[BruceWilkie]

BTW if you are using a crank with the longer snout (65-up I think) with this early timing cover you can still use the early balancers,pulleys, etc.. IF you want to!
460 fords(and I think other ford motors) have a balancer and a crank hub spacer that has the same id as a Pontiac balancer. You can find these used most anywhere. You can cut your own spacer from either the ford balancer hub or the spacer. You will only need just a tid over 1/4" length of it. This homade spacer now covers the extra length of the newer crank protruding thru the balancer allowing you to torque your balancer on.
If you chose to use a later balancer you can bolt it up to either crank style but you will have to work out the pulley spacing yourself. Fwiw most fan spacers can be used/modified to space your water pump pulley to meet your needs. The ford 460 crank spacer (shortened)could come in handy if you needed to move a balancer out a tid from where it normally sits against the timing gear. (as long as the cut is true)

One more reminder. If you want to use this early 55-59 timing cover on a 60 -up block dont forget to add the two small holes to the blockface below the large ones. Also the 55-59 cover needs slight machining to use the modern oil seal.

Bignate... I checked my templates against a 1969 #46 head and it will line up the same. Contact me if you want an alternate way to connect.

[Bill Hanlon]

Just curious. Have you run it yet?

[GT182]

It was said “PMD APPARENTLY MOVED AWAY FROM GUSHER FLOW, PRIMARILY BECAUSE THE ENGINES RAN TOO COOL IN COLDER CLIMATES”

I remember back when dad used to put a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to keep the pssngr compartment warmer in the winter up north for the 55 Chieftain and 57 Star Chief he had. When he got the 60 Ventura he didn't bother doing it anymore. Now it make sense as to why.

[BruceWilkie]

Going to take awhile longer than planned to get this project finished. Hernia operation followed by kidney stone complications cut deeply into my project funds. I did get my water neck adapters fitted correctly. Also, I'm almost finished with my 59 block to t400 trans adapter. Got the starter(59) correctly located on the adapter. Need to dial in the transmission dowel locations for no run out and then transfer everything from my aluminum "prototype" to steel. Side jobs are slow coming and not paying much.

[GT182]

Hope you're feeing better Bruce. Never had a hernia problem but I do feel for you on the kidney stone ordeal. That is freeking painful.

[Pontirag]

with the issues of polution that were emerging in the late 50's engine design incorporated a different cooling system and a pcv valve to reduce sludge, speed up the engine warm up period. remove gasses and acids from the oil and higher combustion temps caused fuel to burn more completely thus producing less smog and other types of polution.

warrenty costs also were a persuassive factor

[BruceWilkie]

Update.. Not done yet. In the meantime been doing some serious porting and have some additional things to explore. Of interest to cooling I'm investigating external plumbing that effectively would create or improve on the early internal gusher tubes that metered water around exhaust and valve guides.

So far I'm porting the intake side. A bit less common than normal. I filled the intake pushrod hole with threaded rod(sealed with epoxy). I will be eliminating the pushrod bulge entirely. This mandates a .150" offset roller lifter and equally offset rocker and drilling new pushrod hole. Some measuring shows if close tolerances are held I could still fit up to a 3/8 pushrod. (more than adequate for my projected use). Measuring also reveals the stock bulge pinches off the flow path by at least 30% of the port opening.
I've cut the opening to 1.18" gasket width initially final clean up will likely bring it closer to 1.2". I've removed the buldge. One port I'm working is straightening out nicely and I'm maintaining equal csa while allowing the shape to form and flow with the roof/floor height. CSA from port opening to bowl entrance/short turn has exceeded 2.6" and may go 2.75" if the bowl itself can accomodate it. Port will be tested at Mondellos in a few weeks before proceeding.
(Head had issues to begin with so no loss if its a fail, as I have a nice set of heads to fall back on if need be)

These heads some master muffler magician torched the exhaust bolts out to install headers! Really missed the mark trying to retap them. Not even close to gasket holes. (header flange holes got enlarged/elongated instead!).
So... experimentation with cut exhaust ports will be part of these mods. Machining may take me into water jackets in a few spots BUT I need to build a flange on the head at the same time with plate. Precise close tolerance machining and 2 stroke case sealer will adequately address potential water leaks. Port openings will no longer be droop snoot Pontiac NOR will they just come off the side ala SBC. They will exit at an angle from just below valve cover. bottom of opening a bit higher than the 2 short outer head bolts .(All outer bolts will be the short size.) This will leave the exhaust very much like the Nascar truck series Mopar W8 ex ports. If all goes well should see intake/exhaust flow balances not normally seen on Pontiacs. Very good for my turbo plans in both flow and ease of plumbing. Yes this means I cant buy things off shelf and have to make my own header flanges and sealing arrangements.

I am takin pics along the way and will be documenting things. When near completion I'll probably start a thread in the race section. I'll share a fewpics here of ex bolt holes and pushrod tube filling plus a glimpse into an opened port.

[BruceWilkie]

More pics

[Rocky 389]

...........so, how's it coming? I made a pair of 3/8ths steel adapter/spacers to go under my water necks. This fixes a coolant leak and spaces the necks out to line up with the 57 timing cover. Otherwise, there is a mis-alignment problem with the water necks and the water necks don't fully cover the coolant holes in the #46 heads. Took a little time and I'd have done it with 3/8ths aluminum if I'd had some.
I'll have to go back and re-read your theory on blocking water crossover etc etc. I need to get it down in my head.