No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy.  I forget where I heard that, but boy is it spot on. 

That's just how working on cars goes most of the time.  Those shows make it look easy; it ain't. 

I had to get a special socket to remove the lug nuts on my wife's FJ Cruiser.  I've owned it for over two years and never had a reason to take the wheels off.  Fortunately I found one on Amazon, and got it next day (today).  I go to do the brakes on the front because the left one looked like a record.  That caliper has a stuck piston, so not getting it back together tonight.  The new brake pads were too tight in the brackets, so I had to modify them on my bench top belt sander (FWIW this is a semi common problem with NAPA pads, so not entirely unexpected).  But hey, I changed the oil and filters in the F250 this morning, did a couple things on the WRX, and almost got the tranny together for my '89 GT.  I worked on 4 different vehicles this weekend!  I even DROVE the '67 yesterday!  I'm calling it a win.  You should too.  Yeah, stuff didn't work out, but progress was made regardless, even if it was just finding damage and realizing a mistake.  If that hadn't happened you'd be even farther from finished by the time you did find those things out. 

Well reading the post put a smile on my face. Not wishing others to have issues. Just laughing at it all in general.

Later last night I had realized I ordered the wrong case. I should have ordered the 3.25 bearing size case. I had some how forgotten my nascar locker took the bigger bearing. It has been well over a year since I bought that thing and some where along the line I some how thought the 3.062 case was the bigger bearing case I needed. Luckily I discovered a conversion bearing that will allow me to use the locker in my 3.062 case. Bearings should be here by Saturday.

When time permits I hope to tear into the heads and bottom end. I may grab some measuring tools and go look and the 351W block that’s already been machined .030 over and see if I can just buy it and slap my rotating assembly in it.

Last edited by RTM (9/12/2021 5:58 AM)

Man I can relate, I've thrashed a few weekends on my Lightning only to find out some major parts wouldn't work. First was my fancy rear Wilwood brakes hitting my wheels, then this weekend my long bars hit the front spring hangars. So I feel and share your pain!

Another couple set backs yesterday.  I tore one head apart to install new valve springs and discovered what looks and feels like a crack at the top of the valve stem.  I haven't looked at all the valves but I could tell something wasn't right removing a few of them.  They felt tighter sliding out once the top of the valve entered the guide.  This is a well known problem with the pro comp heads.  I actually consider this a good find because it could have failed when I got it running.  That could have been bad!!!

The second set back was the conversion bearings measure .010 smaller than the OD on the locker so there is no way I am going to press the bearing on with it being .010 smaller and I am not going to try and hone that much out of the bearing.  To bad I don't work on the ID grinder at my old job.  I could have made the bearings work.

I was going to buy a $450 bore gauge set at a pawn shop for $100.  But it sold before I could get there from work on Friday.  Not that I always need one but the price was a no brainier.

As for my 9 inch case I will see if I can exchange it or sell the locker and buy the smaller bearing locker.  If I can not exchange the case then it may be cheaper to buy a new 3.25 case and sell the 3.06 case.  The lockers are not cheap.