From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: The missing factor.
Date: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 8:10 PM
About six months ago I started noticing
a high speed miss in my 76 Nova with the 350 Target Master motor. I assumed that it was because of the spark
plug fouling which took place when my divorced choke linkage fell off. (the little clippy thing rusted to the point
of falling off.) It had started missing and popping in the headers something
terrible and even though I ran the piss out of it after fixing the choke I
thought the plugs were fouled beyond self-cleaning.
But,
(another one of those) the missing which was sporadic and only happened
above 4500rpm started to intensify and move down the rpm range. When It crossed the shift point for the 2-3
shift the miss was so bad that if you held full throttle the transmission would
not shift and the Nova would not go faster than 70 in second gear.
Slowly over the next few months the
problem became worse until now at full throttle the motor falls over at a
little above 2500 rpm.
I have put many miles (over half a
million) on GM cars with HEI ignition but have never had a failure so I am
innocent of knowledge as to the failure modes of these marvels of modern
engineering. The HEI in question is the
original job out of my old (scrapped) 77 truck which wore out the original 350
and mostly wore out the replacement crate motor which I transplanted to my
Nova. It has about 220k miles.
I put new plugs in the Nova and the
plug wires are good so what is the next step to isolating the problem and
fixing it for minimum bucks..
Thanks in advance for all of the good
advice..
Rick Draganowski
(looking for the missing factor)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Progressive missing + culture
Date: Friday, July 16, 1999 8:54 PM
As the list knows (but probably don’t
really care) I have been having a progressive miss problem for months with my
76 Nova with the Target Master 350. I
and others had assumed that it was an ignition problem. Last 4th of July I put that
theory to the test. I had purchased a
ProForm distributor complete from Jeg’s as a Christmas present to the 400 motor
(to myself really) so that was available.
I had thought that replacing the tired old 77 HEI that had given me about
130 thousand trouble free miles would do the trick.
It made no difference at all.. The miss has progressed to the point that
the motor would not generate enough vacuum to even try to open the secondaries
of the Q-jet and the sound of the banging in the headers was pitiful..
Sooo I surmise that it is
carburetion. Once before at the dawn of
MTBE in gasoline (about 1985) I had developed similar problems in my old white
truck (with this same motor and carb) and the problems turned out to be a float
which had sunk..
The Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether used in
modern gasoline is bad for most plastic and rubber parts. The crazy gas price increases here caused
our local suppliers to switch to California sources where all the gas has 11%MTBE. (Oregon gas has very little) I believe the
tank of CalGas which increased my performance due to the higher octane had
sabotaged my Q-Jet. The missing started just about this time..
So I have been hanging fire on
replacing the carb with a known good Q-Jet which came off my 400 motor due to
pressing business.. I am about half way
there...
I expect a lot of the problems with the
Q-Jets from older vehicles is due to the incompatibility with the modern crappy
gasoline..
We will see what is up when I do an
autopsy on the carb....
More to come..
Rick Draganowski
(Cultural moment follows)
The Clod & the Pebble
Love seeketh not Itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care;
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hells despair.
So sang a little Clod of Clay,
Trodden with the cattles feet:
But a Pebble of the brook,
Warbled out these metres meet.
Love seeketh only Self to please,
To bind another to Its delight:
Joys in anothers loss of ease,
And builds a Hell in Heavens despite.
William Blake
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Missing Factor Chapter Three
Date: Sunday, August 01, 1999 7:55 PM
Today I finished the job I started back
on the 4th of July. (not
much time for Nova work here) I swapped
the old faithful Q-Jet with the fancy just professionally rebuilt Q-Jet that
came with my 400 motor..
At first I had a sinking feeling as the
missing continued. “Give it time” I
thought to myself as the plugs were pretty badly fouled from running with the
too rich mixture.
I could tell that the missing was
easing and getting higher in the rpm range.
I ran for a little more (pretty hard full throttle) and the rpm finally
climbed to the range which allows the transmission governer shift to kick in at
4400 rpm at full throttle. The push in
the back was a welcome feeling.
The missing continues but is getting
better the more I drive. Exactly the
same thing happened when I had the choke foulup and the plugs slowly cleared
themselves. But (another one of those
damn things) the plugs will never be as good as they should be and need
replacing again.. Argggghhhhh!!!!!
Sooo the Q-Jet probably does have a
sunk float as all of the circumstantial evidence points in that direction..
Damn that MTBE!!!
It has been months since I enjoyed the
feeling of driving a v8 Nova and I really missed it.
It has been a wonderful day.. (and the clouds went away and it was 65 and
sunny too....)
