[NateOld687]

I also discovered a 3 inch long Crackon the underside of the Torker intake manifold that someone appeared to have grinded on? Idk but there is a crack

[steve25]

I don’t see a crack.

You mean behind the gasket ?


If so could you remove the gasket and then take another photo?

Oh, and you’re likely bending push rods because of a few possible things.
the rocker motion might be hanging up due to the rust condition seen in the rocker ball pocket.

And also your rockers look like there not getting the needed normal amount of oil so your bending the push rod condition might be due to some of the valve stems running dry and seizing up.

I would say you need to pull the heads , take them apart and see what the valves look like .

In terms of the top side of the heads in the least it’s time for new full 7/16” rockers studs and new rockers and balls , a set of 7/16” poly locks and however many push rods you need to replace after checking all of them on a flat level surface.

[NateOld687]

Originally Posted by steve25

I don’t see a crack.

You mean behind the gasket ?


If so could you remove the gasket and then take another photo?

Oh, and you’re likely bending push rods because of a few possible things.
the rocker motion might be hanging up due to the rust condition seen in the rocker ball pocket.

And also your rockers look like there not getting the needed normal amount of oil so your bending the push rod condition might be due to some of the valve stems running dry and seizing up.

I would say you need to pull the heads , take them apart and see what the valves look like .

In terms of the top side of the heads in the least it’s time for new full 7/16” rockers studs and new rockers and balls , a set of 7/16” poly locks and however many push rods you need to replace after checking all of them on a flat level surface.

The Crack is in the middle of the bottom of the intake I'll take a picture, I will pull the heads asap..I did replace all bent rods with new straight ones 👍and definitely plan to replace all that corroded stuff up top aswell..

[NateOld687]

The "crack" underside of intake manifold

[steve25]

That crack needs to be heliarc welded if your stuck using that horrible Intake for your 350 motor, otherwise I can’t see sinking the money into getting that welded up.

If folks are supporting you running that intake on a 350 motor that will real only need to go to 5500 rpm then have then produce 1/4 mile time slip results of a 350 with a 4 bbl 67 and up factory intake and then time slips with that early T-1 on it, because that’s the only way I would believe any thing they post up about it being a better street intake .

Don’t hold your breath on that !

[NateOld687]

Originally Posted by steve25

That crack needs to be heliarc welded .

I do plan to replace it with something else..just unsure as which intake would be best for country cruising...the oem iron qjet or another aluminum mid to high rise intake

[srmmmm]

Originally Posted by NateOld687

The "crack" underside of intake manifold

Mine also cracked there at the bottom of the exhaust crossover below the plenum. Living in Texas, I blocked off the crossover on the rebuild though, so the crack wasn't any concern .

[steve25]

The only two intakes you should consider for that unless your swapping over to aftermarket heads would be a iron Q-jet type or the Performer intake , the non Perfotmer rpm model to be specific.

[JLMounce]

On the plus side, the pics from the cam and lifters look pretty good. The only thing I might do there is take some emory cloth to the heel of the one lobe that has some surface rust. I don't necessarily see anything here that would absolutely make me need to replace the cam and lifters.

There's enough corrosion on the top sides of those rockers and the heads, that I'd agree with steve25 and I'd want to take those heads off and go through them. You might check with a local machine shop on a rebuild of these. Only replace what is necessary to keep the costs as low as possible. I would probably upgrade to the 7/16" studs and new rockers.

Also agree that if you can't find a stock Q-jet intake, or need to keep the square bore carburetor, the Edelbrok Performer manifold would be my pick for a cruiser 350.

[carbking]

There has been lots of comments about the intake but few about the carburetor.

While it MIGHT be possible to get as much WOT power out of the clone as either a Q-Jet or a genuine AFB; the street driveability is much poorer than that of a factory Q-Jet or a 67 or earlier factory genuine Carter AFB.

Easiest way to get decent driveability out of the clone is to sit in on top of a bowtie 350!

Jon

[NateOld687]

Update since the bending pushrods action;

Cleaned rocker arms/balls/studs of any corrosion, replaced all bent pushrods, changed oil and filter, Installed rpm/oil pressure/water temp/voltage gauges, also got the calibration kit for the carb.
Gonna start by rechecking/setting total timing, then play with the carb..since I've cleaned all the corrosion off the top end the car idles/runs much smoother..I'm excited to get the thing tuned in

Oil pressure might be suspect though sits around 35-40psi no matter the rpms

Still lots of progress to be made but atleast she is drivable now, drives smooth and straight down the road just loud af. With open headers. (Still need an exhaust)

[JLMounce]

Okay, that sounds like some progress!

