build diary

February 3, 2005: It's amazing how easy it is to install the engine in this car.
I brought the hoist and engine home last night. It was late so I decided to install it some other night. Then, around 10:30, I figured it would be good to get something accomplished. I popped the engine in, bolted it to the transmission and installed the starter, alternator and most of the cooling system. All that's left is the intake manifold, the exhaust and then the usual pre-start checklist. When I wandered back into the house, it was only 11:30! If only it was always this straightforward. Painting the block silver wasn't a great idea, though. I thought it would look good with all the aluminum in the car, but it looks like paint when compared to the bare aluminum head and oil pan and the polished panels. Black would have been better. Oh well, next time it's apart I'll do that. Next time?

Once the engine is broken in, it's off to the dyno. I'll see if I can regain all the power I lost with oil consumption (oil is low octane, a particular problem for my 11:1 compression!) and maybe push it a bit further. Then I'll strap on a set of individual throttle bodies to see if I can make those work. I know they'll look great. Some good news arrived today as well - on top of the autocross scheduled for March 13th, there's also a track day in Pueblo that weekend. This time I'll be there to work on actual car setup instead of simply playing around. Before I go, I need to install the new front suspension uprights and make some new tie rods. Well, maybe. I'll see what happens to the angle of the ball joints with the higher steering arms. I'm also seriously considering making a lower windshield for the car. It's the one thing that bugs me about how the car looks. Not significantly lower, just an inch or so with a flatter top. I think it will look more purposeful. With what I learned last time, it should only take an afternoon to construct.

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