Captain Obvious

It sounds like your thermotime and cold start valve are working exactly as intended. I don't remember how long it takes the thermotime to self warm due to the internal heating coil, but I thought it was a pretty short period of time even when the engine was truly cold. I took a quick look through the FSM and I found the temperatures involved, but I didn't see anywhere where those temperatures were translated to "time". I think I had seen some numbers somewhere, but haven't turned those up. Ten to fifteen seconds sticks in my mind on an honestly cold engine. The point of all that is... I'm not surprised at all that your thermotime switch went open so quickly. That thing started warming up the instant you took it out of the freezer, and after installation, the conduction rate to your ambient temp engine would be huge. You got one quick shot before you went above the threshold and the thermotime opened. And BTW, it sounds like you've got a good handle on how the system is supposed to work and you're doing a good job of testing things and evaluating the results. You'll figure this out.

But here's the thing... Based on what you said before " The title is lost, and he said he did some research on the title and it hasn't been titled since 1978 in Florida." The problem is there IS no OK title to be replaced. Oklahoma cannot and will not replace an old Florida title. Only Florida can do that. So say you get in touch with the DOT in Florida and verify that the car is still currently titled in FL, you could maybe apply for a replacement title from FL (assuming they'll send one to someone other than the currently listed owner of the car). But even in the event that you can get a new copy of the old Florida title, then you still have another problem and that is unless the name of the guy who signed your bill of sale is the same name as what's on that replacement title, then as far as the OK DOT is concerned, you bought it off someone who didn't own it. If the name on your BOS won't match name of ownership on the title it looks on paper like you were sold a car by someone who may not have had the authority to do so. I'm sure there are provisions for abandon vehicle reclamation or condemned property reallocations, but I know nothing about it in any state. I'm no legal expert, but I would certainly do some research into your options before you put a lot of time or money into the car.

That's a great point. I had intended to say something about that too, but forgot. "No there is no history for it unfortunately. The guy I bought it from found it in a repossessed house covered in dust. The title is lost, and he said he did some research on the title and it hasn't been titled since 1978 in Florida." I don't know what ownership paperwork looks like in OK, but here in PA you would have a very hard time proving that you are the rightful owner of that car. And as Martzedcars suggested above, the "real" owner of the car could show up with paperwork proving he's the owner and if you cannot provide a title to combat his claim, then you're out of luck. As unlikely that is, you wouldn't want that to happen. Here in PA, you could use a car like that for parts to fix another car, but if you're planning to put any of the parts containing a VIN on the road, you better be able to provide a PA title obtained through the DMV. So, before you go dumping a lot of time or money into that car, you might want to dig into the administration a little. And unfortunately, because of the state changes between FL and OK, it sounds like would be some interstate conversations necessary.

Yeah, give some of the finer grades a try and see what you think. I believe after I used the 800 grit, I never switched back to anything coarser. I may have used some of the 280 grit to start and then switched to the 800... Been about two years now and don't remember for sure. I used a cordless drill for the power source and changed the rotation direction every now and then. I know you can do them by hand, but with 24 of them to do and imperfections that really should have had a valve job done, I got tired and switched to the drill. If you're just doing that one valve, I would just do it by hand. I did, however, have the valve seals out at the time. If you're going to do this with the seals in place, make sure you got them lubed up good before you start rotating that valve. Don't want to wear out your brand new seals!

Here's my current collection of lapping compounds. I've got the same permatex tube that you do and I've got three other fixed grits as well. After digging these out, it reminded me about something else that I don't like about the Permatex variety... The Peramtex offering is water based while the other grits I have are oil based. I found I like the oil based way better than the water based. Here's what I have on the shelf: The green Loctite Clover can is a double ended can that has a coarse grit on one side and a fine grit on the other. I think it's a combo of 120 (coarse) and 280 (fine). The white tub is 800 grit that I got off ebay (I think). You can only buy the finer grits in big tubs (like a pound or gallon) which is great for someone who is using lots of it, but if you only need a little, you're out of luck. So there are people on ebay who have realized this and buy the tubs and then separate it into smaller containers Anyway, this 800 grit oil based compound was my favorite and I suspect I was trying to lap out imperfections way worse than what you are trying to do. Point being, if it worked for me on what I was trying to do, I think it would work for you. If it doesn't, then you should probably look more deeply into why the valve doesn't seal. It might be a problem that lapping won't fix. I did 24 valves and you can see how much (how little?) I used. I got (what is hopefully) a lifetime supply.

