It is alive again and all seems well (project Dart)
 

I got the engine back on thursday, thrashed the last couple days and now at 10:30 Friday it is back in place. Re-intalled the front suspension, trans, and engine as one assembly from under the car. I'll never do it from the top again.

I am exhausted, and I gotta get up early tomorrow to get an alignment so I can drive it to a local mopar show. I'll tell you more about what they found tomorrow.

WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO, She is alive again! (lets see if I can go more than 300 miles without blowing it up agin)

Congrats pal! I will live vicariously through you due to the economy. No charge for the $5 word!

x 2 on that, glad to hear shes back together Steve.:D

Way to go Steve!

nice job man
i wonder what was wrong with it

I'm back. Just got home from the show and got something to eat. After I leave here I am going to bed, this has been a long few days.

A year ago I took this car to this same show and won a trophy for modified. Understand that when the car went there it was completely disassembled half in primer, no interior, no wiring harness, no engine or trans, just a bare roller that I had some of the new trim mocked up on. Some of the local guys had heard about the project and I was getting near the point of finish bodywork and paint so I loaded it up on the trailer and off to the show I went. More to just show the guys I knew than to enter the show but since it was there might as well be in the show. (it never came off the trailer). I was anxious this year for everyone that saw it just a year ago to see it finished.

Everyone was pleased. I was happy.

Everyone seemed to like the car and had plenty of questions on parts used, spec's, and how things fit and "where can I get one?" questions.

The car ran great. It was about a 40 minute drive to the show and I tried to stick with the back roads as much as possible to avoid over-revving the fresh engine with the 4.57:1 gears out back, staying under 3000 rpm's.

Now as to what was wrong.........Not really sure. When we took the engine out we examined everything we could without breaking into any of the main caps or rod ends, just looking for discoloration from heat or spun bearing or metal particles from having a bearing hammered out. I was sure even though we didn't see anything the machine shop would find what was causing the noise after tearing it down. The only thing we found was the rings had "collapsed" all the tension was gone and the pistons were literally falling out of the bore when the crank and heads were removed. This would cause some piston slap but not the knocking I had heard earlier. Only thing I can guess, was the oil was getting past the rings and creating so much cylinder pressure it was almost a diesel. One thing for sure, last time the first mile the car drove was down the 1320, this time I am going to put some miles on it first and get through break in before I start driving it like I stole it.

i would say to try and put 500 easy miles on it before you start beating on in

I agree but that is really really tough.

500 is ideal...

but it is tough to do.

I think about 100 miles will be fine. I got about 50 on mine, and took it to the track and ran a 12.34 short shifting the 1-2 shift. I've got about a good 500 miles on it now..

Glad to hear its doing good though. 4:57's on the street eh? That alot of gearing.. How did it do temp wise?


-nick

Driving it will help to break in the tranny and rear axle and help to break in the motor while there is a load on it, but I think that if you have the motor running and keep it at various RPMs for a certain amount of time, that should help out with breaking it in.



Of course a sunday drive through the country will help that too.

100 miles this weekend. No overheating problems, I have a pusher fan in front of the trans cooler and a puller fan behind the radiator. 500 miles and an oil change and I'll feel better. I might start driving it to work.

u sound like my ex's dad... cept he blew a 454

i had to do the 500 miles thing, but it only took me a few trips to reach it