HA/GR in Minnesota

[Old28]

Ya Bob, from a nostalgia drag racing point we are doing very well. I think you may see even more 1/8 mile tracks in the future and I think insurance is a big factor. Like I told old6rodder a few weeks ago, if it's no track or 1/8 mile, I'll take all the 1/8 mile tracks we can keep open.

The Fiat looks great. You have put in some time getting it to this stage and as usual the workmanship first class. As always with your short race season window it is apparent you have to Meany projects and not an ought time, but you are having fun and staying as young at heart as you can. It will all get done at some point.

I know what you mean about keeping that grass cut on acres, from 2000 - 2009 while I lived in Whidbey Island, WA we had a 5 ac place that had 3/4 ac in regular lawn (24" Craftsman riding mower) and 3 ac cut with a (little Kabota Diesel tractor pulling a 48" brush hog deck). It was a weekly job, but it was great therapy, no real thought process needed and it always look so nice when it was done.

[P-Dog]

Bob,

If that Lawn Boy is a two stroke and if we lived closer I'd come mow your lawn for free just to hear the engine run and smell the smoke, gotta love those two strokes.

P-Dog,,, hook'd on two stroke smoke.....

[bobw]

Received my third set of torque converter bolts today and installed them before I put them away, never to be found; like the other two sets.
Added oil and trans fluid. The floor is still dry.
Put a set of almost matching metering rods in the Carter BBD 2 barrels.
I also had to make some new wiring for the ignition as that got misplaced too.

I couldn't help myself, had to pour a little gas down the carbs. It lit right off and ran for a few seconds. Houston, we have ignition!

Back to the important stuff. Most people mow their lawns. A select few of us Lawnboy our lawns. Every every revolution has a power stroke.

I love the smell of fresh cut grass mixed with burned 2 stroke oil in the morning.

[Old28]

Well Bob, I know what you mean about parts just getting up and walking off during these projects. It is not just HAMBster builds, as I had the same loss during the 29 RPU project. I really feel that it more me than the parts as some parts walk back in and are in an area I know that I did not put them.

Glad to hear that you got the motor fired if even for a short time. Ya got to get her to the track soon as your race seasons about done come Sept.
I got my carbs set and the car idles & rev up nice, sounds good with the straight pipes that will be changed for the new motor. Still have to replace the soft plugs in the head. Hope to take it out to the ANRA race this weekend for show/tell only. Going to have tech crew look it over to make sure it's race ready.

Ya, I love that fresh cut grass smell and miss that mindless task.

[bobw]

Didn't have a lot of time today as I was helping to babysit and dogsit. My son had his little baby girl today. Our ninth and last grandchild. She's a beauty.

The slantie wouldn't fire no. 3 & 4 cylinders. Found the home made manifold was not bolted tight enough allowing a big vacuum leak. Now to fix the big oil leak in front.

Tomorrow I'll see if the trans (I put the manual shift kit in it) has three forward and one reverse gears. There's a 50-50 chance I did a good job.

Tom, glad to hear you got carbs sorted out. Yes, it is a short season here. But I generally only run 3-4 times a summer anyhow. I have to get the Crosley out to finally run it a fast as it will go. That means the dragster will only get out a couple times.

[bobw]

What's in your oil pan?
In mine I found oil, Lucas breakin fluid and....water!!
Apparently the steel shim head gasket that I thought was going to give me a little more compression, gave me a milkshake in the pan. I noticed a little trickle out of the mating surface. No problem, a little Stop Leak with fix that. Sorry, the problem is bigger than that.

It's apart and I'll install the head gasket that came with the set.

How would you guys remove the oil/water mixture from the inside of the engine? I have to take the pan off to fix an oil leak at the front right corner so I'll have access to lots of the internals.

BTW the engine ran great for the minute I had it lit.

[Old28]

Just asking, did you spray copper coat both sides of the steel gasket and let it tack up a bit before you installed it. I have always done both steel & soft copper race gaskets that way and had good luck.

I have only had one of my BBC motors get water in the oil and I removed the pan, cleaned it, filled the motor with some oil and primed the oil system with my drill, then ran the motor for a few minutes, re-drained oil and filled with my normal 50wt race oil. I pulled the pan and bottom end bearings at the season end and they looked fine. Others may have a better way, but this works fine for me.

Glad motor sounds strong, still want to see/hear it when you and the grandson can video it. Their's always something to work on, "Race Cars", gotta love them.

[bobw]

Tom, I sprayed aluminum paint on advice from Don Dolmetch an experienced slant six builder. I think the problem is the gasket was shelf worn and had some rust on the compression ribs. I tried to lightly sand the rust off.
Your cleanup technique is about what I was thinking. Your experience gives me confidence it will work.
I'll be pulling the pan to fix a leak at the front seal so I'll have access to the bottom end. I'll wipe everything off, maybe spray WD-40 on everything and wipe that off too.

