Can't wait to see the final result on the valve cover. Making a mod not look like a mod is always impressive.
Can't wait to see the final result on the valve cover. Making a mod not look like a mod is always impressive.
In reply to MadScientistMatt :
We'll see if it turns out impressive or not.
1/20/25
I have been slowly working on things here.
I decided after the Lobe failure, to examine the Spring pressures. This is an old Jeffery Head, and I never checked the spring pressures. Ken at OCG says to try to get ~120# Seat Pressure at the installed height and 250# open for this cam.
The Seat Pressures were good, but the open pressure was high, so i ordered a new set of PAC Catalog MoPar springs and they will knock down the open pressures.
While I Had the head apart, measured installed heights and checked all of the new springs at their installed and open heights. This head had no Shims anywhere under any of the springs. I found out that It has nice Ferrea Chevy Valves @ ~1.8 and 1.5 with 11/32" Stems. There are no seals on the exahsuts, Just on the intakes.
I ordered some 0.015" and 0.020" valve spring shims to more closley match the spring pressures and Installed heights.
At the same time I cleaned up all the gunk on the backside of the intake valves and observed the seats - It looks like 2 Exhaust valves have practically no seat area on them... so Off to the machine shop it goes tomorrow, for some seat touch up work.
I wanted to avoid heading to the machine shop, but it is not so this time.
I also Am going to change out the oil pump. I had a nice, light Aluminum rebuilt stock unit in there, but with my extra oil pump gear sprayer, I was never happy with the Oil pressure.
This replacement unit needed some massaging in the casting, which I do on all of my oil pumps now when I get into a slant 6 build.
Head on the bench, with cruddy Intakes.
Dirty Valve Right,
Cleaned up Valve Left.
I am no trained expert, but this seat contact width seems too small to me.
This pump casting could use some massaging in certain areas.
Excess Flash:
Smoother and some radiused flow around the bends.
With lots of snow shoveling, plowing, sled riding as well as trips to the mountains, progress has slowed down a bit on this project.
We have not had winter for 4-5 years so i am thoroughly enjoying this cold and Snowy January 2025!
It also is projected to be -10° F this week, so I probably wont get back to working on finishing the valve cover until the temperatures go up again.
Fortunately, my engine assembly area has heat so I can work on getting the oil pump painted, installed and as well as the oil pan set on the engine this week while the head goes back to the Machine shop.
I dropped the Head off at the Machine shop today after work, instead of in the morning due to Road conditions.
What a difference 8 hours and some sun and Salt can make for the road conditions. The Snow stopped falling, that helped too.
I am going to get all of the seats and valves checked over while I had it this far apart.
1/21/25:
Last Night I got the Oil Pump re-assembled.
I am going to try out an adjustable Oil Pressure Regulator from 440 Source.
Beats having to futz with the pipe plug and sometimes removing the passenger Side Engine Mount to swap Springs, add shims etc.
All assembled and ready for Paint:
First Coat Applied last night:
Machine Shop said that my head with touched up seats should be ready by the end of the week too!
Those are some huge valves for a slant six - did you need to notch the notes to clear them? Any pictures of how they fit the combustion chamber?
In reply to MadScientistMatt :
Yes those are about as big as you can run. Maybe a 1.82" with a .100" overbore.
I did not notch any cylinders and I am at a 3.460" Bore.
slantsix said:In reply to MadScientistMatt :
Yes those are about as big as you can run. Maybe a 1.82" with a .100" overbore.
I did not notch any cylinders and I am at a 3.460" Bore.
Thanks, that's good info to have.
1/25/25:
I got to the Shop today and accomplished a few things:
Oil Pump was done and paint was dry..
Time to install it:
Found out upon installation that there would be no room to make any pressure adjustments.
Did a little surgery and cutting on my mark:
And some paint to cover up the scars:
Got the Pan install complete as well.
Hopefully I can get the head setup next week with touched up seats, valves, new springs, setting valve spring installed heights and pressures. Also a bit more of the block touch-up needs completed, and with possibly warmer temperatures above freezing, I can get back to working on that custom valve cover too.
1/26/25:
Items accomplished today:
Oil pump / motor mount clearance:
Repaint on cruddy areas:
Other small bits installed, oil filter, dist, motor mounts etc.
