My 69 Mach was fine as long as it was a daily driver. We had a detached garage and when we opened the door there was a strong smell of gasoline. Since the mower was next to the car, I thought that was the source, since there was no evidence of a leak on the car and it always ran well. Eventually we moved to a house with an attached garage and still got the gas smell even though the mower wasn’t in the garage. Years go by and it was retired from daily driving. If it isn’t driven for 4-5 days the smell is gone and it has the same symptoms as yours. If I take the air cleaner off and squirt some gas in the bowl vent, it starts right up. Everything is original, and it has been the most trouble-free car I have ever owned- until we stopped driving it.
I bench tested the carb for several days and it didn’t appear to be leaking inside or out. Someone on VMF said that gas shouldn’t evaporate in 5 days, so I performed a test with a glass container, put gas in it and then a metal plate on top with an appropriately sized hole the equivalent of the vents, and sure enough the gas stayed in there a long time. My best guess is that it leaks into the intake via a casting flaw, or through one of the air bleeds. I have rebuilt that carb many times in 56 years, but I’ll be hanged if I can find it.
I’m going to test my theory by replacing the original 2V carb with a 4 barrel and see what happens. I’ve been assured by several people that it should retain the fuel for quite a while, and not smell, even if not driven.

6sally6 wrote:

thing 1 and 2 png

The more I look at that the more I laugh. Thanks Sal

Bullet Bob wrote:

Sposed to be a spring and and escutcheon (or plastic washer) before the handle goes on which I always thought was to make sure the door panel/escutcheon filled the space beyond the splines.  

I thought so too, so I checked, but there is no spring on the illustrations for either the front or back window assemblies behind the cranks. 

rpm wrote:

Mach1Driver wrote:

rpm wrote:

I still substitute teach at the high school down the road about once a week.

I'm curious Bob, what subject(s) do you teach?

I'll sub for any subject Terry, but I'm smart enough to know that I'm a substitute teacher, not a teacher. If a student has a question I can't answer I'll ask who the smartest kid in the class is, and have them help. I pretty much take roll and make sure the kids don't stab each other in the neck. Kidding. I honestly don't know how real teachers do it, having to put up with the administration and especially the parents. It didn't take me long to realize that the special ed parents were some of the worst.
I sub about once a week and get jobs from a group of teachers who contact me directly. I enjoy the interaction with the kids, and it's restored my faith in the youth. Although we'll never have a shortage of hamburger flippers.

Good for you. Well done!

If it turns out anything like the renderings....UG. Ya can't improve on the perfection of the 69.

MS wrote:

Wow
Makes you think….
Glad he was able to see competent doctors to diagnose a seemingly unrelated problem.

Yeah that's absolutely the key- finding someone that is competent. I've seen statistics that say only 1 in 4 of any profession know their butt from a hot rock, and I think it's getting worse.

Wow! I'm just curious, when you pulled the engine- did you notice if it had the chassis ground strap from the head to the firewall? I have read that without it the linkages and u-joints become a path for the ground, and that could have contributed to the problem by arcing.

Bentworker wrote:

What type of hydraulic oil are you running?

O'Reilly AW-32 hydraulic oil, in the gallon jug.

Both are good suggestions. The previous manufacturer was Dannmar equipment. I find the fact that Bend Pak doesn't offer an seal kit highly suspect, and may be due to high failure rates on Dannmar's design. Bend Pak certainly wants a pretty penny for their cylinders.

6sally6 wrote:

We had a Fairbanks Morse diesel generator on the sub I was on. Pretty BIG and LOOOOUD !! especially when trying to sleep
6sal6

He had a Fairbanks Morse as the main generator in engine room B1. Was yours opposed piston like ours? Yes engine rooms were extremely loud- you had to have hearing protection or suffer permanent hearing damage. They pumped so much air into the room for the engines that you could take your Dixie Cup off, pull the brim down and let it sail up the ladder and out the hatch to the main deck ;)

6sally6 wrote:

has gone 'whacky' ! ...That's Southern for it is non-responsive and not working..
(I feel like an Italian with two broken arms !!)
6sally6

LOL, I can really relate to that. My late first wife was Italian and the arm waving thing was real for her whole family.

and it's got a keg right there!