Freddie's Transplant

[MacDee]

Yeah! I think I tried sending you a PM over on the Ford Six forum. I'd like to see your setup, and maybe bring my engine builder along. I'm going to be at the Bickford Ford show in Snohomish this Sunday. That may be a bit far for you, but I think you indicated you sometimes hang out at XXX. Any possibility of meeting there sometime in the next couple of weeks?

[63200i6]

MacDee,

Oh, I don't know it isn't that far. I will have to wing it on Sunday to see if I can make it. Otherwise, absolutely, it sounds like an impromptu Inline Six show at the XXX would be in order.

See ya soon, Ric.

[MacDee]

Thanks, Ric!
Hope you can make it. If not, we WILL do a XXX meeting!

[Luva65wagon]

So Gary... what's the status of your transplant? haven't heard from you in a while.

[MacDee]

The project is going very slowly...

Frankly, I'm having a bit of trouble getting Mike at Classic Inlines to respond to my efforts to buy parts from him. As I stated in the initial message, I'd ordered all the parts and was waiting for him to tell me the shipping charges so I could sent off the check. Well, that was in August, and I'm STILL waiting!
I've been bombarding him with e-mails (and actually got through to him by phone, once) and have been able to pretty much keep in touch with him, but so far, no shipment. He insists he has all the parts in stock EXCEPT for the head (another batch coming in a couple of weeks...). We agreed to go ahead and ship everything but the head ASAP. A week ago, he said he would box everything up, weigh it and tell me how much $$ to send. Since then... silence.
I get the impression he is pretty much an one-man operation, and he's so busy doing "tech" stuff that he doesn't have time to attend to the "business" stuff. (Maybe he needs to hire someone to, you know, fill orders, track inventory and stuff.)
In the meantime, we've got the block all prepped except for shaving the deck. Carter (my buddy who's building the engine) wants to see the head before committing to zero-decking the block. The rotating assembly is out for balancing.
Carter "winters" in Arizona, and will be leaving mid-December. I don't hold out much hope of finishing the engine this year. Coincidently, Classic Inlines is in Mesa, AZ, and Carter will probably pay a visit while he's down there.

[63200i6]

I had my block "0" decked. I CC'd the head chambers and came up with 55 and 56 cc's (+/-.05 cc). There were three w/55 and three w/56. You would have to shave the head a bit to get the compression up even with the "0" decking.

I had to wait a bit also, but I'm glad I did. Check out the "Dyno" page on the web site. I'm dyno #4 and wrote up a blurb about what was done to the engine.

Good luck, MacDee.

Ric.

[Luva65wagon]

Gary,

Thanks for the update. Bummer when that stuff happens. You'd think from his site that he's cranking this stuff out, but it's not hard to put on a good front these days -- especially on-line. As 63200i6 said, it will obviously be worth the wait. I for one can't wait to ride in a hot 6 just to know whether to do something like this myself someday. I fear, though, that I may never win another "Best 6" award after you're done.

[MacDee]

Well, Mike at Classic Inlines tells me the next batch of heads is on its way... so I sent money. I'm REALLY committed now!
I ordered the aluminum head, assembled, with "steet" porting. I specified the Clay Smith valve springs and standard-size (untouched, approx 56cc) combustion chambers. Once I get the head, Carter, my builder, will check it out and then we'll make decisions on cc'ing the chambers and milling the head and block. I also ordered the intake manifold, 4-barrel adapter, and, of course, the ARP head stud kit.
It will be a while before it gets here, I'm sure. The CI web site says to allow "6-8 weeks (or longer)" and I'd bet the "or longer" applies here. I suspect Freddie will finish this season's shows with the 170 still in place!

[Sedanman]

Sorry to hear it's coming along so slowly, Gary, but this is all going to be worth it when it's done. Can't wait to see it!

[MacDee]

Freddie's new head HAS BEEN SHIPPED!
The UPS tracking tool shows it has moved from Mesa to Pheonix to Salt Lake over the past couple of days. It departed from Salt Lake in wee hours this morning presumably on its way to Seattle. Maybe I'll get it tormorrow?

I'll have to have an unveiling party or something.

[pbrown]

Bring it to the meeting if you get it in time.

[MacDee]

It came yesterday!!!
It sits in its box just inside our front door. I'm afraid to open it for fear that it will be instead be a subscription to a jelly-of-the-month club (ref Chevy Chase's Chistmas Vacation). I'll be taking it over to Carter's place on Saturday so he can proceed with the build.