I need my Nova ride to be at ease in
the day to day world..
Rick Draganowski
(going fast in rusty Nova)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Missing Factor Revealed!
Date: Sunday, August 22, 1999 8:38 PM
As the list knows I have been fighting
a progressively worsening miss in the old 350 truck motor in my 76 Nova.
It started missing above 4000 rpm about
6 months ago and the miss worsened and came slowly down the rpm scale until the
poor motor would not allow the TH350 to shift at full throttle or even open the
secondaries on the Q-Jet.
To troubleshoot first I swapped out the
HEI with the new Proform high performance distributor I got for the 400 motor
last Christmas as it really seemed like an ignition problem..
Made no difference at all..
Then I swapped the Q-Jet with the known
good (freshly rebuilt by a speed shop) Q-Jet I have for the 400.
It seemed to help a little but it is
very subjective.. So I suspected the
spark plugs being fouled.. Still
missing...
Figured out how to twist my body into
strange shapes and changed out the sparkplugs without removing the headers. (I
should have videotaped it for Funniest Home Video’s)
No change at all and still missing
badly..
Then I suspected corrosion in the
connections causing low voltage to the HEI.
Checked it an it had 14 volts..
Having eliminated all other
possibilities only the cam and or valve train is left..
So today I pulled the rocker cover on
the drivers side, pulled the hot lead off the HEI, and cranked the motor while
watching the rockers..
I have what must be the flattest cam
ever seen in small block history. Only
two rockers looked like they were moving properly and at least 3 were moving
less than 1/16 inch at the valve..
FLAT! FLAT! FLAT!
This motor was a new Crate Target
Master back in 1979. Hadn’t GM figured
out the flat cam problem by then??
RATS!
So my plan is to pull the Edelbrock
Performer cam out of the 400 and stuff it into the 350 in the car.. What fun!
(Not!) I will be careful to keep
the lifters with the proper lobe...
Not driving the Nova everyday is making
me mean and cranky.. I gotta fix it
even though it is a rusty old thing..
Love is blind..
I will also modify the vacuum advance
(limit it to 10 degrees) and put the 200k plus HEI back on and the antique
Q-Jet..
I have the Edelbrock Performer manifold
for the 400... Hmmm... Maybe if I saved up a little I could get a
Performer RPM for the 400 and put the Performer on the 350 and loose the cast
iron intake in the grass somewhere....
Should I?? Is the Performer RPM much better???
Rick Draganowski
(relieved but aggravated)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Forces of Darkness, Forces of Light
Date: Saturday, August 28, 1999 8:39 PM
As the list may know because of my long
winded stories I have a very flat cam in the 350 motor in my Nova.
I have a perfectly good Edelbrock
Performer cam in my 400 motor (only 5000 miles on it) which I intend to put
into the 350 getting me back on the road in my Nova. (a much desired condition)
So this is where a reprise of the
oldest story in the world starts..
On my right shoulder there is a tiny
Angelic figure insisting quietly that I pull the motor out, put it on the
stand, take the heads off and inspect them, pull the pan and check the bearings
and replace the oil pump. Etc..
But...
On my left shoulder there is a tiny
devilish figure (who strangely reminds me of myself as a child) whispering to
just slap the cam in with the motor in the car, don’t bother with the
heads. don’t aggravate youself removing
the headers.. Just get your Nova going
right away with a good cam.. After all
you are too busy to take the time needed to do it right and the 350 motor is
not your favorite since the wonderful 400 came into your life..
Don’t even bother to pull the pan..
Just pry it down a little and gom it back up with the Ray Buck anti-leak
vaccine (RTV!)
I am balanced between these opposing
forces and ask the list for opinions..
I am starting on the project one way or
another pretty soon..
Rick Draganowski
(Mr. Indecision.....)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 1
Date: Sunday, August 29, 1999 7:45 PM
Step one of the Flat Cam Project has
been done.
I put the valve covers back on and
drove my poor Nova to the work area.
There I removed the battery cable and jacked the front end up and put
jackstands under the subframe right behind the A arms.
More to come..
I still don’t know if I am pulling the
motor or not. The first steps are the
same..
Rick Draganowski
(Mr. Indecision)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 2
Date: Monday, August 30, 1999 6:54 PM
I sent the following message yesterday
but did not see it on the list.
Anyway the next few steps in the
project were done today.
