Another Year Gone by...More Memories of Feb 3,1959

The past year has been the final one for many well-known musicians, but at least they had the time to realize their greatness and to enjoy growing old gently. The best of the best were never given the opportunity to share a lifetime and good memories with family and friends. That will be left to those of us who were blessed to have experienced the special time that will remain forever in our hearts. We will never know if the music created the generation, or if the generation created the music, but the important thing is that it happened. Fifty-seven years later, the corn fields of Iowa are again covered with freshly fallen snow as with sadness we recall the day the music died.

So Far, So Good!

With the engine sitting on the stand and ready to fit check, I was too impatient to put it off until the weekend, so this afternoon I gave it a shot. To my relief,  everything fit quite well.

When I was measuring clearances with the mockup, I was concerned about clearance for the crank pulleys and steering linkage. Since I was quite certain there would be plenty of clearance between the hood and carburetor, I decided to place the truck motor mounts 1/4" higher and 1/4" farther forward than what I first determined would be exactly per the factory specs. It turns out that I could have used the factory specs as I now have an extra 1/4" clearance in the areas of concern, and that's fine.

I was mostly concerned about steering clearance, but it has all the room it needs with the tires turned full in either direction. If anyone is interested, the pan is from a stock '66 B-body.

Since I'll need to make a heavier, permanent version of the modified transmission shifter brackets, I put the engine back on the stand until the transmission is ready to install. I still have to get the intermediate shaft installed as well as the bypass hose that's waiting for the barbed nipples to arrive. The distributor will wait until after the engine is mounted, as closeness to the firewall makes it too easy to damage if installed now. I'll hold off on the fuel pump and dipstick tube for similar reasons.

Not sure what job to tackle next, so will see what interests me after I get everything put away. There always seems to be a mess in the workshop when major tasks are accomplished. Maybe it's time to work on the firewall and get everything mounted before the engine is in the way. The under-dash parts could also be mounted and the dash top installed.

Engine Ready to Test Fit

Lots of small parts showing up so I  was able to assemble the engine far enough to test fit the modified motor mounts. That will probably occur this weekend when the temperature is forecast to be in the seventies.

For anyone contemplating buying the new Chrysler Power intake, I'll just reiterate their instructions/suggestions included on their tip sheet. You will definitely need the ball driver for the hex head bolts, as access is really tight. They specify a torque, but there is no way an accurate measurement can be made because of the angle of the driver, so you will need  to estimate a few of them.

Taking a Break

Cold, wet and windy weather makes for delays again. I really should get an efficient heating system in the workshop so it will heat up faster and hold the temperature better.

Being confined to the house most of the day has at least given me time to begin ordering the next batch of parts that I’ll need once the engine and transmission are installed. Rock auto already came through with their usual quick response. I received the fuel pump and spark plugs two days after ordering, and the distributor is scheduled to deliver tomorrow. A day or two later I’m expecting heater hose nipples, bypass hose, breather caps and water neck.

I also ordered a 600cfm Edelbrock carb from Summit this morning. My previous 4-bbl conversions got Edelbrock’s AFB clones, but this time I decided to try the air valve secondary version. In my experience, the old Carter AVS got better mileage than the AFB, so I’ll be interested to see how this setup compares with the AFB clone I have on the LA 318 in my ’73 D100 truck.

More Little Things

With the timing gear clearance issue resolved, it's on to covering all those exposed parts, and fit check the new intake and valve covers. Since these were such minor tasks, I should have expected all would not be rosy.

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.

Rocker Shafts

The simplest things have a way of turning into bigger problems than most big things!

As I was cleaning up valve train parts so I could assemble the heads, I discovered there were no rocker shaft end plugs included in the gasket set. It's been a long time since I rebuilt my last Poly engine, but they used to be included in the best Felpro sets and I never thought to check before the time came to replace them.

