Call me crazy - Ranchero's (again)

[Luva65wagon]

What model/part# is the Weber that you guys use. A friend gave me a new still in the box one a long time ago and I'll see if it's the same or not.... Dave

Dave... I'm about to order something, so if you have something you are looking to sell, let me know before I hit submit to purchase something else. Would love to help out someone needing to clear off their shelves.

[falcon cobra]

My friend has two of these on a ford 6cyl and he really likes how it runs, it's half of a Q-jet...jh

[BPVan]

All this carb talk brings up an interesting subject: the spacer. I have been tuning my 4160 and I decided to lose the 1" Phenolic spacer. I noticed my cold start up to be much better and warm running to be fine. I have also seen some forums where some are putting in a heated spacer with a valve to shut off for summer and noting improved cold starting and general performance. I know many of the original 170 L6 engines had a heated 1bbl spacer with coolant lines running through them. As Jeff always says, Ford would not have done it if it wasn't necessary or didn't save .10.

I'm not sure yet whats best for my setup and I know anyone can put any information right or wrong out there, but I am curious on the debate.

[Luva65wagon]

Brian,

This was the impetus for my question to Kenny about carb icing, which is what happens when the weather it just right - humidity and cold - to cause the rush of air into the carb to freeze the throttle plate(s). Not fun sitting out there keeping to running and it runs like crap for a very long time this way. V8's are much worse because a lot of aftermarket manifolds don't have the heat cross-over under the carb base. Cold charge is best for race day and all.

The other way it was dealt with was with a therm-o-nuclear air-cleaner snorkel with a temp-sensing flap that closed when cold to pull hot air off the exhaust manifold.

On both my wagon and Ranchero I have the stock base w/hot water circulation, but I added a heater control valve on the wagon... years ago... to allow for turning it off in the summer. Never do and have never had an issue that I noticed, like carb boiling over or anything. Doing so also shuts off the water supply to the heater core, so no heat in this mode.

I know height is an issue when you've got to stack one adapter onto another, then another, then the carb. I have no doubt I could engineer a method to control icing, but was just wondering if Kenny has had an issue. The exhaust is right there, and may just be enough due to ambient temp rise from the exhaust.

Have been also looking at these to see if I could do... something completely different:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Weber-DGV-Do...#ht_844wt_1161

[BPVan]

Completely different might be an understatement.

I have considered all of your points on icing and boiling. I have been chasing my cold start issue for a little while and blaming the electric choke but I am finding it to be a set up issue (amazing what you learn when you take the time to read the instructions).

I have the stock exhaust manifold in mine which has the spring activated heat riser in it, the 240 did not have a heated riser in it that I have ever seen. I have seen some guys with Broncos and pick ups with my same setup grab a 4bbl factory coolant heated riser from a 390FE (Thunderbird or Mustang usually) and claim success in resolving their issues.

From what I can conclude from what I have read, if you're after performance cold is the way to go but you get an unpleasant cold starting experience. For typical street use it seems using the heated option is best. Again, since many have custom setups I don't think any one rule applies to all.

[Luva65wagon]

I forgot about the heat-riser component. That's the thing that was supposed to FORCE the exhaust gas through the intake manifold, whether it be 6 or V8. When it opens the exhaust took the path of least resistance. These manifold ports always plugged up. It was pretty benign when it was off - same as the air cleaner snorkel heat riser. The hot water approach - not so benign. Unless you can switch it off.

So, yeah, what to do....

Move to Florida or Hawaii.

[redfalken]

So Kenny - was this before or after all the shaving you did? And do you recall what the tightest clearance ended up being, and where was it on this setup.

Get tech tip too, by the way.

The only reason I had a clearance issue was because of the underhood mercury switch light that is mounted right where the "X" bracing intersects. Before I shaved anything, the light just barely rubbed a little paint off the edge of itself and I could see a mark on top of the air cleaner. I think it was 3 or 4 inches from the center.

If it was 1/8" lower I probably would have never noticed. Also, my spacer is no where near 1" thick. Probably more like 3/8". I've never noticed any icing problems. I've always read people commenting that the heater spacer was mostly for parts of the country where the winters are much, much colder than we have around here.

[Luva65wagon]

Nothing really new to post here other than to say I did finally get the Weber on and everything has been running pretty well with it. Here's a link to the thread about that for "future reference."

http://www.rainierfalcons.com/forums...ead.php?t=1826

Have no real plans for it now other than to drive it for a while. Thus, this sort of officially closes this crazy thing I did until what time the V8 goes in. I will say... it's a fun car to drive - even with a L6.

[Luva65wagon]

As a few of you know by now I am moving into phase 2 of my Flarechero project. When I built this car it was always my plan to do a V8 with the 65 289 I bought about 6 years ago off of Craigslist for $500. Well, that time has arrived. I finally pulled the pieces out from under the bench a few weeks ago and started cleaning them all up.

