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BrettNorton

A Slow Build: College Kid's 1994 Mustang - Engine and Transmission are in the Car!!!

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May 2016,

 

Yay! More engine parts arrived yesterday!

To go along with the newly refurbished crankshaft, I bought a set of new ARP main bolts.  The old main bolts were original to the engine, had quite a few miles on them, had been torqued to 70 ft lbs a few times, and were probably pretty stretched out.  I was actually surprised to see that this Ford 302 ARP main bolt kit came with a main cap stud (on the far left) for mounting a rear sump oil pickup tube.

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For the camshaft, I didn’t need anything fancy.  I just needed a cam that was a little bigger than stock that I could live with. I decided to use a Trick Flow Stage 1 cam.  It’s got the mild lift and duration numbers that I need for the drivability and performance I’m looking for.  It also came with 2 dowel pins.  The longer pin is used for a mechanical fuel pump drive, and the shorter pin is used for any engine not running a mechanical-type fuel pump.  The cam's got a few fibers, styrofoam pieces, and some kind of anti-rust goo all over it, so I'll need to clean it up before I put it in the motor.

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Along with the camshaft, I bought…

A set of stock replacement Ford Racing hydraulic roller lifters.

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A Comp Cams double roller timing set.  Part number 2120.

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A new ARP camshaft bolt.

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New roller lifter spider and dog bones.

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A new camshaft thrust plate.  I had to get some grade 8 bolts for it at the hardware store.  ¼”-20 X ¾” for those wondering what size they are.

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A one-piece fuel pump drive.  Thank God the camshaft came with some new dowel pins.  The long dowel pin that came with this was just a smidge too big and wouldn’t fit in the cam.

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A new Ford Racing pilot bearing.

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I should be able to start assembling the short block soon.  I’m pretty sure I’ve got everything I need to do so.

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May 2016,

 

I spent today cleaning up some of the short block parts and prepping them for assembly.  I wiped all parts down with lacquer thinner to remove oils, greases, and contaminants, and then wiped everything dry with some paper towels.

The main bearings had some kind of assembly lube all over them (they were put in the motor by Sean a few months back).  I cleaned both the bearings themselves and the main bores that they sit in.

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I gave the same treatment to the rod bearings.

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Thankfully, because this engine came out of a Ford Explorer (which only had automatic transmissions IIRC), there was no old pilot bearing to take out of the crankshaft.  I just hammered the new pilot bearing right on in there while I had the crank out.

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Cleaned up all of the main and rod journals on the crankshaft.

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Same treatment given to the camshaft (also installed the longer dowel pin it came with).

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Next post, the short block will be getting put together…  Hopefully…

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May 2016,

 

Finally began assembling the engine yesterday, starting with the short block.

I started by cleaning out all of the cylinder bores and lifter bores with WD40-soaked paper towels.  I wiped every spot down until I saw no trace of dirt or grime on the paper towel.

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Once I finished wiping down the cylinder and lifter bores, I installed the camshaft.  I coated the main journals of the cam with assembly lube and then slid it into the block.  Then, I bolted on the thrust plate.  I just coated the threads of the bolts with Loctite and snugged them down.  The cam was pretty difficult to turn because of the thick assembly lube, so I put on the cam sprocket (from the timing set) to turn it more easily.  Once I was able to turn the cam, I coated all of the lobes with some 15W-40 Rotella oil.

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After the camshaft install, I coated all of the main bearings in assembly lube and set the crankshaft in the motor.  Before bolting on all of the main caps though, I took the time to install the one-piece rear main seal.  I coated the inner part of the seal with assembly lube, and the outer part with a light film of gasket sealer.  I also put some gasket sealer on the bottom of the 5th rear main cap where it meets the block (you can see a little bit of the sealer squishing out).  I then snugged down all of the main caps.

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Crankshaft installed!  The ARP main bolts that I used were torqued in three stages to 70 ft lbs.  I also put the main cap stud in the right spot for when the oil pickup tube goes on there.  The crank turned over very easily with 0.004” of endplay and less than 0.001” of runout.

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Timing chain installed!  I’ve heard of a few horror stories of those camshaft thrust plate bolts (behind the cam sprocket) actually hitting the cam sprocket, but luckily, the grade 8 bolts I bought had a small enough head to clear it.  I lined the cam and crank sprockets up dot-to-dot, put on that fuel pump driver, and torqued the ARP camshaft bolt to 45 ft lbs with Loctite.

