Well I did get my 79 f-150 together for the mudraces this past weekend. The engine ran really well until I hit a really soupy mud hole. I had my dist covered well enough (I think) but it still acted like it wetted down. Has anyone ever had a problem with the sparkplugs/wires arcing due to excess water/mud? I think this is what was happening because I pulled off my dizzy cap and could not see any moisture. My engine compartment was drenched because I did not have time to seal it off very well. I will try to get it sealed somewhat before the next race. After about 15 minutes of the engine just sitting there it would run fine again, then I would make another pass and it would run poorly again after hitting the wet stuff. Any ideas? Also the tires I had on it were not hooking at all. I would be through all 3 gears within the first 30 ft. I had to rob the 35'' dunlop mud rovers off of my 78 shortbox because I dont have my boggers anymore (I KNEW that I was going to regret selling those). I am going to order another set of 38.5X11 boggers for this rig. I also need to get a pair of goggles with tearaways, I was completely blind by the end of the run. LOL. I am also going to build a cowl or just stick my air cleaner under the dash. The guy I had bend my tubing kind of F'ed up but I had to make it work for the race (mandatory cage for my class). All in all the pickup worked well, the C6 worked great as did the power steering (I was having some problems). I like the no lift/sawzall look, even with the 35's, it should look even better with the 38.5 boggers. I just hope I can keep axles underneath it. But I guess I am wondering if anyone has had a problem with the sparkplugs/wires arcing and causing a misfire. Thanks.

 

Yes, you have to cover them too. You have to seal the entire engine compartment from water. Most of the time it is easier to seal the engine compartment than try to seal each seperate part. For a short run you can even close the radiator off from the engine and it will not get to hot in a short time. If the class rules let you move the radiator into the bed of the truck then sealing the engine is easy. Moving the air intake under the dash or even into the cab of the truck is a good idea if the rules allow it. The shorter and straighter you make the snorkel the better. Make it big like 6"-8" round so the engine can breath!

 

I was going to take the stock air cleaner and turn it around so that the snout sticks right into the cab and under the dash. I am not running a bed so I would have to build a cover of some sort or it would really get clogged with mud. I am free to do just about anything in my big block modified class, and in the extreme class anything goes. The only limitations in the bbm class is no nitrous/blowers/cut tires. For right now I am going to leave the radiator up front and try to seal the engine compartment.

 

Moving the radiator to the back also helps with getting the weight off the front and to the back where you want it, so think about that. If you are allowed to cut/modify the firewall then seal the ENTIRE engine compartment air tight, and vent/breath the whole commpartment, not just the air intake, through the firewall tight under the dash. Cut a hole about 8"x24", that big of a hole could make the firewall weak that is a structural part of the cab so reinforce it. Make the top/hood air tight but easy to remove so you can remove it after each run to cool and work on the engine. Even with the radiator up front you can shroud it completely away from the engine. Use a low profile e-fan, remove everything off the front of the engine to make room. Let air flow through the radiator and be ducted under the truck, by making a sheetmetal shroud that is about 8" deep and the width of the radiator closed at the top but open at the bottom with the e-fan inside. No air will flow over the engine at all, but for just short runs it will stay cool enough. The heat will come out under the dash, and so will a engine fire if it happens that is why all classes don't allow this. You could leave the normal air intake inside this compartment but it will be using hot air, so you could also make a separate snokel for the breater to give it cooler air and help the hp.

That is a major job and only one of many way to do it, but I have seen trucks run underwater ( up the dash ) with this setup.

 

In theory, if the plug wires are in good shape, and they don't leak voltage out, they should operate fine when wet. If your plug wires are new, and are of good quality, I think your problem is probably in the distributor, or in the plug boots themselves may be leaking. I run my open frame swamp buggy in deep water all of the time with no problem. I have even run it with the spark plugs completely submerged under water without missing a beat. I have seen a lot of guys use a factory type distributor cover, such as the ones that came on 5.0 mustangs. They use a rubber boot that covers the distributor and uses snaps to attach to the dizzy. Just a thought

 

If you have good wires, seal them with dilectric grease, and you should be good to go, I've had no issues with the wires themselves on my 460, and I've had it to the point that you couldn't seen the ends of the wires or the plugs anymore with the mud... Where I have had trouble is having water come in through the vacuum advance port and getting into the pickup, and then it dies completley, doesn't just run bad.
That OE rubber boot for the distributor is a VERY good piece of hardware, well worth using.

 

Thomsen, glad to hear you got it up an running. I had a party to attend this weekend and I had mud drags last nite and tonite 45 minutes from my house that I had to miss out on.