{"id":5672,"date":"2026-01-28T12:27:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T20:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.billdugan.com\/scout\/?p=5672"},"modified":"2026-02-08T07:05:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T15:05:35","slug":"dreaming-of-warmer-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.billdugan.com\/scout\/2026\/01\/28\/dreaming-of-warmer-weather\/","title":{"rendered":"Dreaming of Warmer Weather"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now that the 800 engine is free, I’m itching to get outside and start fooling with it. Unfortunately the truck is under three inches of snow covered with a layer of ice, and the forecast for the forseeable future doesn’t rise above a high of 25\u02da. So I’m thinking ahead and making a list for when I can get back out there.<\/p>\n

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  1. Spin the crank around at least four revolutions.<\/strong> This equates to two full engine revolutions and should clear out any crust on the cylinder walls. Done! I’ll do this again, but it did spin with little to no problem.<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. Bump it over from the starter and clean the cylinders out.<\/strong> There’s probably still some ATF in the cylinders, and that needs to come out so that it doesn’t foul the plugs. Done. It made a mess, which I was expecting.<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Diagnose and replace the starter, if needed.<\/strong> It’s too early to say what condition this one is in, but I have a spare. A couple of love taps with a hammer has it waking up, but it’s on its last legs.<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. Pull the points off and clean them up.<\/strong> I haven’t touched the distributor yet, so I have no idea what to expect. It does have a dust cover, which could mean it’s not full of mice poop, but I’d expect they’re crusty and will need cleaning. They are garbage, so I have a new set coming. I also replaced the condenser.<\/em><\/li>\n
  5. Replace the coil with a known good unit.<\/strong> I’ve got two here that test well, so this shouldn’t be an issue. Done; this was simple to do, other than having one of the connectors pop off the end of the wire.<\/em><\/li>\n
  6. Pull the distributor out and pre-oil the cylinders.<\/strong> This is the easy part. I inherited a pre-oiling tool from somewhere years ago and it’s still in the bag. Done! I made my own tool, but it worked just fine.<\/em><\/li>\n
  7. Stab the distributor back in.<\/strong> This is the part that makes me nervous; I’ve never pulled and re-stabbed one before, and it requires aligning the right cylinder at top dead center and pointing the correct plug on the distributor in the right place.<\/del> Further research shows that pre-oiling does not move the valvetrain at all, so this should be very easy to do.<\/li>\n
  8. Replace the plugs and coil wire.<\/strong> Easy-peasy.<\/li>\n
  9. Hook up the new electric fuel pump and boat tank, and fuel filter to the carb.<\/strong> Super easy; I’ve done this a million times on the Travelall.<\/li>\n
  10. Buy a new battery.<\/strong> I’ve got the old one here to swap as a core; Costco has great deals on these.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Down the line, the next steps will require some purchasing, but again, the intention is to keep things as cheap as possible.<\/p>\n