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Last major step was to install the pistons and rods.

Put on the piston rings with a cheap little set of ring pliers that worked pretty well.  The oil ring gaps went towards the back of the piston, while the compression ring gaps faced towards the front of the piston.  Never leave the ring gaps directly in-line with each other.  Otherwise, the motor ends up having blowby and will burn a hefty amount of oil.

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I used a solid Summit Racing 4.030” ring compressor to put the pistons into the engine.  It’s a lot like a funnel.  The bottom of the compressor is 4.030” wide (same size as the bores of this motor) while the top is about ½” wider than the bottom.

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I pushed the piston and rings into the ring compressor with the skirts of the piston sticking out the bottom, then I coated the rod bearings with assembly lube and the cylinder bore with more of that 15W-40 oil.  I then placed the piston into the bore and smacked it in there with the handle of a hammer.  Once the piston was all the way down in the bore, I removed the ring compressor and smacked the piston further down until the rod bearing contacted the crankshaft.  I then put on the rod cap and tightened the ARP rod bolts in sequence until they both reached 45 ft lbs.  Repeated that process 7 more times, and the whole rotating assembly was installed.  Rod side clearance measured about 0.020" throughout.

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Final step was to install the lifters, and this is the part where things didn’t go together perfectly.  I went to put in the first lifter, and it would go into the bore just a little, then it completely stopped, not wanting to go in any further.  Why?

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Remember how Rich (AKA the awesome, non-asshole machinist) installed the screw-in oil galley plugs on the front of the engine?  Well apparently, one of those oil galley plugs is RIGHT NEXT to the lifter bore in the picture above.  Now, when somebody runs a tap through that particular oil galley to create the threads for the screw-in plug, it often leaves a few burrs in the lifter bore in the picture above that will hang up a lifter.  Sure enough, when I pulled that lifter out, I saw burrs inside the lifter bore in question.

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Thank God that I bought a file set a few months ago.  I had a small round file that I used to knock off whatever burrs were in that lifter bore.  Of course, that filing left a few metal shavings in my clean engine.  Instead of blowing those shavings out with compressed air like a dumbass (and blowing said metal shavings EVERYWHERE), I sucked them up with a strong shop-vac.  I test-fitted the lifter again, and this time, it went in MUCH easier.

After that little mishap, I soaked all of the lifters in the 15W-40 oil and put them into the engine.  Luckily, the rest of the lifters had no problem going in.  I set the lifter dog bones (pieces shaped like dog bones which keep the lifters from rotating in the lifter bores) and lifter spider (metal tray with 8 legs that holds those dog bones in place with spring tension) into place.  I had a little trouble getting those lifter spider bolts started because of the spring tension, but I eventually got them snugged down with Loctite.

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OH MY GOD!!!  THE SHORT BLOCK IS ASSEMBLED!!!  There are no major scratches or gouges in the cylinder bores, the timing marks are lined up, all of the lifters rise and fall in their bores as they should, and the whole rotating assembly turns over without very much effort.  Hell, I think it turns over MORE easily than when Sean built it a few months back.  Speaking of which, HEY SEAN!!!  ASSHOLE MACHINIST!!!  IT DOESN'T TAKE 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE TO BE ABLE TO BUILD AN ENGINE, YA DICK!!!

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Edited by BrettNorton
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May 2016,

 

Another summer of work is coming up for me again.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to order the rest of the engine parts during that time and put the whole thing together in August before the next semester of school begins.

I sold those GT40P heads for $200 back in March to some guy with a 1995 Mustang GT convertible.  My GOD, that thing was a POS.  Hell, my 230,000 mile V6 Mustang with no drivetrain in it is WAAAAY nicer than that car was even with its fancy Lambo doors.  The only thing that 1995 GT had going for it was that it ran and drove…  Whoops.  Sorry.  Got off on a bad tangent there.

Joking aside, I don’t have those old GT40P heads anymore, so my biggest expense over the summer will be a set of aluminum heads if money allows.  Along with the rest of the (somewhat) expensive parts that have to go along with said aluminum heads.  If I can get the engine finished up by the end of this summer, then I’ll move on to building a T5 transmission over this coming winter.

For now though, the engine is all bagged up again until it’s ready for final assembly later this August.

