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New Project: Daily Driver Motor

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A little bit of a background here. My daily driver 1994 GT has 212k miles on the clock. I drive about 150 miles a day, three times a week into work. This doesnt include any driving on the weekends and other trips outside of my commute. Needless to say, they add up quickly. Thinking ahead, I have been planning to give the motor a bit of a refresh. I picked up a genuine Ford 1994/5 cobra intake and GT40 iron heads for CHEAP. that is what started this whole thing. I got the heads cleaned up / upgraded / rebuilt / heli - coil some threads / and milled a bit. they are perfect! I also had the intake cleaned up and powdercoated. I picked up the gaskets necessary for the intake and heads, and even a set of scorpion 1.72 pedestal rockers for those heads. I was going to do the head and intake swap last winter - but the car lived in the body shop instead, so that project got held up.

I'm glad it did! Along came this:

920CEF96-7DBA-4F73-B546-B54BEBE2FE33-3239-0000022D5C0D0556_zpsa7178c02.jpg

its a 306 with low miles on it. TRW forged pistions, stock everything else with all ARP hardware. For the deal I got on it, I couldn't say no.

It looks like when it was rebuilt the crank wasn't polished. The cylinders could also use a good hone - maybe they didnt clean the block correctly. So I'll disassemble, freshen and reassemble with new rings and bearings. I plan to keep a running journal of the work that gets done. The idea is to get this into the car BEFORE mustang week next year! I'll keep this first post updated with the parts on hand / ordered and I'll also keep a spreadsheet with the total $ spent.

PARTS on hand

Cobra Intake - powdercoated

GT 40Heads, with trick flow springs fresh

scorpion 1.72 rockers, and shim kit

ARP Head Bolts

head, intake, exhaust gaskets

intake bolts

Timing Cover

Total so far (includes work done below): $1775

Work Done

heads rebuilt

heli coil heads

powder coating intake

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A little bit of a background here. My daily driver 1994 GT has 212k miles on the clock. I drive about 150 miles a day, three times a week into work. This doesnt include any driving on the weekends and other trips outside of my commute. Needless to say, they add up quickly. Thinking ahead, I have been planning to give the motor a bit of a refresh. I picked up a genuine Ford 1994/5 cobra intake and GT40 iron heads for CHEAP. that is what started this whole thing. I got the heads cleaned up / upgraded / rebuilt / heli - coil some threads / and milled a bit. they are perfect! I also had the intake cleaned up and powdercoated. I picked up the gaskets necessary for the intake and heads, and even a set of scorpion 1.72 pedestal rockers for those heads. I was going to do the head and intake swap last winter - but the car lived in the body shop instead, so that project got held up.

I'm glad it did! Along came this:

920CEF96-7DBA-4F73-B546-B54BEBE2FE33-3239-0000022D5C0D0556_zpsa7178c02.jpg

its a 306 with low miles on it. TRW forged pistions, stock everything else with all ARP hardware. For the deal I got on it, I couldn't say no.

It looks like when it was rebuilt the crank wasn't polished. The cylinders could also use a good hone - maybe they didnt clean the block correctly. So I'll disassemble, freshen and reassemble with new rings and bearings. I plan to keep a running journal of the work that gets done. The idea is to get this into the car BEFORE mustang week next year! I'll keep this first post updated with the parts on hand / ordered and I'll also keep a spreadsheet with the total $ spent.

PARTS on hand

Cobra Intake - powdercoated

GT 40Heads, with trick flow springs fresh

scorpion 1.72 rockers, and shim kit

ARP Head Bolts

head, intake, exhaust gaskets

intake bolts

Timing Cover

Total so far (includes work done below): $1775

Work Done

heads rebuilt

heli coil heads

powder coating intake

Make sure you take detailed information about tearing out the bottom end and reassembling! That's the one thing I haven't gotten into yet on my motor and I know its just a matter of time!

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Oh I will. This will be the second motor I've built and I've learned SO MUCH since the first one almost 10 years ago. Also, my buddy is an expert engine builder / machinist / toolmaker and he is only phone call away.

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Finally got started last night. I cut a piece of plywood to span the two legs of the engine stand. that does two things - place to put the tools and a makeshift oil drip tray.