What I got for $500 was a block (bore/honed/new cam bearings), Crank ground .010/.010, new TRW pistons (.060), Rings (installed and one broken) 2 cams (1 too radical and 1 just right - Edelbrock 2122), Lifters, Crane roller rocker set (missing one ball seat and nut) 2 sets of roller cam/chain set, 1969 302 heads with 1.99/1.60 valves, hardened seats, very nice rebuilds, New-in-box 'Performer' intake, oil pump, gaskets (missing a head gasket), new flex plate with ring gear... and an FMX tranny (/boat anchor).

Had to get a lot of new things and stuff to replace what was missing. But new radiator, starter, water pump, dipstick, oil pan, valve covers, a roller rocker ball, rings, gaskets, etc, Dougs headers. Lots of little things.

After [a lot] of cleaning, it turns out, I am finally in the assembly process. The block had to have all the freeze and core plugs pulled, drilled out and tapped the drain 1/4 NPT plugs, which were frozen in place. Quite the pain. Cleaned and rehoned to clean up some surface rust that developed. It was scrubbed and readied. Polished the crank - again had surface corrosion, but nothing deep. Heads were wrapped, so they are pristine. Pistons were gunked up but had been coated with something. They cleaned up like new.

So as of today I have the crank and cam in and the timing chain and pistons installed. Next will be the pump and heads.

The plan is to do the swap over the weeks of October 17 to November 4 while my GF is out of town.

[Luva65wagon]

For anyone who's interested, the engine in the Flarechero is coming out and will go into my wagon, since it is 66 dual bell-housing style - as well as all the weber carb bits. Should wake up the wagon. Then I have offered the 65 200 from the wagon to Gina for a negligible amount, if she wants it, to give the Comet I sold her a little more pep. If she doesn't, it will be made available. The wagon motor runs like new, but like the potential to someday go away from the Dagenham. I may take the opportunity to do hardened seats and swap heads (I have a head I can send off now, if I wanted to).

[Luva65wagon]

Progress report on the V8 swap on the Ranchero. Plans are to do the swap this coming Saturday. The engine is built (less the peripheral bits, which get in the way of putting in the engine bay) and I'll be beginning the work on the transmission this week adding the shift kit and getting it mated to the motor. Should be able to pull the Ranchero into the garage on Friday and have it's motor ready to come out by that evening. If anyone is interested in helping or watching... let me know. It took about 5 of us to put Gene's new motor in. Or was that 2 working and 3 watching... I don't remember now.



The following pics were from mocking up the new multi-v pulleys for this. I looked all over the web -- and short of buying something from March for $800-2000 -- I could not find anything or anyone else who tried to do simply this 3-pulley setup using what Ford made. I wanted to go multi-v instead of single or dual sheave pulleys. High-amp alternator squeals no matter what! Finding dual sheave parts were hard and expensive if you found them, so that ruled them out very quickly.

This is using some post 70's 302 alternator brackets with no mods and 79-80 crank and water pump pulleys. Most water pump pulleys from serpentine systems use the reverse rotation pumps, so they have no grooves (back of belt drives them). I found one on an '80's something motor that I thought might work - and it did! Everything lines up perfectly. Cost me less than $20 for everything! Love it. And thanks to Steve for powder coating it all.

The only bummer deal was the 4-bolt balancer and the PS outlet cast water pump made it hard to see the time marks. So I added a DS pointer and made timing marks on that section of the balancer. You do what you gotta do.

[doghows]

Looks awesome Roger. Why don't you send me that alt pulley and ill coat it up. You can send it over with that nut for my steering.
Thanks for all your help and if I can manage it I might pry myself away from the delivery and help you for a change.

And that spacer behind the alt.

[Luva65wagon]

Yeah - that steering wheel nut has already flown the coup.

The pulley looks better now. That picture was taken late Friday and after pairing up all the bits and bolts I have already cleaned it all up and painted things, etc. It's all in boxes awaiting final install.

Also got to find a 6-groove 38"-40.5" (range) multi-v belt. Think it's a Gates K060380 I'll get first.

[Luva65wagon]

OK, not so much a party, but all are welcome to help or watch this coming Saturday the 26th of October.

The motor is ready, all the parts are there, should have everything set and ready to go by about 10AM. Should be a very easy swap - everything in the Ranchero is still so clean. No getting greasy, so wear your white clothes if you want to... although the floor isn't as clean as the car, so maybe wearing black is a better idea.

My address is 126 1243rd St. SE up in Lynnwood. One house away from the cross-street of Cascadian. All are welcome to come. Will order some Pizza or something around noon if enough people show up - or will take Gene to lunch.

[falcon cobra]

Roger, count me in. I just replaced my timing chain and front cover gaskets, and now I have the intake off, I have a strange noise coming from somewhere maybe the lifters. it only does it when warmed up. I'am sick of working on this thing. so I will help you.... jh