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Hi Guys! It's me again with my 48 Dodge manifolds. I need some guidance installing the heat riser. The shop manual doesn't address much, and I need to install the spring and counterweight properly. The spring is real loose and I don't know it I should tighten 1 turn or to to preload it. I could also use a picture of the spring and couterweight installed. As always, Thanks

I don`t know, if this interesting for someone of you ...?! When I run my truck the first times, I had trouble to start the engine: bad when cold, terrible when it was hot. Did cause really violent misfires when I tried to restart it (2 times at the petrol station ... but this is an other story ...). I began to research which parts are responsible / needed for cold and warm start and how they work. I became aware that my intake/exhaust system was missing the heat riser valve mechanism. Everthing was removed, shaft bores closed by welding. Since parts are rare here (I`m living in Germany) and the valve mechanism sometimes seems to stuck in place (I have read it, but I don`t know if that is true), I decided to develop a do it yourself solution. To force the valve to open/close when I want to have it, I assumed that it could be connected with the function of the choke. Cold: choke closed + valve open. Warm no choke + valve closed. And it works, never had trouble again ! Attached some pics. Have fun ! Jan P.S.:That helped me to see how the valve works -> http://p15-d24.com/page/p15d24/tech/heat_riser_adviser.html

After a busy couple of weeks, I'm back to Special D. Despite my earlier panic and confusion about the engine, you guys hit it on the head with stuck valves. I've finally got my intake and exhaust headers off and am trying to get the valves freed up. I was lucky with almost all of the bolts. One bolt had threads screwed up with the nut coming off (galled?) and I'm going to have to replace that. Most had 'dry rust' on the threads and squeaked coming out, but nothing totally frozen. Bolt on the tail end of the exhaust header was apparently broken in the past and there was just one bolt in place. Interesting. There were also only three bolts in the heat riser, as apparently one was broken off in there. I'll have to see if I can Easy Out those. Several questions . . . The valve access panel inside the right fender well . . . Is this thing supposed to slide out relatively easily? It seems to have a hole in the upper/forward corner of the panel, that a bolt goes through. The back side of the bolt WOULD be accessible, in a car without a heater. Without a slot there, I have not been able to get it out. So it's 'rolled' forward, toward the bumper. The stuck valves . . . Is it common/expected that it's the INTAKE valves that are the ones that are stuck? Here's #6, #5, & #4 And here's #3, #2 & #1 I'm spraying "PB Penetrating Catalyst" on the the upper end of the valves/guides in hope of freeing them. Is there any tapping or prying I can do on the lower end of the valve stems? I squirted Marvel Mystery Oil in the plug holes last Saturday and ran it through several revolutions; most of that seems to have ended up in the intake header. Header bolts . . . How do you back one of those out of the block to replace it? Vice grips and crank on it? Heat riser is frozen and I'm trying to work on that while I'm at it. More penetrating oil. I've been alternating PB, Marvel and some scraping and tapping. Spring is good. Little 'bell shaped' washer that keeps it from rotating on the shaft is a goner. Have to see what I can fabricate. Thanks again for the help. Cheers! John