How common are these issues in an install? (7/29 - lots of PICS)

[joflaig]

Just back from a long vacation and got the latest note from the shop, they've got everything in the car done and may even have test driven it by now, but I will found out tomorrow! These things always take vastly longer than you think.

They did encounter some problems installing the engine and Be Cool radiator and I wonder how common these kinds of things are with all the after market parts in there. Specifically, they said the ATI super damper was causing the pulleys not to align and they had to add spacers for the water pump, power steering and the alternator. They also said it was interfereing with the Be Cool (electric fans). Be Cool aperently told them it was designed to fit with "the stock engine configuration", etc. So what they did was a "complete re-working of fan assembly to lower overall profile, extensive material removal from both fan housings, also to gain additional clearance fan mounting brackets required to be re-engineered to provide maxiumum pully clearance and ensure fans pull air through rad properly."

Do these issues sound at all uncommon or overly concerning? They do have everything working right now so it wasn't anything insurmountable.

I will get pics when I go in this week.

[2Gunz]

My question would be why not change the damper instead of change everything else?

[firefighter3931]

My question would be why not change the damper instead of change everything else?

Yep....2 gunz hit the nail on the head !

The ATI balancer is a nice piece but it does cause pulley alignment issues. It's overkill for a street motor. 

So, to make the balancer work they had to shim out all the other pullies for proper belt alignment. This in turn made the fan & shroud clearance too tight (to the plullies) and required that they be modified. Things can snowball with one incorrect part, unfortunately. 

I've recommended the Summit brand (Romac) balancers on this board many times....they are stock dimension and won't create pulley alignment headaches. Mike (MFR426) was recommended this balancer (Summit/Romac) for that very reason. 


John, no need to worry about it at this point....it's done and it will work out fine in the end. Just a little more pain to the pocketbook 



Ron

[joflaig]

no need to worry about it at this point....it's done and it will work out fine in the end. Just a little more pain to the pocketbook 

Yeah, just a little pain! 

Here's where I increasingly see the importance of finding shop that does engines and restos, and is mopar specific -- not that that I am disparaging of the work being done where it's at, but when I eventually do a full resto I am seriously considering MCR as they are only 3.5 hours away.

[Rolling_Thunder]

ATI dampeners...     good but thicker than normal ones...    solution - go with a March pulley kit specific to the ATI. or change to a different dampener

[BrianShaughnessy]

  Well...   the latest from my friend George (68hemiRR) was a vibration problem with the 572 that turned out to be the Super Damper. 

  He changed it out for a TCI Rattler.

  I got a Powerbond in the box waiting for my 505. 


   Good luck!

[joflaig]

Spent an hour at the shop this afternoon. Basically, all that's left is the wiring. But I won't try and predict when we'll fire it up!

The 1 inch carb spacer didn't look like it would fit with the Pro Form 950 (even with the drop-base air cleaner) and hood insulation so they took it off for now. Is it worth it so much that if removing the insulation would allow me to use it I should do that? Or should we try a half inch spacer? I know it would help with vapor lock and high-end power a bit. Thoughts?

In the pics below you can see the mods they did to fit the radiator and fans, or actually you probably can't tell unless you're real familiar with those parts. There is maybe a couple centimeters clearance on the left-side fan which they said would be fine. Basically, they shaved down the back of the fan housing so the fans sit closer to the radiator core and the brackets that hold the radiator in place were modified to go outside the fan housing and not behind it (if that makes sense).

Because those Ultra Flo mufflers are short, they had to add extra lengths of 3" pipe to get the tips to go out in the right place. I'm told this will make the exhaust a little louder. Not that I'm complaining, but why would that be?

Overall, they were pretty impressed with the TTI exhaust and they way it fit. There was also no problem getting that drive shaft safety loop in even with the x-pipe. The spacer it comes with was not needed. I'd say there was about 3/4 of an inch of clearance between the loop and the trans tunnel wall. What they did was to put a layer of foam around the top so any vibration would be dampened and reduce noise, though the things sits on there pretty stiff as is.

The sub-frame connectors also went in (welded), they seem to sit really close to the floor. It will be a pain to replace the full floor pan eventually.

They also noticed that the front fender struts are missing. I called AMD. They sell them as part of their new fenders, but not stand-alone. Anyone know if you can get them anywhere else but Stephen's Performance? The Paddock didn't have it. Should I care too much? It will get rectified eventually in a full resto.

I had asked them to get an Optima battery, but they forgot and got a lead acid. Oops. We'll get the red top, but they warned about not going above 4 amps (I think) when re-charging. I used to run red tops in my truck, and they constantly went dead after 6 months, but I think I had an electrical bleed on them somewhere. Anyway, I don't want to put another lead acid battery in there after having had them restore that entire part of the body because of the extensive corrosion.

That Stage II Firm Feel steering box fit in real well too.

You can also see from the pics that they put a fuel pressure gauge in there as well.

Once they get it running, the plan is to put it on a flat bed and take it over to the dyno shop for the chassis dyno tune up then truck it over to get an alignment, then to the speedo shop to get the speedometer dialed in. The way they will test everything else is to take it around the block a few times and adjust what needs adjusting, then drive on the freeway, and finally take it to 1/2 mile strip and do several runs in various manners. I guess I have to go easy on the motor for what at least 500 or 600 miles before really hammering it, right? The tranny was completely rebuilt for this project too. I guess that would mean no trip to the strip with slicks for a while. Just what exactly would taking it easy mean in actual reality? I've never had (or driven with) a 550hp stroker before so I have no point of comparison.

