OK, here she is. 81 J-10 Laredo Build

[Mars]

Hey I'm doing the voltmeter mod like you did, is there some special way to get the trim ring off the voltmeter? I've tried prying it off with pliers and a screwdriver, but nothing will work.

Very small screwdriver and a set of sidecutters. There's a very very small notch at the back of the ring on the housing. I was able to work the tip of the screwdriver into it and get some space opened up then used the sidecutters to grab and roll peel the bezel open. I ended up breaking the glass because I got impatient.

Mike

[Mars]

Well it's down.. AGAIN!

Got the dash buttoned up and rewired the alternator feed. Started it up and checked the voltage at the bettery and it's charging nicely with 14.4v -to- 14.6v at idle. Right where it should be.

Drove it to the DMV and got my out of state inspection done and then bought plates.

On the way home it sounded like something broke loose under the hood. LOUD popping sound is the best I can describe. Still got me home but was NOT happy. I give it gas it makes noise, give it more it starts to miss hard and backfire through the carb. I wonder if I broke a bridgeover?

So I get it home and it dies in the driveway, was hard to restart but I got it parked and idling. It idles faily well but any gas and it starts to complain.
It's noisey up top and that leads me to think I've broken a brideover and I've got a rocker off or something because it was running like a champ and still had enough power after it broke loose to pull along at 60 mph. I was not going to let it stop on the highway in the rain.

But I have to say this thing is starting to tick me off, every time I take it anywhere it tries to leave me.

Not freakin cool.

Mike

[The PIG Smith]

Bummer!
If you think it's a rocker bridge...fairly easy to diagnose.
Just pull a valve cover and it should be plain a day.
If it is a rocker bridge, I would like to think, pull the broken parts and bolt new parts on.
I hope you find a simple fix and not something deeper into the engine.

[91blaze]

Very small screwdriver and a set of sidecutters. There's a very very small notch at the back of the ring on the housing. I was able to work the tip of the screwdriver into it and get some space opened up then used the sidecutters to grab and roll peel the bezel open. I ended up breaking the glass because I got impatient.

Mike

Thanks

[Mars]

Bummer!
If you think it's a rocker bridge...fairly easy to diagnose.
Just pull a valve cover and it should be plain a day.
If it is a rocker bridge, I would like to think, pull the broken parts and bolt new parts on.
I hope you find a simple fix and not something deeper into the engine.

I did some searching and found another guy who described symptoms exactly like mine. Turned out to be a clogged pushrod causing the rocker and pushrod to wear into each other until it seized and snapped off.

Also it's interesting, looking at the parts online, those rocker/bridge overs look a LOT like the ones on my old 77 olds rocket. In fact, doing some cross checking on part numbers, the pushrods and bride overs are the same part numbers for the olds but the rockers are all AMC.
That's really interesting.

So are these AMC's like the olds where you just bolt those rockers down and roll with it or is anything special required?

Mike

[Mars]

EEEW!


Found it.
Intake on #4.
Two things cause this, valve striking a piston.
Or the more likely cause a stuck or seized valve.
I gave the valve a tap with my hammer and it moves but not easily and has a different sound and feel from the one next to it.
So here's what I'm gonna do, put a new pushrod in it and see what happens and save up for a valve job.

Mike

[The PIG Smith]

save up for a valve job.

I'd recommend instead of saving up for a valve job, to save up for a set of Edelbrock aluminum heads.

[Mars]

Yeah? I've never not used original heads. What's the upside?

[HOOT]

Nice work there Mike.

It's a shame these thing fight us so bad at times. If you have a machine shop do the work there is a good one in Burlington KY . Monarch machining. That is where my 401 is heading real soon.

I've been so swamped at work I've not had any time to play Jeep.. Not even cyber Jeeping on here. Hopefully that will change in a week or so when the massive overtime push is over.

[Mars]

Nice work there Mike.

It's a shame these thing fight us so bad at times. If you have a machine shop do the work there is a good one in Burlington KY . Monarch machining. That is where my 401 is heading real soon.