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June 2016,

 

I had a little time today to figure out the deck clearance of my engine.  For those that don’t know, deck clearance is the amount of space between the top of the piston and the top of the head gasket surface on the block (AKA the deck).  This is important since deck clearance is one of the factors in compression ratio of the engine.

The true way to measure deck clearance is to take the height of the rotating assembly (1/2 of crankshaft stroke + connecting rod length + piston pin height) and subtract that from the deck height of the block (length from the middle of the main bore to the deck).  Deck height - Rotating assembly height = Deck clearance.

For my engine, I already know the rotating assembly height.  I’m using the stock E7 crankshaft that has a stroke of 3.00”.  The Eagle connecting rods have a length of 5.090”.  And the Speed Pro pistons have a pin height of 1.605”.  So, (3.00 / 2) + 5.090 + 1.605 = 8.195.  The height of my rotating assembly is 8.195”.

I also needed to know the block’s deck height for my deck clearance calculation.  The problem though, was that I had no idea what the deck height of my block was!  I didn’t know if it was ever milled at the machine shop or not!

Luckily though, I had a good solution for the deck height problem by using a magnetic dial indicator.  Since I already knew what the rotating assembly height was, I could use that and the dial indicator to figure out exactly what the deck height of my block was.

With the short block assembled, I brought the #1 piston up to top-dead-center (TDC), then placed the dial indicator on the deck of the block.  With the dial indicator in place, I set the gauge to zero on the deck.

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I then moved the indicator to the middle of the #1 piston at TDC, which moved the needle on the gauge.  There was my deck clearance right there.  0.010”.

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SO!  My engine’s deck clearance is about 0.010”.  That makes sense since the piston at TDC sits just ever-so-slightly down into the bore.  Now all I need to do to figure out the deck height of the block is add that 0.010” deck clearance to the 8.195” rotating assembly height, and that gives my block an 8.205” deck height!

Since the factory deck height of a Ford 302 block is 8.206” and I measured my block’s deck height out to be 8.205” (less than 1% error), THAT MEANS that my block was never milled at the machine shop!

To be sure that the decks of the block were completely flat, I took a straight edge (not just a plain ruler or yard stick, I used a TRUE machined straight edge) and laid it in multiple places on the deck.  In each of those places, I attempted to slide a 0.001” feeler gauge under the whole length of the straight edge.  That 0.001” blade wouldn’t slide under the straight edge anywhere on either deck of the block, so it doesn’t need to be milled at all!  Nice!

Once again, 8.206” deck height - 8.195” rotating assembly height = 0.011” deck clearance.  It’s also nice to know that the block has never been milled and doesn’t need to be either.

Edited by BrettNorton
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June 2016,

 

Another round of engine parts came in today.  These will allow me to finish up the bottom end.

5.0Resto timing cover kit that’s actually for a 79-85 Mustang 5.0 engine.  The timing cover itself uses a reverse rotation water pump, and has holes for both a mechanical-type fuel pump and an oil dipstick tube (if using a front-sump oil pan) respectively.

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The kit comes with new gaskets, including a new timing cover gasket, water pump gaskets, fuel pump gasket, front main seal, and a 3/8” plug for the oil dipstick hole.

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Along with the timing cover kit, I got a stock flow Ford Racing water pump.

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Also, I bought a 5.0Resto (basically ARP) timing cover + water pump hardware kit that came with all of the nuts, bolts, and studs I need to install the timing cover and water pump onto the engine.

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Edited by BrettNorton
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June 2016,

 

Ford Racing oil pan kit for a 79-95 Mustang 5.0 engine.  The oil pan is pretty much just a stock dual-sump oil pan that’s nicely painted and has both drain plugs already installed.

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The kit also includes a rear sump oil pickup tube, main cap stud + lock nut, oil dipstick and dipstick tube, and a rubber 1-piece oil pan gasket.

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Along with the oil pan kit, I bought a standard-volume Melling oil pump (that came with oil pump gaskets) plus an ARP oil pump driveshaft.

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I also bought ARP bolts for both the oil pan and oil pump.

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Hopefully, if I ever have a day off of work this summer (4th of July might be a good day), I’ll be able to finish up the bottom end of the engine.  Can’t guarantee it’ll happen though.

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July 2016,

 

4th of July was awesome.  I had a day off of work so that I could assemble the bottom end of the engine.

I started with the oil pan rails.  They came with my engine when I first got it, and they were pretty greasy and grungy.  So I hit them with the wire wheel and painted them blue.

