New member needing help - Setting up a custom flow 400

[91daytona]

Last week I bought a used custom flow 400 flow bench that has been sitting unused for the last 1 1/2 years. The adapter plate is 4.1500 and taped for a small block chevy. I redrilled it so I could also bolt a small block mopar. The al plate is oringed both top and bottom. I added enough fluid to zero both manometers. When I start the flow bench the fluid travels to the left on the vertical manometer. No vacuume leak is detected but if there was one wouldn't it go to the right down the scale? I removed the back panel and checked all the lines. Should there be fluid in any of the lines? They are all empty. Any and all help apprieciated. Thanks, John.

[sam-missle]

[91daytona]

Sam thanks for the info but I ran out to the garage and switched the lines and it didn't help. what realy pisses me off is I have built drag-racing engines for 30 years and home ported heads sucessively for all those years and finialy bought not one but two flow benches to step up my program and now I look like an idiot. I want to do it right so I ordered All three pilots off the website and will suport any project I can but I do need some help. I am willing To pay anyone that can get me up and running. Thanks. John

[bruce]

I think you will find that there is not a lot of people familiar with your style of bench on the forum that can offer help. Since Sam had one of these benches in the past he is going to be the resident expert on JKM benches

I personally have no clue what's inside a JKM bench . . .

If you post some pics of how the connections are made and some more details possibly more help can be offered in getting this straightened out for you.

[Tony]

Same here. I have never seen a JKM bench, or even a picture of one, and have absolutely no idea where to even begin trying to be of any help.

Your best bet John, is to stick around here and start reading through some of the threads and get to really understand how a flow bench really works. Once you have that part figured out, getting yours up and working should then be fairly straightforward.

[thomasvaught-1]

My experience with JKM bench has not been a good one. The one I had access to was not accurate. The "designer" of the bench has passed away so getting info from the designer (who lived in Ohio) is impossible. I never liked the manometer set-up or trusted the pitot calibration against the orifice type benches. I have since changed my opinion of the accuracy of a well designed pitot bench vs a orifice bench.

Congrats on getting the bench. Hope you did not pay much for it. Maybe some of the members can help you replace the pitot stuff with some of Bruce's Pitot parts and the add electronics. You
would basically be keeping the vacuum/pressure supply and the cabinet parts.

Tom V.

[sam-missle]

John,
remove the back of the bench, about 20 screws, check all the vacum lines, the biggest problem with the jkm is the vac. lines. plan on replacing them once a year. where are you from? if close by i would gladly get you up and running. i am not an expert by any means, but i can tell you this forum is the place to be. i remember the first bench i bought from jerry, i learned real quik how screwed up i had been porting heads without the bench. i am now building a bench with bruces plans. the designer of the flow bench was Jerry Finch, he lived in MA. he was originally from GA. i knew him well, very smart man. his roomate in college was warren johnson of pro stock fame.

sam-missle

[sam-missle]

[91daytona]

[thomasvaught-1]

Sam, I thought Warren Johnson was using Rick Blood's benches: See link here:



If the JKM bench was so good why would he switch to the Blood bench??

Tom Vaught

ps

Is this the guy and is he still alive?:

JKM AUTOMOTIVE Jerry Finch 250 Farm Street Bellingham MA 02019-1100, Tel: Fax: E-mail: Website: (508) 966-2531 (508) 966-4051

If so I have confused him with a guy I met years ago who was selling a similar bench

[sam-missle]

[thomasvaught-1]

Thanks Sam-missle

Tom V.