It's been awful long time since last post. But folks, I have a good explanation. I've been busy. Ha ha, yes, I've been. Lots of time consuming things going on and not the least time consuming one is my daily driver. My loved work horse the '67 valiant started to make some weird knocking noise while under load and the noise gets louder around engines peak torque RPM. My educated ques was connecting rod bearing. I could have bet for connecting rod bearing, but ques what? Was it the cr bearing? Was it? Noup. It was not. I didn't have time nor will to defuse the leaning tower of power, so I just drop in new cr bearing while it was open and hope for best. It is probably wrist pin, but you never know. I must build me another engine and when it's done, I just drop it in some weekend. I need this car everyday...
No matter how busy I am, there is always some time for Alea iacta est. I've been fabricating right side inner fender and I got as it done just today! It actually feels pretty awesome as it wast the last and final piece of sheet metal needed for Signet once so poor rusted body. Not all the welding and cutting and grinding is done, but only front upper control arm mounting ears are missing and I would not consider them as sheet metal parts. So, we're almost there. I can almost touch the victory line!! But I'm not gonna celebrate before I really am beyond the sweet black and white.
No matter how busy I am, there is always some time for Alea iacta est. I've been fabricating right side inner fender and I got as it done just today! It actually feels pretty awesome as it wast the last and final piece of sheet metal needed for Signet once so poor rusted body. Not all the welding and cutting and grinding is done, but only front upper control arm mounting ears are missing and I would not consider them as sheet metal parts. So, we're almost there. I can almost touch the victory line!! But I'm not gonna celebrate before I really am beyond the sweet black and white.

Not related to Alea iacta est really, but I wanted to share this with you guys. As told before, I need to build a new engine for my daily driver Valiant. Actually, I already started to working at it. As a natural choice, it is a slant six, the omnipotent leaning tower of power. 225 cid forged crank unit. I ordered some parts from summit racing and now I'm just waiting for my parts to arrive. There will be some forged Wiseco pistons, H-beam connecting rods, high performance camshaft along with suitable valve train components and more. I've been thinking whether to use the existing intake manifold and turbo hedders compo or building a new one. The time will tell, but in the meantime I decided to do some head work. I reshaped the combustion chambers a little bit and added some polishing on it.
The head will also have over size 1.70"/1,44" stainless steel valves installed with hard valve seats on exhaust side. When reshaping the chambers it is good idea to measure and re-size them to be exactly the same shape and size. The combustion chamber on this head are 62cc (original is 54cc) and there is less than 0,5cc difference between smallest and largest. Syringe and a piece of clear plastic are handy tools to measure the cc's. I use some heavy grease to seal up the plastic cover plate to head and valves to their seats while measuring.
The head will also have over size 1.70"/1,44" stainless steel valves installed with hard valve seats on exhaust side. When reshaping the chambers it is good idea to measure and re-size them to be exactly the same shape and size. The combustion chamber on this head are 62cc (original is 54cc) and there is less than 0,5cc difference between smallest and largest. Syringe and a piece of clear plastic are handy tools to measure the cc's. I use some heavy grease to seal up the plastic cover plate to head and valves to their seats while measuring.