ETI4K

Very, very nice reproduction. Did you get new pads as well?

@Captain Obvious - I agree, but somehow I just can't seem to help myself. Seems like everything gets more and more complicated. Of course, it's 100% my fault. Sometimes, in the course of product development, there comes the time when you have to kill the engineers and get on with production!

Dude, I'm making my next set of tires!

I knew I'd get to use TATFAW soon! 😁

Unless one is an engineer, with very specific experience in the topic at hand, I've always advised against deviating from their guidelines - unfortunately, almost always presented in the form of poorly written installation instructions. For example, my all-time favorite is "Tighten securely". How many times I have argued with the marketing whizzes that such a statement means virtually nothing to one with no experience. Another good one is one that warns against doing something and offers nothing about why. TATFAW.

Lots of clues here. Having (used to) lived on a dirt road for 20 years, I've seen ruts and potholes that would swallow my wife's MX-5. Literally, she would have to detour around certain roads after hard rains - this in Loudoun County, VA of all places. Maybe our mom with the 510 had no options for detour, was late getting the kids to school, and had to hurry to meet her lover. "Springs? We don't need no stinkin' springs."

I'm sure we've all had the pleasure (and a fair amount of pucker factor) of breaking loose a spark plug, and then finding it has to wrenched out the entire way. If it comes out with no aluminum on it, phew! - saved another one. Been using anti-seize a long, long time, and I've never had any performance issues. Neither has the anti-seize. 😂

Ain't it great when you buy something and it actually works!? Looks good, too.

They look like they've lost their temper. Maybe they've been modified with a low temperature flame (propane, MAPP), and got to their annealing temp for a while.

Interesting. JE's $150 each price has to be full list. No idea what dealer pricing is to TEP, but list + $250 seems high. Maybe they'll be anointed. Another btw, Isky will regrind for $160 IIRC.

Wow, what a conversation with Steve at TEP. His first comment "...was, why, why, why would ANYONE use a P90A head when what you really want is an N42 or E88? You can't use anyother cam on that head." I did mention that it had been converted to mechanical adjusters. He suggested that then you have spend a lot of money getting the longer valves, tower spacers, etc. Then mentioned that "knuckleheads" do the .080 shave, made a reference to dumpster diver engine builders, and so on. So after about ten minutes of that, he told me he can do anything I want wrt pistons and cam. The only detail he mentioned was that he had the perfect grind for me at .490 and 284 duration. His JE pistons (he doesn't recommend anyone else's) are $1150 and a cam regrind (on a non-performance core) is $199. Interesting way to do business. The only value I can see in using them is that as long as I provide accurate dimensional data, such as block height, rod length, bore size, etc., then the pistons I get will not have any interference with the valves - iow, valve reliefs, if needed will be added and only enough of a cut will be made to provide adequate clearance - keeping my CR where I want it. BTW, I called JE several days ago and they will sell their pistons at $150 each.

Is this for a Ford Pinto? 😉 Try removing item 20 from item 16. Give it a good shot of penetrating oil and let it soak in for a few days before risking breaking it off.

Damn it, how did I miss that?

Great vid. Smoke is also a brilliant way to locate leaks in the body that allow exhaust fumes an ingress path. I learned this somewhere, but cannot recall to give credit where due. I've located several holes at the rear of the car that I was never able to find previously using this technique.

Love TATFAW

👍

Wayne, are you thinking you might have been a bit hasty in scrapping those cars?😉

I've learned a lot watching, but I don't see how they keep that car straight with all the metal they've cut out.

Any chance it's called '51 Machines'? If so, they are doing some amazing work on a very tired 240.

Definitely not

The current plan is to just port match the intakes, deflash and mildly smooth the intake runners and polish the exhaust runners. No plan to work the chambers. I'm having a discussion with the guys at Top-End Performance today about this topic. I sent them the specs and plans for the car by email, and they've asked me to call - sounds like I've missed a couple things. I'll provide an update here after talking with them.

