I found someting unexpected in a manifold. I was cleaning it up prior to blasting it. I was feeling down in the carb holes. I found they were radiused on the bottom. Never saw that before. Then I found something else. The p***age to #2 and #3 was completely blocked! Mud dobber wasps had built a home way up in the p***age. I don't think the engine would run well that way. Further inspection found they had also blocked #5 as well. A lot of effort with a wire got them open. I will have to soak it to make sure everything is gone.
That was the first cylinder de-activating system and mileage enhancing device. Courtesy of the Wasp's.
Shouldn't store your good Chrysler race parts outside in the Garden (actually I think that's a Desoto manifold).
KD 500 325 Dodge 1957 The whole project is for sale if anyone needs a Hemi. I think the manifold sat in a barn for 50 years.
I'm not that far from Kerrville and, yea, I got 'em too. They love my garage but they mostly build their adobe pueblos inside of storage boxes. If they were airplanes, my place would be an airport. A pest control guy told me that they leave a pheromone scent that encourages more activity, even a year later.
I can't think of anything much worse than that. Little bugs that want to put gritty dirt in your engine? Maybe that and mouse pee that encourages heavy rusting. I'll be looking real close at any engine I start for the first time.
Kind on the same. theme. Went to a run and a guy had a brand new built engine in a car that would not start. Everyone tried all sorts of things. Nothing worked. Finally someone pulled the carb to check it out. Duck tape was found covering the manifold flange.
My dad had an engine he was going to use sitting on the floor in his shop. Two months later it wouldn't turn over. Mice had filled up every cylinder with deer corn.
At a shop near here someone bolted the headers on a crate motor. Motor was fired and the red plastic plugs shot out.
Hi Andy- Do you still have your 57 Dodge hemi for sale? When you say "whole project" are you talking about the engine only? Thanks, Wayne
I had em pack the muzzle of a 30.06 Springfield rifle one day as it sat on the rack at a shooting match. Luckily i had a habit of checking the bore prior to loading.
Yes, I blow them out of my eaves every fall, started following up with a light mix of ammonia and dish soap in the pressure sprayer wash bottle, getting less and less.
The 325 is gone. I was going to put it in my roadster. There were more complications than just pulling the 241 and installing the 325. I have a 270 I am going to build now.
With this thread in mind, I dis***embled the 440 that's been sitting here for a while. Sure enough... Yuck. But intermittent liberal use of WD-40 warded off any damage.
The Jalopy Journal
