400 cubic inch Pontiac buildup: The Procrastination Pontiac Part 1

Here it is,17 years in the making, I'm finally building the 400 for my 1973 Pontiac Ventura. I have no real viable excuse for why it's taken 17 years to get to this point but whatever. The engine in question is a 1973 400 pontiac 2 bolt main block,It had well over 100,000 miles on it when it was torn down. The fact that it had so miles is a good thing,It means the block has been through thousands of heating and cooling cycles and is less susceptible to core shift,therefore a great rebuild candidate.

At the machine shop the engine block went through a battery of procedures that will hopefully make a strong running engine.After the block was thoroughly cleaned The cylinders were bored 0.030 over,The deck has been milled 0.010. The main bolts have been replaced with ARP main studs for increased strength the main bores were also align honed.The machine shop also installed cam bearings.

First thing I did was tape off the machined surfaces and paint the block to prevent flash rust.
I then installed brass freeze plugs, Brass freeze plugs are a good investment because they won't rust like the steel ones. In the long run it's cheap insurance. I like to paint the block then install the freeze plugs because I think it makes for a more custom appearance. It's also perfectly acceptable to fog them engine color

This is a biggie! Most machine shops remove the passenger side oil galley plug when they clean the block. If it isn't reinstalled the engine will have little or no oil pressure.
  Stay tuned for part 2 when we assemble the bottom end

1970 Dodge Challenger update: 2011 edition

   Of all the junk cars I've owned It's my 1970 Dodge Challenger that gets the most comments/questions. Unquestionably it's the nicest,fastest,most valuable vehicle I've ever owned. With the prices of Musclecar era mopars skyrocketing in recent years It's safe to say I'll probably never sell it. With that being said I'm as they say in Vegas "all in" when it comes to the challenger.
Several weeks ago I awoke my prized dodge from it's winter slumber. I changed the spark plugs and the oil. I did some experimenting with the plugs by trying a set in a colder heat range. With the oil I used Valvoline VR-1 racing oil, It has a high level of ZDDP, which is a critical ingredient thats lacking in most oil today,and crucial for any older engine utilizing a flat tappet camshaft.
 I screwed up big by not putting any stabil in the gas which made a full tank of new gas pretty much useless. It still ran decent with the bad gas, I eventually got it running and idling rather well. After some tuning I got it to idle at 900 rpm and pull about 9inches of vacuum, It still has a choppy idle due to the camshaft grind having a narrow 108 degree LSA (lobe separation angle) Mopar Performance has since released a cam with identical specs but on a the wider 110 degree LSA which would have a nicer idle. I thought the clutch was burnt up but was simply in need of adjustment and I think it's working fine. I'm still working towards getting some seat time in the challenger at a dragstrip soon,time and money permitting. For dragstrip action I need to install longer wheel studs and get the slicks mounted. After that my only goal is to drive it often and violently. I really want to put some serious miles on the car to work out whatever bugs it still has. It still has a laundry list of little things that need to be addressed. I need to get the front turn signals working,the grease boots on the front suspension are dry rotted from years of sitting and need to be replaced,the steering box leaks a little,the dome light doesn't work, I replaced the leaf springs last year but I still should replace the shocks to call it good. So it's pretty much normal stuff for any vintage mopar owner.

