chasinthemirage

Fingers crossed it can be removed, I don't know exactly what the booster is out of so don't fancy sourcing another one. Will remove it and go from there I suppose...

@flyingbrick I bought a couple of chapters last night too, quite impressed with it really. As I need to lengthen the pushrod it looks like my only option aside from squeezing an OE booster back in (which will prevent the rocker cover being removed/ may not even actually fit ) is to have an engineer turn up a 1 piece pushrod. Provided the pushrod is one piece, constructed from suitable material and its diameter is appropriate to it's length I think this will be acceptable? First time I've dealt with this sort of thing so its all a bit confusing.

Bummer. I had a feeling that I'd seen this somewhere before. The car has a declaration form not LVVTA Cert so maybe welded was okay back in the day? Both pushrods are almost the same size so screwing them into each other isn't really an option. I've had a look on the LVVTA site but will have to purchase the relevant section of the Construction manual as the LVVTA website says to refer to that. Why do I do this to myself?!

Does anyone have a copy of the New Zealand Car Construction Manual? I'm looking for the requirements for a modified brake pedal pushrod. My car has had the booster changed when the engine was swapped as the OE booster wouldn't clear one of the heads on the new motor. The original pedal end of the pushrod has been butt welded to the end of the Mitsi booster. It's been that way for 20 something years but looking at the weld without a sleeve or anything on it gives me the shits.  What are the requirements for a modified pushrod? Does it need to be sleeved and plug welded or do I need to have a one piece pushrod turned by someone?

On ‎18‎/‎02‎/‎2017 at 09:43, smokin'joe said:

wonder how far into the thread he would pop up.

Ernie lived next door until his passing, and i reckon they were probably Z pistons i dug out of the garden !!

More than likely! I have heard stories of him running Zephyr motors at redline to see what would fail first and then working on improving whatever let go.

On ‎18‎/‎02‎/‎2017 at 09:55, tortron said:

Re the Zenith's, seems that you get decent performance out of them till about "stage 2" then all the tuning companies go to twin SU's when it's flowing really well.

That may just be old Barry tuning tho as in the 50s you could print whatever power figures you wanted

Hmm, will be interesting to see how it goes. Head has been ported but I have no idea how much more mixture it may flow compared to a factory head. Will be interesting to experiment with different induction setups and see what it likes.

Been flat out the last couple of weeks so haven't had a chance to update this. Installed the pointer I bought and found that the bolt hole I was using as a reference point was pretty well spot on. Warmed the motor up and set the timing to 10-12 degrees advance with the vacuum unit disconnected. Runs a million times better now, accelerates without missing/flames etc so actually driveable now. Still haven't got any photos as my phone's having spazz. Few more things to do once it comes back form the panel beaters and then maybe I'll actually be able to go for a decent drive. Thanks for the help everyone.

Pretty sure it's just a pointer. Hasn't turned up today so I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Sorry should have made myself clearer, #1 at TDC but not #1 valves on the rock.

I'll photograph the dizzy and manifold tonight. The manifold is a Weiand but I have no idea what the distributor is, it hasn't got points though so I think it must be aftermarket.

46 minutes ago, yetchh said:

 

 

Yeah I'd yank the dizzy at tdc firing #1, set it so the rotor is on the middle of its travel clockwise/counter from any interference then bang the leads back on in the required order.. then at least you can advance/retard as needed.

This is essentially what I've done, refitted the distributor and moved the leads to suit and it started and idled semi smoothly. I have just found a timing pointer so all going to plan I'll install that tonight then warm it up and try to properly set the timing. Fingers crossed its more straightforward from here haha

Righto, so I had a fiddle with the motor tonight, even more confused than I was before. I pulled #1 plug and removed the rocker cover. Got #1 cylinder to TDC and the valves on the rock and found that the timing marks on the balancer are miles out. Marks on the balancer at 10 o'clock instead of 1 so I suspect the harmonic balancer might be off a later engine with the timing marks on the left instead of the right. I then removed the crank pulley and refitted it 45 degrees around, the slot on the pulley now lines up with one of the bolt holes on the block so I at least have a rough idea of where TDC is.

Once I'd done that I then removed the distributor cap and found that the leads were fitted two positions out from where they are shown on the diagram. With the leads in the correct location as per the diagram I can't align the rotor with #1 contact without the dizzy fouling on the inlet manifold. What am I missing here as it seems weird that the dizzy hits the manifold?