A bit of good news; the transmission has at least one forward gear and reverse. The wheels were turning when I had it on the jack stands. I tried 1st, 2nd & 3rd but it was all at a fast idle and the fluid was probably pretty low as I hadn't finished filling it. So I'm hopeful that my trans modifications are okay.

Next weekend at the local (100 miles away) 1/8 mile track there will be a couple nostalgia funny cars and part of the Geezer Gasser contingent. I want to run the dragster at Test and Tune before the show.

[injected27]

Bob I usually try and catch the oil out of my wifes car on a oil change and save it. If I have a water in the oil problem like that I will fix the problem and put the used oil in it with a new filter. I run it until it gets to operating temp. If it is not a milkshake when I when it cools down I drain it and put the fresh oil in. I like to run it to make sure the water problem is solved and this is a $ 4.00 test that has served me well in the past.

[Old28]

Bob, I forgot the part about the oil filters. I remove the oil filter and drain it of any oil/water and then put it back on with the clean up oil. When I drain the clean up oil I remove the filter and put a fresh one on with my new 50#. Works fine.

Your probable right about the gasket. Lot of guys use silver paint, I like the spray copper coat because it stays a little softer when tacked up at installation time.

Glad to hear about the trans, hope all is well when you get motor back together.

I will post my tech stuff later today. Was all small stuff.

[bobw]

I did two oil changes and got all the discolored material out of the engine. Tomorrow 5 quarts of Brad Penn racing oil goes in. If it isn't raining (lots of rain here recently) tomorrow I should be able to make some driveway blasts.

Was hoping to go to Test and Tune Saturday but other obligations have cropped up.

[Old28]

Good look with your driveway test. Hope the weather cooperates.

I know you guys are having some bad spring heat & humidity, I talked to my youngest grandson (8 years old) in Fenton, MI on Monday and they played in a baseball tournament on the weekend, 92 deg with 85% humidity. Kids, they will play in any weather. They won the tournament, I'm sure that helped.

[bobw]

I got the pig running pretty good and tried a few driveway blasts. Not good. It sputtered and fell on its face, then took off. Figured out the metering rods weren't reacting to the vacuum signal. Then I figured out there wasn't any vacuum signal. A change in base gaskets fixed that.

Haven't been able to try it again, it seems to run much better though, because my one neighbor with very good hearing and low tolerance for disruption to his tranquility, won't leave home.

[Old28]

Glad to hear that you were able to fire & test the ride. It sounds like you have found the carb problem. I know you are way better with these one & two barrel carbs than I am. I ended up getting my two 94's from a local guy that does a lot of 94 & 97 units. I can change the jets but that's about it. Two many years with SBC & BBC injection systems. After 40 years of using nothing else I feel like I can set them up in my sleep.

I think for the bigger motor I will take the easy route and run one 4BL carb and sell all my 94 intake and carb stuff. I want this car to be about making passes, not tuning at the track to make it run.

Hope the weather clears and your neighbor has to run into town so you can driveway test.

[bobw]

The neighbors went away for the 4th so I was able to do some driveway drag racing. My carb fix didn't fix the problem. It has 20 in. of vacuum. Problem is it won't idle below about 1,300 rpm. The throttle plates are closed. Metering rods are down. Everything looks right, but it runs on fast idle. When I dump it in gear it kills. Seems like it is idling above the converter stall speed. If there is a big vacuum leak, I haven't been able to find it.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

The good news is it sounds healthy and has very good throttle response.

[Joe Hamby]

you were able in the past to spray wd40 arround the intake and watch for smoke when it went into a vacume leak. I have not tried it sence they changed it. I don't know if it will still burn? but you can find something to do that with for finding vacume leaks.

[injected27]

I have used propane torch to find vacuum leaks. The engine will change tone when it gets a wiff of the propane. Just do it outside and you should not have any problems. Oh yeah for the people that don't no any better DO NOT light the torch. If you got 20lbs of vacuum its hard for me to believe you have a vacuum leak. I would be looking at initial timing or a stopped up idling cicuit in carb.You may need to drill a small hole in the butterflys to get the blades back in the idleing circuit also. I have had to do this on many a Holley to get it to idle low.I hope this helps

[bobw]

Off topic I know, but just to show my HA/GR & SDRA acquaintances that I have been staying busy in the garage, here's the Fiat project on its second short trip around the neighborhood.

[Old28]

Looks real cool Bob, we need a few closeup pictures for some of us that can't see that far.

[Drewfus]

Originally Posted by Old28

Looks real cool Bob, we need a few closeup pictures for some of us that can't see that far.

click on the picture and it will 'zoom in' for you....

sounds good, that thermo certainly is loud, but great to see some action there, bet you must be excited to see some light at the end of the tunnel

Congrats,

Drewfus