sprink58

Gary...I have a weak spot for old Mopars...had a '70 Challenger 426 HEMI 4 speed with Dana 60 3:55. Car ran 12's on stock tires. If I still had that one I would be a millionaire!! Later had a 340 Six Pak Challenger T/A ran high 13's. Had a frat bro at Alabama that had a 440 Six Pak 'runner that was our "keg fetcher"...you could put 8: 35 gal kegs in the trunk of that car and close the lid. Memories.

FIXX

john,,heads uo on the stock oil pans,,those things only hold like 4 qts of oil and then reads full..you either have to change them like i usually do or run a 2qt filter but that really dont do you any good if the pan were to run dry...i usually use a 7 qt moroso street strip pan,,about 180 each + the pick up tube..

sprink58

Good Idea!!

Twin O/B Sonic

I had several as well. The Bee went 12.60's @ 110 on street tires and mufflers. Had to granny shift which killed it (all 3 carbs close and reopen every shift!). Not bad for 3.91's though.
Back then they were just fun cars

Good tip on the oil pans too. Especially if you have a high volume oil pump. The Bee had a stock pan (mistake) and would suck it dry and lose oil pressure at high rpm.

sprink58

Saturday update...nothing really significant. Went to the shop and finalized the harmonic balancer installation. I had gotten paint on the inside of the mounting hole and on the crank shafts which made the fit a bit tight. I put the balancer's back in the blast cabinets and took the holes down to bare metal. I used Emory cloth to clean up the shafts...then re-installed. The went on nicely. Put another coat of "Phantom Black " on top of Zinc Chromate after the install to guard against corrosion. I had recently blasted, primed and painted the pulleys and brackets so I have as good as new if not better going back on. Anyway....got the crank pulleys installed and double checked the center with a dial caliper...they are dead balls on. This is especially important for the crank driven pumps to avoid vibration. I mounted the Carter Electric fuel pumps on both engines...making sure to use the vibration isolation grommets that come with the kit. I mounted both new "Mercruiser" brand circulating pumps along with the alternator and power steering brackets. The brackets I bought are for PS and alternator so the port engine bracket will have some holes that aren't used.

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I know this sounds like boring stuff but I am trying to keep a record of the tedious steps that are encountered in doing this. Maybe someone will find it useful as they attempt something like this.

The next step is to sort out the proper routing of the cooling hoses and get that set up. Also I have to mount the alternators, power steering pump (starboard engine only) and the wiring harnesses. I'll put spark plugs in as well as oil pressure sensors, temp sensors and any miscellaneous stuff i can't think of now.

By next weekend I would like to run both engines on a stand, set the timing, check for leaks and prepare them for installation.

There is an "outside" chance that we tow up to Destin for the Emerald Coast poker run in 4 weeks. I'm not going to be terribly disappointing if we don't make it but it is a goal.

One of the things that is slowing me down is the heat. during the daytime the heat and humidity is stifling...even in the shop. I have to keep a fan right on me to be able to stand it. Just part of life.

befu

It is a very in depth review of what a conversion like this would take as far as time and effort. I commend you for keeping it updated.

Saw a post awhile back from one of the editors of OSO and how they wanted to run with the DIY project stories here. Would be nice to be able to go back and use the build thread as the basis for writing a summary. You know, one without all the non related post that other members make...... I am just a typical engineer.......

Motors look great! take a vid of how you have them setup to run. I have never run an automotive engine without it in a vehicle of some sort. yeah I know, rookie!

Brian

sprink58

Brian...I think it would be most appropriate to take these threads like yours and mine and "compartmentalize" them ..if you know what I mean....edit out the unrelated stuff as you say.

There is a lot of detail in this project...especially with twins.

befu

So where are you at? Haven't watched the news lately, was wondering if the edge of the earth moved to Florida and you fell off.....

I am off for another 4 days of camping up in Michigan close to St. Joe. No boat again.... Last weekend we played on the beach with 5 to 8 footers! No one was out around Saugatuck. This vacation schedule is making a serious dent in my boat work time.....

Brian

sprink58

I'm ok...thanks for the thoughts. Loosing the F-150 in an accident after 5 years was a set back but I have wheels under me again now...

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...so things will start moving again with the 255. After coming as close as I did to the "Big Chill" I've been doing some internalizing about priorities...decided that I sure could use a few days in the Islands diving and snorkeling out of my sweet Liberator project...just got to get back into it!!

I am determined to get both engines running on the stands over the next 2: weeks and hopefully back in the boat before Labor Day.

One interesting observation I made was how much tongue weight is added by removing 1500#~1800# of engines and drives from one of these boats. When I bought the new trailer last Christmas we set it up to have 400# tongue weight. I was setting up the Escalade this weekend and noticed that the Air Ride was struggling at first to level out but it finally did. I drove around some and thought to myself how heavy this rig felt on the SUV...not from a pulling and stopping angle but the apparent tongue weight. I disconnected at my warehouse and lifted the tongue with a forklift and a commercial dial scale...645 #'s on the a$$ end!!!...no damn wonder!! Got to get this thing back together !!

Brian...you 272 looks sweet...get that thing wet and start shaking it out. I'm anxious to see how it runs...hopefully I'm not too far behind you.

Sideskraft

The Escalade is a sharp ride John, but it's gotta be like a black oven from May through September in the Florida sun! Glad to see the progress on the Lib -- it's gonna be an awesome ride.