1) Removed
the radiator and hoses. (disconnected the tranny cooling lines with tubing
wrench)
2) removed
the alternator and brackets
3) unbolted
and hung on a wire hoses connected the power steering pump
4) removed
the waterpump/fan assembly. (noticed
one of the mounting holes had coolant coming out of it. must use gasket sealer on these 4 bolts when
I reassemble)
I put all mounting hardware back into
the threaded holes they came from (when possible) so I would not have to keep
track of loose bolts, washers, and nuts.
More to come..
Rick Draganowski
(pretty much made up my mind on how
much to do. Will send another post on
that subject)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 3
Date: Tuesday, August 31, 1999 9:54 PM
Today I got a late start so half of the
time I was in the dark (not really) here is the progress.
1) removed
the grille (4 phillips screws and 2 hex head)
2) removed
the hood latch assembly and vertical bracket to make room for the cam to come
out.
3) Removed
the crankshaft pully
4) using the
right tool (vibration damper puller) pulled the damper
I took a scan of the damper (worrying
mightily about breaking the glass on my scanner) and sent it along in another
letter.
I am encouraged by the amount of room
under the front of the motor on the 76 as I visualized a much worse time than I
forsee. I may be able to drop the pan
enough without jacking up the motor to slip a one piece pan gasket in. A lot of crawling around on the ground for
an old fat cripple but it may be worth it..
Tomorrow the cam drive cover comes off
and I am seriously thinking about re-using the stock timing chain..... That leaves the cool Edelbrock roller chain
for the 400... Factory spec is: 5/8”
or more slack on the chain calls for replacement..
More to come..
Rick Draganowski
(having more fun than should be legal)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 4
Date: Wednesday, September 01, 1999 7:54 PM
Really squeezed for time today so only
pulled the Q-Jet off. I will be getting
after the distributor and intake manifold next. Then I jack the Nova up higher and go for the oil pan drop
trick..
More to come..
Rick Draganowski
(not gonna try the one-piece seal, just
gonna gom up the old gasket with RTV)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 5
Date: Thursday, September 02, 1999 7:47 PM
Today I got an early start and spent 3
hours to make up for day 4 being so pitiful.
I took the Rustpuppy off the jackstands
so I could reach stuff on the motor.
1) Removed
sparkplug wires and distributor cap.
2) Removed
distributor
3) pulled the
valve covers back off.
4) removed
the intake manifold.
It does seem to weight 70 lbs at arms
length lifting with one hand (cast iron Q-Jet) but it is not. Last time I put this manifold on a year ago
I experimented with the rubber end seals.
They worked like a charm and look as if they could be reused. Not a drop leaked.. (probably never happen again) I used premium
gaskets so they even look reusable (not! the little beads are flat).
5) Removed
the rockers and pushrods (bagged and tagged them)
6) Removed
the lifters (bagged and tagged too)
Bagging and tagging took almost as long
as the actual work but I want to be able to do an accurate analysis of exactly
what happened.
On first look (all the lifters were
thrashed) it just looks like a really soft cam which went totally to hell when
I started hot rodding the old junk motor.
We will see..
The worse lifters had 1/8 inch deep
depressions gnurred into them..
More details to come in the final “Post
Mortem Report”.
More to come..
Today was more fun that I thought was
still possible at my age..
Rick Draganowski
(bet I will see 15’s with the Edelbrock
Performer cam in Rustpuppy)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 6
Date: Friday, September 03, 1999 8:03 PM
Had another late start but pressed on
regardless..
The first thing today was to put ol’
Rustpuppy back up on jackstands so I could wriggle under when the time
comes. Then:
1) removed
fuel line (from pump to carb)
2) removed
fuel pump but left the plate and pushrod in place.
3) removed
the 4 front oil pan bolts. (the easy to
reach jobs)
4) removed
all the bolts and the timing pointer from the timing cover.
This motor came with a neat bolted on
timing pointer which rests against a bump on the cover and is held on by two of
the cover bolts. This is the way all
the covers should be made so that they would be universal..
Started prying on the cover (just
hoping for a miracle I guess) and the damn thing just popped off easy as
pie. (getting the cover off of the
painted over locating pins was the hardest part.
So there I sat (sitting on a folding
chair in front of the car and reaching in..) dumbfounded with a stupid look and
pretty happy.
But, (always a but) what I saw now
exposed to daylight for the first time in 20 years was a horrible sight. The timing chain and crankshaft sprocket
looked about like what a 100k set should look like but the chain was hanging
slack, slack, slack. I have never seen
a chain this loose.
