Well I have decided to go with a plan of attack..... This was brought about by trying to start the 57 after a few months of sitting in the garage. I went out to start it and the Fan Belt was squealing away..Then I smelled Gas and looked under the hood and the Holley Carb was spewing gas from about every gasket on the carb!! So I shut it down and came into the house and worked on a plan of attack...and here it is:
Let me start by saying that the current engine (1969 4 bolt main 350) has a knock that might be a timing chain or rod or even badly ticking lifters so I am just going to rebuild it, but I have a business trip planned that I leave on tomorrow, so this plan will start when I get back in two weeks.
I have already have a dual quad Edelbrock tunnel ram manifold that I am eventually going to run, but for the time being I am going to order a dependable Edelbrock 600 CFM Carb to replace the leaking like a sieve Holley Carb! Thats so I can get the car back on the road with a minimal cash outlay! I already have a new Gas Tank and Sender as well as a new (from Tank to Fuel Pump) gas line that I will install as well! That will enable me to have a clean fuel system and a drivable car as soon as I get back. I also have a new Alternator setup to replace the stock generator that I want to install and make sure it works as well before I tear down to rebuild! I called a friend that lives about 30 miles away (that's why I needed to gt the car running) who has a nice garage with a lift and cherry picker that said I can use some space to pull my engine.
So in two weeks I plan on removing the Dog house (Whole front-end), Pulling the 350 and taking the heads and block to a local machine shop. I have a new Comp Cams Thumper Series Cam and Lifters that I will install and I also have the matching set of Valve Springs that I will have the machine guy use when he does the heads. I also have a loud timing gear set to give them as well. While the engine is out getting done I will be able to clean and detail the firewall and the front frame rails. The Machine shop charges about 800 dollars to put together the short block and another 200 for the heads and to install the heads on the short block and do the valve adjustments a set the timing at TDC for ease of dropping in he new MSD Distributor I already have (along with the new MSD 6AL box I got for Xmas!!). That way I just need to bolt on the manifold (It already has an edelbrock aluminum manifold), and install the newly rebuilt engine and start her up (Sounds easy when ya say it...LOL)! Once the engine is broken in I will then replace the Stock exhaust manifolds with the fender well headers I have as well as replace the single edelbrock carb and manifold with the dual quad tunnel ram I have using 2 450 cfm holley tunnel ram carbs!
So thats the plan....what do ya'll think? Cant wait to get started..I will add some build photos once I get started..especially some before and after shots. But dont worry there will also be some during shots as well!!!
