My 71 Duster work in progress

[b-body-bob]

Now that I think I've got everything installed it's time to get off the pot so I'm looking for objections/changes to my plan -

Install the oil sending unit / gauge, put the valve covers on, fill with oil, and prime at least the bottom end. Then put the crank where it needs to be (15*BTDC), put what is left of the assembly grease on the cam, add the intermediate shaft.

Install the intake, carb, wiring, and battery. Check ignition to be sure it's working then install the distributor pointing at #1. Install/fill cooling system, connect the fuel pump to a 5 gallon can of gas, fill both carb bowls with tiny funnels I got from Amazon.

Is 5 gallons enough? Gas in the tank is old. I may need to break out the electric pump to deal with that.

It looks like a good day to a day and a half's work there, so I could be ready to fire Saturday afternoon / Sunday but I don't want to start down this road if I can't finish. Also, I do not have a helper on call. I gave the Ford 9" that came with the car to a neighbor to use in his 64 Fairlane, so I might be able to call on him. I've got a bro-in-law who knows how to act so he's another possibility.

I would like to start it up on the 4th to give something back to the firework maniacs but I've got a thing on the 3rd so it's got to happen this weekend or next. Probably will go into next week if only to avoid rushing in and needing to backtrack or delay startup

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Well it sounds like a plan, well till you get to the when.
Smooth sailing, no storms are forecast!

 

[b-body-bob]

I managed to pump the tank dry so far today. Didn't want to take a chance with old gas and it's easier to do it with things taken apart like they are. It will be good for the mowers though.

Still no lifting so thinking about trying to rig up an HVAC filter on the air return out there. It's at ceiling height facing down so I didn't expect it to even need one but it sure does. Now I wonder with it facing downward if it's going to self-clean itself every time I turn the unit off. Most likely I'll just end up duct-taping a filter to the ceiling over the intake

 

[b-body-bob]

Nothin' like it - I set up, lift the engine unbolt the mount, go to bolt the solid biscuit in and the factory stud/nut is 1/2" coarse while the stud on the solid biscuit is 1/2" fine.

I don't trust the cherry picker to just leave the engine hanging, it has been known to leak off, so I got to put the rubber biscuit/mount back in so I could set the engine down until I come up with a couple of nuts.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Wow, the ole duster is starting to rival my haunted 'Cuda!

 

[b-body-bob]

Wow, the ole duster is starting to rival my haunted 'Cuda!

It's just my luck, it's been that way all along on this car.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

I gotta buy me a giant rabbit's foot & hang it from the mirror in there!

 

[Dr.Jass]

Just an FYI: Those mounts did not come with any hardware. I never even thought about that until just now, but I did notice they were SAE thread.

Also an FYI: Both the go-fast stickers were destroyed, which is why I didn't include one. I'm pretty sure Moroso kicked them all the way to our performance warehouse.

 

[b-body-bob]

Just an FYI: Those mounts did not come with any hardware. I never even thought about that until just now, but I did notice they were SAE thread.

Also an FYI: Both the go-fast stickers were destroyed, which is why I didn't include one. I'm pretty sure Moroso kicked them all the way to our performance warehouse.

No worries.

I wasn't surprised the solid mount didn't include hardware because the single truck mount I bought locally didn't come with it either, but I was kind of perplexed that Moroso used fine thread bolts for them. Two nuts cost me less than a dollar, probably less than the gas and wear and tear to go get them.

A rough measurement found they're thicker than the rubber mounts, but I didn't figure out exactly how much. I probably should in order to adjust my shim stack.

It seems like I had the same deal on the go-fast stickers with a Moroso water pump I bought last year

 

[b-body-bob]

An example of my luck, for Rusty ...

Before starting this, I disconnected the clutch rod from the z-bar and the z-bar pivot from the inner fender so it could move around and then I lifted the driver's side of the engine to install that solid mount. While doing that I noticed that the passenger side mount looked like it had been tightened up while it was in a bind. Looking closer I see that the biscuit's not flat to the bracket, so I have to address that too or the thing will loosen up after it settles in. There is no way to tighten that nut with the bracket bolted to the engine, so that has to come apart too.

