Car keeps stalling after changing lifters and push rods?

[miller]

The manifold is Sealed using only sealant - no gaskets......

Good, or bad, I'll toss out a couple ideas, too. No manifold gaskets?
Though my 440 has iron heads, I also mounted a crossram. Made my own gaskets, using rubberized material, cork front and rear, and seals great. My intake is a slightly used 63 model, that had a repaired cracked port boss, that was not un-common on these manifolds. Torqued mine at 30 foot pounds.
Kinda sounds like your seal gave way.
MSD distributor, okay, same dif. I'm running Mallory dual point, guessing built by MSD, not real pleased with it. Mine has way too much end play on the cam shaft, that can play heck against the carbon button. Might be something to check, pull the cap, grab the rotor, and see how much up/down play you have. Going to go into mine, and shim as needed, to make mine right, no more than .020...right now, about .250!

Never been in a carb? First thing you should do, is pull the tops off both carbs, and check float adjustments. Both my new Eddys, I had to re-adjust all four floats.
If I had not 'operated' on both my carbs, I would have been stuck routing my fuel lines, like on yours. Yes, your's works, but wonder how close the pass side filter is from the exhaust manifold.

 

[Dk440]

"The manifold is Sealed using only sealant - no gaskets......."

That was what my engine builder told me, when I picked up my engine a year ago, because he could not get the supplied gaskets to fit - but that it should not be a problem!? He came highly recommended from several people I know, but now all evidence shows, that he does not know, what he is doing. I guess I will have to make that right also!

Now - in light of recent events - it is my turn to toss up a question. If I am to take intake and carbs off, and maybe also dig into the carbs, it will easily set me back $700 here in DK, and hence I am seriously thinking of going single plane ( Performer RPM ) and single 850 carb in stead which will be in the same Price range. I know, the dual carb setup looks cool, but is extremely hard to start/drive when Cold, and since I only drive it on the street, a single carb would be the better choice. What really has made me jump the trigger and go single carb numerous times, is the fact, that with solid lifters I have to remove the valvecovers and adjust lash every once in a while, and for that I have to remove the left side exhaust-manifold for the valvecover to clear the x-ram manifold.........which is a pain every time due to no Space at all. And if the lash is to Loose, you have to do it all over Again.
Thougths?

 

[miller]

If I am to take intake and carbs off, and maybe also dig into the carbs, it will easily set me back $700 here in DK

I'd have to ask why it would cost anything?
Besides the cost of gasket material, it's all labor. My labor is cheap, but stuff I've done most of my life. Opening those carbs is nothing, but a little work, and running a rig like that, think you'd want to know more about it all.

Yep, feel for you, on having to adjust valves, now and then, and what you have to pull to get to it. (probably why I used a hydraulic cam!) On mine, to pull valve covers, yeah, either exhaust manifolds, or the intake itself...right now, intake is on the bench.

But, you make a good point on intakes, there's easier choices. And completely up to you. I'm sure some of the other guys will chime in. But, I'll toss in, you've got an impressive ride sitting there! For anything, depends on how bad you want it.

Best of luck, which ever way you decide!

 

[Dk440]

I'd have to ask why it would cost anything?
Besides the cost of gasket material, it's all labor. My labor is cheap, but stuff I've done most of my life. Opening those carbs is nothing, but a little work, and running a rig like that, think you'd want to know more about it all.

Yep, feel for you, on having to adjust valves, now and then, and what you have to pull to get to it. (probably why I used a hydraulic cam!) On mine, to pull valve covers, yeah, either exhaust manifolds, or the intake itself...right now, intake is on the bench.

But, you make a good point on intakes, there's easier choices. And completely up to you. I'm sure some of the other guys will chime in. But, I'll toss in, you've got an impressive ride sitting there! For anything, depends on how bad you want it.

Best of luck, which ever way you decide!

A carb rebuild kit is $300-350 here x2 + gaskets and free labor. It may not cost anything but chances are it will.
Because the x-ram is "true" to the car, I kept it when having the engine rebuilt a year ago.........but have regretted it pretty much ever since due to the facts mentioned earlier. They look cool as hell, but have read tests, that show, that they are seriously ineffecient in both power and - well, even gas-mileage ( if that is a concern ).

I dont know - maybe I am just so fed up with it at the moment..........

I am learning as I go along, but it is difficult, when everyone I know drives a 350 Chevy or 351 Ford and no one really knows much about Mopars - especially x-rams ( only one in the country ).

Thanks for the compliment, though.

 

[miller]

A carb rebuild kit is $300-350 here x2 + gaskets and free labor.

Wow.

