A buffalo’s first bowtie

get some wire seperators so you know exactly where they go with out numbering the wires.

what is that one chrome piece in the first picture, a hold down? seems out of place but it's not a ford.

79nautique wrote: get some wire seperators so you know exactly where they go with out numbering the wires. what is that one chrome piece in the first picture, a hold down? seems out of place but it's not a ford.

Chris, I do have separators on the plug wires but they're hard to see in my pic. I used a 4-notch loom on the back of each head. I think they were intended to go on a valve cover stud but they work this way pretty well. I would be able to pull the plug ends and put 'em back w/o numbering. Is that what you mean? I think it's too bad that the 4 plug wires for 1 side of the engine aren't all on the same side of the distributer?!!?

I'm not sure which chrome piece you mean. In the first pic on the left is a chrome fuel line and on the right is a chrome valve cover but it looks funny at the angle I took it. I was highlighting the "Made in USA" tag on that one.

I looked back and couldn't see the chrome piece ether. All I found was a possible reflection in the bolt recess of the valve cover.

87BFN owner wrote: Greg what brand wires did you use?

Those are Taylor Cable universal. I got the idea from an older thread(TRB) and I didn't think they'd care if it was a Ford or Chevy.

Edit-it was important that they be blue!

They=plug wires

gigem75 wrote: That makes a hellva lot more sense!

Like you stole it!

Thanks Chris!!! I've heard everything from "don't worry about it" to "break it like you're gonna run it", but none of anything I've heard sounded like it had a lot of experience behind it...your's does. I appreciate the info on the operative side of doing it...way better than when it's too late!

if you don't seat the rings and they won't seat by baby'n it so hammer down just not wide open and start from the begining or it's to late and you might as well have babied it.

get it up to temp, watch the oil pressure, what the engine temp, make sure you have good oil rotela or valoline 20-50 racing before you even start it or you'll smoke the cam right off the bat. Listen to the motor listen for a ping drive with the motor box up so you can hear because you won't hear anything important with it down, don't get excited about a ping if it has one just back of the throttle a little if it's a bad one stop adjust your timing, make sure the carbs a little rich. Don't get excited if it's not exactly right your breaking it in and things will change to no need to get spot onright now unless it wayout then address it and fine tune later.

well did you buy an automotive pump instead of a marine unit?

just add a couple washers and a lock washer to each bolt and that should make up the difference. Did you remember to use a gaskets between the pump and block?

just don't get to happy running it in the drive, you really need to wait until you can get some power to it under load to seat the rings, the more you run it in the drive the less the rings will seat properly and the less power you will end up with once seated.

in other words the better the rings seat the more power the engine will generate and the plugs will run just that much cleaner as well.

start it set the timing set the rough settings on the carb and turn it back off and wait until you can run it in the lake.

What about cam break in, I didn't read back through this whole thread but you're running a regular flat tappet cam right?

Chris I gotta disagree, cam has to be broken in immediately if new, then you go into the run it like you stole it break in. If the cam doesnt get splash lubrication during the 20 or so first minutes your likely toast and certainly not covered by warranty from the cam manufacturer.   20 minutes shouldnt be enough to break in the bottom end without sealing the rings.

So what are you guys saying? I only bumped it over 4 times and intend to have it in the water tonight to follow Chris' break-in proceedure. I have the valvoline racing with the ZDDP(I do read a lot here), and I did use a lot of assembly lube.

If anyone has something to say...please, now would be good!