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Canadian 1984 244 DL B21A/B6304 project log.

You need a flexplate? You're going auto?

I had considered putting it behind the whiteblock, but even after making the adapter, I'd still need an expensive flywheel (USD-to-CAD exchange is terrible currently), expensive clutch, expensive pressure-plate, hydraulic clutch stuff, etc etc etc. I decided I'd rather put the car back to 'stock'-ish and enjoy driving a slow car in a fast way for a while :).

I've got plans for the B6304/AW30-40, much like yourself, so I have to hold on to the flexplate. I'd like to put this engine into something old and domestic :).

Today's progress: The clutch cable is installed and everything works nicely. It's an old aftermarket cable, so it's stretched out a bit. I may get a replacement and keep it in the trunk...just in case.
 
Minor pictureless update.
Gotta take the damn clutch cable off in order to put that rubber fork cover on, and ordered a chinese weber DCOE 45...mainly just because I've always been curious how bad they are. I may use it, or I may use the Weber 32/36 I have here already. Time will tell.

I need to get off my duff and install the driveshaft so I can bring the car down off the hillbilly quickjack.
 
Might as well go full send...

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rebuildable mech fuel pump :).
 
-Carb fuel pump pickup installed (cut the tube off an old carb sender that was rotten on top and put it in place of the in-tank fuel pump I was using).
-Fuel line hooked up.
-Stupid brakelines from distribution block to passenger side caliper replaced after being pinched when removing the whiteblock.

As soon as some O2 bungs arrive, I'll mount the WB sensor into the NA downpipe. The carb is on it's way, and it's going to be a tight fit I think...but I'll make it work somehow.
 
Chinese DCOE45 152 arrived today, and I'm less horrified than I thought I'd be. Gave it a teardown and was pleasantly surprised at the machined parts/fitment of the bits and bobs. It's a 3-hole carb, and it may have the issue the OG Weber 152s had with mis-drilled progression holes, but it seems better than the last pair I had. In the end it's not a big deal to drill an extra hole.

Everything else checks out quite well. I measured the jets with some plug gauges and they are pretty much bang-on to their markings. The needle valve is a bit sticky, but that's nothing a bit of polishing can't fix. Short of there being some major casting issues inside the body of the carb, I have to say this is going to work out well enough. For $282 CAD, I'm not going to complain.
 
I'm sure some of the old-schoolers here remember these shifters...

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Well, there is a guy/company on Aliexpress selling them, but they're not hollow like the previous ones. There's no channel for the OD switch wire, but that's no big deal. I needed a shifter, and this was way easier than trying to round up all the nasty bits and pieces...not to mention faster. Getting parts delivered to Canada from the US is a nightmare right now. The last stuff I bought took a month to make it up here. This chinese shifter came in two weeks.
 
I'm ok with the one I got from Aliexpress, it's actually really decent quality-wise. The hollow cravingboost ones tended to break, so I'll be using a switch on the dash instead. :)

ChinaCarb intake started. I'm a very imprecise person, and I hate measuring, so...I'm actually pretty surprised at how it's turning out. Both runners are within 1/4" length of each other (although the AQ140 manifold has a balance tube, so runner length isn't critical IMO). The gap is not that big, it's just a terrible angle...but it will be getting fixed. Everything will be smoothed and dremeled when I'm done, so flow should be decent. Thankfully though, carbs are very forgiving when it comes to fuel delivery, so it'll run even if the runners aren't the best design.

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FULL STOP...maybe.

The universe works in very strange ways sometimes. I'm just about ready to bolt up the single DCOE and adapter when I feel a disturbance in the Force. I go on FB Marketplace and there's a guy near me selling an AQ165A that's based on the B30 for $100! I look closer and in the pics there are three Zenith-Stromberg 175CD-2S carbs! For those not in the know, the emissions version of that (175CD2SE) is what came on the B21A in Canada...and I really regret selling my setup.

So today I picked up just the carbs, since I didn't need the whole engine :).

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Two are good, but the third had some water in it for a while so the float pin mounts are rusted away. I've stripped them all down and am in the process of rebuilding/refurbishing them for use on my engine. Yep, the DCOE is going to wait, since these are essentially OEM carbs...except I'd get to use two of them. These are the good adjustable jet models too, so tuning will be MUCH easier (and cheaper) than the DCOE. The AQ140A manifold I'm using is nearly perfect for these and will require very little work to make them fit.