This sandblasting and painting fixture has sure come in handy. Glad I made it.
Bell housing cleaning and repainting as well as head re assembly to come!
2/3/25:
I was able to pick up the head at the machine shop on Friday after work.
They touched up all of the valve faces and seats to make sure that the mating surfaces were proper and good.
When I received the head back at the shop, I spent Friday evening remeasuring and setting installed heights and pressures - some of the seat and face work changed the measurements by 0.010".
I was able to get the new springs installed and with the supplied assortment of shims I got the heights and pressures reasonably close to one another.
Next up was some bell housing cleaning; washed it up real good in the parts washer, and then took it to the blast cabinet.
It was paint on top of old flaky paint, and it was coming off, so I figured I would spend some time getting it nice before this install.
Red on old black paint.
Over-spray on the inside drives me nuts.
All clean and ready for paint, back from the abrasive cabinet vacation.
Bolts, bolts, there are always bolts to clean and paint too.
In the "paint booth"
Done, unmasked ready for paint to cure and waiting with other parts to be reassembled.
A little clean up and repaint on the head as well.
I hope to have the head on there for next week and before I reinstall it back in the car, I am going to refit my EFI manifold and make some marks for cuts in the Header I bought a year or 2 ago to get the EFI webers moving along.
That's a lot of nice looking work you're doing there sir
In reply to Dusterbd13 :
Well thanks, We'll see how it all turns out. I wish to just drive the thing, or AutoX, or Track day or Epic Trip with the daughter and trailer or whatever.
Beautiful!!
2/9/25:
Some progress has been made.
Last Week, I was able to do some cutting, grinding and welding on my semi-custom valve cover. Still quite a bit of work there to get things all done.
Gasket all coppered up ready for an install:
Lifters installed:
Head installed and Torqued to Spec:
The last time I had the engine together I was unhappy with the oil flow to the rockers and top of the engine.
The only thing I changed on the last iteration in 2023 was the head bolts(studs).
On the other performance engines with the ARP Head studs I have built
('69 Dart)
and (the Ruster)
I always turned or had a machine shop turn for me one of the studs down to the diameter of the stock head bolt so that the oil passage to the rockers would not be restricted around the ARP Stud, which is noticeably girthierer than a stock head bolt.
I did not do that last time but I did this time, so hopefully I will be happier with the results.
So except for the the Intake, Headers, some hoses and other bolt ons, the engine is complete, I set the Timing and Cold lash so that after priming the oil pump with no spark plugs and compression, I should be able to Put fuel to the carb and Fire it right up.
One other thing that I did was begin to find out where and how much of the # 6 header tube I need to cut to use the Weber DCOE style EFI setup. I need to completely cut and then add some radiused length of tubing for the # 6 tube for my manifolds to work together as the intake also hits the #5 intake runner as I have removed half the diameter of the #6 tube already. No amount of just dinging it would work here, I would have closed up half of the tube or more.
2/16/25:
Some Progress this weekend:
I got the engine moved out of the build room and into the car:
Everything needs wired, filled with fluids, etc, then I will turn it over a bunch with no spark plugs to establish oil pressure, then I will put the plugs in and the fuel to the carb and try to fire it off.
In other news, I made some cuts to the #6 tube on my extra set of new headers: I plan on Ordering some 14 gauge mandrel bends for fabbing things back up with clearance for the Weber style manifolds.
I also made quite a bit of progress on my valve cover; got everything welded, now just a lot of grinding and metal finishing to do. I was working on some of that today, then the power went out at the shop, and had afternoon plans with the family so it was a good time to call it quits.
Looks good so far.
2/19/25:
I got a few spare hours to hit the shop and get some things done the other day before the arctic blast rolled in!
Pressure plate and clutch is installed with new through the Flywheel fasteners (thanks Lou!) - no Fear Of thread pullout now on the aluminum.
I went to the hardware store last light and bought locking 5/16"-18 Grade 8 Flange nuts for the other side. - They now need installed:
I did get the bell housing installed as well.
I hope to get back to the shop again this weekend for some transmission Install, oil pump priming, etc.
In reply to MadScientistMatt :
Thanks, We'll see how it turns out.
Here is a little video I put together documenting last week's shenanigans:
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