Getting down to crunch time with the dyno date fast approaching, final assembly had to get done. Valve covers were installed using 1/4" set screws loctited into the heads. This method allows the gasket to be set into place without fear of sliding out of position. Then the valve covers, all fastened down with stainless steel acorn nuts. Different length set screws were utilized to accommodate the wire looms milled from a solid block of aluminum. Left side will come off the valve cover screw while the right side uses the threaded hole in the intake which originally held the coil bracket which is no longer needed with the new distributor. Red universal 8mm. Taylor spiropro

wires were chosen. This way custom lengths could be fabricated for a cleaner look. Part number 73253 along with a neat crimping tool number 43395, also from Taylor was used to install the distributor ends. Once we got the hang of crimping and what Jeffrey and I were good at we tagged teamed it, and got the job done quickly. I also found some cool wire clamps from McMaster-Carr http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/118/1526/=jx77u9 part number 2993T14 and 2993T35  to use in conjunction with the looms. Spark plugs are Autolites 65 Platinum gapped at .052. A bit of dielectric grease was dabbed on both ends of the wires. Edelbrock 1406 carb was mounted, using short studs, but longer studs are in the waiting to use with a spacer during dyno pulls to see if it makes a difference. Speaking of dyno pulls, this will be done by Andy Jensen  http://www.jensensenginetech.com/ His shop will be sponsoring the November Keystone Garage Club meeting of which we are members.  http://keystonegarageclub.com/ This is a great local club that has alot of cool activities. Normally Andy will dyno one of his own engines unless a club member has one to run. Soooo, November 1st. is dyno day, providing hurricane Sandy doesn't interfere, I'll be posting the results after.

The distributor got delivered today, and what a bute. We ordered a D.U.I. from Performance Distributors. http://www.performancedistributors.com/ Part number 40820 for the AMC V8 street strip version at a total cost of $319.00 to the door. This is a true H.E.I. (high energy ignition) that was selected for it's quality, simplicity of hook up and the fact that it is truly calibrated to your engine specs, not a happy medium for a cookie cutter build. It's a bit more pricey, but the quality and customer service is unsurpassed. You actually have to fill out a detailed form https://www.performancedistributors.com/orderinfo.htm on not just your engine but vehicle use as well. Your distributor is then engraved with the calibration and recorded at Performance for future reference in the event that down the road you would change engine specs. The fact too, that it will take off the shelf G.M. replacement parts in a pinch is an added bonus. This comes with a new distributor gear already installed, so if you have a new cam gear, your ready to go. The intake was ready to go back on but we had to prime the oil system first, which we did using an old distributor with the teeth ground off the gear and the upper shaft turned down to accept an electric hand drill. An oil pressure gauge was plumbed and mounted to one of the heads. Fired up the drill and while slowly rotating the crankshaft, oil started flowing out of all the pushrods and had a solid 60 p.s.i. on the gauge. Intake was then put back on originally using the rubber end gaskets that came with the Felpro valley pan gasket but as soon as it was torqued down both pushed out. After several frustrating attempts we eliminated them and went with Permatex Right Stuff gasket maker. Should have just done that from the get go. Stock torque specs for a cast iron intake is around 45. The Edelbrock aluminum version is more like 22, so take that into consideration when doing an install.

This might be a good time to talk AMC timing cover. This particular part not only covers the timing set, but also houses the distributor, fuel pump and oil pump and has to work in unison with each other. The cam gear drives the distributor and actuates the fuel pump and then the distributor drives the oil pump which in turn delivers oil throughout the engine. Cam and distributor gears should be replaced as a matching set to eliminate wear. Never, say install a new distributor gear onto a used cam gear, your only asking for trouble. Also timing cover alignment (make sure the dowel pins are present), gasket thickness and the use of excessive sealer can cause alignment issues with the two gears. Oil pump gear cavity is another area of concern. AMC decided to put steel gears into an aluminum housing and expect longevity. All well and good as long as no contaminants like from self destructing cam and distributor gears get in there and chew up the oil pump housing, therefore reducing oil pressure and eventually catastrophic failure. Our timing cover was in really nice shape, but was not too happy with the oil pump gears which showed signs of nicks and burrs. They were replaced as mentioned in an earlier post with a Mellings set and completely deburred. It was then packed with vaseline to help during initial priming of the oil system. Vaseline will dissolve with the oil, so no need to worry about clogging the system. Oil filter housing was then installed, then cam gear, fuel pump eccentric and all related parts were lubed up and timing cover installed. Hopefully we will be rewarded with good oil pressure when we fill the crankcase with Brad-Penn break-in oil http://www.penngrade1.com/ and prime the system. Looks like he is enjoying that vaseline.