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Here we go. One last time...

Long hard road but you did it, good for you!
Enjoy it!
 
I've been following this thread for awhile, glad everything worked out. That engine sounds great and the car looks great!
 
440+6 said:
Long hard road but you did it, good for you!
Enjoy it!
Click to expand...
Thanky kindly sir.
Folks who know me know that the harder something fights me, the harder I fight back. :)
Wife says that will kill me one day.
I remind her it's the only reason I'm still above dirt to begin with. :)
 
TxDon said:
I've been following this thread for awhile, glad everything worked out. That engine sounds great and the car looks great!
Click to expand...
Thank you Don! Work in progress, man - but at least she's back out of "project" status into "sorta functional". :)
 
I'm happy for you, Ed. You've come a long ways since you started this thread, and I, for one, loved every moment of it. I bet we all have been in a lot of the situations you encountered and cheered when we read that you had overcome that problem and moved on to the next. It was so good to hear her running and sounding great.
I'm with moparwhacko; put the air cleaner on and take the wife for a treat...Congratulations!
 
moparedtn said:
Thanks very much again, my friend. :)
The thing had this exhaust on it when I bought the car (good Lord - it's been over six years ago now!). It's 3" duals with some sort of two chamber Flowmaster clone looking mufflers on it and it's rather obnoxious.
Honestly, it used to rattle a little on things on the passenger side somewhere, but something I did this time around has "cured" that. :)
Beats me what....but I'm not going to replace a rust-free system.

I did use the Remflex header gaskets and new collector bolts (Hedman) this time and they both worked beautifully.
The cam is a mystery, but I could see the familiar purple coloring on it with the distributor out. I'm guessing it's the 484?
Click to expand...
My cam is also a mystery. No brand name and numbers don't show up in a search. I was told it was a Summit cam , second one out of two in the catalog.. not much to go on. Rough measurement was .475 but could well be .484. Idle sounds like yours. I have the Flowmaster Super 44's and think it is two chamber.
Today, I got my new style "Green Bearing" kit installed and the Nitto drag radials ( DOT approved ) Road is damp so haven't tried them out yet.
Adjusted some free play out of the clutck linkage and Master mechanic had to be convinced that throw out bearing lightly against the Centerforce was OK as per your conversation with their tech people. Still can pull the clutch fork so fingers are not touching the throw out bearing. Also, less free play was Brewers suggestion when I asked about possible synchro wear. Hope all your clutch works as well as mine..............................MO
 
Congrats Ed. You're a big inspiration to all of us. Glad you got to do what you wanted !!
 
coloradodave said:
I'm happy for you, Ed. You've come a long ways since you started this thread, and I, for one, loved every moment of it. I bet we all have been in a lot of the situations you encountered and cheered when we read that you had overcome that problem and moved on to the next. It was so good to hear her running and sounding great.
I'm with moparwhacko; put the air cleaner on and take the wife for a treat...Congratulations!
Click to expand...
Awww thanks Dave, much appreciated coming from you.
Indeed, Friday looks like a date night with the misses! :)
 
Cornpatch MO said:
My cam is also a mystery. No brand name and numbers don't show up in a search. I was told it was a Summit cam , second one out of two in the catalog.. not much to go on. Rough measurement was .475 but could well be .484. Idle sounds like yours. I have the Flowmaster Super 44's and think it is two chamber.
Today, I got my new style "Green Bearing" kit installed and the Nitto drag radials ( DOT approved ) Road is damp so haven't tried them out yet.
Adjusted some free play out of the clutck linkage and Master mechanic had to be convinced that throw out bearing lightly against the Centerforce was OK as per your conversation with their tech people. Still can pull the clutch fork so fingers are not touching the throw out bearing. Also, less free play was Brewers suggestion when I asked about possible synchro wear. Hope all your clutch works as well as mine..............................MO
Click to expand...
You and me both, brother. I pretty much have already decided to adjust my pedal up. Dang thing feels like an on-off switch, but it bothers my leg to have it down just past halfway like it is now, so I'll bring it up a scosh.
 
