New issue...again

[72Hardtop]

Yes indeed...ones foot on the gas too much will easily flood it.

[72Hardtop]

Update:

...I did get the bus started after confirming the carbs were baseline set and linkage adjusted accordingly. The issue I had at first (engine start) was the carbs had a small amount of fuel building up along the throttle shaft on the butterfly after the initial start up. The fuel would show up approximately 10 minutes after shutdown. Not a significant amount but very small, just enough to build up slightly between the carb bores were the shaft passes thru from bore to bore. I confirmed it was not from the auxiliary vents and fuel pressure was not an issue (mechanical pump). I had been running them prior to the engine work without any issue/s. Both the builder and I came to the conclusion that since the rings had not been set that there must be some pressure/suction build up drawing a bit of fuel down after a engine run.

I then took the bus out and drove it hard (after warm up) varying the gears and throttle. Upon return to shop I removed the air cleaner tops and what-ta you know...no more fuel build up of any kind. =D> I then removed the distributor to clean it out and greased the advance mechanism after noticing the idle not advancing properly. Would only return to 14-16. Blip-ping the throttle would drop it to 12 (were it should be given the dizzy). Idle speed is set at 900RPM. Again dialed the linkage in a bit. Also threw a snail on the carbs and all are flowing roughly the same (approx. 5.5 @ 900RPM).

Dent put in wallet...$2299.95 not including cost of new AMC heads

Also checked valve lash this morning approximately 12 miles on engine. Following found:

#1 - Intake .006/Exhaust - .006
#2 - Intake .001/Exhaust - .001 (both a loose .001) reset to .006
#3 - Intake .006/Exhaust - .009
#4 - Intake .006/Exhaust - .008

The bus pulls like a monster

Now to get some photos up here.

[72Hardtop]

Couple photos guys:

[72Hardtop]

Underneath shot:

[72Hardtop]

Before shot:

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/285168.jpg

[72Hardtop]

As for the tins/shroud. I clean the hell outta them and soaked them in my 2nd tub for three days using laundry detergent. Once done and dry I proceeded to use straight mineral spirits on everything to release any/all oils. Once dry I coated the shroud/tins with a few light coats of Rust-Oleum Rust Reformer for treatment. That was to dry for a full 24hrs then I proceeded with paint. I used Dupli Color Aluminum 500* for the shroud and Dupli Color Semi Gloss Black 500* for the tins. As for the heater boxes they were treated the same way except I went overkill on the paint and used VHT 1200-2000* Aluminum.

It's all holding up beautifully with no bubbles and no cracks after over two hundred miles so far.

[72Hardtop]

After 300 miles another valve check:

1 - a loose .006 - Intake / Exhaust a loose .006

2 - a loose .006 - Intake / Exhaust a loose .006

3 - .008 Intake / Exhaust .007 (reset both to .006)

4 - .007 Intake / Exhaust .008 (reset both to .006)


Heads seem to be settling in nicely. Idle set at 900 RPM

[72Hardtop]

Another valve lash check at approximately 550 miles:

1 - Intake/.009 /Exhaust - .005

2 - Intake/.006 /Exhaust - .006

3 - Intake/.004 /Exhaust - .004 (both a loose .004)

4 - Intake/.007 /Exhaust - .006

Cylinder heads still settling in nicely. Making my checks at roughly 300 mile intervals until settled at which point I'll resume 3000 mile intervals. Any idea how long it takes for the heads to settle in? Im' guessing it could take 1000-2000 miles or so...maybe a little longer.

[SlowLane]

Cylinder heads still settling in nicely. Making my checks at roughly 300 mile intervals until settled at which point I'll resume 3000 mile intervals. Any idea how long it takes for the heads to settle in? Im' guessing it could take 1000-2000 miles or so...maybe a little longer.

I woudn't guess. If it were me I'd continue checking/adjusting every 300-500 miles until I had two successive measurements that required no adjustments at all, then increase the interval to 1500 miles for a couple of iterations, then if things had settled down, go to the 3000 mile interval.

'Course, that depends on your availability of time and tolerance for crawling under the bus that often, but it seems you have quite a bit invested in your engine, so I'd err on the side of caution.

Oh, hey, are you running Porsche swivel-feet adjusters?

[72Hardtop]

Yes, I am running Porsche swivel adjusters. I was also leaning at checking the valves every 300 or so miles.

[Amskeptic]

Another valve lash check at approximately 550 miles:
Any idea how long it takes for the heads to settle in? Im' guessing it could take 1000-2000 miles or so...maybe a little longer.

