Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Gonna have a few days of slow rolling here (other stuff to do) so not much will be done. Today, got pretty much everything buttoned up, balancer, bolted the vc spacers on, filled it with oil and pre-lubed it, threw the valve covers on plus the distributor and wires at it. Gonna try to be back on it Saturday.
https://i.imgur.com/oxXfe3vh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sfAWFFTl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/2gmsI5fh.jpg

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Todd,
You might find that if you have the operator set the "inertia factor" to about 0.6 to 0.7 it might be easier to compare numbers to those that have other dynos such as SuperFlow models. Might be interesting for you to ask what they normally use.;)



The dyno owners have that option even if they have SF electronics installed (but it doesn't look like it in the photos).


Always fun to see your work tested on a dyno. Makes it more fun when you put the engine in the car for runs down the track.


Good Luck to you and Autumn.:D


Regards,
HB2:)
Dissident

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Pretty excited to get to tuning, I have some experience as a dyno operator (I used to own a chassis dyno) and I try not to get to caught up in the numbers game, I just want to see gains and losses via tuning and hopefully the cars performance will reflect.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Got in a little work today, heat cycling piston coating, breaking in cam, re-checking everything under the valve covers etc. Back at it for a few hours tomorrow.
https://i.imgur.com/RirMiJSh.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8MThE33kno

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Todd,
Seeing the type of dyno equipment you are testing on makes a suggestion possible.............Dyno tach will be accurate SO,

You can take the tachometer off the car and test it against the dyno instrumentation. That will give you some data that is worthwhile on the track. Even the best electronic tachometers are +/- 5% full scale devices. Do the math on whatever the full scale value is.....can make quite a difference on the track.:cool:
Not many folks know that little fact and they assume the high dollar tach they bought is spot on....don't guess, test.:rolleyes:



Have a great time testing!:D


Regards,
HB2:)
Dissident

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

A data acquisition system would be your best asset.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

A Tach can easily be tested in the car. Use an MSD tester that allows you to fire the ignition without the engine running. I’ve had tachs that I knew were off and the MSD tester confirmed it. One was off 200 rpm at lower rpms and 400 or more at higher rpms. That was not the first one I’ve had that was off. The tester can test anything rpm related and the ignition itself. I keep it in my trailer toolbox....I don’t recall the part number. Easy to find though. I also have a grid controller in my car and it records all runs for time and rpm ....another good item but not as good as a data recorder ...

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Great advice.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Absolutely Glenn, got one, I just need to get it all installed.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Is this it Rich?
https://www.holley.com/products/tool...ers/parts/8998

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Worked getting stuff switched over to make some pulls, which we did. Nothing spectacular to speak of and we certainly haven't had any luck getting some crankcase vacuum. had some issues with the cam after switching springs so we're working on that too. Getting some tuning bits sorted for the carb. Gonna try to put a few hours in on it tomorrow, we'll see how work goes.
https://i.imgur.com/fg2wuwxh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/E3cyX79h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/96eVOrDh.jpg

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Todd check your PM. Fed387

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Yes Todd.....I forgot MSD is now owned by Holley....

The price went up over the years since I bought one.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

I ran SS/JA many years ago with my '69 Camaro...

Flat top 350 with 441 heads.

We had an old Go-Power static dyno and I made a lot of pulls.

Tried some cams and spent a lot of time of course messing with the Q-Jet...

A stocker engine of today probably makes as much or more power than a SS'er of that era.

The dyno really didn't help much out on the track basically....but was a good tool to see where you were at and verify the engine was ok....

Q-Jets are a challenge...They always have been....

I raced a stick shift Chevy II in Stock in 1970-1971....350/295 and a '69 Nova in G and H/SA in the '90's.....350/255 with a P/G

Those carbs are great when they are working well. You just cant have too many......LOL !!!

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

A dyno is a great thing for consistent engine break in, readily accessible for valve train inspection and adjustment, plus the detection and correction of any leaks,but it won't tell you everything. There's the dyno, with a wealth of knowledge to be gained there, but the overall best dyno is the drag strip. Both the dyno and the track should be used together to blend the results for the best output, but it's the final result that really counts.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Todd, I don't believe you'll be able to pull much c/c vacuum without headers tubes, which of course aren't legal in Stock.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

