Fixing up a '71 Grand Safari

Engine out

I got the engine out today. It rained for half the day and then the power went out so I thought today was going to be a bust but after lunch the power came back on the and skies turned blue. It was hot and humid but according to the forecast this could be the last dry day we have for a while.

I began working on the brake arm assembly for April's 37. That thing is going to be a huge headache. After lunch all was well with weather and electricity, and I was glad because the fan sure came in handy.

Since it was raining last night April helped me take the hood off today before she left to go into town. We've nicknamed the car The Clamshell, or The Clam.


The hood looked massive sitting in the garage.


The storm came shortly after the hood came off so this is how The Clam had to ride the storm out. The string had broken so I had to make due with what I had.


After getting the rest of the wires and bolts photographed and unbolted or unplugged it was time for the engine hoist. The A-arms sat so low I had to jack the car up to slide the engine lift under the car. I had kitty litter embedded in my head from scooting around under the car.




I didn't really have any major problems getting the engine out. It was difficult, but not more so than any other typical engine pull. The only problems I had was one hidden bell housing bolt that I first thought had been left out by a previous mechanic. I couldn't get the engine and trans apart and after a lot of searching finally found the head to the hidden bolt. The only other problem was one exhaust flange bolt broke off; All the others were easy. If only 1 out of 4 exhaust bolts give trouble, I call that a success. April came out and lended some picture taking assistance. Typically, she would have been out helping but she's throwing a party for a bunch of ladies tomorrow so she was busy cleaning the house all day.







The massive 455 in all its glory. I knew it was heavy but I was still surprised at just how much the front of the car sat up after it was out.





Here's a picture underneath the car. I'm really surprised at how solid the underside of this car is.


And there she was. It was no small chore getting it back into the garage to await a good degreasing. My cousin gave me this engine lift. It has come in infinitely helpful. He used it once when restoring his '56 Chevy. He loaned it to a friend who bent the wheels, so it won't roll straight, but I don't care, if I didn't have this thing I would be dead in the water. One good thing about laying in all that antifreeze was it really did cool a person down.



The guy that is going to help me rebuild the 455 said he should be ready by next weekend. I'm going to degrease the engine and hopefully if time and weather permit get started on detailing the engine compartment and maybe fixing a few things around on the car.

 

Great write up Brandon, thanks for taking the time to update us. You have formal auto mechanic training? for pic rating in "Restore" category, I don't give many 5 stars out in that one!

 

Great way to spend Friday the 13th. Enjoyed the pictures, Deja Vu big time. I'm lazy though, I usually pull the trans with the engine and take them apart on the shop floor.

My wife is also a hands on helper. Sometimes not quite as willingly as I'd like to think, given things as you know can get pretty greasy ugly, but she's a trooper like your wife. And appreciates the end results which is even better.

Thanks for the great post.

 

Your neighbors must love you! Any of them ever say anything? Doesn't look too rural there.

 

Great update with great pics. That's a lot of work to get done in a pretty short time.

Cute wife, driveway and garage full of neat vehicles and projects; life is looking good for you, my man!

 

Mike, I haven't looked at any pontiac forums yet. My friend's father has raced Pontiacs for years and years and he knows them extremely well so he's going to help me go through the engine and make sure it's done right.

I don't have any mechanic training. My father owned a GM dealership growing up until GM closed us down. It's not the fact that GM closed us down but rather how they closed us down that has earned my disrespect. They were very dirty to us, lied to us and generally did horrible things to make themselves a couple of dollars. Growing up, I wasn't really allowed to work on my own cars. I always drove old(er) vehicles and if something broke it was taken to the dealership and fixed and brought back (the dealership was 30 miles away).
When I was 11 years old I started a bank account and started saving literally every penny I got. Because I had the fortune of the dealership, I didn't have to pay for insurance or even gas, so all I had to do was save up for the cost of a vehicle and that was in. Because of this when I was 19 I bought what I had always wanted, a finned Cadillac. I got a 60 convertible. By 2005 I saved up again and bought a '57 Chevrolet 150 Sedan. After buying the '57 Chevy, I decided it was time for me to learn myself. I had no knowledge what-so-ever of how to work on a car but I tore into it and took lots of pictures and labeled lots of ziplock bags. Over the years rebuilding that car and a few others I learned a little here and a little there and have been trying to accrue as much knowledge as I can. I started work at a restoration shop about a month ago and hope to be able to learn as much as I can there as well.

I did have trouble with neighbors when I first moved in. I am renting my grnadmother's old house from my father. This is a nice neighborhood but has quite a few older people. When I first moved here I didn't do any work outside except for I changed my oil and washed my cars outside. Apparently they weren't used to anyone changing their own oil and I got codes called on my for "running a shop out of my garage." Then my old Camaro had a flat tire so I took it off to go get it fixed. While at the tire shop I got codes called on me for my car being on jackstands. Then a storm came and blew a hole in the roof of a gazebo behind the house (which is practically hidden by the way) and codes got called again. By this time codes was fed up with whoever kept calling codes and they pretty much just call me when something comes up now. Whoever it is has ticked me off, so I pretty much do whatever I want now.

