Mid- Engine Modified Sports

[wobblywalrus]

Neil, those carb bolts need to be cinched up using a monkey wrench. 

[manta22]

The Christmas and New Year holidays delayed the carb project somewhat with out-of-town visitors, etc.

After I scraped out the remainder of the fiber bowl washers, those gasket surfaces did not look very good so I took a piloted counterbore and did a light spot facing on the surfaces to clean them up. In the mean time, the new gaskets arrived and I've installed them. Today should be a warm day so I can slide open my "barn door" and turn on the electric fuel pump to check the carb for fuel leaks. I have a big CO2 fire extinguisher handy and any spilled gas fumes will be vented out the open door. Fingers crossed, monkey wrench handy.   

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[manta22]

Switched on the battery, switched on the fuel pump- no leaks! Now to set the float levels.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[manta22]

Float levels set, slight seep from primary sight screw. Cleaned the secondary accelerator pump squirter check valve so it is working OK now.

Fuel pressure gauge shows only 3 psi at the carb log manifold; need to check the voltage at the fuel pump while it is running and the fuel filters. It could be that the small fuel pressure gauge is off- could the el-cheapo Chinese stuff be that bad? 

Switched on fuel pump and ignition and cranked the engine over. It fired but it needs to get the idle mixture & speed adjusted as well as the ignition timing. Low fuel pressure doesn't help, either. Made lots of noise but stopped at that point since Joline had her yoga class coming up soon. She teaches it upstairs in the shop.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[wheelrdealer]

Open headers sound is yoga zin to me...plus the 115 octane aroma therapy!

I can't do all of the contortions.

BR

[manta22]

Maybe, BR, but the ladies don't have an appreciation of it.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[tauruck]

It's essence of Neil, I'm sure that will speed up the Yoga?.

Yes Neil The El Cheapo stuff can be "that" bad.

I hope you come right there man.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Open headers sound is yoga zin to me...plus the 115 octane aroma therapy!

Bill, Neil, I'll bring the beer, but . . .

Ask Joline for sure - I'm pretty certain there's a Yoga position called Chalice Pose.

And Bill, I know if you're talking ZIN, then Mrs. Midget's in! 



just pickin' on ya, Bill . . . 

[wheelrdealer]

Neil:

Funny my wife does not have the same appreciation of fine exhaust notes as I do.

Mr. Midget I get it! 

[tauruck]

I've got one that roots for the #2 car in Sprint Cup
and loves the racing so I get a chance to turn up the volume.
She's a Reiki Master. Wish she'd heal my piggy bank.

[manta22]

I did some trouble shooting on my fuel system this afternoon. With the engine off but the electric fuel pump (Carter P4600HP) turned on, I read 3.5psi on a small gauge mounted in the fuel log on my Holley 850 double-pumper. This is less that the pump is spec'ed to put out (4.5 to 8.0psi) so something is wrong.

I checked the voltage at the pump while it was @ 3.5psi and my digital voltmeter read 12.62V; the battery voltage was 12.68V so the wiring is losing only 60 millivolts (#10AWG) so that isn't the problem.

Next, to check for pump cavitation, I removed the 100u filter between the pump inlet and the tank (actually a can of gas slightly higher than the pump and slightly below the filter) but there was no change in fuel pressure. There is a 10u filter between the pump outlet and the carb fuel log but that really should not cause a problem since there was plenty of gas flowing when I first encountered the massive leak. This is a mystery so far.

I did order a Marshall 0-15psi liquid-filled gauge this afternoon so I'll have something to cross-check my existing gauge with.

While looking on the internet, I was surprised by how many people complained that their liquid-filled pressure gauge was no good-- it changed its reading when it got hot. They ALL do that-- the gauge case has to be sealed or the liquid would leak out. As the liquid heats up it generates pressure inside the case and, since the gauge reads the difference between the input pressure and the internal case pressure, the needle reading changes. Good liquid-filled gauges have a small vent so that the case pressure can be relieved to atmospheric to re-calibrate the reading. Plain gauges are vented to the atmosphere already so they don't change with temperature.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[manta22]

I fired up the engine for the first time this afternoon. I did not have any water in the cooling system so I only ran it for 10 seconds. The cylinder walls shouldn’t be hurt by a short run like this. I need to set the timing mixture and idle mixture when I fill the cooling system.

Joline took some video but even for a short run the file is 117MB so I can't attach it here.
 
Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[manta22]

Since the start-up video was too large to attach here, I posted it on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybEkGde0Te8&feature=youtu.be

Regards,  Neil  Tucson, AZ

[jacksoni]

Sounds GREAT Neil!  Cylinder walls didn't even get warm with that run, no worries. 

[Finallygotit]

Good job!!