After I get the driver's side reassembled, I disassembled the passenger side. The problem was the dimple hole in the bracket isn't in the right place so I hog that out until it all fits flat together and put that side back together.

When I finished the mounts and started hooking the z-bar up, I had trouble getting the rod back on the z-bar. I see that the wire pivot clip on the outside end of the z-bar had come unclipped and the z-bar was shoved too far toward the inner fender. That clip has to be there to locate the z-bar and keep it from moving side to side. I eventually give up on fixing that in place and take the z-bar out to fix the pivot clip.

When I get the z-bar back in place, there seems to be no way to get the clip installed on the pushrod between it and the fork. So tonight I get to unbolt the header on that side just to install that. Pretty sure I'll need a new set of expensive Remflex header gaskets after that. It's never ending.

I can't wait to start it and hear the cam slowly eat the lifters or a big BANG when something inside wants outside. I hope not but won't be surprised.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

OK I give.
That car may well out do the haunted 'Cuda!

 

[Dr.Jass]

Before starting this, I disconnected the clutch rod from the z-bar and the z-bar pivot from the inner fender so it could move around and then I lifted the driver's side of the engine to install that solid mount.

I think I would've left everything connected and just removed the ball-stud bracket from the bellhousing. That way everything else could be left assembled, and the engine would be free to rotate up without binding or damaging the clutch linkage. The less I have to screw with that stuff, the better.

Looking closer I see that the biscuit's not flat to the bracket, so I have to address that too or the thing will loosen up after it settles in. There is no way to tighten that nut with the bracket bolted to the engine, so that has to come apart too.

After I get the driver's side reassembled, I disassembled the passenger side. The problem was the dimple hole in the bracket isn't in the right place so I hog that out until it all fits flat together and put that side back together.

Was this the side with the truck mount? That would explain the dimple misalignment. It's more a of a curiosity thing at this point, but since you had to grind for clearance it'd be helpful to know.

When I finished the mounts and started hooking the z-bar up, I had trouble getting the rod back on the z-bar. I see that the wire pivot clip on the outside end of the z-bar had come unclipped and the z-bar was shoved too far toward the inner fender. That clip has to be there to locate the z-bar and keep it from moving side to side. I eventually give up on fixing that in place and take the z-bar out to fix the pivot clip.

When I get the z-bar back in place, there seems to be no way to get the clip installed on the pushrod between it and the fork. So tonight I get to unbolt the header on that side just to install that. Pretty sure I'll need a new set of expensive Remflex header gaskets after that. It's never ending.

I wish I had a secret trick for you here, but it's been so long since we did mine I don't remember exactly how everything went together, as far as order of assembly went. The only part I remember the header making difficult was adjusting the clutch, which takes a long time when you can only turn the wrench 1/8 turn at a time, constantly having to flip it to get the box end to align with the nut. Thank God I used the truck pivot ball on the fork pushrod other than the retarded passcar rubber-isolated garbage.

I can't wait to start it and hear the cam slowly eat the lifters or a big BANG when something inside wants outside. I hope not but won't be surprised.

If it doesn't blow apart immediately, you probably won't know how the cam break-in went for quite some time. The old MP cam in my Charger didn't start making any noise until it had more than 8,000 miles on it, and was so noisy at 9,800 (plus running poorly) that I finally swapped it out. That car rather famously had several minutes of accumulated run time on it with no oil pressure, albeit in short bursts, before I got to actually break in the lifters.

 

[b-body-bob]

Was this the side with the truck mount? That would explain the dimple misalignment. It's more a of a curiosity thing at this point, but since you had to grind for clearance it'd be helpful to know.

No I couldn't use the truck mount it raised things up way too high on the driver's side. This is the passenger side bracket, and it was the same with either of the biscuits that I tried. It was punched just a smidge too low and it teeter-tottered on the dimple until Mr. Dremel fixed it. Remember that's a repop from Schumacher.