Were you able to repair the crack on the bottom of the intake? Also, was the car able to make a longer trip without issues?

[NateOld687]

Originally Posted by JLMounce

Okay, that sounds like some progress!

Were you able to repair the crack on the bottom of the intake? Also, was the car able to make a longer trip without issues?

Yes a guy at work welds aluminum so he was able to patch it up free of charge, since I've cleaned everything and put it back together I've driven it 4 times each time going longer distances and have popped the valve covers after every ride and everything appears to be kosher, I put the torque wrench to nuts and twist every push rod and wiggle every rocker arm..so far so good and seems to me that its running better everytime I drive it...that may be my imagination idk..water temp typically sits around 185-190deg.F I feel confident enough to take it 20 minutes to work now (after I quiet her down alittle) so I am pumped! It has a small off idle "gurgle" slash hesitation but cleans up after 1200 rpm. Vacuum off carb seems a tad low maybe at 15-16 but it runs great at idle and pulls pretty good when ya get on it a little. Still progress to be made with the tuning, some of my issues may be the Torker 1 intake manifold being what it is 😄

[Squidward]

Gotta say, lovin that ride! It's kinda like first gen bird that got continued into the 70's. And that sword stripe is cool! Keep us up to date with progress!

[NateOld687]

Originally Posted by Squidward

Gotta say, lovin that ride! It's kinda like first gen bird that got continued into the 70's. And that sword stripe is cool! Keep us up to date with progress!

Thanks!!! Absolutely will keep updating..you guys have helped me get this thing out of the grave and I appreciate it 🙏

[NateOld687]

I need some help trying to diagnose why my brake lights and rear blinkers don't work..I have a full 12v at all the sockets and brand new bulbs and fuses installed..now when I turn my lights on the rear tail lights turn on but still no brake lights and no blinkers blinking, the blinkers do work in front btw and I cleaned up all the grounds in the back.

[JLMounce]

The first thing I'd check is that both flasher can's are installed and functional. They plug into the fuse block at the firewall bulkhead connector. If either is missing or one is burned up, it can cause weird things to happen.

You also want to make sure that the brake lite switch is present and adjusted properly. I'm assuming that the wiring in this car from the factory was still very close to what they put into First gen F-bodies.

From there you want to check polarity and grounds on the individual bulbs and sockets. The power and ground paths run through multiple lights and any polarity differences or broken ground paths through the bulbs and sockets can present in various ways. Such as brake lights on when no brake is activated, wrong bulbs flashing on turn and hazard signals etc.

Although they are separate, the front and rear systems talk with each other, so those same ground or polarity issues in the front can manifest issues in the rear or vice versa.

On the bulbs themselves, you should notice two prongs 180 degrees apart on the metal body. One prong will be higher than the other. Now look at the socket internal and note how there are notches that connect to the springs in the base. That corresponds to how the bulb should be seated in the socked. It is sometimes possible to really push on these things and get the bulb in backwards. The ground strap in socket should come up towards the top and physically ground against the tail lamp housing.

If the wiring back there looks very crusty, cleaning up external grounds may or may not be helpful. The rear lamp harness is likely produced and those aren't always that expensive. As a time saver, it might be best to purchase the rear lamp harness with new sockets and bulbs. That would take cruddy wiring out of the equation.

[george kujanski]

AS mentioned, make sure the flashers are installed. On my '67 the turn sig flashers plug in the harness and then into a clip on the back side of the dash ( to make more clicking noise). The hazard flasher plugs into the fuse block.

If that's ok, it may be the turn signal switch/connections...the switch makes the connections to the taillights for brake/directionals/hazards.

Edit : since you say the front blinkers work, it seems the directional flasher is there.
George

[NateOld687]

Awesome thanks for the info guys..I'm pretty sure there was only one flasher on the fuse box, I'll have to do a full sweep of the wiring and other things you've mentioned aswell

[Formulas]

Looking at the lobes on the camshaft its a decent sized cam for a low compression 350 .... And your oil pressure? It probably has a 45LB pump in it so don't expect more than that