Hello bricksters.

After 9 months with no engine, I finally got the "new" 2130-B20 in and running on Jan1. I didn't make much more progress in January aside from the cam/valve train break-in and a slow 35 mile trip around the valley. Last weekend I did the first oil change (@ 35 miles).

The old B18 died from a couple things:
1- rounded cam lobe on cyl-4 exhaust valve, and
2- the onset of serious valve recession. I've wondered if the valve recession was due, in part, to the carbs running lean. (Incidentally, I'm now also wondering if the stuck advance mechanism may have accelerated the valve recession by effectively retarding the timing at higher rpms?).

Anyway, I drove the car to work 4 days this week and put a couple hundred miles on the new block. Today I pulled the plugs to see how things are progressing.

As reference, I cleaned up the old (B18-tuned) SU's, but they've been neither rebuilt nor re-jeted for the 2130 setup. The dizzy is in tip top shape. Idle timing set at 15deg advance, pulling up to what appears to be 30-35 degrees at anything over 2k rpm. Tach is installed. Initial valve train break-in was 30 minutes in the driveway between 1500 and 2500 rpm. First 50 miles were below 3k rpm. This week I've brought it up to (but never over) 3,500rpm. Plan to keep under 3500 for the first 500 miles, afterwhich I'll re-install the inner set of valve springs and slowly work my way up. I'm running NGK BP6HS plugs, but I have a set of BP7HS's I plan on moving to next. IPD SP (/Isky W-71) cam kit.

From the looks of things, I think I may possibly be running a little lean, but in my non-expert opinion it doesn't appear to be way out there or cause for too much concern. (They look like a #22 on this page http://www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Spark_Plugs_catalog.html)

Just looking for some reassurance or thoughts from some of you that have more experience than me. I really want to everything possible to make this new engine last. Does it appear that heat value of the BP6HS's is too low? (There is no visible color transition on the L-shaped electrode- is 250 miles too few for a transition to be apparent?). Will the BP7HS's make a difference in this area? Thanks for any and all input. Cheers.

VH.







on #4 the black spot is a spot of oil I accidentally touched while the plug was pulled...