The reason was obvious. A newfangled molded plastic and aluminum cam
sprocket. The damn yellow brown teeth
of the damn part were almost worn completely off and the chain was almost ready
to fly off. Rubbing against the inside
of the cover was the only thing that kept it in place.. What a poor engineering decision by someone
back in 1979.. Damn! (And that damn plastic and aluminum and
monstrosity will cause me more trouble before this is over.. Wait and
see...)
But I was ahead of schedule and the cam
would be out in minutes (not!)..
So I calmed down and took the three
bolts that secure the cam sprocket to the cam out. then I carefully tried to lift the sprocket off as I had seen done
and done myself so many times..
It was firmly immovably stuck on the
front of the cam. Tapping on the end of
the pin just drove the pin in deeper but did not move the sprocket. Then I thought of pulling the cam out just a
little and putting something behind the sprocket and driving the cam back with
a long socket and hammer. That would
have worked..
But, I pulled a little too far and the
cam fell down out of the bearings. So I
sat down to consider my options and review some of my vocabulary.
From where I sat I could see that the
slack in the chain may be enough to allow prying the chain off the crank
sprocket with a thin bladed screwdriver and freeing up the mess which has
developed..
A few moments of careful prying and the
chain was off in my hands. Progress is being made.. Happy, joy..
Then It was an easy matter to restore
the cam to the center of the bearings and slowly and carefully withdraw
it. I did not need bolts for handles
since the damn cam sprocket was still firmly attached..
It was out!
It’s appearance was as bad or worse
than I visualized when I watched the rockers and tried to imagine the mess
inside..
7 flat lobes. And 9 shabby looking lobes.
And the quality control on this cam was so poor that one of the journals
was only about half width on one side because the casting was poorly
done.. What a bummer... The GM supplier division of Crane cams did
not make this sorry specimen.. I bet
that a unnamed and unknown supplier either in Mexico or Central America had and
lost a contract with GM just about the time this puppy rolled off the assembly
line down in Mexico..
After considering the spectacle the cam
presented I decided to remove the damn sprocket. I had to hit it with a hammer 5 times (pretty hard) before it
went flying off. There was a machined
recess on the end of the sprocket which centers the sprocket on the cam and it
was machined so tight that I am sure the sprocket was hammered on at the
factory.. So there you have it..
On a more cheerful note. On going back to the now camless motor I
wiped off the front cam bearing and inspected it. Not too bad. A nice even
gray appearance, and no scoring or metal deposits. A few tiny pits but nothing to worry about. I peeked inside with
a flashlight and the others looked pretty good as well as I could see. Thank
God for oil filters... I could feel the
bearings as I was removing the cam and they seemed snug and felt right. So I will just pop in the new (used)
Edelbrock Performer as part of my Labor day celebration..
Another fun and productive day..
Rick Draganowski
(metal good, plastic bad..)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Odds and Ends
Date: Saturday, September 04, 1999 7:04 PM
No progress on the Flat Cam Project
today. I seem to have physically
overextended myself during yesterday’s excitement and have to do my work from a
sitting position today. (I can walk,
but just barely..)
Oh well...
On the flat cam front I had worked up a
possible theory before removing the cam as to why it failed so miserably. The theory is that it was not a new cam to
begin with but a regrind with most of the hardening ground off.. Inspection of the cam today seems to
indicate that that is a real possiblity.
The base circle on a known good cam I bagged out of an old 305 motor
shows the stock base circle at 1.332 inches.
Old flattie mikes out at 1.265 a
difference of 0.067 inches..
Hmmmm... Just like someone
reground a worn cam.. More to come on
this issue later...
Now for something completely
different. I bought the neato Proform
performance HEI from Jeg’s last Christmas and I used it in the troubleshooting
of ol Rustpuppy’s flat cam problem. Today I dug around in the Proform distributor to check out what
the details were.. The weights are cool
(pretty heavy) with medium to light springs.
But (a really big BUT) the vacuum
advance can is a POS. It has a soft
spring, is non-adjustable, and is cranking 25 degrees of advance. I guess that the company thought that at the
stock static timing setting the overdone vacuum advance would make the wannabe
rodders car feel “peppy” or something. Not exactly race ready...
I swung over to the Jeg’s web site to
send an E-Mail bitch but they say that you cannot send comments to them via
E-Mail. You have to call and talk to an
“order taker” to get through to them..
Kind of a bummer.. And after all
the good things I said about them too...
Oh well, the adjustable can from Accel
or Crane is less than 30 bucks or I can go with my old truck can with the hard
spring and 15 degrees (soon to be reduced to 10)
More to come..
