[VintageMusclecar]

After more delays, screw-ups and mis-machined parts than I care to mention (but will), the 540 project is finally rounding 3rd and headed for home. With any luck I'll have it final assembled by mid-week next week, then it's off to the dyno.

No, you're not seeing double, and no, this isn't a V16 project. What you're looking at here is the 2nd set of pistons I've been waiting on for the last 2 weeks. While doing final mock-up, I found that the original pistons had been machined for the wrong sized rings. It took a lot more effort than it should have, but the replacement pistons arrived this morning, and I'm happy to report they're spot-on.

Compression ratio will be 11.5-1, just on the safe limits to run on pump gas.

Between mock-up snafus and correcting other's mistakes, it took me numerous trial assemblies to get it to this point--but it's finally short blocked. If there's one guaranteed rule when building an engine like this, that is to leave NOTHING to chance--you have to check EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING!

Trick MOROSO pump with a windage baffle added to the body of the pump which works in conjunction with the MOROSO pan going on this engine.

More next week.

*Edited pics--now to figure out how to place the appropriate text with the appropriate pic*