Projects Cutting my Hotrod Teeth (57 Chevy Budget build/revival)

Put a piece of heater hose to your ear and put the other end at all the connections and see if you can pinpoint a leak.

 

I’ve used a poor man’s smoke machine myself to find vacuum leaks, so maybe I can do something similar with the exhaust. I’m thinking a rubber glove zip tied around the exhaust tip with the end of my smoke machine going into a finger should work.

 

Alright I’m going to agree the ticking is exhaust based. It matches the rhythm at the tailpipes perfectly, and seemed to get a little quieter when I had the engine good and hot.

Happy to report I was able to go back to the stock jets and rods in the carb primaries and have not had any backfires yet! I have not changed the secondary jets back, and can tell they are still rich because the exhaust popping is worse than ever but only when I let off with the secondaries open. It doesn’t pop nearly as much with the stock primary configuration which I’m also very pleased with.

 

Man I’m stumped. I decided to remove the gasket between the exhaust manifold and head, that didn’t help. So I tightened up the 3 nuts that join the pipes to the manifolds, still no difference. It’s weird because I don’t hear it when I’m actually driving in 2nd or 3rd. Only when it’s idling, coasting while out of gear, or in first gear when accelerating from a stop. I’d say by about 2.5k, it’s hardly noticeable, and at 3k, I don’t hear it at all. I’ll try the smoke test next, but I’m starting to worry that it’s not exhaust but something internal…

 

Oh and I should add, I couldn’t pinpoint it putting my ear up to a screwdriver or piece of tubing.

 

Curious to see what the smoke test tells you. Stuff like that can be hard to track down sometimes, especially when it's not consistent.

 

Did this start after the different valve covers were used? I wonder if a rocker is kissing a breather/baffle?

 

Very possibly the spring in your cheap chinese fuel pump. try listening to it with screwdriver or tubing.

 

I think I found the issue with the smoke test; The donut between the exhaust manifold and pipe. The pipe itself is at not quite the right angle, and so it’s off center in the manifold/donut. Visual test confirmed, and I also found a soot spot hiding on the side of the block right behind where the pipe connects to the manifold. I tried fixing it myself but can’t quite get it to line up while also tightening the nuts on the flange. I’ll ask the shop to take care of it since the work was only done a month ago.

 

Got the car back from the shop this morning and couldn’t be happier with it! I did the front shocks last week and had the shop do the entire rear suspension while they had it. I could have done it myself but it would have been a helluva job in this heat. It’s sitting how I want it now, with a bit of a rake and stock front ride height. Now if I could only find a set of chrome reverse wheels that fit the rear, it’d be straight out of the 60s!

 

Just a callback to the first page of the thread, pretty close!

 

It’s the 283 you’re using now, right?
Seems like yesterday

 

That’s right! Only 9 years later! I ended up with a different 283 but it’s great to see my vision back then become a reality!

 

It’s all about the details!

 

Keeping with the theme of the early 60s, I couldn’t p*** up this Impala wheel that popped up locally. It’s a ‘58 wheel which is my favorite of the 58-60 wheels. I like the extra hole in the ring and the full ring instead of just the bottom half. Unfortunately the ring on this one is broken so I’ll be on the hunt for a replacement , but otherwise I think it’ll clean up nice. The plan is a 2-tone black with silver top/bottom to match the factory dash color scheme.

 

Yes it is.

 

Not to be outdone by the corvette-dressed $200 265, I present, the $50 locked up 327! I think the 265 is too nice to tear down based on how clean it looked when I took the intake off. Instead, my first engine rebuild will be for this car. I actually bought it from another Hamb member, though I’m not sure of his handle. Either way, I’ve got the worst cylinder soaking in MMO. Hopefully I can at least use the block and crank from it, and if it turns out to be junk, it’ll donate its water separator to the 265 so that can get sealed back up. It appears to be the perfect rebuild candidate for me though! One interesting thing about it is that it’s a replacement block according to the code stamped on the front pad.

 

So you'd be able to claim your car had a crate 327 lol

 

Precisely

 

Add a little acetone or similar so it will help it soak past the blockage and free things up.

 

May just be my imagination. But always seemed like service replacement engines were tougher. Managed to score a gm service replacement engine from picknpull for $67 years ago for an ot car that just won't die lol

 

Well, the 3 speed may have yee’d its last haw. On my way home this morning, I went to shift to 3rd and couldn’t. I limped it home in 2nd and tried to adjust the column shifter linkage like I’ve had to do a couple times before, but the problem seems to be inside the transmission. Even with the linkage totally disconnected, I can’t move the lever into 3rd. I’ll drop the transmission tonight or tomorrow and open it up to see what’s happening. Almost feel like the arm inside has slipped out of position or something. I’ve been mostly gentle with it, no clutch dumps or anything like that, though I’ve notice it has been whining more in 1st/2nd than it ever has.


Anyway… which 4 speeds are the same length as my M18 Muncie? Hoping to not need to shorten the driveshaft if I do end up having to swap the transmission.

 

Annnnnd the oil in the transmission looks like a glitter bomb went off in it… looks like even if I can get this ****** shifting again, I probably did quite a number on it when I first started driving the car and didn’t go easy on the trans. I did do an oil change on it earlier this year and the old fluid looked decent, now the new stuff is coming out sparkly. I take full responsibility

 

Another lesson learned gr***hopper. Hot roddin aint cheap.

 

Now, I’m no expert (literally my first time ever seeing the inside of a transmission) but I’d say that main shaft is snapped right in half!

 

Peeled the snout of the main shaft right off

 

There are a few Saginaw 4 speeds on marketplace close enough to me. I think the sag should bolt right in right? Obviously would need to work out a shifter still.

 

Should I jump on this for $150? Supposedly pulled from a running driving 67 Camaro, replaced with a Muncie