Rick Draganowski
(having fun, just slower..)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 7
Date: Saturday, September 04, 1999 8:36 PM
I couldn’t hold myself back and wound
up putting about 2 hours into the project. (mostly sitting time)
I moved some stuff in my shop in
preparation to tearing into the 400 motor sitting in the corner and stumbled
across the timing chain and cam sprocket which I salvaged from an old 305 motor
a few years ago. It was laying around
near where I had kept the scale I used to weigh small block parts a few years
ago. When I looked at it I was amazed
to find that it was an almost new factory GM set with a cast iron cam sprocket
and the neat sintered steel crank sprocket with a fine “Made in USA” Morse
chain in perfect condition. I guess it
just fell out of the sky. (never throw
nuthin away and it pays sometimes) The crank sprocket was still on the rusty ol
crank in the other end of the shop (late model full circle seal 305 crank)
So In a sitting position and with the
aid of a propane torch, some WD40, and a two arm puller with a custom aluminum
crank protector bearing I rassled the crank sprocket off. Had a hell of a time holding the crank so I
could really put the torque on the puller but I managed. (lotsa upper body strength)
The whole timing set cleaned up so
purdy that it looks like I just picked it up at the GM parts window..
Encouraged and a little bit reckless I
went out to the Rustpuppy and racked myself up a bit more pulling the old
“Hecho in Mexico” crank sprocket off.
The Mexican chain did say Morse
but no mention of country of
origin. It also looks like a slightly
different design that can be assembled by hand and it was. You could see the variations in the way the
pins were peened and the Morse was hand stamped also. A really labor intensive way to make a timing chain..
So real progress has been made and
perhaps tomorrow the 400 will be opened up and a Camectomy performed.. I am leaving the 400 in the low motor stand
so I can work on it sitting on my folding chair..
More to come...
Rick Draganowski
(still having fun..)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 8
Date: Sunday, September 05, 1999 10:03 PM
A person whom I regard highly told me
to take it easy today so I took it pretty easy.
The only strain was putting the choice salvaged
crank sprocket back on ol Rustpuppy. It
was not a big deal as I carefully deburred the sprocket bore and lubricated the
crank nose before starting. (just motor
oil) First I slid it on as far as I could by hand making sure the key was in
the center of the keyway. Then using
the hardwood handle of my wire brush as a punch and a 16 oz ball pein hammer I
started to alternately drive one side and the other till the wooden driver
would push no farther. Then using a
stainless rod (a soft 304 alloy) I continued driving. About 3 hits on one side with the rod as close to the crank as
possible and then 3 hits on the other side.
After many many hits I could feel and hear a difference as the sprocket
bottomed against the step in the crank.
Six more hits on each of all four compass points verified the puppy was
in..
Then I moved to a sitting posture and
enjoyed the fine weather as I carefully scraped all of the gasket residue from
the timing cover and the intake manifold.
I thought of Rob Roberson’s 355 project while scraping on the ol cast
iron Q-Jet manifold that Rustpuppy wears and decided to give him trouble if he
didn’t pull the manifold and port match it to those wonderful heads he has on
his motor...
Then as darkness fell I went into the
shop and finished clearing away around the stored 400 motor..
Rats!,
I mean mice! had been in the lifter vally on the cloth covering it and
had been taking bits of the toilet paper I had stuffed in the ports and were
starting to build a nest. Mice in my
mouse motor. What will they think of
next..
The toilet paper stuffing was to keep
gasket scrapings out way back when I was cleaning up this motor to put in
without disassembling it to inspect everything and get a proper valve job and
pocket porting.. But now it will be
done right as it will have a good home in Junkyard Dawg instead of Rustpuppy.
I removed the rodentia spoor and nest
fragments and started work on the 400.
I have a 250 watt incandescent
spotlight shining on the 400 and it is a sight to see..
Much nicer inside than the old 350..
1) removed
water pump
2) removed
crankshaft pully
3) pulled off
drivers side valve cover
4) removed
all the rockers, pushrods, and lifters and bagged and tagged them. The lifters have to be matched up with the
proper cam lobe when I put the cam into Rustpuppy’s motor.
I fooled around with some E-Mail in
between tasks and am writing this and calling it a day..
BTW all of the lifters looked almost
new and they are gonna be fine in the other motor...
Happy happy, joy joy..
More to come..
Rick Draganowski
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 9
Date: Monday, September 06, 1999 8:55 PM
It was a good news/bad news kind of a
day. First all the good news.
I pulled the other (passenger side)
valve cover off the 400 motor and went to work on the right bank rockers, push
rods, and lifters. This part went
without a hitch. The rocker studs,
rockers, pushrods and lifters all looked terrific and happiness was
growing.