Once the change is less than a thousandths in your current interval, double the interval. If no valve is more than .001 off, give yourself 1,000 miles. If it less than .001 the next, give it 2,000. Then your usual interval. You use this process in reverse if there is a problem brewing.

The TBRRD, I did at 1,000 miles, saw a problem, did at 500 miles, saw a problem, did at 250 miles, saw a problem, did at 125 miles, did at 75 miles, cried, carried the engine on my back the last 30 miles in the rain . . .

Oh all right, but you get the point.
Colin

[72Hardtop]

Another valve lash check: Approximately 920 miles since build, 280 or so since last check.

1- Intake- .006L / Exhaust- .002

2- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .006

3- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .005

4- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .006

[Amskeptic]

Another valve lash check: Approximately 920 miles since build, 280 or so since last check.

1- Intake- .006L / Exhaust- .002

2- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .006

3- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .005

4- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .006

#1 exhaust looks like a problem child IF you had a certifiably wonderful last adjustment.

Check in a hundred or two miles. If closed to .002 again, yank the head. If the whole right side of the engine had some semi-tightness, I'd claim benign seating behavior. One big whopper drop, however . . .
Colin

[72Hardtop]

Another valve lash check: Approximately 920 miles since build, 280 or so since last check.

1- Intake- .006L / Exhaust- .002

2- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .006

3- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .005

4- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .006

#1 exhaust looks like a problem child IF you had a certifiably wonderful last adjustment.

Check in a hundred or two miles. If closed to .002 again, yank the head. If the whole right side of the engine had some semi-tightness, I'd claim benign seating behavior. One big whopper drop, however . . .
Colin

Previous adjustment on cylinder 1 was (Intake - .009 / Exhaust - .005)...at this point (930+ miles) I'd hate to believe that a newly re-worked AMC head from Headflow Masters would be giving up the ghost

I'm leaning at the very likely hood of it being more the norm given they are new castings as opposed to rebuilt heads. My experience with rebuilt heads is the replaced parts are what seat as opposed to the castings which have already seen repeated heat cycles of many years. New castings coupled with new hardware will likely result in a slightly longer break-in process.... But we all know the downside to old castings...too many heat cycles leads to weak castings which result in cylinder issues such as dropped seats, thrown valves, thrashed guides, cracked head/s etc...

Food for thought I guess is how to look at it.

[Amskeptic]

Another valve lash check: Approximately 920 miles since build, 280 or so since last check.

1- Intake- .006L / Exhaust- .002

2- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .006

3- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .005

4- Intake- .006 / Exhaust- .006

#1 exhaust looks like a problem child IF you had a certifiably wonderful last adjustment.

Check in a hundred or two miles. If closed to .002 again, yank the head. If the whole right side of the engine had some semi-tightness, I'd claim benign seating behavior. One big whopper drop, however . . .
Colin

Previous adjustment on cylinder 1 was (Intake - .009 / Exhaust - .005)...at this point (930+ miles) I'd hate to believe that a newly re-worked AMC head from Headflow Masters would be giving up the ghost

I'm leaning at the very likely hood of it being more the norm given they are new castings as opposed to rebuilt heads. My experience with rebuilt heads is the replaced parts are what seat as opposed to the castings which have already seen repeated heat cycles of many years. New castings coupled with new hardware will likely result in a slightly longer break-in process.... But we all know the downside to old castings...too many heat cycles leads to weak castings which result in cylinder issues such as dropped seats, thrown valves, thrashed guides, cracked head/s etc...

Food for thought I guess is how to look at it.

Doesn't matter what the cause is.
IF you have continued loss of clearance, you need to determine the whatever the cause.
When I put a .060" copper head sealing ring on the Road Warrior's left cylinder head, the clearances closed up again and again and again and again, BUT all the valves were. I could safely assume that the copper was squishing in (and I had to retorque the heads too).

But one valve? Worthy of close attention. Headflow Masters may very well be the very best you can get, but that changes nothing as far as your decision-making. Even a multi-billion dollar outfit like the U.S. space program has brought multi-billion dollar spacecraft plummeting to Earth in small pieces because some stupid o-ring that they knew about gave up the ghost as warned about on the launchpad.

A new casting does not necessarily seat in at the barrel surface like an old grooved one has to. Do you have shims under the rocker stands? Is the shim under the #1 exhaust stand some small round washer eating into the aluminum?
Colin
( p.s. you are talking to the guy who had 515,000 miles on his original heads, I do not subscribe to all the excuses set forth by those who never discover their error "too many heat cycles leads to weak castings which result in cylinder issues such as dropped seats, thrown valves, thrashed guides, cracked head/s etc..." )