1954 HUDSON 308 REBUILD

Browniepetersen

This cam has a 374 lift and a 254 duration.  Link that with the .040 over for the pistons, the oversized valves with the 308 (steel) head ground .050 and I have no idea where I am at performance wise.  I expect that it would end up being somewhere around a 7x performance level.  My last Hudson (Salt flats racer) was machined such as this engine was-but stock cam and .020 over with the larger valves and it turned a top speed of 122.683 on the salt flats.  I expect that this car should be able to out perform it.  I guess if I really want to know, I will need to put it on a bench and test it before it goes into the car.  But what does it really matter?  I am looking for a daily driver--by the way, I should have the engine in the car by next weekend.

Browniepetersen

We were up to the installing of the valves on the build and noticed that one did not match.  Crap, now have to wait a few days for the right one to get here.  There always seems to be something to slow down the process.

maasfhcenturylinknet

It is certainly possible to attain 16 mpg with a 7X (391-268) cam.  One of the problems that arise is with the twin H  carbs.  With the additional lift and duration the motor is calling for additional air-fuel flow.  The only way this can happen is to bore out the venturi on each and install larger ones. The stock ones actually act as a "choke" and the result is a rich setup.  Using a .402-276 super street cam I tune the carbs with 38 mm venturi's.  I have one customer that we installed the .402 -large valves, headers, hydro, and he had a 355 gear and got 16 mpg on the hot rod power tour.  With the isky .446-280 i use the 40 mm.  That's as big as you can go with the WA-1.  Remember you do not make power going to a large overbore--you make it with the cam, valves, port matching, and compression.  Try to keep the bore under .080

Browniepetersen

We are back to the placing of the engine in the car.  Perhaps by this weekend we will be up and running.  Now, where did I place those new motor mounts?

Browniepetersen

If it were not for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.  Got the engine in, and hooked up all the right parts--but not in time to road test it at Laughlin.  When we started up the engine there was a small amount of antifreeze seeping out around one of the studs in the head.  Shut her down and pulled the bolt and stud.  Noticed that there was no sealant on the stud.  Checked with my machine shop and found out that they forgot the sealant--bummer!!!  In the process of pulling the studs and coating them with sealant and doing another torque.  Be a few days before we hit the road for test drives......

Glowplug

Your luck is great Brownie! You could have found this after the last torque session. Thanks for sharing your progress.

Kdancy

http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-80632-Thread-Sealant-PTFE/dp/B000HBNTGY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447169546&sr=8-1&keywords=liquid+teflon
Permatex 80632 thread sealant on amazon--

Frankvintagefullflowcom

Loctite 592 is a white thread sealant/medium-strength thread locker, but is meant for tapered thread fittings, although I've used it on straight threads as well.
Loctite makes a thread sealant/thread locker especially for through holes into water jackets called (amazingly) "Head bolt and Water Jacket Sealant", #1158514, which is billed as a low strength locker as well.

The down-side, as I see it, is that you shouldn't use it on the initial head bolt installation because you'll "break the set" upon subsequent tightening procedures. For head bolts, I apply it after I'm satisfied with the torque/re-torque results, then apply the sealant/locker one by one to each bolt, bringing them up to full torque in one pass, observing the proper sequence, of course.

Head studs can be set in #1158514 when the studs are installed but I like to draw them up snug and allow the sealant to set over night before installing the head. It's a good use for all of those splasher wrist pins you've been saving (see photo). 

Kdancy

Frank, when you do a conversion from 7/16 to 1/2" studs, how do you drill the head? I measured a couple of Hudson heads and their stock bolt holes and they used different sizes for the holes (I guess to allow for expansion).

Frankvintagefullflowcom

I can't say for certain but I'd surmise that the tighter holes are intended to provide a more accurate "Indexing" of the head to the block at assembly while the ones with greater clearance are to make head installation easier.

I'd guess that the tight one at center is the reason why that one can be such a pain to remove, especially on corroded Aluminum heads.

I have yet to do a 7/16" to 1/2" change project but I'd likely use reamers to maintain concentricity with the original hole. They'll follow right down the same center-line and won't grab. I suspect it would take two passes with increasing sized tooling. Establishing true centers and maintaining accurate alignment of the threaded holes in the block is imperative. I'd do that in a milling machine as I have done for various repair operations  (mostly crack repair on splasher six decks). It would be a tedious task to "dial-in" each position but worth it when the gasket and head go on easily.

The studs you see in the photo are 7/16. I prefer that method to cap screws (or bolts, as most people say) for the reasons cited in my first post......and I just like to be different and experiment a bit. Some say I've succeeded.

F

F 

Browniepetersen

Four months from "spun rod" to back on the road today.  I guess this closes the chapter on this experience.  We have had a few "start-up's" in the past few weeks and we have solved a few issues (timing chain trough for 308's built after March 1954).  The engine sounds great as we did the warm up and "sink-in" the cam prior to the test or "Brake in drives".  Today, I held it to 25 miles and kept the speeds below 60.  It will get better until we finely have the 500 miles finished and the re-torque of the head bolts.  Life is good---