martybose

The good news is that there don't seem to be any flecks of aluminum on the remains of the sparkplug, so it probably didn't detonate itself to death. Marty

You need a freight consolidator. It tends to be a rather complicated job because of all of the freight regulations associated with overseas shipments and container shipping requirements. NOT a job for a novice!! Marty

A good analysis of timing a stock engine. But if you've raised the compression, or added carburation, or headers, or a cam, or (like myself) all of the above, you might find that even with 91 octane gas you wind up back at 4 degrees BTDC! But the process is right; I have a favorite hill that I used for setting my timing. Marty

Been there, done that. There's at least one keeper in my oil pan now, and it will stay there until I have some reason to pull the pan off again. Marty

I used the 10 gauge connector, the one that is color-coded yellow. Marty

Just find someplace that sells crimp-on bullet connectors; the female end works just fine. ... unless the carb spacing is like my Edmunds manifold, which is too close together so the front carb choke connector hits the back carb. I actually had to rotate the carbs on the adapters slightly by elongating the holes so that they cleared. Marty

You've never said (at least in this thread) what weight oil you're running? Marty

If it is safe to assume that these numbers are when the engine is cold, it's not a problem. The oil pressure will drop as the oil warms up. If you are concerned about it, you can always change to a lighter weight oil. Marty

I had custom 00 battery cables made; the ground cable went from the battery to the top starter bolt, and a pair of four gauge pigtails went to the frame and the body. Overkill undoubtedly, but it guaranteed good connectivity. Marty

You're turning the wrong screw; that's the idle mixture screw. Reset the idle mixture screw by turning it all the way in lightly, then turn it out one turn and forget it. The idle speed screw is off to the right under and behind that dashpot. It's a screw with a spring on it that threads through an extension of the body casting and pushes on an arm attached to the throttle shaft. Try that one! Marty

Do you know what fuel pressure you are running? It's only supposed to be a max of 3 lbs. with these carbs ....... Marty

Sounds like you should check to make sure that your throttle linkage isn't holding the throttle open. Also, were you turning the big screw in the baseplate or the fast idle screw on the arm into the electric choke housing? Marty

Turning the idle screw clockwise opens the throttle and increases the idle speed. And assuming that the carbs were reasonably set up, you would want to turn both the same amount. Marty

I've been running 4 degrees BTDC, with manifold vacuum connected to vacuum advance to add additional timing at light throttle cruising. This puts me at odds with everyone else who runs ported vacuum, because it makes no sense to me to have no advance at idle, followed by advance at part throttle, then down to no advance at full throttle. With manifold vacuum I have full advance at idle and light throttle, which tapers off as the throttle is opened. My HEI has centrifugal advance that starts at 1300 RPM and adds a total of 13 crankshaft degrees by 2800 RPM; the vacuum advance adds 19 crankshaft degrees when the throttle is closed. My plugs are set to 0.060" gap, which isn't easy. Marty

My Dad had just graduated from high school when WWII started. He joined the Coast Guard, and wound up as a Boatswain mate on an ammo ship in the South Pacific. He was on it for almost 2 years, and went though most of the campaigns. I can't imagine being on an ammo ship for 2 years; he has some hair-raising tales of manning a single barrel 20mm machine gun when they were being attacked by dive bombers. The good news was that he met my mother in New Zealand, and after he made it back to the States talked her into coming over to join him. She has some stories about traveling alone in a US troop ship with a bazillion other civilians; sort of a hard core, long distance dependents cruise. Marty

Neither; you use a dual relay, one for both low beams and the other for both high beams. Marty

Don't forget that these switches were designed for 30W headlights; if you upgrade to newer headlights they generally pull 55-60W. Headlight relays are your friends! Marty

Since the valves aren't even located in the head, it's unlikely. It is possible that the later head has a slightly smaller chamber and therefore higher compression, but you can achieve that by machining a 218 head. The one thing you have to watch out for with an internal bypass head is that you use the correct head gasket with it, or you will install a nice water leak! You must use a later head gasket that matches the head. Marty

It's really a shame that you didn't hook up with someone who is familiar with our flatheads. Yes, the 230 flywheel bolts are a little different, but they are available. Incidentally, I would love to find out what kind of 230 crankshaft your mechanic could supply that wouldn't need these bolts. As far as the bellhousing "issue", my first statement applies. I started with a 218/std 3 speed, then put a 230 in place of the 218, then changed to an overdrive transmission. All three combination's used the bellhousing that came with the 218. Marty

I'm curious; did the Canadian Plymouths use a different front crossmember to accommodate the 25 inch motor? I'm intrigued by the modification that Don had to do to his car to fit the 25 inch motor. Marty

With the radiator replaced I'm not sure if you are running pressurized or not. If you aren't pressurized, I would suggest carrying a candy thermometer with you, and the next time your gauge registers high pull the car over, leave it running and stick the thermometer in the top tank of the radiator and find out what the temperature really is. I found that my temp gauge read about 25 degrees higher than actual temp. Marty

Yes, the pin should move easily since it is a bronze bushing in the pin end of the rod. That's why there is a set of pin locks in the piston, as they are what locates the pin. Marty

Just what you need, Don, a race tractor! How long will it be before you challenge someone to a tractor race? Marty

I didn't realize that Jeeps had narrow springs; good thing to remember for future endeavors! Another source would be www.thenightprowlers.com; that's where I got mine. You can contact the owner at garyglasgow@tiadon.com. Marty

I believe that a 1950 Dodge would be a 230, not a 218. Marty