Thanks so much!! Both motors are 1953, both hydraulic lifters. I have the head off the 9 main already, and will be pulling the 5 main out of the car in the next couple weeks (have to finish another project to make room in the shop). To the best of my knowledge neither motor has been rebuilt, but like you said only measuring will tell.

Hey guys! I had some questions about the internal differences between the 5 main and 9 main 327. How many parts out of my 5 main parts motor will with in the 9 main I am building? Are pistons different? Valves? Cam?

I know new parts are ideal of course, but I'm just curious if it's feasible to take the pistons and valves from my 5 and use them in the 9 to get it running this summer.

Scored this 9 main, 4bbl 327 for my Clipper this week for 400 bucks! Needs a piston, a few valves, and cleaned up.. my plan is to take the motor out od my car (running, but with a cracked block) and use the best of both motors to make a nice one. Disassembling tomorrow after work. Then dropping off the block at the machine shop to be boiled and checked over. I'll post more as she progresses!

Thanks for the help!!!!

I've been tinkering with it more today. Grounding the field terminal on the gen lets its charge over 8volts at about 1500rpm. I found that when I put a little more tension on the middle coil in the VR (the current one?) it started charging more, but was over charging at almost 9v. I backed it off just a tad, and backed off the first coil a bit (voltage?) and it still over charges but not as high as before- about 8v... I don't have a good ameter, is there any other way to know what the middle coil is doing? If its within the right voltage range is all well and good? I just don't want to start frying things....
Thanks again!!!!!

I forgot to add:
Tim I may have described the problem wrong, intermittent isn't the right word I don't think.... It doesn't charge until its all warmed up, then charges until I shut the car off. Sometimes it just doesn't charge at all. I noticed today when I had the cover off that there is some scorch marks around where the thin copper wire from the cutout is soldered to the base... I'll try to get a pic to post. maybe that is related?

I don't know what the deal is with this thing... It was adjusted perfect for about a month!!! I found the ground wire you speak of... ran new wires for everything, cleaned and tightened all terminals, tried more and less pressure on the spring..... Nothing. Just nothing, no difference whatsoever. I'll send my address and buy a case of beer if anybody close to Sacramento wants to come get thing working!!!! Seriously, I'm almost to the point of lighting this sucker on fire....

Called a few shops in town, nobody I found in the phone book will adjust it for me, but one guy told me to add a ground strap/wire to the regulator since the only ground is through the mounting screws. He described it like a loose taillight socket; sometimes you might hit a bump just right and it makes good contact, sometimes it looses contact... Makes sense to me. Can anyone on here back this up? Or better yet, does anybody know a place in Sacramento that will bench test my Gen/VR?

Thanks for the replies! Somebody suggested that if I adjusted the regulator on a hot day it would explain why I'm having problem on colder nights. But anyways, I am going to take my gen and VR to a shop to have tested. I know I've seen an old industrial electric place near by, I might swing in there and see if they could help.

Ok, so it has been charging fine for a while after the new regulator. Recently, it wouldn't charge until I drove the car for about 15 minutes, and then would start to charge (lights would be dim, horn wouldn't work, then when the charging system kicks in everything gets brighter). Now, sometimes it won't charge at all even after a 30 minute drive. I've been stranded with a dead battery twice now!! The generator still charges fine when the regulator is bypassed. Any thoughts on this???

I have an old NOS Allstate regulator I am going to try. It has a different mounting pattern, so I'm going to make an aluminum adapter plate to avoid drilling new holes in the firewall.....

Just an update... I've been doing body work on the car so haven't been driving much and therefore haven't tried thicker oil yet. A little while ago I took the car to an out of town show (Midnight Mass in Woodland). About 30-40 miles one way. A bit more than half way there the lifter noise started again. Temp gauge read right under 180, it was a cooler evening. After the show there was no noise until about half way home again. I have a good oil cooler that was on my VW when I bought it (I went back to a stock cooler), what are some thoughts on plumbing it in? I'm also going to pick up some Motor Honey or something later on to see what happens.

Tearing the back bumper off!?!?! That sounds like my kind of good time!!

Is the theory that it squats down so hard it catches the bumper or what?