Projects My Model A Truck will soon Scream under new Power

Dave,

I like the nose high idea for your truck. From what I remember your big wheel was set up that way ! ! Ha Ha

thanks for the coverage, cant wait to see it launching off the lights ! !

 

Just came in from the garage....cylinder 2 failed cylinder pressure test, which I drove to Summit Racing today to buy...good stuff!.......pulled the head and in all the crazziness @ 7,000 rpms the exhaust valve kissed the piston and broke the intakes moly pushrod in the same cylinder....and hurt one aluminum roller rocker....and bent one of or both valves..I have yet to break the springs and valves down for a look see......I cannot complain....for as many passes this Truck has made w/ me trying to break it each pass....it has done well.....Littleman....should not be down too long.

Mr Haney...that was funny!...Dave

 

Any News???

Check your valve pockets for cracks around the guides! (I did the same thing 20 years ago and found that the force was transferred to the Guides and fractured the head in that area.)

 

Wingnutz, I just came in from the garage......I just torqued the heads and assembled the valvetrain.....and ran thru the valves once to get them close..I will run thru them one more time...I got rid of the cheap aluminum roller rockers and went with the Comp cam chromemoly 1.6 steel rockers...I still need to do some machine work on the girdle...The heads had two bent exhaust valves and the one broken intake pushrod and a cracked polylock from the same cylinder that may have started the whole mess, all the valves have been retouched and are good to go.....It was good that it happen it also shed light on a few more issues that have been worked out.........This thing will be even faster now....10.99+ here we come !!!........It should be ready to eat some mile high gassers at the Thompson Gasser meet coming up first weekend in June and maybe a few alky powered cars...ya never know....Littleman

 

OK Dave, what did you find that is going to release that additional H.P. ?

 

Without getting into a long story......I had the heads milled over the winter, plus changed cams...and valve springs...The shop reassembled the heads w/ the new springs and handed me a box with the old springs........I looked in the box and saw an outer spring and inner..thought nothing of it and put them on the shelf.......what I failed to catch was....my last cam ran a badass single spring...when he assemled the new heads he left the inners out for break in.....but put them in the same box as the springs that just came off and placed them inside the old ones....to me evertyhing looked normal........well this thing ran 11.21 floating the valves.......the whole way down...It acted as if it needed fuel on the top end for it leveled out real early before going thru the traps....I added fuel and no change............It's going to work real good now and march the whole way...should be good....lesson learned, from now on I will only have someone do machine work I cannot manage at home and I assemle...........I was so happy once this problem came to light......it just meant more power to me !!!!.....Dave...attention to detail is everything !

 

Glad to see you found that Dave.

I just put new valve springs in my Coupe's 301 and it runs awesume. I installed a little taller spring with the offset retainers, and the improvement in performance is unreal. The engine now get's up on the converter and tires so quick that I have to shove it into 2nd gear within a second.

 

It's alive once again....I just popped it off.....just need to set timing and hit the track soon..I went with a better girdle set up than before as well as new chrome moly rockers....Thompson is just around the corner and I will be ready !........Happy Memorial Day everyone !!....Littleman Dave

 

Glad to hear you got it figured out . See ya in bowlinggreen !

 

It's looks great Dave! Enjoy the weekend!

 

Just back from the DragStrip.....I only made one pass, I have to machine my new water pump so it does not leak......and it's new ....so we will have to improve the design....It went 10.91 @ 121.02 mph....w/ a 1.4831 60 ft. time off the foot brake @ idle......went to pick up my time slip and the guy was shaking his head w/ a smile...and said it's time for a full cage......But the best part was it the plugs read real lean........so a jet change is in order and a faster time will follow.......Littleman

 

your nuts.

 

....It went 10.91 @ 121.02 ........ BRAVO!

later,Bill

 

Pretty peppy! Congrats. Gary

 

With those numbers Dave, it's making 460 H.P. at the crank around 5,800 RPM.

Glad to read the results, and that your having so much fun.

 

Congrats on getting back in the 10's, I guess those missing springs really helped, huh

 

Ha ha ha............really, I am only getting started..Evel,Hope all is well with you and the family...Littleman

 

kick asss... TEN Seconds! You better [tm] that six deuce nitrous injection setup!

 

A short clip o' Dave headed out for his first pass of the day on Saturday at the Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green. Man, that thing sounded good! Nice visiting a little with ya Dave, really nice guy!! Sorry for cheesy video from the ol' point n' shoot. (didn't think that dude was gonna move...)

 

dammit that sounds nice

 

Boy, that little-Chevy sounds really good

 

Thanks....it sounds real good when it twists up into it's power band......but it really has not been running to it's full potential at all this year......I just did another leak down test for each cylinder...And it's bent another three more exhaust valves during Bowling Green...This is the third time this year I have torn down for this....I just pulled the engine and trans last night and I just got back from the race machine shop that's been doing my machining.....I clay checked everything last night and we just did it at the machine shop to verify....The exhaust has around .120'' worth of clearance, which should be plenty..This will be the third valve job also.....I have also broken off a few sparkplug electrodes this year and that's w/ them perfectly indexed to 12 o'clock.....We put in another set of valve springs last time that surpased the reccomended seat pressure for this cam, but yet you can see where the exhaust valves are hitting the piston's again...It's just not making any sence....worked to death,Littleman

3dnsouth, nice meeting youand thanks for the video clip !!!...Dave

 

If it works out OK in slow-mo, you might be getting some extra lift at higher RPM by launching the lifter off the tip of the cam lobe. Maybe it's time for a rev kit?

 

To begin; Your truck is pure metal-porn.

Hope you sort out the valve float problem... What RPM's are you running?

 

oh that vid clip rules. Man that thing sounds bad ass... BAD ASS!

 

patman.....I will look into those, I have never used them.........I just wonder thou how much more travel the lifters can launch off the lobe.......I would think the only extra travel they could see would be the set lash....This cam is .020'', exhaust is .018'' intake.........I still think it should not hit...........This is starting to drive me crazy........Littleman

 

guides too tight????

 

Man.....I wish it was that....but no we checked them today.....timing chain ...cam degree...all the basics...as of yet no smoking gun....It's just a matter of time before the problem is found........Dave

Update......
We are going to open the guide to valve stem tolerance up..............after looking at everything...it's the only thing that jumps out..and the one thing we keep coming back too.....exhuast valves may have been sticking due to heat issues ect................We shall find out..........Littleman

 

It's not a killer huge cam, it's running thru the traps at no more than 7,200 rpm's....Littleman

 

Im chasing a similiar issue dave. But I have a Hydraulic cam and Im getting valve float. I have it apart right now checking to see how much duration and lift I can go to with a new roller cam. I think I caught it before I damaged anything, although I do have a sloppy valve guide on the number 1 intake.