When installing the vibration damper, I discovered that it hit the rough casting edge of the water pump housing. Now, that's not a serious issue, but it required removing the damper and housing so I could get access with a grinder. That meant I had to locate my puller that hasn't been used since I moved into my new shop, before I could pull the damper. Once it was pulled, it took about ten seconds with the grinder, but an hour to find my tool, remove the parts, and reinstall.
Another potential glitch. The intake manifold plate is extremely close to the distributor base and might interfere with it's installation. Since I don't yet have the distributor I plan to use, and can't fit check it, I think I'll take the grinder to the intake to see if I can stay a step ahead of a problem. I don't know what kind of tolerance different distributors have, but if I need to grind a few hundredths off the manifold in the suspect area, it's a whole lot easier to do before installing it.
Now that the engine is going together and I'm gaining storage space on the shelves, It's time to order the next batch of parts that I'll be needing.
I stopped at the upholstery shop and told him to go ahead and put other jobs ahead of mine. I still have much to do before I get around to constructing seat mounts, and I'd prefer he store the parts out of my way. New completion date is around the first of February.
Did a couple of small painting jobs yesterday and learned that the paint I chose doesn't like cool temperatures and likes to orange-peel when applied. The instructions recommend 70F for spraying, but it was only mid-50s in the shop. It should sand and buff out okay, but just one more thing that takes time to fix.
The new Chrysler Power intake and valve covers sure make the old 318 look different.
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