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Engine break in with body off

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Old May 24, 2009 | 08:04 AM
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Default Engine break in with body off

I am probably going to break in my engine in the next 2 months. The body is off the chassis. My questions is about cooling. Is it correct that I can mount the radiator shroud and radiator to the chassis and hook up the hoses in the normal configuration for the break in?

I would also have a few box fans blowing on the engine too.

Another thing. For engine monitoring I guess I need oil pressure, coolant temp, and a tach correct? I guess I have to figure out how to mount these.

If anyone has pictures of their set up it would help a lot.

Maybe it would just be simpler to mount the body back on!
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Old May 24, 2009 | 09:40 AM
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Im interested in hearing about this too. Im going to have the newly rebuilt engine put on a dyno but still want to run it in the car before I put the body back on.
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Old May 24, 2009 | 09:47 AM
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I was able to start my 327 as seen in the pic(sorry for the poor quality, scanned image), body off, rad and shroud mounted, and had no problems with cooling. I mounted an oil pressure gauge, water temp gauge, toggle switch(turn power on), on/off light(to make sure the power really is on/off), and push button(for starting), in an aluminum panel and mounted it to the frame, hooked up the battery and fired it up. Not difficult to set up, just make sure the trans is in neutral before you start it

[IMG][/IMG]

If I can find a pic of the panel I made I'll scan & post it
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Old May 24, 2009 | 10:12 AM
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I broke in my 454 in the chassis as you plan to do.

For the break-in set up, I installed an old set of headers, bought and installed a cheap set of basic gauges and set a borrowed rad on a stool in front of the block.

Once we got it fired, I cooled the rad with a box fan and sprayed water on the rad.

We ran the motor for 25 minutes and stayed within 160 to 180 degrees.

Here is a clip on the motor running during break-in and afterwards, with the side pipes on.

Hope it helps.



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Old May 24, 2009 | 10:52 AM
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This helps a lot.
Did you also have a tachometer?

Originally Posted by 682XLR8
I was able to start my 327 as seen in the pic(sorry for the poor quality, scanned image), body off, rad and shroud mounted, and had no problems with cooling. I mounted an oil pressure gauge, water temp gauge, toggle switch(turn power on), on/off light(to make sure the power really is on/off), and push button(for starting), in an aluminum panel and mounted it to the frame, hooked up the battery and fired it up. Not difficult to set up, just make sure the trans is in neutral before you start it

[IMG][/IMG]

If I can find a pic of the panel I made I'll scan & post it
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Old May 24, 2009 | 10:56 AM
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This helps a lot also. 2 questions:
Did you hook up a tachometer? If so, mechanical or electric?

Did you use some old headers because you didn't have the new ones yet? Reason I ask is I hear some header manufacturers void warranties if you use them during startup. If you did avoided using them for the same reason can you explain why it is a problem?

Originally Posted by eastltd
I broke in my 454 in the chassis as you plan to do.

For the break-in set up, I installed an old set of headers, bought and installed a cheap set of basic gauges and set a borrowed rad on a stool in front of the block.

Once we got it fired, I cooled the rad with a box fan and sprayed water on the rad.

We ran the motor for 25 minutes and stayed within 160 to 180 degrees.

Here is a clip on the motor running during break-in and afterwards, with the side pipes on.

Hope it helps.



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Old May 24, 2009 | 11:34 AM
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Originally Posted by AWilson
This helps a lot also. 2 questions:
Did you hook up a tachometer? If so, mechanical or electric?

Did you use some old headers because you didn't have the new ones yet? Reason I ask is I hear some header manufacturers void warranties if you use them during startup. If you did avoided using them for the same reason can you explain why it is a problem?
Yes, I had a borrowed cheapo electric tach that was used to set the break in RPM.

The old headers were used to ensure I did not void the warranty on my new pipes.

I have a friend who broke in his motor with new ceramic headers and damaged the coating on them.

Cheap insurance.
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Old May 24, 2009 | 12:33 PM
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I borrowed a tach from my neighbor, clip-on type used for tuning
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