My 74 'Cuda

[vinb]

Not to change the subject, but does that car have a Dana in it ?...very nice, let the games begin....

[74 340 4speed]

yes, yes it does.

[rr74cuda]

 

[Bullitt-]

Just a thought as I was looking at your pics. The ECU looks like it hasn't been touched, the ground comes from the mount to the body, rust/corrosion will prohibit a good ground so you might want to remove & burnish the mounting points. Also clean the ECU's plug & harness connections, use dielectric grease to enhance the connection. The back of the ECU should be filled with a jelly-like substance that insulates the electronics, on my OE unit that had melted away.
 

[74 340 4speed]

Thanks for the tips.  I will definately do this.  Still have one question though.  What should I set the initial timing to on this motor?  I looked in the tune up manual at the parts store, and it said 5* BTDC for a 340 4 barrel with electronic ignition.  However, my motor is far from stock.  High compression, huge solid lift cam ect.......  Should I advance the timing some or keep it at that spec?

[MEK-Dangerfield]

Thanks for the tips.  I will definately do this.  Still have one question though.  What should I set the initial timing to on this motor?  I looked in the tune up manual at the parts store, and it said 5* BTDC for a 340 4 barrel with electronic ignition.  However, my motor is far from stock.  High compression, huge solid lift cam ect.......  Should I advance the timing some or keep it at that spec?

I would start at 10* BTDC, and work from there. you might have to advance it a few degrees from there, but you will be close.


  Mike

[74 340 4speed]

thanks MEK-Dangerfield.  When I get the timing tape, I will use that as my starting point.  I changed the plugs in the motor yesterday and it seemed to run alot better.  What plugs do you typically run in a motor like this?  I put some champion 404's in it.  This is what the computer at advance auto called for for a 1970 340.  The old champion number is R12YJC or something like that.  What plugs do you guys run in your motors? 

[74 340 4speed]

Well I've worked on the car quite a bit this week.  I installed a complete new brake line kit from inline tubing, which fit great and put all new hardware inside my rear brake drums. I have brakes! I fabricated a battery tray for it at work out of some 1/8" steel until I can get a new inner fender put in so that there is solid metal to attach the factory battery tray to.  I finally got around to checking the ratio in my Dana today.  4.10 Posi!!!   I put new gear oil in it and my 4 speed, and played around with the timing a little bit today and got the car running great.  However, I noticed an oil leak at the base of my distributor, and shut the car off.  I took out the distributor, put a new gasket in place, but I never could get the car to fire back up after I reinstalled the distributor.  I put it back in exactly the way I took it out.  I don't know what happened.  Its like it doesn't want to get fire now.  The plug-ins on my distributor and wiring harness are clean.  It will fire every now and then while i'm turning it over, but never long enough to keep the car running.    I get so close to carrying this thing out on the road and now this happens. 

[360 'CUDA]

Sounds like the slot on the distributer is 180 degrees off but maybe a wire got pulled out ?
 

[74 340 4speed]

That's what I'm going to try next.  I figured that's about the only other thing it could be.  I got frustrated yesterday and just pushed the car back under the carport.  I guess I'll get to work on it again on monday afternoon. 

[74 340 4speed]

Well, I got off of work early today so I had time to work on the Cuda!  I took off the distributor cap first to find that my rotor button had eaten itself up inside the cap.   I pulled the distributor out and checked where the rotor button slides in that groove.  It turns out that it was machined incorrectly and wouldn't allow the rotor button to seat properly. After I took the distributor back to the parts store, I got another one, and it was machined correctly.  I put it in the car along with a new rotor and cap and it fired right up.     The car runs like it is supposed to now.  It's easy to crank, and will hold its idle right off the bat without me having to stay in there with it.     Maybe tomorrow afternoon I can take it for a test drive after all!!!  If I remember I'll take my digital camera with me to record the car's first return trip to the pavement in over 25 years.   Thanks for the help everyone.

[Bullitt-]

machined wrong ?   WTF is up with that.. all this time & you had a bad distrubutor.. what kind? 

[74 340 4speed]

one of those remanufactured types from Auto Zone.  I was going to buy it at Advance Auto since I work there but we were out of stock at the time.  Man I wished I had waited a couple of days to get the one from our store.  The rotor button has a small rib inside it that slides down into the grove on the shaft.  The distributor I took back wasn't clearanced correctly on the inside of the shaft and wouldn't allow the rotor to fully seat.  Oh well.  Its fixed now and it runs good!   Test drive video will come later this week.  Stay tuned.

[74 340 4speed]

Well I worked on the car a good bit today.  Got about 8 hours in.  I pressure washed the motor yesterday, and today I took off the intake because I had a bad oil leak at the back of it.  After I got it off, I went ahead and took my old headers off.  I bought a set of hooker headers earlier this week so I thought I would go ahead and replace those too.  I painted the engine, bellhousing, and intake before I put everything back together, and I think it made a big difference.  Next week I'm going to take the pulleys and fan off and repaint those black and touch up the light spots on the front of the motor, and clean the overspray I got on my hoses off.  Here is a before and after picture.  I think it made a big difference.