Can't wait to see the finished product!

TexasAggies06 said:

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Can't wait to see the finished product!

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You and me both haha. It's coming up on 4 yrs since i got it.

Mine has sat for months due to the cold ass weather and lack of time. Four years now sounds like a conservative estimate for me

I hear you. It's tough to get motivated during the winter.

Photobucket sucks.

Photobucket sucks a lot

It sure does. It really sucked to lose three years worth of pictures on that were laid out and chronicled like that.

Gigemags05 said:

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TexasAggies06 said:

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Can't wait to see the finished product!

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You and me both haha. It's coming up on 4 yrs since i got it.

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Mine only took 6....so there that.

Granted, it is sitting right now because I didn't put in hardened valve seats and now I have a valve that has recessed.

So of course that means I might as well shave the head and we'll since I am doing that, I might as well put a hotter cam on it, which means I should probably get my rockers refurbished or upgraded to rollers and since I am doing that, I should probably get the carbs rebuilt just to be safe. Of course all of that means I should probably get the distributor recurved to take advantage of everything.

Two words...

Ell
Ess

6 year restoration?


Y U no haz cousins?

Well, I don't really have any pictures because the last few weeks have been spent on wiring and trying to get this thing ready to run. Wiring has been a slow go, but I think I've got all but one or two small things (i.e. horn) figured out.

I'm in the process of filling the truck up with fluids and checking all the bolts and hoses, etc.

Any tips for starting a vehicle for the first time? I've got break in oil for the cam shaft, all new fluids.

Honestly, I've only done this one other time so any tips are great as far as trouble shooting or things to watch for.

Do I need to use any starter fluid in the carb to start out?

I would try without starting fluid initially. Bump the key in about no more than 10 second intervals. If your points are correct & it's getting fuel it should start.

Okay thanks for the info.


I have read that some people remove the spark plugs and turn the engine over a few times to get oil up in the cylinders. Think that is necessary?

I have it timed right now, or as close as I can guess. I may have to adjust just a little.

Is there anything special to do for the carb? I have also seen some people not hook up the vacuum advance until after start up. Not sure why.

It is my understanding that turning the engine over by hand before starting after many years is to be sure the engin isn't "froze up". I believe disconnecting the vacuum advance has more to do with when you are setting the timing.

What is the best way to make sure that my timing is correct? Just pull the No. 1 cylinder and turn the engine by hand until its on TDC of compression stroke? How exact does that have to be? Do you just stop as soon as you feel the air pushing out?

You need to use a timing light.

Okay, I was looking at lights. How does that work if the motor isn't already running?

you should have a timing marker around the front cover of the engine. rotate it until it points to 0. Rotate distributor until its pickup is around whatever post you decide is #1. At this point there is a 50/50 chance it'll work. It could be on the exhaust stroke and not the compression stroke. You could just try it, or pull a valve cover and verify #1 exhaust valve is closed, or pull a spark plug and see if it is compressing air as it is approaching the #1 post on the distrbutor. If you find that you are on the exhaust stroke either R&R the distributor 180 degrees off, or move all the plug wires around 4 spaces.

From there it'll probably run like crap. Plug the vacuum advance, get it idling at the correct speed and set the base timing. Let it warm up and recheck the timing.

Well first off YouTube is your friend but I never found a perfect video to explain this. If you haven't messed with the motor then the distributor should be in the right spot. If you are putting in a new distributor try googling "stabbing distributor". First you need to find out which cylinder the engine is timed off of (usually the first cylinder but not always), then you need to know the correct timing degree. Say it times off of the first cylinder, remove that spark plug, put a balloon or stick your finger in there plugging the hole, turn the engin over by hand with a wrench on the harmonic balancer, when you feel your finger being pushed out(it will be harder turn turn for this part) that should be the correct stroke of the engine, as it comes up to the zero degree mark on the balancer that's where you stab the distributor. You will know you're 180 degrees off if when you crank the engin (trying to start it) it backfires or coughs real bad out of the carb. Hope that helps. Also if you want some in-person help, shout out your location & someone may come drink your beer while guiding you.

Don't forget to sit down & take a break if you don't get it right away.

Well, after four long years, I finally got this thing going last night. My FIL came over and we adjusted the timing and it fired right up.


Now for the BAD news. All was going well, and I was about halfway through the 20 minute break in and my FIL noticed 2 leaks. One is clean oil coming from somewhere in the back of the engine. The other looked to be coming from the distributor (although it may be somewhere else). The big problem, though, is that the leak in the front was milky. So I guess I have water in the oil or oil in the water somewhere.


I drained the oil out of the pan and it is clean. I pulled the distributor and shined a light down in it and didn't see any milky oil. I haven't drained the radiator yet, but I suspect that I have oil in the water. Does this mean that I probably have a blown gasket?

I was keeping the engine at 2-3k RPM and it got to temp and the thermostat kicked in and the fan came on. However, the headers were absolutely RED HOT. Is this normal? They are stainless steel headers. I'm afraid they are going to burn the spark plug wires and the battery.

Pretty disappointed that I have a possible major problem. Any advice on how to chase down the issue?

Could be headgasket. Could be cracked block or heads. Rent a coolant pressure tester and see what happens and where you hear air

Red headers so the carb needs tuning. I technology whip this and use a wideband o2 with tailpipe adapter. Thats a thread of its own, and wear waders cause most people are full of **** on this topic

I sure hope its not the heads or block. I just rebuilt this thing and do not see how the heads or block could have a crack in them.

it would have had to be cracked already so good chance its just head gaskets

That said, a windsor block needs to be below freezing for half a second to bust through the lifter valley if the coolant passages are full of water.

Steel or aluminum heads?

This thread just got real.

Steel heads and there was no water in it til last week.

Well do the coolant pressure test and a compression check. I don't think you have a blown head gasket.

If its not a blown head gasket, then what might it be?

Looking back at the engine post you made, I don't see where you said what work was done to the block. You re-worked the heads, but did you have the block decked/flattened? Have you checked the torque on the head studs? Intake bolts?

I didn't have the block decked. The engine was running just fine when I took it apart. Its got 90,000 miles on it.

I didn't have the money to get it decked or get the cylinders re-bored. But I did measure them and they were within spec. Bearings looked good.

I have all new head bolts and intake bolts and they are torqued to spec.

Just found this thread. I hope you get your engine woes figured out soon! Also, props for getting a new shop out of the deal too!

Now I'm even more confused. I drained the radiator and the water is crystal clear. So neither the oil or water in their respective containers were contaminated.

Test it

If you make it to dallas you can borrow my crap to do it. Maybe even the dial back timing light and wideband

In that case....drive it like you stole it & keep the oil topped off?

I agree with the above. Refill with fluids and keep running. Just keep a careful eye on your oil pressure and water temperature gauges, and check the dipstick before and after each run. Maybe you'll get lucky.