The Challenge

[olds442jetaway]

Boy, that’s weird Ted. when I started writing my post about the car you’re post was’t there I did it in bits and pieces while I was watching some stuff on TV including the latest virus stuff. When I posted mine I never looked back until now that you had that big long detailed one which is great. Had Iseen yours before I posted mine I wouldn’t of bothered. Great job.

[FloridaPhil]

I'm a bit confused:

In your prior posts from September 2017 you mentioned that the car still had it's original 292. If you changed the heads, intake, carb, etc., it is not an original 292. It may be the ORIGINAL block but that's about it.

You mentioned that you bought it about 2 years ago and "old man Isky" recommended a cam for you. Seeing that he would be in his upper 90's now I find that a bit hard to believe. (I prefer Crane cams myself).

As for the ethanol, how does it help? The LEAD in LEADED gasoline is what helped lubricate some internal engine parts and I do not believe that ethanol does the same thing. There are some aftermarket lead additives that you can buy to add to your gasoline if it makes you feel better. Lead also helped prevent engine run-on, especially when some garage tuners screwed with the distributor timing, carb jets or vacuum lines.

Ted, I am please to see you are a car buff like me. I learn something new on this forum every day. The only thing "original" about my TBird engine is the cylinder block, valve covers, oil pan and valley cover. Everything else is either new or from a 1957 312.

When I lived in South Florida, Crane cams was a short drive away. I knew Harvey Crane and used is cams exclusively in my big block Ford race cars. My first race cars were all YBlocks because they were cheap and we didn't have much money. Isky made all the original YBLock HiPo cams for Ford. There was an Isky cam in Fireball Roberts winning 57 Ford Custom. I called Isky about 20 years ago and asked for advice on a cam. They told me the old man was the man to talk to and they put him on the phone. He asked me some questions about my car and told me what cam to use. That cam is in my TBird now. Ed Iskenderian died in 2017.

I am not an expert on valve technology. However, I know some. The machinists I use have been building race engines for years and I trust them. When they did my heads I asked about hardened valve seats. My heads were nearly NOS (new old stock). They told me the alcohol in today's unleaded fuel is easier on valves making hardened seats unnecessary. Also, my car is only driven to shows and an occasional cruise with my wife. My heads were so perfect they only had to do a light valve job on them.

I have had cars that needed lead additive to run. This isn't one of them. I owed a 1963 Galaxie with a 406 tripower engine and a 1966 427 Ford Fairlane. Both engines had very high compression and needed lead additive to keep from knocking.

Hot rod cars have always been a part of my life. I owe my career in computers to my hobby. That's a long story that you most likely would not want to read about.

[FloridaPhil]

I'm not looking to have a posting war with Phil but he is preaching about the evils of gambling now and it is getting old quickly.

Yesterday's discussion opened my eyes on a few of things. It is hypocritical for me to talk negatively about another person's gambling when I may spend more money on a car. We all have passions that we enjoy. How you choose to spend your money is your business. There is no difference in me spending $50K on a classic car and someone else gambling the same amount.

The Challenge that I proposed is more about me than anyone joining me. I got hooked on video poker nearly twenty years ago. I have had good times and bad. The good times were short and exhilarating. The bad times were long and depressing. Video poker is a powerful drug. When I am playing it, I don't think of anything else. Just like a drug high, I am in my own world and it is good. Then the crash comes. The depression of losing is tough. I may only lose $50 bucks, but it still hurts. I have been trying to rid myself of that hurt for many years.

This Virus is a God send to me. It will force me to stay out of the casino for some time, hopefully forever. My bank account will grow. I have built up a substantial video poker bankroll and can now spend it on things that don't depress me.

I am through preaching to others about my personal problems. I will continue to play video poker on this website for free and will comment when I think it's appropriate. I apologize for some of the things I posted on this forum. I should not judge what others do with their own money.

[Tedlark]

Thanks for the response Phil, just a couple "car" points and my tank will be out of gas:

The block on your T-bird is not original after it was overbored.

The heads should be milled to match the engine block because in many cases the head gasket can only make up for so much imperfection between the heads and the block.

In terms of engine performance, I have had the luxury of having several outlets locally where high octane (105 or over) racing fuel is available out of the pump for street use. In the late 70's and early 80's we actually had a local airport that sold us aviation fuel (commonly referred to as "Av Gas") as long as we pumped it into a 55 gallon drum and didn't pump it directly into our tanks.

I used to also fuel my 135 horsepower Honda V-65 motorcycle with the racing fuel too.

Anyway, you have a very nice T-bird.

[olds442jetaway]

My 63 Galaxie Conv had an engine few if any would recognize. It was Ford’s original Windsor engine. A 221 cubic inch v8. It went on to be bored out to more familiar engines in later years. 260,289, and 302. This horrible virus will save me a ton of money. by not gambling on vp. Stay safe and well all. By the way, before I got the car, somebody knew somebody at the factory and had them install a tonneau cover that zipped so only the driver would be exposed. It was great.

[FloridaPhil]

The block on your T-bird is not original after it was overbored.

Your points are valid. I can tell you know what you are talking about when it comes to cars. When I said original block, I meant the same part. I never thought anyone would think boring a number's matching block changed it's originality. I assembled the engine in my TBird myself. The machine work was done by Powered by Ford in Orlando. Here's a photo of my engine on the stand when I assembled it.

