grannyknot

Good point, I still have to measure all the valve lash before tearing the head down.

That's the #4 piston and it has the same marks but I'll have to clean the carbon off first to see how extensive the damage is. If it was a foreign object, it didn't stay in there for very long, a few seconds then broke apart or exited through the exhaust valve. Hard to imagine pre ignition detonation with a compression ratio so low, as I remember the early engines like this one were around 9 -9.5: 1

Removed the head today, no obvious signs but the exhaust runners are covered with a thick layer of carbon so will know more once the valves are removed.

Some bad news, did a compression test today and cylinder 1 and 2 are leaking badly, then did a leak down test and all the air is coming from the exhaust valves. I didn't hear any escaping air in the crankcase so fingers crossed that the rings are still good, I'm hoping it is just a build up of carbon that's keeping the exhaust valves from closing. I'll pull the cylinder head in the next couple of days and will know for sure. The oil pump is in good condition, no scratches, and someone in the past modified or repaired the shifter, maybe shortened it?

Racer, do you have a video of you at the track? I would love to hear the engine.

I got the engine and trans pulled this morning, up to the shop on the engine stand. Dave, looks like you got your moneys worth out of the clutch, the release bearing was kind of crunchy, not sure the flywheel can be saved either. All the lobes on the cam are in very nice condition, no real wear, underneath 50+ years of grease and dirt is some of the assembly line marker paint.

Racers reversed the maker lamps to lower the drag coefficient, worth another 0.1 seconds per lap.🙄

V8? I must have missed that, which V8 are you thinking about?

It is not sealed to the axle, it is sealed to the carb body, the axle moves freely, nothing to wear out.

I tore down the fuel pump today and if I didn't know better I would swear the gaskets were new, fresh and clean, no aging. This car has led a sheltered life. I'm assuming this burgundy Velour seat cover is an aftermarket item from back in the day, it's in good shape and I dare say it fits better than the new seat covers will. I gave the rad and acid flush and a new coat of paint, clean and resprayed the air cleaner box. What do you guys think about the brake booster? Should we just send it in to be rebuilt or clean it up and put it back into service? I'm not hearing any rust rattling around inside and I believe the leak was coming from the back of the master cylinder. If I test it to see if it passes the vacuum test is that good enough to assume it is still working properly?

The neoprene cover is cemented with Seal All, one of the very few adhesives that is gasoline resistant, it will be on there for many years I'm sure.

The original needle does say N27, new needle is N54, I can't see any brass on the shaft and I guess there's not much slop. I've been working with the ITB's on the S54 engine and there is no wiggle room at all on those so these SU's feel pretty loose by comparison. OK, so the new needle is slightly bigger.

I installed the inline ball valve on the In hose mostly because without it heat would transfer through the coolant by convection and after an hour of driving the heater core is radiating heat, on a summer's day that was too much for me.

I installed an inline shut off valve on the in hose to the heater core, close it for the summer and open again for the fall, seem to work okay.

^ Not rubber, Neoprene/Viton.

I may have a solution for air slipping through the worn bushing, dug through my bag of gaskets and came up with a couple of Viton O rings that fit perfectly over the butter fly shaft and made up end covers of neoprene and used some Seal All to glue the edges of the cover so the shaft can move freely, I think it will work.

The 2 filters that are original are in good shape and if you want me to I'll re use them, I was just questioning why they were there.

Noooo, don't tell me that, one of the needles got bent removing it. Far left and middle are original, right is the closest match.

Thanks guys, I got the needles out, cemented in with gasoline varnish.

There is a fine screen filter in the banjo fitting, but it is after the main and finer filter, so just wondering if it is needed? Has anyone found new bushings for the main butterfly valve shaft or a way to stop the air sneaking through the gap? Is there a trick to getting the needles out without damaging them? I've unscrewed the slot head screw holding them in place but can't get the to budge.

But the original gaskets are the thinnest paper, that's why I was thinking liquid gasket, if the gasket thickness is too thick won't that change the sound of the horns? Steve, did the card stock change the sound of the horn in any way? Maybe I'm being too anal and it just doesn't matter.

You said it brother! Good quality jacks can be had on craigslist or kijiji for a 1/3rd the price of new and they will last. I know a lot of guys like SS brake and fuel lines but they are so hard to work with and difficult to get a good seal without repeated tightening, where as Cunifer brake line can be bent by hand, never rusts, shines up beautifully and you get a good seal every time.

The paper gaskets are too damaged to reuse so I'm wondering if I can use a thin layer of liquid gasket instead of the paper? The sealer would keep the horn from rusting up again the way the paper gaskets allowed but wondering liquid gasket might damped the vibrations when the horn is sounding off. Any experience either way?

Those look like painful hemorrhoids.

Oh no, maybe he thought he was installing a fuel filter.😄