Anybody need a triple Zenith/SU manifold for their B30?
 
Manifold done and well-sealed with awful wrinkle black paint. It reacted poorly with something, which isn't surprising since the manifold is made of three different types of metal. Stainless tubing, cold-rolled for the carb flange, and some strange stuff that flashed red when welded for the manifold flanges. It's ugly, but I'm still happy with the way it turned out. The carb is within 0.5* of true from left to right, AND front-to-back, which is something many carb manifolds don't take into account. The rear carb is always a bit lower than the front, depending on pinion angle setting, and that can affect the float levels. The yellow Accel wires were made out of scrap I had here, since I clicked the wrong shipping from Rockauto and the proper wires may take a month to arrive :(. I want to try and fire it up this weekend.

I cranked it over yesterday and discovered it had oil pressure (which is always a risk with junkyard engines), and even got the mechanical fuel pump to draw fuel from the tank :).

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I also got a reverse lockout plate from Classic Parts through the Volvo dealer, so now I don't have to worry about accidentally shifting into reverse.
 
It's been an awesome day.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5opvQItyufk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A few things:

-the smoke coming out of the thermostat housing is just steam. I was running the engine pretty hard before this video, a-la italian tune-up, because the engine did spend quite some time outside and needed the gunk run out of it. It was originally running pretty poorly...but now it's great :).

-the chinese carb definitely requires the 4th progression hole mod, and my idle jets are waaaaaay too small. I've got the idle mixture screws out 3-4 turns, and unless the throttle screw is set above 2000 rpm, it will not stay running. The AFR gauge reads 14-ish, and goes leaner as the throttle is turned in.

-the mechanical fuel pump is putting out a solid, and quite steady, 3.5 psi. The needle valve is pretty sticky, and the floats are not set quite right (yeah...I got impatient), so that'll be on the 'to-do' list. I hate the viton-tipped needle valves, which is what this came with.

-I'm going to 3D print some short horns, or maybe a small plenum/elbow so I can put on a filter of some sort. Haven't decided yet. I've run open horns without catastrophic failure before, and the sound is always better.

-I need to come up with a linkage, but I'm pretty sure I can use the stock throttle cable.

I promised the wife that once my car ran...it would be going away for the winter and I would switch to prepping the house/garage/cars for the cold season. Looks like I'll do a bit of tidy-up and then shove it into the corner until spring. Sigh :(.
 
Got the under-mount linkage installed today, and it was a pain in the ass. Some modifications were necessary because I wanted to use the original throttle cable, which also needed modifications. Basically, this took way longer than I expected. I ended up cutting the throttle end off the cable, shortening it slightly, and cutting the sheath down by a couple inches as well. Then I had to solder a new cable end on, which was definitely something new to me, but worked out spectacularly :).

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I've got full throttle travel, but I may end up redoing the cable and moving one of the ball ends in order to lengthen the pedal throw. We shall see when I can get it idling for longer than a minute at a time (no exhaust, idle jets too small so it has to stay at 3000+ RPM).
 
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I was bored today so after I adjusted the clutch to spec (not happy with the lack of remaining adjustment...gonna make a spacer) I decided it was time to make some Turbobrick-approved EMT GT braces. It took 20 minutes to do, but right in the beginning of that 20 min...my vice decided to self-destruct. So these braces were made with a small anvil and a hand sledge, lol.

I'm also going to make a set of the lower braces, at some point.
 
Well...this happened...
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Either the chinese carb had a big problem, or my idea was not suitable. I have a feeling that the 2 runners into 4 runners, without pairing cylinders, was wreaking havoc on the vacuum signal to the auxiliary in the DCOE. I could not keep it running below 3000 rpm, even with larger idles and all the timings. I decided to soldier on with idea #2...


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The B30 triple SU/Zenith-Stromberg setup I got recently is getting used. The AQ140 manifold had small flanges on it, but a 1.75" hole...so I made adapters to fit the 175CD-S2 carbs. They're going to be welded on, but I wanted to make absolutely sure everything was lined up before bringing it to the welding shop. Luckily, it seems like the carb spacing of the original AQ140 carbs is identical to the triple SU B30 manifold, so I can use the exact same linkage (minus one carb). The rebuild kits are coming on monday, so I can test fit everything before welding.
 
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