Projects DRAG SNAKE "Vintage Terror!"

I have a song stuck in my head

 

Well the Cobra is alive again. AND I also think I got to the root of our problem. Now I know it appeared to be fairly cut and dried with the cast distributor gear. While that was of course the issue, and it would have sooner or later chewed itself up, what I discovered today, I believe accelerated that process quite a bit.

I will get to all that a bit later. We started off the morning swaping the Cobra back to the main shop. I needed a bit of heat as it was cold here this morning. So the Thames quickly traded us places and we got started. We already had the spark plugs out so after getting the car up in the air, Dad removed the passenger side valve cover while I started to get set up for turning it over from below.

We found TDC and I dropped the distributor in place. Even though the rotor is phasable, we still have to get it pretty close. I test fit the rotor and we were about 180 out of getting to the number one plug. So I pulled it, rotated and restabbed it. This time we looked pretty good so we started the process.

To begin, with the distributor fully engaged we rotated the body around and centered the closet fin on the reluctor wheel with the pickup. It has to be dead center on it. Then we locked down the distributor. This is when I discovered the before mentioned issue.

Being careful not to move anything, I installed the hold down bracket and tightened it down. I just happened to have my hand on the top of the distributor shaft and I felt it make an odd movment. It is hard to describe, I mean it really didn't move, not a rotation, more of a stiffing up if you will. I loosened the bracket a bit and I could feel it realease. You could wiggle it a bit, you know just a few thousands of an inch. Not really even a wiggle, but you could feel it. However after tightening the hold down bolt a half turn or so, nothing. I told Dad, I don't like that...it felt like something was in a bind.

I took the hold down bracket off and took a good look at the base. It had a solid feel when it dropped and made contact with the top of the intake and from where I was standing everything looked fine. I grabbed the feeler guages that were sitting there (waiting on us to run the valves) and tried to slide one between the bottom of the base and intake. I could. In fact after working my way up, I found nearly .030 space there.

It was crazy. It felt like it was all the way down and it looked like it was down as well. However it was obvious the oil pump rod was bottoming out in the distributor shaft. Not sure why. Maybe being an aftermarket heavy duty ARP rod or maybe Ford's tolerances on the new Boss 302 Blocks is off. Any number of things could cause it. Since nothing had changed with installation it had to have been that way the first time around and I just didn't notice. We put that shaft in a bind, just a bit, and enough to inhance the gear issue. The fix, in my oppinion would be to shim the thing.

Now I have quite a left over parts shelf after so many projects, but there was little chance of finding a .040 1.5" inside diameter shim on it. So we set out to make one. With calipers in hand we started looking for something to create one and you will not believe what we used. Zoe asked if she could help and I said we are looking for some really thin metal. She started looking and found a piece of aluminum that was .060 in a scrap box. That would have probably have worked but I said no a bit thinner. A few minutes later she hands me an old HAMB Alliance tag from the top of my tool box. It was .040. Freaking perfect!


We clamped the tag to a piece of 2x4 wood block, drilled out the center with a 1.5" hole saw and then hand trimmed and lightly ground the outer edge to make a nice ring.


It took few more light shaping passes after the above photo was taken. But when I was finished it fit perfectly.


We dropped the distributor again and this time after tightening the hold down clamp, we still had the same "wiggle" in the shaft. LOL

So...back to the install. With the base secure and the paddle centered on the pickup, I got back under the car rotated the crank back to 30 degrees before top dead center. Installed the rotor, slid the phasable top piece back to the mark we had made for number one cylinder from the cap. Screwed it securely down and reinstalled the cap.

Spark plugs are a total pain in the backside. Apparently we installed the first set on the engine stand before the headers. I broke number 4 trying to remove them. Even though we probably didn't need them, I did pop for a new set. Then after being very careful with old number 4, I got them all back in place. I did however break number 3. No idea how but I did it none the less. Freaking $9 plug that took two weeks to get. I took a quick break to curse and throw a few tools. Then I got back to installing the rest of them and Dad got busy picking the best of the remaining 7 originals and cleaned it up a bit.


We refilled the oil and got ready to run the valves.


With plugs installed we opted for the old starter bump to get the individual valve sets ready for adjusting. They had tightened down a bit. They are supposed be .025 but testing them as we went, none were above .020 and couple tighter than that...Zoe has gotten pretty good at the old bump start method, when I can keep her off of Tic Toc. LOL


I got them all set while Dad prepped the valve covers to go back on.




I hooked the distributor wires back up, we opened the garage door and Zoe hit the starter button one more time.



I let it run for while until it came up to a good operational temp, Zoe had to watch tic toc with no sound and Dad walked around it trying to look like he was doing something important. Pretty good day. LOL

 

Finally some GOOD LUCK in finding that problem. Sounds HEALTHY. Mopars better head for the hills.

 

Excellent!
I’m continually impressed at your problem solving!


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Well thank goodness Zoe and Dad where there to make sure nothing else went wrong. With a crew like that Jackson dosen't have a chance! Unless all this is Driver error. In that case ,well sorry Randall but we are going to have to let you go. But this car winning is to important to play favorites! lol Larry

 

Always wondered how you set those fancy distributors, sounds like points can be set more precise to me.

