[TheSilverBuick]

For those not tracking this on another forum, I didn't get to fire it up due to the fuel rails not performing to expectation. Below are posts of the last two weekends.

It was a long day that ended with out start up yet. During non-running systems testing (nifty megasquirt feature) I found I had the wiring to two ignition coils swapped and two fuel injectors not firing. Fairly quickly tracked down the crossed wires on the ignition, and I coincidentally had two spare injectors (all the injectors are used ones off my Skylarks 455 V8 from when I up-sized the injectors on it) BUT one of the spares wasn't firing either. That could of been a game stopper, so I got some carb cleaner and sprayed the heck out of the injectors and managed to actually get all three non-firing injectors working. I guess they got gummed up from left over fuel and sitting. Then was on to crank and cam sensor testing without fuel or spark. Engine cranks fast and builds some oil pressure during cranking. I had a good and clean crank signal from the start but wasn't getting a cam signal. I spent an hour troubleshooting it, had an LED test light I made showing the cam sensor was sending a signal but the megasquirt wasn't picking it up. Turned out I had to remove the jumper in the megasquirt that is supposed to be a pull-up circuit and install an external pull-up circuit. I don't know why, but it worked. It was the only picture I took today, the screen capture of the cam and crank single, lol. Once I had that I set up the fuel system to pressure check it and set the regulator pressure. This was a point of concern, and it turned out to be valid. At least three of the injectors are leaking at the rail :*( so no start up today. Tomorrow I plan on removing the whole rail set up, possibly run a scotch brite pad on a drill bit into each hole to polish it up, install new o-rings on the injectors and try again.

The green line is the cam signal and the blue line is the crank signal. The missing tooth is easily visible on the crank signal and the cam signal is about 30* before the missing tooth that signifies TDC compression stroke on cylinder 1.

I was set back yesterday pretty substantially when my fuel rail system did not work out. I cleaned up the holes, replaced the o-rings, etc to no avail. So I am going to a common rail but ran into the exact problem that caused me to look at "alternative" fuel rail configurations, namely I either have interference from the thermostat housing or with the throttle body. I simply cannot get a straight line to fit.

I got word the guy giving me a remote mount automotive electric water pump has put it in the mail on Friday so I yanked the thermostat housing off the engine, removed the intake, chiseled out the injector bungs, re-installed the intake, hung the fuel rail in place with injectors installed and bungs hanging from the injectors into the intake, and put a fresh coat of JB quik-weld on it. I now have a second coat of JB quik weld on it to make sure it seals and holds and will clean up and re-paint the intake this week.

I ordered up some 1/4" aluminum plating and will make a water outlet block off plate and a water pump hole plate and bolt a water outlet to the pump plate. I've already knocked out the two freeze plugs and installed the ones I welded nipples onto. Going all out on the external water pump now.

My friend Bill rules all.

This arrived today. It's a 21gpm unit, which trumps the 17gpm (at what rpm?) unit on the OHC engine. I've picked up a T from the hardware store too, so I just have to get some hoses to plumb this in. He sent it with a controller as well, which will control the pump speed based on temperature. No thermostat needed, if its cold it'll be off, if it's hot it'll run full speed. GAME ON!!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...22272295_o.jpg

Got the new rail installed. I have to make a rail hold down, which shouldn't be too challenging. Still waiting on some aluminum plating to block off the thermostat housing. It's going to be a tight fit.. I may remote the fuel pressure regulator after all.








I probably won't do much work on the engine tomorrow. I am going to swap the differential carrier and gears tomorrow. I'll probably have to go to a shop downtown to have the pinion bearing pressed off, and I'll hone the old bearing out a bit and use it to set the number of shims for a good tooth pattern then install the new bearings on the pinion.

The highlight of today is I installed the 4.56 gears and the mini-spool into the Firebird. While the axles were out I checked and they fit nicely in my old 8.5" rear end with a true positraction and 3.42 gears. If things go south with the mini-spool and it doesn't take an axle out I can swap the rear end assembly if needed. I really want to run this engine with these gears! It'll be 3,000 rpm at 75mph with the overdrive.

Plugging away. Piece by piece.

Plumbed in the electric water pump. 1 1/4" inlet and two 1" outlets into the head. I hmm and hawed over how to set up the tee in the water line and decided that I'd straight line it to the front port to potentially have more flow go that way. If it does work that way then it will set the circulation up better to push the water from the front of the head rear wards where the largest opening in the deck is. As the water is heated up it'll get a second blasting of cool water from the pump. Or maybe it won't matter? I think I know how to wire in a relay so that it'll run off the controller normally but when going WOT (or some specified load) it'll go full tilt. Later I can add the condition when it see's boost.



I was looking at the water pump controller and the directions said to stick the probe where the thermostat would be for it to best control the temperature. I'm not sure how most folks install the probe, but I dug out a 230 OHC bypass spacer and reamed the hole out until it was a snug fit. But that still left the problem of seal and retention.


A short length of hose would do a good job of sealing, so I did that and two hose clamps. But then I found that I could still slide the probe with some effort. With the cooling system pressuring up I figured I needed better positive retention, so I had the hose hang over the back of the probe and stuck another clamp on there to keep it from pushing outwards.


Then it was time to make up my block off plates. A 1/4" thick plate of aluminum ready to be cut.


Cut and grinded out the aluminum block off plate. Drilled a 1 1/4" hole in the plate and bolted the spacer and thermostat housing too it.


The belt cover installed.