As new parts I have ordered are coming in, I am beginning to prepare the new engine to put it back together. Since I glass bead cleaned the oil pan, it was ready to be painted. I sprayed on three coats of primer, then I sprayed on two coats of Chrysler Corporation Blue paint. I cleaned and put the lifter spider back on the new engine to hold everything in place when I turned the engine over to work on the bottom of it. While I was turning it over, soybeans started to fall out so I had to blow out the engine to be sure it was fully clean. I made sure the parts I ordered such as the oil pump and the oil pan gasket fit, but I did not actually put them on the new engine yet. I also cleaned the windage tray so it was ready to be put back on the new engine. Not only did I order parts for the engine, but I also ordered new carpet for the inside of the car. I removed the seats and trim of the inside of the car so I could take out the old carpet. Next I fitted the new carpet to make sure it would fit before I installed it in the car.
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I had to take apart the new engine so I could clean it and check it over before I put it back together and into the car. I will also be putting new parts on it when I put it back together. I removed the intake manifold, lifter spider, and cylinder heads from the engine. I found a mouse nest so I had to make sure I thoroughly cleaned the engine out. I also had to scrape the carbon off of the piston tops of the engine. This cleaning will help ensure that the car will run smoothly later on.
I put in some hours working with my mentor on my project. We hauled the old engine down to my dad's shop to begin taking it apart. Taking the old engine apart was a good way to learn about the engine before I have to start taking the new engine apart. We also will be needed some of the parts off of the old engine. I removed the thermostat housing, intake manifold, cylinder heads, rocker arms, push rods, and gaskets from the old engine. I also cleaned some of the parts so they could be used in the future. Also while I was with my mentor, I glass bead cleaned the oil pan so it could be repainted.
Before I could take the engine out of the car, there were still a few more things I had to do. First I had to take off the other transmission strut. Next I had to disconnect the transmission from the engine block. I also had to disconnect the torque converter from the transmission. Finally we were ready to get the engine out using an engine hoist. After we had the engine out, I had to remove some parts from the old engine so that we can reuse them on the new engine. I took off the flywheel, both of the exhaust manifolds, the belt pulley, the motor mounts, and the distributor cap. I also removed the spark plugs, but we will not reuse those. After I had removed those parts, I replaced the torque converter back onto the transmission. I am looking forward to continuing to make progress on the car.
I began work on the engine by taking off the air conditioning pump. Next, I jacked the car up. This made it simpler to get underneath the car to work on it. After I had jacked up the car, I got underneath it to take off one of the transmission struts. I also removed the starter. So far, it has been fun learning the names of the different types of tools and what they are used for. It has also been interesting learning how you are able to tell what type of tool and what size of tool has to be used in different situations.
The first thing I have to do in order to put a new engine in the car is to take the old engine out. In order to start work on taking the engine out of the car, I had to remove the hood. This made accessing the engine of the car easier. Since this car hasn't been driven in over twenty years, it will be interesting to see how easily the parts of the engine and the actual car come off. After we start getting some of the parts we want to reuse on the other engine off, we will have them cleaned, and even some of them painted. As I continue to work on the project, I am excited to learn about all of the different parts on the car.
I am making progress on different aspects of my senior project. I finished up my rough draft of my research paper. I made corrections on the rough draft and turned the final paper in on October 24. Last weekend I started working on my actual product, my Roadrunner. I began by getting the engine I will be putting into the car out of the shed. Next I cleaned and polished the engine and engine stand. I will meet with my mentor soon to begin working on taking the old engine out of the car.
I have talked to my parents and my mentor about my senior project of replacing and rebuilding the engine of my car, and I have learned what materials I will need and how much it will cost to complete the project. After inspecting the car and the engines, my mentor and I have decided that I will need to purchase new headers, gaskets, a fly-wheel, a carburetor, and a camshaft. I will also need other smaller parts, but these are the major parts that the engine will new. After getting a rough estimate of what all these will cost, I think it will take about $2,500 to complete my project. This budget is subject to change after beginning work on the car and further inspection of the car and engine. I have talked to my parents about the cost of the project and they have approved it.
I decided that for my senior project, I am going to replace and rebuild the engine of my 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner. For my research paper, the topic I will write about is The History of Drag Racing. While I have been looking through sources for information on my topic and doing notecards, I have found a lot a very interesting facts that I did not know before. One fact that I learned during my research is that each time a Top Fuel Dragster or Funny Car goes down the track, it costs at least a minimum of $4,000. Another interesting piece of information that I learned is that at first, drag races used to take place on aircraft landing strips. As I continue to finish my notecards, I hope to learn even more about the history of drag racing and how it has changed over the years.
There is one main project idea that I have my mind set on. I have loved drag racing, cars, and everything to do with cars since I was a little girl and went to races to the watch my dad race. Now that I'm getting older and can drive, I also now race street cars in the high school division.
I love going to races to see all of the old cars that people have turned into race cars. This has inspired me to want to restore the engine in our 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner. This car hasn't been driven in twenty years and I think it would be a great project for me to learn how to put an engine together. I have thought about possible mentors and I have decided that my dad's cousin who has been working on cars for many years and also has had a lot of experience racing, would be a good mentor for me. He only lives about a half an hour away, so getting in touch with him and working on my project should be fairly easy. I am not sure how much this project would cost because I will have to inspect the car to see what parts I all have to order. For my research paper, I could write about the history of Plymouth cars and the innovation of Chrysler products. My product would be the finished engine in the car. I also have a back up project just in case I am not able to rebuild the engine. I could crochet scarves for the kids that take part in Special Olympics Basketball. I got interested after attending the State Special Olympic basketball tournament. Each year they pick colors, and people crochet scarves those colors for the participants to have for free. My product would be the scarves for the participants. My mentor could be my friend's mom. I could write my research paper on either the history of crocheting, or the history of Special Olympics. |
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This is a journal for me to write about my Senior Project. Archives
April 2017
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