#50's new engine 91% installed!

[robroy]

Hey Calvin thanks for replying! You could be right about how I'll be compelled to keep it clean!

Tomorrow I will make my first attempt to start the engine. It'll all be captured on video.


http://www.robroygregg.com/Number50/IMG_4137z.JPG

Robroy

[1971ford]

wow, that looks amazing!
That whole front-end of your truck sure is beautiful. I can't wait to see/hear you start it up!!!

[1967AceStroker]

I'm not a yellow fan, but you pulled it off quite nicely! I can't wait to see your truck finished.
Tomorow night I'll be checking for that sweat engine start-up. C'mon first try, whooo!

[robroy]

Hey 1967AceStroker and Ryan, thanks for replying!

I just finished the oil pump priming procedure (by removing the distributor and working the pump with a drill). Man that was tense. I was worried from all the horror stories I've read about people dropping the drive shaft in to the pan!

The procedure went OK though. I had a mechanical oil pressure gauge hooked up and it reached 50-75 PSI with the drill running (I wasn't maxing the drill out). I ran it that way in 10 second runs for a cumulative minute or so, allowing time in between runs for the oil to drain back down where ever it's supposed to go (away from the valves, I guess).

I got some photos of the priming procedure and the oil pump drive shaft to post in a little bit!

More later on!

Thanks!!!

Robroy

[robroy]

Tomorow night I'll be checking for that sweat engine start-up.

How did you know I'd be sweating?

Robroy

[1967AceStroker]

Tomorow night I'll be checking for that sweat engine start-up.

How did you know I'd be sweating?

Robroy

Uh, I was correct through my misspelling? I meant sweet, .

[fomocoguy]

Looks great! I bet you can't wait to hear it...

[sport71]

I like your set up on your FE. I hope to see your video.

[robroy]

Hey 1967AceStroker! Yes you were correct the first time!

It was a success!!! #50's engine roared!

I took copious photos and video and will be posting those later tonight (before midnight California time). Sorry I know it might be too late for a lot of you to check it out before tomorrow!

Here are some observations:

1. While I was working the starter to pump gas in to the carb, I noticed a periodic thump sound from the engine. It happened at intervals of around 1/2 a second. It sounded like a ogre with hairy knuckles knocking on an oak castle door. You'll hear it in the video.
2. There was a lot of smoke from burning oil on the first attempts to get it started. At first this worried me, but then I figured it was just the oil I'd put directly in to the cylinders before (to keep the engine fresh while in storage). It went away after a minute or so.
3. The oil pressure gauge read around 75 PSI with the engine running around 1,000 or 1,500 RPM (I didn't have a tach hooked up). It always had lots of oil pressure (even when it was just the starter turning the engine over).
4. The RobbMc starter worked very nicely!
5. It was loud and made some bad sounds, but I think I was just hearing the copious exhaust leaks. It seems to be leaking a lot around the collectors at the ball-and-socket joints, as anticipated.
6. After the initial hard starts with all the oil smoke, the engine started VERY easily, every time. Even without being timed and messed around with, it started FAR more easily than my old engine EVER started. Just one click on the starter and VROOM!!!
7. It took about 30 seconds of cranking to get the gas up to the carb, just like it said in the Edelbrock manual. For some reason they recommended doing it that way instead of dumping a few teaspoons of gas directly in to the carb. Maybe it's just that they don't want people messing around with gas like that!
8. I suspect it needs to be timed badly. When I did the manual oil pump priming, it left the oil pump drive shaft at a different orientation, which "clocked" the distributor rotor differently from how it was before. I need to go out and buy a timing light!
9. While revving and even idling, the engine had an on edge feeling to it that my stock, worn out 360 never approached. It felt like a rottweiler chained to a flagpole with naked, man-sized ducks dancing and squawking in a ring around it. It was kind of scary!

Kasie (my girlfriend) helped me wheel the truck out of the garage, just in case it caught on fire during the first start attempt! And that was good too, because it really generated a lot of smoke at first. So right as we're rolling it out there I notice one neighbor starting up their barbecue, and the other neighbor drove up (they got home). How did I attract all this outdoor action from both neighbors right when I wanted to make some nasty noise!?

I helped the barbecuing neighbor smoke their meat and blow the cob webs from their ear canals. I'll bet their hot dogs had a nice motor oil flavor. I like to be a good neighbor but this time I was too excited to wait! And besides, by the time plumes of smoke were in the air, it was too late (and I didn't think it would smoke, since I forgot about the oil).

During the whole exercise I was covered in cold sweat, but I didn't notice it much until it was time to push the truck back in to the garage!

Robroy

[Fordnatic]

Starting up a new rebuild is always a thrill!! I'm glad it went well.

I always stuck a rag around a blow nozzle in the gas tank and pressurized the system until the float bowls were full-to avoid the cranking.

Again, congrats!!

[robroy]

Hey Fordnatic thanks for replying!

Starting up a new rebuild is always a thrill!! I'm glad it went well.

Indeed! This was especially thrilling to me since this is the first high performance engine I've ever played with.

I always stuck a rag around a blow nozzle in the gas tank and pressurized the system until the float bowls were full-to avoid the cranking.

Gosh that's smart! How do you pressurize it? Using compressed air? Sounds a little scary to mix that with a bunch of gasoline, but maybe it's not too dangerous.

Again, congrats!!

Thanks!!!

Robroy

[robroy]

Here are some photos from the manual oil pump priming session.

It was really tough to photograph the drive shaft for the oil pump, since it's recessed so far in there! Here's the best one from my batch of attempts. For those who aren't familiar with the area, the drive shaft is the black thing in the middle that looks like an eye pupil.

