1969 GTX....The T stands for tetanus

[69 GTX]

Yes it mounts to tranny I had to grind just a little bit of the housing to get it to mate up. I was on the back side where you couldn't see.

 

[69 GTX]

Post 745 on my thread

 

[threewood]

Oh, and I did get the quarter emblem holes drilled and the GTX emblems fit. They are not permanent yet as I still need to cut buff so they are just sitting there for now.

 

[threewood]

 

[69 GTX]

I would run a tap through the adjuster just to clean them up, always did that on mine.

 

[threewood]

Heads are apart...

Here are a few before and after pictures of blending the bowl into the seat. As they arrived, there were some spots that that were touched up with a rotary tool but also mismatched and stepped transitions to the seat.

These are after an acorn shaped cutter. I will clean them up with sanding rolls, keeping some texture on the intake side.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

 

[threewood]

Here are a couple shots after hitting the casting flash will sanding rolls. Again, just clean up not a hog out race head. I try to get the exhaust smoothed up, the intake I remove flash but leave the surface as is.

Short turn I sand by hand, er or by finger, using sticky backed 180 grit. Just to make sure the transition is fluid and smooth.

 

[threewood]

Ugh, ordered a set of Cometic head gaskets to the tune of $172.00. I sure hope they work as well as the amount they cost. I needed a set at .030" compressed to achieve a quench of .039". I was real tempted to just jam in the cheap Fel-pros that I have out in the garage

 

[Glenwood]

precision comes at a cost!

 

[threewood]

precision comes at a cost!

Yep, no way around it. I am surprised Fel-pro doesnt make gaskets in different thicknesses. Seems like there would be a market for them. At least the Cometics are re-usable.

 

[vintage chromoly]

Make sure the RA is correct on the block and head surfaces for the MLS gaskets.

 

[threewood]

Make sure the RA is correct on the block and head surfaces for the MLS gaskets.

Is there an easy way to check? Smoother is better for these, correct?

 

[threewood]

After cleaning the head, I went back and evaluated the installed height and read about a different way to measure. So I tried it and think it worked pretty good. I filed a nail to length at 1.880" and used it to get a measurement and marked the valves with a check or x. It seems way more accurate than dial calipers. They were all pretty close, but for the ones where my nail gauge didn't fit, I removed the spring seat and sanded it down. Worked pretty slick.

Then I pulled the inner spring from the 440Source stock springs and installed to use as break in springs. The new Hughes spec'd springs are beefy!

How I rigged the spring compressor to work on the bench

Hughes spring...

Finally, I test fit my rocker arms and mounting hardware. It will need to come off as i am going to make cuts on the oiling holes in the shaft to get lubrication on the entire rocker surface. I guess people call this a banana cut.

 

[threewood]

I think I enjoyed replacing rust more than working on the engine lol. This stuff is tedious.

I received and installed my Cometic .030" headgaskets so I finished setting up my valve spring installed height. The heads were set-up for 1.775" installed height, mine required 1.880". I had started grinding down the original cups but said "screw it!" so I ordered thinner spring seats. For the most part they were all within .006 to .008". There were a few from .010" to .012" so I shimmed it with, ehm, a homemade .005" shim lol. See below.

Here are my modified rocker shafts. The cuts provide oil out to the edges of the rockers.

And setting up the rockers to order pushrods...

 

[threewood]

 

[Glenwood]

Nice engineering!

 

[69 GTX]

If that's a aluminum can shim it will not hold up to the spring, and will turn into a mess!

 

[68GTXNH]

If that's a aluminum can shim it will not hold up to the spring, and will turn into a mess!

ya i was thinking the same thing, once it warms up, under that pressure, in short order it will grind into a pulp thats the consistency of half hardened 10 minutes epoxy. and it will get into everything. if your going to make shims you outta get a piece of hardened spring steel or stainless shim stock. a place like mcmaster or msc sells it dirt cheap. https://www.mcmaster.com/#shim-stock/=175y2d0 6"X50" spring steel thats .005 is only 18 bucks. well worth a little money to save all the work you put into the motor. even better, get actual shim washers that thickness already the size you need.
https://www.mcmaster.com/#round-shims/=175y3ce

 

[68GTXNH]

i also want to recommend, there are far better beers out there than rocky mountain goat piss.

 

[threewood]

Well crap, learn something new. Considering that chinese head is probably made from beer cans....lol. I ordered some spring steel. I don't understand why the thinnest factory spring shim made is .015", especially when it can be set up much closer than that.