First thing I did was remove the oil pan. I noted which bolts were missing - the 4 for the timing cover, and two on either side of the rear crank, one or two from the pan itself. good thing I have extras of these! I got out a package of zip lock bags and labeled one "oil pan bolts" and put them all in there. I removed pan rails - they go between the pan and the bolts - and the pan and set it aside. Next was the oil pickup and the pump. I remove the two bolts from the pickup to pump, and the main cap nut that holds the pickup. then I removed the pickup. two bolts for the pump and that came off too. another zip lock for the oil pump bolts. i put the pickup in a big cardboard box along with the oil pan rails that live on either side of the pan. This oil pan is tapped for an oil return - likely from a supercharger, so I wont be re-using it. I wont be re-using the oil pump either.

next up, I checked the orientation of the pistons as they sit in the block. the bottom of each of the TRW pistons is scribed with a number, and an arrow. the arrow points to the front of the motor (good idea!). I'm not exactly sure what the number is for. The number 1 cylinder piston Rod and Rod cap were stamped with number 1 (the other 7 are correct as well - rod and rod cap stamp match the number of the bore), but the scribe mark was number 3. I'll disregard the scribe mark unless I figure out what that is for.

motor is upside down. I set number 1 at TDC - piston closest to the deck, rod centered in the bore. then I removed the rod nuts and carefully removed the rod cap. I put some nylon tubing on the rod bolts so that they wont nick the crank. this part is super important! if that crank gets nicked - its a very expensive mistake! I plan to polish the crank - not replace or turn it. back to the pistons - i used a 1/2 inch wooden oak dowel - about 2.5 ft long and a hammer. I put the oak dowel on the piston and gave it a few taps. someone was on the other side of the motor ready to catch the piston when it came out. it came right out with just a few taps. I put the rod cap back on the piston, along with the rod nuts. then I did the same thing for number 5, which is across from number 1. Repeat for the rest.

had about 2 hours into it, which included pulling everything out - tools, stand, etc, making the plywood piece, labeling everything and eventually putting it all back away. The engine lives in a plastic garbage bag while its tucked away.

Pics:

0B69471B-634A-45B1-8337-09164A685231-920-000000B1B1B5EBD1_zpse72b92d2.jpg[

E1808E02-F423-4771-86E3-AB9FD11DEDBA-920-000000B1AA90E644_zps40b9f62c.jpg

BC13F868-DEFA-43A4-8612-AB4D1FFB52EC-920-000000B1A30D27E4_zpsc1818b83.jpg

Stay tuned for the next round!

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you know, i'm glad I'm going through this. Its going to be a TON of work but I dont mind - car runs great right now. I want to know that what is under the hood is RIGHT! I spent hours last night looking up posts on the corral forum. search for posts by user - find user that is expert engine builder (fordstrokers.net) - read until eyes are bloodshot - take notes of important stuff.

I also sourced a freshly ground stock flywheel and a ford racing aluminum driveshaft the other day for a STEAL. so that will be going into the car too. I sent an email to RAM clutches - they recommended the HDX - so that's the one that will bolt to the flywheel.

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Excellent write up, Mike.

Also, including the cost on this helps alot of people.

I will be doing a similar build, plus a turbo, over the winter.

Thanks man!

I spent some time with power adders back in the day. I know that the tuning devices have come a long way in the past few years, but after wasting a few head gaskets, I'll always be hesitant about mashing the pedal on a blown 302 based windsor.

just to note - there's no hesitation to stomp the loud pedal on the terminator :thumb:

- - - Updated - - -

looks like the crank polishing and cylinder honing is going to have to wait a while. I learned that since the cylinders need to be corrected, I have to use some specialty stones for the honing. Its not just a simple de-glaze.

Plenty to do in the meantime! Stay Tuned!

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Thanks man!

The whole reason this snowball of a project started was a craigslist add for heads and a cobra intake for 300 bucks. another 500 into the heads, 250 into powdercoating, gaskets, etc, etc... 1700$ later I'm still spending money!

now, if you had some aluminum heads... that would be a different story.

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Another update!

I was finally able to sync up with my buddy who has his own machine shop. We got a LOT done this sunday. before that, I modified my parts washer so that I could clean up the crank. I used a basin for a hot water tank, plumbed a drain, and ran an extension on the spicket. This gave me a much bigger basin to work in.

