SC Saga  #17

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9/12/05

Having driven the Condor for a bit, I find there are still some defects. For one, the new headers are leaking EXACTLY like the old ones, right at the top of the collector, except this time it is the right side header versus the old one on the left side. Also, there is a distinct, though narrow, driveline vibration at 2000 RPM, and a more generalized bit of rumble after that. It COULD be the GearVendors unit, as Sal maintains. It also could be the 4.88 rear end. I doubt the driveshaft is the culprit. So far it does not appear anything is hitting the body or frame.

I asked Sal to check into the 2 oil leaks, one from the engine (present while it was still in the box), and the trans. I suspected the shift lever, and Sal is replacing the O-ring there. He hopes this cures it, as a valve body removal, and possibly replacement, might be needed otherwise. No word on where the engine oil is seeping from.

The vacuum advance diaphragm is apparently bad, says Sal. That explains no vacuum advance. He is having major difficulty finding the proper replacement unit.

I also did not put any access in the floor under the rear seat for the fuel tank sending unit. As I have to pull the tank out at some point to install the new pickup tube for the injection (and the Renegade fuel pump system), I will then put a hatch in the floor to ease any inspection or change-out of this part. I'm hoping to find a new sending unit as well. This one seems stuck on full, even with 130 miles or so, which translates with the horrible mileage this is getting to only a third of a tank left.

I also need to change the trans/GV speedo gear to become accurate.

I drove alongside the Condor today, and it is VERRRRYYY red! The car looks spectacular, and has no real performance sound once you're away from the immediate area. So, given that Sal solves the oil leaks, advance, and header problems, I'll take it back to Jeff at DynoStore and see what the final power is, then start formulating the injection conversion.

9/25/05

In GREAT news, I sold the Mustang! Hooray! One less car, some more cash, and another parking spot available.

The distributor was re-curved (advance coming in sooner) by Bob Jennings. We'll see how the car works now. Sal tightened up the pan bolts, packed the shifter lever around the O-ring (he says no leaks), and I'll bring him back the distributor tomorrow morning. So I could have the car back tomorrow night. I have purchased some sound-deadening material and put some in the dually. It appears to work fine. I'll do the same in the Condor and give it to Miranda for the rear carpet.

If the car feels any better, I'll go back to the DynoStore, otherwise just move ahead with Phase 2.

10/2/05

The mileage is about to be calculated, and it is woeful at best. There is also THE vibration. It may be the driveshaft angle. It IS driveshaft speed related, as it occurs at 2500 rpm NOT in overdrive, and at exactly 2000 RPM IN overdrive. That calculates to nearly EXACTLY the OD ratio of 22% (.78). So either the OD shakes, the driveshaft shakes, or perhaps some half shafts are wobbling. It's GOTTA be the driveshaft somehow or another.

Gonna make a LOT of calls and see who can shed some light on this, be it Edelbrock, Wenco, GearVendors, Duttweiler, whomever I can find.

I do believe I'm going to be doing some serious driving around to get answers.

The carpet and soundproofing are in, and they are delightful, save for a literal wrinkle in the driveshaft tunnel carpet where Miranda should have put some padding to cover a wire. He will correct that this week. The car is a dream to drive under 55 MPH, but after that it gets less than the perfect it should be.

Rob Anderson has just enlightened me greatly about this problem. The two axes of the differential and the trans output shaft need to be parallel, but offset. I believe my problem is that they are NOT parallel. Alternatively, I need a much lighter driveshaft to RAISE the point at which the vibration occurs. Using aluminum, 1/3 the stiffness of steel, would also allow for some absorption of those vibrations. But obviously getting the geometry correct is THE way to go.

Rob is going to FAX me a copy of his white paper on this subject, and I will proceed according to his plan. I finally understand more than I did about this perplexing situation.

10/4/05

Well the driveshaft vibration has taken a back seat, so to speak, to a pressing problem: ZERO brakes. The brakes just quit last night/ hard pedal, NO brakes.

Roy came by today and installed one of my two spare master/booster assemblies. No good. We then snooped and I felt an electrical failure was at cause. We found we could jumper the accumulator pump and get it working, but it was not getting 12 volts as it should. I took it over to Greg at GK, who immediately printed up a wiring schematic, did some tests, found a blown fuse (which we missed), found a bad relay (which we didn't know existed) in the RIGHT fenderwell, and sent me off to get the relay. NO good. He now feels it is the pressure switch. I brought him my two spares, and he is going to test them tomorrow. While frustrating, I actually feel better about it all as I now see the system in more finite terms. I'm going to hunt down someone who rebuilds these things and get my two spares up to speed.

The car is getting lamentable mileage. I'm still holding off on injection until the driveshaft thing is cured. I would like to get to the injection for two reasons: firstly, it would clear a LARGE box out of my life which contains the pump, etc., and secondly it would allow me to get on with the blower, which I REALLYT want. A third benefit is that the blower will make the car more interesting at shows.

