My Halloween Horror story....

[Badvert65]

If it weren’t for bad luck…
Finally getting the Belvedere back together after the brake melt down. Hoping for test and tune this Thursday at the local track. Car has been up on jacks for nearly two weeks. New leaf springs, shocks, all poly bushings, 3.55 sure grip added as well as everything new in the rear brakes. Car was running great when I started this project. OK, so I finally get it back on all four wheels, ready for a test drive. That’s when things went south…. I start the engine and it is running awful, bucking, shaking, and spitting oil out the valve cover breather. Oil smells like gas, great. So, I jack up the car, replace the fuel pump, drain 10 quarts of gas/oil mix and replace with fresh oil. OK, lower the jack and….frikkin car is in neutral and rolls down the driveway. Luckily (?), it gets stopped by some bushes, no damage to the car. But it aint over yet….I start up the car, drive past the bush, onto the street. I put it into reverse and I am rewarded with an unnerving screeching noise. Frikkin gear set I just put in is messed up. Of course it is. Time to give up for now as I just can’t take any more of this.
Good times...

 

[miller]

Sorry to hear, Badvert.

Along the same lines I might be looking at, if I ever get all the glue on my 64. Flat too much changes, everything rebuilt, been dead for 20+ years. Just have to pat the baby on it's ***, and deal with all the issues. There is no telling what could go wrong. But, it's all part of the game.

Take a few steps back...a little breather...and re-check things. If you want it bad enough, it will happen. No need to give up yet. Luck on it, guy! Heck, it's just nuts and bolts.

 

[Badvert65]

OK, took a deep breath, watched a good Steelers game, chilled .
Guess I will have to put in my 'old reliable' 3.23 SureGrip and call it a day. I have a friend with the tools to overhaul the 3.55 that is fubar. Worst case, I will get a nice 4.10 for it. I just want to go racing before the season is completely over. (at least once, anyway).
I guess if it was easy, everyone would do it.

 

[62 Dart Convertible]

Mate, that's cars sometimes.. 2 steps forward, 1 step back...

So you put in a used 3.55 pumpkin that turned out to be NFG?

 

[miller]

Probably used and abused gears.

Well, the saying is practice makes perfect. On that 3.55, could be simple, could be major, or anything in between.
Grab up your friend and his tools, and go for it!

Hope you got your fuel prob taken care of.
Last motor I overhauled gave me fits at start up. Real head-bangin' stuff, since all parts were new. Wound up being five bad plugs out of a set of eight new. Figured the box had been tossed around a bit.

 

[383man]

Sorry to hear of your problems. Good luck in the future with it. Ron