Thanks for the tip. According to the Tuner Studio dashboard, the head temp got up to 190F. I will keep my eye on this.

I had a bit of garage time today. First, I checked the fuel line pressure. It shows 8 psi after 48 hours, so I take that as a good sign of integrity.

I agree--not many places for leaks:
mating surfaces of intakes and cylinder heads (installed with gaskets and sealant)
mating surfaces of throttle bodies and intakes (also installed with gaskets and sealant)
throttle body vacuum ports or lines

I started by getting a wrench on the nuts for the intakes, and tightened them just a bit more.

Then I did the same for the nuts holding on the throttle bodies.

I checked the new vacuum lines, and all connections (throttle body ports to a T, T to a Y, Y to the fuel pressure regulator and to the ECU) look tight.

I then backed off the throttle stop screws pretty much all the way. I had them screwed in enough so the throttle plates were visibly open.

Then I went underneath and tightened up the exhaust port nuts.

While I was underneath, I got out the clutch cable retainer clip that arrived yesterday.

Clip installed.

Last, I rebuilt my exhaust pipe-line, with more solid aluminum sections. The previous version had plastic foil after the first 8 ft, and was starting to melt through.

Too late today for another start-up, maybe next year.

Awww, gee Bob we need to wait for whole new year.....

OK, OK. You guys are impatient.

Just to tease you a bit, before I tried starting I got out my old vacuum gauge. This is another Sears/Craftsman auto tool. Most of these date from my early days of playing mechanic, in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

I T-ed this into the vacuum line to the Megasquirt ECU.

OK, now we are ready to try starting again.

Here we go!

Again, the engine fired up on the first twist of the key.

Running at 2000-3000 RPM, from inside the car:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuYfm348BrU

Still running at 2000-3000 RPM, from the back:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThYFaRw3wTM

And after the total of 20 minutes to break in the cam and followers, it drops to a fast idle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5J1LzDy-Ig

Everything seems to be generally as expected. The AFR looks good at 2500, and a bit rich at idle.

As for the vacuum leak, I am now not sure I had one. Perhaps tightening the intake manifold nuts closed a small leak. But I think I had the throttle stop screws in too far. Without load, it takes very little throttle opening to run at 2500 RPM.

What else did I learn today? The cylinder head temp peaked at just under 200F after 15 minutes, with the air temp in the garage (with the doors open) about 35F.

But the stock oil temp gauge did not move.

At least the voltmeter showed some volts.

And the vacuum gauge showed some vacuum. (and very steady)

And while the engine was hot, I drained the first batch of oil. I will change the filter and refill with SAE 30 and another dose of Lucas break-in additive.

Very exciting times!

Youtube videos are private though...

Should be public now.

Aaawwwsome!!! It has been a long journey, but worth the entire trip. Thanks for sharing everything with us Bob. I learned allot along the way, but most of all the inspiration was great. Congratulations.

Great to see it running! And to have that moment with your son… priceless!

Thanks. And I really appreciate my son's interest in car stuff--and his willingness to help. Especially since he has some real skills.

I finally got the correct right-angle serial plug adapter. It took 3 tries, since the variations are male/female and "left"/"right". So now I can mount the Megasquirt ECU for real.

Here's why I wanted the adapter. The serial connector for the laptop lead sticks out, and keeps the ECU box too far to the left.

With the adapter, the box can move an inch to the right, and I can still attach the cable.

I got out my trusty 3M adhesive tape, and some spacers for the main panel since I wanted to increase the contact area.

So I have the ECU and relay boxes mounted where I want them, at least for now. That means its time to start getting all the cables and wires tidy.

And that means I have to commit to the layout of components in the engine compartment. I have been less than happy with the access to the rear of the right throttle body. The space there is tight enough, and that's where I have all the fuel lines and EFI cables.

So I decided to swap the left and right throttle bodies, so that the accelerator cable pulleys will be on the front side.

So I don't have to undo the fuel lines, and swap the angle fittings in the injector rails, I decided to swap the throttle bodies but leave the rails in place. This turned out to be a bit fiddly.

So I got both rails detached, along with other connections, swapped the throttle bodies, and got the rails re-installed. But now dinner calls.

Back on task, getting the swap of the throttle bodies done.

Now the right rear corner is not so crowded.

But now I have to also switch the throttle position sensor cable (3 prong connector) to the left side, and that will take about 18" more length.

To do that, I have to pull the right bundle back into the engine compartment, and then pull more of the TPS cable out from the end of the bundle. And before that, I undid all the temporary wire connections at the relay box and elsewhere.

Once all the lengths were adjusted I snaked the bundle back through the hole and grommet. I will trim back the cable covers and route all the individual wires later.

Now for the throttle cable. The modified sheet metal hole position still works well.

With the throttle stops, adjusters, and pulleys on the front side, I have much better access. Should have done it this way to start.

While I had the chance, I did the rough adjustment to set and sync the left and right throttles. I used a .003" feeler gauge.

And set the throttle plate gap on both sides. Once the engine is running again, I will balance the airflow.

With the lower air filter plates and stacks back on, I am caught up to where I started. The engine compartment looks better--and easier.

Aerial view.

So "sano" there Bob. Looks like an operating theater at the local hospital. Ha
Super nice!

I love this entire build.

Hmm, I hope your local hospital OR looks better than this.

This could be the last white board list. At least when I get all these tasks done the car should be ready for the road.

An easy job: new oil filter.

Filter installed, plus a new ring on the drain plug.