So, as to the OTHER subject in this thread... HRPT.
Who has done it?
At first I enjoyed the concept, but as I dig into the particulars and the logistics.... it seems like the crowds, lines, and traffic might get old kinda quick no matter what level you buy in at.
We are considering our own agenda and cross country road trip plan that would be a little less peoplely.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Comments?
I did the HRPT with my Dad in 2019 and we had a great time. I'd recommend it. My Cougar wasn't ready so we took Plan B, aka my Yukon. 2200 miles for us-MI to NC then bouncing around the Carolinas, KY, TN, IN, and OH then home. Saw a bunch of great cars and met a bunch of people enjoying them. I'd do it again for sure though Dad is now too old and frail.
Lines weren't too bad. The daily drives were great-rolling car shows with spectators in many areas.
In reply to wawazat :
Thanks!
Did you do the full event?
Yes we did-Long Haulers! 10 hour run to Charlotte from Detroit then ran around the southeast ending up at Norwalk, Ohio so a short drive back home. We really enjoyed ourselves. I've got all the swag from the event on a piece of plexiglass in my garage.
2024 Had one more lesson in mind for me.
Cam bearings.
I've installed many many sets of them, and I've never had an issue.
This time... no bueno... the cam would NOT turn by hand.
At first I thought it was me. So I had another set in stock (lol that is hoarder speak that one uses to justify a mountain of NOS auto parts with having a $40 set of bearings laying around.) I knocked out the first set and carefully installed the second set.
No improvement.
Both attempts had set the same pattern in the bearings. #3 and #5 were the biggest offenders.
Hmmmm... where are the old bearings that had last run in this engine.....?
You see, I bought this engine disassembled, so while I had knocked out the cam bearings that it last ran with, I had not pulled the cam.
Looking at the old ones, they looked to have been HEAVILY honed or sanded. Ughhh.
This is starting to make sense. The rods and mains show advanced wear as compared to the age of the engine and the wear on the pistons and bores. If someone had opened up the cam bearing clearance... well that could account for the rods and mains.
But what to do about it all now?
To the internet....
Folks discussed all kinds of hand sanding and honing. I even found cam bearing sized dingle ball hones.
Yikes? Right? Not what Id like to imagine doing.
Then I found a machinist that had a novel (to me) suggestion.
Take an old cam and cut 45 degree slots in the journals, deburr and use it essentially as a reamer.
Guess what?
It worked like a charm.
I would also add, for this step, clean off assembly lube, and use cutting oil.
Rotate the cam 5 or 10 times, slide it forward where the journals pop out of the bearings, clean the cutting groves, slide it back and repeat until the cam turns easily and smoothly .
The bearings don't look like OEM any more, but they are smooth like butter.
In my mind I can imagine honing and sanding leaving behind grit and also removing a lot of material that did not need to go. the reaming seemed to just cut a smooth bore and that was all.
With that behind me, I've been checking for correct and compatible parts for the whole build before finalizing the engine assembly.
2025 has been a lot smoother so far. :)
It's a shame to cover all of this up with an oil pan.
Oh well...
:)
Swirl port "193" heads. Universally hated?
Low end torque and fuel economy are goals here so meh...
Besides these are in perfect condition.
I do have to admit it was a significant departure from the normal sbc head for gm.
This was a cool find.
The only original 1957 engine part on the car.
Braided line for the oil pressure gage.
A little more advanced mock up.
Since I'm building this from scratch everything has to be mocked up for compatibility and to identify missing hardware (50% or more is missing or wrong).
Intake bolt length is key, too long and some can hit the pushrods.
In reply to a_florida_man :
Nice trick with the cam bearings. I've heard that is common practice for Mopar hemi stuff too.
In reply to maschinenbau :
Yep, in researching this solution I came across a LOT of Mopar issues with many engines.
Things are getting serious...
Rebuilt the transmission.
After the Krylon overhaul, I did install new seals..... and the TC is a reman DACCO. The fluid is bright red and SLIGHTLY used so Im hoping for good things...
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