Bummer. I suspected as much but was hoping I might be able to put it off for a little longer

I have just purchased a modified car that has a declaration paper and am wondering what rules it must comply with as far as suspension. The rear end is on 50mm blocks so no dramas there but the front has "V8 Falcon coils" according to the declaration paper. The coils aren't captive in the factory struts and I suspect they may have been trimmed also. Is this legal as it was done before the LVVTA cert rules came in? At some stage I want to have the shocks replaced and new springs made so it is captive and more comfortable but will I have to do this before the next wof or is it legal in which case I'll save some more coin and get some other work done first.

Awesome thanks guys I will have a look at it tonight. The motor has the original carb and cast exhaust manifolds so I'm assuming (I know, I know) that it's a stocker. Don't really know what I'm looking at though so any info is helpful.

Yep, I was planning on finding TDC using a screwdriver and then marking the block in relation to the TDC mark on the pulley. Not ideal I know but it might give me a better idea of what the timing is doing. What should the timing be? The internet seems to say six or 12 degrees but there's so many variations for the "302" that I don't know what's applicable

Is there any way to identify the cam without removing the water pump etc? I've only had the car a week and I've had enough of it already so I don't want to make any more work for myself than I have too. There are visible marks on the pulley itself so no drama there but I have nothing to line it up with on the block. Where would I find the engine number on the motor itself? Its an a Zephyr so the original tags are no use

Hey guys, I need some help regarding ignition timing on a 302. As I understand it the motor is a pre 1970 unit as the water pump outlet is on the left hand side when viewing the motor from the front. Apparently it should also have a 1 o'clock timing mark.

This is where my problem starts, it doesn't appear to have a timing mark cast on the block but there are two threaded holes that look like they may be where a timing pointer should be bolted. What timing indicator should this motor have and what should the timing be set too? 

I have rekitted the carburetor which has helped somewhat but it is still running rich with a rough idle and won't accelerate without coughing/missing. I will change the fuel filter and recheck the carb but without correct ignition timing I'll just end up chasing my tail.

Any help or advice would be appreciated as I haven't had a V8 Ford motor before and the Internet seems to provide more conflicting information than helpful answers.

Cheers, 

Sam

Choice, will put a wideband or something on it to make sure but lots of other stuff to be done first!

What's the go regarding vehicles with declaration? I'm looking at purchasing a vehicle that has been modified, do I just need a copy of the declaration paper and wof's and insurance etc will be all good or is there more to it? The car is currently wof'd and reg'd as I understand declaration dies with the plates. I haven't been able to find much info on Google regarding it.

Man this thing looks so cool! Is the colour a factory one?

Oh awesome,  I should probably have just googled that haha

Yeah I was leaning towards the bigger Zodiac carbs, do you know if jets are available for the Zenith's if needed?

12 hours ago, 66gt said:

I used to run triple SU,s on my mk3 in the 80's. Never had many issues at all with tuning. Key is to have a good adjustable linkages. I'm gathering all the parts to do a lowline Mk 2 Zodiac build once my GT is finished. Have a Mk 3 engine with Bedford pistons prettyy big cam, big valve head gas flowed and triple SU,s. going to run a Mk 3 box and steering column, negative camber front crossmember and it all slammed on 8" steel widened wheels all old school.

Looking forward to seeing this!

11 hours ago, yetchh said:

You could run triple zeniths, a according to zep (I think his name was) from galeforce zephyrs the zeniths were/are better off the mark than su's to and easier to tune. Just have to be in good condition spindle wise.

I have thought about running Zenith's as I have a couple of spare ones that I could probably rebuilt. I'll just have to keep an eye on the tard, sounds like I'd probably be alright either was as long as the carbs are in good condition.

Nice! Mk2?

Just had a google, looks like there isn't much that he can't do! It's a shame he's so far away from me, won't hurt to contact him anyway though.

Who's Bob Homewood when he's at home? Paul Barker has been my go to guy for this engine. His Mk3 is very well regarded in the Zephyr Zodiac car club, he's helped me with everything for the engine so far. I'm not too sure on carbs yet, I have a 36/36 Weber downdraught and a R.E.D.I adapter but to fit it I'd need to cut a hole in the bonnet and I'm not too keen on that. Triple S.U.'s would be very cool but I'm not too sure about tuning them, are they as tricky as people make them out to be? I've been reading through the efi thread, ITB's would be very, very cool. Maybe something to do once I've had the car up and running for awhile.