[Spridgets] 995 Huffaker race engine question

Tue Mar 31 07:10:58 MDT 2015

This is the reason that this Spridget list rocks.  I think that I have a combination of what most of you have stated.  
I put the chrome later 1098 breather on and you could literally watch it puff with each piston hit almost.  It was definitely having a crankcase pressure problem. 
I put a full load of oil in it and ran it last night around the block a few times.  The engine sounds great and smells great.  This engine needs more carburetion - I will rebuild the 1 and 3/8 thru bore carbs.  I think that this engine will run good!
Rick,
What happened this Winter was going to be a rebuild of the Climax FWA that is meant for Series one Seven #409.  I discovered the FWA has cheater (huge) valves that I am having trouble locating and they removed the tops for valve adjustment to the point of scary for the valve keepers to hold in.  So instead I switched gears to a Huffaker that had been in 6 boxes since it was pulled apart to refreshen back in 1978.  All of the new bearings and rings were there in the box to refreshen so I went with the good old fun, tried and true A-Series and have the feeling that I accomplished some fun and the engine is back with all of its pieces. 
Seven #409 was a side-valve Ford powered originally.  I redid it to handle either Sprite or Climax so that it could be enjoyed.  I think that I have the Series 1 Seven market covered ;^).  At least my wife thinks I do.  She has cut me off at 3.  I still have the Gray MkII Sprite and the red Bugeye.  I will likely use the Huffaker in the Bugeye as a vintage racer and leave the Gray Sprite as a street car with original 948.  They make good fun transportation.
Jim,
I will try the glove trick.
Thanks everyone for all of the great advice.  I will try to remember to let you all know what I find likely this weekend.  Spring is coming and I must play.
Mike 

     On Monday, March 30, 2015 1:50 PM, Rick Fisk <refisk at chartermi.net> wrote:

 The 948 road draft tube may not be enough.  Also, the road draft tube really only works when the car is going down the road.  The end of the tube is cut at an angle which causes a slight vacuum in the tube and draws vapors out of the engine.  Sitting in your garage running = no vacuum in the tube. 
Which car is this motor going in?  Red Bugeye, grey Sprite, or a Seven?

Sent from my keyboard
On Mar 30, 2015, at 12:54 PM, lotuspilot--- via Spridgets <spridgets at autox.team.net> wrote:

Rick and Jim,
The Huffaker was/is a very tweaked (for its time) A-series 948 that was black crinkle painted and lots of chrome etc as well as 1/8 inch milled off of the block, Arias domed pistons etc.  
I did something that may have caused this and I will explain.  I purposely used a regular 948cc draught pipe in place of what the Huffaker was originally.  This engine has mucho original chrome goodies such as the tappet covers and the original tappet side cover had what was used on the later 1098cc Spridgets - the canister just like the front on the 1275cc engine but coming out of the tappet cover.  I wonder if that had anything to do with it.  I am going to put that on this evening and put oil back in the Exxon Valdez again - this time kitty litter under it and see what happens.  I may have to do the old trick of putting another crankcase vent in the fuel pump blocking plate.  I just dread having to pull the engine when it is so close.  Everyone keep your fingers crossed!
Mike 

     On Monday, March 30, 2015 12:32 PM, bmwwxman . via Spridgets <spridgets at autox.team.net> wrote:

 Is the Huffaker built from the standard A series?  If so, there is no rear main seal.  Instead they have a "Scroll" seal on the outside of the rear main bearing.  There is a spiral groove on the rear of the crank shaft which is supposed to *draw* the oil back into the engine.  However, if you have too much crank case pressure the scroll seal can't overcome it and it will weep oil which then collects in the bottom of the bell housing and pours out onto your driveway.  
Before you pull the engine again, check your crank case pressure.  On my standard 1275 A series I had this problem....  I ended up drilling the side of the block and installing a pressure relief hose into a small K&N filter.  There are a couple of *fixes* for this including a kit that Mo$$ offers to replace the rear scroll seal with a better seal but it ain't cheap.  Another method is a fix whereby you drill a channel into the scroll and the rear main bearing cap and tighten up the tolerance but if you screw that up you are out a rear main cap which is not replaceable because it is line bored.   Don't ask.
Good luck with it.
Cheers!!
Jim 
On Mon, Mar 30, 2015 at 9:53 AM, lotuspilot--- via Spridgets <spridgets at autox.team.net> wrote:

I was hoping it was just an internal pressure issue.  I may not be so lucky.  I guess that I can change that by pulling the engine and removing the flywheel.  I would love to try the straight cut gearbox somehow if possible.
Any other ideas.
Thanks a bunch,
Mike 

     On Monday, March 30, 2015 10:23 AM, lotuspilot--- via Spridgets <spridgets at autox.team.net> wrote:

 Hi Guys and Gals,
I just rebuilt a Huffaker race engine that had been stored away for decades.  I started it after the rebuild and all looked well after I discovered that I had the distributor drive gear in 180 out.  That took me a while to figure out until I replaced all of the plug wires 1 went to 4 and 4 went to 1 and 3 to 2 and 2 to 3.
Ok.  Here is my real question after running for about 20 minutes with varying engine speed, I noticed that about a quart and a half of oil decided it didn't wish to stay in the engine any longer and was being deposited on the driveway by way of the hole in the bottom of the transmission.  What happened here?  What should I check?
By the way, the engine is running 11.5 :1 compression and all so high compression.  It sounded spectacular.  I am dying to drive it once I get you all to give me some idea of what may have happened.
Thanks a bunch for all of your thoughts.
Mike C
------------------------

spridgets at autox.team.net

Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
Suggested annual donation: $12.75

Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/spridgets/lotuspilot@frontier.com

------------------------

spridgets at autox.team.net

Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
Suggested annual donation: $12.75

Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/spridgets/bmwwxman@gmail.com

-- 
Cheers!!
Jim Johnson
High Plains Youth Hockey
Dodge City Trail of Fame 
Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology

"Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip."   Winston Churchill

------------------------

spridgets at autox.team.net

Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
Suggested annual donation: $12.75

Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/spridgets/lotuspilot@frontier.com

------------------------

spridgets at autox.team.net

Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
Suggested annual donation: $12.75

Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
Unsubscribe/Manage: http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/spridgets/refisk@chartermi.net

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://autox.team.net/pipermail/spridgets/attachments/20150331/c89ebb96/attachment.html>