408 Build Thread

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Car is looking great!

About the 220 degree operating temp, I've read in a few posts here that 220 is the sweet spot for 360's (and strokers). That being said, I, like you, freak out when I see my temp climb that high. I'm much more at ease when it's around the 190-210 range.
 
Thanks. I realize that everything is still tight in the engine, trans, and even the rear end has less than five hundred miles on it so I'm not going to sweat it, literally, for a few hundred miles until it's broken in and tuned to the ninth degree. I'm also going to check it with my infrared temp gun to make sure the gauge is accurate.

It's not back on and I haven't even seen it because I had to work last night, but here's a sneak peak of what I'll be doing tonight.
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I spent a few hours last night cleaning the Dart because it's been sitting in my garage being neglected for about 2 1/2 years now. Hot Rod magazine is kicking off the Power Tour in KC today, so several of us are going to take our cars over there and check it out. I'll try to remember to snap some pics.

Shawn showed up with my hood and it turned out better than I had expected. We bolted on the scoop and spent about 30 minutes getting the hood adjusted just right. I think it turned out pretty good and am happy with the way it looks. I took the Dart for a quick run down the highway and it didn't fly off so I'm going to count that as a victory!

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Here's a pic from Power Tour yesterday. It wasn't my kind of a show. Lots of high dollar cars, but I found enough there to keep my interest for a couple of hours. They wanted to charge me $50 to park in that lot shown behind me or I could park in the lot next to it for free. Guess which one I chose?
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BrianT said:
Here's a pic from Power Tour yesterday. It wasn't my kind of a show. Lots of high dollar cars, but I found enough there to keep my interested for a couple of hours. They wanted to charge me $50 to park in that lot shown behind me or I could park in the lot next to it for free. Guess which one I chose?
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Very late to this thread, reading it backwards to save time. First questions I have, stock body? What rear suspension? What size wheels and tires, I am going for that stance?
 
Mini tubbed, Espo +1 springs (have settled quite a bit) moved into the frame rails, narrowed Strange 60 rear, 15x10 wheels with 3 1/2" backspace.
 
OK thanks, won't work for me, stock body, no cutting it up.

Did you post your 408 specs etc anywhere in this thread? I'd like to compare to mine.
 
Seventeen pages of specs. Send me a PM if you have any more specific questions?
 
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I did a little detail work to the engine bay yesterday. Yeah, I know, the day after the show, but things were kind of hectic Friday night. I bought some universal windlace off of eBay to go around the hole that I cut in the hood. It just clamps in place and really cleaned up the cut line. This is before I squeezed it together tight, but you get the idea.
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I also spent a couple hours hiding some of my wiring in some braided sheathing that I bought at Summit. I couldn't stand the look of loose wires laying across my intake manifold and inner fenders. I ran zip ties through the holes in the inner fenders to hold everything tight and even installed my windshield washer system, though it's more on principle because I paid so much for it several years ago.
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I'm pretty satisfied with everything under the hood. Except for a little tuning I should be done under there for a while.
 
Wow, the cooling issue would be scary for me also. I run an approximate mix of 50/50 with a 4 core aluminum radiator and a 192 thermostat. In the summer heat of Texas, I don't get over 180. During cooler months, I run it with a piece of cardboard in front of it to get some heat.
 
In normal traffic, it runs right at 200. When it hit the higher temps I was running 70 mph running down the highway at 3000 rpm for about twenty minutes. I don't plan on doing that too often.
 
Very nice thread Brian. Building a VERY similar motor (Magnum based 408) same cam, but with the Eddy Magnum heads and fuel injection (MSD). Compression will most likely be 10.5-11.0 area due to some block squaring/decking. The stroker kit is a balanced Scat but it was designed for an LA, so the pistons have a little riser on them. Thinking about the same TTI headers as well (I wish at the same price you'd paid ). How much did you put into the Edelbrocks as far as porting goes?
 
chaditotx said:
How much did you put into the Edelbrocks as far as porting goes?
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It was a very light clean up. The intakes were gasket matched and the pinch areas were smoothed out. A little bowl blending and that's about it. It wasn't being built to be a max effort engine. We were just correcting things a little.

