CVX-18 Lowrider

[carlsoncvx18]

Craig

I have a 350 bored .030 with mild cam and vortec heads.
Running merc thunderbolt IV   Timing at idle is 10degrees btdc and automatically advances to 30 at wot.

Going to try 12 on the bottem end which will bring it up to 32 on the top

Specs on my cam for break were to do not let idle run at rpm2500 or higher for 10 minutes allow to cool and do it all over again.

I followed this procedure and have not a problem, and I am not to kind to it either.

[eta1091]

im curious which camshaft you purchased? I am running the extreme marine cam. I researched the camshaft for my new engine this year and learned quite a bit about them when putting one in a marine application with wet exaust. if I understand correctly the lobe centers are closer together to eliminate the possibility of sucking water back in the combustion chamber. in any case just curious which one you opted for. Robert (olered) convinced me to break mine in on the garage floor which I did. Neighbors were not to impressed I think. haha

[Shrom CVX-18]

Thanks guys, after thinking about it a little. I'm pretty sure i had it at 30 degrees at 2000 rpm last time it ran. My compressin should be 9:1 so I think i'll be running high octane gas.    The engine break in seems to be different no matter who you talk to. I've heard a lot ppl saying 2000 rpm for the first 20 min start up. So maybe i'll go with that but the 10 min times with a cool down in between sounds like a good idea to me...I'll be dropping it in the boat for the first start up. lol Honesly i don't care what my neighbors think. Heck my one neighbor next time last year came running out the front door when i first started it for the season and said. " I thought that sounded like a SBC" haha He loved to sound.

 eta1091: As far as cam I went with. I did a lot of researching too. Came up with same results as you. I finally got to the pint in which i was going to just let  the machinist doing the job pick the right cam for me. Their are just too many options out there for the SBC that it was hard to choose. I felt that I did not know enough about them to choose the correct one. But here are the specs of my cam.

[Shrom CVX-18]

Guys is it normal for the gas tank ground wire to just be a copper wire ran to the battery. Their is no sheath over it or anything just a wire ran from the gas tank back to the battery ground. Its a Aluminum tank.

[WetRaider]

The ground is just there to discard any static.  It won't carry any current.  A bare wire is all that is necessary. 

[Shrom CVX-18]

awesome, Thanks. it seemed original. but can never be sure on older stuff. 

[Shrom CVX-18]

Was able to get everything hooked up today, Ran it to break it in. Then ran it a few more times just because... Here is a video. All seems to check out good. Minor oil leak at the one valve cover, I'll have to address that.

Now just need to finish up assembling everything, then a test run on the river with in the next couple weeks.

Cvx-18 mild built 357

[OleRed]

Good Job ! nice boat ... but I Want That JEEP  !

[Glastronjohn18]

Congratulations on a successful first fire.
Sounds real GOOD! I played it once. Then played it a few more times just because..... it sounds sooooo Good!
Wish mine was as far along as yours.I'm still in the tear down phase.

[Shrom CVX-18]

Good Job ! nice boat ... but I Want That JEEP  !

Thanks.  That's my other toy, believe or not that is actually my first vehicle also.

Glastronjohn18:  I have been working on getting all the mechanical stuff functioning correctly last few years. The boat needs new floor and interior at some point but for right now its fully functional, so i'm using it the way it is till I feel its mechanically working well, then I will focus on cosmetics.

[dorelse]

Nice job Shrom!  I'll be nice to get a solid powerplant in the boat again.  Don't you have a wedding soon too?

[Shrom CVX-18]

Nice job Shrom!  I'll be nice to get a solid powerplant in the boat again.  Don't you have a wedding soon too?

Yes June 1st is the day. I'm trying to get it all back together so I can take it with us on our honeymoon. I told myself and promised her that it needs to see one solid run on the river with no issues, to be able to take it to the lake with us.

I have my parents boat as a backup just in case lol.

I'm super excited  Feels good to hear that sound of open exhaust again.

[eta1091]

That sounds like music to my ears, especially the starter sound. Kind of strange, but I always seem to end up with a noisy starter in my toys. I see there is sunshine and no snow, hmmm I would be tempted to spend all night working on mine to get her in the water. Congratulations on your marriage coming up, hope it all works out for the both of you.

[Shrom CVX-18]

That sounds like music to my ears, especially the starter sound. Kind of strange, but I always seem to end up with a noisy starter in my toys. I see there is sunshine and no snow, hmmm I would be tempted to spend all night working on mine to get her in the water. Congratulations on your marriage coming up, hope it all works out for the both of you.

Thank you!

[CVX Fever]

Sounds good & healthy Shrom! Make sure you post some performance numbers once you get it on the water and dialed in this summer.

[Shrom CVX-18]

Will do, Break in period limits me to only some results because I can not run it at its fullest. But I think I should be able to have some results to share.

[CVZ18Fan]

What cam did you put in it?? Sounds nice.

Rich

[Shrom CVX-18]

Thanks, The cam has no specific name, but Here are the specs of the grind.  If you listen close it has a little bit of a Lobe to her. Nothing whiled. Could have went with a bigger cam but It would not have given me the peak performance with my setup as this one should.

[Shrom CVX-18]

OK, so Took the boat out for the first test run today, Few things I want to mention not only id this a first run on the engine but last year I had replaced the bellows and all also. But never got to dump it in the water cause I found out about the engine.

So the results are pretty good:

 No leaks! (oil or water into the boat)
Temp good!
Oil pressure Great!
Runs strong.

After a while running I noticed some valve noise, So once i got home I adjusted them hot. Before we had done them cold.
I adjusted them while running the engine this time...Made heck of a mess in my bilge. That being said I have a good cleaning I need to do in their. Last time I did it running it wasn't bad really but sense I have the high pressure pump in there, it made a mess this time.
My water pickup hose that goes from the out drive to the gimble came off...easy fix, Turns out then when I tightened the hose clamp down it was on the Hex off the fitting on the out drive and not actually on the hose. lol This time I got it right.

Other then those couple minor issues it ran like a champ. I plan to clean the bilge out and change the oil once before I run it again. Soon hopefully to make sure the valves are in good adjustment.

I messed around the other day a little with the gas struts. ( Jeff I still need to call you)  Found out the 40# struts are not enough to hold the hatch up. So I have some 90# to try. But also its not going to be as simple as i hoped. The hinge (on mine at least) will need to be better secured to the bench seat because the gas strut wants to push it, which in turn pushes the whole hatch back not allowing it to close... Also Will need to either do some figuring out about location of the mounts.

Here is a video of the start up at the lunch

CVX-18 Lowrider test run with new engine.

[CVZ18Fan]

Sounds awesome!! Let know about the strut project. Once you figure it all out, post some pics if you don't mind.

Rich