I finally got everything together, even the power steering

I only drove it for maybe 15 miles, stop and go, before a miss began, it didn't slowly begin, all of the sudden, BOOM she was missing. So, I have blown a head gasket before and know what it feels like. That is kinda what this feels like.

The head gaskets are brand new, .020 compressed, under the new Dart Pro-1 aluminum heads, held down by 75 ft lbs on ARP head bolts.

I have no leaks or any smoke out the exhaust to indicate a blown head gasket.

HOWEVER, I adjusted all my roller rockers in the correct pattern to ZERO LASH. Then another 1/2 turn to pre-load the lifters (as directed from Comp Cams website). I am gonna drain the oil and change the filter tomorrow, then check out all the rockers, hoping one of the poly-locks of something came loose. I have checked all wiring and stuff, so hopefully a rocker is just off.

Doesn't 1/2 turn IN ADDITION to zero lash sound a bit much? Anyways, thatnks for the read

 

Just thought of other possibilities...............

* Loose rocker arm
* Head gasket
* Worn cam lobe
* collapsed lifter

 

Factory is about one turn after zero. I do 1/4.

The miss might be one of the above, but when head gaskets give problems on a new engine, it's usually cause they are loose, won't typically be blown, cause you're probably taking it easy. I retorque to prevent loss of load on head gaskets, even if it's a "no retorque" gasket. Consult gasket manufacturer.


Look for simple stuff first, like a plug wire on a header, loose wire, or trash in the carb. Latter is very common on new installs.

If you lost a lobe, you'd expect clacking.

With poly locks, you have to have the tops of the rocker studs perfectly flat or else the lock screw will loosen.

 

That's exactly what my Dad just did with the new motor in his '73, and so far it seems to be working fine.

Chances are the miss is something simple/stupid like a bad plug or wire, or even just a bad connection. We had that just the other day while trying to set the timing and adjustments on the '73, my Dad heard a miss in the engine, but I was the one who installed the plugs and wires, and I had trouble getting #6 on properly, so my Dad went over them all, and sure enough #6 "clicked" on a little better and the miss went away!

Try checking stuff like that first I'd say?

 

I checked all of that the best i could, but the engine was hot so couldn't do too much. The heads are aluminum if that matters.

What do you mean the rockers studs have to be flat or the poly locks come back?

Thanks for the FAST replies

 

N/M I got what you mean about the rocker studs, they are ARP, so I think they were good.

 

I bought the thin ones from Fel-Pro to help with my compression (.020 compressed), and somehow knew this was gonna happen. I give up, gonna take it to the local race shop and have them replace the gaskets with what they think is appropriate. Align the shifter linkage, and hook-up the exhuast, I have spent way too much time in the hot sun working on this ****.

here are some pics

 

Dont give up Bama! Your close. The pics clearly show thats oil & water mixed, but for it to be a head gasket & be blown out that quickly it would have to be assembly error or the wrong gasket. I really doubt its the wrong gasket since you did your research getting the right thickness.

Before you do anything else, put a compression gauge on it. If its a head gasket, this will prove it. Also, with a blown head gasket you'll fill the effected cylinders with a oil/water mix in them. In a nutshell, if you pull the plug out it will tell the story (possibly water will come out the cylinder if its bad). I have faith in you bud, think positive

Did you put RTV on all the head bolts when you put the heads on? Is the intake sealing correctly?

 

I did NOT RTV anything, but it is on BOTH heads, so do you think both head gaskets would blow out that quick? A few bolts on the intake were a bit loose, but I tightened them. How would oil/water contribute to the miss though?

 

Same thing happened on my nephews 87 Z28 when he installed aluminum heads. Didn't retorque (.038 composites), heads leaked, insides of his valve covers covered in mayo. Head bolts were so loose, they could have been removed with a 3/8 drive ratchet. Heads warped, had to be machined flat again, but good to go with new gaskets.

 

HOLY CRAP, I eally hope I didn't warp those new heads, that would SUCK!!!!

I followed the proper procedures................

 

And I also went back to re-check the tq on the head bolts, and all was well

 

If you didn't use sealant on the threads of head bolts, water could come from there. Warped heads aren't a disaster, just costs a little to machine them flat again. Hey, with a smaller chamber, your head gasket would have to be thicker, aleviating the need to use that skinny gasket. If you used stamped steel shim type gasket, don't think that is a good choice for the soft aluminum heads. Even if heads don't need machining, think it is better to go with gaskets specifically recommended for use w/aluminum heads and give up some compression. BTW, Loctite PST (pipe sealer w/teflon) sealant is great for head bolts. pn 59214

Water from bolts or even head gaskets would actually be good news. Relatively easy fix. You don't want water to be coming from something like a crack.

 

Thats what I was thinking, but where would this severe miss come from if it is just water from the bolts?

 

I think Angel71 about covered it all. As far as the miss, have you had the plugs out yet? On a fresh engine it can be a million different things. Did the dizzy move? Plug wires did not get burned & are routed correct? Advance working? loose wire? Carb adjusted correctly?

I would put finding the miss on the backburner & find the cause of the water leak first. At this point a missfire means nothing if you do have to yank the heads back off.