First engine fire - scared to death!

[Wadmin1021]

I have read some of the previous posts on this topic and have learned a few things, however I still need some help and clarification for our big day coming up!

We have a 440 4-barrel 0.030 over engine with a slightly beefed up cam, aluminum heads, mechanical fuel pump, Holley 750cfm 4160 carb all set in the car and hooked to TF auto trans. We are coming up on our first firing day. We have spent thousands of dollars, hours of time and a lot of blood, sweat and tears. We have NEVER done a full rebuild like this before. We know little about timing, tuning, or necessary steps needed to have a successful first start. What and how can we do this without messing anything up internally?

I have read on timing but it is so confusing. We built the entire motor ourselves so we can learn but don't know where to begin. We know to prime the motor with drill bit where distrib goes. We already primed the oil pump before installing. We know not to let the engine idle, but how do we set timing? What are the best settings to assure firing on first (or second) try so that we don't have to crank and crank on a new cam? Basically we need all facets of information for every part of the first firing! Thanks for the help in advance! I truly don't know what I would do without you guys!


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[burdar]

Put a piece of tape on the distributor body.(not on the cap) With a pen/marker, put a mark on the tape directly below the #1 plug wire post.  Then remove the cap from the distributor.  The mark is so that once the cap is removed, you still know where the #1 plug wire is in relation to the distributor body.

Next, turn the engine over so your timing mark on the balancer is at 15 degrees before top dead center.  Finally, loosen the distributor clamp and turn the distributor so that your rotor is directly on top of the mark you made.  The engine should now be set to 15 degree BTDC.  If your timing marks on the cover don't go to 15 degrees, 10 degrees should be fine to do your break-in.  You can reset timing after the break in.

[roadman5312]

  I like to have a vacuum gauge hooked to manifold vacuum on first fire. Once running at fast idle turn distributor until highest vacuum is achived, then back off a tiny bit. this will put you in the ballpark for timing.  Good luck.

[HP_Cuda]

I did what Burdar did but with blue tape.

What you really want to do is get the timing close enough to have the motor run for 20mins straight. This way everything gets worked in like it should - seeing as all components were lubed correctly. Obviously you don't want to run way retarded or advanced but if you are in the ballpark then don't worry about it. Timing can be perfected later, break in is about break in. I believe mine was at 10 degrees and that was fine for break in - sure it could have been advanced a bit more but it hurt nothing.

Get the car started and bring her up to 2200 rpm and hold it there for 20mins and don't turn it off unless something is on fire or something is not right.

Some items to look for before starting the motor: ensure the correct plug wiring order, check to see all intake bolts and carb bolts are securely tightened (no vacuum leaks), leave the air cleaner off to have easy access, ensure all vacuum lines are on and all extra carb vacuum lines are capped off, disconnect power steering pulley and remove belt, make sure nothing is in the way of the fan, battery is charged up, all electrical connections are securely fastened.

[RzeroB]

Some items to look for before starting the motor: ensure the correct plug wiring order and leave the air cleaner off to have easy access

Funny but true story. Back when I was a young enthusiast I transplanted a 440 into a '72 Challenger that originally had a tired 318 in it. It was my first big-block after years of only messing around with 318's and 340's. Do you see where this is going yet? Yep! I wired the distributor cap the same as I would a small-block - clockwise, which of course is opposite to the counter-clockwise rotation of a big-block distributor. Easy mistake to make and I made it. Fortunately it was an easy thing to fix too. Once we figured it out and got the cap wired in the correct direction, the engine fired right up.

[Chryco Psycho]

Read through this
http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=79793.0

[anlauto]

I was thinking your engine caught fire

[Wadmin1021]

Ooops prob should've worded that differently! Sorry!!!! Thanks everyone for the help! Keep the tips and tricks coming!


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[Wadmin1021]

Chryco - I just read your link that you shared and it was very helpful! Only one thing confused me:

3] I set the engine to 20* Before TDC on #1 cylinder firing stroke  & line up the reluctor & pickup tabs so you will have close to 18* timing as soon as you crank it . If you unplug the connector to the dist with the key on you can confirm spark , you will get 1 spark everytime you unplug it .

I don't know what this means! Please translate! Timing For Dummies!


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[Chryco Psycho]

Line up the TDC line on the damper 20* CCW from TDC which should be approx 1.25" CCW from zero , then make sure the rotor is pointed exactly @ #1 terminal on the dist cap .
 
To check for spark if you unplug the dist plug with the key on the coil will produce a spark .
I hope this helps

[73440]

Will that give you a good shock pulling the center distributor plug wire from the coil out of the cap? Or am I thinking wrong?
I have cleared fouling plugs on my Harley by sliding the rubber cap up the porcelain till it started firing better and not been shocked.

[Wadmin1021]

Thanks Chryco! So 20*BTDC is a good setting for first engine firing?


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[Wadmin1021]

And I have another timing question... To find TDC, insert piston stop in #1. Rotate engine CW until it stops. Make a mark. Then rotate engine CCW until it stops again. Make a mark. The middle of this is TDC right? HOW DO YOU ROTATE THE ENGINE CCW WITHOUT LOOSENING THE CRANK PULLEY BOLT??? Seems like a dumb question but I'm stumped at this point.


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[734406pk]

And I have another timing question... To find TDC, insert piston stop in #1. Rotate engine CW until it stops. Make a mark. Then rotate engine CCW until it stops again. Make a mark. The middle of this is TDC right? HOW DO YOU ROTATE THE ENGINE CCW WITHOUT LOOSENING THE CRANK PULLEY BOLT??? Seems like a dumb question but I'm stumped at this point.


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This is a common area where many people make a mistake. Review the basic four stroke cycle process and you will see that TDC happens twice in a "cycle"... Once at intake/exhaust stroke and once at compression/power stroke. It is the camshaft that determines which is which (2 crank rotations to one cam rotation). You want to set the base timing at 20 deg BTDC on the compression stroke. There are a few methods of finding the compression stroke. One method is to remove #1 spark plug and place your thumb over the plug hole. Crank the engine slowly until you feel compression pressure against your thumb. Then rotate the crank manually in the direction of rotation until the 20 deg BTDC mark on the balancer lines up. This is where to set your base ignition timing for start up. Hope this helps!

Here is a link to an animation of the basic process:

http://www.animatedengines.com/otto.html

[anlauto]

...after your fuel line question....I'm scared to death too Just kidding