Okay. Got the fuel tank back in. Got all the ignition wiring done. Found a way to properly install my idiot lights. Cranked for oil pressure, put the prom in, put all the fuses in, key on for fuel pressure. I can hear the pump whirring, so that's a good thing. Checked the schrader at the rail and I have fuel ( with pressure.) Boy, you can smell the varnish! That worries me a bit more as the injectors might be sticky. Now, I know I said I'd take video of the first fire up, but I want to crank it to see if it would even catch. So I crank. Very tiny signs of life. Mechanics 101. Check for fuel, check for spark. I do two birds with one stone, I throw some ether down the throat. Yeah, it has spark. It kicks over good. So those injectors must be stuck.
I spray ether and crank, spray either and crank, etc. It's actually to the point where it will start on its own and idle roughly. But there are still some stuck injectors. Between the heat and the work, I'm feeling pretty beat. Me hands hurt a bunch too. So, I have it on a rough idle and you can really hear the air draw through that K&N filter. I can also hear a knock coming from the passenger lower area??? Remember, I'm on the West coast, and I bought the engine / trans from back East. Supposedly good condition with only 88k on it. I haven't run this enough to really warm it up. I also still have a little more cooling system work to do. Set up the fan, find a place for the temp sender and install the overflow. So I really don't want to run it just yet until I can see what the temp is.
The engine showed up dry but the old filter with oil still in it was on it. I still have that old filter. So I cut it open to see the contents. No metal, nothing abnormal. Definitely no bearing pieces. So, I need to do something about my cooling issues. Then I want to run that motor through a heat cycle, see if it will loosen some stuff up. Who knows what moisture or whatever got in there while it sat when I owned it. I mean, I kept it covered when it rained, but I did have the headers off and exposed throttle body. Maybe that "knock" will go away.
I'm tired. This was stuff I did over the past few days but today I spent the whole day not doing anything. Did I mention that I also worked on the dragster putting the blower back on, new header and some other stuff. Actually, today I measured stuff and started making my next parts list. And I managed to break the overflow nipple at the cap housing. Gonna have to fix that.
On a positive note, at one time I put it in gear and I could feel the transmission engage. That and the idiot lights look like they are working. The CEL goes out after the engine starts running and so does the generator / alternator light. I haven't checked voltage yet, but I'll take it as a good sign. Yes, it is the alternator that came with the motor.
