"One tidbit I learned from my mechanic buddy (who commented on your intake man crack). He replaced the oil pan gasket on the car a couple weeks back. He paid very detailed attention to getting the sealing surfaces clean (duh) and FREE OF ANY OIL. The zero oil issue was news to me (perhaps not you)."
Oh yea....clean both mating surfaces with brake cleaner and/or laquer thinner....absolutely free of anything, and also for them to me flat. It took me a few hours to do the 6 gaskets on the sm465 as I take a lot of time trying to get it perfect. For thinner stamped pans/valve covers etc, there is a tendency for the holes to get dimpled in from overtightening, so I go through and hammer them flat, then file or even put a flap disk on the surface to clean it up and flatten it out. Typically what leaks is not the gaskets, but on the D18, its the rear bearing cap spacers - there is no gasket on it (its a 70+ year old design), and the bearing preload is controlled by the metal shims. Typically, these days, some sort of ultra thin, spray on sealant is used on the shims (have to be careful not to add too much thickness and throw off the preload/endplay), but when you have 4-5 shims stacked between the cap and housing, that is a lot of potential seems directly into the main oil cavity that develop leaks (and the spray gasket stuff sort of works, but I don't think its all that durable). Plus, the other part that leaks is the output seals - especially the rear output which is always in use on the D18 (even in 2wd). There is a classic seal that the output shaft spins through, and given the cheap quality of materials these days, it doesn't take long for that seal to deteriorate. Plus after many years of grit and whatnot collecting, the seal can start to rub a groove into the shaft which only makes the seal less functional. Additionally, many of the bolts are threaded into open holes that go through into central cavity (filled with oil). So all of those have to be very clean and thread sealant used. It all works, but basically, there was never an interest to have a leak free vehicle when jeeps were designed in the 40s for the military. So even though mine is only a 58 or a 70, it uses the exact same set-up as a 40's WWII jeep - old technology. The original manuals on these things talk about redoing all this stuff every 10,000 miles (and full rebuilds with new intermediate shafts and needle bearings every 50-60k miles) - same with diff fluids and what not. Some of that was the quality and quick deterioration of old oils, but usage and manufacturing tolerances where much different then. When I redid the D18 on the cj5, I installed all the parts, filled it up with fluid, and let it sit overnight (didn't run it) - damn if there wasn't a small puddle in the morning just from sitting! Actually, that turned out to be a through bolt I forgot to thread seal, but there are just so many possible passageways for oil to leak. It'll be dry for a year or so, but after a few years it'll find its way through somewhere. Its probably time to redo all the seals on the cj5 D18.
TyTheJeepGuy previously posted:
"Great work, do you feel that your welding skills are improving with more use?"
Some of it is...but not as much as I hoped. The upgrade to the Hobart 140 welder and more voltage options has also helped. I am learning to be more patient and let the weld puddle develop more and not rush through (thin sheet metal not included). But as a high school teacher, there was a lot of recent push to have students learn more on their own through problem based learning, and to provide them the resources needed to complete the task, as opposed to more traditional direct instruction. Supposedly this helps keeps students more engaged....but at some point, there is a frustration level of always trying to teach yourself, even when you have good resources such as books, videos, web instruction etc....at some point, there is HUGE value in having direct person to person. I bet one half day with a skilled welder would do me more good than the last 3 years on my own.
TyTheJeepGuy previously posted:
"Also, good luck buying an Edelbrock performer. I'm still waiting for mine and I ordered it in May I think... although we seem to have opposite problems, I need EGR and you need it blocked."
I think that is because of the AMC 360 intake is much more rare than a sbc intake. I am going to try re-using and OEM cast iron intake without EGR, but there are lots of used sbc Performer intakes on CL/FB for both spread bore and square bore as well as with or without the EGR. I am not necessarily a 'sbc is the best engine ever' - this is the first one I've owned...but can't argue with the overwhelming amount of aftermarket support and products available. Just so many of these engines out there. Honestly, I think an AMC 304 with T15/D20 combo would be a great set-up in the old Willys (as would a SBF 302 with T18/D20), and the power would be more appropriate (in other words, not overpowered for the components), and it would keep a bit of the jeep lineage. But the cost of a 304/360 build and parts is twice that of a sbc.