442 Project: Looks can be deceiving

[olds307 and 403]

Ruh roh Raggy!!

Maybe oldsofb will see this and keep this in mind about looking out for shrouding. I do believe he just got the radiator and fan "kit" from Cold Case.

Which is why I replied with a optimistic symbol when he said 1400 x 2 cfm. About the only aftermarket fans that actually move enough CFM are the Derale. I sure do like the Davies Craig controller, finally one that works, including the adjustable part. A sign for good dual fans is on start up, one 40 amp relay isn't enough. The Davies Craig has dual 40 amp relays, I blew plenty of single 40 amp relays with my Stratus dual fans.

 

[rogue_ryder]

I wondered in the other thread if those fans would move enough air. The 403 is tougher to cool, 165 is excellent in even warm weather👍. How are you liking the power of this build? Did you notice a good boost from the new headers?

The headers helped on the 403 for sure! Unfortunately there was a rod knock and I had to pull the 403. I maybe got 50 miles on it in the spring with the headers and a good tune in it before it started knocking. It’s sitting on a stand in the garage right now waiting for me to rear it down and inspect it.

I lucked out and was pretty much gifted a 1972 350 that had recently been rebuilt. I did a little work on it and put it in for the interim. With the cold case fans and shroud it would get almost as hot as the 403! So if those fans can’t keep a low compression 350 cool they aren’t going to keep anything cool!

MAYBE next summer I’ll get the 403 back in there. I actually ditched the cold case relay set up in favor of “auto cool guy” PWM and it works great. Slow start up so no in rush of current.

Ran so nicely too

 

[rogue_ryder]

Got it out for more miles and smiles today!

 

[olds307 and 403]

That's tough, sorry to hear. Yeah, I ended up in the same boat, almost there 10 months later, just waiting on the crank to be internally balanced.

 

[rogue_ryder]

After an annoying few years of driving finally got around to replacing the drivers window seal and installing the anti rattle kit!

It was pretty unreal how far out of adjustment the inward/outward adjustment was. Really about the only thing I needed the book for since HAFROD does a good job of the process of installing the weatherstripping on YouTube and his thread in here. The anti rattle kit comes with pretty good instructions as well.

I was able to replace the chrome along the a pillar while I had it apart and it really makes the car look much better.

With a foot of snow on the ground I won’t be able to fully test it out until spring.

 

[scoti]

Great read! Sorry to see the big sbo had to be pulled because of the knocking. What a bummer despite your efforts.

 

[rogue_ryder]

eat read! Sorry to see the big sbo had to be pulled because of the knocking. What a bummer despite your efforts.

Thanks! Yeah it was a big time bummer! It wasn't actually a rod knock, sure sounded like one but it was a piston eating itself on the cylinder wall. A couple others had some minor scuffing. I got around to tearing down the engine in the fall and the #8 Piston must have expanded too much when the temp got up around 240* which is definitely hot but shouldn't cause damage of running there for a <5 mins (The 79 Trans Am owner's manual actually says anything <250 is ok). I verified I had put the rings "dot up" and the Gaps were all correct (used Travato's recommended gaps) so it wasn't any assembly error. Crank and bearings looked almost perfect so thankfully I still have a good crank.

403 is going to go on the back burner for now.

 

[scoti]

That's weird.

 

[Mac442]

Just seeing this thread for the first time, great work on the 442!

 

[olds307 and 403]

Sorry to see it was the pistons. From what I can see, those Autotec pistons aren't BBF pistons, they have the wrong compression height and their .030" oversize is 4.390", .039" oversize on a 403. They probably have similar tight piston to wall like the Mahle going in my 358, that 240 probably was the killer. I saw 240 way too many times on my 403. Yeah, I have had reservations on building my 403, despite having 4.390" pistons, Scat 6" long with 2" journal sbc rods and an offset ground 330 crank for 424 ci. I am sending the block in at the end of this year. I am not using it in a car. It will stay very mild, 9.25 to 1, 204/214 cam and find a 88 to 95 4x4 truck for it. Hopefully $1500 machine work total since the crank is already ground and it will get externally balanced. The optional radiator for those trucks has an aluminum plastic 34" CORE width TWO ROW, not total radiator size which 36"+, absolutely huge with a nice big, open grill for air flow.
I just paid $1500 for machine on my current 358 ci WITHOUT balancing but failure isn't cheap. Unfortunately custom pistons with a minimum hone are probably your best bet to fix it.