Maybe a night off at this point may help. Clear the mind. Good ideas sometimes come.
78 cutlass W-31 build
- Thread starter Clutch
- Start date
Maybe a night off at this point may help. Clear the mind. Good ideas sometimes come.
2 nights off ... I got nothing lol I'm hoping for no rain tonight. Intake gaskets came last night so there's nothing to stop me that in aware of. Maybe more rain or my back, hopefully not
I don't have my new intake manifold gasket yet but it's a beautiful day so I figured why not do the exhaust side. Well while I had the old head on the bench I took some old gun Wash and did a body shop style leak down test old metallic gun Wash is good for something. LoL
Even after I decided to change these heads people insisted I shouldn't and that I still had a timing issue or a carburetor issue be that as it may I think I found the bigger problem. 4 and 6 intake valves leak under the pressure of a blow gun from a compressor with only 40 psi. Now I really don't want to get to excited because well ..... Yeah you've read the thread. Doesn't make sense to me that I had compression with a bad valve or 2 but I'm a body guy not an engine builder. I also found that both exhaust manifolds were leaking because the gaskets fit poorly so this time it's no heat shield spacer thing and old stock utraseal gaskets from the late 80s I'm still going to run the heat stove though I like that stock look.
Intake gaskets should have come today... I guess I'll get it running Monday night??? Ish if possible?
Even after I decided to change these heads people insisted I shouldn't and that I still had a timing issue or a carburetor issue be that as it may I think I found the bigger problem. 4 and 6 intake valves leak under the pressure of a blow gun from a compressor with only 40 psi. Now I really don't want to get to excited because well ..... Yeah you've read the thread. Doesn't make sense to me that I had compression with a bad valve or 2 but I'm a body guy not an engine builder. I also found that both exhaust manifolds were leaking because the gaskets fit poorly so this time it's no heat shield spacer thing and old stock utraseal gaskets from the late 80s I'm still going to run the heat stove though I like that stock look.
Intake gaskets should have come today... I guess I'll get it running Monday night??? Ish if possible?
So in my waiting for parts yesterday I spent a little time and made a new down pipe for the exhaust. When I put the first 350 in I "temporarily" used a piece of flex pipe to make the connection to where the cat was. Now I'm not saying what I did this time is better by leaps and bounds but it's not a rusty flex pipe lol.
While I was there I found my throttle linkage problem. Apparently the exhaust burned the brand new detent cable so that got ordered to. My new intake gaskets came last night but I was already not going back out when they came. The wife said the detent cable came today. This time it's getting zip ties to the dipstick tube. Hopefully work doesn't have me to burned out when I get home and I can get a little more done.
While I was there I found my throttle linkage problem. Apparently the exhaust burned the brand new detent cable so that got ordered to. My new intake gaskets came last night but I was already not going back out when they came. The wife said the detent cable came today. This time it's getting zip ties to the dipstick tube. Hopefully work doesn't have me to burned out when I get home and I can get a little more done.
I recommend the stainless-steel style of cable (zip) ties to better withstand that heat zone (so you don't get a repeat):
McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
www.mcmaster.com
I don't think it's going to matter it may never get hot again.I recommend the stainless-steel style of cable (zip) ties to better withstand that heat zone (so you don't get a repeat):
McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
Well guys if you ever want to spend a ton of time and money on something that's supposed to be a low buck project just do whatever I do you're going to be broke and have no car in no time!
That rant over the car is mostly back together it has all the same problems as before it may actually be backfiring threw the carb worse than before and as a bonus I literally smoked my new neighbors out of there house! Yup! New option spy hunter smoke screen! For Ruben combat purposes. I was going to look back over the firing order but I felt bad for the family with the baby on the lawn because I filled there house with assembly lube smoke from the inside of those heads. 8:00 and my back is screaming I think the car is out of gas and I've had enough for 1day
That rant over the car is mostly back together it has all the same problems as before it may actually be backfiring threw the carb worse than before and as a bonus I literally smoked my new neighbors out of there house! Yup! New option spy hunter smoke screen! For Ruben combat purposes. I was going to look back over the firing order but I felt bad for the family with the baby on the lawn because I filled there house with assembly lube smoke from the inside of those heads. 8:00 and my back is screaming I think the car is out of gas and I've had enough for 1day
Ok so I had to buy a new gas can definitely not happy with that things performance. But it did get 5 gallons home so I guess it works.
That said I put the gas in the tank although pouring it somewhere else has crossed my mind. I put all 5 gallons in in case I changed my mind later.
Anyway fired it up same thing as before only takes fuel at at about 70° advance. I've no idea I have no clue but I absolutely can not throw anymore money at it. Perhaps I can find someone to look at it one day but right now I need to move on
That said I put the gas in the tank although pouring it somewhere else has crossed my mind. I put all 5 gallons in in case I changed my mind later.
Anyway fired it up same thing as before only takes fuel at at about 70° advance. I've no idea I have no clue but I absolutely can not throw anymore money at it. Perhaps I can find someone to look at it one day but right now I need to move on
Well I've decided to take tonight of and stay in our of the rain. I'm not sure what to do exactly. I think I'm going to take it apart again and start over. I'm thinking I'll take stock in what all parts I have and I'm going to teach myself how to measure camshafts and how to use a degree wheel. I guess I'll need to buy more gaskets. What a waste to just keep throwing them away week after week. Getting this to run has literally become the definition of insanity. I should probably stop posting before someone has me committed. I tried asking people in the oca all they did was suggest everything I've already done and of course all the comments like put a Chevy in it or put an LS in it or you put the wires on backwards or put gas in it. I'm just so sick of it all. Tired of hearing the same sh*t over and over. One good thing is my brother and I haven't been talking and him being the guy who started the oca chapter in new Jersey (the garden State rockets) ether he seen my post on the sight or a member told him to help me so he contacted me of course he only had the same input so many others have had before. But if I end up taking to him maybe I can let him know about my health issues.
Sorry I can’t offer you any help, I just wanted to offer a little encouragement from a fellow jersey body guy. Hoping for the best. Sucks that this car is kicking your *ss. I feel like with your perseverance you can beat this thing, but damn I thought you would have had it whooped by now.
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