The struggle of the day...finding and selecting pistons. I cannot find cast pistons in .50mm oversize. I can have custom pistons made for me - oh boy 🙄 - at the low, low price of $1100 a set. This versus $250 for cast. Okay, so I have come to grips with the newest new budget for my build (insert sucking wind sound). The problem is what, specifically to order. It's one thing if you just buy what's available, it another entirely when JE asks you for every detail to be specified. So the biggest issue is valve reliefs or not. This of course depends on, among other things, the cam profile - which leads to of course, should I get a new cam? When you start asking others for recommendations, you start getting lots of helpful input. The problem with that is, everyone may have different ideas of what concepts such as tractable, power, acceleration, and smoothness mean, so it's difficult to plug that information into my brain. I am trying to build a fun, good weather car. In years past I drove my cars as though my hair were on fire - always trying to improve my commute time, seeing how fast I could run through the coin-drop toll gates without having to stop (requires excellent aim), let's see if I can get this car sideways here (very easily done in an older 911!). All of that done without disrupting other drivers or causing them to brake or alter their lane position. Ahh, what fun. This car won't be driven that way (well, maybe just a little). But I want it to have the a** to get it done if needed. The plan: Targeting 10.5:1, 7500 redline, MS3 for ignition and fueiling, coil per plug, full sequential EFI, lightened flywheel, Sean's exhaust, coilovers - lowered, etc., etc. The car has to be "tractable" and not have "driveability" issues. It will not be raced, so top end only power is not the target. This would suggest a low-mid-range power band, but more power comes with higher lifts and duration at higher rpm than low-mid cams produce. Too bad you can't virtually "drive" (as in a simulator) a car with each different cam profile in it to see/hear the differences. This motor had a Crane Stage II (.460 lift, 272/282, 26 degrees overlap) in it when last built. The motor sounded good, was easy to drive, but never developed the power it should have for that build. The car did have a crappy restrictive exhaust that I was always going to replace but never did before I took the car off the road for this restoration. You can see how I get wrapped around the axle on this stuff. Lots of options, none of which can be fully quantified, and a limited budget. If I were made of money, I might just buy all three of Isky's cams and see what happens with each. So, since I am not made of money, may I ask for more input and suggestions on this topic? All comments are most certainly welcome.

Been hard at work getting what seems like nothing done. I've been focused lately on acquiring and having at hand everything I will need to build my motor so that once I start the assembly, I can proceed until it is fully assembled and ready to bolt in. I am so tired of having to stop and start different tasks because I am waiting on parts, or services (machine shop, plater, etc.). Aside from the usual bits, I will also be: - Modifying the N42 intake by deleting all unused mounting holes and vacuum ports, relocating some fittings, adding one new one for IAC valve, and smoothing the outer surface in prep for powdercoating. - Deleting the distributor and going with a Jeep CAS. - Modifying the valve cover by shaving the plug wire bracket holes and breather hose fitting, and relocating the breather hose to the rear face. - Removing casting flash from the block interior. - Adding a low oil level switch to the oil pan, and removing all its failing OEM black paint and primer. - Modifying the coolant inlet fitting to convert from rubber heater hose to polished metal tube (I'll convert back to rubber hose at the rear of the block) - this just for aesthetics. Going with CPP and so I am having a mounting plate and other parts made - a friend has access to a Trumpf laser so the parts will be free to me. He's only had the model file since September 7th....of 2020! I am confident that given another several months, I'll have the parts (to include a 36-1 trigger wheel, sensor mounting brackets, and timing marker). 😁 Ahh, it's good to not be in a hurry. That said, I would like to finish this car in my lifetime. Pics to follow soon.

It is indeed a rare set of circumstances to find what you have - a work situation you enjoy, people you like working with, and and an organization you can respect. Congratulations on scoring on all three.