I think I would've left everything connected and just removed the ball-stud bracket from the bellhousing

This is the 3rd or 4th time I've done it this way. It finally caught up to me.

I wish I had a secret trick for you here

I can barely get my hand in there with the clip and it's contorted to where I can't do anything with it once it's in there. There's no magic available AFAICT. I dunno if I've given up on trying or not.

I think unbolting the header and dropping the rear end of it down gives me the room to install the clip, because I've put it back together before and must have had the header unbolted and dropped away from it. Need to turn the wheels all the way to the driver's side to get the suspension out of the way too.

The only part I remember the header making difficult was adjusting the clutch, which takes a long time when you can only turn the wrench 1/8 turn at a time, constantly having to flip it to get the box end to align with the nut.

I can adjust the clutch with my fingers, no problem. It's all new parts so no pits or corrosion or other junk.

I had that same kind of wrench joy with the motor mount brackets but figured out when going back together, put the lowest bolt in first, then the single upper one, and finally the other one.

 

[b-body-bob]

I spent about 5 minutes with my hand in from the bottom just to confirm it's a lot easier to simply unbolt the header. It looks like the gasket survived the removal. I spent more time dinking around with the adjustment than I did taking the header off then putting everything back together.

FWIW I've got between a 1/16 and an 1/8 air gap between the TO bearing and the PP fingers.

I know they're all the same but looking at the head it sure seems like you'd need to get a lot of oil in the valve cover before it would ever reach the drain back openings. No wonder most mopars have leaky valve covers. The reason I was looking at that was to figure out if there's a better way to fill the crankcase and preserve the cam lube than to dump it in via the valve cover. Probably not.

 

[Dr.Jass]

I know they're all the same but looking at the head it sure seems like you'd need to get a lot of oil in the valve cover before it would ever reach the drain back openings. No wonder most mopars have leaky valve covers. The reason I was looking at that was to figure out if there's a better way to fill the crankcase and preserve the cam lube than to dump it in via the valve cover. Probably not.

By "all the same" I'm sure you mean manufacturers, since Ford, Chevy and nearly everyone else's heads are exactly the same way, although the Olds heads have drainbacks in the lower corners. The only instance with which I'm familiar where Mopars have notoriously leaky valve cover gaskets is B/RB engines with HP exhaust manifolds, and the reason is pretty obvious when you look at one. The manifolds go halfway up the valve covers and literally bake the gaskets into submission. Kev struggles with this on his stock-appearing Charger R/T, while I had no issue whatsoever with stock valve covers and headers on my 440+6. I did have an issue with the MP cast valve covers--one cracked, which is why I went back to OE covers. None of my LA engines ever had valve-cover leaks. As a side note, Kev could solve his problem with Moroso or SCE steel-core gaskets, but they don't have the alignment tabs sticking out through the slots in the covers. Yes, he's that serious about stock appearance.

You really need to get past this whole obsession with the break-in lube. Priming the oil pump will move more break-in lube than filling the crankcase, which will remove approximately none of it. Poured oil can't climb up to the cam lobes since the only pressure is gravity, and the only oil that goes past the lifters in their bores will be along the bottom of those bores, harmlessly dripping off the lower edge of the lifter, which doesn't touch the cam. Most importantly, you're tilting at windmills. Break-in lube is not some magic salve for lifters. It's not pressurized, and it will all be gone from the contact surfaces of the lifters after two crank revolutions. There is literally nothing you can do to prevent this, short of filling the entire oil capacity of the engine with break-in lube. I expect doing that would destroy the intermediate shaft or pump itself in short order, never mind taking way too long to develop pressure where it's needed most.