10/5/05

HOORAY!!!! Finally have good brakes! I don't know if it was the master cylinder change or correcting the relay, but it stops correctly now! Yeah! Huge in terms of satisfaction.

So next is getting to the driveshaft thing. That will be another BIG thing.

11/8/05

Been driving it a bit, about two tankfuls worth. The car is an utter gas PIG! I doubt I am getting more than 7 miles to the gallon. Something seems TERRIBLY awry to produce this woeful mileage. There remains some driveshaft vibration at precise RPM points, and some occasional thunking against the shifter from unknown sources. Also, the lockup converter seems oddly temperamental, doing its bucking thing below about 1500 RPM. The motor has also suddenly idled down from about 1000 RPM to about 650, and while OK, I think something ain't quite right. I have thoughts from time to time of just jerking it out, getting a 406 SBC motor, and going from there. I need some diagnostic time at Jennings or somewhere to see just what is happening, as the motor just does not feel like the powerhouse it is rated to be. I also need to get over to Sepulveda Muffler and take another look at the undercarriage and see if something is amiss there. I think some exhaust bracket may have failed, which would account for the occasional thunking and the scraping over speed bumps, etc. Man, I sure have had to work for this car. And with a whopping 100-mile fuel range, it is insulting to boot! I think I'll talk to Joe Sherman, who won the Engine Masters Shootout for Popular Hot Rodding magazine, and knows how to build these Windsor motors.

1/8/06

I had Nils Castillo, an engine builder, drive the Condor. His opinion is that the motor performs as well as possible given the GT-40 heads, which he claims are the major limiting factor. He recommends AFR 205 heads. Years back Kenny Duttweiler also noted the heads were the major limitation, and recommended something flowing about 300 CFM on the intake side. I have come close to jerking out the Windsor and AOD in favor of an LS-1 and 4l80E trans, but I think given that I have the Edelbrck injection, Vortech vuel pump system, and the GearVendors on the AOD, it is really too much to trash.

I'll pull the motor, have Nils drop the compression to 8.25 as originally planned all along, and put on the AFR heads. I'll consult with Rob Anderson on what camshaft he thinks optimum for the blower setup. Nils felt just blowing the engine as is would make a huge difference. But I am not happy starting at nearly 10:1 compression, and I need to pull the engine in any event to address whatever this annoying and persistent oil leak is all about. Ditto for the trans leak. Sal thinks it requires pulling the valve body out. So phase two is getting ready to happen. If the KiloKub project moves in the direction I anticipate, I'll need the garage for it, so I will have to find some other place to keep the Condor during this transition, or vice versa.

I STILL have a HUGE amount of parts from the dually, Duramax, and Condor rebuilds of which to dispose, and that alone is a major deal. Of course a dumpster would solve it in a heartbeat, but at the loss of significant income. Randy and I have the same challenge. LOTS of ebay photos and ads to do.

2/20/06

The one thing I can say for sure on this project: nothing is for sure. The driveline vibration has yet to be cured. Brett will begin paying attention to that tomorrow. Meanwhile, the alternator, regulator, and battery isolator have failed. The isolator is to separate the radiator fans/battery from the car circuits/battery. That unit appears welded together, so it's all one big circuit. If one battery goes down, there is a high probability of overcharging the other battery, as the alternator is looking to up the low battery, which pushes the higher charged unit TOO high. That said, the fan battery, alternator, regulator, and soon the isolator, have been replaced. I spoke to a company in San Diego , Perfect Switch, and they have a military-spec can't-be-burned-out makes-no-heat solid state unit for about 4300. Sounds like the ticket. Problem is they won't have nay for a few weeks. They were most helpful on the phone.

So the batteries and charging system are 90% back up, waiting only on the isolator. The car is drivable, but the vibration is maddening. Brett and I will address that tomorrow.

The issue of keeping the car at all has come up, and I would sell it at a HUGE loss if I could. Not that I want to, not at all. But I have reached the horrible awareness that I am WAY overloaded on projects and cars, and as much as I love them all, things have gotta go. So the Buick, Condor, 47 Stude champion, and both trucks (if I could) are up for sale. The plan now is to keep only the 58 Impala, a single truck (more on that in a moment), the FC, and the KiloKub Stude pickup project. These alone are more than enough to keep me broke and occupied.

I'll NEVER get enough money out of any of these cars to feel right, so I might a well just eat it now and get enlightened.

I have an 06 Chevy 2500 Duramax diesel truck with only 482 miles in the driveway, a salvage total we are rebuilding, and I would gladly just stay with that and dump my other two trucks and three cars. I would have to pay Jorge his profit on the deal, but I've GOT to simplify things here.

I have a lovely Edelbrock injection system here in the garage, and that would go, too.

So at this writing I do not intend to take the Condor to stages two and three, rather just move it out of my life, and sadly.

