Today I should have been working on the screen and the dashboard. But last night I realised that it would only take me about an hour to jury rig the temporary dash (albeit with a chunk lopped off) and get ready for a start.
It has been laid up for eleven months as I have been working on the body. So fingers crossed .......
I am now having a beer!
Wasted another 5 litres of petrol today .... well not exactly wasted!!!
Time to cut the crap...... decided I could do without my regulator bracket so I finished off the fuel run and all was ready for a start:
First time: didn't start??? checked and found I only had 5v not 12v going to the 6AL ignition control - redid the wiring
Second Time: Two turns and fired up!!!! Unbelievable sound
I ran it for 20 minutes between 2000 and 2500 rpm to ensure the cam was broken in, no leaks, no overheating, oil pressure 75-80 psi cold and 50-55 psi hot at 2000 rpm.
All that went wrong was that my camera fell over and didn't capture the moment of first start, I burnt my finger and thumb 'cos I wouldn't let go of the throttle, and eventually it ran out of petrol after playing for a while!!
There's a video below of starting after the cam break in run, but the sound isn't the best as the camera was picking up the noise from my diesel tin top that was powering everything and also the twin cooling fans on the GD wich are pretty loud!.
What a day....... Time for a drink!
Here's a clip from the test run video - this'll make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up!!
Today is the first day of the Christmas Break!! However half of today has been wasted by recovering from the "Christmas do" last night. Didn't feel up to much so I wasted some more time thinking about engines. I haven't even got a full collection of refurbished donor parts yet never mind a chassis so engines are a long way off - but then again - engines are the exciting bit!
From the outset I was always going to use a Chevy 350 (0r 383 as these are 350's with a stroker crank). After the unbelievable test drive in the GD demonstrator (a 400HP LS1) I had again made an instant decision that approx 400 HP was what I wanted. The general motors LS engines have a lot going for them - but at the end of the day they just do not compare to a 350 Chevy on looks - I've said before that this project isn't necessarily about sensible decisions!
So... spent some time on the 'net and came across pro-performance unlimited .... you would not believe what treasures lie await on this site!!. Just to whet your appetites and to give you a feel for why Chevy 350 (383) over GM LS - then have a look at these video clips courtesy of pro-performance unlimited:
PS. Don't forgrt to turn up the sound!
OPTION 1 CHEVY 350 - 420 HP
OPTION 2 CHEVY 350 440 HP
OPTION 3 - CHEVY 383 - 450 HP
Should have spent some time filling in the blanks to get the blog up to date - but I think you'll agree this was more worthwhile! - However this is a monumentous occaison as it represents my first REAL TIME POST!
Visitors Since 10 Dec 2006
