Stopped At Tom's Today

Tom Kochtanek

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 12
Check! Successful cam break in :) :) :).

Last night was the culmination of our attempt to insert a "more period correct" engine in the SS car :).

James jerked the stroker engine out last year to put in the BA409 car. Years ago Cecil delivered a "boat engine" to mid Missouri, and that's the engine you see in the video. It's a date coded 1962 "068" QB build. She was .030" when I took her apart years ago. Tony Schaffer did the bottom end (stock 409 crank, BBC 6.135 rods, KB-Ikon pistons). Top end got screw in studs and an upgraded valve train. Don, you picked the cam on this one. HEI ignition that has been in the car for the past decade.

James buttoned everything up, she fired right up and ran for 20-25 minutes and did not overheat. And there were no clanking sounds going on internally :).

Congrats to James whose perserverance got us this far. Now to drain the fluids, button up a few leaks here and there (one exhaust one oil drip) and then put some miles on her :).

Cheers!
TomK
 

Tom Kochtanek

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 12
James is referring to a certain local shop that we won't be using in the future. They did the 690s and I went and had them assemble the top end... What could go wrong?

First, they used a SBC shaft for the oil pump drive :(.
Unfortunately we had already installed engine in the bay and hooked up the trans, etc.
Out she came...

Next came the water leaks on 9 of the 16 screw in studs :( :(.
I pulled each one out, cleaned the holes and put new studs in. Reason for new was James found one of the 16 to be used...

Third was water leaking by the head bolts around cylinder #3 :( :( :(.
I pulled those out one at a time, cleaned the holes and the ARP bolts and re-torqued after buttering the threads properly.

Tony's work on the bottom was perfection, that was to be expected :).

1962 QB engine.jpg

In the end, it sure sounded sweet when breaking in the cam :). Even though the cast iron 2.5" exhaust and pair of mufflers along with a pair of resonators kinda quiets things down. James is used to listening to 409s run through open headers :) :) :).
 
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