I'm probably leaving out some details. If any of you guys see anything that doesn't look right in these pics please let me know!

Thanks.

-John

[joflaig]

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[firefighter3931]

Spent an hour at the shop this afternoon. Basically, all that's left is the wiring. But I won't try and predict when we'll fire it up!

The 1 inch carb spacer didn't look like it would fit with the Pro Form 950 (even with the drop-base air cleaner) and hood insulation so they took it off for now. Is it worth it so much that if removing the insulation would allow me to use it I should do that? Or should we try a half inch spacer? I know it would help with vapor lock and high-end power a bit. Thoughts?

John, i didn't realize you were planning to use a hood pad....if you do use it then yes....loose the spacer. I would just install a thick heat insulating base gasket and call it good. It will lose some top end power w/o the spacer.....maybe 10-15hp.

In the pics below you can see the mods they did to fit the radiator and fans, or actually you probably can't tell unless you're real familiar with those parts. There is maybe a couple centimeters clearance on the left-side fan which they said would be fine. Basically, they shaved down the back of the fan housing so the fans sit closer to the radiator core and the brackets that hold the radiator in place were modified to go outside the fan housing and not behind it (if that makes sense).

Looks like they did some nice work there ! The March pullies are wider so those modifications to the fan assembly make sense now. 

Because those Ultra Flo mufflers are short, they had to add extra lengths of 3" pipe to get the tips to go out in the right place. I'm told this will make the exhaust a little louder. Not that I'm complaining, but why would that be?

Overall, they were pretty impressed with the TTI exhaust and they way it fit. There was also no problem getting that drive shaft safety loop in even with the x-pipe. The spacer it comes with was not needed. I'd say there was about 3/4 of an inch of clearance between the loop and the trans tunnel wall. What they did was to put a layer of foam around the top so any vibration would be dampened and reduce noise, though the things sits on there pretty stiff as is.

The Ultraflows are a little shorter than an OEM spec muffler but they're not loud as compared to a Chambered muffler like the flowmaster. You're gonna luv them....nice rumble at idle and awesome when you drop the hammer. Trust me on this 

The TTI headers and pipes are top shelf....no surprise that it fits so nicely together. The US Cartool driveshaft loop tucks up nicely underneath that x-pipe. 

The sub-frame connectors also went in (welded), they seem to sit really close to the floor. It will be a pain to replace the full floor pan eventually.

They also noticed that the front fender struts are missing. I called AMD. They sell them as part of their new fenders, but not stand-alone. Anyone know if you can get them anywhere else but Stephen's Performance? The Paddock didn't have it. Should I care too much? It will get rectified eventually in a full resto.

I had asked them to get an Optima battery, but they forgot and got a lead acid. Oops. We'll get the red top, but they warned about not going above 4 amps (I think) when re-charging. I used to run red tops in my truck, and they constantly went dead after 6 months, but I think I had an electrical bleed on them somewhere. Anyway, I don't want to put another lead acid battery in there after having had them restore that entire part of the body because of the extensive corrosion.

That Stage II Firm Feel steering box fit in real well too.

You can also see from the pics that they put a fuel pressure gauge in there as well.

No help on the fender pieces....maybe check on e-bay ? Frame connectors and the firm feel box are excellent upgrades....money well spent. I've heard mixed reviews on the new red tops....some guys don't get much life out of them while others have excellent results. Apparently the company was sold in the recent past so maybe QC isn't what it once was. A battery disconnect is allways a good idea if the car will be sitting for awhile anyway. 

Once they get it running, the plan is to put it on a flat bed and take it over to the dyno shop for the chassis dyno tune up then truck it over to get an alignment, then to the speedo shop to get the speedometer dialed in. The way they will test everything else is to take it around the block a few times and adjust what needs adjusting, then drive on the freeway, and finally take it to 1/2 mile strip and do several runs in various manners. I guess I have to go easy on the motor for what at least 500 or 600 miles before really hammering it, right? The tranny was completely rebuilt for this project too. I guess that would mean no trip to the strip with slicks for a while. Just what exactly would taking it easy mean in actual reality? I've never had (or driven with) a 550hp stroker before so I have no point of comparison.

I'm probably leaving out some details. If any of you guys see anything that doesn't look right in these pics please let me know!

Thanks.

-John

I like the chassis dyno plan for the final tune....if anything it sets your mind at ease that the jetting and timing is spot on for maximum performance. The speedo gear is available through the dealership and they are color coded for the number of teeth. Once you figure out the axle ratio and tire diameter it's easy to pick the correct gear to dial in the speedo.

I would take it easy for the first 500 miles....the occasional blast up to 4500 rpm and vary the engine speeds somewhat. If the breakin lube is still in the motor....swap it out asap for some fresh lube and a new filter. Napa Gold oil filter and VR1 20/50 Valvoline racing with a bottle of EOS. Repeat again at 500 miles then normal intervals afterwards.


Overall it looks like they, (and you) are doing a great job....keep up the good work ! 



Ron