Remember, the cam itself is never the problem. It's the lifters you're breaking in, not the camshaft. Cam-lobe failures are always caused by a lifter issue. The only, and I do mean only thing you can do to prevent lifter failure is to ensure the engine starts right f__kin' now*, makes oil pressure, gets up above 2,000RPM almost immediately and stays there for ~20 minutes. Verify that you've got some timing advance (5-10°, no vacuum connection) before you start. The fuel system needs to be ready to rock, including enough fuel in the carburetor bowls to run it until the pump primes. Verify a good thermostat (stove-top method), or use a circle-track restrictor plate in place of one. Don't try this without a stat; it will almost certainly overheat before the lifters are OK. You can use a lower-temp 'stat if it makes you feel better. Do not use heavy oil--film strength has nothing to do with oil weight. 10W-30 is fine. Anything heavier just means a longer wait for pressure.
I'd bet that most new-cam horror stories can be attributed to one or more of these conditions not being met. Having to stop the process for any reason or cranking the engine to prime the fuel system before the engine starts will definitely have negative effects. See my previous tale of the missing gallery plug on my 440.
If you cover all these bases and everything goes off without a hitch, you've done everything you can. If a lifter fails and chows a cam lobe, it was beyond your control. No amount of assembly lube would've made a difference, period. Stop worrying and learn to love the bomb.

*If you pre-oiled the lifters by soaking in oil, go around the engine depressing the pushrod sides of the rockers before you start it. You want to force as much oil as possible out of the lifters. Pre-filled hydraulic lifters can hang valves off their seats, making the engine hard to start and potentially bending pushrods. If one wants to pre-soak lifters to get oil inside, the plungers should be depressed a few times after removal to force excess oil from the internal cavity to prevent hydraulic lock.

If you just can't overcome this obsession with assembly lube somehow making a lick of difference, see if Joe Schubeck will sell you a set of his ceramic-faced lifters. Be prepared to pay for that piece of mind, though. I haven't checked in years, but they were north of $500/set when last I looked. Hughes wants $1,200+ for face-hardened solids, if that's any measure.

 

[b-body-bob]

It's less an obsession with cam lube and more of a "all these things have gone wrong, surely that's going to follow".

I had a first out there today. I have rolled over my stringy hair with a creeper, and I've gotten my shirt wrapped around a wheel, but today was the first time I rolled over my suspenders and had to take them off before I could get up. (I just ripped a hole in the shirt.)

How did I get so old that suspenders are an acceptable part of my everyday clothing?

 

[b-body-bob]

Oil added, pressure spun up to 60 via remote sensing (camera video). Unsure if I need to futz around with the top end oiling, doesn't seem worth the effort. What could go wrong?

Will probably go straight to setting the intermediate shaft now, then the timing before installing the intake. Need to revisit the distributor to see where I limited the advance. Then once once I've got the timing set I should be done with turning the motor by hand so I can go ahead and add the rad/fan/shroud.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Don't worry too much about the advance setting during break-in, as long as you have some. I shoot for 10° initial for a number of reasons, the primary being it's easy to figure out on the timing marks, but more is OK--even a lot more. The engine's going to be at light throttle and low load, so it'd be very hard to spark knock unless it's excessively lean. That's not likely to be the case unless you've got a significant vacuum leak. Double-check all your fittings and hoses, the carb and manifold fasteners, etc. Essentially, cam break-in is a similar condition to highway cruise, where the engine runs as lean as it ever will, and full advance with vacuum is usually around 50°BTDC, if not higher. If you accidentally dial in 25° of initial, you won't hurt anything. Disconnecting the advance hose off and capping it at the carb is the best plan.

My general course of action regarding break-in timing is to set it as described above, then tighten the clamp bolt just enough so the distributor can't move on its own but can be turned by hand with some effort. Once the engine's up and running at RPM, I'll twist the distributor until I get around 30°-35° on the dial-back and leave it there for the duration. Tuning will come later; for now you want to keep EGT low. Few things will darken your mood like ceramic coating or new paint getting baked off because the mixture's still burning in the headers. It's not unusual to see some very dull glow near the head, but if you've got long sections of tube lighting up like neon, add some timing and/or fatten up the idle mixture screws (yes, they do affect mixture at cruise).

Make sure the fuel system's got enough fresh fuel and is fully buttoned--you can't stop for a leak. If it leaks on the draw side you might not realize it until you run out of gas mid-process. Make sure you've got a solid stream coming out of the accelerator pump nozzles prior to attempting to start it. After the engine's settled in to the break-in RPM for a few minutes and you're confident it'll stay running, move the throttle now and again just to vary the speed a bit. No need to go crazy with it; a few hundred RPM is fine.

