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Yes vacuum is often the culprit but without more info, you could take a guess at 50 different things that are causing it.

I'm wondering if the cam needs retarding , as the boost comes on strong higher in the rpm range, like the engine is the restriction. Could the valves be shutting too early for the engine to be able to effectively use the boost, causing the manifold pressure to rise?

I guess if you're screwing engines together all day, every day, you get a feel for it. Problem is, one gun might be brand new with nice and tight internals, another might be well-worn with heaps of blow-by, and that's even if they're the same brand. Even lubing one up makes a massive difference to the torque output. I do like using guns generally though, eliminates many clearance issues trying to swing a big bar around. As for the extension bar twisting, well the best quality ones dont snap, but they do twist quite a lot. They're likely to be chrome-vanadium, not tool steel. Snapping can be very dangerous, as witnessed at work when a linesman had a hex adaptor (tool steel) shatter in his hand when using a hydraulic rattle gun, while working up a power pole. It tore straight through his work glove and made a big mess of his hand.

You're not bypassing the smart lock as such, just the starter cut-out function.

Must say in my 20 years as a mechanic I've never broken a bolt by using an extension bar on a torque wrench. Torque is a rotational force, and your extension bar simply becomes a torsion spring. No big deal, as a spring just stores energy. You just have to move the torque wrench a bit further to get to your setting. I'll equate it to weight. Instead of a rotational force like torque, weight is a linear force as a result of gravity. If i put a set of scales on the floor and stand on them, i weigh 77 kg (on a good day). If i then put the scales on a bouncy latex pillow (ie a spring), i don't suddenly weigh more or less. I still weigh 77 kg but it takes a certain amount of compression in the "spring" to reach my weight. Your torque wrench is nothing more than a scale that clicks off at a certain force. What you have attached to it is immaterial. I must read more about this torque inertia thing. The only way i can see an extension bar being a problem with torquing bolts up is when you're using the "angle torque" method, as used with E-series engines. Even at that, it will be less torque, not more. A couple of questions: were the bolts of decent quality? Did you use lube on the threads and under the heads? Did you do the torque-up in stages? The more stages the better. I like 3-4 stages myself, starting at 1/3 of the max setting.

It's part of the smart lock system. I don't think Ford expected their cars to last 20-odd years so you're doing well thus far.

Got a Sunbury in mine (302 Clevo), a diaphragm conversion from the long finger type. Going great and never smelt anything nasty even when backing a trailer in the driveway and slipping the piss out if it. Never slips under load, very smooth and pedal is light.

Yeah you're right XC, As a general rule, you divide the cc by 5 and multiply by # of cyls, that gives you absolute max hp capability. This only applies to nat asp motors though. I forgot that turbos have a different formula expressed as a higher bsfc.

I loves me a good single rail... If you can put up with 4 gears.

Sorry just read 450cc, but even at that, you should see 600 hp no probs. Stock fuel reg will definitely hold you back. It's not pinging though, so not leaning off from lack of fuel pressure. Will be very interesting after bits are fitted.

Yeah peak power at 3800 means something funky going on there. It should really just start getting going by then. 1000 cc is a serious size injector, i would imagine that they'd support upwards of 1200 hp on a 6 cyl. Just noticed no fuel reg in your list of specs. Is it a rising rate, and if so, what ratio?

The poor man's 9-inch! Just don't expect the LSD to work after 10,000 ks, even a workmate who likes Toyotas says they're rubbish.

How are you travelling up there Ando?

Ok thanks Ando that clears it up then. Those "chopper wheel" ones (reluctor) were fairly reliable in the day but modern repro ones are rubbish. Old ones will be... Well old. For the record, my old man's XF had dramas with its Hall effect dizzy: the teeth flung out over time and wore away the sensor, creating all sorts of shit running. Is the spark scatter caused by harmonics or rotor phasing? Agreed on the crank trigger, even some factory donks have had them for over 20 years now

Ok just my stupid ignorance of the subject, when we talk about chopper wheel, TFI and EST, what are the differences? My understanding of a chopper wheel is the type with the castlated stamped steel wheel chopping through the IR signal or Hall effect transmitter/receiver. It has the grey plug on the side and has Motorcraft moulded into it. It has no advance mechanism (fixed timing). Also my understanding is that a reluctor type is the old Bosch solid state one with a 6-point iron wheel passing a fixed outer wheel with 6 internal points that all line up when triggering occurs. It has advance weights and vac advance and has the 4-wire amplifier module screwed down on the side under a metal cover. Just so we all know which ones we're talking about, is my description if them correct? Is EFI and EST the same with some module differences?

That's the entire reason for going programmable, you eliminate all factory advance weights/vac advance by locking the dizzy and dialing in your own curve to whatever your engine wants. This is great for street/performance engines but race engines such as the ones Sly mentioned like straight-timed (or "locked") dizzys because of the burn characteristics of a big cam, big comp engine. That said, even a race donk can take a bit of a curve if you want to fine-tune the lower rpm band.

So what was the reason for the miss in the first place... Or did i miss something?

Hey whatever floats your boat (or coffin) i guess I reckon 233/178 cfm.

Nice.... And shiny! Any guesses for the flow rates? Closest one gets a case from Ando

If you ask me, get the 390 or 465 If you ask anyone else on here, they'll tell you to get the 600 or 650

Never owned one but i believe aussie speeds are square bore. Generally, when something is described as "4-barrel" it's automatically assumed that they're referring to a square bore carby. "Square bore" = all barrels same (or close) in diameter and are on hole centres that when viewed from below, represent a square. "Spread bore" = 2 small primaries and 2 big secondaries. The centres for the primaries are further apart than the secondaries, so as to form a "spread" shape when viewed from below. Both are universal patterns (ie manufacturers all stick to the standard for either) but neither type is directly interchangeable for the other without an adaptor. The bolt patterns are different too. Best way to confirm the manifold is to ring aussie speed.

No harder or easier than a mechanical one, it's 4 bolts, throttle linkage, fuel hose(s), choke wire or cable. The vacuum setup is all part of the carby and comes with it.

Going mechanical secondaries ... got a mate that works at a petrol station huh? Is there a particular reason why you need one of them? Just wouldn't want you to get it and be bitterly disappointed trying to get it right without pouring fuel down it. Holley makes vac and mech carbies very different from each other for a good reason. Mech is for racing, vac is for street. The assumption with mechanical carbies is that you wont be cruising or idling much. Their emphasis is on absolute performance, and run big jets accordingly. Now here's the clincher.... You go and jet down because it's a fat pig and guess what? It falls on its face (goes lean) It's because they run small power valve channel restrictors, along with big jets. You can drill the PVCRs out and jet down but that's even more work. A mechanical carby can be made to work on the street on a (relatively) small engine like many have on here but there's the thing... Why not just get the right one? Vac sec carbies are jetted pretty well out of the box for cruising and have a bigger enrichment circuit (PVCR) for when you stomp it. Also the secondaries (if set up right) only open if (and as far as) they need to. Again, not knocking your suggestion if you know it will be what you want but you just want to be 100% on what to expect from a race carby vs a street one.

Is your choke adjusted right?

This is where a float adjustment will cover that hole in the fuel curve. As it is, the mains aren't delivering soon enough after you come off transfer. This will be more prevalent on a big-carby/small engine combo such as yours. I'd bump the float up on the primary by 1/4-1/2 a turn (anti-clockwise) and see how it goes.