Author Topic: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over  (Read 6448 times)

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Cobrajet2

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1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« on: January 01, 2019, 10:17:01 PM »
I had the 390 in my Fairlane rebuilt by a local, reputable machine shop with parts
I had picked. I figured it to be a decent combination,  but something is not right with
This engine. Car launches well, but falls on its face. No power.  Really low vacuum, overheats in traffic and rarely makes it into the 14's ET wise.
"That guy has got a pocket full of money and a watch full of time!"   Hubert Platt.


Drew Pojedinec

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #1 on: January 01, 2019, 10:30:56 PM »
To get some advice, as many details as possible would be great.

First question would be some engine specs, head specs, camshaft, and timing.

Cobrajet2

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2019, 10:57:15 PM »
Yeah, sorry. I was trying to ad some video from my phone, but it would'nt take. Too big a file maybe.  So, me and a friend are going to do some checks and post the findings here. Something to do over the long Winter.  More to come.

Mike
"That guy has got a pocket full of money and a watch full of time!"   Hubert Platt.


My427stang

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #3 on: January 02, 2019, 12:04:42 PM »
A parts list, with gearing and tranny would be a great start.

A couple of quick observations though, a 390 running high 14s isn't horrible, in fact it's pretty good with stock exhaust manifolds. 

I'd be looking at making 100% sure I was getting full throttle, the timing curve was right, and my balancer was checked to be indicating timing marks correctly. 

Also, the distributor looks to be either in a retarded position or dropped in a tooth off (a tooth off is fine, but just an observation), but it looks like #1 wire is moved 2 spots over, but the distributor isn't turned all that much.  Hard to tell from a picture, but incorrect timing and a stock distributor could rob it blind

Additionally, overheating could come from both retarded timing (which also contributes to low vacuum) and a bad fan/pulley combo.

As Drew pointed out, the more you list of parts and setup the better.
« Last Edit: January 02, 2019, 12:11:57 PM by My427stang »
---------------------------------
Ross
Bullock's Power Service, LLC
- 70 Fastback Mustang, 489 cid FE, Victor, SEFI, Erson SFT cam, TKO-600 5 speed, 4.11 9 inch.
- 71 F100 shortbed 4x4, 461 cid FE, headers, Victor Pro-flo EFI, Comp Custom HFT cam, 3.50 9 inch

Drew Pojedinec

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #4 on: January 02, 2019, 12:23:19 PM »
Additionally, overheating could come from both retarded timing (which also contributes to low vacuum) and a bad fan/pulley combo.

My initial thought as well.
Can't tell how many people send me a carb and I check it out, test it, etc and find nothing wrong.  I then start asking about timing and they either don't know, or it's like 6 degrees btdc  lol.

Heo

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #5 on: January 02, 2019, 03:12:13 PM »
My first thought, timing or some restriction in the exhaust



The defenition of a Gentleman, is a man that can play the accordion.But dont do it

Barry_R

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #6 on: January 02, 2019, 05:26:24 PM »
I will "third" the retarded timing thoughts - symptoms sure fit.

67428GT500

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #7 on: January 03, 2019, 05:38:15 PM »
Do people on the forum really run into dampers that the ring has shifted that often? I know my custom grind was straight up, but it seems many cam manufacturers grind in a 4 degree retard.
                                                                                                    -Keith

Heo

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2019, 07:46:40 PM »
I happened to me a few times. the last one i saw
slipped real bad. Was on a 392 Hemi in a bucket-t
I happened to walk by it on a gas station when he
started it. I saw the ring slip of the damper towards
the block and started to flop around
I bet he thought i lost it when i started to  yell at him to
kill the engine ;D
My current FE had several new 0 marks made with a chisel ::)
One FE i had was missing the ring completely
A friend had a real hot 327 chevy, i was riding with him and
he wound it out in second and the ring exploded
So i always buy a new damper



The defenition of a Gentleman, is a man that can play the accordion.But dont do it

RustyCrankshaft

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2019, 06:29:29 AM »
Same here. Seen lots of bonded dampers fail/slip on any brand engine and common on FE's. I have one on a 360 I pulled that had slipped probably 30* or more. I bought the truck cheap because they couldn't get it to run. I cranked about 45* more timing in it and drove it home.

FirstEliminator

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2019, 04:20:10 PM »
The 351c in my 70 Cougar lost the rubber on the damper. The ring was just floating on hub. It happened earlier in the day and this evening was a big Friday night cruise-in. When I would shut off the engine the ring would spin down then clank-clank-clank before it stopped. I said to my friends to guess what the noise was. They came up with some crazy ideas like a main cap falling off. It was pretty funny for a while.

   If the balancer is in question it would be a good idea to use a piston stop to verify it's accuracy.

   I had a truck in my shop a while back that the guy just spent about 10 G's on a 347 stroked 302. The timing was really off. It would idle, then total timing was o-k. The drivability was lousy, performance was sluggish and it liked to stall. Here is why: They had the vacuum advance hooked up to full time manifold vacuum. This vacuum can had 20 degrees of pull. Now, it's fine to hook the advance to manifold, but not when you set the initial timing at 10 BTC. Cause when you give it some throttle it goes to 10 degrees ATC.  So his total timing was way low at mid throttle to wide open. I took vacuum out of the equation, set the initial and total. Then adjusted the vacuum to only pull about 10-11 degrees----on top off proper mechanical timing and the truck drove great. 
     If you have vacuum hooked up, disconnect it and get the mechanical set up first.
Mark
Berkshire Transmissions
North Adams, Massachusetts

70 Cougar XR-7 460 C-6
70 Cougar XR-7 conv 351c 4v FMX
69 Cougar SS 351w AOD
69 Cougar Sunroof Eliminator 351w FMX
69 Cougar XR-7 390 C-6
68 Monterey 390 C-6
68 Monterey conv 390 C-6
64 Montclair Marauder 390 Merc-O
58 Monterey 383 Merc-O
58 Parklane 430 MultiDrive
68 Colony Park 428 C-6
68 Colony Park 390 C-6
58 Parklane 430 MultiDrive
70 Cougar Eliminator 351c 4 speed
I don't feel like a hoarder.

Katz427

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2019, 05:37:12 PM »
My cousin had a 390 rebuilt by a local rebuider for his galaxie. Engine always acted "lazy" timing changes didn't help much. I thought it was off a tooth on timing gear. Turned out the rear cam tunnel plug was installed backwards. Enough drag that it wore out the timing chain in 150 miles. After the fix, engine ran fine, good power. Of course the fix was to remove the engine and fix the problem along with the head gaskets on backwards.

Cobrajet2

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2019, 08:59:37 PM »
My low vacuum woes at temperature.
"That guy has got a pocket full of money and a watch full of time!"   Hubert Platt.


Cobrajet2

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #13 on: January 13, 2019, 09:25:59 PM »
As many of you mentioned, I looked at the to see if something was goofy with the balancer and the timing marks, but I think it is pretty close. The balancer is an original, but the rubber feels uniform the whole way around. Not sure if when a balancer slips if it stays slipped or moves around with rpm. I did not put a light on it today as I wanted to check compression today.

Not sure why my pictures show up 90 degrees out, other than maybe it is my phone. Sorry for that!
« Last Edit: January 13, 2019, 10:47:07 PM by Cobrajet2 »
"That guy has got a pocket full of money and a watch full of time!"   Hubert Platt.


fekbmax

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Re: 1967 Fairlane 390 do-over
« Reply #14 on: January 13, 2019, 09:54:20 PM »
Still be a good idea to get the parts and combo list so it could be looked over
Keith.  KB MAX Racing.