My 427 SOHC Build..... Finally the time has come!

[cobracammer]

No worries gentlemen...  Headers are definately getting coated ....  for the $$ they cost, I would be a moron not to coat them  LOL

OK on to more updates.  I got the FAST EFI all hooked up.  Its not permanently attached to the Bussed electrical box yet, but as soon as its running, I will permanently secure it.  I turned the hand held on in the car, and went to the error section, and luckily there are no errors.  All seems well.

Then on to the MSD 6A box.  This was also not permanently secured.  All wires were left at full length so I am not limited to where I can put it.  When you see the pictures bellow, you will understand what little space I have to put these things.

One thing that got me was finding a 12V switched source to fee the MSD and FAST comuter.  In the end, I ended up running a wire to the interior passenger side kick panel fuse box.  I know for sure which of these were switched 12V.  All the connections were sealed with heat shrink.

Now when the key is in the ON position, the red LED light on the MSD box comes on.  The LED light on the FAST computer will not turn on until the car is running (as per the instruction manual).

What I will say (and it really hit my confidence HARD)....  I went for it and turned the key with the coil plug off to hear the engine turn over.  When I turned the key, nothing.  One click......  and then when I turned the key back off, just another One Click.

After discussing this with my father, we think its the ground on the starter.  I grounded it to the K member, but we think maybe the black powder coating is not allowing for a solid ground.  I am going to crawl back under and sand it down to bare metal and re-tighten.  fingers crossed, that will be the issue.

Last thing I need to do is install a throttle cable.  I ordered a 36" throttle cable, but this is going to require a little fabrication.  The Saleen had "throttle by wire", which is like electronic throttle control.  There was no cable, so the pedal has not place for it.  I am going to take the pedal off, and make a little throttle bracket to bolt to the pedal that will accept the Clevis pin connection on the new cable.  Hopefully this will be easy.  The only thing I was thinking was about wide open throttle.  I was curious how far I can get the throttle open with the pedal (or if its adjustable)  When I floor the pedal, I wonder if I can adjust the throttle blades so that they are open all the way, and then when the pedal is fullly released, the blades are fully closed.

[cobracammer]

Horrible News.  I went under the car and removed the ground bolt from the K member for the starter.  After a few minuted of sanding, I got some shiny metal showing and rebolted it back on.

I got in the car and pushed the clutch pedal down to Start the car, and I had a blow out on one of the stainless lines (From what I can see).  It looks like a burnt spot on the line.......  I think the header guy must have burnt it while welding up the headers!!!  I am at a loss at this point.  That would mean pulling the driveshaft, the transmission and replacing the line.

Lost here.

[jayb]

Man, that sucks.  Do you mean the hydraulic clutch line, from the master cylinder to throwout bearing?  No way to get in there and remove the line?

[cobracammer]

Hi Jay.  Yes its the Hydraulic feed line.  Its stainless steel braided line.  There is a spot where the line almost touches the transmission fork window area.  There appears to be a burn mark there where an arc  jumped, and fluid now squirts from there.  I cant engauge the clutch, and thus cannot start the car (I believe).

I am unsure if I can get the line off without taking the transmission off, but I will def try.  I ordered a new replacement line ( header guy will pay he said).  It was 30- something dollars.  I will try and just remove it through the 7Oclock fork window.... reseal the fitting and replace. 

Would I be correct in assuming that without the clutch fingers depressed, the starter wont be able to turn?  When I tun the key, it sounds alive, but wont turn over.  I was hoping that it was just that the clutch wasnt disengaging due to the leaky line.  Thoughts?

[drdano]

The transmission wont go from in-gear to neutral just sitting there?  I would think you could get it to pop into neutral from in gear.

The starter can turn the motor over with the trans in neutral, but you've likely got a neutral safety switch you'll need to bypass from the OEM car.   

[My427stang]

The motor should turn over just fine in neutral

Did you try turning the motor over with a breaker bar?

[cjshaker]

Yeah, the car has a safety switch built into the clutch. It will not start or turn over unless the clutch is depressed, and depressed FULLY! Kinda odd that the header guy would have burnt it. He was TIG welding and they don't throw sparks or anything that could burn the line unless he was RIGHT on top of it.

