April 11th, 2005 (Post #60)

April 11th, 2005
What a week I’m having.
It all starts back two weeks ago. Okay I know a week that lasts three weeks is really not possible. Okay three weeks ago…

I am coming back from lunch on a beautiful Friday and I pop the top radiator hose. Just a small split but a well aimed split. Located in the temperature sensor graft about a millimeter wide. And as you can probably guess aimed right at the distributor. Not only loosing coolant but it was also disabling the BWB by wetting the distributor.

I managed to get a buddy from work to haul me down to Rover Cannibal where Ryan helped me out with a replacement hose. Back to the Rover and I get it fitted all is well.

Then the following Monday I am cruising on I-235 at 70mph in morning bumper to bumper
traffic when I blow the heater hose behind the dash. Steam filled the cab so quickly I could not see for a good 20 seconds. Steam on everything. My first thought was, “I’ve never seen that before.” The second one was if my wife would bury me in the BWB as I requested or out of spite have me cremated on the top of the Rover.

In any event I rolled the window down and Ace Ventura style manage to get her to the side of the highway. The next movie parallel was as I am sitting there on the side of the highway with steam rolling out it must have looked like the van in Fast Times at Ridgemont High when the stoners roll out for school.

Finally all the coolant is out of the system and I rolled her on down the road to the 36th street exit. Where again I call the Evil German Dude to come and get me. We go to O’Reilly’s and get some coolant and 5 foot of hose. The hose is to bypass the the heater system inside the Rover. I pulled the hoses on the return and feed sides of the heater system and wrapped the hose around and closed the system.

With all these hoses popping leaks and such only one thing can do that. That’s right, the head gasket. Your intrepid adventurer has been waiting for this moment for a few years. The gasket has been a perrenial problem and it is finally done.

JagGuy and I found a line on another motor off of a burned Classic LWB in Moore, Oklahoma. He picked it up last week and stripped it down. We cleaned it up and although the top looked pretty nasty the bottom end looks really good. No wear in the cylinders. We took the heads off and are having them “worked”. Reassembly is next Saturday. I will let you know more with pictures and everything.

The steam under the dash I hope has not screwed anything up. The radio is misbehaving and the carpets are soaked with coolant. So for sure I will be pulling them again.

The hose behind the dash will need to be replaced as well. I’m not looking forward to this project. But I will write it up with lots of pictures.