[DeTomaso] Exhaust "Popping"

[Donny Williams]

I would check you collector gaskets next....

I will be honest with you.... I am not getting alot of confidence from this 
builder you have.  Sounds to me like they just handed you a completed short 
block and maybe threw your heads back on.  You cannot check piston to valve 
without the heads or as you know the Rockers your using!   If they did not 
index your cam, they probably threw it in "Straight up for you"  Afterall, 
its adjustable so they must be leaving that adjustment up to you.  Did you 
go with a new Cam or use the old one?   A new different grind "Could" 
require a different pushrod length.....

If you had a good builder this stuff would not be being discussed here, and 
they would have provided you back some "Spec Paperwork" on the entire build 
and setup.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for you, that these guys are 
better then I fear they our.....

We have one good builder in Portland (Precision) owners is Craig.   If you 
walk into a shop and you do not see race engines, Boat engines, all in a row 
with superchargers on the shelf that is a pretty good indication that a 
builders specialty is primarily production 350 street use Chevys......and 
that is when you run away!

Do not let these guys touch that 421 Poncho you have..... There are special 
boring plates you need to make sure they have.....And Poncho's have lots of 
little tricks to then with Valve angles the Chevy builder knows nothing 
about!  Ask me, I had a Chevy Builder screw up a RAM AIR 3 for me several 
years ago.... Its cheaper to pay more to a Pro with history, then it is to 
have something rebuilt twice by a Larry Duane shop!

Donny

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Courtney" <dfcex at pacbell.net>
To: "Donny Williams" <Donnylee at ccwebster.net>
Cc: <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 6:52 AM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Exhaust "Popping"


> The popping DID stop with the new gaskets. Turns out the guy who installed 
> my engine used 2bbl gaskets AND they were all blown out from loose bolts 
> (?) Also, the fuel pressure regulator was set to 3.5 psi.
> Now I just have a backfire after hard decelaration EXACTLY when I touch 
> the gas pedal again. Any ideas on that? Too rich? A leak elsewhere in the 
> exhaust system?
> It looks like I'll at least get The Winged Warrior out to Vegas but no 
> such luck for "The Beast". The engine shop gave me an assembled short 
> block around 7PM but it was missing some parts. We worked on the WW until 
> 5 AM anyway so it would have been overwhelming to try completing the block 
> assembly, adjusting the valves and installing the engine. Plus I'm not 
> certain they set the cam timing correct. They swapped out a 3 position 
> timing chain set for my adjustable belt drive and without installing any 
> rockers I don't know how they could have correctly set the cam timing / 
> valve to piston clearance.
> A few years back I would have run with it and hit the track but I've had 
> too many engines blow this past year.
> I'll just have to settle for some mellow laps in the WW (hopefully).
> Dan
>
> Dan F. Courtney
>
>
> Excalibur Commercial Real Estate Services
> La Jolla, CA
>
> Phone (858) 551-5455
> Fax (858) 551-5456
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Donny Williams" <Donnylee at ccwebster.net>
> To: "Dan Courtney" <dfcex at pacbell.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 7:56 AM
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Exhaust "Popping"
>
>
>> The popping will stop when you put new header gaskets in!  That IS the 
>> problem!   Let me know how it works out.
>>
>> Donny
>>
>
>
>