I am not concerned with the value of this car. It is not an investment. I bought it and built it as a time machine to transport me back to 1965. When I drive it, all those old memories flood back. I couldn't have afforded a car this nice back then. I drove a 1956 Ford that I had to park on a hill because it needed a new starter and I did have enough money to buy one.

I come from humble beginnings. My family always had enough to eat and shoes on our feet, but no luxuries. That's probably why I hate losing so much. Back then, I didn't know anyone that could afford a new car. Through plain dumb luck, I got a job with the Burroughs Corporation repairing adding machines. I quit that job in 1969 to start my own accounting machine service company. In 1981, I was driving a new Ferrari 308 GTS/I as my company car. I became involved with computers in the late seventies. My company helped to develop some of earliest personal computer accounting packages. I saw my first computer mouse on an Apple Lisa at a computer show. I had no idea what it was for, but I decided to buy some Apple stock. When the market went down, I didn't sell out I bought more. I bought stock in Microsoft, Intel, GE and P&G. I never sold stock unless something changed in the company or the marketplace.

My life has been a roller coaster ride. As the computer business went in one direction or the other, it pulled us along with it. My wife has always been supportive and added her many talents to our businesses. My son still owns the business I started. He has worked in that business since he was 14 and was trained by the best in the industry. I am very pleased with my accomplishments and the people I brought up along the way. The young people I hired and trained are now successful in their own right.

This has nothing to do with video poker, but I thought you might like to know a little more about me and where my attitudes come from. One of my biggest regrets was getting involved in gambling. It makes me feel bad just thinking about it. I consider it a total waste of my time and money. I enjoy puzzles, so I find playing video poker for free satisfying.

I hope you take this information as an olive branch of sorts. I do not wish to fight, judge or lecture anyone. My struggles are my own.

[notes1]

good for you, FP. you have acknowledged that we are not all the same, we do not all think/feel the same and do not all see an expenditure the same.

if i never have a cup of coffee at a sidewalk cafe in paris, wouldn't bother me at all, for others, it has been a lifetime dream. going on a safari, visit the great wall of china, see the great churches/museums of europe, visit every MLB ballpark, cruise every other month, follow one's favorite team to every away game are all goals i have heard people declare they have.

if one's actions don't hurt anybody else and they don't go to the taxpayer for a bailout, do as one wants.

[olds442jetaway]

I think many of us came from humble beginnings. We never had a car until I was 9. My dads job around that time paid 35 bucks a week, but like Phil said, we always had food on the table and clothes. My mom made many of them including her own dresses. I learned about fixing her sewing machine before I learned how to help my dad with our first car. A well worn 48 Nash club coupe. I too have a few regrets in spending so much time in my life and money gambling. I have to admit though, I still enjoy video poker. Luckily, I akso knew how to save and invest. Maybe webman could give us some different fun contests in these tough times. For instance a deuces wild contest. It would end after a certain number of deals. Don’t know if he has the time or ambition to do it but it would be fun in our downtime from real casino gambling

[olds442jetaway]

One last car question Phil while I am thinking of what kind of games and contests Webman could offer us while we are in limbo on everything. Did you have to beef up the bearings in the block to handle the extra stress? I’m guessing with the heads and cam shaft etc. the compression ratio went up from the factory numbers just curious

[FloridaPhil]

One last car question Phil while I am thinking of what kind of games and contests Webman could offer us while we are in limbo on everything. Did you have to beef up the bearings in the block to handle the extra stress? I’m guessing with the heads and cam shaft etc. the compression ratio went up from the factory numbers just curious

I like your idea of a contest. Having it only open to forum members might boost forum participation?

I use Clevite 77 bearings in all the motors I build. They have never let me down. Most bearing problems are due to misalignment or from the caps walking around. All old engines should have the main caps align honed and the blocks should be decked and squared. There aren't a lot of choices when it comes to YBlock rods. The rods in my TBird are out of a 1957 Ford station wagon with only 40,000 miles on it. A friend had the engine sitting in a shed for years and I was able to buy it from him. I had the rods rebuilt with new bushings and SPS rod bolts. The crank was so good, it didn't even need polishing. The engine was balanced and everything blueprinted. The heads have been opened up a bit with high ratio rockers. The oiling system has been upgraded as well. I hate to estimate HP because everyone believes they have 400 HP. From the way it performs, I think it puts out about 270-300 HP. I ran the car with triple carbs for a while (photo below). It has one 4V Holley on it at the moment.

To answer Ted's question about the 4.11 rear gears. This car came from the factory with a manual overdrive transmission. Third gear overdrive drops the RPMs down by 1/3. At 60 mph, the engine is turning about 2,500 rpm. I never take this car on the expressway. We are blessed to live in a part of Florida where there are many tree lined country roads. Driving on those roads is like being in the Thunder Road movie with Robert Mitchum. For those of you who do not know who he was, he was one tough outspoken SOB and one of my favorite movie stars. Google him if you want to see what a man used to be. Here's one of his quotes.

"There just isn't any pleasing some people. The trick is to stop trying." Robert Mitchum