I've been so swamped at work I've not had any time to play Jeep.. Not even cyber Jeeping on here. Hopefully that will change in a week or so when the massive overtime push is over.

Good to see you hoot!
I don't know about anyone else but I've been worried about ya.
Hope you can crawl out from under your rock more often.
Looks like I may need that 360 from you after all, the heads at least..

Mike

[The PIG Smith]

Yeah? I've never not used original heads. What's the upside?

Mike,

I've read several places how much better the Edelbrock AL heads flow outta the box compared to stock.
Next I read where you can port the OE iron heads to match the flow of the Edelbrock AL heads.
Last I read where the deck is thicker and there is more meat to port the Edelbrock AL heads if a person wanted even more.
Guess what....I can not find one single reference to post here.
So, I got egg on my face.

I am basing my information from the forum here, the forum at Bulltear.com
(those guys get super technical, super fast over there...a bunch AMC engine brainiacs)
and the forum at www.TheAMCForum.com

[Mars]

That's good info and I might consider a set if I can find a nice used set at a swap meet or something. But for 1600 and some change might be a real obstacle and a slippery slope. By that I mean, high flow heads won't do much with a stock intake, and that will require a carb. Or heck shoot for the moon and get one of those bolt on EFI systems, then stock manifolds won't do either. So new ceramic headers and a whole new exhaust system. Not to mention a new cam, chain timing cover and oil pump.. and I havent even looked at the crank to see if it can handle the extra hp and rpm's and I doubt the stock pistons and rings are up to the task.. and for all that money why not drop the chevy LT1 with the 4L60 and the np229 from the 95 tahoe I have laying at the shop?

When all I really want to do is make it move and stop with some degree of reliability. Go fast parts arent in the cards yet.
Thanks for the info though I just don't know if I could use it.

Mike

[The PIG Smith]

That's good info and I might consider a set if I can find a nice used set at a swap meet or something. But for 1600 and some change might be a real obstacle and a slippery slope. By that I mean, high flow heads won't do much with a stock intake, and that will require a carb. Or heck shoot for the moon and get one of those bolt on EFI systems, then stock manifolds won't do either. So new ceramic headers and a whole new exhaust system. Not to mention a new cam, chain timing cover and oil pump.. and I havent even looked at the crank to see if it can handle the extra hp and rpm's and I doubt the stock pistons and rings are up to the task.. and for all that money why not drop the chevy LT1 with the 4L60 and the np229 from the 95 tahoe I have laying at the shop?

When all I really want to do is make it move and stop with some degree of reliability. Go fast parts arent in the cards yet.
Thanks for the info though I just don't know if I could use it.

Mike

AH....I understand better now.
I thought this engine had a better carb/intake already on it.
I agree with your thoughts, spending big money on a engine that might need more work than a valve job is not wise.

If you do a valve job, you need to be prepared for "while you got it torn down this far you might as well do..."
This is where I am on my J10 project.
It needs time and $$$
When I had the $$$, I worked all the time.
When I have the time, no $$$.

[Mars]

When I had the $$$, I worked all the time.
When I have the time, no $$$.

Know the feeling! Been laid off for almost a year now.

[Mars]

Interesting development.
Installed the new pushrod, and discovered that the bridgeover was twisted, ordered a new one and installed all the new parts. Cranked the engine over with the coil unplugged and then checked to see if the pushrod was bent, all good.

Hooked up the coil and it fired right up!
Ran pretty good but had a definite miss.
Looking at the rockers all were moving but 1.
Exhaust on #4 reaching down and putting pressure on the top of the rocker I could feel the lifter riding on the cam but not lifting enough to open the valve. Giving it a little gas made the rocker *just* move the valve but at idle nothing. intake side of that cylinder was moving normally.

Good news and bad news, seems the heads and valves are fine, but I either have a collapsed lifter or a cam lobe wiping.

Up next the intake comes off! While I'm at it I'll do some float adjustments( since it's running a little rich ) and get a look at those lifters and the cam.
This better be worth it..

And I just wanna point out, for running on 7 it ran pretty darn good!

Mike