I usually refrain from making repairs during the driving/show season, but there were a few nagging issues that were bugging me. I felt that the repairs would be minor so I didn’t believe that I was risking disabling the car and missing out on driving time. There were 3 issues I wanted to address.

Issue 1: The clutch pedal was not returning all the way after depressing it. I noticed this during the Spring 2019 boardwalk parade in Ocean City. If I nudged the pedal from behind it would come the rest of the way back up. I wasn’t sure this would be an easy fix, so I did some research into roller bearing conversions for the clutch support. This conversion goes beyond what I would do during the driving season, so I would be required to make the repair as a part of my Winter maintenance. But before I plunged into the deep end I decided to try some white lithium grease on the under dash linkage. I stuck my head under the dash and gave a few sprays onto the linkage. That freed everything right up and the clutch pedal works fine now. Issue #1 handled.

Issue #2: The engine ran well but seemed to be using more oil than I would like. After a while the idle got a bit rougher as well and I could see some smoke under hard acceleration. I wondered if the engine might be sucking in oil through the PCV valve. I pulled the PCV valve and checked it in the only way I knew. I shook it to make sure it rattled, which it did. Then I looked into the grommet in the valve cover to see the condition of the baffle that prevents the PCV from sucking in oil. There was no baffle in my valve cover. I did some quick research and found a replacement grommet that is supposed to prevent oil from entering the PCV valve. I ordered the grommet and installed it. My other option was to replace the valve covers with a pair that has a baffle. This is the proper long term fix. But in the short term the new grommet appears to be helping. I need to keep track of my oil levels and make sure that was the problem. Hopefully Issue #2 is addressed, even if it is only temporary.

Issue #3: The belt line weather stripping on both doors was lifting at the ends. There are supposed to be screws at the ends holding then down, but my replacement weatherstrip didn’t have screw holes so I never installed the screws. I got out my drill, made the holes, and installed the screws. Issue #3 fixed.

Hopefully that handles the minor issues until this winter. Now back to driving and car shows.