340 First Firing

Author Topic: 340 First Firing  (Read 1121 times)

Offline sadil340

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340 First Firing
« on: May 12, 2008 - 08:57:42 PM »
Time to bring life to the beast!  :stirpot: Board member Moper rolled in his test stand last weekend and we gave the 340 it's out-of-body experience. I wanted the cam broken in by an expert and didn't want to risk slinging crud all over my new paint so the test stand was the way to go. Dave did a great job and his capabilities were greatly appreciated.

For those that want to hear the experience it's on Youtube at
.

Here is what the rig looked like:

1970 Cuda 340 4-speed
3:55 SureGrip
Owned since 1974
Bought from original owner




Offline 422STROKER

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2008 - 09:11:01 PM »
I bet you wanted to shut it off when it started smoking like crazy!  Good thing you fired it on the stand.

Moper I'm sure treated you right.

Tom :2thumbs:

BTW I noticed You ran it with mufflers, I bet Moper wanted Headers.LOL :bigsmile:
Tom
12.77 @ 108.87 15" Street Drag radial tires 3.23 gear

Offline sadil340

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2008 - 09:14:31 PM »
You got that right Tom, but I wanted to get that smoke cleared first! I was very pleased with the way the car ran, and Dave estimated it is probably making about 380 horses.
1970 Cuda 340 4-speed
3:55 SureGrip
Owned since 1974
Bought from original owner

Offline thedodgeboys

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2008 - 09:55:41 PM »
that looked sweet once the smoke cleared...  :popcorn:
Go Fast & Have Fun...
70 6.1 HEMI 6-speed Drop Top...

Offline Chryco Psycho

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2008 - 12:54:13 AM »
 :2thumbs:

Challenger - You`ll wish You Hadn`t

Offline moper

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2008 - 07:26:23 AM »
Tom, his manifolds with that Eastwoods coating made a lot more smoke than those new headers I stuck on yours..lol. But we DIDNT try the open pipes..lol We were scaring the new puppy already. It's still a nice way to whittle away a Saturday afternoon. Thanks for letting me help Steve. Staying positive is easy around guys like Tom and yourself, a fact that's not lost on me. :2thumbs:


Swedefish

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2008 - 08:02:39 AM »
Sweet, I`m going to build a rig like that to break in my engine too.
If I got your cam clock right you had it running for approx. 10 min. right?

Offline sadil340

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2008 - 08:35:01 AM »
It seemed like longer than 10 minutes and I think the camera clock is a little funky. After the initial run-in Dave let the motor cool down for a few minutes and started it a few times to even out the heat loss.
1970 Cuda 340 4-speed
3:55 SureGrip
Owned since 1974
Bought from original owner

Offline moper

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2008 - 12:24:01 PM »
My watch said about 12 minutes, at somewhere around 2-2400rpm, then I dropped it down a little to about 1800. The cam is the XE268, or perhaps the 262, but in any case, it's not very large, and the spring pressure isn't very high. On heavier/racier stuff, I'll run them for a bit longer, with no inner spring. But using the electric fan and a lack of operating temp gage (factory intake.. I didnt have the right adaptor) made me nervous. So I shut it down. I think that's a prudent choice.  We were very carfeul to only turn the engine over to pre-oil, and it fired off without turning over more than once I think. Aside from a couple minor issues, it went comparably easy. I'll have to hit the link from home to see it run.

Swedefish

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2008 - 02:54:38 PM »
How essential is it to have them fired up at the very first attempt? And at what stage (timewise) is there a risk of damaging the cam shaft?
I know at my last first fire up it took some cranking before it really fired up. Hopefully things will work out better this time.

Offline 422STROKER

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #10 on: May 13, 2008 - 07:34:27 PM »
Well, if I ever need another Motor I know where to go.

Good luck with the motor!

Tom :2thumbs:
Tom
12.77 @ 108.87 15" Street Drag radial tires 3.23 gear

Offline Chryco Psycho

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #11 on: May 14, 2008 - 02:06:31 AM »
I fill the catb , set the timing Before attempting to start it usually they fire on the second piston upo for me

Challenger - You`ll wish You Hadn`t

Offline sadil340

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #12 on: May 14, 2008 - 10:30:15 AM »
How essential is it to have them fired up at the very first attempt? And at what stage (timewise) is there a risk of damaging the cam shaft?
I know at my last first fire up it took some cranking before it really fired up. Hopefully things will work out better this time.

I attempted my last first firing myself (20 years ago!) and had the dist 180 degrees off. It took me about 90-120 seconds of cranking before it kicked. The motor would occasionally make lifter noises which I attributed to improper cam break-in. I retired the engine after 25,000 miles and other than the noise it ran great.
1970 Cuda 340 4-speed
3:55 SureGrip
Owned since 1974
Bought from original owner

Offline Super Blue 72

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Re: 340 First Firing
« Reply #13 on: May 14, 2008 - 10:36:33 AM »
Great video!  Loved the sound of the 340!  :thumbsup:
1972 Dodge Challenger Rallye 340, AT, Code TB3=Super Blue, SBD=8/17/1971.  Yes, a Rallye without the fender louvers from the factory because of the body side molding option.

Pic #2 and 3 of my ARII 1/24 scale model car 

Phil in New England-Massachusetts  Always thank God for what you have!

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/456046/1972-dodge-challenger