NJRR said:
Congrats Ed. You're a big inspiration to all of us. Glad you got to do what you wanted !!
Click to expand...
Thanks!
Eh, depends on who you ask around here. Some folks think I'm a big (something else). :)
Yes, a big chunk of the plan is complete now. Just a few things left and it will all be in place. Then whatever direction my health goes won't matter.
Will be a huge relief. :)
 
Crap, Ed. Your health should improve with the release of all that stress. Concentrate on enjoying the things that make you happy...
 
coloradodave said:
Crap, Ed. Your health should improve with the release of all that stress. Concentrate on enjoying the things that make you happy...
Click to expand...
Thanks again, my friend. :)
I got rid of the bulk of my negative stress last August when I changed jobs.
I have a ton of it these days with the "new" gig, but it's the positive kind - I'm going 200mph building up the company I went to and it's been wonderfully successful.
Very blessed in that regard, but the pace is intense.

In the meantime, a friend came over this evening and we got the hood back on the GTX. Once that was done, I fired it up and went to pull her up into the garage a little more (it was all the way back towards the garage door for maximum working space in front of her) - and that clutch!
Holy crap, hair trigger isn't the word for it. The thing takes next to zero effort and it's a toggle switch, pretty much. Chirped the tires pretty hard without meaning to. :)
I found out you don't so much depress it "normally" with leg swing - at least for now, it's easiest for me to plant my left foots' heel on the carpet and just flex my foot forward and back on the pedal.
Kinda kooky.
 
Fran Blacker said:
Glad you got it running, I'm a little late to the party!
Click to expand...
Thanks. :)
No, you aren't - you've been an encouraging part of the ride all along and it's very much appreciated, Fran.
Party's just starting. Haven't even had her out for a drive yet. Weather has been downright soggy for days now - but the first cruise-in of the season is this Friday and the weather is supposed to be pretty that day.
We'll be there.
 
We made it :)
IMG_20170526_164231084.jpg

Due to crap weather all week, this was also the first test drive.
More on that, but suffice to say I'm happy.
 
Verdict after a 12 mile round trip (including a few hours sitting on Main Street, front and center):
The clutch is truly bizarre. :)
If you're used to the old school 3000 pound long-throw clutches, this one will throw you for a loop. Literally a couple inches of travel is all it uses; it's dang near an on-off toggle. Made me actually concentrate.
Once I started getting used to it, I was able to start modulating it some. I'm definitely raising it up off the floor more, though.
I think I'm going to like it. :)

The transmission was simply flawless. Tight, quiet and held all gears without help whether accelerating or decelerating. No grinding, no need to double clutch.
Couldn't ask for better. Even the shifting pattern was tighter with zero slop.

The engine sounds genuinely healthy and is deceptively quick - I caught it sneaking up over 70 a couple times in short order with just my big toe on the throttle.
I did not take it over 3500rpm tonight, being very cautious.
The Edelbrock needs some tuning, especially right off idle where there's a little stumble like the accelerator needs adjustment or something.
Once past initial tip-in, she pulls just fine and obviously isn't starving.
I have the vacuum advance hooked up to the distributor right now also, but she seems to not like it; she's a little jittery around 2500 rpm (seems like that happens to a lot of these Mopar electronic ignition setups for whatever reason).

Overall - very smooth, no leaks, no boil-overs, heck even the ridiculous exhaust on the thing isn't rattling.
I've been blessed with this outcome, absolutely. :)
 
A couple of quick videos where I take it up through the gears:




Bonus in the 2nd video: I leave my right turn signal on like old folks do. :)
(It doesn't self-cancel like the left side does)
 
moparedtn said:
A couple of quick videos where I take it up through the gears:




Bonus in the 2nd video: I leave my right turn signal on like old folks do. :)
(It doesn't self-cancel like the left side does)
Click to expand...

ed, i have been watching your work on the car and you done a great job with all you had to do,job well done.is your cam a solid lift cam? sounds very good. thanks
 
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