I'll admit I was a bit hesitant to buy a new engine from you since you are on the west coast and I had not ever heard of you before. But after hearing how satisfied my friend Rick and a few others were with the engines you built for them, I decided to roll the dice.
This past Saturday I finally got all the kinks worked out, fixxed all the leaks and tuned the new engine to the point where I could actually drive her on the highways and byways.
Let me tell you, I have had three classic cars over the years that I considered "strong", but on Saturday morning I entered a new realm and experienced something I never have before....Unlimited Power!
Although I kept her under 4K RPM for the work-in mileage, I continuously spinned wheels when shifting into 1st, 2nd and even 3RD!!! I can probably spin them going into 4TH but didn't want to push it just yet. I could tap the gas pedal while cruising at 70 MPH and the power will snap your neck and push you back into your seat. At 70 MPH!
I for one have never driven a car with power like this, and I just wanted to publicly thank you for building this for me. This was money well spent and I appreciate your work and your support.
'68 428 HO M3 Monster, 4-on-the-floor! Need I say more?
nash, I'm hoping for the same results. My motor will be done in two weeks. I have my M21 in the shop as well being completely rebuilt and my distributor is also being reworked. I hope to have similar results as you are experiencing...
You've worked hard to be able to write that letter Nash. Through all the headaches and grief, you now see the reward is in fact priceless! Congratulations!
Great letter John. I think this should be a good learning experience for all of us. What I take away from it is that a good healthy engine will suit most of us for our cars. We don't need radical builds or super high compression to make our cars fast. Just a mildly built 'healthy engine'. Nothing complicated, nothing high tech. Just an engine that does what it's supposed to do, fire consistently on all 8. I'm hoping that your highly documented experience will 'rub off' on some that think that there needs to be something very different from a stock build to make a fast Bird. You have proven that if you follow 'the road well traveled' that you will get there with a wide smile. Thanks for sharing all of this and especially for being a 'Pathfinder' for all of us.
Nash, way to go. It's momemts like this that keep us motivated and excited as we work on our birds. All your question, info & problems have answered many questions for me as I get closer to finishing my car. Thanks, Brian
It's always great to hear something like this. Like Brian said, your saga has helped others here probably more than you know. Glad it has all worked out for you. Break it in gently and than have some fun.
Tim
68' Firebird 400 convertible, numbers matching, solar red w/ deluxe parchment interior. 66' Pontiac Ventura Hardtop 66' Pontiac Catalina Convertible
It was indeed a painful project, almost five months long. I'm still on cloud nine from the driving experience this past weekend. What a blast it is to have power like this.
'68 428 HO M3 Monster, 4-on-the-floor! Need I say more?
I'm so deep into this 428 build I can't think straight. Talking with All Pontiac, Wallace, Butler, Crane, and a few other engine shops on componets and machining, with each having their own idea of how they'd do it. It's enough to make your head spin. Just thinking about driving it seems such a loooooong way off.
But, after talking with the Tech guy at Crane, and after running the numbers and picking a cam, lifters, rockers, springs, etc... all he could say was: "Whoa, I want to ride in this thing" I said: "ME TOO"
So yeah... I Hate you!!! Jealous actually.
Wanting a Custom fit in an off the rack world.
I don't have time for a job, I just need the money.
HO, I got deep into it at first too, and then finally realized the information and knowledge was above my level of expertise. So I instead went with a builder that knew what I wanted and could afford, and I trusted him to make all the build decisions for the new block.
As for the future rebuild of the original block, I'll be more involved in that process later this year once I've saved up enough cash.
'68 428 HO M3 Monster, 4-on-the-floor! Need I say more?
I'm waiting on a little more feedback from one vendor, then I'll contact Butler again just to see what their lead time is on either the whole engine, bottom end or maybe just the heads. Plenty to do on the car while I wait, just want to get the injun moving forward.
Here's the list so far. RA-V 4 bolt block honed to 4.125 Forged 4" stroke crank Eagle H beam rods Ross Pistons, shooting for around 10:1 Crane or Crower Hyd Roller cam 1.65 roller rockers #48 heads CC matched with SS valves Melling oil pump Canton oil pan Misc items to be determined but I plan on staying with my dual quad intake and Carter Carbs.
Some of this is a little deep for me mainly because I no longer have a shop I'm familiar with like the old days. And race shops are very hard to get into, about like a specialist doctor, you need a referral. Before I was mixing stock parts, now I'm deep into aftermarket and using BBC rods and pistons in a Pontiac.
But if I take any of it to Butler I may swing on up to Nashville and check out your bird. Give me a ride?
Wanting a Custom fit in an off the rack world.
I don't have time for a job, I just need the money.
You don't really get a longblock build sheet from this builder. You tell him what you want and expect out of the new build, and he makes all the specific decisions and provides a price quote. I'll take a look and see what he sent me paperwork-wise, but I'm pretty sure its not very detailed other than maybe heads and cam info.
'68 428 HO M3 Monster, 4-on-the-floor! Need I say more?
Geesh Merv, let me at least get to the 500-mile break-in point!
I can't afford to rebuild the original engine right now. Had to replace the house AC/Heater last week. That means we'll be living off Hotdog soup and Wish sandwiches for a while.
'68 428 HO M3 Monster, 4-on-the-floor! Need I say more?
Okay. Let me know when you have about 510 miles on it. I can drive the bird over to your house, and we can load the engine in the trunk. The previous owner hauled heads, blocks, whatever culch around, so the car is use to being an ox.
Better yet, we could install the engine in my car while I was at your house. Dat way, I could leave my engine so that you still had a core.
Ingredients: 3 c. boiling water 3 c. diced potatoes 1 onion, chopped finely 3 chicken bullion cubes 1 c. light cream 1 c. milk 3 T. butter or margarine 1 t. salt 1/2 t. pepper 1/2 -1 lb hot dogs
Wish Sandwich Two slices of Wonder Bread liberally coated on one side(both slices) with Miracle Whip. Take a slice of iceburg lettuce and place it between the slices of bread. That's it, enjoy.
Originally Posted By Dave's White Rock '68 Droptop
Ingredients: 3 c. boiling water 3 c. diced potatoes 1 onion, chopped finely 3 chicken bullion cubes 1 c. light cream 1 c. milk 3 T. butter or margarine 1 t. salt 1/2 t. pepper 1/2 -1 lb hot dogs
Geez, you guys really have the money, using hot dogs and other stuff "in" your soup, WOW. Hot dog soup where I come from is the water after you boil the hot dogs. We call it "dog broth" and eat it the next day.
Wanting a Custom fit in an off the rack world.
I don't have time for a job, I just need the money.
I think it was the Blue's brothers who promoted the wish sandwich: The recipie for the wish sandwich is: Along with the hotdog soup you wish you had a sandwich---yukyukyuk!
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