Engine accessories

Lots of progress today. Got the pulleys on the crankshaft and water pump, then put on the alternator, tensioner, and A/C compressor. The compressor mounts right where the power steering pump was, but it is a bit smaller. So I need a somewhat shorter belt. But it all went much easier than I was fearing it would.

On to the distributor. Needed to put the engine at top dead center first. A quick look at the damper had me worried. There are two sets of degree markings, and two distinct pointers. So I decided to pull out the spark plug to be sure. That's when I found out that the exhaust header flange made it impossible to put a socket on the spark plug. Nice.

Now if you go back and read the last post, you'll realize why I was really unhappy about having to pull the headers off again. But the only way I was going to get that spark plug off was to do a little grinding on the header flange. So off it came. Good thing I decided to check. TDC was not where I expected it based on the pointer.

This is starting to look like it could move a car! To get to go-kart stage, I still need to do the following:

Radiator and hoses
Ignition system (coil, MSD box, wiring)
Ignition switch
Computer and associated wiring
Fuel lines
Battery
Fill fluids
Fill and bleed brakes
Approximate alignment

That's still a lot, but it is starting to seem within reach.