Shop recommendations for Orange County/ Los Angeles area?

[wristpin]

You can go front to back yourself. All you need is a bright flash light, cell phone camera, pencil and small note book. Start at one end and look at every part. Take pictures of everything that looks funky and note in book what each picture is and what you saw concerning. Frame, rear suspension, underbody, trunk area, outer skin, wiring....etc. Pick it apart and if you have questions post them here. I know these guys would be happy to even take phone calls about inspection or symptoms or anything else. Im not an expert on these cars but know cars. If you have questions i may be able to assist. Calling or texting is fine 402-318-2917.

 

[Don Jacks]

I have a question for you.You said that the engine smells of gasoline strongly.Have you found a leak? Have you smelled your oil? I've seen fuel pumps loose their diaphrams and allow gas to wind up in the oil.Since unless someone converted it to a PCV system,62's used the road draft system you'd smell fuel especially when the engine s hot coming from the oil filler cap which is a breather.As Brad said,help is a phone call away. No text,but will talk 256-534-0498.

 

[wristpin]

As Don noted gas in fuel from ruptured diaphram or float sticking will thin out oil. Those noises from engine could be lifters clacking from that issue. Dont start that engine until oil is changed if you smell gas on dipstick or from breather!

 

[427John]

Have you smelled your oil? I've seen fuel pumps loose their diaphrams and allow gas to wind up in the oil.

If its an older fuel pump with non ethanol resistant rubber,and its had ethanol fuel thru it this scenario is very possible.

 

[ORO62]

You can go front to back yourself. All you need is a bright flash light, cell phone camera, pencil and small note book. Start at one end and look at every part. Take pictures of everything that looks funky and note in book what each picture is and what you saw concerning. Frame, rear suspension, underbody, trunk area, outer skin, wiring....etc. Pick it apart and if you have questions post them here. I know these guys would be happy to even take phone calls about inspection or symptoms or anything else. Im not an expert on these cars but know cars. If you have questions i may be able to assist. Calling or texting is fine 402-318-2917.

Thank you! I'm taking a break to have dinner, but I do have some updates after having gone through taking all the spark plugs out. One cylinder is definitely running rich and stunk like gas. Also went in with a camera and saw two of the cylinders have different looking piston tops than others. Battery died on my camera so im charging and will go back out in an hour to finish up. I'll report back soon. Thank you for being so kind!

 

[ORO62]

I have a question for you.You said that the engine smells of gasoline strongly.Have you found a leak? Have you smelled your oil? I've seen fuel pumps loose their diaphrams and allow gas to wind up in the oil.Since unless someone converted it to a PCV system,62's used the road draft system you'd smell fuel especially when the engine s hot coming from the oil filler cap which is a breather.As Brad said,help is a phone call away. No text,but will talk 256-534-0498.

Thanks Don! My name is Don also! Haha! I really appreciate the help! Will update shortly!

 

[ORO62]

Ill do it cheaper and do the tune up and carb rebuilds and such for alot less. Drop the car off to me and I'll call when its done

Where are you located?

 

[ORO62]

I went through all spark plugs. Cylinder 1 plug wreaked of gas. Looks like cylinder is running rich for some reason. Cylinder 2 and 3 slightly smelled of gas, the others were ok. I also got the camera down into the cylinders, all looks OK except for some carbon buildup. I'm pretty relived being that there's nothing catastrophic at this point.

 

[IMBVSUR?]

Where are you located?

Oh, you are new aren't you It's not that he cannot do it, you just may not get the car back, and if you do, it will need tires to start. Most likely work on the major drive components also. If that's the case, there are several of us much closer..

 

[1964SuperStocker]

I'm definitely capable, I just need someone to teach me. Really wish there was someone I could pay to let me work with them to fix everything. Unfortunately though, this first time around sounds like it's going to be pretty expensive. Shop i found wants 400+ bucks just to go over thr entire car front to back. Seems fair, based on the inspection list but that's going to lead to a huge bill I'm assuming. Tough pill to swallow being that I just coughed up a pretty penny for this old girl. Either way I'm not disappointed. Lessons to be learned and I freaking love my car!

As mentioned before. Get a hold of your local chevy car club. Maybe walk into your local engine machine shop and ask some questions, tell them what you are doing and ask who they would recommend you chat with. Make friends and you will find a few people that will be happy to stop over for free and play on a 409 while teaching you. People pull in my drive way all of the time to chat with me about my wagon and the engine. They will approach me at car shows and tell me how they have been eye balling my car every morning on the way to or from work. You aren't messing with a plane Jane 350 but a 409. Just say 409 and watch how quickly you will make friends just about anywhere.

