The New Project: Part Deux!

[njsteve]

Hard to tell what year, 71, 72 or even a 73. It has a blacked out grill though the grills are supposed to be silver on a Formula. I think I can faintly see wide grill blocks that would be 73 grills. The 72 grills have a definite honeycomb with no horizontal bars. The 71 grills have a fine square block pattern.



1971:



1972:



and 1973:



Also I notice it does not have a nose emblem on top of the beak which only the 70s' and 71 Formulas had. 72s and 73s did not have the emblem.

[njsteve]

I tried to get the engine running yesterday but it turns out the Delco battery (which had a 1995 date on it) didn't want to play. It had 12.7 volts, but had no cold cranking amps remaining. This was even after I had it boosted with a charger and booster cables to my truck. And to think, the battery worked fine before I rebuilt the engine. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img] Typical! It also didn't help that it was 40 degrees out.

Oil pump was primed for several minutes. Distributor is installed correctly. I was able to get the timing light working to get the timing adjusted properly while cranking for a second or two (with the wife behind the wheel). Oil pressure was immediately right up there at 60 psi. Spark plugs are sparking. It just doesn't seem to be enough voltage to ignite the fuel with the HEI. So it ended up flooding the plugs. I switched plugs and it did the same thing. I looked in the spark plug hole and could see the fuel pooling in the valve reliefs on top of the pistons. So I left the plugs out and let it &quot;air out&quot; overnight.

So I ordered a reproduction R89 800 CCA dry cell battery which should be here Wednesday.
http://restorationbattery.com/gmproducts.html

[napa68]

Lookin GREAT Steve!

[jannes_z-28]

It must be that new crank seal you put in and it creates more drag.

Looking good [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]


Jan

[Igosplut]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hard to tell what year, 71, 72 or even a 73.


Also I notice it does not have a nose emblem on top of the beak which only the 70s' and 71 Formulas had. 72s and 73s did not have the emblem.
</div></div>

You hit that one. I had gotten a ticket in that car (and had my license suspended for it) and I looked to see if I still had it (the description read &quot; Vehicle entering Rt6 allowing rear tires to make noise, and rear of vehicle to fishtail&quot. It was a 73. Hard to believe that the rear of the car was so rotted out for being seven years old, but that's the Cape for ya.

Nice job BTW, Oh and better check the oil for gas contamination if you fouled two sets of plugs.....

[mockingbird812]

Hey MacGuyver, it's Wednesday already! Dju get that battery?!!!! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/laugh.gif[/img]

[njsteve]

Got the battery. Still no luck in getting it to start. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/mad.gif[/img]

Got oil pressure, got spark, got fuel, got valves moving and adjusted properly. Distributor is not 180 off. Swapped distributor parts from Grammas Firebird with no improvement.

Barely get a pop or two in the exhaust, no matter where the timing is set at.

Not happy at the moment.

Too damn cold to get an engine running.

[njsteve]

I hooked up both a cannister coolant heater and the magnetic oil pan heater. The engine was at 180 degrees. Still no start.

I had my old time mechanic buddy come over and troubleshoot tonight. We backed off on the rocker arm adjustment, just in case they were too tight. No luck.

Things we learned:
1) Only getting 130 PSI on a compression test.
2) Engine cranks slow with the spark plugs in. It cranks really fast with the plugs removed.
3) No vacuum into the engine. You put your hands over the carb and there is no suction when you crank the engine over. In fact gas pops out of the top of the carb.
4) We pulled the carb and cranked the engine and there is still no suction into the engine.
5) The balancer timing mark matches TDC on cylinder #1.
6) The distributor is set correctly to TDC on cylinder # 1.
7) Intake manifold is sealed up tight with no gaps.
8) Cylinders 1,3,5 and 7 have carbon fouled plugs. 2,4,6 and 8 look much cleaner.
9) Full 12 volts to the HEI unit with the key in the run position. Around 9 volts when cranking due to starter load.
10) Pulled starter today and had it tested - OK.


Possibilities:
1) Timing chain installed incorrectly (even though I rechecked the marks on the crank and timing gear several times before sealing the timing cover.)
2) The Edelbrock (Cloyes) timing set had the indicator marks mis-stamped.
3) The Melling SP-7 Camshaft ground wrong.

Any other suggestions?

[VintageMusclecar]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: njsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">.....
Things we learned:
1) Only getting 130 PSI on a compression test.....

Possibilities:
1) Timing chain installed incorrectly (even though I rechecked the marks on the crank and timing gear several times before sealing the timing cover.)
2) The Edelbrock (Cloyes) timing set had the indicator marks mis-stamped.
3) The Melling SP-7 Camshaft ground wrong.

Any other suggestions? </div></div>

Did you install the timing set &quot;dot to dot&quot; or did you degree the cam in?

Is it hitting 130 PSI on all 8 holes?

[Jim69Z]

Are the timing marks dot to dot or from 12 to 12 on a Pontiac?