Good news mate
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Harv's FED thread
Re: Harv's FED thread
getting my FB ute on the road
EK van on rotisserie
EK van on rotisserie
Re: Harv's FED thread
Convertor slid forward, and flexplate bolts in. Had to run a tap through one, probably due to my wonky drilling when I oversized the flexplate holes for to suit the larger convertor bolts. Box now in, and everything spins as it should. Casing vent line back on, starter-er back on.
Went to put the driveshaft back in, and it's fighting me. It only goes in one way, and is tight for clearance to the diff flange. The last few times I put it in I had the same problem - just need to find the sweet spot of right rotation and right uni-joint orientation. Tried a few times, still can't find that magic lineup. Put to one side for now, will try again. On a bad day I can release the diff the put the driveshaft in, but the lazy part of me knows it should go in with the diff in place.
Had Jeff Ramsay come and take a look at extending the Norman shaft. Looks doable, and he has enough measurements to make a start. Will take a few iterations to get it right. In the meantime I need to get a bit more serious about getting the cylinder head-to-supercharger manifold on. Flogged out the mounting holes, found the set screws I had stashed to mount them, and ordered the studs for the inner locations (runners are too tight to get set screws on those two holes).
Ran out of time, and back to work again. Murphy's law, the lifters and Repco pushrod caps arrived once I had left (these are the ones to replace the worn ones that came with the head). They will have to wait until I'm home again.
Cheers,
Harv
Went to put the driveshaft back in, and it's fighting me. It only goes in one way, and is tight for clearance to the diff flange. The last few times I put it in I had the same problem - just need to find the sweet spot of right rotation and right uni-joint orientation. Tried a few times, still can't find that magic lineup. Put to one side for now, will try again. On a bad day I can release the diff the put the driveshaft in, but the lazy part of me knows it should go in with the diff in place.
Had Jeff Ramsay come and take a look at extending the Norman shaft. Looks doable, and he has enough measurements to make a start. Will take a few iterations to get it right. In the meantime I need to get a bit more serious about getting the cylinder head-to-supercharger manifold on. Flogged out the mounting holes, found the set screws I had stashed to mount them, and ordered the studs for the inner locations (runners are too tight to get set screws on those two holes).
Ran out of time, and back to work again. Murphy's law, the lifters and Repco pushrod caps arrived once I had left (these are the ones to replace the worn ones that came with the head). They will have to wait until I'm home again.
Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
Re: Harv's FED thread
It's all progress 
I started with nothing and still have most of it left.
Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
Re: Harv's FED thread
Home again. Plan of attack:
SUs off and put the Norman on so Mr Ramsay can measure up for the snout extension:
Once that’s done, head off and clearance for the pushrods.
Cheers,
Harv
SUs off and put the Norman on so Mr Ramsay can measure up for the snout extension:
- IMG_0436.jpeg (5.53 MiB) Viewed 3169 times
- IMG_0437.jpeg (4.43 MiB) Viewed 3169 times
Once that’s done, head off and clearance for the pushrods.
Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
Re: Harv's FED thread
Mmmmm, shiny. There, cut yer lunch Blacky.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
getting my FB ute on the road
EK van on rotisserie
EK van on rotisserie
Re: Harv's FED thread
There is no doubt that if there is a hard way to do something, I'll find it.
I've been dreading having to take the head on off on off to grind out for the pushrod clearance. I'm ham fisted at the best of times, and not to be trusted with a die grinder. The grinding needs to wait though until the head/manifold/supercharger assembly gets measured again for the snout extension.
In the mean time, I figured I'd do something useful, and give it it's first fill of oil. 4-odd litres of Helix's finest, and nothing came out the bottom. Happy days. Realised that the dipstick is never going to go back in again with the magneto in place, so made up a flexible one similar to Lokar's versions using some fishing wire lead/trace. Looks good, pack up tools.
Check again a day later, and there is a puddle of oil under it. The fancy "been chromed twice" sump has a pinhole in it. @#$%.
Clean up mess, walk away.
