I CRACKED OPEN THE CRATE MOTOR'S CRATE FOR NEW YEAR'S DAY.

 

Happy New Engine Year, everyone. 2020 was a buster for sure but I'll take last night's Times Square ball drop as a sign of hope that the worst is behind us. 

I'd rather look ahead to having Ratiki back on the road and running better than ever. 

To that end, I was able to pull out the paperwork and read everything.

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES: 

• No pre-lubing, tuning, or break-in procedures are required
• No synthetic oil, ever
• All timing is preset
• The engine has been drained and had the oil filter removed for shipping. 
• The engine requires five quarts of oil
• 10w-40 mineral-based oil is recommended. NO SYNTHETIC OILS!
• A 180-degree thermostat is recommended
• The engine is tuned to use a PVC valve and its use is recommended
• Flexplate should be mounted with Red Loctite and torqued to 70 ft. lbs.  
• The engine reached a peak Torque of 476.8 at 3900 RPM
• The engine reached a horsepower of 429.8 at 5200 RPM
• 3-5K is the recommended oil change interval
• Oil pressure should be 20-25psi at idle
• The engine develops in excess of 400 lb. feet of torque from 2500 RPM through 5,500 
• Max RPM is 5800
• Although it will run on regular, 91-octane is suggested
• Firing order: 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2
• Ignition timing: 16 BTDC/ 36BTDC Total
• Spark Plugs: Autolite #3924, 0.035"-0.040" gap
• Do not adjust valves ever without consulting Smeding or the warranty will be voided.
• Main idle speed screw can be adjusted to taste but is already set
• A natural chemical process called electrolysis can cause corrosion to aluminum. A MIX OF DISTILLED WATER water AND ANTIFREEZE and RUNNING ADEQUATE GROUNDS ON BOTH SIDE OF THE ENGINE IS RECOMMENDED
• An aluminum radiator can help prevent corrosion
• Conditional warranty: Three years and unlimited miles.

TECH DEPT IS AVAILABLE 7AM-4PM CTS M-F @ 210 338-8585

So close, but yet so far...

Detailed info packet, free stickers, and a dyno sheet. 

The engine over-delivered on its claims of 420HP & 450TQ.

429HP/476TQ is what the dyno reported.

I took the liberty of covering the cropping out the price. That's only important if you're the next buyer. 

I broke out my period-correct Sambo's coffee cup and read every word of the enclosed document. 

Ratiki, your heart transplant awaits. 

I won't be happy until my entire engine bay looks this good. And it will. 

EFI CONNECTOR #1

EFI CONNECTOR #2

EFI CONNECTOR #3

Passenger side of EFI unit.

Driver side of EFI unit.

A CONFESSION: Although I swore I'd leave the crate unopened until the engine bay is completely detailed, I just couldn't resist opening the crate from Smeding if only to take a better look at the EFI System, and the dyno results. 

With the enclosed manila envelope in hand, I then re-wrapped the engine in its thick plastic protective bag and screwed the carate closed again, but not before snapping a couple of pics. 

The paperwork stayed outside the crate and I will be kept in my build book after admiring the dyno results. 

And they were admirable, IMHO. 

Onward!