August 2001

Pat and I have made our plans and hotel reservations to attend the United in St. Louis in October and the "Return to Your Rootes" event in Luray, VA in September. Both promise to be grand events with great drives getting there and back and a fun time seeing all of the old and new friends. Unfortunately, we will unable to make it down to the Chesapeake Region's Crab Feast in Maryland in early September. If you have not already signed up for these events, you really need to! They will be a blast. Heading down to Virginia will be the first time the new motor and transmission are on an extended trip.

Speaking of the 347 stroker and 5-speed project, it has come a long way. The car is a dream to drive with the stroker and 5-speed and a dream to look at with the new 16" Panasports. But other items are making it a better car too.
I first built this car with a 302 engine while I lived in Florida. The climate and my obsessive desire to keep the engine compartment uncluttered, led me to remove the manual choke hardware from both carbs. It was never an easy starting arrangement…. particularly when it was really cold here in Massachusetts. I have now added electric chokes to both Edelbrock carbs. What a difference! One push of the throttle to set the fast idle cams and it starts instantly every time. The wiring for the chokes can be mostly hidden. I could not recommend the electric chokes more highly.

I learned that my 347 has a billet roller cam that requires a steel gear on the distributor. After much research and discussions with Mallory, I am told that my Unilite was originally built with a steel gear and that no new gear is necessary. Whew! I was told that if you do not have the correct gear material, that you will need engine rebuilds every 5000 miles. I do not know if this is true, but it did inspire me to be sure I had the correct one.

I have one small leak at the rear seal on the T-5 where the drive shaft goes in. I have purchased a new one and it will be going in soon. It looks like the stroker will be running hotter than the 302, so I bought a Griffin aluminum radiator. The radiator has arrived but I am waiting to put it in. I want to do a "before and after" on this radiator and to report to you on the results. Our summer here in New England has been quite cool and not really stressing on the cooling system yet. That and getting a few more miles on the new engine for a fair comparison have caused me to wait on the new radiator installation.

With the new engine & trans, I decided to add 16" wheels for the handling and visual impact. I had never been a fan of anything but the 13" wheels on Tigers, feeling that they just did not look right. But I changed my mind and I have to admit the 16 inchers look fantastic. I will explain all about the process of buying and fitting them next month. It was not a simple bolt on installation.

By the way, have I mentioned that the 302 is for sale….really cheap?

'Tis the season of car shows and drive in restaurants. Show them what you've got.