Open to suggestions before I use a slightly more elegant form of this:
Cheers,
Harv
I've been dreading having to take the head on off on off to grind out for the pushrod clearance. I'm ham fisted at the best of times, and not to be trusted with a die grinder. The grinding needs to wait though until the head/manifold/supercharger assembly gets measured again for the snout extension.
In the mean time, I figured I'd do something useful, and give it it's first fill of oil. 4-odd litres of Helix's finest, and nothing came out the bottom. Happy days. Realised that the dipstick is never going to go back in again with the magneto in place, so made up a flexible one similar to Lokar's versions using some fishing wire lead/trace. Looks good, pack up tools.
Check again a day later, and there is a puddle of oil under it. The fancy "been chromed twice" sump has a pinhole in it. @#$%.
Clean up mess, walk away.
Open to suggestions before I use a slightly more elegant form of this:
- tek screw.jpg (3.27 KiB) Viewed 2942 times
Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
Re: Harv's FED thread
Maybe a good spot to install an oil temperature sender Harv?
FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie
FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie
getting my FB ute on the road
EK van on rotisserie
EK van on rotisserie
Re: Harv's FED thread
Not much progress on the FED front. Need to leave the head in place for now so the supercharger snout extension can be fit and fiddled. Aiming to grind out for pushrods next time I’m home. Progress, but it all takes time.
Random photo of the flexible oil dipstick to let me get in under the various stuff that now lives under the inlet manifold. When it’s not in use, the dipstick hole in the block has a 1/8NPT plug in it. Fun fact: the dipstick hole is almost perfect diameter to tap to 1/8NPT. No need to drill first.
Cheers,
Harv
Random photo of the flexible oil dipstick to let me get in under the various stuff that now lives under the inlet manifold. When it’s not in use, the dipstick hole in the block has a 1/8NPT plug in it. Fun fact: the dipstick hole is almost perfect diameter to tap to 1/8NPT. No need to drill first.
- IMG_0530.jpeg (3.43 MiB) Viewed 2820 times
Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
Re: Harv's FED thread
Can you remove the sump and braze the hole up from the inside Harv ?
I finally got hold of an EJ dipstick and tube for the ute and the bloody tube must be a larger diameter then the earlier block holes
- I wasn't going to to try and drill it out once the engine was all together 
I finally got hold of an EJ dipstick and tube for the ute and the bloody tube must be a larger diameter then the earlier block holes
- I wasn't going to to try and drill it out once the engine was all together I started with nothing and still have most of it left.
Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
Foundation member #61 of FB/EK Holden club of W.A.
Re: Harv's FED thread
Can probably braze it, though it is in the naughty corner for now.Blacky wrote: Wed Sep 24, 2025 8:48 am Can you remove the sump and braze the hole up from the inside Harv ?
I finally got hold of an EJ dipstick and tube for the ute and the bloody tube must be a larger diameter then the earlier block holes
Cheers,
Harv
327 Chev EK wagon, original EK ute for Number 1 Daughter, an FB sedan meth monster project and a BB/MD grey motored FED.
-
Craig Allardyce
- Posts: 1487
- Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2011 7:26 pm
- State: VIC
- Location: Stratford
Re: Harv's FED thread
You can't win Harv, For me it took 3 sumps to find a good one for my FB. Marine sumps rusted from the outside, and car sumps rusted from the inside due to water/moisture trapped in the oil sludge inside the pan.
Stick with the 1/8 npt plug. I've always run my boat set ups that way and will be doing the same in my FB. High revs and oil being flung off the crank up towards the dipstick causes a major leak path, especially when the dipstick starts to get pushed out. I suspect this is another reason why they fitted dispstick tubes in the EJ.
Drill the plug out so you can fit a steel rod down it's guts. Small tee handle on top and mark to your desired fill level. Nothing like working towards a leak free grey. I think I'm close.
Stick with the 1/8 npt plug. I've always run my boat set ups that way and will be doing the same in my FB. High revs and oil being flung off the crank up towards the dipstick causes a major leak path, especially when the dipstick starts to get pushed out. I suspect this is another reason why they fitted dispstick tubes in the EJ.
Drill the plug out so you can fit a steel rod down it's guts. Small tee handle on top and mark to your desired fill level. Nothing like working towards a leak free grey. I think I'm close.