My new stock stroke 400 build

[qkcuda]

FWIW, exhaust manifolds can be cracked.

The thought had crossed my mind, but I jacked it up a little, heated it up and then jacked it some more and heated it again. Hopefully no cracks

 

[Don Frelier]

The thought had crossed my mind, but I jacked it up a little, heated it up and then jacked it some more and heated it again. Hopefully no cracks

I have a good one for that side.
You can continue to dwindle my supply of spare parts if need be.

 

[BSB67]

The thought had crossed my mind, but I jacked it up a little, heated it up and then jacked it some more and heated it again. Hopefully no cracks

If it had cracked, you would know it.

Be careful if you go back for more

 

[qkcuda]

You had me worried so I went out and released the pressure from the bottle jack. It looks great, settled in perfectly level.

 

[qkcuda]

I have a good one for that side.
You can continue to dwindle my supply of spare parts if need be.

Thanks for the offer Don, but I think I am good now. I will know for sure when I try to loosen the exhaust hangers! The exhaust has to come off to pull the engine and trans.

 

[qkcuda]

I removed the exhaust again for some trimming. With the mufflers removed you can see that my adjustment worked as the exhaust pipes are nice and even. Since the mufflers were shorter than stock, I had to add some extensions to the exhaust pipes and the tail pipes. Trimming 1 inch off the muffler inlets now has everything lined up perfectly.

 

[qkcuda]

I promise these are the last of the exhaust pictures. The driver's side muffler was supported by a universal hanger bolted direct through the floor. I decided to make a new bracket which would use the existing hole. As luck would have it the 2X3 tubing I cut it from was exactly the right width to fit between the existing ribs in the floor. Since the mufflers were shorter than stock I had to have a piece added to the tailpipes which meant the hangers would not line up where the muffler clamps were. I bought some new hangers and I am happy that everything turned out like I planned.

 

[Don Frelier]

That brake line doesn't look good Dave?

 

[qkcuda]

Actually it's fine Don. The coating is a combination of undercoating and red dirt, so it does look like rust in photos.

 

[qkcuda]

Today I decided to clean the garage and get rid of all of the leftover parts from the 400 build. I loaded the back of my SUV with a lot of cast iron for recycling. Now I have bench space for removing the A/C and other accessories from the original engine. Disassembly starts tomorrow.

 

[qkcuda]

Started tear down today. I bled down the A/C and got some of the hard lines and brackets out of the way. Had to come in and warm up.

 

[qkcuda]

The rad A/C compressor and the rest of the front accessories are now off. I tried to remove the other air conditioning lines but they were stuck, so I will wait until the engine is out and I have better access. The pile on the work bench is getting bigger.

 

[qkcuda]

I got the wiring out of the way today, and removed the exhaust manifolds. I ran into my first issue. I removed the A/C support bracket and test fit it on the 400 and it doesn't fit. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because I had to modify the performer intake for the bracket to fit. It looks like I will have to remove the front coil boss. You can see it is much closer to the front manifold bolt hole, and I can't even get the manifold bolt in. I could always switch manifolds, but would like to keep the Weiand intake because it has been port matched to the heads.

 

[eldubb440]

it's keeping you busy and out of trouble..........idle hands are the devil's workshop

 

[qkcuda]

That it is. I just noticed something else. The late model heads are missing one bolt hole that the alternator bracket attaches to. Oh well I guess two bolts will have to do.

 

[qkcuda]

More test fitting today. I bent and redrilled the coil mount bracket to fit the different boss location on the Weiand manifold, and I am happy with the result. I decided I am just going to use my carbide burr and slot the coil boss below the yellow mark for bolt clearance. I forgot to test fit the compressor support brackets and the alternator bracket, so I guess that will be tomorrow's job.

 

[Don Frelier]

More test fitting today. I bent and redrilled the coil mount bracket to fit the different boss location on the Weiand manifold, and I am happy with the result. I decided I am just going to use my carbide burr and slot the coil boss below the yellow mark for bolt clearance. I forgot to test fit the compressor support brackets and the alternator bracket, so I guess that will be tomorrow's job.

View attachment 1802863

Well you break it you bought it.
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.
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Oh yeah that's right you already bought it.

 

[qkcuda]

Well you break it you bought it.
.
.
.
Oh yeah that's right you already bought it.

I've already done my fair share of grinding on it Don. I figure that support should be solid, otherwise the runner wouldn't have a flat outside wall. Even so the plan is to just grind enough for the bolt to clear.

 

[HawkRod]

What, us car guys modifying stuff?!?

 

[qkcuda]

I always said that I never added a part to the car that I didn't have to modify.