The big day!

[65er]

I got the thumbs up for trimming the spacers.  I'm sure it sounds like I'm being overly worried about minor stuff but Blair has put a lot of thought into this setup.  I wanted to be sure I wasn't messing with a critical feature before taking a little off the top.  Even if it doesn't clear the hood completely, it'll allow for less trimming on the hood bracing.  I'm feeling pretty good about getting her tucked in.

[machoneman]

Good idea to check first.

I do hope you have a rather substantial chain or turnbuckle brace on the driver's side of the engine to prevent engine torque or worse a broken motor mount from whacking the hood. Had a pal with a hot 396 Chevelle who broke the mount, leading to a nice dent on the hood where the carb's stud hit the bottom side of the hood. Ouch! 

[My427stang]

I got the thumbs up for trimming the spacers.  I'm sure it sounds like I'm being overly worried about minor stuff but Blair has put a lot of thought into this setup.  I wanted to be sure I wasn't messing with a critical feature before taking a little off the top.  Even if it doesn't clear the hood completely, it'll allow for less trimming on the hood bracing.  I'm feeling pretty good about getting her tucked in.

Awesome, that's how I'd do it.  How's it running, been a while since an update!

[Drew Pojedinec]

*shakes Wade*
Wheres the freaking burnout video!!!!


hehe

[65er]

I've still got a few issues to work out before I get too crazy with it.  I knew I wasn't exactly a super tuner guy but this has been a very humbling deal so far.  Blair has had the patience of a saint though and with some hand-holding we've been making some good progress. 

Also have had random crap happening (car and otherwise) that has put me behind the eight ball a bit lately.

[Drew Pojedinec]

I was just messing man.  Take your time, do it all right.  Plus it's just a car.

I (and probably others) are just super excited for ya.

[cjshaker]

I was just messing man.  Take your time, do it all right.  Plus it's just a car.

I (and probably others) are just super excited for ya.

Ditto all of that.
Dynos are great for tuning for wide open throttle but do little in the way of tuning for daily use characteristics. Part throttle, tip-in, acceleration etc. takes some patience. You'll get it all worked out in time.

Im still looking at that throttle cable bracket. It's pretty darn cool. You should market that and sell exclusively to FE Power Forums members

[65er]

I could probably make you a cable bracket if you need it Doug, but I wouldn't want to do anything businesslike under my employers roof =)


I made some progress on my air cleaner clearance deal today.  I cut the filter base on both sides, so it sits closer to the carbs, and so the shelf where the filter sits is thinner.  Shaved .28" off the height and now I'm not sure if it's hitting or not.  Closed the hood and the windshield edge of it is still raised up a bit but I can push it down and it stays.  Might just need a little adjustment at this point.



pockets on the bottom to clear the needle and seat adjustment screws...


Moved my coil over onto the inner fender too since I discovered that it also had been in contact with the hood.  That probably contributed to the coil failing the other day leaving me stranded halfway to work.  Had to push the car out of the road into a Sonic parking lot, thank God someone ran out and helped push.   After I determined the problem was a lack of fire to the plugs I got a friend from work pick me up and run me to the parts store.   Fortunately it was the coil and not the MSD box...  But it looks a lot better there than on top of the AC pump, and it's away from the heat and vibration which can only be a good thing.



Also the big serious holdup I had was trash in the carbs.  I had cut all the braided hose with an abrasive wheel and apparently that abraded stuff was everywhere in spite of me blowing the lines out with the shop air.  Not good enough apparently!  Having the filter mounted next to the gas tank didn't help either since all the trash was after the filter.  I rearranged the whole darn thing on Friday and got the filter mounted after the pump and also took all the short hoses and cleaned them out good by using a wire to pull cotton rags through them and then blowing them out again after.  After getting all the lines and fuel log as clean as I possibly could I tore down all the carbs and cleaned them out too.   Not surprisingly seems MUCH happier now.   Having all that trash in there put way too much gas in the motor so I also changed the oil and plugs.  They both were bad in need of a change. 

I'm going to suggest you guys never use an abrasive wheel on those braided hoses!  Get a real hose cutter instead or borrow one if you can...

[Drew Pojedinec]

We cut them all the time with abrasive wheels at work.
we just blow the lines out really well.

Also, rung a few rounds of electrical tape over the area to be cut.  A suprising amount of stuff sticks to it and it also keeps everything together and not frayed

[CaptCobrajet]

I believe you are about to whip it now!   I just does not take very much material to really screw with a needle and seat........and then it pours down the fuel..........If it is just seeping, it fills the engine with gas for a while kinda undetected until it becomes apparent, and by then, like you said, you need needle, plugs, and an oil change.  You did it right.  Nice work on the air cleaner also.........

[Drew Pojedinec]

Although I don't like using them long term, those lil screens that go into the inlet side of the carb are really nice to use after you've cleaned a fuel tank or run new lines, etc.  I keep a bunch in my "carb parts bucket" just for such an event.... food for thought in the future.

[jayb]

I used an abrasive cutoff wheel to cut AN lines a few times and had exactly the same issue as you, Wade.  Especially with longer lines it is difficult to blow them out and get all the dust and crap from the cutoff wheel out.  I've gone back to wrapping the line in duct tape and cutting it with a hacksaw, then trimming any stray stainless steel wires with a side cutter pliers.  Seems to be a lot cleaner, and no more junk left in the lines.

[JamesonRacing]

I've found that a masonry chisel on an anvil, and a BFH....one good whack and I get a clean cut with very little fraying.

Wade - got my Fairlane back together and running with my BP Pro-port heads.  Just need to set the timing tonight and a few other adjustments.  Looks like my headers are going to work for now.

[Joe-JDC]

Enjoyed this thread, and the results.  Hope you get everything to your satisfaction.  Just a question.  It has been a while since I had a 6V cleaner lid in my hands, but could you cut the OD of that top lid down to match the filter better, and gain the clearance from the bracing under the hood that you need?  It looks like you could remove close to 1/2" off the lid and it would look like it would still fit the filter.  Also, I radius the inside of those lower housings, and it helps with airflow transition into the carbs---no turbulence.  Joe-JDC.

[65er]

I could cut the air cleaner back quite a ways before covering the filter element becomes a problem but it sure would ugly the thing up.  Here you can see how the ribs go around the end and the witness mark where the hood has been hitting.   Actually I'm pretty sure It's not hitting anymore since I had put some masking tape on that area of the air cleaner and the tape was undisturbed after driving a bit.


I'll probably be cutting some lines again once I come up with a plan for a neater layout.  Here you can see the new filter and coil locations along with some pretty unruly looking plumbing =) hmm! never noticed that nasty sticker on the power steering pump  til just now!  Bye bye sticker...