pros and cons of a winter beater

 Old man winter definitely wasn't a car guy. How else could you explain the brutal suffering of automobiles at the hands of old man winter? If the cars can survive the icey roads and the sub-zero engine killing cold starts, Theres always the ever present road salt which will surely turn your pride and joy into a rusted hulk in a few years time. As much as I would like to drive my Challenger year around, The latitude I live at makes that nearly impossible. So to preserve one of the few nice cars I own I employ the use of "winter beaters" for those unfamiliar with the concept,It's simple: park your nice car and buy something cheap for old man winter to abuse. I have three criteria for a winter beater:(1) It needs to have a functional heater (2) It needs to be somewhat reliable (3) It needs to be cheap. Sometimes you can ignore 1 and 2 if 3 is a killer deal,But that often backfires when the repair bills start racking up. I typically don't pay more than $1000 for a winter beater, The Cash for clunkers program a few years back dried up supplies considerably,but deals are still out there. The downside to purchasing a winter beater is that it's a cheap car and you get what you pay for. If you're hung up on luxuries like functioning gauges,windows that roll down and a radio that gets more than three stations, You better keep driving your shiny new car. Owners of modern automobiles are so coddled these days, They seem lost without their myriad of cupholders,satellite radio,and heated seats. The people who drive beaters are in some ways automotive masochists,We love telling stories of our vehicular hardships (my favorite story is driving my 73 Fury in a rainstorm with no wipers and sketchy brakes)

I've often resorted to desperate measures to keep junk on the road. When the passenger door on my 95 blazer broke, I simply welded it shut General Lee style. Duct tape and zip ties are a beaters best friend. My current beater is a 1995 Olds cutlass,purchased for $600 from my dad (family discount) It's actually the nicest beater I've ever owned, It's even got a functional cassette player,I've never had it so good. I think I'm ready for a few more months of winter.........maybe not.

Rebuilding the Chrysler Electronic Distributor for performance.

 Electronic ignition started showing up in some Chrysler vehicles in 1972. The following year it became standard on all models.Externally the new electronic distributors were identical to it's breaker point brethren. Internally It's a different story, The breaker cam that activated the breaker points was replaced with an iron-core reluctor with eight sharp projections around the periphery.(six cylinder models had six) The breaker points were replaced with a magnet/coil pickup. As the distributor shaft rotated the reluctor tips come in close proximity to the pickup and the magnetic field flow. The low level "pulse" of electricity created triggers the external control box (ECU),which in turn supplies current to the coil.Since there are virtually no rubbing parts the Chrysler electronic ignition distributor is a well-performing piece with almost no maintenance. But as good as it is, we can always make it better.

 Last June I did a quickie spray can rebuild of a Chrysler 400 with hopes of it someday being installed in my '73 Fury.

Since where I live we seem to be stuck in the winter that will never end. I decided to refurbish the distributor for the 400 instead of just stabbing it in and hoping for the best. Todays ingredient list pictured left to right are: Lightweight advance springs from TransDapt, Magnetic pickup coil and vacuum advance. New parts not pictured are distributor cap and rotor.

 After removing the old cap and rotor I carefully pried the reluctor wheel off the shaft with a pair of screwdrivers. Be careful not to lose the tiny roll pin. After that I removed the vacuum advance and the pickup coil plate.

The pickup coil is held on to the plate with this funky black "Y" shaped spring.

 This is the advance plate. I've welded up the slots on the plate to control mechanical advance. After welding the slots I file them to dial in the desired mechanical advance. This is sometimes a trial and error endeavor. I probably won't know the optimum mechanical advance until the engine is running,so additional welding/filing may be necessary. But we're in the ballpark. The advance plate is retained on the shaft by a "U" shaped clip accessed with a needle nosed pliers.

 After ditching the heavy factory springs,I lubed the mechanical advance weights with light grease and installed the new lightweight springs.With the modified advance plate installed you can see how the mechanical advance will be limited.This will insure full mechanical advance at around 2500 to 3000 rpm.

 With Pickup and plate assembly,Vacuum advance and reluctor wheel all reinstalled It was time to set the air gap adjustment on the pickup coil. Using a brass feeler gauge set the gap to between .008 and .010. Now install the cap and rotor.

Heres the finished product installed in the engine.

 This is the venerable Mopar Performance "orange box" ECU. These provide reliable spark up to 6000 rpm which is safely in our operation parameters. But buyer beware: Chrysler has outsourced production of these units to China years ago and since then quality control has been sketchy. Some have lasted while others have failed after only a few hundred miles. Make sure your ECU is grounded and as far away from engine heat as possible.

