New 512 build planning

[Spyder]

Last nights first start! Maybe I'm being paranoid but I almost feel like I hear a tap tap tap from the top end. Gotta pull valve cover and check stuff out now, check preload, etc. Maybe it's just the HS rockers that I've been reading make more noise than stockers I'm used to.

Oil pressure was immediate and good. Started easy and sounds smooth, no leaks I saw yet. May get time this afternoon to mess with it some more.

...tried to upload a video but it says the extension isn't allowed.

 

[Ricks72Chlgr440]

Last nights first start! Maybe I'm being paranoid but I almost feel like I hear a tap tap tap from the top end. Gotta pull valve cover and check stuff out now, check preload, etc. Maybe it's just the HS rockers that I've been reading make more noise than stockers I'm used to.

Oil pressure was immediate and good. Started easy and sounds smooth, no leaks I saw yet. May get time this afternoon to mess with it some more.

...tried to upload a video but it says the extension isn't allowed.

Yeah, you have to send it to youtube, then you can post the link from that youtube video.

 

[Spyder]

First drive on the road was a success! Letting it cool down now to drain the oil and cut open the filter for a look-see. Sounds good, pulled hard for the half to three quarter throttle I was doing and then letting it slow down for ring seating, and looks fantastic going down the road. Now all the little stuff so I can put the hood back on and start taking it to town.

I wound up swapping to manual brakes because of vacuum booster problems and they're totally inadequate so far. Either I didn't finish bleeding the master enough, haven't gotten the push rod adjustment right, or something else. Tranny shift linkage is off a little so that's gotta be done, and some little wiring cleanup. During the drive it didn't get over 195, went to 205 when I slowed down and idled into the driveway and shop, ambient temperature outside was high 90s so I'm not too worried about temp, especially since I haven't done any tuning yet.

 

[Spyder]

Went out for a little longer drive today and all is still well. A little timing and A/F tuning and it runs better than the first short trip. Bolted the bumper back up, and plan on doing another longer shakedown run tomorrow.

I had misadjusted the shifter linkage, setting it up while in park instead of 1st, which caused most of my problems on the first short drive the other day. I put a second oil pressure gauge in to be sure it's right, and both are running within a couple pounds of each other, and closer to 20 than 10 lbs at 1k rpm idle. Lots of power, pulls hard and smooth, didn't go over 180 degrees today with ambient temp of 92 or so today, and no leaks! Brakes need a little more attention, they're still a little soft after I put new calipers on and bled them, but I'll do a full 4 corner bleed again tomorrow that should solve that.

Just about time to put lots of miles on the rest of the summer, and already planning the winter project list... higher stall TC, new brake lines and fuel lines, and then start working on the Barracuda.

 

[Spyder]

Trip to the gas station went well but I totally forgot to take a picture there. I'll get the grill and headlights back in next.

Temp outside is 97, and it stayed at 180 until I did a couple of hard pulls then idled into my driveway and it went to 200. Not worried about that at all.

I'll have some more tuning to do, couple hiccups, a little off idle stumble and it did something funny for a second at about three quarter throttle and 50mph, bogged for a split second, took my foot off the fuel and it went away and didn't do it again. Bugs to work out but real close.

I already feel like I should have gone with a bigger cam.

 

[Xcudame]

Sounds like it's running pretty good! Since it's still breaking in with lots of friction, 200°F is not remotely hot! Not sure about far North California, but in the Sack-o-tomato area, I had similar bog far a split second from time to time and just contributed it to Cali's crappy fuel!

See how it does with the cam that's in there once its fully broken in. If not satisfied, as you know, a big block cam swap is just a few hours job!

 

[Spyder]

See how it does with the cam that's in there once its fully broken in. If not satisfied, as you know, a big block cam swap is just a few hours job!

I'm sure I'll be perfectly happy with it. I'll need to get a new torque converter once I get the bugs worked out, this old Hughes 2k that was in the car when it had the old 440 won't cut it I'm sure, but it's what I had available when I ran out of money.

 

[Xcudame]

Remember stall speed goes up when torque goes up and your 512 will Definitely make more torque than the old 440, so you might not be too bad off with that Hughes torque convertor!

 

[Spyder]

Got some more driving in today, seems to be doing great. Probably 20 miles of backroads with a bunch of stop and turnaround, etc. Temp crept up a little again when I parked it and let it idle but still not enough to worry about. No fuel bog on this drive.

Now trying to figure out slow crank when hot. Played with timing thinking it was a little too far advanced and turning it back helped a little, but when I put a voltmeter on and crank, voltage drops to 9s. Battery, cables, and starter are all new so hopefully none are bad, but that's the next problem to figure out. Starts fine 5 or 10 minutes of sitting but when just shut down, really slow to no crank. I'll go over all the cables and grounds and check them all again. I haven't flogged it yet but my little Dragy unit says it's a full second and a half faster 0-60 than with the old engine, and without any tuning or hard launch. Gonna be fun when I figure it all out.

 

[Ricks72Chlgr440]

Got some more driving in today, seems to be doing great. Probably 20 miles of backroads with a bunch of stop and turnaround, etc. Temp crept up a little again when I parked it and let it idle but still not enough to worry about. No fuel bog on this drive.

Now trying to figure out slow crank when hot. Played with timing thinking it was a little too far advanced and turning it back helped a little, but when I put a voltmeter on and crank, voltage drops to 9s. Battery, cables, and starter are all new so hopefully none are bad, but that's the next problem to figure out. Starts fine 5 or 10 minutes of sitting but when just shut down, really slow to no crank. I'll go over all the cables and grounds and check them all again. I haven't flogged it yet but my little Dragy unit says it's a full second and a half faster 0-60 than with the old engine, and without any tuning or hard launch. Gonna be fun when I figure it all out.

Could be the starter is being overheated. After cooling down some it performs as expected. I had a 440 in my 69 Charger with headers that were very close to the starter and did the same thing. This was back in the 80's and I ended up dumping the headers and going back to manifolds to resolve the issue. Perhaps you could look into header clearance and if one tube is close to the starter you might have room to make a heat shield.

 

[Spyder]

Ya that's very possible too. Brand new high torque mini starter so should be fine but... heat shield and/or header wrap are pretty easy to do. Just now I let it cool down for half an hour or so and started it multiple takes, voltage only dropped a little to start, started easily, went for another drive, came home and parked, and no crank/big drop again. It's somewhere in thst system so I'll find it Friday when I'm off work again.

 

[Xcudame]

Definitely recommend a heat shield or header wrap around the starter. Headers expelling of heat is part of their reason for adding a little extra horsepower. And it's natural for an engine to expell extra heat idling after a run!

 

[Spyder]

My old 462 in my Lincoln just needed a nice solid whack on the side of the atsrter when it cranked slow.