That in itself wasn't a big deal as the parts were available from Rockauto and their service is always fast and reliable. They were only a few cents apiece, but came ten to a box, so I'd have enough left over to build another engine and a half if I l live that long. True to form, the parts arrived two days after ordering, but then I ran into my second plug problem...they were too small. I verified the parts were correct as ordered and specified in their catalog, and they were, so something else was wrong. A check of the Dorman website told me that Rockauto had the wrong part number called out in their catalog. The number was one digit off, so the parts I got were for a late model Mopar engine.

The next problem came when I tried to tell Rockauto that they had an error their catalog. I wasn't concerned about less than three dollars wasted on the wrong parts, but I still wanted the right parts. I quickly found that their automated problem/return process does not work for catalog errors for inexpensive parts. More expensive parts...yes, little stuff...no! I tried a half-dozen ways to reach a human, or even an address to email the information. You can't get there from here!. I next called Rockauto headquarters and explained the problem to a lady in customer service. She said to just write the problem in the return form. I told her there is no space given in the return/problem form for inexpensive parts. She said there was, but couldn't explain how to get there, and all I had to do was follow directions. Sigh!

Since I needed the parts, I called NAPA, and they did not have the parts in stock, and to make matters worse, even though he verified that the part number I wanted was good, and that it was for a '66 318, it was not something he could order. Another call to the best engine building shop in town was also fruitless, as he didn't stock anything for Poly engines.

I finally quit banging my head against the wall and just reordered the parts by the correct part number from Rockauto. Their catalog kept trying to make me specify the make and model, but I was able to order the correct parts using only the part number. We shall see if they send the right ones.

For what it's worth, this picture shows why the inside of the shafts need cleaning. They had been thoroughly washed in gasoline and brake cleaner, and I still got a pile of carbonized sludge out of them.

This is all I've accomplished since I've been waiting for the plugs to arrive, and now I have another wait. By the time I receive the new parts, the weather will probably turn to winter again.

Camshaft Timing Gear Fix

After getting some professional advice from good mechanics, and no help from Schneider Cams Tech Support, I decided to install a .001 steel shim behind the spacer, so I can move on. After installation, I measured .0015 clearance between the thrust plate and the gear hub, so I should be okay.

Cam Timing Gear

Hit an unexpected glitch during engine assembly.  When the cam gear is tightened down, it binds on the thrust plate. The reason appears to be that the spacer on the front of the cam is thinner than the thrust plate, when it needs to be slightly thicker to provide clearance for the cam to turn when the gear is torqued down. I've installed quite a few cams from different manufacturers in my Mopars, and this has never been an issue. As a matter of fact, I've never bought a cam that uses a spacer instead of a shoulder on the bearing journal.

I could make a shim to place between the cam and the spacer, but I’m not thrilled by the idea of having a thin piece of metal installed in that location. Looking at the cam journal side of the thrust plate, there has been some minor wear, though probably no more than a couple thousandths.   I doubt the wear would be enough to damage a steel shim to the point of coming apart, but I’ll need to think about it and solicit some expert opinions.  

Another alternative is finding or machining a different spacer. Since I don’t have the tools necessary to make one, I’ve been searching the Internet for a part that would work, but no luck finding anything yet.

Short Block Progress

Turned the heat on in the garage and started to assemble the engine. Except for the timing chain, I have the short block complete.

If it's warm enough tomorrow, there are a couple of small painting jobs I want to finish, so the rest of the engine assembly might have to wait until next year....

Christmas

Christmas activities have had priority, so the only work accomplished on the '56 was small parts cleaning, sketching some console designs, and finishing bolting the body to the frame. After a few minor tweaks to the front floor sheet metal, everything went surprisingly well.

Despite the flexible condition of the body from all the rust, while repairing and replacing panels, I managed to get everything aligned so that the thickest shim required was about 3/8". I'll take that and keep my fingers crossed that it didn't create any yet unseen problems.

Merry Christmas, and enjoy another Roy Orbison favorite.