rocco79/138
True Classic
Have been enjoying my '79 X for almost 1000 relatively carefree miles and I have been trying to solve the exhaust leak... sounds a bit like a VW under power. Then it dawned on me! My dad installed a header... after a quick call "dad, did you replace the manifold gasket when you installed the header? (Long pause) "I think I did..." Not like I would grounded him if he had not and I knew the answer before I asked so if did not really matter. A better question would have been "did you observe proper stack up and put all the fasteners back on?... torqued??? No to all of it! As if a gasket could be had off the rack at Wally Mart! I provided him with a torque wrench so he only had his staunch disregard for shop manuals to lean on for not torquing properly. Everything is disassembled and, for the most part, cleaned. I have to clean up the stud threads and dig up some spreader washers and tomorrow it will go back together! Smart money would go with this being the fix for an array of pesky little problems and My X will run better than ever! One very troubling detail revealed with the manifolds off... a big bolt head right in the middle of the head with a stack of flat washers under it... should be a thick washer on a stud with a nut, like the other four... not going to address until I have to. Compression tested great and it does not smoke or make and strange noise so I am looking the other way on this one. I actually have only worked on one other X, besides my own, that did not have quite a few surprises... it was a '76 Green from Northern VA bought from a guy around Detroit had 1500/5speed and a fair amount of tweaking but all the fasteners were correct and it was easy in and out. Will post update when back up and running!
Regards
Regards