One trick I learned from Stretch is to take a 20oz soft-drink bottle and dril a 1/8" hole in the cap. Fill it 1/3-1/2 with gasoline and put a shot down the carb prior to start in lieu of pumping the throttle. Start the engine with the bottle handy; if it seems like it's losing RPM a quick shot with the bottle will bring it back--if you're running out of fuel for some reason, pumping the throttle will exacerbate the problem. You can also use flammable carb or brake cleaner for this if you can find it. Some locales don't sell it anymore. Obviously, keep the bottle clear of anything spinning or hot at all times. I'm not sure about those cheap, crinkly water bottles resisting fuel, but I've not found a soft-drink bottle affected by gasoline. When you're all done, you can squirt the bottle contents down the filler neck--gas ain't cheap!

I've always been told (and used) 2,500RPM for my break-in "idle speed". It's handy to have a tach out in the engine bay if you're working alone, as is using a "bump switch" on the starter relay rather than the ignition key. As soon as the engine fires, get it above 2,500 and set the idle screw to keep it there. Ideally your car is facing into the garage with the exhaust near the door, but if it's backed in open every window and door and have some fans running. At 2,500RPM there's going to be a lot of CO in very short order. Luck being what it is, the moment you walk outside to get some fresh air, it'll stall.

 

[b-body-bob]

I shoot for 10° initial for a number of reasons, the primary being it's easy to figure out on the timing marks, but more is OK--even a lot more.

My damper had marks every 2 degrees so I went with about 15. The limiter plate is set for 18, so there you go.

Few things will darken your mood like ceramic coating or new paint getting baked off because the mixture's still burning in the headers

That's not a problem for me after the header fiasco. I didn't think coating was worth the cost with the risk of burning it, so I painted it, then had to burn that off and bang dents so yeah.

Make sure the fuel system's got enough fresh fuel and is fully buttoned--you can't stop for a leak.

I'm going to draw from a can, not the tank so I will be on top of that.

FWIW that's another reason I wanted to draw all the fuel out of the tank - to confirm there's no leaks. I had to put a big ugly compression fitting in it and the dumb thing will still turn but it doesn't leak. I guess you could say it's adjustable.

if it seems like it's losing RPM a quick shot with the bottle will bring it back--if you're running out of fuel for some reason, pumping the throttle will exacerbate the problem.

good point.

I'm not sure about those cheap, crinkly water bottles resisting fuel, but I've not found a soft-drink bottle affected by gasoline.

I use pop bottles all the time for gas, we've got an ever increasing infestation of yellow jackets aka ground wasps here. Just used one last night.

It's handy to have a tach out in the engine bay if you're working alone, as is using a "bump switch" on the starter relay rather than the ignition key.

I bought a tach/advance timing light just for this purpose and have a remote switch.

Ideally your car is facing into the garage with the exhaust near the door, but if it's backed in open every window and door and have some fans running.

It's pulled in but there's no exhaust after the headers. I should probably push it back as far as I can. I've also got some flex pipe out there that I could use to rig something up relatively quick, given that I've got a sawzall.

Work stopped yesterday when I realized I have the wrong upper hose and the lower hose has to be cut to fit.

 

[Dr.Jass]

I'm going to draw from a can, not the tank so I will be on top of that.

Make sure the bottom of the can is above the level of the fuel pump. Pumps like to push; pull not so much.


It's sounds like you're on your A-game already.

Work stopped yesterday when I realized I have the wrong upper hose and the lower hose has to be cut to fit.

However... what's going on with your fan? The engine looks way too high, plus off toward the passenger's side in the photo based solely on the fan's position in the shroud. The blade should be pretty-much centered, both vertically and horizontally. I realize you made some adjustments and did some shimming, but your changes wouldn't move the fan that far off center in either direction.

The radiator's position in the car, at least vertically, seems right and proper. It doesn't look like it would want to go any further to the right, either.