Sorry to hear about that. Hopefully it can be done without pulling the tranny. BUT, if it has to be pulled, don't get too discouraged. I ran my engine for 20 seconds last year after installing it, then realized I had a problem with the clutch rubbing the arm. I had to pull the tranny to fix it. Sucks, that's for sure, but you will overcome it....and it's still early in the year

[turbohunter]

That sucks but we've all had set backs.
That's part of what makes it so darn cool when you finally get it done.
Feel ya brother but it's part of the game.
Head down, roll stone.
Whack it in neutral.

[cobracammer]

OK here is where I am.  I want to see the starter working, so I looked online and decided to jump the starter.  Start there and work my way back to turning the key.

So Since the starter is grounded to the K member, and has a constant 12 volt power source, I jumped a wire from the battery to the 12V signal wire....  and that was my click!  It seems like the starter shaft thrusts out, but doesnt mesh up with the flywheel??  I am unsure how to remedy this.  Its an MSD starter specifically for a Ford FE.  Unfortunately there is no way to see once its installled into the block/bell housing.  There is no viewing window to measure the gear mesh... etc like in the instructions.

So I guess what I really want to know is this....  on a starter, does the gear shaft need to be fully extended before it starts to turn?  I am curious when I jump it why I dont hear it spinning.....  its just a thud/click.  If it does not spin until its fully extended (which makes sense to me) then I have an issue where the shaft shooots out, the teeth dont mesh, and wont allow it to fully extend and start to turn the engine.

If, however, the starter shaft is spinning at full speed as soon as it gets power, then I have no idea why I dont hear it spinning.... and just hear a click/thud.

If anyone can answer...  1st, the spinning question....  and 2nd, how I can shim the starter with a Quicktime bell housing that does not have a window where I would be able to see it while its bolted up?

Please advise.  It would seem that when I push the clutch pedal down and turn the key, the click I was hearing was the starter, so thats a plus.   Now I just need to figure out whats going on?>

[cjshaker]

Have you checked the battery? The starter should spin and engage if the solenoid is clicking, UNLESS the battery is so low that it won't spin the starter. Otherwise it SEEMS that you may have a bad starter. The spinning of the shaft is what kicks out the drive gear, so if it doesn't spin it can't engage.

[cobracammer]

Is there any way this is still a bad ground connection?  The MSD starter is brand new out of the box.  Online it looks like the solenoid makes the shaft come out, but the starter motor makes it spin. Is there a way ( assuming the groung is not great) that the solenoid would engage, but the starter motor would not turn on?

There is not much room under there, but before i pull the starter out, im going to try to dremmel that bolt tab until its shiny metal.

[jayb]

Just guessing, but I doubt its the ground.  Ross suggested you try to turn the engine over by hand, which is a good idea; put a socket and breaker bar on the big bolt on the front of the crank, and try to turn the engine with the breaker bar, in the clockwise direction.  You should be able to get it to move.  If not, something has jammed it up.  Maybe the transmission is jamming the engine somehow.  Try this test first, Jason, and if the engine does move, I think Doug is right that it could be the battery.

[cobracammer]

Another weird thing i checked was after trying for like 5 minutes of turning the key, the starter motor was cold to the touch. I would have thought if it was working and fighting a load, it would heat up

[ScotiaFE]

Have you checked the battery? The starter should spin and engage if the solenoid is clicking, UNLESS the battery is so low that it won't spin the starter. Otherwise it SEEMS that you may have a bad starter. The spinning of the shaft is what kicks out the drive gear, so if it doesn't spin it can't engage.

Never did have much luck with those red batts.
It's the batt or starter. I would boost it.

[drdano]

The click is solenoid, and if the battery isn't charged enough, you'll get enough power to collapse the solenoid, but not spin the starter.  I'd start by checking the battery.  In the meantime, take the others advice here and roll the motor over with a socket and breaker bar.  Had I done that when I had "clutch problems" on my 428, I wouldn't have smoked the thrust bearing out of the motor caused by my transmission input shaft being too long and burying itself into the pilot of the crank. 

One theory on the scorched hydraulic line:  ground wasn't on the header when the guy was welding...thus the electrical current was jumping that gap between the bell and the line.