So check out the video of the newly rebuilt 225 slant running. After buttoning up the top end, runs MUCH smoother than ever before, so that pleases me greatly. Listen carefully to the exhaust note. You can hear a bit of 'unevenness' in the running. When you stand next to the engine bay, the 225 runs very smoothly, but it's not 100% - maybe 96-97%. I know I'm splitting hairs here, but I want it to run silky-smooth. Notice in these videos that the engine is idling at about 550 rpm. When I shift from Neutral to Drive or Reverse and the engine idles down, the un-evenness becomes much more noticeable.

Is what I'm hearing (and feeling) simply engine break-in taking place that will smooth out over time? Or are there carb or running adjustments I must make? When in Drive or Reverse, the engine idles well, but it's just 'bumpy' and that translates out into large vibration felt on the inside of the car.

Please comment on the video with your thoughts.

Thanks all.

550 in park/neutral is a fairly low idle. Unless I am mistake the idle speed don early automatic Darts and Valiants was something like 650 in drive.

Try running the valve lash at .012 and .022. What ignition system are you running?

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

I hear the variation at the tail pipe in my headphones. It sounds pretty good, but I know what you mean.....I have tried to fix that for years and did!

Since your running a cast iron intake, I would build a heat deflector to keep all the runners warm. It provides a more uniform charge from cylinder to cylinder. I would also add an HEI coil and module to make sure you have a long duration spark. You may want to increase the initial timing to 10 degrees so it has a little more time to burn the charge. If your really seeking perfection...... add a air/oil separator to clean up the burn. That made a big difference. You don't want oil sucked through your PCV into the mix.....that will throw off the burn.

I wish you could hear my old barn find SL6 that is nearing 300,000 miles at that low of rpm. Steady as a rock with lights wipers, fans, etc. on.....or totally unloaded in neutral with everything off. I sit for hours in traffic every day......Reed's right, my sticker says it should be running a 750 rpm in neutral to set the timing correctly, but I run mine much lower to save on gas after the timing is set.

Click on the red link below my name to view pictures. I really prefer running the aluminum intake that you see in the pictures over the cast iron for better atomization and little to no puddling of the fuel. It all helps!

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Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

FSM states 550 in Park/Neutral. Running points right now, but will convert over to HEI, sooner over later.

Well, if the FSM says 550 in park, then you are doing it right. The first thing I would do is ditch those points. Actually, even before that I would verify the accuracy of the timing mark on the vibration damper.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Nice idea, but not stock looking (important to me), and the factory didn't do this, so why should I need to, to get a silky-smooth result? My 64 with 70K miles on it (admittedly fully broken-in) ran smoother than this.
I plan on adding HEI soon. Hoping this will give all the benefits everyone has talked about. Thanks for the suggestion: this will happen.
Any change in timing would require breaking down the engine again. At this point, that's not going to happen. I need to play with it for awhile to get my ROI back. Sacrificing 1-2% smoothness is a small price to pay on this now.
What does this look like and where is it mounted? Not above making mods that don't change the stock look. Mods that do better make a lot of sense.
Sounds like my '64 Dart. With many less miles on it, but a silky-smooth ride. I'm wondering if after I pass the 2K mile mark on break in, if things won't even out on their own. I'm still trying to get all the leaks sealed.

Stupid question: how is this done? By checking TDC and the zero mark on the damper? If that's the case, that's verified as true.

You need a piston stop tool and some white out.

How to:

(1) get piston stop tool. Make one from a spark plug or spend $12 and BUY THIS ONE
(2) Pull the #1 spark plug
(3) install the stop tool
(4) rotate the crankshaft clockwise until the crank won't turn any more.
(5) make a mark on the vibration damper at TDC with the white out
(6) rotate the crankshaft counterclockwise until it won't turn any more
(7) make a mark at TDC on the vibration damper
(8) remove spark plug tool
(9) reinstall #1 sparkplug
(10) measure the distance (the short way) between the two marks you just made on the vibration damper. If the factory mark is still accurate, then it should be equidistant from each of the marks you just made. If the factory mark is not equidistant from the two marks then you will need to make a new mark showing true TDC. True TDC is at the midpoint between the two marks.

That's it! I have checked several dampers this way and found that even newly manufactured ones can actually be off by several degrees.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

So if I check for TDC this way and discover I'm off by some degrees, I make a new 'true' TDC mark and....what? Do I pull the dizzy and play around with the toothing again?

And to that end: if I were really off by a few degrees, would correcting it, pulling the dizzy and re-installing it, even out that slight roughness I feel at a low idle?

Why break down the engine and why sacrifice a smooth idle? plug the vacuum advance hose, loosen the distributor hold down bolt and give it a slight twist to 10 degrees on your timing light and lock it down. Takes less then 3 minutes to do.

The more initial you run the smoother it idles.

On your video you asked how?

Reed's instructions are very good and it is important to establish a baseline. It is important to eliminate the variables......

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Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

The extended tip spark plugs (drool tube head) helps a bit with the smoothness.

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

Set your timing to the correct setting using the new mark you made rather than the one cast into the damper. From that point forward you disregard the factory timing mark in the damper and base your timing on the mark you made by measuring.

You would only need to pull the distributor if the distributor was currently at the end of the adjustment slot in the hold down clamp and correcting the timing would require you to turn the distributor further in the direction it is maxed out. And in that case you could try and loosen the second adjusting screw on the bottom of the distributor instead of pulling it.
Yes, adjusting the timing a few degrees can smooth out the idle. Base timing affects the idle speed screw adjustment and the idle mixture screw adjustment. The idle speed screws can change how much of the idle transfer slot is exposed which in turn can affect where you set the idle mixture. As Ted said, you need an accurate baseline to achieve the level of perfection you are seeking. A few degrees can make a big difference.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Also, if I recall didn't you go with a reground cam? If it has much more overlap/intake duration than stock you will have a lot of trouble getting a stock-like idle.

Points are bad for smoothness too, because the timing jumps around a little. Converting to electronic ignition would be the first thing I would do (and have done on every slant I've owned).

I'd raise your idle 50 and run it for a while and get it broke in. Re-run the valves, check timing & get HEI ignition on it. It really sounds fine to me now!

Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

If your worried about the stock look use a 60's aluminum intake. Those are nice castings. You can also get them off the 80's trucks.

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Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG