Mounted the block to the new engine stand the other day - after buying and assembling said stand. My old AC Delco 1000lb unit was not at all up to the task the last time around, so I've upgraded to a 2,000 lb unit from Harbor Freight. Seems completely up to the task, but I'll update if it fails somehow. It's already clear the lever arm for turning the engine will be woefully under specified (only about a foot and a half long). Mounting the engine with the arms was also a challenge, but I figured it out eventually.

Here's the hookup series, and some detail shots. The vehicular tail-end you'll see my friend's Triumph Stag. He's letting me borrow a slot in his shop for the moment.

http://imgur.com/a/zGxtB

I am very much leaning towards Red Hex Racing. Double entendres are very satisfying.

No turbo at this point. N/A as per the class I want to enter, but I will have two carbs on an Edmunds intake.

Nine months after dropping it off, I picked up the engine today. Lots of that was trouble sourcing parts on their end, some was me losing my shop and having to reshuffle my life a bit. Regardless, the engine looks minty fresh.

There's so much new. Boiled and primed, of course, but the head and block have been decked, main bearings line bored, crank ground, cylinders bored-over .060" which means new pistons. The old rods were re-used although the big ends have been clipped and bored/honed and they've all bee balanced.

All new valves, valve springs, guides, and the seats have been reground. Cam balanced. Complete rebuild on the oil pump.

They also sourced new bearings and gaskets, new studs are up to me.

My favorite upgrade was my own request, blowing out the 10mm spark plugs an favor of common 14 mm. It'll make sourcing plugs in the worst conditions a breeze.

She's pretty. Real pretty.

http://imgur.com/a/odFL6

Since the engine is taking so long and I finally got my buddy's Corvair out of the shop (full engine rebuild on a really cool engine and differential - Ralph Nader is full of shit) I decided to start on body work.


I started on the giant effing hole in the passenger flank left by a horrible body man at some time in the past. I cut out the extra cancer, made a blank using fouled seamless from a leftover photo shoot, cut a piece of steel out of a piece of a Geo Prism hood I had laying around that matched the 0.050" sheet metal thickness, then stitch welded it in place.


Unfortunately I misread the rusty cancer and one corner a tiny bit thin so I'll have to booger weld the hole closed, but still, it's a first step. The holes in the drivers side rear below the tail light are next.

Hexagon... I am mortified.

Hey guys, I have a favor of you all.

My sister is a marketing major at Ball State and has decided to take on my project as a senior thesis. She's working on generating sponsorships and putting together a marketing package. I've been working under the guise of "Packard Racing" but it's a non-defensible name, considering the trademark is owned by those who shall not be named.

So what I'm asking for is suggestions for names that would be fun. I've suggested Series 23 Motorsports (or Racing), Straight Eight Motorsports or Red Octagon Racing (I rather like this one), but you never know what might come out.

Sweet Mother of God, the carb was filthy! Every time I take something on this car apart I can't believe I drove it home, that it was smooth as silk, and that it kept up with modern traffic.

Gallery:http://imgur.com/a/JrPj2#0

I caught your point Ross, but like you said, kind of water under the bridge. The cylinder pressures are so low though that I'm not super worried. If it was an 11:1 or 12:1 compression ratio or supercharged it would be one thing, but around 7-7.8:1 I cannot imagine the thread or plug failing.

There are plenty of these heads around though, so I'm not terribly worried about getting a replacement if I need to.

Potentially, at the same time, this will be a semi-spare head come race time. I'm getting a 288 head for the higher-compression ratio. I guess I'll see if i'm happy with the result from this conversion. By the way the cup is caste now, drilling and tapping will probably result in an extra course of threads compared to the 10mm.

There's always the option of adding material via heliarc the re-drilling and tapping.