I spent a bunch of time taking optional stuff off that my previous owner had put on. So on my list... I guess I forgot about that one so I added it to my list of SOP. Stuff will be out of place. Stuff will be missing. Stuff will be wired wrong. Stuff will be put on backwards. Stuff will be leaking because it's too loose or too tight or because it's standard thread when it should have been metric. Stuff will have been modified and/or added that wasn't done right or are just things that you don't want or need.

Yeah, I only know that because I made the mistake of using the wicking green once on a small screw and then tried to take it apart without heat. Prior to snapping that screw off, I had always assumed that red = high, blue = medium, and green = low. Not so. And I paid the price. Interesting that on the page for the wicking grades they say that it's easy removal and ideal for small screws. What I think they mean is: "It's easily removable with the application of heat", and "It's ideal for small screws because you don't have to hold the small screw in your hand and make a mess out of everything trying to apply the locker to the screw threads before assy. You can apply it after assy which might make it easier to apply." That's my read anyway. I agree that the wicking grade is the best choice for the carb stuff so you can apply the thread lock last after you have all the adjustments made where you want them. But I do think if you don't any of the wicking stuff, the ubiquitous blue medium strength non-wicking grade (blue 242?) would probably work OK instead. Take the screw in question partway out and put some on the exposed threads and then quickly try to get it "close" to where you ultimately want it before the threadlock sets up. Then after that point, do your tuning. It won't hold as well, but I'm thinking it would probably be good enough.

I'm no engine builder, but I've lapped a couple valves and about the only advice I can offer is... To start, use a finer grade of lapping compound than you think you need. You can always move to a more aggressive grit later if the fine stuff doesn't do what you need. And if you're not trying to get rid of large imperfections, you want a fine grit. And I don't recommend this stuff... They call it a "multi-grade" compound where there is a mix of different sized particles in the base slurry and as you use it, the larger particles move out of the way letting the smaller ones make contact: Unfortunately, I think that's the only stuff you can walk into your parts store and buy off the shelf. I've got a couple fixed grades that are much fine than this. I think I have a lifetime supply and would be happy to send you some of what I have.

I'm no expert on the topic, but the green 290 is not a low strength lock. It's actually a "medium/high" strength wicking lock. I think if you use the 290 and get it applied correctly, you could be very sorry. I'm think the wicking grade 220 blue would be a better choice if you were convinced that you needed a wicking grade. http://www.henkelna.com/us/content_data/339213_11656_LT4985_ThreadlockerGuide_v6_F_LR.pdf

Not sure if matters or not, but the original insulator disk had "wing" tabs on both sides and in addition, the width of the tabs on the two sides were different because that was how they ensured the disk could only go into the socket one way. If you try to put the disk in the wrong way, the wide tab won't fit in the narrow slot that was designed for the narrow tab. All that stuff is necessary since the bulb has two different filaments and they aren't the same wattage. You have to align the correct filament with the correct wire with the correct pin on the side of the bayonet. (Does any of that make sense at all......?)

That still makes me laugh! Like the guy with the house window air conditioner sticking out his car window.

Yup. After seeing the additional pics, I really think it's a cruise system. I can see the cable linkage that comes out of the can and yanks on the beaded chain. it comes out of the module with what looks like a small thin diameter cable and goes into a coupler that transitions to the beaded chain. The coupler is probably there to account for adjustment on the length of the pull. Another mystery solved?

OK, I got one wild guess... Maybe he put in an aftermarket cruise control and that was the clutch pedal kick-off switch? WAG. On edit. I took another look at your engine bay pics looking for some sort of cruise control actuator diaphragm, but didn't see one. I did, however, see what looks like more of that chain on your gas pedal linkage right near where the linkage passes through the bulkhead wall. Take a look right behind your EGR valve. Pull it! Pull it! On second edit... There does appear to be an unidentified device on top of your brake master cylinder that has a couple vacuum lines going to it. Can't see the whole thing because it's way down in the corner of your pic. Can only see part of it but that might be some sort of cruise device and uses that chain in the engine compartment to actuate the throttle. Can you take a pic that includes more of that corner of the engine compartment?

That's just weird. I have no idea what's up with that. And that's the kind of thing that makes me wonder what kind of problem the previous owner was chasing.

