March 2024 | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
---|
| | | | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | | | | | | | Calendar |
|
| | Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) | |
| | Author | Message |
---|
Aug
Posts : 225 Join date : 2008-11-18 Location : Altoona, PA, USA
| Subject: Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:09 am | |
| Whoopee!
After a long (long, long, long) time, my 302 made some noise! I parked the 'Mont it used to be in (the '79) back when the front subframe got all tore up from the race tires and 1+ g cornering (about three years ago). I started it every once in a while, but then I took it out to put it in the new car (the '80). While I had it out, I changed the valve seals and timing chain. I was just ready to put it back in, and I got a deal I couldn't refuse on a cam, so I took it back apart and put those in. I got the engine set down in the car, and then my father-in-law came upon a set of GT-40P heads with big valves. So, I took the damn thing back apart AGAIN and installed the heads. I also swapped over the trans, rear axle, and all the cool suspension stuff, welded up all of the seams in the '90 GT K-member, some of the seams under the hood, some of the seams for the rear suspension hard points, and what-not. I didn't want to weld up the whole car yet, because I want to make sure that it's straight before I stiffen it too much. This winter, I'll install some subframe connectors through the floor, and pull the motor again so that I can weld up the entire underhood area. Right now, I just need to drive the damn thing! I really hope that it's tough enough to stand up to autocross without the subframe connectors. I'd feel pretty silly if I bent it all up just from cornering stress.
So, last night, I tried to fire it up, and it was a mess. It wouldn't run, it was firing out the carb. It was firing in the exhaust. It wouldn't start. It was hard to crank. The carb caught on fire. It just went on and on. I realized that I used the old 302 firing order. It's a HO cam. So, I changed that. One of my buddies told me last night that he thought it sounded like the valves were set too tight. I assured them that they were within spec, but when I checked them, a couple of the valves moved instead of the pushrod. Fuck. That was when I gave up. I started trying to start it at about midnight, and by three, I'd had enough.
I had investigated a "tappet bleed-down tool" online when I got home last night, but they were about 200 bux, and I wouldn't be able to get one until at least Monday. I wanted it running today. After listening to my wife bitch about how the damn car wasn't running, and ask a bunch of stupid questions about why I wanted to screw it up so bad, and why didn't I just do it right the first time, I went back over to the garage and thought it about it a bit. I remembered that these lifters always liked to stick when the preload was released, and I figured that if I could get them collapsed some, they would be okay. But, what to do about a tool? I had seen drawings of the tool online the night before, and I set about figuring out what I could Jerry-rig to make the same thing happen. I settled on a claw hammer and a hose clamp. I wrapped the hose clamp around the rocker between the valve and the pedestal, and over the claw of the hammer, and used the head of the hammer to push on the pushrod end. Things went pretty well. I only broke the oil deflector off of one rocker. Off to the store I go. Replaced that rocker, then recollapsed the lifter again so that it might work.
Then, the trying to start started again. Fire out the carb. Fire in the exhaust. Shit. Kept twisting the distributor, trying to get it to go. It finally fired up once, but it sounded like a four-cylinder boat engine, when the exhaust is under water. Then it shot fire up out of the carb about five feet and shut off. What the fuck? So, I thought, well, maybe the timing is waaaaaaaaay off. I grabbed the distributor and twisted it clockwise A LOT. It fired right up! Well, dip me in pigshit and call me a polar bear's red furred step-cub! The timing wasn't the only thing that was way too retarded; I had the entire firing order indexed one tower to the counter-clockwise! So, I went ahead and fixed that crap, and twisted the distributor back to a less rediculous angle. I twiddled with it there for a little while, then I found a place where it would run pretty good. I let it run at about 1800-2000 rpm for a few minutes to splash the cam with a bunch of oil, then started setting the idle, timing, and stuff.
Well, long story short (yeah, riiiiiiight), I now have a balanced 302 with GT-40P heads, a COMP XE270HR cam, a 13 lb aluminum flywheel, a Fluidampr Streetdampr, a 575 Speed Demon carb, Edelbrock Performer 289, and a windage tray. It starts, runs, idles, and it revs like a BITCH! Yeah, that's right, this thing knows how to gain fucking RPM! I mean, hoooooly crap, is it snappy! I can't wait to see what it does when the tires are connected to ground.
So, I have some nuts and bolts to check, then install the seat belt (right now it has no carpet, no headliner, no back side panels, and only the driver's seat), and the rear-view mirror (fell off the windshield a while back), and it's off to get it inspected. Then to the alignment shop, and let the shenanigans begin!
Are you tired now? I sure am.
Later, Mike. | |
| | | Futurama
Posts : 376 Join date : 2008-11-12 Age : 44 Location : ft worth texas.
| Subject: Re: Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) Mon Jun 22, 2009 9:53 pm | |
| sounds awesome man. i love the sound it make after being down for a while. its better than jacking off in the car lol. | |
| | | Aug
Posts : 225 Join date : 2008-11-18 Location : Altoona, PA, USA
| Subject: Re: Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) Mon Jun 22, 2009 11:01 pm | |
| Well, it drove around a little tonight. After buttoning up *almost* all of the stuff that needed it, I decided to take it from the garage to the house, about 2 or 3 miles. About a half mile from the house, all hell broke loose. I heard the telltale noise of stuff falling off the car, hitting the underside, and skittering. I was only going about 10 mph, since I was coming around an intersection in the neighborhood, so I stopped immediately and assessed the situation. I found a couple of tubes that looked like they could be the middle of bushings, but they weren't big enough around. Then, I found a nylock nut. I understanding started to dawn on me at this point, so I started looking for specific things. Next, I found a red urethane donut. I had installed the swaybar end links finger tight, and forgot to tighten them up when I put the car on its feet. So, I'll be buying and installing new endlinks before I go for an alignment tomorrow. I suppose it could be worse.
Later, Mike. | |
| | | Futurama
Posts : 376 Join date : 2008-11-12 Age : 44 Location : ft worth texas.
| Subject: Re: Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:59 pm | |
| | |
| | | Jason
Posts : 12 Join date : 2008-11-11 Location : Northern British Columbia
| Subject: Re: Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) Tue Jun 23, 2009 2:20 pm | |
| Yeah like you coulda been picking up crank pieces.....or scraping granny off the pavement. | |
| | | Aug
Posts : 225 Join date : 2008-11-18 Location : Altoona, PA, USA
| Subject: Re: Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:53 pm | |
| It was a $21 lesson. It's going back over to the garage for a FULL nut and bolt check. | |
| | | Aug
Posts : 225 Join date : 2008-11-18 Location : Altoona, PA, USA
| Subject: Re: Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:01 pm | |
| Tried a burnout the other night. NEVER AGAIN! I kinda rolled through first gear, and then hit second hard, and when it COMPLETELY blew the tires off in second, it WHEELHOPPED LIKE A FREAKIN MOTHER. I thought the car was coming apart. Got out of the throttle as soon as possible, but that shit's horrible. Damn. | |
| | | Sponsored content
| Subject: Re: Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) | |
| |
| | | | Yay! It makes noise! (beware, it's kinda long) | |
|
Similar topics | |
|
| Permissions in this forum: | You cannot reply to topics in this forum
| |
| |
| |