When all these parts were safely tagged
and bagged I went to work on the front of the motor. The vibration damper came
off without a hitch (it help to have the proper tool) and then the timing cover
came off slick as a whistle. (The
previous owner had taken it off and replaced it twice already. In the truck. Once it was to replace the
stock cam with an Edelbrock Performer, and the second time to replace the Edelbrock
Performer which wound up with 2 flat lobes with another one.)
With the cover off my eyes were treated
to:
1) perfectly
clean inside cover area..
2) perfect
condition double row timing chain with french locks..
Not the chain I would chose (solid pin
instead of true roller and double instead of single row) but a perfectly
serviceable part and Edelbrock charges almost 50 bucks for it...
Excitement growing so my hands were
slightly trembling I hammered back the french locks with my trusty ball pein
and a medium sized screwdriver.
Then the three bolts were out in a
twinkling of an eye. (they were not torqued enough)
Holding the cam sprocket in both hands
I pulled ever so gently. Then the
sprocket and chain were off and into my hands.
(like it is supposed to)
Ahhh..
The beautifully finished end of the
Performer cam was exposed. I went back
into the other end of the shop and got two 5/16NC bolts about 2 ½” long and was
back in a flash. Threading the bolts
into the tapped holes in the cam for handles I pulled and rotated slightly and
the cam started it’s way out.
Carefully supporting it and lifting it
back to center to clear the lobes I slowly withdrew the cam from the motor.
It was out safely! I wiped the oil from the cam and carefully
inspected it under the glare of the 250w spotlight and could see no flaw. It was a perfectly broken in cam which the
lifter inspection testified to in advance..
The cam is a beauty compared to the
stock GM cam and cannot be compared in any way to the “Flat Cam from Hell” I
had just pulled out of Rustpuppy..
Below are a couple of pictures of three
cams. From left to right they are:
Mexican Target Master, Stock 305, Edelbrock Performer 400.. You can see the left one is a little off…
The nasty thing is even worse in real life..
So far nothing but good news followed
by more good news..
But, (told you at the beginning) the
bad news started as soon as I turned back to the motor to examine the cam
bearings. I had noticed that the cam
bearing clearances seemed tighter that they should be when I was pulling the
Performer.
I could see why. There were score marks all the way around
and when I felt the finish of the bearing with my finger I could feel an
ominous roughness in the top part of the bearing adjacent to the oil hole.
An inspection mirror showed imbedded
metal particles and other damage (smearing and chipping) from the metal which
had been In the oil.
I cannot figure how it may have gotten
through the filter unless the oil filter was defective in some way.. Or maybe it was clogged up to the point
of allowing oil to bypass.. Damn!
Oh well..
If the front cam bearing is this bad I
can be sure that all of the bearings in the motor were trashed and that I am
going to have to do a complete teardown and rebuild.
The 400 motor is gonna cost a lot more
than I thought..
Don’t it always..
Rick Draganowski
(I wonder what is next...)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 10
Date: Thursday, September 09, 1999 7:37 PM
Been busy on non-Nova stuff since
Monday but did a little on Tuesday (got a bolt and stack of washers for
installing vibration dampers).
Today some real progress was made. Cleaned up and installed the Edelbrock
Performer cam into Rustpuppy. The
reclaimed stock GM timing chain went on easily and fits and looks like a new
one. That is where I was when darkness
intervened. The cam fits real nice and
seems right at home..
More to come..
Rick Draganowski
(gonna be in the 15’s for sure...)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 11
Date: Friday, September 10, 1999 6:31 PM
A mixed bag of work today. first I did scraping and wirebrushing on the
timing cover, tdc pointer bracker, intake manifold, fuel pump, and new (to
Rustpuppy water pump).
Then a quick rattle can paint job on
them all.. While the acrylic enamel was
drying (Oldsmobile Engine Blue) I salvaged the studs and the heater outlet plug
(Rustpuppy has no heater) from the leaky waterpump Rustpuppy has been wearing
for the last 4 years.. (it had an
annoying little leak at the top of the tin cover on the back of the pump) I used the double nut technique on the studs
and they came out easier than I expected..
Then I finished scraping and cleaning
the gasket surfaces on the motor at the timing cover, heads and vally, and fuel
pump mount.. More stretching and
bending for my old bones.. It is a lot
easier with the motor on a stand.. Next
time for sure...
Then I slid in all of the lifters that
match up with the Edelbrock cam and they fit fine and felt happy (there was no
varnish or sludge in this motor as I have been using Marvel Mystery Oil in it
for the last few years) The 400 is full
of varnish and a bit of sludge..
