Yesterday we finished putting all the pieces together and were finally able to get the old Olds running again. But there were some obsticles. First of all when we thought we were ready and cranking, we figured out there was no spark. This required us to pull the distributor, replace the control module and try it again... now there was spark.
With spark it still wouldn't fire over making us check the fuel delivery, and there was none. With the fuel pump as old as it was, we checked it and it was not functioning, so we tried manually feeding the carburetor, and it leaked ALL over the place. At that point we pulled the top of the carb off to try to free up some internals to no avail.
A trip to AutoZone for a new fuel pump fixed our feeding woes, and a trip to the shelf for the Quadrajet off the Caddy, and we were ready to try again. A couple turns of the motor and a couple twists of the distributor, and the old monster came to life. How awesome does a bad ass 455 sound with open headers?? I wish I had a camera that takes video...
The timing is set at about 15 degrees, the transmission (still a question mark) at least goes in and out of gear so far, and there didn't appear to be any unwelcome smoke at this point. Things are looking good!
There are a few issues to attend to next weekend:
-passenger's side valve cover leaking
-old fuel line going from pump to carb has a small leak
-new oil pressure gauge needs to be installed (long story)
-need to look at speedometer cable which was broken previously
With some cooperation from the weather, we'll at least try to take it around the development to make sure the trans does what it's supposed to before I start buying exhaust components and put insurance on it.
-BP