It's finally going together.......finally.

[Darius]

Bro. 5one9,

Did you get things put back together enough to go have run at Midnight Madness tonight! I remember what a pre-race thrash can be like!

Looking at the picture of your empty engine compartment I noticed that cute little, non-stock, torque converter. What flavor is it - and knowing you would match it with your camshaft, what specs are on that bumpstick?

Best,

bro. d

 

[5one9]

First a pic. It’s ugly but it fits. Covers need polished bad

 

[5one9]

My son texted me this morning and said they canceled due to rain. It still hasn’t rained! The converter is a 9.5” TCI nitrous converter. Balloon plate. It flashes 2900-3000 with about 3500lbs total and 2.94 rear gears and cruise down the road as low as you want to go on rpm. Stators are just incredible compared to 25 years ago. I hand built the trans with all good stuff to handle 1000hp.

 

[Darius]

Bro. 5one9,

You've got some nice stacks going on there Young Man! What wire, size, and amperage did you use? I've only played with 4043.

You need to teach this oldtimer some tricks! Not only with the TIG torch but in rebuilding a transmission.

Sorry to hear you got rained out - without the rain. Oh well, another day.

bro. d

 

[48Austin]

Nobody will see it under the heater box.

 

[5one9]

TIG, straight argon, 1/8” 4043 rod. Hobart Tigmate 150A cranked up and throttled with the foot pedal. Getting my torch hand on a steady surface is required. The 1/16” rod was nowhere near enough.

I built my first TH350 when I was 14. This TH400 is bada$$ from front to rear, to me anyway.

Oh, and we had torrential down pours late afternoon.

 

[5one9]

Nobody will see it under the heater box.

And that’s a fact.

 

[Darius]

TIG, straight argon, 1/8” 4043 rod. Hobart Tigmate 150A cranked up and throttled with the foot pedal. Getting my torch hand on a steady surface is required. The 1/16” rod was nowhere near enough.

I built my first TH350 when I was 14. This TH400 is bada$$ from front to rear, to me anyway.

Oh, and we had torrential down pours late afternoon.

Thank you very much!

Thanks also for being patient with my questions. And as long as I'm at it, in you post #27 you mentioned getting 15.1 volts out of your alternator. Just what fondling is required to achieve those results? My engine electrical system wants to know.

bro. "curious," d

 

[5one9]

Thank you very much!

Thanks also for being patient with my questions. And as long as I'm at it, in you post #27 you mentioned getting 15.1 volts out of your alternator. Just what fondling is required to achieve those results? My engine electrical system wants to know.

bro. "curious," d

Keep asking. Alternator looks stock. It’s a Autometer Pro Comp Ultralite gauge showing 15.1V. I’ve never put a DMM on it to verify.........but I can and now I’m curious.

 

[5one9]

It's in there!

 

[Darius]

Damn, but you do GOOD WORK!!

Nice, tidy, pretty and functional.

Best,

bro. d

 

[5one9]

Thanks brother. I was using a PCV valve but looking down in my cylinders I see the tops of the pistons are already cruddy looking even though the plugs look great. I'll find a set of breathers that work well and hopefully won't smell oil. That AC unit is dying for a set of hoses and by the time I have those on there you won't be able to see the engine any more.

 

[PJ McCoy]

Whaaaaaattttt Da'Ell???
Looks like it was born their!!
WOW!!!
OK, I have to ask, How low is your oil pan from the ground? And/or how high does your motor sit in the subframe?
My motor is sitting very high in the sub frame. I had to do this to get the geometry right on the rear end. Which I have to replace due to the drive gears in the diff are now splintering and the clutches on the driver side are toast. Hehehehe, it was fun while it lasted. Just didn't last lying on the old stocker rear.

Man, hats off to you. You do great work.

 

[5one9]

Using a stock SBC fan shroud as a gauge the very front of the engine is about 1/2" low. The oil pan is an 8 quart custom with trap doors and windage tray and it sits about 1/4" above the front crossmember believe it or not. Driveline angles are spot on. I built the headers so the collector ring is the closest thing on the car to the ground at exactly 6". I kid you not there are no less than a dozen places with 1/4" or less clearance in that engine bay but the engine lifts straight out with no issues.

 

[Darius]

Using a stock SBC fan shroud as a gauge the very front of the engine is about 1/2" low. The oil pan is an 8 quart custom with trap doors and windage tray and it sits about 1/4" above the front crossmember believe it or not. Driveline angles are spot on. I built the headers so the collector ring is the closest thing on the car to the ground at exactly 6". I kid you not there are no less than a dozen places with 1/4" or less clearance in that engine bay but the engine lifts straight out with no issues.

With the front differential parts blocking the forward direction, and the engine being setback into the Radio Flyer wagon, I'd need the ENTIRE body off in order to left the engine straight up and out!

You Planned this project well!

bro. d

 

[richie49]

Now that is tight. When ever I get to start on the a/c and heat on my car it's gonna be fun too to fit stuff. Mine engine bay looks empty next to yours.
Is yours ready to hit road again? Looks great.
On my engine to remove I have to unbolt engine then slide forward, up a little forward then up watching for something to snag.
Richard richie49

 

[PJ McCoy]

Using a stock SBC fan shroud as a gauge the very front of the engine is about 1/2" low. The oil pan is an 8 quart custom with trap doors and windage tray and it sits about 1/4" above the front crossmember believe it or not. Driveline angles are spot on. I built the headers so the collector ring is the closest thing on the car to the ground at exactly 6". I kid you not there are no less than a dozen places with 1/4" or less clearance in that engine bay but the engine lifts straight out with no issues.

That's knowledge put to work. When I was doing mine, I was winging it big time. One thing I do need is to go with a detached coil. My cap put a ding in the hood. Opps.
Great job
PJ

 

[5one9]

Now that is tight. When ever I get to start on the a/c and heat on my car it's gonna be fun too to fit stuff. Mine engine bay looks empty next to yours.
Is yours ready to hit road again? Looks great.
On my engine to remove I have to unbolt engine then slide forward, up a little forward then up watching for something to snag.
Richard richie49

I should be firing up tonight

 

[5one9]

Bro. 5one9,

Did you get things put back together enough to go have run at Midnight Madness tonight! I remember what a pre-race thrash can be like!

Looking at the picture of your empty engine compartment I noticed that cute little, non-stock, torque converter. What flavor is it - and knowing you would match it with your camshaft, what specs are on that bumpstick?

Best,

bro. d

Cam is a hydraulic roller with 0.608"/0.608", 237/245@0.050", and 109LSA advanced to 104. I'd like to go significantly bigger but I just can't stand to lose the manners that this car has.

On a down note, after all of that work pulling the engine to fix the rear pan seal, I used Right Stuff instead of a rear seal. Everything went together flawlessly. Put her back in and went for a ride and it leaks just as bad from the exact same location. I can see the oil seeping between the pan and the Right Stuff. I didn't like the consistency of that stuff when I applied it and I should have just used Ultra Black like I did on the intake. The Right Stuff seems more like a foam than it does a silicone. And the stuff isn't cheap at all. I have yet to get the rear of this custom pan to seal. I am about to use a stock Eldorado pan or buy the $500 aluminum pan. One helluva thing to have to do to fix a leak but I'm fed up with pulling the engine for this reason. The pan is coated with zinc or cadmium or something. I scuffed it good and everything was cleaned two or three times with brake cleaner. ridiculous really

 

[CanadianC10]

Any issues with crankcase venting?