You know, this is close to the subject, but I used to use exhaust gas analyzers occasionally when I was working, having fixed cars,trucks,and vans for around 40 years, and enduring the never-ending succession of emissions testing that the sacramento circus act continually forced on us,but I wondered a few times what a race car's emissions would be going down the track in real world terms. I know the start up would have to be bad,the lumpy idle and the lower speed run from the lanes to the water box would load the air with all kinds of nasty unburned hydrocarbons and all, but once the car leaves, what do you suppose goes on between combustion chamber and the end of the header collector?You don't see too much in the way of black smoke emanating from race car collectors, therefore, things must get a lot more efficient about halfway up the RPM band in first or second gear.I guess a good tune up shop with a floor dyno and an infrared gas analyzer could test for this, but if you ran a 375/396 or a Max Wedge 7000 RPM in high gear would there be a commercial dyno out there strong enough for that stuff? Even an average quadrajet 327 puts out over 400 horsepower to the flywheel.
I remember seeing 454 quadrajet motor homes and Suburbans working a hill at load,getting onto the freeway, or in high altitude scenarios, and black smoke was almost a natural occurrence, which is, too much fuel, too rich carburetion,and all kinds of energy wasted. If the race car was such an issue, you would think the fans in the stands at 1000' would be reeling in the aisles from all the environmental catastrophe.
I've lived in the LA area since 1966,and I remember smog. It had a chemical type odor,it would burn your eyes, and being kids in the summer,tearing around on bikes, swimming,playing baseball, and being outside until just before dinner,and being barely able to breathe because of the chest pain in our lungs. In the mid '80's,after carbureted engines got about as far as they could,the fuel injection came out, took over, and now we actually don't have a smog problem like we had. You can live anywhere in So Cal and actually see mountains and blue skies. It was technology that did it, also today's fuels are far better than the old stuff brewed up in the old days. Little weird green people jumping up and down on the bluff at Santa Monica and waving green flags did nothing to improve fuel efficiency,gas mileage, and sir quality. I don't want them to step in and do a study that might release data that would harm our sport politically. I just wondered what the actual results of such an experiment would be.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

I've been fixing plenty of leaks... oh brother!

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

I'm sure I'm rehashing what most already know, guess I just gotta try stuff.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Been fighting oil leaks so I pulled the pan off and resealed it yesterday, I was pressurizing the crankcase a good bit which surely didn't help. No oil leaks and crankcase pressure is way better. Just about ready to start tuning.
Made a few pulls yesterday checking for leaks (and oil pressure :rolleyes: )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u19Vhnu0H0w

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Aaand we're back to where we started... changed the oil today and somewhere within the two 7k rpm pulls it has some metal in the filter. Leaving for the Gators tomorrow so I'll be taking it off the cart next week and back to an engine stand so I can figure this out.
https://i.imgur.com/sgiHiKNl.jpg

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

What kind of power was your engine making?

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

I'm sorry to hear that, brother.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

I can't remember... but it did eclipse the NHRA refactored 275 :D:D:D

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

wish you luck and hope the shavings were possibly there from before.
Joe

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Well as they say... "that's racin'".

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Hows the cam look?

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Cam looks good, rod bearings... not so much.
https://i.imgur.com/QNQM67d.jpg

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

What bearing clearance and how was it measured?

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

I can't remember the clearance, maybe .0023. Dial bore and mic. This isn't a clearance issue, it's an oiling issue.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Ok what oil pump,clearance between oil pickup and pan? Oil restrictors,drain back holes?How much oil?

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Std volume, 1/2+, no restrictors, drain backs clear and opened up, 6 qts (over full).

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

It was definitely from a lack of oil issue....

Bad pump, restriction of oil flow or pressure/volume

Small blocks are pretty trouble free generally in this area.

A small Plug down inside a passage under the rear cap....front and rear cam plugs.....cam bearings...…things to check...

If the crank was ground it is a MUST to run a brush thru all the oil holes....and wash it real good...….

Seen guys take a fresh ground crank out of the box and just install it.

Over full oil pan could have caused the oil to aerate from windage.....but that's a stretch.....

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

I believe it's a volume issue (I'll know more today when I look at some measurements) All the plugs are in and the cam bearings look good, only the rods (last to oil). Crank was run through the washer and brushed. Is there a way to get oil pressure closer to the crank and not in the galleys?

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Not really a stretch when putting 1 quart over.What size oil filter? Pickup to pan should be a max of 3/8".

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

[QUOTE=Rich Biebel;585328]It was definitely from a lack of oil issue....

A small Plug down inside a passage under the rear cap....
/QUOTE]

After looking at the state of the mains on your original dis-assembly, this is where I would look first.
If this was missed on the original build, it has been circulating unfiltered oil all along.
How much oil pressure did you have on the dyno prior to the bearing failure?

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Yup, I noticed that "1/2 +" as quoted and like the 3/8" measurement personally. Really feel for you and Autumn, such rotten luck on a very straightforward engine build. SBC oiling at this approximate power level should be bulletproof as it comes from GM.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

Oil viscosity (also known as 'weight') and temperature play a significant role in engine bearing clearances and what the given oil pumps performance ( flow rates) will produce.

Please keep us informed on your investigations.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

1 qt filter, Oil was a little high, just under the windage tray.

Re: H-I-J '76 Nova re-fit.
 

[QUOTE=Terry Bride;585340]50-55