 

[ORO62]

Oh, you are new aren't you It's not that he cannot do it, you just may not get the car back, and if you do, it will need tires to start. Most likely work on the major drive components also. If that's the case, there are several of us much closer..

Bahaha! I was waiting for someone to start going at it...haha. tugging on my heart strings now

 

[ORO62]

As mentioned before. Get a hold of your local chevy car club. Maybe walk into your local engine machine shop and ask some questions, tell them what you are doing and ask who they would recommend you chat with. Make friends and you will find a few people that will be happy to stop over for free and play on a 409 while teaching you. People pull in my drive way all of the time to chat with me about my wagon and the engine. They will approach me at car shows and tell me how they have been eye balling my car every morning on the way to or from work. You aren't messing with a plane Jane 350 but a 409. Just say 409 and watch how quickly you will make friends just about anywhere.

I took the advice and reached out to a local chevy classics car club already. Going to my first meeting Saturday and to get vetted I guess. And you're right though, I said impala...it was like ok, then i said 409 and t10...the guy was like "ya so come to a meeting on Saturday". Group has a bunch of old timers in it which I love. They have quite a few old Ford hot rods too which attracted me because I inherited a 1935 Ford 5 window coupe from my pops. That's a project that's been going on for decades. Hoping to get that thing running soon too.

 

[wristpin]

I took the advice and reached out to a local chevy classics car club already. Going to my first meeting Saturday and to get vetted I guess. And you're right though, I said impala...it was like ok, then i said 409 and t10...the guy was like "ya so come to a meeting on Saturday". Group has a bunch of old timers in it which I love. They have quite a few old Ford hot rods too which attracted me because I inherited a 1935 Ford 5 window coupe from my pops. That's a project that's been going on for decades. Hoping to get that thing running soon too.

He said the "F" word. Kill him

 

[wristpin]

Where are you located?

Nebraska. You can have it shipped

 

[1964SuperStocker]

He said the "F" word. Kill him

Now hold up. Most of us on here would get the rope if that's the worst thing said. I always say "if it has points and a carb you are family"! Now if his 1935 Ford 5 window coupe is fuel injected with HEI then we string him up. LOL!

 

[32witha409]

To bad, I'm up the 57 at the 210 from you but an usually slammed with my own crap. If I can help let me know. I've built all of my own engines from the age of 14 including my 409.

 

[1964SuperStocker]

I took the advice and reached out to a local chevy classics car club already. Going to my first meeting Saturday and to get vetted I guess. And you're right though, I said impala...it was like ok, then i said 409 and t10...the guy was like "ya so come to a meeting on Saturday". Group has a bunch of old timers in it which I love. They have quite a few old Ford hot rods too which attracted me because I inherited a 1935 Ford 5 window coupe from my pops. That's a project that's been going on for decades. Hoping to get that thing running soon too.

My dad told me join a local car club back when I was 16 and the Iowa Heartland Chevy's helped me build my 64' Impala I picked up my freshman year of high school. It was a striped (no chrome) primered beast with truck tires and a trailer hitched used to pull a hay rack. My friends called it a tank because it looked like one. Took me 3 years of working at Taco John's in high school to buy everything I needed but thanks to the car club I was given parts and useful information to get my car done.

 

[ORO62]

He said the "F" word. Kill him

Well, I'm a GM guy at heart but can't help wjat my pops was into before he passed away. I have to say I am tempted to drop a 350 crate motor in there, but that's like asking Harris to be Trumps VP. Ford belongs with a Ford and Chevy can go with literally everything else....lol.

Haha! In all seriousness though I'm making progress thanks to you folks and I really appreciate it!!!

 

[ORO62]

To bad, I'm up the 57 at the 210 from you but an usually slammed with my own crap. If I can help let me know. I've built all of my own engines from the age of 14 including my 409.

Awesome! Thank you so much! I appreciate it.

 

[ORO62]

My dad told me join a local car club back when I was 16 and the Iowa Heartland Chevy's helped me build my 64' Impala I picked up my freshman year of high school. It was a striped (no chrome) primered beast with truck tires and a trailer hitched used to pull a hay rack. My friends called it a tank because it looked like one. Took me 3 years of working at Taco John's in high school to buy everything I needed but thanks to the car club I was given parts and useful information to get my car done. View attachment 87012

That's awesome! I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area but I haven't met any car people in the area since I moved. Pretty excited to be around like minded people. Between that and being on here, I'm pretty stoked.