1962 GMC 305V6 4WD Slow DD Build - Cecilia (Pic Heavy)

[FetchMeAPepsi]

All that removed, your alternator should now pull free of the brackets, but it still has one wire so just lift it into the battery tray and disconnect the wire. It takes a 3/8 inch wrench that I forgot to mention earlier in our list of supplies. If you don't have one you can come mow my grass. I have lost several.




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Then remove the wire and let it hang. The nut you removed should be placed back on the alternator so it doesn't get lost. Then put the alternator in a safe, dry place.




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[FetchMeAPepsi]

Ok, now go get the water hose and sprayer and get to spraying. WHOOSH!!!
All of the nooks and greasy crannies!




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Then get the battery tray really good. It looked like cookie monster had eaten dinner in mine. Crust and crumbs everywhere.




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While you're at it, spray the outside black area too.




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And squirt the grasshoppers out of your radiator. Feed them to the cats.




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One more thing. You're bound to notice a little paint coming off. It's likely that this paint was flaky anyway and would fall off by itself. It's not from the simple green, more from the water pressure and lack of oil and grime holding it on anymore. Don't fret. Eventually we'll paint the engine anyway, right? (lofty goals!)




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And you might just get to see little treasures like this that have lived buried in muck for ages.




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or this




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[FetchMeAPepsi]

Once it's good and clean as you like it you can start putting it back together again. A word of wisdom - it won't be spotless. The engine is 50 years old. If you want to get all of the dirt off you'll need to do some serious scrubbing or just dip it in a vat of cleaner. If you just want to knock some more dirt of of her you can repeat this process since you already have the alternator and battery out.

So to put her back together you just go find your alternator and put it back in the battery tray. Be careful not to bang the pulley side around on things or you can damage the windings and/or brushes inside. Be easy with it.

While it's in the battery tray you can re-attach the little wire on the back.




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Then set the alternator back in it's slot and run the long bolt and whatever stuff the PO put in there as a spacer. Remember that the larger bolt hole goes on the bottom, the smaller on the top.




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Now place the top alternator bolt in but don't tighten it just yet. Just run it in there snug.




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Don't forget the plug in the top.




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Then slip the belt back on, making sure it is still on the other pulleys on the engine too.




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Finally just tighten the belt. To do this you put a prybar (a crowbar in this case) between the engine and the alternator, prying it out until the belt is good and tight. Then you tighten the bolt on top. It's a little tough to do both at once but if you stand on the side of the truck and pull with both hands you should make it perfectly tight and keep it there. If you start the truck and it whines you'll know you didn't get it tight enough.




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That's about it. You just washed your first engine. If you can do it, it's a good idea to let it dry for 24 hours before driving just in case you squirted water into the spark plug holes or something.

Now, don't worry if it didn't blind you with sparkly magical powers when you finished. It's not going to - it's 50 years old. You want a sparkly engine? You gotta scrub for that. Alot. My main goal was to kick the crud off so that it looks better and doesn't color me every time I lean over to fiddle with a spark plug wire.

Lessons Learned:

• You can reapply again and do it again.
• I want a pressure washer.
• Dirt is like an ogre. It has layers.
• Don't expect to strip it all off at once. Baby steps.
• Scrubbing an engine with paint on it can give you an engine without paint on it.
• Don't leave a 5 year old boy and a set of shiny new wrenches alone. Ever.

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Now we're going to change the temperature sending unit.

This job happened before the engine cleaning above, so don't freak out about the excessive dirt. It's just out of chronological order.


On Cecilia the factory gauge said COLD regardless of what was going on so I figured it was either dead or needed a new sending unit.

My first thing to do was FIND the sending unit. Yeah, I know! Stupid newbie with his lack of knowledge! I should go die in a hole or something, right?

Instead of dying in a hole I looked for wires that go to funny places under the hood. I knew it had to be on the engine somewhere and that lead me to the first obvious place.

This wire right here!



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And that lead me right to this! It's a sending unit! Woohoo!




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Heck, that wasn't so hard at all. Feeling tough and awesome now I grabbed that wire and yanked it off of the top of the sending unit, cleaned it off, and started Cecilia again. No change. Yep, it's bad.

I left the key in the ON position and had my "powder puff mechanic" in the seat ready to yell if wiggling this wire might cause the needle to jump. But something else happened (stop me if you've heard this already...lol)

The oil light went off.

Yep.


I had found a sending unit, just the wrong one. Nice job eh?


Moving on, I then ran down another wire. This one went from the alternator tangle of wire spaghetti to the top of the engine and....Hey! Isn't that the thermostat right beside this wire? Well - bingo! That made more sense than one on the bottom of the engine after I thought about it.




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So I yanked that nasty old wire off and cleaned it up. Still no good. Time to replace it!

