Another Mopar Off My Bucket List - Barracuda Fastback
Most of the time it seems as though we take two steps back for each one we move forward. At the end of each day I hope that the next will go better.
After welding up the left motor mount we re-attached the steering linkage and tightened everything back up. We then used a floor jack to dimple the header tube where it intersects the pitman arm. It may not be much but we've got an 1/8" clearance now.
I'm not totally thrilled with the way we've got it now. The engine has a noticeable lean to the right. We'd considered raising the right side of the engine to compensate but it would undoubtedly bring back our clearance problem with the pitman unless we raised both sides at least 1".
I'm certain we're going to have problems with the stock Roadrunner dual snorkel air cleaner. It already rubbed the bottom side of the hood before we raised/tilted the engine. - Not sure if we're going to try modifying it or if we'll look for something with a lower profile.
Before we called it quits Sunday, - we buttoned up most of what was left to do. There were all those little things to re-install like the alternator, battery tray, thermostat housing, spark plugs, distributor, etc... By the time we finished setting the valve lash it was already pretty dark in our driveway work space.
We'd ordered some new valve cover breathers and grommets but they're not here yet. We won't seal up the heads until they arrive. There's not much more we can accomplish before the new ECU comes from FAST. Tomorrow we'll see about getting the exhaust system connected to our headers.