So, it was off for some shopping to get some gloves and hand cleaner. I went with Will's suggestion and got the KBs gloves - I can see why you recommend them, they're tough enough but still thin enough, and I was wearing them for hours with no problems.

It was time to tackle the intake and exhaust manifolds to make some room and do a bit of cleaning. I took stacks of photos so I can put this all back together later on. Most I won't bore you with.

This all went pretty smoothly. I had already taken the top hose off the radiator, as well as the thermostat housing. They were dry so I figured the radiator was pretty much empty. Here's a tip for the less experienced - drain the radiator first to make sure. I took the hose off which goes from the water pump to the intake manifold and green liquid sprayed out everywhere. Some quick bucket placement and we're good to go.


Choke cable off, carb accelerator linkage off, and I broke something.




Any idea what that clip thing is called? Gotta get a replacement.
Anyway, with everything disconnected, it was time to undo the bolts holding the intake and exhaust manifolds on. This is when I discovered something missing from my toolbox - a 9/16 spanner. The shifter did the job for some, but the others I need to get a ring spanner on, cos there's not enough room to get a shifter in there. I'd already been to Bunnings and Repco today, so the spanner will have to wait till next payday.

I figure it's time to get under the car and drain the oil. Lying down, I'm faced with this -


Not sure if you can tell, but there is oil EVERYWHERE. I'm not squeezing under there with it like that, so time to have a bit of a clean. There is a thick oily muddy gloop on just about everything. I made a few scrapes to try and show it:


After a bit of archeological work with the screwdriver, I discovered what looked like a recently painted HR disc brake front end.

I took the opportunity to check some of the bolts as well, after seeing how loose the rocker cover ones were.


If you squint, you might be able to see that that the sump bolt just below the sway bar is about half an inch out! All the bolts I checked were loose. The grease nipple on the lower suspension arm was loose too.
Lots more scraping and cleaning, and there was a pile of goop under the car. Taking a break, I had a peer around at some other bits. Uh oh:


The front crossmember/chassis rail (not sure what it's called) had two small rust holes in it. After a poke around in there they looked like the above photo. It was full of dust, dirt, bits of rust, leaves. Should I replace the whole thing or can I cut it out, hit it with some killrust and weld some patches over it?

Depressed at my find, I cleaned up and finished up for now.
I decided I'm going to use my original post as a reminder for my future self on things to remember, as well as a shopping list and log of purchases.
 
Thanks for reading! Next session: get a 9/16 spanner, take off the intake and exhaust manifolds, more cleaning.

Edit: Looks like I only have a certain time in which I can edit a post?
Reminders:
Fit the rocker cover gasket and bolts!
Fit the thermostat housing gasket before replacing the cover.

Shopping list:
Gasket set $82 delivered
Hand cleaner $8
Gloves $30
9/16 spanner
Some drop sheets to make cleaning easier
Engine oil
Rear main seal repair additive

Well I've taken the rocker cover off to scrape half an inch of gunk off it. Turns out I could take the bolts out using just the socket - only one actually needed the ratchet.
It might be a good time to buy shares in some kind of degreaser supply company, cos it looks like I'll need a lot of it!



This is after a quick clean up. I'm on the lookout for a nice finned rocker cover and some stainless bolts.


This will be rested back in place until my gasket set arrives, i get a new rocker cover and the rest of the bay is tidied up. I've started a list of 'things to do' before starting the engine up again, as with the pace I work at I will have well and truly forgotten it's missing the gasket and is resting on there by the time I'm done!

I've been worried about the rear main bearing seal, but after seeing how loose the rocker cover was I'm hoping (praying) that the oil down there is from higher up. I figure when I change the oil and filter I'll give one of those additives a go which is meant to help seal it up and keep my fingers crossed.

Next step is to take off the carb, manifold and get down that side with a brush and 4 cans of degreaser. I've found one thing I'm missing - some decent hand cleaner! I work in an office in Melbourne CBD and grease covered hands and fingernails doesn't really go with the ironed shirt and pants.

Also thanks for the kind words and encouragement, I figure with a few people watching my progress it will be added motivation to get this done.

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the forum - been lurking a while but signed up to share the work I'll be doing on my wagon, and no doubt I'll be asking for lots of advice and help along the way.

Bit of background: the wagon was my first car at 19 (12 years ago), when it was patchy red, running on 5 cylinders and took as long to do 0-100 as 100-0. My dad and I swapped in a disc brake front end, red 173 and other bits and pieces, then rubbed back the paint, made some repairs and repainted it red and black to match the interior.

The poor girl has laid neglected in the garage for the past 18 months, and wasn't driven much before that. Mainly because she wasn't that enjoyable to drive. Something's up with the gearbox (it grates into 3rd, badly), and going over bumps is a painful experience. Anyway, the goal here is to address those issues, tidy up the engine (there's wires, oil and dirt everywhere), maybe a few hop up bits and finish off the interior.

Let me know if these pics don't work (I'm new at this).

Here she is. Up on axle stands, finally feeling happy she's getting some attention.


Horrible engine bay. The engine runs nice, doesn't burn oil, so I'll really just give it some basic attention (cleaning, some shiny bits and new gaskets).


Front seat (I need a black and red one!). This one is so far gone, and it's not the original.


Back seat. Not bad. The doors have been painted with a paint brush so I might rub them down and do them properly.


The view from behind.


As a warning - this will be slow and painful! I've seen some of you guys tear down a car in a day - I don't have that experience or knowledge.

Cheers,
Chris