How a resurrection really feels

 The garages and shops across america are littered with unfinished project cars. Invariably these cars are owned by "Someday Guy". You know the guy, He always says stuff like "Someday she'll run" or "Someday she'll be good as new" He always talks big but never finishes anything. I hate "Someday guy" and my 1973 Pontiac Ventura has been making me sound dangerously close to "Someday Guy" recently. I bought the Ventura on October,17 1993 for $2,200 It was my first car. My dad fronted me the money which I paid him back in weekly $20 installments. Back then my Pontiac was poop brown with a 350 two barrel Pontiac engine. It was a low-option "stripper" model with no A/C,power steering or power brakes,Like a real musclecar,even if it didn't really have a musclecar engine. I drove it in that configuration throughout high school racking up speeding tickets and bald tires from excessive "power braking". After graduation I purchased a 1970 Dodge Challenger with a 4-speed 440 six-pack combo. As I turned my attention to my new mopar I began to neglect the Ventura.South Dakota winters are brutal on vintage sheetmetal and eventually the constant barrage of  road salt started to show on the lower quarter panels. Then after a close encounter with a bridge the Ventura became less of a head turner and more of an eyesore. I enrolled at Southeast tech in the Auto Body program,and in November of 1997 my much neglected pontiac entered the shop to go under the knife. I ended  up replacing both rear quarter panels,outer wheelhouses and trunk extensions. The Ventura returned home in primer and still needing tons of work,Everything was worn out and needed to be replaced, I rebuilt both front and rear suspensions and upgraded the front brakes to discs. The 350 two barrel was yanked in preparation of a more powerful 400 cubic inch Pontiac engine. Then life happened,A couple crazy girlfriends and a home purchase put a hurt on my finances,By the time I recovered,my interest had waned and I wasn't sure if it was ever going to be finished. honestly for several years I didn't care if it ever got finished. The only thing keeping me from selling it was the fact that I could never recoup my investment (restoring a Pontiac Ventura isn't very financially lucrative) I turned my attention to some of my other project cars,and as I started making progress I began to warm up to the idea of working on the Ventura again. I still had a basement full of new parts for the car so it only made sense to forge ahead. Recently I finally got it painted and installed the interior,The engine is currently at the machine shop and I'm giddy at the thought of having a running engine finally.So now It's 2011 and I've owned the car for almost 18 years,With renewed ambition and fear of being "someday guy" I'm optimistic for the first time in a long time of resurrecting my first car. The plan at this point is to have a retro theme with the car. I've collected lots of vintage speed equipment over the years and I would like to use them on the car. With six cars in my fleet it's easy for one of them to get lost in the shuffle.I hope to make sure the Ventura never gets ignored again.

Done! Done! Done!

I can't believe it's done! It took twice as long (60 days) and cost twice as much (don't ask) as I thought and the results aren't that bad. Everything went wrong with this project,It had way more rust than I thought,I got a chunk of metal in my eye,My air compressor had a massive meltdown which necessitated a hasty trip to sears to procure a replacement. The biggest problem was most autobody supply stores are closed on weekends which was when I did most of the work,So if I ran out of anything I was screwed.Auto parts stores carry a limited selection body supplies.The final night of painting culminated in a 17 hour thrash.
It took me a day to put everything back together,The drivers side door received a new handle and inside latch since the originals were wasted.The front side marker light lenses are NOS chrysler (I was to lazy to clean up the originals). Installation of the windshield was the one task I hired out.The wheels are 15x8 Cragar soft 8 with Nexan 31x10.5x15 tires,these were the one splurge I made on the project. In my lifetime I've owned five Dodge trucks with this body style and they were all huge piles of crap,I'm glad I finally have one thats nice.Theres still a laundry list of small things to take care of,But I think I'm just gonna drive it and be happy.

1976 Dodge Powerwagon