68 valiant signet

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hi all, other than (partially) covering the timing marks are there any problems using a pre '70 iron water pump on my 318 which currently has the later ally pump?
my recored big block radiator has the lower hose connector on the drivers side the same as the early pump so i don't need to alter the radiator and i'll have a new pump which is a bonus too.
neil.
 
oh, and yesterday i ordered a new set of (ngk) spark plugs as the motor will have better compression and chances of firing the mixture with some of those fitted :lol:
 
I’m in a similar boat. Thinking about setting up another set of rear wheels to drop my cruise rpm when I really need to drive it for some distance.
 
yeah i did that with a uk ford granada i put a small block in a few years back. one of 4 i did the v8 conversion to in fact, lol. the cruise rpm was just too high for highway use, at least the distances covered aren't as big here in the uk.
neil.
 
not much to report today, i only had an hour in the garage. now i've decided to use an early water pump i thought i'd offer up the leaky one that came in the box of bits with my engine and see what i'd need pulley wise. it appears the pulleys i got and the alternator brackets are for the early engine too, result :thumbsup:. so i bolted on a flex fan i have on the shelf which needs a spacer for sure (i've got some somewhere :rolleyes:) to get it anywhere near the radiator for efficiency. who knows, i may even make a shroud one day. the front area looked a bit lop sided but once i sat the battery tray back in place and there's a lower rad' hose it'll be fine. once i get the new water pump i can sort it all for good.
neil.

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got so much going on i forget to add stuff, doh!
i measured the manual brake pedal i bought to see if it's for manual or power brakes, i'd like to swap to manual if possible. another result as it's (as best as i can measure) roughly a 6.5:1 ratio so manual brakes. so when i swap in the pedals i'll remove the servo at the same time and bolt the master cylinder to the bulkhead along with whatever pushrod mod's it'll need. i'm slowly cleaning up the engine bay of power assistance stuff.
neil.
 
get a timing tape to go on the dampner and make a pointer where you can see it. note, there are 2 different sizes. i've never had an issue reusing the power brake peddle when converting to manual brakes. glad you're making progress, i'm planning to get back to mine next week
 
cheers, another thing i forgot was i also have the early timing tab that bolts to the bottom 2 water pump bolts. i'll fit that and check/remark the timing marks on the damper on final assembly with the new pump. i'm not sure yet if it has the early style damper too.
neil.
 
i got a job i've not been looking forward to out of the way today, my back isn't thanking me for it but it had to be done. i now have 3 pedals finally. i'm glad there are no seats in the car or would've been worse so that's something. the power brake pedal links to the servo with a flat 'l' shaped bar that pushes another swinging bar on the servo bracket which is connected to the servo pushrod (ankle bone connected to the shin bone, shin bone connected to the knee bone kinda deal, lol). anyway i cut and slotted the flat bar to weld the adjustable pushrod that came out of the servo into so i have an adjustable pushrod from pedal to master that's now directly bolted to the firewall. i didn't have the right pushrod but you guessed that by now. next job the clutch pedal and linkage, i didn't have the right clip to retain the pedal in it's sleeve so i made a forked retainer plate that goes into the groove in the pivot rod to hold it in place in much the same way as the brake pedal is held. my clutch linkage rods have all had 'rose' joints fitted to 1) make them adjustable and 2) make the feel smoother. not by me, i just lucked out getting it that way. the pedal pushrod was too long so i had to shorten that but otherwise it went together nicely. i set each rod in the middle or their adjustment so i can alter them longer or shorter if needed later on. likewise the brake adjustable pushrod which was screwed right in i set in the middle of it's travel to allow for 'fine tuning' later.
with the servo gone it'll be much easier to fit the plugs when they arrive, oh and i ordered new plug wires today also.
neil.