D8551E41-27BB-4315-8567-539FDDB6998C-12533-000006734DF8F7F6_zps0e4d7885.jpg

After the crank dried, I coated the journals with some WD40. A few days later it was off to my friends shop!

The first thing we did was mic the journals. they were all in spec but needed to be polished. The crank was put into the lathe and turned at a slow speed. the journals got 600 grit first, then crokus paper - which is 8-900 grit. this polished everything right up. That is a boot lace he is using to work the paper back and forth while the crank is turning.

A8E7EFB7-193F-4E75-960F-B9D59A4960E8-12533-00000672F80F051B_zpsa53e6269.jpg

once all the journals were done, we used a main bearing to hold the last journal in whats called a steady rest. the snout was chucked int he lathe. We needed to clean up the bore where the pilot bearing lives. some idiot must have chiseled the last one out. we basically removed the high spots without removing any material from the bore. We cannot remove any material because the bearing wouldn't seat right - its a press fit.

7C3DCF3D-2A83-4E5C-9F00-2AC4B7EBCE3B-12533-000006730893C96C_zps5456a2e0.jpg

While the engine was there, we used a bore mic and checked all the cylinder bores. they need to be corrected due to some scoring, but they are still in spec! this was great news. We also used a straight edge and made sure the main journals were in line. Everything looked good.

then we drilled out a broken WP bolt and removed it using an easy-out. inspection told us that the bolt had bottomed out in the hole. whoever built this motor was really sloppy.

F2EB0999-58FB-45A3-893E-B64F9A129215-12533-000006731042C1A1_zps05eff757.jpg

So the crank is ready and the block has been checked. Now I can order the main / rod bearings and the new rings. The perfect circle rings are what are used by most of the engine builders on the corral. The clevite bearings are stock replacement bearings. Clevite makes all sorts of bearings for different applications (billet / forged crank for example) and in a variety of different sizes. These below are stock replacements only. I'm not racing this car, so I won't waste the money on the high end race stuff.

Here are the part numbers and cost:

Mahle Perfect Circle Rings: PCR-3150036-030 - 109$

Clevite 77 Rod Bearings: CLE-CB634P - 4.25 each - 34.00$

Clevite 77 Main Bearings: CLE-MS590P - 39.97$

The next step is to clean the crank again and prep the engine. for the engine prep, I need to chase all the threads, clean the gasket surfaces, clean the block with the parts washer and then coat it with WD40 again. then we can fix the cylinder walls and double check the main bores when the caps are torqued with the new bearings. then it needs to be cleaned again. at that point the re-assembly can begin!

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Update:  I got a package from Mr Curtis!  package included the custom grind cam, new set of lifters and a new set of valve springs.  Forgive me, but I didn't take any pics.  

 

I took the heads over to my buddy's place and we removed the springs / retainers / locks / shims.  After looking at the new valve springs and the specs on them we measured the installed height.  Then we tested the springs to find out if they would need any shimming to have the correct seat pressure at the installed height.  It was really close.  It turns out that we used shims on the intake side, but the exhaust was OK.  

 

There are two different sets of locks that come with the retainers.  one set is for the intake and the other for the exhaust.  When we were done, everything looked great.  We also found that some of the guides were not seated correctly.  This was also corrected.  After seeing the new spring package installed on the heads, and the specs on the cam - I'm pretty excited to make some more progress!  

 

I also received the main and rod bearings, and the piston rings.  Here they are, summit racing part numbers for reference:

Clevite Rod Bearings:  CLE-CB634P

Perfect Circle piston Rings:  PCR-3150036-030

Clevite MS590P main bearings

 

Next step is to clean all the gasket surfaces on the block, and get the block cleaned up.  Then we will correct the cylinder walls and give it that nice cross hatching.  At that point, re-assembly can begin!
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Update: I got a package from Mr Curtis! package included the custom grind cam, new set of lifters and a new set of valve springs. Forgive me, but I didn't take any pics.

I took the heads over to my buddy's place and we removed the springs / retainers / locks / shims. After looking at the new valve springs and the specs on them we measured the installed height. Then we tested the springs to find out if they would need any shimming to have the correct seat pressure at the installed height. It was really close. It turns out that we used shims on the intake side, but the exhaust was OK.

