Engine in car!

Post date: Aug 21, 2012 2:21:06 PM

Busy weekend! I swapped out fuel bowls between the new carb and my old carb, and got a decent idle at 900 rpm. Still needs more than 20deg ignition advance plus manifold to the vacuum advance. But, good enough to get into the car and start working.

Swapped back to the new Pertronix dizzy and got the same intermittent spark, so it's absolutely something strange with that distributor.

I painted the tank lid real quick, and started fixing up the fuel pump. Got some connectors on there and fixed up the fuel level sender. Just need to clean out the tank and fix the plastic bits that I broke taking the pump apart, and that should be done!

The engine install went relatively smoothly:

Yeah, it was raining a bit at the time. The deep sump + tranny made it a bit tougher than I was used to. Basically had to sit the pan on the crossmember and slide it back into place. Also learned that several of the tranny pan bolt holes are stripped.

The header install was interesting. It was my first time installing headers, so it was a learning experience. Broke the fancy Lokar dipstick and required quite a few cuss words from Shaun to get the starter installed. The passenger side just slipped right in, though! Did not need to "massage" the headers at all, which was very nice.

I started running new tranny cooler lines, but broke one of the teflon hose ends. 10' of hose was precisely the right length. The Summit hose and ends are far harder to work with than the Earl's. Go figure.

The to-do list is pretty short:

Install new tank, fuel filter/regulator, and complete fuel lines

Finish tranny cooler hookup

Install exhaust system (optional?)

Install fuel pump relay and wiring

Install new coil power feed

Fix some broken trunk battery connectors

Misc engine install stuff (mount new coil, radiator, vacuum plumbing, grills, front bumper, install power steering pump and alternator, etc)