Hmmmm
I started installing the original
rocker arms and pushrods in the locations they came from and stopped after
doing cylinders 1 and 3 since this would be a lot easer with Rustpuppy off the
jackstands and on her tires.. (easier
reach) I gotta put the fuel pump and
timing cover on before I take her off the jackstands so I diverted to the fuel
pump.
It went on easily (not! they never do)
You just have the motor on TDC Number 1 firing stroke, push the pushrod back a
bit with needlenose pliers and slip in a steel pocket rule to catch the
pushrod. Then take the pump (don’t
forget the gasket) slide the arm down the steel rule until it is low enough to
catch the pushrod and then pull out the rule.
Then you fool around with the mounting bolts and gasket to line up the
holes and get the bolts started. Then alternately
tighten one side and another to bring
the pump to it permanent position.
Tight but not too tight (about 15-20 lb ft)
That is the ending point for
today.
More to come..
Rick Draganowski
(how can hard work be so much fun??)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 12
Date: Saturday, September 11, 1999 9:07 PM
Today I dug right in on getting the
timing cover back on. All things
considered it was an experience I would never want to go through again. Think of grovelling on your stomach on the
radiator cross bar of your Nova and messing around at arm’s length with a demon
posessed metal cover complete with lovely gooey black RTV trimming getting on
everything and not being able to see what you are doing since your neck is too
stiff to allow you to look directly forward at the target zone.
I finally (with the help of a wooden
pusher stick) got it to the point where I could put two of the cover bolts in
(one on each side) then with the curved end of another tool and a little
screwdriver I convinced the rubber seal to get in where it belonged. Adding more black RTV for trimming all around
and slowly putting the cover bolts in one at a time (finger tight) I slowly
started bringing the cover to its final position (using just the socket to turn
the bolts and checking with an inspection mirror to be sure things were not
squishing out)..
Then using the rachet and extension the
job started to become more fun..
It was in and the bolts tightened! (
not too much as they are little guys)
So relieved by the progress (and the
fact that I could still stand up straight) I stupidly took Rustpuppy down from
the carjacks forgetting all about the 4 pan bolts which need to be
installed.. Duhhh..
After taking a break and losing the
light I jacked the front of Rustpuppy up enough to get to the pan bolts without
killing myself and rassled them back in (holding the little flashlight in my
mouth like a common thief, and drooling a lot)
The pan bolts were in! (I had pulled just the front four to pry the
pan down just a tiny bit..)
I put the tools up and called it a
day.. My neck is gonna kill me but it
was worth it and suprisingly fun for such a miserable job. (having the motor out on a stand is the only
way to go...)
Tomorrow I finish putting the rockers
and pushrods on and then after setting the valves carefully (thinking about Ray
Buck while I do it) I will be ready to hurt myself holding the 45 pound iron
intake manifold at arm’s length and getting it to come down in the right
place.. (gonna use the rubber end
gaskets again since the gap on this motor is perfect for them)
If things go well ol’ Rustpuppy will be
turning quarters in the 15’s before Thursday night...
The Edelbrock lifters use the paper
clip retainers and I am gonna set the preload at ¾ turn. I don’t know what Edelbrock recommends so
correct me if I am messing up..
Rick Draganowski
(fun fun fun)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 13
Date: Sunday, September 12, 1999 7:23 PM
Got off to a late foggy and cold start
today. Our Oregon costal fog showed up
last night and the temp never got much above 50.
Anyway I dug in and mounted the
vibration damper using the 1” longer bolt and stack of washers trick. Worked like a charm. Then I started back on
putting on the rockers and puttin in the pushrods (making sure to get the parts
back where they came from). I got one
more cylinder done (number 5) and realized that having Rustpuppy off the
jackstands was putting the strains on me that messed me up last weekend so I
could hardly walk. Dropping the rocker
job I then put Rustpuppy back up on the jackstands..
Then back to the rockers and
pushrods. Finally all were done and I
took a break by turning my attention to the water pump which I was going to
use. From a comfortable sitting
position I inserted the 4 studs (using the double nut trick) which hold the fan
and the plug for the heater hose fitting which is not needed. (BTW Ray I used the black RTV for sealer on
the brass pipe plug) By now I had lost
the light and it was cold, damp and miserable so I called it a day and will
adjust the valves tomorrow (hope the sun shines)..