Although it's not easy to see in this photo, the drive shaft sat recessed in a cylinder. My 1/4" socket was just barely skinny enough to sneak in to the cylinder and engage the shaft.



The distributor wasn't easy to remove. It seemed like it was snagging on something at the last minute before coming out. Finally I fiddled around with it (somewhat gently) and it unceremoniously popped out! To my surprise, the oil pump drive shaft didn't come with it, nor did it become dislodged and transient.



Here I'm trying to engage the 1/4" socket on the end of the drive shaft. Thankfully--and this is a major point with this procedure, as I've learned--my Craftsman 1/4" extensions and socket have interlocks that work very well. They won't pull apart without a little tab being pulled back. Without this feature, I would have had a bad afternoon!



Here's the drill (a Milwaukee 1/2" Hole Shooter) with the bit (two Craftsman 1/4" extensions and a 1/4" six point socket).



This photo was taken during the procedure. It took some significant torque to turn the oil pump, so I was glad to have the perpendicular handle on the drill! Notice the oil pressure gauge on the valve cover. I was generating around 60 PSI with the drill. Click on the link under the image for a high resolution edition.


http://www.robroygregg.com/Number50/IMG_4188z.JPG

Here I'm putting the distributor back in. Since I'd changed the orientation of the oil pump drive shaft, it wasn't possible to put it back with the exact same "clock" location as it had before.



Next, I'll post photos of the engine start, and some videos later on!

Thanks for reading,
Robroy

[1967AceStroker]

Nice, glad all went well for the start-up. I get to do the same with my 351C, its at the engine shop right now getting check-up. It only made a few dyno runs, and thats it. Hasn't been run in 20+ years, it was going in a race car that never happened.

It always amazes me how detailed you describe everything, and how many detailed clear pictures you put on. Looks like your great attention to detail shows in your work too.

[Fordnatic]

I didn't think of using a 1/4" extension, looks like it worked well. I gutted an old distributor and used the shaft from that for my pre-oiler. I guess one advantage is there is nothing to fall in that way.

On your timing issue-I usually have to bump (turn) the oil pump shaft a couple times before stabbing the distributor just where I want. You can time pretty accurately by putting the #1 cylinder on TDC. Turn the engine to the degrees you want (i.e. 12 BTDC) then stab the distributor making certain the rotor is pointing at the #1 plug wire and it's just ready to fire. With points you turn the body of the dist until the rubbing block is about on the hump to open the points. With electronic you line up the reluctor wheel with the inductive pick up. I have set timing like this and when checked it with a light later and found it to be very close.

Yes, I meant air pressure in the fuel tank. The rag around the nozzle leaks most of the pressure off, you just need a couple psi to get fuel to flow to the carb.

Again, congrats. I'm a bit jealous as it really is quite a thrill starting one for the first time.

[robroy]

Hey 1967AceStroker and Fordnatic, thanks for replying!

Nice, glad all went well for the start-up. I get to do the same with my 351C, its at the engine shop right now getting check-up. It only made a few dyno runs, and thats it. Hasn't been run in 20+ years, it was going in a race car that never happened.

That sounds like something exciting to anticipate! That's a long time to have such a nice engine uninstalled.

It always amazes me how detailed you describe everything, and how many detailed clear pictures you put on. Looks like your great attention to detail shows in your work too.

Thanks for the appreciation! When I'm able to, and despite my inexperience with cars, I try to make re-usable posts. I try to make the types of posts I always want to find when I'm trying to figure something out!

I didn't think of using a 1/4" extension, looks like it worked well.

Yes it worked OK, although the 1/4" socket was a little thick. You know the cylinder that the distributor drive shaft is recessed in? The socket barely fit in there. A skinnier socket would have been better.

I gutted an old distributor and used the shaft from that for my pre-oiler. I guess one advantage is there is nothing to fall in that way.

That sounds like a smart method! It also sounds like you've gone down this road a few times before! It was a completely new experience for me. I can imagine that a part of an old distributor would be easier to use.

On your timing issue-I usually have to bump (turn) the oil pump shaft a couple times before stabbing the distributor just where I want.

Okay, this is good to know! I wasn't sure if my trouble there was an artifact of my personal lunacy.

I considered pulling the distributor again and tweaking the position of the drive shaft, but I wasn't sure how important this type of distributor alignment was. So I left it that way. If it was at 3 o'clock before, it turned out at around 4 o'clock after wards.

You can time pretty accurately by putting the #1 cylinder on TDC. Turn the engine to the degrees you want (i.e. 12 BTDC) then stab the distributor making certain the rotor is pointing at the #1 plug wire and it's just ready to fire. With points you turn the body of the dist until the rubbing block is about on the hump to open the points. With electronic you line up the reluctor wheel with the inductive pick up. I have set timing like this and when checked it with a light later and found it to be very close.

Gosh, that sounds like an experienced method that would have never occurred to me! I might try this next time. Although I'd need to brush up on how to get the engine to TDC (I'll look it up). Thanks for sharing this method with me!

Yes, I meant air pressure in the fuel tank. The rag around the nozzle leaks most of the pressure off, you just need a couple psi to get fuel to flow to the carb.

That's an interesting method! Did you learn this from another mechanic or invent it yourself? Seems pretty clever.

Again, congrats. I'm a bit jealous as it really is quite a thrill starting one for the first time.

Thanks Fordnatic! Yes it was indeed thrilling! It sure felt different from all the engines I've ever messed around with before.

1967AceStroker and Fordnatic, thanks again for your great replies!
Robroy