Harv's FED thread

[Harv]

Got the Slide-and-Glide back from Al’s Race Glides.

It’s had a full manual valve body installed (TCI 744200), which means it no longer shifts automatically. This will let me dial in the shift point to suit the motor, though does mean I need to take my hand off the wheel mid-run to shift from low to high gear. It also got a deep pan (Aeroflow AF72-3002). This might seem like a bit of overkill, but will let me run without a cooler (just loop the cooler inlet/outlet ports with some pipe) even though I aim on driving it back from the far end of the track. It got a billet 1.80 gearset, with the guts good for 1200 ponies.

The weakness on this box will be the factory input shaft – there are no aftermarket replacements for the 6-clinder 'glide, so a one-off custom would have been required. If I wind the power up far enough, the factory shaft will strip the splines, as they don’t engage overly far in the convertor… should be good for 400-500 neddies though. If the grey ever puts out that much grunt then the gearbox will be the least of my worries.

Al recommends using. Penrite Auto Trans Fluid Type F. Needs 3-4mm float on the convertor and a poofteenth of float on the tailshaft.

The shorty version weighs in at 40kg with no convertor/flexplate, compared to 46kg for the standard box, 27kg for a crashie, 21kg for a red crashie and 47.5 for a Hydra. The length is as per the diagram below.

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Have got the torque convertor on order from Dominator (5000rpm stall), though will not get that until next year. It’s surprising though how many industries have got worked backed up, mostly the after-affects of Covid I guess. As an aside, it’s really difficult to find a cam card (for Dominator to spec the convertor) when you bought the cam in 2016. I really should file things better, but kudos to Clive for still having the info despite it being a custom grind. Shifter is on it’s way from Precision Shifter after a four-month wait, just clearing customs.

Will get the shorty over to the chassis builder, which will let him spec up and build the tailshaft cover. Tailshaft will need to wait until I get the diff guts put into the housing.

Cheers,
Harv

[Errol62]

I don't know how about this stuff but hell sounds cool. Must be lumpy to need such a high stall converter.

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[Harv]

With the chassis nearing completion I need to get a bit more serious about the engine for the FED. Plan at the moment is to run the genuine Repco head, as the repro one is still not done. Not sure if I will run the bottom end that is currently on the head (ex-speedcar), or pull it down and put the newly-rebuilt meth-monster bottom end under the genuine head.

Either way, it needs to have the Norman mated up to it. Got the Norman bits out, and gave them a basic clean (at least enough that it won't give me typhoid just looking at it... old oil, grease and blue silastic now gone ). The Norman has had a hard life - according to legend, last run in a Toyota at 30psi . Everything is helicoiled and worn-in. I'll have no regrets leaning on this thing.

The previous owner of the Norman had used some 5mm ally plate to make a front mounting. I'll do similar, but will put it on the drivers side of the engine to suit the crossflow head. The plate will save the whole Norman from hanging off the inlet manifold. The photo below(with a little imagination) gives you an idea of how it will sit - up in the air, and hopefully a straight shot from the outlet to the Repco inlet. I'll buy some ply and remake the brackety, get it to sit a little better to where I need it. Figure I'll make some ply manifolds, then send them out to get replicated in ally.

Norman on Repco head.jpg (904.42 KiB) Viewed 1410 times

Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

Up in the air, I fly, zoom zoom a zooma zoom zoom

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Template for the huffer manifold, made using VBCAD:

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8BCA8F95-55F8-400D-9C80-F848BD44CCEC.jpeg (4.79 MiB) Viewed 1291 times

Cheers,
Harv

[Errol62]

Very cool man.

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[ekv8ute]

Lookin good Harv, at least with vbcad you can toast your success before, during and after!


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[Harv]

Getting there slowly.

Bodywork has been near-completed on the FED. Should be IRHA certified early next month, and then take it home. Logbook on order for the certification. Then the fun begins for fit-and-fiddle.

Diff is back at Craft Diffs to have the final bracketry done and guts installed.

In a bit of a quandary over what motor to put into this one. I've got the meth-monster engine pretty much at short-block stage, but no head (still waiting on the repro head). I've also got the speedcar motor that the genuine Repco head came with. It's not set up for the FED, and it feels funny robbing a good running performance motor of the head to build the meth motor engine, but suspect that may be the way forward as I wait for the repro one. Started stripping back the speedcar motor while I do some thinking.

Got rid of the alternator and water pump, and made the blanking plates up. Thermostat housing gets a simple water neck and radiator cap, and water pump blanked off. Fill the block with coolant, and use it to spread some of the heat load. There is not huge heat when running methanol - normally struggle to get to temperature - so the lack of pump should be OK. If it overheats the radiator cap lifts and blurts out a little bit of water as a warning to shut it down. Radiator cap line has to go to a catch can (minimum 600mL for ANDRA, bit less for IHRA) to keep the fluid off the track. Will run that line in -3AN. The sideplate breather can't be a walking stick either, and needs to go to the catch can too. Made up a new cover for the side plate, and will get a -10AN nipple welded into it. Had an ahhcrap moment when I pulled the original sideplate breather off. The baffle for the breather must be held on (inside the sideplate) by the cover screws... when I pulled the little cover off, I heard the baffle drop. Bugger. Now the sideplate has to come off, and I suspect the dizzy out to get the sideplate off. A job for next time I'm home.

