Jeff,
That’s some great work man. Like I’ve mentioned before, all the headaches and setbacks will be worth it in the end. That Liberty is the %+}*! Can’t wait to hear about how it runs.
Thanks Wes, it sure was cool looking when it sat in my house for almost a year... I haven't talked about it, but even the Liberty was a struggle at first. last fall, after the dyno session, I got the engine installed in the car, along with the transmission. I fired the engine up, and after 40 seconds of run time, it just shut off. Turn the starter over, and it seemed like the engine was locked up... Dump the oil, cut open the filter, and NOTHING. Clean as can be. i couldn't even turn the engine over with a breaker bar. Frustrated is an understatement at this point. I call a buddy, and he asked if I dial indicated the bell housing? Yes I did, it was within .002. "It turned over fine by hand then?" It did... "Start taking it apart, starting with removing the trans." Out came the tools, and I started to pull the transmission. As soon as I grabbed the input shaft, I knew what the problem was instantly. The transmission was locked up... Put the trans on the bench, and start taking it apart. This is something I didn't think I'd need to do for a LONG time... Once the case was split, I didn't see anything inside the trans that looked out of place. I pulled the input shaft, and found the problem. The input shaft was locked up to the throw out bearing collar. A phone call to Liberty was in order. Was told to send the input shaft back to them. I sent it to them on a Wednesday night, and it arrived on Friday morning. Mike from Liberty called, and said that the ID of the throw out bearing collar was machined wrong, and the input shaft had rubbed just enough, that it welded itself to the collar. They fixed it free of charge, and sent the assembly back. Not thrilled to have to go through with all that, but Liberty made it right.
This spring, I still needed to install the clutch linkage in the car. While switching to the Liberty, I also moved the engine slightly forward, as I mounted the engine plate on the front side of the brackets in the engine compartment, instead of behind, like my old setup was. This changed the clutch linkage just enough to be a pain in the [censored]. Some modifications later, and it's in.
As luck would have it, a week or so ago, I charged the battery on the car, put, some Sunoco 112 in the fuel cell, then powered up the fuel pump to check for leaks. None in the engine compartment. None in the trunk. A huge puddle under the car. The fuel line I put on, less than 4 years ago, was leaking from multiple spots. I had to order some new line, and fittings. I switched to solid aluminum lines this time.
This last Tuesday, UPS delivered the fuel line fittings I needed to finish the install. Got everything done, and checked for leaks. Nothing! What a relief. I couldn't take the suspense any more, and crawled into the car, pumped the gas once, and rolled the engine over. The 563 fired up instantly. Holy S#!T, this thing sounds pi$$ed off! I ran the engine for a little while, getting it up to 140-150*, and ran it through the gears a couple times. The throw on the Liberty shifter, feels quite a bit less than the Jerico/LONG setup I ran for years before. Smooth as can be, and no CLUNKING, the Jerico made.
I can't wait to make a pass in this thing.
Frick the rest of them, huh 
That was one of the smartest drag racing decisions I've ever made 
.jpg "20230413_124750 (1).jpg")