 

Haha, sorry your neighbors are a bunch of haters. Me and my next door neighbor, adjoining driveways, work on vehicles whenever necessary and neither of us cares, or the other neighbors as far as I know. But of course we haven't yanked any engines out here either. Enjoying your posts.

 

Overheated

I'm not in a huge hurry this week because I'm waiting to take the engine to the guy this Saturday that's going to help me rebuild it. Also, it's been so hot at work I've gotten overheated and sick a couple days so when I get home going back out and working on more cars in the heat hasn't been a priority. I have done a little bit each day.

I got the engine on the stand and degreased




As you can see the bottom of this thing is some kind of funky


I also degreased the engine bay. Now before I paint I just need to go back with brake cleaner and prep the surfaces.


Brandon

 

Cool looking project! the poncho looks really solid, hows the interior?

Your wife sounds a lot cooler than my old lady, mine wouldn't be out in the driveway helping, let alone drive the wagon when it would be finished

 

Sorry to hear about you being sick, drink plenty of water! Any other front end type work planned while that big iron rock is out of there? Is that maybe a bunch of spray undercoating material on the oil pan? Pics look great by the way.

 

same identicle car my buick wagons powerplant came from! Your gonna be impressed!

 

Very cool wagon there! I dont get on here much anymore and just noticed this cool car! The 1971 Grand Safaris (with the optional woodgrain such as yours) is one of my favorite wagons and as you know, they are pretty rare. Alot of people dont know, but the woodgrain was optional, even on the Grand Safari wagons as well as the base Catalina Safari. I also notice this is a 3-seater, which is another big plus in my book. I had looked for a very long time for a 71-73 Grand Safari, but never no luck. There is (or WAS) a green 74 Grand Safari here locally, I seen it once at a local cruise-in two years ago, no owner of it never around, so I could not ask about it and I never seen it again. Still the 71 is my favorite. These cars are had to beat for reliability. I have a 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville 4dr hardtop and it was one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned. I stopped driving it about 2 years ago when gas prices soared and havent moved it since. I need to at least move it around some from time to time. Now I have a 72 Kingswood Estate that I paid $4000 for 6 years ago with engine troubles and its still setting. lol. I am not a mechanic and have not had any luck finding anyone wanting to work on it for me, so I think its time to let it go.

Good luck with the project there, you look like you are well motivated to get it back to where it once was. Maybe someday I may find a nice 71 Grand Safari hidden away in a barn somewhere.

 

I don't have any plans to work on the front end while the engine is out. There is a popping up front, but I didn't look into it before hand. I assume it's a bushing, and though it would be more convenient to do it now, I'm going to wait until I can get it running well enough to determine exactly where it's coming from. I'm a bit overwhelmed with projects right now so I've got to take this one one step at a time and not get in too deep.

I'm taking the motor off tomorrow. Here's to the race to see if I can get the motor rebuilt and back in before codes gets called. Hehe.


Brandon

 

to bad you don't live near me i would LOVE fixing that kingswood for ya!

 

My Saturday Adventure

My wife is helping a friend plan a wedding 40 miles away, so we traded Caprices so I could have the trailer hitch and haul The Clam's engine down to my friend's house to get a rebuild.



I just got the air working on my Caprice (which we call The Caprice and we call her's the A-price, because her name is April) and it overheated on her as she neared the end of the 40 mile trip. I called triple A but they said since I was the cardholder that I would have to be present, so I drove down and met the tow truck driver.



Unfortunately, earlier that evening I got a metal shaving in my eye, so that was there while I had to go down and meet April and The Caprice. When I got home, I was home alone, so I tried to use the camera to observe my eye and find the shard of metal that was causing me so much pain. If you look below my pupil, around 5 o'clock, you'll see where I found the culprit. I tried to use a magnet to pull it out but had no luck. Had to go to the eye doctor today on the way down to deliver The Clam's motor. They didn't take our insurance so it cost $89 just to get it taken out. They remove these, by the way, by deadening the eye and then using a drill to get the metal and rust out.



I finally got the engine delivered and all earth metals removed from my eye. Very close to where I delivered the engine, the largest tree in the county had blown over the previous Thursday in a huge storm we had. I happened to be in the storm and have never experienced anything like it. There was strong wind, but the lightening was almost constant. It would strike around us in all directions. Very large, long lasting, bright bolts that struck the ground each time. I had to stop by and get a picture.



That's all for now. I am, however, going to invest in some face hugging safety glasses rather than the cheap ones I have now.

Brandon