 

And back in the day you could tune a set of points on the side of the road with the girl friends finger nail file and a match book. Of course for a super tune you needed a match book from the fancy supper club, not the paper ones from the biker bar down the road! lol Larry

 

Never had the girl friend just a points file.

 

Randall glad you got it back together and goin again I too got my car mostly back together and if it had not been for the driveline shop installing the wrong yoke and ujoint In my driveline i would have been making passes today and Larry just to let you know I wish I had a team like “Zoe and dad” that way I would have someone else to blame things on but I don’t and if something goes wrong it’s all my own fault lol.


Chrome don’t get ya home

 

She sounds good. I am excited to try out the new slicks. We might get to play some this weekend, but then next Wednesday the car has to be in Tulsa to set up for the Daryl Starbird Show which runs the following weekend. I think we are going to have a killer display there at the show.

 

Good catch on the drive rod being too long.
Guess that's one reason they supply a gasket for the dist. body.
I suppose this is that whole stacked tolerances thing that can bite you in the (you know what). Intake shoulder height, drive rod length, dist. body to shaft height. Even shaving the block and heads could drop it a few thou...
I'd suggest shortening the rod a bit, so you don't have to carry a supply of shims for each time the intake is R&R'ed. If it fails due to 0.060" shorter length, something is very wrong.

EDIT: Oops, my bad! Of course it's at the block, the pics prove it!

 

Well, MSD actually use O'Rings and small block Fords go through the block not the intake. I think I prefer shims though. My grandfather was an amazing carpenter and his favorite saying was I have cut it twice and it is still too short! LOL. I don't need anything on that side of the coin.

 

Didn't you say you had the oil pump drive rod upside down at first?

 

Sounds like something a Chevy guy, when working on a Ford would do LOL

 

Yes, on the reinstall (after chewing the gear), not the original build. But belive it or not, even on a Ford, the rod is the same length either direction. At least I think it is...lol!

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That is exactly what is going on here! Lol

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The factory drive rod would be heck all the way.

 

The original rod looked like a long handled 5/16 Allen wrench with the end cut off. Lol

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What I meant to say there was: The original rod looked like a long handled 5/16 Allen wrench with the end cut off and NO WAY was I going to trust something I can buy at Harbor Freight with such an important job! LOL (of course I know that is not the case with the factory rods...but it sure looked like it) ....in fact that is exactly where you will find it, in my allen wrench drawer.

 

I have seen a many of those twisted off by a piece of valve stem seal making it's way into the oil pump.

 

Jackson are you doing Daryl Starbird this year?

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Yeah I’ll have the afx car there


Chrome don’t get ya home

 

Well after an exhaustive search, we may have just found a test road. Maybe I am totally nuts, but for nearly a year I have been on Google Maps with the satellite setting trying to find a good road. I look for something that is isolated, no homes or driveways (which around here is quite a challenge).

We found one about a month ago. It was really straight, very smooth and a full mile with no houses on it at all. About halfway down there is a small conservation parking area for bow hunting target practice. However after doing a bit of driving in the area we found the land on the east side backed up to one of the largest shooting ranges in the area. We would probably be fine but after researching them online I found a ton of area law enforcement offices use it.

I know what you are saying, just hit a road, blast down it and move on. But that is not what I am looking for. There are plenty of areas around here to do that. I want to park the trailer, unload the thing and make 8 or 10 hits. A real test and tune road. No homes, no cattle, no horses or livestock of any kind to spook etc. Here in Southwest Missouri, that is one tall order.

We have had several really good shots at it only to find GOOGLE Maps information was old on our drive by. There is house where it shouldn't be, or the road was a disaster etc. To be honest, it has sort of become a fun adventure for Zoe and I, certainly a way to spend some quality time together. AND you never know what you are going to find behind a shed or barn or sitting in a fence row. I have accumulated quite a list of old cars and where they are etc.

Last night we went to check a road out and while it was straight and fairly abandoned, it was as rough as a cob. So we just went about taking the backroads back home. About 6 miles from home we turned down a road, it made a hairpin turn and then disappeared into the distance as far as you could see. It was as smooth as a baby's bottom and straight as string and nearly as wide as a two lane State road. Right after the sharp turn, there was a mail box. I looked up the drive and there is a shop with a yard full of old cars (a car guy)! After that, not another house for over a mile.

There are few black marks near the driveway...assuming they are his! Hoping he likes FORDS...LMAO!

 

You need to keep that thing out of the Hooning Contest, I am just a month or so away from sucking the paint off that car and I don't want you to break it trying to impress the crowd on Coke Syrup. LMAO!

 

Thread followers here that have never been to Starbird are probably wondering what in the wide world is he talking about: Hooning? Coke Syrup? LOL

 

I get the gist of it. Sounds like a fun time!

 

I won’t be there much gonna drop the car off on Thursday night my daughter has a play she is in at college so I won’t be around much for that plus I’m not worried at all I have Waco international dragstrip to tnt at lol all I can say you better have your a game on you seen first hand what it will do with a bad tune and it’s even better now


Chrome don’t get ya home

 

So Randall, are you admitting that you are a hoonigan?!

 

No I stay as far away from that arena as possible. But I think I have video evidence that Jackson is a Hoonigan (as if you hadn't already figured that out). LOL

 

I was offered $100 per wheel stand lol


Chrome don’t get ya home