Backyard engine work, interesting work arounds

Hi all,

So I got the whole thing back together last weekend. Went to fire it up and it simply doesn’t want to start. I went through the process of double checking the timing and insuring the distributor was on #1 at about 10 degrees BTDC. So it was hitting on a few cylinders, but a lot of popping through the intake was happening like bad timing, etc. yesterday after work I messed around with it some more and at least three cylinders were trying to fire, but it still seemed out of time. So, I am thinking I somehow got the cam timing off on at least one of the cams. After work today, I yanked everything off the top again, pulled the covers and set the crank to TDC. The cam alignment tool shows the cams are aligned pretty close, if not dead on so to speak. I have valve clearance and tried to set the valves at .13 & .15 respectively when the heads were off. So I am at a bit of a loss. Am I missing something? Thanks.

Are you sure #1 is on correct stroke?
I know silly question but it can happen.

If the coil is connected, and the rotor arm isn’t in your pocket, then you’ve probably got the plug wires wrong.

Yes, I thought about this when I woke up this morning that I was going to get the “did you check” questions. To answer that, I tend to start with easy first, so I checked the plug wires, popped the distributor cap etc. as the first order of business and checked everything 5 different times

When I first tore the motor apart and before I pulled the heads, I insured the engine was on 1A TDC. Now there is cerrtainly some confusion abounding about which side is A. According to the shop manual, A is the right bank. According to everything I have read, the right bank is on the passenger side of the car and that is how I set it up. So I triple checked the plug wires. When that didn’t work, I tore the top back off the engine and found everything was properly aligned to my increasing frustration!!

And just now I had a giant epiphany!!! The distributor rotates counter clockwise and I, in my brain deadness, put the plugs on the distributor going the wrong direction! (Giant cautionary tale) Wow, wasted yanking the top off the motor, but dang, can’t see that the cams are aligned with the valve covers on and that little issue didn’t click until this morning. I would say problem solved! Thanks

Yup!!!

Decades ago, I read of a fellow a couple of towns over that made that installation. An engineer by trade, I think. Very nicely executed, as I recall.

And, even further back, an Allison found it’s way into a 34 Ford tudor. I took up almost all the space, leaving just a it astern for a driver. Drag strip only, I suspect.

My son’s T bucket is powered by a very well warmed up
Ford 460 V8. It features a self designed and crafted front suspension and rear mounted radiators.

Carl
Car

Good news. The engine fired right up after I put it back together and put the wires going the right way. Valve train is a bit noisy based on the clearances recommended. I was a little worried I buggered up the piston rings sliding that sleeve in from the top, but it seems to be fine.

On another note, when I had the heads off and was pulling the valves out, I noted a number of them looked as if they were not closing all the way as there was carbon build up on the valve in the seating area and what looked like carbon track marks across the seat as if pressure was blowing through and creating small channels across the seat. I probably didn’t have very good compression in a lot of cylinders. The cylinder I did check before deciding to pull the heads only had 150 lbs of compression. I guess it is probably a good idea to set your valve clearance once in a while (this motor has 67k on it). I just barely bump the starter now and it fires right up. I am assuming refreshed valves renewed marginal compression.

All in all, I would say it took me 1 day to pull the heads, 2-3 days cleaning up the heads, lapping the valves and trying to get some reasonable valve clearance, and literally 4 days (some 12 hours) to clean the junk out of the block, new rings on 6B and sleeve back in, and then putting it all back together. I assume I would be faster next time, but this is not a project I would want to do very often.

and I thought I was the only one that ever forgot the rotor!!