I have a 390 FE bored/stroked to 445 in my ERA.
WHAT SIZE BORE AND STROKE? Started it up for the first time this past weekend. Could only run it for about 5 min or so before the temp. would rise to over 230 degrees and I shut it down (I did this twice). I have the ERA provided heavy duty fan and an external box fan for ventilation (this is inside a two car garage). I have a 13lb radiator cap and about a 70/30 mix on the water/anti-freeze.
GET A 16 TO 18 POUND CAP My carb is a Braswell 4-barrel that was configured by them according to the engine specs. Edlebrock performer RPM intake, heads, and water pump.
The ERA manual shows a 4 gallon capacity of the cooling system, but it took almost 6 gallons to fill it up. is there supposed to be air space in the expansion tank? If so, how much (4 gallons seems too little)?
YOU HAVE ABOUT GALLON TOO MUCH IN THE SYSTEM. THE EXPANSION TANK SHOULD HAVE ABOUT 1" OF WATER IN ITS BOTTOM COLD. THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED THAT-IT LETS THE HOT SYSTEM HAVE A PLACE TO CONTAIN WATER INSTEAD OF GOING OUT THE OVERFLOW TUBE. DRAIN OUT A GALLON, RUN THE SYSTEM A FEW MINUTES TO CIRCULATE THEN CHECK LEVEL IN TANK WHEN COLD. ADJUST UNTIL YOU GET THAT 1" OR SO.
Should the radiator fan be enough to keep the engine temp below 220 while sitting in a garage (ambiant temp was about 75 degrees)? I have a big metal shop fan I could place in front of the car.
IT SHOULD HOLD 220 BUT USE THE FLOOR FAN FOR NOW.
Do I need a higher pressure radiator cap? What amount? I have a preasure tester that I can use.
TEST AT 25 PSI-NOT MUCH MORE OR YOU'LL SPLIT THE BRASS TANK.How much higher than cap rating should I test for leaks?
It seems like the carb may be a little lean. How much will this affect the temp?
ABSOLUTELY THIS COULD BE A MAJOR CAUSE-SET IT RICH TO PIG-RICH FOR NOW FOR BREAK IN. WHEN YOU SOLVE THE ISSUES AND GET IT TO RUN COOLER RELIABLY YOU CAN WORK ON CARB ADJUSTMENTS.
I am trying to maintain about 2,200 RPM for the initial break-in, but I am just guessing at it since my tach is not working. I'm usually pretty good at this, but this engine is larger than what I've had in the past and I could be off quite a bit.
STOP GUESSING AND BORROW OR STEAL A TACH OR TIMING LIGHT W/TACH. BREAK IN RPM IS VERY IMPORTANT.In looking at the MSD 6AL documentation, the wiring diagram in the ERA manual is confusing to me. Should the white/red wires coming from the MSD go to the ERA harness #40 as MSD red to ERA #40 white and MSD white to ERA #40 orange? Why wouldn't I use the tach output on the MSD? My gauges are SW.
CAN'T HELP YOU HERE, MY CAR HAS A DIFFERENT WIRING HARNESS.
I've rebuilt a few cars and boats in my day, but this FE stuff is new to me. Any sugguestions would be appreciated.
WHEN BORED AND STROKED WAS THE BLOCK, OIL GALLERYS AND WATER JACKETS BOILED AND CLEANED OUT? I'M GUESSING YOU HAVE PAPER THIN WALLS (LESS THAN .120") AND THERE IS TO MUCH RAPID HEAT TRANSFER.