When I was messing with my sockets a couple days ago, one of them was so rusty that I felt I couldn't do an adequate job cleaning it up while it was all assembled, so I started pushing and pulling the socket apart. I think I was even able to push the metal tube portion up out of the plastic holder. Point is, I think you might be able to reuse your original plastic housing portion and just replace the metal interior section with a new one. That might be another option if we can't find a suitable mechanical replacement? Same fit into the tail lamp housing as before, but new metal where the bulb inserts?

It's a mid to late 77 (if that matters) and it's been repainted. What do I win?

What do you mean by "drop"? Are you saying that the weight of the valve itself is enough to pull it down against the friction of the seal? If it weren't for the seal getting hung up on the keeper groove, the valve would fall completely out of the head? I've never tried that, but I always assumed the valve seals were tighter than that. Not the case?

What do you mean??? You don't like surprises? Personally, I'm dying to know what's going to happen when he pulls that chain!! Release the Kraken?

That's awesome. Wish I had thought of that!

I've read through the threads where people are using these seals on the L engines and it's clear they weren't designed for the application. I understand the advantage, but the whole thing makes me a little uncomfortable. You have to get them on straight and there's no registration surface to ensure that happens. You have to get them on the right depth and there's no positive stop when pressing them on. Just wasn't designed for the application. I've never used those seals, but I'd try something like this... Use a feeler gauge to measure the width of the gap at the bottom of the ones you've pressed on and then find (or make) a flat washer of that same thickness (maybe a couple thousandths thicker). Cut a slot in the washer to convert it from a donut shape into a "C" shape. The slot width should be just wide enough to fit around the width of the valve guide. Then you can put this washer in place around the guide BEFORE you press the seal on. The washer should help provide not only a stop for depth, but it could also act as the perpendicular registration surface to help get the seal pressed on straight. Once the seal is in place, pull the washer out from the side?

Why is your RPM so low right after starting? My guess would be because internal combustion engines are never really happy at idle. They're unstable down that far and they're unstable when their cold. They're particularly unstable when they're cold AND turning slow. Sometimes they have trouble getting themselves into a more stable state. I saw in one of your videos that once it finally caught and continued to run, it stumbled for a couple seconds, but once you hit the gas, it steadied out to a 1000 RPM smooth idle? Did I see that right? The "Start Enrichment" supplied by the ECU is a real thing, but it's not a huge adder. It's a circuit in there that charges up when the key is turned to START and then slowly decays over a period of maybe thirty seconds or so after the key has been returned to ON. Air temp sensor or water temp sensors will definitely affect mixture, but here's the thing... The higher the resistance, the more fuel. And it's a lot easier to fault to a higher resistance than a lower one. Dirty connectors and open wires contribute to higher resistance. About the only thing you could do to get LOWER resistance is short one of your sensor wires to ground which is unlikely. In other words... If the signal gets interrupted, you'll run rich, not lean. Once it starts, does it make black smoke? How do the plugs look? I'm still trying to figure out if you're running rich or lean.

Well I don't know what it was that went wrong with your paint application, but something certainly affected the adherence between the primer and the top coat. But regardless of how well the top coat gripped the primer, it all (top coat and primer) came off with the gasoline, right? I know very little about paint. All I know for sure is that I probably know less than you do!

So no new info there, huh? While you have the starter fluid handy... Next time it fails to start on the first attempt, before you try a second time, maybe pull off a vacuum hose and give it a shot of the starter fluid and then put the hose back on. Try to get a sense if it's looking for more fuel or not. If it fires right up to a steady(er) idle on the second attempt, it would be an indication that it's lean. Just trying to gather info....

Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember you had issues with the paint. I've read reviews of Eastwood's stuff and it seems their stuff can be very sensitive to the application process. With that in mind, I took a quick look at the instructions for the chassis black stuff and I'm confused about what is the correct application procedure... The chassis black primer instructions say you can recoat or topcoat after 24 hours. However, the chassis black top coat instructions say wait 4 hours and then spray the top coat. Doesn't make sense to me. In any event, I'm not a paint guy, but I've never had good solvent resistance from any paint that wasn't catalyzed or at least CA based (like POR15). The 2K aerosol stuff (I linked to above) is catalyzed and I would expect it to be much more solvent resistant.

I've heard of the propane method as well. I tried it once on my motorcycle and didn't get any effect, but that was because I didn't have any leaks. So I can attest to the popularity, but haven't experienced the results personally.