First drive around the block:

Wow, it seems like a lot more than a month or so since I put the motor in this car! I've gotten so much done and passed so many milestones! The anticipation until I can legally drive it is murder!

Shortly after I got the motor in I was able to install enough stuff to attempt to start it. I just wanted to prove that the ignition and fuel systems were working, making it actually run while wasn't that big a deal just yet. I had made some major modifications to the ignition system, and wasn't even sure that it would fire at all.

First of all I needed fuel and fire. I got it to start on starting fluid, so ignition was good. Wasn't getting gas to the pump, it turned out. I had five gallons of high octane in the tank, but it was dry at the filter. I worked it out to be a plug of rust and crud in the fuel line at a slight crimp in the line. I'm taking a strong guess that it might have been one of, if not the main, affliction of the previous owner and his fuel injection problems. 

Okay, now we have fuel and fire. Kinda hard to turn over at the very first, which isn't out of the ordinary, but after I had it running I couldn't find any evidence of oil pressure. I didn't have any at all! After some troubleshooting, I discovered that not all TR7 oil pumps are the same. The one that was in the engine had a drive shaft recess of about 3/4", not the 1" like the other one I had, and it caused the pump rotor to bind in the body. It was enough of a bind to twist the drive shaft in two! Good thing for spares!

You know, that magic moment of mechanical life when the right combination of fuel, fire and compression gather together to resurrect an engine that you've put months of time into has to be one of the greatest moments in a person's life. I was dancing around the garage in a cloud of smoke with a huge grin on my face. The mood was only temporarily spoiled while I scrambled to shut off the smoke detector!

But because I didn't have the radiator in yet I couldn't let it run long. I messed up the oil pressure gauge for the dash insert I had made all nice and pretty, so I don't have an exact pressure yet, but I suspect it's very healthy. I'll replace the oil pump with a less scored one that I've been sent, when I take other stuff apart for other repairs. Here's a shot of the gauge unit on the left side of the dash, but it doesn't fit quite like I hoped it to, so I'll eventually build another one.

I noticed that the carburetor starters (chokes) were leaking fuel all over the place, so I took the carbs down to my mechanic for evaluation. I found out that my choice of mounting nuts were just the ticket for being able to take the carbs off in under an hour! Very sweet. The carbs were pronounced good, and I put them back in as easily as I took them out. I had rebuilt the starter assemblies during the carb rebuild and installed them with the discs in upside down, causing fuel to get in, but not out the way it was supposed to, so it leaked.

After tweaking out and testing everything else that I could, I finally got a very nice radiator from Clifton Davis and then bought an electric fan. Made some brackets from aluminum angle and mounted the fan using the radiator mounting pins. I suspect that this ten-inch fan will be a tad too small for this engine, so if I replace the fan I may have to come up with a different mounting scheme. Check this out:

So now I've got everything else hooked up and looking good. I don't have the right battery yet; that's still on my shrinking list of things to do, and not much other than smog testing and a couple minor things like oil and exhaust leaks. You can see in the opposite corner of the engine bay the ignition coil mounted on top of the amplifier under the brake master cylinder. A little tight, but very clean and accessible. I hate having the coil down on the firewall where I can't get to it! The hoses are routed together very neatly by the alternator and the spark plug wires route behind the valve cover, under the fresh air duct, and forward to the plugs.

I finally identified the alternator; it's Lucas part number A2506, and Rimmers part number GXE2113 SUR, who says it's good to 75A. It doesn't seem to be in the ROM, from what I can tell. Supposedly used on A/C cars, but that isn't entirely true, obviously. The pulleys don't align quite right, so I'll have to figure out how to deal with that. That's also the alternator that Huw is in need of, I believe. I could see him lusting after it when he asked about it. So here's the obligatory shot with the doors and hood open. Huw is standing in for my current Little League hood prop, now resting on the top.

This car, having a higher than anticipated compression ration, has a LOT of power for a four-banger. My very first trip up the street left a very long strip of rubber behind from shot tires, and I'm trying to recreate that for the camera, but the camera was on the wrong side of the newer spinning tire! The exhaust system got taken out of the 76 donor car when the carb conversion was done, so it's also undersized for the engine, presenting me with potential for more horsepower when I eventually replace it. One of those things on that list to be fixed after the car is on the road. Balancing priorities is such a pain sometimes!

In a moment of mutual automotive admiration, Huw and I have created a menage-a-t'wedge. I'm envious of Huw's rocket, and he really likes my Spider, for some reason. That's my daily driver on the left, with more miles than all my other vehicles and the Spider put together. It shows! If I can get my wife to agree, I plan on using it for some further experimentation on cowl induction, FASD choke alternatives, and such. I think that this is the last year I have to pass smog on it, and that makes me glad. It runs a lot better than it looks!

For the first time since I got the car five years ago, we took the top down. I got proper training this time, which I've never had. The exposure of grime and gunk from sitting under trees before I got it has given me more stuff to clean. Obviously my work on this car will never be done. Haven't driven it since I took the top down, though, that honor was saved for my wife, for all those months of slaving away in the house in the evenings while I hunkered down in the garage on this all-consuming project. The photo with the top down didn't take, for some reason, but here's a couple nice shots of the whole car.

Awhile back the subject came up on the list of a cardboard part that fit between the lower radiator support and the valence panel, but the factory parts book shows no such critter. I have scraps of a plastic sheet called Sintra around the house from my original hobby (robotics) that I made this with. Sintra is a rigid plastic foam sheet that comes in 3 and 6mm sizes in assorted colors. I cut this to fit between the noted parts and used two screws into holes already in the valence to help force additional air into the radiator. I painted it black to blend in. I used another piece of it the stuff to replace the cardboard piece on the right side of the radiator and cut a hole in it for working out a method of using that same ram air effect to feed the air cleaner box. 

Lastly, if anyone knows a Laurie Anne (C?) Stanton-Tooker, I'm interested in letting her know that this was her car and is being lovingly taken care of like she wanted. Last I heard, when we got the car, she would be in Washington State or California. I hope that she would be proud of what I've done to her baby.