I read on the Crane Cams site that the
lifter preload on the paper clip retainer hydraulic lifters should be ½ to 1
turn. Chuck Butcher would bet that
Edelbrock recommends ½ turn. This motor
will never see the high side of 5000rpm so I am thinking ¾ turn yet. Any other opinions..
Going once...
Rick Draganowski
(cold, damp, but still having fun..)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Flat Cam Project day 14
Date: Monday, September 13, 1999 10:18 PM
Another late cold and foggy start
today. I just adjusted the valves very
carefully to ½ turn preload on the Edelbrock hydraulic lifters. I went through the whole procedure using the
¼ turn on the crankshaft and follow the firing order method Rob posted. Then went back throught it all over again
from the start, then went back and verified that none of the lifters were
bottomed and that the clearance between the piston and the clip eyeballed OK
when the lifters were on the base circle.
(It should work..)
Adjusted twice, checked twice and will
verify one more time before I put the manifold on. Slow but sure does it..
By then it was dark and cold and I had
a ton of Nova E-Mail to attend to..
More to come..
Rick Draganowski
(lifters? rockers? pushrods? when I
close my eyes I see them...)
From: Rick Draganowski <dragan@harborside.com>
To: ‘[Nova List]’ <nova@seas.smu.edu>
Subject: Forces of Light, Forces of Darkness II
Date: Tuesday, September 14, 1999 9:16 PM
Another issue has presented itself and
I am again torn between those old familiar manifestations.
The issue presented itself today as I
prepared to replace the old iron Q-Jet intake manifold on Rustpuppy. After hefting the manifold (it seems heavier
than the last time I did this two years ago)
and checking the required reach I came to the conclusion that it would
be much easier with Rustpuppy down off the jackstands and on her own feet
(tires).
So I took Rustpuppy off the stands and
sat down to prepare things for the manifold replacement.
Then while sitting and wire brushing
the manifold bolts (it helps to hold the bolts in a Vicegrips to protect your
fingers) I considered the installation carefully. Then I practiced holding the manifold at arms length and slowly
lowering it like will be required when I am bending over the fender later. The damn manifold seemed heavier (I know it
is not) than the last time so I got out the scale and weighted it. It is still exactly 42 lbs with the water
neck.. I found that I could not do the
manifold lift and lower trick controllably enough to be able to get it exactly
right the first time I set it down.
Since I have no help this puts me in a serious jamb..
After sitting and thinking for a while
while I finished the wire brushing I came up with two options and at this point
the stage was set for the entry of the two tiny apparitions.
Option 1) First thing tomorrow clear away enough stuff and junk in the shop
to dig out the cherry picker hoist and get it out to Rustpuppy. A simple little chain sling and I would have
a controllable and easy way to lower the manifold into place.. The little angelic figure on my right
shoulder was enthusiastically promoting this option.
But,
there is another way...
Option 2) The Edelbrock Performer manifold is all cleaned up and waiting to
be installed on the 400 when that project gets going well. So it could be plopped on Rustpuppy easy as
pie. It only weighs 14 lbs and can
easily be held out at arms length with one hand.. The 400 deserves a brand new Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold
anyway and who knows what tomorrow may bring.
It is quick, easy and would match the Edelbrock cam now in Rustpuppy
better than the clunky old cast iron job..
The little devilish figure on my left shoulder was making a lot of
sense..
So then the tiny angel countered with
“The Edelbrock Performer RPM” is 150 bucks you don’t have and the Jeg’s catalog
don’t even mention the 400 motor for the RPM spreadbore and just lists SB Chevy
262-350. And the iron manifold is
cleaned and painted and ready to go..
It is the right thing to do...”
The tiny devil countered with “The
antique Performer manifold doesn’t even look like the new ones and is probably
obsolete. It has the clunky old 90
degree turns instead of the graceful curves of the new Performer. And it is pitted and corroded on the gasket
sealing surfaces from sitting on the 400 motor in the truck for 10 years and
probably will leak coolant into your rebuilt 400 motor and destroy it.. And it has a nasty snarf on it from the
casting flash cutting tool from when it was made... It’s a piece of junk compared to a new one. Use it! Use it! And look at the work you will save by not cleaning up to get the
cherry picker out! And just think of
how you will feel when the Nova list finds out you used a 2 ton crane to put a
42 lb intake manifold into your Nova..
You big sissy girlyman..”
The angelic figure shook his head and
disappeared. The devilish one laughed
and vanished leaving a tiny bad smell...
So there I am tonight. No real work done on Rustpuppy and balanced
between the Forces of Darkness and Light..
(and I am leaning pretty heavily as you can see from the arguments
above..)
Oh well, I will sleep on it..
More to come..