Starting my engine build

[swamp rat]

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ta...FYlcfgodjRYC_Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do4P-AP26eE

Installed on the wires before the boot ends are installed on cut to length wire sets.

[Mrturner1]

I'm installing a new full sweep temp gauge right now, I was going off the stock pos gauge. Stand by.

Also, timing is set at 34 right now when at 3000 rpm so I think I'm ok there, I THINK

[Average Joe]

http://m.summitracing.com/parts/huu-3160006

Personally I like this better than the megashifter and you can fab a stand for it for easy access.

http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/60...ACA-1800-1.jpg
Or....you may be able to utilize this and keep your column shifter and have more room for baby and fiance 😃

Or just track down the factory parts to make it work.

[cadillac_al]

What's wrong with your linkage? Is it loose and sloppy or something? Does the crossbar have the bushing on the frame side? There isn't much to go wrong there.

[BrianG]

This will be controversial, but you may want to ditch the electric fans, get the proper fan shroud, a clutch and fan for it. Electrics can work when everything is just right but clutch fans have been used with great success on many a hot rod.

[Mrturner1]

Originally Posted by cadillac_al

What's wrong with your linkage? Is it loose and sloppy or something? Does the crossbar have the bushing on the frame side? There isn't much to go wrong there.

The guy who took the inline 6 and 4 speed manual out, made some contraption for the new column shift and auto that has a big U shaped metal peice bolted to the frame. And there's a hole in the center of that where a rod slides in the keep the linkage at the trans from moving while you shift. It was wrong and sloppy when I bought it. Need to be done right especially now with much more power. Safety is #1 on the list because fiance loves to take rides and eventually wants 3 point harnesses for the car seat.

[Mrturner1]

Originally Posted by BrianG

This will be controversial, but you may want to ditch the electric fans, get the proper fan shroud, a clutch and fan for it. Electrics can work when everything is just right but clutch fans have been used with great success on many a hot rod.

Dual electric fans will cool MUCH better than single clutch. I want this thing dialed in and running great, so temp won't be an issue before long.

[Mrturner1]

I decided to tackle a different project because anothe boot melted and was arcing so tuning was out of the question. I dented the header (opposite side this time lol) and put the spark plug in, plenty of room but can't get a new boot until tomarrow. But that should take care of the plugs and boots issues for good. All others have clearance. If not I'll get 16 dollar boots like Mike said, hopefully not though. The project I tackled was gauges. I've had them sitting around and decided it was a good time to start and finish something so K don't go crazy lol here's a few pics, lights on and off.

[Mrturner1]

Gauges

[Mrturner1]

Lights on

[Mrturner1]

Picture

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by Mrturner1

Dual electric fans will cool MUCH better than single clutch. I want this thing dialed in and running great, so temp won't be an issue before long.

Not always true. Ive seen many guys go this route only to go back to a clutch fan. Sometimes those cool dual fans dont move enough air.

[Mrturner1]

Stock dash lights have always been really dim, even when turned on the brightest setting, not sure how to fix that

[Mrturner1]

Originally Posted by 68c10owner

Not always true. Ive seen many guys go this route only to go back to a clutch fan. Sometimes those cool dual fans dont move enough air.

At an idle your saying a clutch fan can move more air than dual electrics? I can't see it. I don't doubt your knowledge by any means, and I am certainly a beginner.

.....sheesh I sure hope your not right. I LOVE those fans

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by Mrturner1

At an idle your saying a clutch fan can move more air than dual electrics? I can't see it. I don't doubt your knowledge by any means, and I am certainly a beginner.

.....sheesh I sure hope your not right. I LOVE those fans

What im saying is dont discout the clutch fans. You might be just fine but I have seen the electric fans cause a lot of cooling issues. There are different ratings on the fans. Not to mention the fan, along with the corrdct clutch and shroud will cool as good or better. Most coolig problems are from not choosi g rhe correct parts to start with.

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by 68c10owner

Not always true. Ive seen many guys go this route only to go back to a clutch fan. Sometimes those cool dual fans dont move enough air.

Yes. I know some won't agree but many more will. I said it would be controversial didn't I?

[Mrturner1]

Originally Posted by 68c10owner

What im saying is dont discout the clutch fans. You might be just fine but I have seen the electric fans cause a lot of cooling issues. There are different ratings on the fans. Not to mention the fan, along with the corrdct clutch and shroud will cool as good or better. Most coolig problems are from not choosi g rhe correct parts to start with.

It's a really nice setup. Flexalite duals with a big thick built in shroud around the whole thing

[Sklptrljay]

Just a thought, it's hard to tell in the pictures, but they do make header spark plugs that are shorter. Might help your issue with touching the tubes

[Mrturner1]

Originally Posted by Sklptrljay

Just a thought, it's hard to tell in the pictures, but they do make header spark plugs that are shorter. Might help your issue with touching the tubes

I picked up two of them today and they worked well. I have to get a new plug wire boot tomarrow so I may grab a few more short plugs

[storm9c1]

Originally Posted by Mrturner1

It's a really nice setup. Flexalite duals with a big thick built in shroud around the whole thing

Eh, I can provide a real-world example here. When I bought my '69 Charger, the previous owner had a belt driven flex fan (no clutch) as a puller. On the front side of the rad, he mounted a dual flexalite shrouded fan as a pusher. And of course the car overheated on the highway all the time. And ran hot just about everywhere else.

