My '85 MGM, "Maisa"

[Arquemann]

Sigh... Fords.

I took a thorough look at the old dizzy gear. It does seem to be machined on every surface. But the overall appearance (excluding wear) is slightly rougher than the new gear.
The wear on the old gear seems normal to me. I would expect lesser wear if it was paired with a softer cam gear? Can't bank on that.

On monday I think I'll drop by at a shop my friend works at to press off the old gear and get it checked by a metal worker or someone that can confidently say if it's cast iron or steel. I can't be sure myself.

The car is still in storage which is a pain in the ass, I can't check anything on the car. Also the return window of the RA order is closing every day.

@gadget73
Dunno how the spark plug holes might differ, but here's the only photo I currently have that might shed some light on it.

Is that some letter cast on the corner of the head?

[Arquemann]

Here's a photo as good as I can get without a proper camera.

[Tiggie]

My E6SE heads have an S on the corner of the head there. Kind of looks like that's what yours says. Not sure about other years. They have a small plug thread, 14mm I think. The 85 heads would have had the big plug with 18mm threads IIRC.

[gadget73]

Same small threads, but its recessed. Can most easily see it with the plug removed.

per this

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthread.php?117938-can-you-tell-E6SE-heads-from-E7-s&p=1235260&viewfull=1#post1235260

Cast into the lower right corner of the cylinder head (visible with valve cover installed)...

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/attachme...5&d=1279813897

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/attachme...0&d=1280239777

R = E5TE
S = E6SE
T = E7TE

pics here

http://diyporting.com/E6TE.html

scroll down a bit and it shows the E6 spark plug hole vs a typical one. The E6 has the threads recessed down inside the head and it uses a spark plug with an extended end piece to make it work.

1985 spark plug


1986 spark plug




I've never tried it but its possible the 85 plug would catch in the 86 head, but I don't think it would thread down properly and the plug would be up inside the threaded hole. I expect it wouldn't have full thread engagement either, maybe only a turn or so before it bottoms out.

not aiming to throw wrenches into your program but it would be good to know for sure whats going on there. If you are running the wrong plugs for the head it may the real problem and nothing to do with the CFI, meaning a carb isn't going to fix it either.

[Arquemann]

I do have the 85 type plugs (verified by a pic I have), and they did have pretty positive thread engagement if I recall correctly. I think the scribbling on the corner of the head looks more like an R than S.
In a whole, the idea of having a different engine kinda smells, but I have literally zero history on the car, except that the demented grandma I bought it from had it from '90 or '91... I have no reason to believe the 106k miles wouldn't be correct. Yet.

Next week I'll try to get info if the old gear is steel or not, and act accordingly. If it is cast iron, I'll swap it on the new dizzy, the shafts are the same size. If the old gear is steel, my cam might be fucked. Or not factory.
I'm gonna get the car from storage earlier than planned, I'm sick of this nonsense. Out by easter hopefully.

I've contacted Cardone about the dizzy, asking if the gear could accidentally be steel (PNs are correct), or if it just happens to look exactly like steel. Hope to hear back next week.
Also possibly having to return the dizzy to RockAuto will be a proper PITA, being a international customer and all.

[sly]

I think that gear is iron. IIRC, the steel ones I've used had clean machined edge between the gear and neck area and not a rounded edge in the transition between the neck and gear area.

[Arquemann]

I think that gear is iron. IIRC, the steel ones I've used had clean machined edge between the gear and neck area and not a rounded edge in the transition between the neck and gear area.

Both old and new have a rounded transition. Aside from the colour, the only difference between the two is the slighly different tops of the teeth.
The new gear has "R" on it.
Maybe I take the word of the RockAuto listing and the matching part numbers and FUCKING SEND IT?

[gadget73]

if you stick a steel gear against an iron cam you'll be sending a lot of little iron filings through the engine until the gear goes away and it stops sending anything anywhere. Not sure how long it will last exactly but someone on here went the other way and I believe it stripped the distributor gear out in about a year.

[Arquemann]

if you stick a steel gear against an iron cam you'll be sending a lot of little iron filings through the engine until the gear goes away and it stops sending anything anywhere. Not sure how long it will last exactly but someone on here went the other way and I believe it stripped the distributor gear out in about a year.

Yeah basically question is at this point if I've unknowingly done it already for 3 summers and 5000+ miles. The old dizzy seen in the previous post has been in the engine for atleast 2500 miles after I got the car.

[sly]

Yeah... if there's still teeth on the gear in the car, you're fine. I do think that's all iron gears you have pictured there.

[Arquemann]

Well, I took a file to the damn dizzy gears. 2-3 light passes with a old steel file made a clear mark with some depth. Most importantly, both gears acted the same. What a bunch of bullshit, cast gears that match the look of a steel gear. Try to identify that without destructive measures for fucks sake.
I'll still check the gear on the cam before going on with this.

[sly]

If the gear is iron... the cam is safe. If the previous ones aren't near to dust already, the cam gear should be iron. Save a gear off an old one just in case though if you really want.

[Arquemann]

Today was the main shopping day lol. A bunch of stuff. Over 400€, which kinda sucks, but it's like 3 tanks of fuel. Waait that makes it even more depressing...
- Weiand Street Warrior intake (aka the cheapest dual plane I could find in Finland)
- Edelbrock divided carb insulator
- Carb studs
- 2+2 pin HEI module
- 1/2" NPT to 3/4" heater hose fitting (could only find the straight piece, wouldn't mind a 45° or 90°)
- 3/4" / 19mm heater hose (the foulest smelling rubber product I've ever witnessed...)
- 8mm ethanol rated fuel line
- 2x 8mm fuel line T-pieces (one for pressure check)
- 2x Holley fuel bowl to 6AN fittings
- 2x 6AN to 8mm hose fittings (cheaper than direct fuel bowl to hose fittings...)
- Hose clamps for fuel lines and heater hoses
- 10x wrong wheel nuts
- A pack of copper crush washers (because the damn chineeeese AN fitting didn't come with them)

I still need RTV, a proper drain pan and the fuel pressure regulator. Reg is coming after easter.
Everything else I should be able to scrounge up from dad's garage.

Almost everything to put together a 4bbl LoPo, a MePo? NoPo? SloPo?


I should be able to get the car from storage tomorrow. I'll do some little things on the weekend and next week, provided the weather allows.
I'll get the car to the annual inspection next week, a little early so I'm not in a hurry to finish the carb conversion.

[Arquemann]

I wonder if I could use o-rings on the fuel bowl fittings, as the metric crush washers don't quite fit the 7/8" thread fittings...

[sly]

Probably not. If nothing else, it's worth a shot, but I wouldn't be surprised if it leaks.