I drove the Dart to a show last night about 10 minutes from my house. It always causes my anxiety to flare up pulling into a show. Something about everyone looking at me and my car. I know it's all in my head, but it still it's very real to me. So I'm backing into a spot that my buddy saved for me and when I put the car into Park I could tell something wasn't right with the shifter. I was still in reverse. So I shut the engine off and put the parking brake on and got out like nothing was wrong (remember, people are still watching and staring). Turns out that the cable end had come loose from the shift lever at the transmission, right on top of my scorching hot header. At least it stayed together long enough for me to back into a spot.

I decided to let things cool down a little and walk the show and have a beer or two with my friends. I called member VOETOM and he brought his Barracuda up so we got to hang out for a while. When the show was over Tom crawled under the car and put the trans in Drive. I started it up and drove home without incident.

I had been meaning to adjust the shifter because the 2-3 shift required that you hit the shifter twice for some reason? I read the instructions again and they said that the cable needs be installed with the trans and shifter in first gear. I'm pretty sure everything was in Park when we hooked it up. I'm hoping that's the problem. Of course, the hardware that holds the cable to the trans lever is long gone, probably somewhere on the road to the show. I'll have to try and find a more permanent way to connect the cable.
 
Thanks! I'm not a max effort guy myself, I'm more of a "since I am already there" kinda guy myself. Sounds like the kinks are getting worked out and you are having fun with it. That is a good feeling I am sure. I have to remind myselfmy build is a hobby driven one sometimes, and it is supposed to be fun. By nature I stress over stuff LOL. I couldn't see elsewhere in the posts, but did you use 1.5 or 1.6 rockers? I'm dyno-ing my motor off your posts ;) I did a bit of porting, mostly short turn, blending and pocket. Machinist has a flow bench now and I am afraid to put my heads on it LOL.
 
Thanks! A funny story. I was at the car wash yesterday rinsing the Dart off before the cruise and a guy came up and was admiring my car. He approached me and said that his favorite thing about my car was that I had left it all stock and original. I just smiled and said thanks. But I was thinking WTF?!?! The only things that he could see on my car that were stock and original were the driver's side mirror and my antennae.
 
Brian,

About the 220 degree operating temp, I've read in a few posts here that 220 is the sweet spot for 360's (and strokers). That being said, I, like you, freak out when I see my temp climb that high. I'm much more at ease when it's around the 190-210 range.[/QUOTE]
Brian,

I had the same heating issue with my new 10.2-1 360 motor. I fixed the problem with no money! Swap your vacuum advance to the manifold vacuum instead of ported vacuum. Reduce the idle and badda boom badda bing! My idle temps would climb through the roof. Now it stays at 178-179 in the drive way fans set to 175-170, low 180's crusing and mid 190's at a stop light fully heat soaked. 220 degrees is not a sweet spot IMO.

Try it you will like it! I had Champion exchange their house brand fans for SPALS but I don't think that I need them now!

FYI,

Marion
 
Thanks Marion but I've got an MSD E curve distributor and that's all computer controlled. We haven't really even started fine tuning it yet because I'm not running the 3" exhaust that we are building. No sense in tuning it now and then doing it again in a month when my exhaust is completed.

I have been considering ditching the cheap Champion dual fan set up and running one nice Spal pusher fan. I've yet to hear anyone complain about them. But again, I'm not going to do anything until the carb and distributor have been dialed in.
 
Brian,

I was referring to changing the vacuum source for your vac can from ported to full vacuum. It will make all the difference in the world. No need to mess with the dizzy. You will have more timing at idle allowing for the slow burning lean fuel to burn cooler. The ported vac is intended to make the engine run hot deliberately for emission purposes and was introduced in the 70's a an emissions gimmick!. Google it for your self!

Marion
 
Like I tried to explain to you in my post above my distributor doesn't have a vacuum canister to switch. It's all controlled by pin switches under the rotor.
 
Speaking of custom mandrel bent 3" exhaust, Tom sent me some pictures yesterday. He put a support bolt through the mufflers to strengthen the case and keep them from expanding with the exhaust pulses and also coated them with some special copper paint that he has been wanting to try out.
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Tom likes to use my exhaust like a mad science project and says that I am his "guinea pig". The 3 bolt flanges will be welded on next and then we are going to take everything back up to the muffler shop for mock up. Once we have everything bolted and tack welded where it needs to be, it will all come back off to be TIG welded and then off to powder coating. You can see the pipes laying in the background.
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Looking good!

So you're powdercoating the entire exhaust system? Or just the tips?
 
Everything from the headers back that's not painted copper. Tom has the powder coating left over from another exhaust project and a guy that will do the work for free!
 
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