TheSamba.com :: View topic - Crankshaft Crossroads

Fri Aug 15, 2025 12:20 am

yes, I feel for you. I refuse to use any reproduction tin. I spend the time (and money) to source decent original tin and then repair accordingly. The fitment is far and beyond any repro junk.

stay patient and keep fitting!!

Fri Aug 15, 2025 6:36 am

Sled is correct about OEM being much better, but he is one of the few that can take a wadded up, rusty, stress cracked, and folded in half cylinder tin and make it better than new in about 20min.

Real sheet metal guys are a different breed. :D

I can weld, cut, and bang like the average guy, but it’s still quicker and cheaper for me to spend time fitting new junk tin. I have done a bunch now, so I have a good idea what needs to be done right out of the cheap clear baggie. It’s still one of the most time consuming parts.

Brian

Fri Aug 15, 2025 9:50 am

Thanks Sled for the encouraging words. I'll keep pounding away at it. They'll eventually go on there.

Brian and Sled, yea I can see the OE tins working out better. If I really run out of patience, I'll track down a set. But now it feels like I'm too deep into this and must prevail. The old sunk cost fallacy is alive and well in me!

I took a break from getting my ass kicked by the cylinder tins and shroud, and went for a little instant gratification by fitting up the CSP header and J-tubes. Slid right on there without any drama. I just love it when stuff fits like it's supposed to. And they supplied nice copper drop-in exhaust gaskets and 10mm-head 8x1.25 nuts with the J-tubes.

Now off with the exhaust and carbs, and back to fitment reality ](*,)

Fri Aug 15, 2025 10:05 am

Mmmmmmm....

DCNF's........ 8)

Brian

Fri Aug 15, 2025 10:42 am

With 32/36 venturis no less.

About as much as I can reasonably do with them to feed this beast.

Without those, 44IDFs would have been the way forward, but the mid-stream goal change was to use up what I have on the shelf. And these carbs worked pretty well on the engine that's currently in the car, although that one's not enough motor to truly utilize the carbs.

(I'm getting really close to, if not even with, the same performance level with a modded Empi 34 PICT-3 and gutted oil bath. Big nasty hill near where I live was a good place to put it to the test.)

I was already so deep in these things I could not possibly hope to get my money back out of them.

Solution? Spend even more on them!!!!

Didn't I already say the sunk cost fallacy is alive and well in me? :D

Fri Aug 15, 2025 10:46 am

How much was the 3 angle valve job? V8 shop?

Awesome powdercoat sells new cylinder tin. Its not empi. Thicker metal and fits well, im told. About $160 for a pair.

https://www.awesomepowdercoat.com/ap-new-dual-port-cylinder-tins

Fri Aug 15, 2025 10:49 am

PM me.

I bundled some other work with the 3-angle so it's difficult to put an exact number on it.

Fri Aug 15, 2025 10:53 am

[quote="Rob Combs"
I'm getting really close to, if not even with, the same performance level with a modded Empi 34 PICT-3 and gutted oil bath. Big nasty hill near where I live was a good place to put it to the test.
[/quote]

The DCNF's will destroy most any centermount, especially a single barrel. They are great little carbs.

I had some on my beater 1835, and they never gave me much trouble, and they ran great. I have 3-4 more pairs on the shelf, but amazon IDF's are much easier now days.

Brian

Fri Aug 15, 2025 12:00 pm

Yea that's on my mostly stock 1600 currently in the car. Bumping to the DCNFs did not do a whole lot for it that I couldn't match with the modded center-mount. With the center mount, I think I'm just a touch over-carbed as it is. No more gain when I went from 28mm venturi to 28.5. It's more a matter of engine ability than anything. It's just stretched to its max without pulling the heads or splitting the case.

Now with this new engine I'm putting together, different story altogether. I'll pretty much max out those DCNFs.

Mon Aug 18, 2025 5:41 pm

Finally got the tins fitted. The 1-2 sled tin was so far off it was comedic how many pie cuts I had to make to fit it up. When I am ready for some ridicule I will post up how ugly it is. But it will work...

Got the carb linkage to a baseline setting. Need to make some plug wires and get the wire holders fitted to the shroud. And fab up some fuel hoses so one connection will just screw onto the filter and regulator on the body.

Yes I'm aware the downrods for the carb linkage are upside down compared to how most people run them, but they clear the air cleaner this way, open the carbs all the way, and close and fully open at the same time. Linkage throttle stops adjusted to positive stop with about .002" clearance before the carb throttle stop cam crashes into the carb body.

Also aware the fan shroud fill plugs normally go on the inside between the cylinder tins and the fan shroud. Installed this way, they do a nice job of holding all the tinware tight and in good shape, closing up a lot of unwanted gaps. Ordered some black aluminum tape to seal up the joints on final assembly.

Still need to go to Scat to pick up the doghouse cooler exhaust shrouds and the front engine tin. After those are fitted up, we're down to rechecking crank end play and setting up the pressure plate height.

Gotta get some oil lines made to go out to the oil filter, too.

Then on to getting the valve springs set to the correct installed height when I'm taking it down one last time before final internal checks and sealing it up.

Pretty much down to the easy stuff.

Almost there!

Mon Aug 18, 2025 6:23 pm

Looks good!

Brian

Wed Sep 03, 2025 1:13 pm

Deleted my last post about case half sealant worries after finding a suitable answer on aircooled.net

Curil T2 is apparently good, at least according to John, whose opinion, among many others here, I respect.

No turning back on this - pushrods came in from Smith Bros this weekend and I'm moving forward with final assembly.

Maybe it'll be prudent to have this thing broken in on a dyno so if it does leak or have any other problems I won't have to pull it from the car, just bring it home, fix it, and have another go at it. Headflow Masters offers the service and isn't that far away...

Will let you guys know how it goes.

Thanks for all the guidance along the way, from all who contributed!

Wed Sep 03, 2025 1:37 pm

Are head flow masters in business? i went by there couple years ago and they were gone, moved to mexico I think

Wed Sep 03, 2025 1:40 pm

Well, if they aren't they should probably update their website and Google hours.

That said, their website was last dated 2012 so you may well be correct.

I will definitely call ahead! Will find someone else if that doesn't pan out.

Thanks for the heads up!

Wed Sep 03, 2025 1:48 pm

You should just find an empty trans case and rig up your own out of the car engine start setup. You have a starter. Need gas can, jumper cables, couple switches, cheap dolly from harbor freight, or just couple 4x4 blocks. Cheaper than paying someone and moving it around in the car or truck

Thu Sep 04, 2025 8:12 am

Great idea but shared garage conditions might not permit.

A few of my neighbors would think it's the coolest thing they've ever seen, others would call in the SWAT team to put a stop to it.

Still think a dyno for break in and baseline tuning wouldn't be such a bad idea, even if it turns out Headflow Masters is no more. I'll reach out to them later today to see if they're still around.