

I've got a double check valve assembly mocked up for dual fuel pump inputs. I don't trust the internal check valves on in-tank pumps. I've seen them go bad before, and accessibility leaves something to be desired. This assembly will reside on the frame rail, and will probably get nylon fuel lines running to them. I'm still pondering running flare adapters and steel line, but the nylon has been growing on me.
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I've also got a fuel pump and sender assembly identified that I want to try retrofitting. More on that later.
What is the make/model/part number of that check valve. I've been running on the internal check valves for 5 years with no issues. But always worry about worse case scenarios.
 
I got my check valves from McMaster Carr. I think they are from this group.
 
I made an interesting discovery in one of the drawers. I'm not sure how old it is, but it doesn't look like it was used much. I feel like I've seen drawings of these awning supports before, but I've never seen one in person. It looks like George used to sell them? Does anyone know if he's still around?

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Lots of progress this week! We've got the trans unhooked from everything, and most of the hoses and accessories pulled off the engine. Headers are out, fluids are drained. I'm going to fab a quick and dirty trolley for the motor, then we'll pull it Saturday.

Tonight, we pulled the front fuel tank just to kill some time. I almost hate to say it, but it was really really easy! I'm sure the lift, a competent helper, and the trans jack make all the difference.
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One thing I found odd was this propane hose routing. It kinda cut under the corner of the tank and wanted to get hung up. Is this the normal routing? Seems sloppy to me. There's a zip tie, so someone has been there before...

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