Hmmmm, well first....it's NOT MINE!

I'm at my machine shop today for typical lunch with friends(like near every Sat for like 18 yrs). So, a fellow has his CJ mounted on the dyno for break in time. This is going into a concourse Shelby mustang (100 pt type car). So they want to get it broke in, then they can paint and detail the motor for installation(NO heat marks allowed on heads!! ). Anyhoo.....I get there in time for them to have 3 guys hovering around this motor that WON'T start..hardly even a cough! Check this, check that....spark, fuel, timing, cam phase, compression..... Nothing will make it fire . After near an hour of half a dozen guys poken and prod'n around this thing....the owners son makes a landmark discovery.................It's crank'n the WRONG DIRECTION HUH!!!!! Sure enough....we pulled the dizzy cap off and cranked it. Yup, it was going CLOCKWISE!!! DOH!!!! That ain't right. We kept wondering why it would sputter some fuel out the carb occasionally, like the cam was out of time. Here, for SOME reason(that we'll never know) a MARINE starter got bolted on . How the HECK it even appeared no one will ever know. It was laying around from years past, and so they stuck it on thinking it was a normal starter, NOT!!! So after lunch we picked up the proper starter and low- behold it fired right off and purrs like a kitten. Who wudda thunk?

We kept thinkin if we had just wiffed some gas around the headers it might have started?? .
That was the whole deal, with all the pump shots of the carb we could not figure out WHY the plugs were as dry as they came out of the box? Well, with it turning backwards it was pushing it back up into the intake. Duh!

Just another day in paradise.....

 

Good story. You'd think somebody would have noticed. but, on an engine stand it's probably not as "odd" as if it were under the hood (assuming there were some belts pulleys to see).

Did they crank on it a lot? Are they worried about the cam?

 

Now that is a reason for not starting I have not heard!!! I would also watch the cam/lifter wear possibility from extended cranking.

 

I'm surprised the starter didn't grind as the flexplate/flywheel gear teeth have a chamfer on one side for smooth starter gear tooth engagement.
I posted two years ago that I helped install a 427 into a friends truck, after many failed attempts starting we pulled it around the yard. It started and ran well but with one problem, had one speed forward and four speeds reverse. Yup he purchased a used 427 marine reverse rotation motor that was cheap. It was coverted into a 453 after we called all friends to "watch this".
......=o&o>.....

 

Well at least it's all good and running. I can imagine there were a few tense moments wondering WTF was going on! Man that Shelby must be worth some big bucks. I guess it being a concourse resto it won't see much road time. I had a 67 GT500 and man I do miss that car! 428 2x4 4sp and that car would go!

Carl that is a very funny story! Did it take him long to learn how to drive it backwards? And with a stick no less??

Hey have any of you guys heard from Russ lately? I know he was switching internet providers and just wondering if he's back online yet? It's been kinda quiet here without him.....

G.

 

Luckily they did not crank on it alot. Basically it didn't fire right off, so they started looking. Try, then look again. Tear valve covers off, check firing order, TDC, cam, etc. Once they figured it out, then manually primed pump again with rachet/socket and then started it. Should not be any problems seeing they had only outer springs on to break-in cam.

It was on 20 minutes of break-in when I left. I think it's fine. I pulled cap off dizzy once to see if points were moving, but I pulled rotor off and did not notice direction. IT was not until son watched balancer and saw it was going backwards!! Oh, the hazing that will come from this will last years LOL!!!

 

Never too old for something new...one more thing to look for when there's problems. Good story.

gw