I ran down to NAPA and bought what was recommended for my 305 V6. Napa part number ECH TS6469.

I then removed the wire again:




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And removed the old sending unit. Coolant flowed out of it pretty nicely. And be careful, this is a knucklebuster of an area to turn a wrench.




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Then I carefully screwed the new one in, taking care not to cross thread it.




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Then I realized that the new sending unit has a button top....Hmm....




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[David R Leifheit]

Originally Posted by FetchMeAPepsi

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And you might just get to see little treasures like this that have lived buried in muck for ages.




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And with this picture I would like to confirm that your truck did indeed, regardless of the previous owner's assertions, come with a generator.
That is the generator mount. I'd almost guess the alternator pulley isn't perfectly in line with the waterpump and crank pulleys.

Been there, done that.

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[David R Leifheit]

Originally Posted by FetchMeAPepsi

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Once it's good and clean as you like it you can start putting it back together again. A word of wisdom - it won't be spotless. The engine is 50 years old. If you want to get all of the dirt off you'll need to do some serious scrubbing or just dip it in a vat of cleaner. If you just want to knock some more dirt of of her you can repeat this process since you already have the alternator and battery out.

I'm not that careful with a hose. I'd get everything hosed down.
My method *might* be a little bit more extreme.

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Originally Posted by David R Leifheit

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I'm not that careful with a hose. I'd get everything hosed down.
My method *might* be a little bit more extreme.

Aww no fair pulling the motor out lol. Did you do all that with soap and water? It looks great!
Any scrubbing? Pressure washer?

Im worried about getting water in the cylinders or in a gasket somewhere with high power spraying. I might just be paranoid. If you are doing it and didnt havre any problems i might try it this spring.

[David R Leifheit]

Originally Posted by FetchMeAPepsi

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Aww no fair pulling the motor out lol. Did you do all that with soap and water? It looks great!
Any scrubbing? Pressure washer?

Im worried about getting water in the cylinders or in a gasket somewhere with high power spraying. I might just be paranoid. If you are doing it and didnt havre any problems i might try it this spring.

Just bought a power washer last year, and did that a couple years ago so it was all mostly soap, water, stiff scrub brush. I've tried a few cleaners, and some are good, but nothing beats scrubbing it.

I don't know if you can really tell from the pictures, but the engine is on the stand *and* has a hoist hooked to it. On the stand alone it kind of started "sagging". Of course leaving the bell housing on it means the weight was out further from the plate, so greater lever arm... physics and gravity works.

I actually didn't pull that engine. I bought the engine ( 351E ) took it apart (it was stuck) cleaned the insides of condensation and surface rust, new gaskets, assembled ... cleaned ... painted ... yanked Chev 350 out of the truck and put the 351 in. Ran it too hard for break-in, head gaskets didn't seat right so it leaks water around the head, water got in the oil and into the crank bearings and it is stuck again.

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But the truck is a '63 and I acquired a running '63 with the plaid covers that had already been converted to the Holley and electronic distributor. So one day soon... the 351E will be coming back out (and up for sale) and the 305 is going in. One day. Soon. Maybe. <sigh>

[BarryGMC]

I powerwash old stuff all of the time. I use hot water and let er rip. I only seal the distributor and carb. BC

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Originally Posted by David R Leifheit

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Just bought a power washer last year, and did that a couple years ago so it was all mostly soap, water, stiff scrub brush. I've tried a few cleaners, and some are good, but nothing beats scrubbing it.

I don't know if you can really tell from the pictures, but the engine is on the stand *and* has a hoist hooked to it. On the stand alone it kind of started "sagging". Of course leaving the bell housing on it means the weight was out further from the plate, so greater lever arm... physics and gravity works.

I actually didn't pull that engine. I bought the engine ( 351E ) took it apart (it was stuck) cleaned the insides of condensation and surface rust, new gaskets, assembled ... cleaned ... painted ... yanked Chev 350 out of the truck and put the 351 in. Ran it too hard for break-in, head gaskets didn't seat right so it leaks water around the head, water got in the oil and into the crank bearings and it is stuck again.

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But the truck is a '63 and I acquired a running '63 with the plaid covers that had already been converted to the Holley and electronic distributor. So one day soon... the 351E will be coming back out (and up for sale) and the 305 is going in. One day. Soon. Maybe. <sigh>

I cant take my motor out right now. I dont have a stand or puller and I'm stove up with a recovering hip, but I'm getting there.
I'll do it eventually. I'm buying tools as I go.
She sure does look pretty painted though. Nice job!!

Originally Posted by BarryGMC

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I powerwash old stuff all of the time. I use hot water and let er rip. I only seal the distributor and carb. BC

Maybe I'll give it a shot this spring. I want to eventually do the paint etc. like Davids but that's for another summer.