thanks! dang there's a ton of Houston area Hambers... we seriously need to have a semi-regular meet up....like bi monthly or something.
Don,I like the thinking outside the box for the gauge panel and I think you just might have started a trend that we will see more of in the future. HRP
That's high praise Danny (starting a trend on the HAMB). I was thinking about your build and how Air Conditioner controls and maybe vents might look good in an old valve cover. I think I'm gonna take LowKat's advice and cut the mounting flange off of it to make it look better.
There used to be one on Sundays just about every month at The Shady Tavern in the Heights.You going roll out to the Hoedown on March 3rd? It's a really nice show they have out there in New Caney.Check it out if your not to busy.....http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=661116&highlight=hoedown
Last night around 10:30, I was sitting in the garage (garage door closed)...in my comfy old office chair, reclined, staring at the 54, sipping a Fosters. The family had already gone to bed, and I dozed off for like an hour. I woke up...cozy as a little bug....stared at the 54 again for another 15 minutes or so while I imagined how the wide white bias plys are gonna look. Life is good.
I did the same thing the first night I put the stereo in my 48, I'm in the cab with the music kinda loud. After the 11PM news Mrs Lowkat came out and woke me up. I about had heart failure because of the sudden reality jolt. My mind was in a very happy place.
Don,was it the old quart sized Fosters? I haven't nodded off working on a car in a very long time but I'm usually done by 8:00 PM. HRP
I've been concentrating on getting the 54 running and idling lately and I have to admit that the darn thing is kicking my tail. I have several other areas that I have the parts ready to concentrate on, but I really want the old girl running at this point...then all I have to do is finish the brakes and install my dashboard and steering wheel, and the car will be able to move under its own power, in and out of the garage. It turns over freely and seems like it wants to fire, but nothing. What's frustrating is that I did have it firing briefly about 3 months ago. I then had to pull the distributor in order to install a coolant fitting and now that it's back together.....nada. I'm running a one-wire alternator and an HEI distributor and I'm 99% sure that my wiring is correct. I think my issue is mostly timing related at this point. I'll need to pull the valve cover to find TDC and retime my distributor. I also think I flooded my plugs by cranking on it so much, so they'll need to come out and get cleaned up. Anyone have any tips or hints on setting initial timing and stabbing the distributor on a 302?
You don't need to pull the valve cover. Pull out #1 plug, have someone stick their thumb over the plug hole. Lightly bump the starter until you start to get compression. Now, turn the motor by hand the rest of the way up to to the TDC mark. (or better yet, turned to the actual needed timing position like 6btc) Now put the spark plug in the #1 wire and hold it to ground so you'll be able to see spark. (or I use a #2 Philips screwdriver stuck in the plug wire end then hold it 1/4" away from ground to check for spark) Turn the key to the 'on' position (not start) and slowly rotate the distributor by hand (with the cap on) until you get spark at the plug (or screwdriver) As soon as it sparks stop rotating the distributor and tighten it down. It will only spark while moving the distributor in one direction. You can twist it back and forth several times until you get the exact spot where the spark fires. Wherever your timing mark on the harmonic balancer is pointed, is where you just set the timing to.
I like your dash panel idea! Heres a link to an ebay seller for some "back in the day" style gauges and they are new and priced right, He has Dixco,S-W,Cal Custom Hawk and Sun and a few others I have made some buys from them in the past myself.Sounds like the distributor is a tooth off,these Ford 302's when you put them in after you bring it to TDC point the rotor slightly to the left of where #1 will be when it seats it should line up. http://stores.ebay.com/TUSCOLA-TRAD...l?_fsub=2&_sid=98967784&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322
Thanks Mark....that sounds like a fool proof way to set the timing. You can bet I'll be doing that after work tomorrow. I've been messing around with old cars (and newer ones for that matter) for over 30 years and theres always something I can learn from someone else.
Sometimes things just don't go your way. I've been having hell getting my 302 to fire up over the last few days, and it seems that no matter what I try, I can't get it to go. Now, this afternoon, my wife calls me from the dentist office and tells me that she'll be needing a few thousand dollars worth of work....asap. Ah well....there goes my tire money and the money for my last big DC order. I guess the 54 goes back on hold. This is heartbreaking stuff being so close to the end game....but family comes first. That probably kills my trip to the LoneStar Roundup too.
Sorry to hear that. There's still small stuff you can do with little to no money. Engine still not firing up... Are you getting any backfiring, farting or anything? Life is the reason I don't have a really sweet car. I've had an 8 year stretch of unbelievable bad luck but I think it's finally starting to turn around. *as I'm knocking on wood*
If you have backfire you have spark. your post #137 doesnt look like the diagram You can make any spot on the distributor #1 if the others follow correctly. Do you have a 351 cam in your engine or was the dist cap marked for a 351? 289/302 firing order 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8 . 351 firing order 1-3-7-2-6-5-4-8.
Thanks for the reply Mark. I've been using the 289/302 firing order. That photo in post 137 shows the distributor twisted a bit, but the plug wires are in the right order. I haven't tried setting it up for the 351 firing order and for the life of me, I can't imagine why a stock Lincoln would have a 351 cam in it, but it may come to that if I can't get anything else to work. My 302 came out of an 88 Lincoln....stock as a rock, and running....with around 50 or 60K miles on it. It was taken all the way down to essentially a short block with heads on it. With all this dental/money garbage and the 54 fighting me at every turn, I've had to just walk away from the project for the last couple of days so I don't demotivate myself. Sometimes you just gotta take a short break from this stuff so you can come back with a clear head. I think I'm gonna jump back in this evening and see what I can accomplish.
You have a 302 but sometime previous to 88' Ford changed the firing order to be the same as the 351..
Damn Ford engines! This is why my dad is constantly asking me why I bother with the damn things. On a small block Chevy, everything almost always fits universally and intuitively. With these @%@# Fords, there's a million variations of everything. I'm determined to keep a Ford in my Ford though and will press on.
ok....my wife spent some time on the phone with other dentists and with the insurance company and we've managed to reduce our future dental outlays somewhat. Not enough to finish the 54, but she did manage to do some good. So....I'm determined to keep a positive attitude about things. I will continue to press forward on the 54, doing the things that I can.
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