There are two different sets of locks that come with the retainers. one set is for the intake and the other for the exhaust. When we were done, everything looked great. We also found that some of the guides were not seated correctly. This was also corrected. After seeing the new spring package installed on the heads, and the specs on the cam - I'm pretty excited to make some more progress!

I also received the main and rod bearings, and the piston rings. Here they are, summit racing part numbers for reference:

Clevite Rod Bearings: CLE-CB634P

Perfect Circle piston Rings: PCR-3150036-030

Clevite MS590P main bearings

Next step is to clean all the gasket surfaces on the block, and get the block cleaned up. Then we will correct the cylinder walls and give it that nice cross hatching. At that point, re-assembly can begin!

Good stuff man!! What's the reason that there are different locks and retainers for the intake and exhaust?

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The valves themselves are different lengths.  The retainers are all the same, but the different locks enable the retainers to sit at different heights.  This keeps all the springs / retainers at the same installed height regardless of the different valve stem lengths.  

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It may sound like I know what I'm doing, but I just learned this stuff the other day!  I'm learning as I go for sure.  Its nice to have friends that have a wealth of experience to tap into!

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It may sound like I know what I'm doing, but I just learned this stuff the other day! I'm learning as I go for sure. Its nice to have friends that have a wealth of experience to tap into!

Oh I know how that goes! Two minds are better than one! Lol

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Curious.  I have the stock valve covers.  I have a set of scorpion 1.72 pedestal mount rockers going on the GT40 Irons.  Are those valve covers going to fit?

 

Ah the old "will my XYZ rockers fit under stock covers" question.  They may or they may not depening on the brand.  The good news is you can just stack valve cover gaskets to get a little extra clearance although then you could run into issues clearing the TB...  My Comp 1.7 stud mounted rockers did clear with stock gaskets no problem but YMMV. 

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Even though this is a budget build, I'm already at 3100 for a total cost!  

 

 

Total Cost 3140.73

 

Here is the list so far:

 

 

306

 Injectors reconditioned

intake and heads

valve springs rockers and shims

head work 

powder coating

valve covers

head, intake, exhaust gaskets

ARP intake and head bolts (steal!)

Heli Coil 5/16-18

ARP oil pum driveshaft 154-7904

Oil Pump Melling M-68

pilot bearing m-7600-A

Clevite MS590P main bearings

Thread Chaser SAE

FTI Cam, lifters, springs

Clevite Rod Bearings:  CLE-CB634P

perfect Circle piston Rings:  PCR-3150036-030

Lower Gasket Set FEL-PRO Part # CS85489 

Timing chain, cover and water neck

Autolite 103 plugs

timing cover bolts 

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you didnt say what "KIND" of budget lol

 

 

Good point!  The word budget and MotorSports typically do NOT go together.  I'm throwing money at this build as I have it.  This all started in April, so it hasn't even been a year yet.  It isn't like I took out a loan, or came into a bunch of cash that was burning a hole in my pocket.  I put money down on a block expecting to bolt my heads and intake to it.  then I took it apart and said… well shit, this is going to be expensive...

 

It will get done though!  

 

I just got a car to detail, so I've put the next steps on hold for a little while.  I'm hoping to get back to it sometime next week! 

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I have to say this is how the best build go. they take time. It took me 2 years to install my IRS! however it looks awesome now and i couldnt be happier. If you look at the build threads with 30-40 pages of info, most of the time they are the most intersting to read :) ill be waiting to see how this turns out, no rush!

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I hope so!  

 

So a quick update:  After the detailing job (I can't believe how nice that one came out), the winter storms hit us.   And by storms I mean one after another.  it has been like every three days, we are shoveling / snow blowing / plowing.  It has definitely wore us down here in the northeast.  

 

On a good note, the car now has a brand new Walbro GSS 307 fuel pump installed.  Please note:  the fuel pumps manufactured in 1994 are good for 20 years and 223k miles.  Thank you for tuning in to this public service announcement.

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On a good note, the car now has a brand new Walbro GSS 307 fuel pump installed.  Please note:  the fuel pumps manufactured in 1994 are good for 20 years and 223k miles.  Thank you for tuning in to this public service announcement.

 

My car has half this many miles and is on its fourth pump lol.