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i started on the hybrid driveshaft today. the explorer tube is smaller than the mopar tube so will slide inside. it's not a good fit but it is the correct difference to allow a couple of sleeves made from one of the tubes to fit and weld tight on the small tube which is then a very tight fit inside the large tube which will be welded also. it'll sleeve about 2' 6" inside so nice and straight, if it needs balancing at all i'll sort that later. i'll sort some pics tomorrow as i get it done. i've done many this way so don't have any issues with it.
neil.
 
i finished up the driveshaft today, it all went as expected and i gave it a couple of coats of primer and some satin black so it's now ready to fit when the time comes.
i also swapped in the new mini starter and fitted the dust shields in front of and under the flywheel, 'cos i had them. i was going to bolt the headers up but the gaskets that came with them have rectangular port shapes on the end cylinders and you can see daylight in the lower outer corners so they're no good. new proper shape gaskets will be the next purchase.
next then will be fitting the new water pump and front accessory drive stuff then i can sort radiator hoses.
neil.

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Gearhed73 said:
What headers are you running?
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stainless ones i got from ebay over there in the states. pics on page 7, post 174. having looked at the pics again myself the header ports are also rectangular so i'll have to make a couple of thicker copper gaskets which will cover the port misalignment i have. you know i've watched engine masters and so many times i've heard david freiburger say ''check header fitment before you install the motor'', doh!!! :BangHead:
 
today i painted the new water pump (it's cast iron so would rust real fast) and while it was drying i finalised the spacers needed for the alternator brackets. then i bolted on the mechanical fuel pump, of course the fuel hose from the hard line was roughly 2" short so that'll need replacing. i'll get ethanol resistant hose and replace the bit at the tank end too. after lunch i fitted the new water pump and alternator with it's brackets for the last time. just the fan spacer and fan and i can sort the rad' hoses. oh and a couple of heater hose fittings for the water pump and intake, i like to use my cars in the winter too and the heater worked great when i used it last. i sorted through the fan belts i have here and none are long enough, the closest being about 3/4" too short so i'll order that next week too.
i spoke to a mate who can cnc plasma cut anything and he's going to cut me some thick copper header gaskets. at least i shouldn't have to remove the headers....... again (fingers crossed).
no pics as you all know what a fitted water pump, alternator etc looks like.
neil.
 
it's got to that part of the build where some parts are needed. today's orders were ethanol safe fuel hose (for the whole fuel system) with stainless steel hose clamps ('cos they're pretty and shiny), 2 rebuildable glass and chrome fuel filters, 2 heater hose fittings for the motor, a 2" fan spacer and some heater hose. i'll measure what i need for radiator hoses tomorrow and order the silicon hoses (in black not a tarty colour), aluminum joining tubes and more stainless hose clamps.
neil.
 
i started fitting stuff today. all of the new fuel pipes and filters are in place, i'm just waiting for hose clamps to finish that off. i've fitted stainless p clips just under the 2 filters and y piece to stop them waving about and breaking the glass tubes. i also fitted the flexalite 2" fan spacer kit which has placed the flex fan about an inch back from the radiator core. i ordered a fanbelt and collected the silicon hoses, ally tubes and stainless clamps this evening too for the radiator hoses. last job was to check the wiring for the ignition sub loom as i'm fitting mopar electronic ignition where this car was points before.
pics tomorrow.
neil.
 
today i did the radiator hoses, heater hoses and fittings, temp' sender, fanbelt and fitted the ignition box to the inner fender. still waiting for the hose clamps for the fuel lines. the engine compartment is starting to look much 'busier' now. oh, and i ordered 2 air filters so i can cut the hood and see if the hood scoop clears or will need altering/raising up a bit. i'll be sorting the engine bay wiring next, it's getting close to a fire up :thumbsup:
neil.

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Gearhed73 said:
Should be close to lighting it off?
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that's the plan, it's ready for coolant now and the hose clamps for the fuel lines arrived today too so i can finish them up. it needs oil and a filter, gearbox oil and some wiring and it's ready to run.
neil.
edit... bugger no it's not, i still need header gaskets. doh!
 
Gearhed73 said:
Always something...
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yep, always :BangHead:
on a brighter note i just ordered an acc carpet set so when i fit the seats i don't have to remove them again :thumbsup:
i'm trying to keep the parts ordering up to date so i don't get stuck waiting, which can be more of an issue as i'm in the united kingdom so need to order well in advance.
neil.
 
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