Pulled the harmonic balancer after fighting it. Bent the Supercheap harmonic puller and had to resort to the heavy Litchfield 3-leg puller. Looks to be a genuine narrow-belt balance - not like the Dayco ones that have the three red-motor-like pulling holes tapped into them. It has lots of bludgeon mark from a good life. Will replace it with a Ross balancer.

Chrome timing cover off (flash as a rat with a gold tooth) and a good hour spent getting the silastic off the chrome. Forgot how much I hate silastic. It has some wear marks and a few rust spots coming through, so may replate it when I get some of the other FED bits done.

Steel timing gear is in place, and no sludge in the cover bottom. Lines up well to an engine that was rebuilt but not run often after that.

Cam is stamped 403. Looks like Clive's stamping, but a call to them shows its not a Clive or Wade grind. Anyone know of a grey motor 403 grind? Worst comes to worst I'll pull the cam and get Clive to measure it.

Next step will be to pull the chrome sump and see if the mains are braced.

Dummied up the Norman and pulleys. I can get a clear shot at the cam end, so cam drive for the fuel pump is still possible. Problem is that the blower belt would almost wrap around the fuel pump. Methinks IHRA won't like that, and that I would have to extend the pump forward off the cam snout about 6". Will have a chat to the IHRA tech inspector next month, as that location may not fly either. Worst comes to worst I can belt drive the fuel pump (and have the bracketry/drives to do so) but had hoped to avoid a second belt.

The magneto angle drive collection has had a workout in recent months. I've got one good working McGee angle drive, and two that had been part machined. One of the two is a McGee unit, and the other a bronze one (same design, though a little heavier to avoid the spigot cracking the McGee drives are renowned for). Got the two out to a machinist and had the final machining done on them. They are now ready to pick up. I only need two of the three (one for the meth monster, one for the FED) so may end up selling the third one.

Cheers,
Harv

[Blacky]

HHHHMMM .....you forgot the pictures

[Harv]

I didn't take any .

Got distracted taking photos of the injector-to-supercharger and supercharger-to-Repco manifold setup... trying to explain the vague picture in my head to the bloke making them up for me.

Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

Started stripping back the speedcar motor while I do some thinking...

Cam is stamped 403. Looks like Clive's stamping, but a call to them shows its not a Clive or Wade grind. Anyone know of a grey motor 403 grind? Worst comes to worst I'll pull the cam and get Clive to measure it.

Some Googling shows that 403 is a Waggott grind, but for a red 6 with hydraulic lifters. Not enough duration for what I am doing, though a hefty amount of lift. 403 cam in red below, the green one is the custom grind Clive did for me for the blown grey:

Waggot cam.png (90.72 KiB) Viewed 1115 times

So looks like if I use the speedcar engine in the FED it is going to need recamming. Feeling more and more like using the newly built short motor but with the Repco head off the speedcar.

Will check the numbers with Waggott next week to make sure I am not missing something.

Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

Bugger. The 403 cam is not a Waggott one. Waggott engrave their numbers (not stamped), and would not have put the hydraulic 403 profile onto a solid lifter cam.

So not Clive, Wade or Waggott. Not a Tighe or Camtech grind either. Possibly Bert Jones, but cannot find any Jones data.

Looks like it will need to come out and be measured by Clive.

Cheers,
Harv

[BS]

Sounds like you are making good progress Harv. I’m a fan of the pipes. Very cool


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[Harv]

Sump off the Repco headed Speedcar motor. Clean sump, but no crank bracing. Would need new caps/girdle and tunnel boring for the abuse I will throw at it. Looks like the other block (already girdled) goes into the dragster.

Side plate off, and as suspected I had dropped the breather baffle off inside the side cover.

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One locknut, one plain. Can tell this thing was raced… no two fasteners the same.

Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

Torque converter arrived from Dominator. 5000rpm stall. It has long bosses welded to it for the mounting bolts. They need to be king because the FED has an ally plate between the motor and gearbox (acts as the rear engine mount). Fasteners are 7/16UNF, which are a smidgen too big for the holes in Roger’s flexplate… will drill the plate out.

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Cheers,
Harv

[Harv]

So after some disassembly and thinking, it looks like the short motor (meth monster) goes in the dragster, and I have to build something later to go into the FB.

The FED will be wet sumped, so the dry sump pan will have to wait. Hunted in the collection for a spare sump, and sure enough it fouls the Sonic girdle. I knew this, but had hoped the clash would be minor. Nope. The girdle, and studs at each end clash where the sump is reinforced for the end-strip cork gasket. Major pan surgery, and a bugger to seal. Little wonder the dry sump maker would not make a pan for a girdled grey. The clash areas are crosshatched in yellow in the photo below.

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The solution? Off with his head!… or at least off with the ends of the girdle. By keeping the girdle over the two middle caps it stops the bearings walking - old lumpy humpy trick, with thanks for educating me Mr Smith. The two end caps now need shorter studs 2.75” OAL to clear the pan. More funds to ARP.

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The drama is that the block was tunnel bored with the girdle in place. Now that stupid me had to cut the ends off the girdle, it may no longer be true. Strip all the bits off it, torque up the caps and baby girdle, and off to Duncan Foster to measure for roundness. Wish me luck.

Cheers,
Harv