uncle jack wrote:
>I consider the first authoratative BARK from a newly built engine to be
>one of the more thrilling moments in this hobby. I'm still savoring it,
>three days later.
It's also one of the more tense moments. Did I do everything right? Is it
holding together? Is the oil pressure adequate? What's that noise? What's
that smell? When it seems to settle down and act like it's ready, then's
the time to pop open a cold one and savor the moment.
I don't think I've ever assembled an engine in 10 hours. I'm always either
waiting for something to dry, or having to stop and make up some missing
gaskets that are NLA. The head on my car is so wildly ported that the
factory manifold gasket is useless. It takes me about 4 hours to craft
one out of special header gasket material. It has a metal insert, so
punching the holes chews up my hole punches which have to be resharpened
more frequently, like after every other hole.
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