For what it's worth, it's rare to pull a carb out of the box, and everything adjusted right. Yep, dual fours=double the fun!
Pulling the tops on those Eddys is a common sense thing, plus some luck, holding your mouth right... But, can be done right on the engine. Hardest thing is not breaking the gasket! Loosen the screws, and gently lift the tops, working with the gaskets to come off with the tops. Gaskets are needed with the tops, to measure float adjustments, anyway, both up and down.
Now...make me feel REAL bad, after all that, floats are spot on! Mine were way off.

My bet is, your getting the bad run, from air getting pulled in from the leaky manifold seal.

 

[Frustration]

I'll throw out a solution to a similar problem I had on my '64. Ran perfectly, until all the sudden it shut off. It wouldn't start until it cooled down, but wouldn't run correctly. i replaced all of my electrical components from coil, volt regulator, ballast resistor. Found out the spark was there, but it was very weak. My go-to electrical guru told me to replace my new condenser (inside my dual point distributor) with an old one from an old unit. I did and it's worked perfectly since. Don't give up on the x-ram. It's the coolest intake you could have...especially in your part of the world. Good luck.

 

[Ski 61701]

When you mention it "popped" it sounds like a back fire. Depending on how loud your pop was you couldve loosened up a core plug on the manifold, it can happen but not likely hence my suggestion of using unlit propane torch to isolate any vacuum leaks.
Hate to say it but I would pull the intake and clean that gasket sealer off. Look at the intake faces of the heads and intake itself to see if they have been milled.
After you clean the silicone off, put the intake back on and put a couple of intake bolts back in and snug them down gently. Then take your feeler gauges and see how much clearance you have on the other side, meaninging between the intake and cylinder head. I then do the same thing to the other side. While you have everything cleaned up also look at the intake angle and look at head intake angle, they should be parallel. If not you may have have a machinist look at things to figure out what needs to be cut and how much. I think Hughes engines has an article on how to check the angles.
You need to have gasket paper between intake and head. I've made my own its not hard just time consuming, I would think gasket paper would be reasonable since its made in the EU and you wouldnt need the vat added to your project.
My guess is your silicone intake gasket was marginal at best in the beginning, just now its failed completely I would not be suprised if some of it got sucked into the intake.
Either way its not a hard task, if you can change a cam n push rods, making gaskets is easy.
Popping the top off of a carter carb is easy just remember to remove metering rods so you don't bend them.
Send some pics once you tear into it, plenty of knowledgeable people here to help you. My feeling is once you seal the intake correctly you will be happy with the performance.

 

[miller]

Maybe some help. It is a need to know, if and how much cutting was done on either deck (block), or head surfaces. Aluminum heads, doubt they were cut, but need a starting point, plus head gasket thickness. In other words, more or less from stock, since all that changes intake surface distance, head to head.
Don't recall exact number, but for those intakes, 'stock' intake gaskets are around .040" thick. My homemade, two layers, came out at .035" thick, for ports and bolt holes to line up. Used two layers, so a SS block off plate could be added for heat crossovers.

Not rocket science, just common sense, to make things right.

 

[Dk440]

Thanks for all the great advice so far. I will remove the intake and go from there and then decide which route to take. What size torx is used for the manifold plugs? - not in my tool box at the moment.

 

[moobster]

Thanks for all the great advice so far. I will remove the intake and go from there and then decide which route to take. What size torx is used for the manifold plugs? - not in my tool box at the moment.

The plugs are not Torx. I use a 1\2" drive extension from a ratchet set.

 

[Ski 61701]

Thanks for all the great advice so far. I will remove the intake and go from there and then decide which route to take. What size torx is used for the manifold plugs? - not in my tool box at the moment.

Make sure when you remove the plugs they have o rings on them. If they don't buy some and re install the plugs. If o rings are missing they will cause you grief with mini vacuum leaks

 

[Dk440]

1/2" extension fit perfect.......WHO knew?!

Make sure when you remove the plugs they have o rings on them. If they don't buy some and re install the plugs. If o rings are missing they will cause you grief with mini vacuum leaks

I will check for O-rings - thanks.

 

[moobster]

1/2" extension fit perfect.......WHO knew?!

At the very least, 2 of us.....now

 

[dvw]

Not sure this will work with your manifolds. Years ago I rounded the bottom of the outer carb mounting ears on my crossram. This allowed the valve cover to be rotated outward during removal. Might be worth al look. Didn't take much material removal.
Doug

 

[Dk440]

Not sure this will work with your manifolds. Years ago I rounded the bottom of the outer carb mounting ears on my crossram. This allowed the valve cover to be rotated outward during removal. Might be worth al look. Didn't take much material removal.
Doug

Not sure if it will give me enogh clearance, but definately worth looking in to. Thanks for the tip