This clunker wheel barrel of mine is fighting me all the way. It's acting like a steer that knows he being loaded to go to the slaughter house. We pulled the manifold off on Saturday (5th time), since it was leaking like a stuck pig(again). While I had it off we wanted to change the restricters in the galley from .090' to .060's. to cut down on some of the
oil going to the solid roller and gushing up into the rocker valleys (through push rod oiling). I'm blowing it out my breathers before it drains back down. In fact; I can blow the breather OFF the valve cover; been to that show too. Ricocheting around like a grenade under the hood. Ya think i got excessive crank case pressure??? Anyway; we get everything accomplished including a clean drop of the manifold in place (with a disgustingly perfect bead) and go to button it up and the 2nd manifold bolt on the drivers side slowly goes round and round and round like Dean Martin's "Find a wheel". Anybody old enough to remember that? We step back and scratch our nuts to ponder..... Miraculously we scrounge up a stud, albeit "crooked"; throw it in and she "BITES". (We got 1 lousy "crooked" stud in the whole shop) Looks like hell sticking up 2 inches but at that point, I figure I'll shut up and take the pain, like I'm back in Vietnam. (I REALLLLY don't want to pull these heads before track day to put helicoils in..... please FE god, don't make me pull those lousy Edelbrock heads, which unlike Dart or BT's; don't come with helicoils installed). That would be good engineering and we couldn't handle that. But this wheel barrel of mine ain't done messing with us. We "gently" torque down the other side and the front passenger side bolt ALSO decides to join the party and go round and round and round (at 28lbs torque??). My side kick says: "partyyyys over". We do some more nut scratching and after some reflection; we pull a 1/2" longer factory bolt (with an ugly crown head) out of one of the FE's lying on the floor and IT bites too. Oh goody... we still got life in this SOB. We delicately torque it down and then back up reaaallllllll slow, just waiting for something to explode. She just sits there.... "quietly". Like my wife does when she's setting me up. We start her up..... and she actually runs .....but she runs cooolllllllll...... reaaaaal coooooooooollll, at 160 degrees for 20 minutes........ Sumpins WRONG; she ALWAYS runs hot.... plus we can't find ANYTHING leaking. This is an earth shattering event! Myyy wheel barrel ALWAAAAYS leaks somewhere or someplace. My frame will nevvvvvvvvrrrrrrr eveeerrrrrrrrr rust. I carry an extra quart of
oil in the trunk just for f***king frame lube. I can lube my drive shaft yokes without ever touching them just by motor spray. Having said all this; if if don't rain...... I'M GOING RACING with a crooked stud; a castle head bolt mixed in with some ARP's and i'm bring duct tape too. Somebody better show up; preferrably with a vette. I want to live long enough to get even with my wheel barrel.
Bernie