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I took some time and did my fuel lines with some nice AN lines and fittings.  now last night I finally got back to the motor!!!

 

Update!  
 
I dug the engine out from its winter hiding place. 
 
I started by cleaning up all of the gasket surfaces.  I took care not to remove any metal, only the junk that was on there.  I would still like to get the lower right timing cover dowel out, but didn't spend too much time on it.  After all the surfaces were cleaned, I hit it with the some air from the blow gun to clear out some of the junk.  
 
Next, I spent some time chasing all of the threads in the engine.  It is really amazing how much CRAP comes out when you do this.  I was certainly surprised!  This is also a little time consuming.  I also found that there is another broken timing cover bolt.  We already drilled and extracted one that was by the water jacket.  This one is on the lower left side where the dowel goes.  I didn't notice it because it is pretty far in there.  The thread chaser wouldn't grab so I broke out the shop light.  Yup, broken bolt in there.  That will have to be extracted.  Other than that, all of the rest of the threads looked pretty damn good!  
 
I took out my custom parts washer setup.  its a small 2 gallon, with a huge catch basin that will drain back to the main 2 gallon.  I used that setup to wash the block as it was in place.  This made a HUGE mess, but it was worth it.  The block looked pretty good after that.  This is just the initial washing.  There will be another final wash after the cylinders are corrected / honed.  
 
Last step was to dry it off.  Once dry I hit it with some WD40 to prevent rusting.  Then I put it back into the plastic bag again until its ready to come out for the cylinder work.  Total time was about 2 hours.
 
Here was the block after the threads were chased and the surfaces cleaned.  Paxton was supervising… 
 
B269EFC3-1172-40D3-83D3-20CE73D2CDFB_zps
 
Another shot of the bottom.
 
5730CF85-E1EA-437A-A38C-037C49137778_zps
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Another Update!  

 

Since this last update, I have gotten the block to a machine shop.  a broken bolt was extracted and the block was honed.

 

I realized that there was just not enough time in the day to get this thing assembled.  I just didn't have the motivation.  I took the entire pile of junk to MCRP - which is local to me.  Mike does GREAT work and he will be doing the assembly.  Then he will be running it on the engine dyno to break it in and make sure there are no leaks.  Hopefully everything checks out tolerance wise or I will need to source some additional parts.  I'll keep updating once I know more.  Not sure if it will be ready / in the car by MW this year, but we will see!  

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Its home!  I picked it up from MCRP just recently.  The engine dyno session went well - 10 pulls making great average power.  I'm going to have to jump through some hoops to get some valve covers to fit over the scorpion rockers, and under the cobra intake.  I really don't want to add a spacer, but that may be necessary.  

 

Now I need to plan to get this installed.  The problem I have now is that the car still runs great right now, even with 235k miles.  I guess I'll just drive it until some issue presents itself that will convince me to do the swap.  I think I'm also going to have the t5 rebuild while the swap is going on.  Maybe a wintertime project!  

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some pictures!  

 

on the Dyno

 

627D79BB-BE8E-42D2-9387-4FF6979D001A_zps

 

In the back of my Expedition.  We installed some 'feet' which left a lot of clearance.

 

7BF23B8A-CC32-49F2-82C6-FC342AB4D28C_zps

 

and in its resting place.  The valve covers are not mine - I had to give them back.  There's a set of Fox stock valve covers on there now, but they dont even fit - the rockers hit the baffle.  

 

F7566EE1-A0DA-4E1F-87E4-D8E441C4FE4C_zps

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some pictures!

on the Dyno

627D79BB-BE8E-42D2-9387-4FF6979D001A_zps

In the back of my Expedition. We installed some 'feet' which left a lot of clearance.

7BF23B8A-CC32-49F2-82C6-FC342AB4D28C_zps

and in its resting place. The valve covers are not mine - I had to give them back. There's a set of Fox stock valve covers on there now, but they dont even fit - the rockers hit the baffle.

F7566EE1-A0DA-4E1F-87E4-D8E441C4FE4C_zps

I ran fox covers on my scorpion rockers with my old setup. And they were the bigger ones endurance series I believe. I did have to cut the baffle out of them but they cleared my 94 cobra upper without a spacer. And I ran that setup for a long time before my new motor.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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