So I did some experimenting. First I deleted the flex fan and tried the shrouded flexalite setup on the proper side as a puller. This worked just OK, still ran hot on the highway. Tended to push coolant out of the cap. Ran reasonably cool in traffic. I wired a LED to tell me when the fans were running and they ran constantly. Sometimes they ran on the highway at 55MPH. Not good. At highways speeds, fans become a nuisance not a help. Eventually the wiring burned up. I was sick of that hack and started over.

Next step was to delete the electric fan and install the proper factory 7-blade big block fan with thermal clutch and factory shroud. Wow. Night and day difference. No more overheating in traffic. No more overheating on the highway. Engine sits at about 180-190 degrees on the gauge on the hottest days no matter what. Clutch freewheels the fan when not needed, so doesn't rob much power. The engineers knew what they were doing. So every vehicle I've gotten since that originally came with mechanical fans and were hacked to electric were reverted.

I really like electric fans on computer controlled vehicles, but only because the computer knows to shut the fans off at highway speeds, handles cooling hysteresis, etc.

A properly shrouded seven blade clutch fans pulls a ton of air. When that clutch locks, it roars, I don't have the calculations, but I imagine it's on par or better than the best electric fans. And what I like better is that clutch fans constantly move air, keeping everything cool, whereas electric fans cause a heat soak cycling effect where everything heats/cools/heats/cools.

[Mrturner1]

so I spent 400 dollars on something that won't cool my engine, but the same fans are on hundreds of other hot rods and cooling just fine. I don't get it. It's my tune and timing is what I think, but I won't know for a while

I broke a header bolt off in the block taking it on and off to many times I'd guess. Its inside with nothing sticking out to grab and I just drilled for an hour and I got a 16th of an inch at best with steel bits. I don't have a welder, so I can't go that route....I'm tired of looking at this thing, it's just bad news after broken bolts after whatever's next.

[68c10owner]

Originally Posted by Mrturner1

so I spent 400 dollars on something that won't cool my engine, but the same fans are on hundreds of other hot rods and cooling just fine. I don't get it. It's my tune and timing is what I think, but I won't know for a while

I broke a header bolt off in the block taking it on and off to many times I'd guess. Its inside with nothing sticking out to grab and I just drilled for an hour and I got a 16th of an inch at best with steel bits. I don't have a welder, so I can't go that route....I'm tired of looking at this thing, it's just bad news after broken bolts after whatever's next.

On the cooling issue, what I ment was never say never. You said a clutch fan would never cool as good as your dual fan set up. Speaking from actual personal experience electric fans are not better or worse. But I will never again run electric fans on a street car.

For your broken bolt, sounds like you may have cross threaded the bolt. They dont just break from beig taken out multiple times. Not sure what steel bits you are using but the bolt shouldnt even be tight in the hole unless you have too long of a bolt and it bottomed out and you kept tightening it anyway. Find some good cobalt bits and a ez out kit.

[cadillac_al]

It's pretty hard to break header bolts. You must be extremely rugged or have very very bad luck. I'm thinking I don't like your Hooker headers if they are so hard to get the plug wires routed. I have Heddmans and no-name headers and the spark plug and wire access isn't that bad. The no-names are too close to my oil filter though.

[Mrturner1]

Originally Posted by 68c10owner

On the cooling issue, what I ment was never say never. You said a clutch fan would never cool as good as your dual fan set up. Speaking from actual personal experience electric fans are not better or worse. But I will never again run electric fans on a street car.

For your broken bolt, sounds like you may have cross threaded the bolt. They dont just break from beig taken out multiple times. Not sure what steel bits you are using but the bolt shouldnt even be tight in the hole unless you have too long of a bolt and it bottomed out and you kept tightening it anyway. Find some good cobalt bits and a ez out kit.

I was so mad last night lol couldn't get it tuned right, kept burning plug boots (which are 6 bucks a peice!) got the headers bright red and then broke a bolt. I think the header bolt broke from getting so hot a couple times when the headers went red, I didn't wrench on it very hard at all and was backing it out. Then after all that I thought, my 400 dollar fans that I love aren't going to work, but a stinkin clutch fan will?!

Anyway, rough night lol but I did get the gauges in that made me happy. I'll grab a couple plug boots, some good drill bits and an easy out and be back at it

[Mrturner1]

I've got a B&M mega shifter at home, so I'm trying to decide on that, or that lokar column shift someone posted earlier. Anybody have a lokar column shifter linkage to give experience on?