October 2009
10/2/09--Update: Transmission is in, but didn't want to shift until 4500 rpms, so swapped out he vacuum modulator and now shifting just where it is supposed to. Seems very tight, absolutely no 2-3 flare, and my modified valvebody shifts it VERY firmly.
Noticing a very slight and minor miss at cruising speeds, so just bought a set Motorcraft spark plug wires.
Adding price of transmission, spark plug wires, and new ARP header bolts and updated the Spec Sheet.
I am going to start adding odometer readings to help keep track of age of parts, as well as maintenance schedules.
New engine in at 59,800. Needs an oil change now after break-in and after sitting for over a year.
New transmission in at 59,900.
10/9/09--Installed a FAST Wide-Band Air/Fuel Gauge kit yesterday, but apparently the Sensor Processor was faulty, so I had to ship that portion back to be inspected. Had to drill a 3/4" hole in the pipe just after the header collector, weld in a bung, and installed a Bosch O2 sensor. Going to use this to fine tune the carburetor.
Changing oil today. Get rid of break-in oil from last year.
10/10/09--Oil is changed, working on a miss in Primary Circuit??? Secondary Circuit??? Gotta figure it out. Found out carb is actually a 4150-4776-2which changes all of the baseline jetting sizes. So now I will set it all back to 66/76 (currently running 76/74) and work from there.
Pics of A/F gauge install.
10/11/09--I am using drills, and the TIPS of the welder file tools, not the
actual serrated parts. Then once I find what fits in the hole, I use verniers to
measure the size of the wire/drill. So numbers are close, but possibly off by a
thousandth or two.
Primary idle air bleeds--.028
Primary high speed bleeds--.021
2ndary idle air bleeds--.077 (these are HUGE compared to the rest, and I am
guessing they have been drilled out?
)
2ndary high speed bleeds--.028
Power Valve Restrictors--.043
Idle feed restrictors
Primary pass side--.043 (another drill job? assuming these should be the same)
Primary driver side--.032
2ndary--.032/.032
Shooter nozzles--25/25 (number stamped on them, not measured size)
Not sure what "emulsion bleeds are". Hoping they are what I labeled idle and
high speed bleeds in this list. These are all the items, and then some,
suggested to measure while i have the carb apart.
Have blown out all holes, and stuff blows out of other areas on all so I am
guessing that passages are all cleaned and free of debris.
Reassembling with new 6.5 power valve and 66 primary and 76 secondary jets
(stock configuration).
Hopefully there is nothing else I need to do while I have it all disassembled.
10/15/09--OK, took the car for a drive with slightly riched jets and 8.5 power valve, and it seems to run fine with that little miss, but when I pull the plugs, they are bone white. So I riched it up a bit more, and they are still bone white with just a touch of orange, but now runs like crap.
We have a car show that we didn't get the car to last year, and we WILL drive it there this year, so rather than screw around with this carb anymore and continue to have a lean running engine, I just went out and bought a new carb. Called Holley, and described what my setup is, and he initially recommended the 650 cfm Street HP, but said if I keep tinkering with the car and if I ever get a decent converter in it, I would end up more happy with a 750 cfm, so I called up Texas Performance Distributors (800) 624-6306 (where I bought my shifter back in 04) and they had the Holley 0-82751 in stock for $570. Gave him a credit card number to hold it, and picked it up today.
Installed it straight out of the box and the car runs like it is fuel injected. No hiccups, burps, farts, or any misses. Just purrs on down the road. I have not done any runs where I can check the plugs, but may do that tomorrow or this weekend. I do that by driving at an even 60-65 mph, then putting it in neutral and killing the engine and coasting to the side of the road or into a parking area, and pull the plugs for inspection. This gives me a reading of how it is running at that speed, which is where I spend much of the time driving it.
So, we are ready for the car show, and I have no fears that I am running lean or otherwise.
Also, put in a 180 Milodon high flow thermostat. It was taking too long to warm up above 160, so this will warm it up faster.
10/18/09--3rd Annual Grace Christian Church Car Show was a huge success! The drive there and back was uneventful, 75 miles each way. Only car issues we had was the pinion angle hum and it seldom ran above 170-175 degrees. Even in traffic. Pictured are Ed Winegar (924 Mav) who hosted the show, Doug Bauer (DAB), Anna, myself, and Ed Davis (fan2488).
Next day, I installed the MSD 6A ignition box I got off the forum from Tim Keck. Gapped the plugs to .060 as per MSD instructions, and started right up. Haven't test driven it yet due to bad weather much of the week. I now have a MAJOR MESS of wires to clean up. I might just put all of this inside a sealed box or something. It is mostly relays, including starter relay, relay for electric fan, relay for fuel pump, etc.
10/29/09--I didn't do anything today, but need to document that I have installed the Air/Fuel Ratio gauge, and it is working well. It reads a bit rich, in the 13-13.5 range when it needs to be in the upper 14s (14.7 is optimal). MSD is working GREAT at .060 gap. Car is running great at 180 degrees with new 180 thermostat and new temp gauge (old one said only 170-175 at full running temps, I knew that was wrong). I am looking into a way to conceal all the nasty wires, as seen above. And I now have a few videos at YouTube, search user name TheScooper77515.
I am gathering tools (spare plugs, new timing light, vacuum gauge, jetting kit and power valves) for an up and coming dyno/test and tune run in the next few days. I am going to get a REAL HP/Torque reading and do some fine tuning on my new carb. I will post updates (of course) when I get them.
Total (rounded) = 6200
Oil Change 59,800 miles
Transmission change 59,800