Oh yeah!

It started.









Check out the pics!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunsalamander14/

It wasn't too difficult either. I had my buddy crank it and I messed with the distributor until it started. Then I stepped up the idle and opened the choke. I ran it at 2000 rpm for 30 minutes.

The exhaust was flex pipe I got from the parts store. I couldn't bend the drivers side down tube enough so the muffler was hanging really low. When I pulled the car into the garage I snagged one of the clamps and it ripped the flex pipe. I will just remove the exhaust and drive it to the shop to have new pipes put on it. I will be using the same 45" Thrush glasspacks, everything else will be new. I will probably have an H pipe put on it.

Tomorrow I hope to start it and set the timing, idle, and choke.

 

GRRRREEEEEAAAATT!!

So when is the first cruise?

Nice to hear it started well.
Pipes? We don't need no stinkin' pipes...

 

Too cool!

Congratulations!

That engine sure is pretty, and it's running too.

I was a nervous wreck before I started mine.
Those are some of the longest and most intensely focused 30 minutes you'll ever spend after it fires up.

 

Definitely the truth.

I got lucky, or I just was meticulous during assembly. The only leak was a slow drip from the inlet of the carburetor. I will reseal it this evening.

I will probably tune it up this evening or tomorrow. After it is tuned up I might drive it down the road a bit without pipes on it. I take it for the first cruise after I get exhaust put on it.

 

Great. did those exhaust manifolds work fer ya?

 

Yes, they work very well. Thank you for providing me with top notch W/Z manifolds.

 

It should be up here to Kansas City. That car would make the cruise so easily.

Your engine looks really good Jesse, I am really happy for you. That air cleaner housing needs to be re-painted now.

I got a call from Jesse yesterday evening and I could hear the excitement in his voice. Very good!!!

 

Congrats Jesse,

Job well done. Your going to drive it up to your dads in September right?

 

Alas I will not. It doesn't have AC (yet) and Amy and I will be making the trip with the baby and the dogs.

 

Hose down the dog and let his head out the window and use him as a swamp cooler

 

I don't know if the dogs would like that too much. One dog is a little poofy dog my wife fell in love with. The other is a small Corgi mix that would jump out the window if we gave her the chance.

Plus, I don't want dog hair in the interior since I had that redone just before the engine went in.

 

poofy dog? thats funny, made me laugh great way to start the day

 

It sounds like you KNOW that will work, as if you'd tried it...

 

Ok guys. I tinkered with the timing and idle speed last night and drove the car for the first time in earnest!

It performed as well if not better than it ever has before! I am please with the acceleration and power it has from a stop and from about 20 miles per hour. I got into it a little bit but never opened the secondaries completely. When I got into the secondaries at 40 miles per hour I had a little bit of black smoke. I think that could be that my secondary metering rods are too rich. I did use CV rods with a G hanger. I also have AKs and DRs, plus an H hanger. I might switch to one of those sets or the other hanger and see how it does.

Other than that it did well. The idle is still a bit high. It idles in drive at 800 rpm with 8 degrees advance at 1100 rpm. It barely dieseled when I shut it off in drive.

This evening I am going to take the wife and baby out for ice cream in the Olds (no ice cream in the Olds of course). I will keep everyone posted.

 

I was surprised that 8 degrees advance worked well with that W30 cam, would have figured a little more would have been better. But hey, it's all about fine tuning and what your particular combination likes.

 

True. I was surprised that I am only pulling about 12 or 13" of vacuum. However, I don't have any vacuum leaks and the power brakes work ok. I guess the cam just doesn't make much vacuum.