Search results

The only rear axles I've encountered that behave the way you describe are an 8.75" without the wheel bearings adjusted, a GM Gov-Lock without additive, and anything with a Powertrax-style locker in it (the kind that replace the guts of an open diff). My Dad's Delta 88 did that badly when the...

It'll be awhile... I have to assemble a car (any car) and get my license back. I haven't driven legally in over 25 years, and virtually at all in 17+. I'm a bad man.

Agreed. Slots, Cragars, or Halibrands--even wide plain-black steelies--would be a big improvement if he couldn't find matching Keystones. The ones on the front have been out of production since the early 1970s (they slightly changed the shape of the openings). The very-1980s Weld wheels just...

Fingers crossed! When you're really frustrated, you need to repeat to yourself (aloud), "I do this for fun... I do this for fun..." It doesn't help, of course, but you find yourself introspective on your life's choices. 😁 Smoke 'em if you've got 'em? I think I'd probably leave well enough...

Preload's preload. If you achieved your desired amount, the pushrods aren't too short. If they were, you'd bottom the adjuster before you hit the number. If you've got your desired preload, stop worrying about it. I'm glad this appears to be solved. Between you and @RUSTY Cuda it's been a...

Diplomat_wagon got me a couple of Canuck "Learner Driver" decals several years ago as a joke. Of course, here in the Great White Not As North, it's "Student Driver" so it would just confuse people. Ovningskor would be a great band name in English-speaking countries. It sounds so metal. 😄

I don't think the pushrods are short enough to be the issue, to be honest. If you're setting preload with a partially-bled lifter, your preload is almost certainly wrong. I tend to agree with this. The 440 in which I ate the cam didn't start ticking until it had thousands of miles on it. By...

That's the problem... I don't actually know. I've always built the engine, run through the break-in procedure (not always successfully, natch) and driven the thing. I've never run into a problem like this, so I've never had to study lifter behavior after shutting off the car. I was looking at...

Oh, I'd bet it's authentic. Someone putting that kind of effort into reproducing a vintage look like that would almost certainly not do such a horrible job on the "direct connection" logo. Also, the way that pale gold or silver is crazed and falling off is virtually impossible to reproduce...

Expect some metal in the filter--it's kind of a given after break-in. I also use a magnetic drain plug to keep anything I can out of the oiling system period. One thing you might try, and I'm by no means saying it will help, is backing off the adjusters on that side to the point where...

I don't see how they could hit, since the instant the rocker moves so does the valve. Having said that, I'd pull that rocker shaft and look at the bottoms of the rockers for witness marks just to be sure. You won't have to mess with your preload; it's no different than taking off factory...

When I set lash/preload, I start at a point where the pushrod rotates freely but has no up/down movement. In my mind, if there's resistance, there's already preload. Don't discount the exhaust out of hand. Many a valvetrain problem has been solved with exhaust work. ;)

I'm not sure that would accomplish anything, really. There's not much you can see with 'em off that you can with 'em on, unless you think you've got a bum adjuster/pushrod tip or a beat valve--neither of which I think is a possibility unless you assembled it that way. I wouldn't think it has...

Pushrods aren't really an exact science. I measured at several points in my engine, averaged 'em. My adjusters weren't consistently at the same depth, despite being solids. I didn't sweat it because the lash was good across all 16 lifters.

Don't feel too bad, we've all junked or destroyed stuff we wish we hadn't. Stretch, Kevin and I have great fun jabbing each other round-robin style for really valuable stuff--a factory-original AAR hood, a pair of rust-free '72 Charger Rallye doors, etc.--that we destroyed, crushed, or gave...

Agreed. He's not even a friend, per se--he's a good customer with whom I get along quite well. We have a lot of fun when he stops in or calls, but we don't hang around outside work or anything. He's a good man, for sure, and I consider him a friend at this point. By the time all's said and...

Based on my experiences, a collapsed lifter in a SBM sounds like a rod knock. It's loud and it's not a tick--it's a knock. I thought my engine was coming apart but it was just low on oil. Long story, but don't let your pal borrow your car based on a free full tank of fuel. Things snowball...

It sounds pretty good out the tailpipes, in my opinion. It spins up pretty well, too. It's possible that it's a pushrod length issue, but I doubt it. If you were able to get the preload set without the hexes hitting the rockers, you should be good on length. I also doubt that the cup ends of...

The fella who owns the trailer and hauled the car away just stopped by work. I'd told him I didn't want anything, just the car being gone was more than enough. Despite my insistence, he refused to take any money for gas or his time for getting rid of the car. Then he handed me the $90 the...

When I awoke yesterday, the car and trailer were still here. When I peeked on the way to the bathroom a couple of hours later, 'twas all gone. I never even heard him back there, which is unusual--normally I'll hear any vehicle door within a half-block radius. He's a pretty stealthy dude. I'm...