2/25/06

The pain of separation appears to be be quite a ways down the road at this point. No takers. Brett did solve the fan and battery problem, however. We replaced the fan battery, alternator (100-amp AutoZone unit on warranty), the regulator, and determined the isolator for charging two batteries is toast. Through several calls I found a manufacturer in San Diego who makes a mil-spec can't-be-blown no heat unit, available in a few weeks, for about $300. I also got the 210-amp alternator rebuilt with new stator and 6 new diodes for $100. I won't use that until I get the isolator. The part about keeping it longer involves a friend for whom I did some construction work, also a car freako with many cars. He has a new 427 Windsor-based motor fresh on the stand making about 600 HP for $6000. That's what I paid for the Ford crate motor. So if I can sell the 392 Motorsport motor, that will reduce the move. The fit is identical. This would be a GREAT step up for the car, and perhaps give me what I've been working towards all along, and without supercharging. The injection, supercharging, and lowering of compression could all happen, too. I'd be tempted to NOT drop the compression, presently about 10.2:1, particularly if I just went to the injection, which could more easily manage the spark, etc.

So more decisions. I'll probably do it. But I still have to fix the driveline vibration. I suggested to Brett that we cut the spare Tbird gas tank in half to allow for much easier driveline work (that would obviate having to drop the exhaust and gas tank to remove the driveshaft. We just have to find a way to install a crossover tube as we did on the dual tanks on the dually/diesel conversion.

But we did get the electric fans on a key-operated relay so they come on now with the ignition, and can still be manually activated if need be. I had the car detailed and it looks GREAT.

3/18/06

A buyer for the 392 motor is scheduled for tomorrow at NOON . If he likes it, he'll leave a deposit and Brett will commence pulling it Monday morning. I have confirmed with Marc the price of his 427 engine, and solidified the deal to get it immediately after I pull the 392.

So IF things go per plan, I should have the 600 HP 427 thumper in by later in the week and running. I am presuming we CAN get the motor out without pulling the trans, gas tank crossmember, driveshaft, etc.

3/27/06

The noon guy never showed, missed another appointment on Wednesday, and a fellow named Roy came by and expressed interest, but left no deposit. The next day a chap named Gary comes by, leaves a $1000 deposit, and we pulled the motor today. Roy, who is a plumber, came by today, expressing regret at not getting the motor. Gary called while Roy was here to check the status on the pullout, and I confirmed with Gary that he had moved properly, as Roy was here pining over the loss. Gary said he'd let him it if he wanted! So Roy will call at 8 AM to tell me his decision.

Meanwhile, Brett and wizard Roy Ransom got the motor out by 1:30 PM. Marc was not available until 4 PM , when Brett and I picked it up. There is some misalignment on the balancer to the water pump. Much as was the case with the original motor, this time it's a little too far out, so the water pump pulley may need spacing. All the accessories MUST align to the water pump pulley, and to the balancer. We'll try fitting the brackets tomorrow, which is the only reason why I didn't let Gary pick up the engine tonight. The Condor is outside under the much ripped tent, covered in plastic, awaiting some predicted serious rains. I wanted this to be an in and out, but there appears to be a little massaging required. Also, the Moroso pan on the 427 looks like a tough fit. AND, I'll need some larger headers as the exhaust ports are larger on the 427. I CAN'T run my existing headers. The ignition is different, and I'll need to modify the wiring for the new distributor, which does not provide for vacuum advance. I also see no coil with it. Marc's motor ended up costing $5000, a VERY good deal, plus some artful boning he did on unpaid bills on his job, so really about $5400.

I consulted with Rob Anderson about substituting CV joints in the driveline, and he thought that would cure the vibration.

3/29/06

I sold off the 392 ford Windsor crate motor, with about 2000 miles of break-in on it.

I am installing a 427 MONSTER motor making just under 600 HP, built by Marc Gaspard and finished off by Brad Lagman at QMP Racing.

This engine uses monstro Canfield aluminum heads, with greatly enlarged exhaust ports. These ports are so huge that my brand new Heddman headers don't even cover them! So I am having to get a set of custom headers. This was NOT part of the quick-change plan.

The car is now a true 427, based on a 351 Windsor block. It is a beautiful motor with a MAJOR amount of intake flow, over 300 CFM. I am having Ollie's dyno it before I install it.

The car is now certifiably killer. It's yours for $28,000.

5/15/06

We have had t modify the pan, cut the crossmember, shim the mounts, substitute the water pump and timing cover, and we MAY not have hood clearance. I stepped in a major bucket of fudge on this.

After waiting almost a month, for the 6 or 8 header builders to clear their schedules, I am still waiting. I got Dan at Fast Intentions to commit to a May 29 start date at his shop.

Roy has reinstalled the motor, about 5 times so far, and it is intended to stay in place. I did not get to do a major pretty-up on the engine bay, but did some painting.

I'll polish some brackets and try ot make it more presentable.

 

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