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Next was the timing cover.  I gave it a good cleaning with some lacquer thinner and compressed air.  Then I coated the front main seal with some gasket sealer and hammered it into the cover with a block of wood, making sure that it seated all the way around.

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I did the same thing with the little oil dipstick plug on the side of the timing cover.

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Assembly began with the harmonic balancer.  I coated the crankshaft snout with some 15W-40 oil, and the end of the balancer keyway with some gasket sealer.  I wiped the timing cover surface of the block clean with lacquer thinner, then I coated the timing cover sealing surfaces with some gasket sealer, set the timing cover gasket in place, and set the timing cover + timing pointer in place with a few bolts started.  With the timing cover sitting there, I slid the balancer onto the crankshaft and started the balancer bolt.  On the back of the crankshaft, I threaded a few flywheel bolts in and stuck a pry bar between them to keep the crankshaft from turning.  With the crankshaft locked in place, I torqued the ARP balancer bolt to 120 ft lbs.  By doing this whole "torqueing balancer bolt before timing cover hardware," I essentially centered the timing cover and front main seal on the balancer.  Not only will this prevent a front main leak, but it also gets the timing cover perfectly lined up with the part of the block where the oil pan bolts onto. 

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With the balancer installed and timing cover in place, I proceeded to installing the water pump.  I began by coating the water pump sealing surfaces with gasket sealer and setting the water pump gasket in place.  Then, I set the water pump on the timing cover with the really long water pump bolts that thread all the way into the block.  With the water pump and all the hardware in place, I tightened all of the timing cover / water pump bolts as tight as I dared to (don’t want to crack any aluminum now).

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I also took the time to smear some white lithium grease all over the timing marks on the balancer.  They’re much easier to see now.

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Next up was the oil pump.  I wiped all the oil pump surfaces clean with lacquer thinner, and then I took a picture of another Ford Racing product that I’ve got a poor impression of.  The oil pump pickup tube from them was crimped pretty badly in this spot.  C’mon Ford Racing, is THIS what you mean by “quality OEM parts?”

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Anyway, I covered both oil pump gaskets with gasket sealer, and coated all of the oil pump bolts with Loctite.  I set the oil pump driveshaft into the block, then I bolted both the oil pump and oil pickup tube in place.  I torqued the ARP oil pump bolts to 25 ft lbs. with Loctite and tightened the pickup tube nut down as tight as I could get it.

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Last step was to install the oil pan.  I started by wiping the oil pan surface of the block down with lacquer thinner, then I coated both oil pan sealing surfaces with gasket sealer.  Then I laid down the 1-piece oil pan gasket, the oil pan, and the oil pan rails in that order.  I had a little trouble keeping the back end of the gasket in place (where it sits on the rear main cap), but once it was in the right spot, I started some of the oil pan bolts to line everything up.  Once the oil pan, rails, and gasket were positioned correctly, I snugged all of the ARP oil pan bolts down as tight as I could tighten them.

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ALRIGHT!!!  The bottom end of the engine is all finished up!

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Next order on my list is the cylinder heads.

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Edited by BrettNorton
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July 2016,

 

My choice of cylinder heads was another one of those long research processes.  Especially considering the fact that they’re the single most expensive part(s), not just for my Ford 302 engine build, but for the build of the ENTIRE 1994 Mustang that said 302 engine is going into.  My problem was that I couldn’t decide between the Trick Flow 170cc and AFR 165cc heads.  Each one of them have their own advantages and disadvantages, they each deliver about the same performance as one another, and there’s pretty much a 50 / 50 split between people that prefer Trick Flow over AFR / AFR over Trick Flow.  ARRRGH!!!

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Ultimately, I decided on a set of 170cc Trick Flow Twisted Wedge cylinder heads.  Obviously, they’re aluminum head castings which weigh less and transfer heat / cool off much more quickly than cast iron heads.  They’re fully assembled with 58 cc combustion chambers, 2.02” intake and 1.60” exhaust valves, and dual 0.600” lift valve springs.

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The heads also came with a set of pushrod guide plates, ARP rocker arm studs, and some emissions plugs.

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Along with the heads, I bought some new head dowel pins, new ARP head bolts, and some Cometic head gaskets.

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What makes these Trick Flow heads so unique is their twisted wedge design.  Basically, the angle of the valves in the heads is changed from stock.  A traditional in-line valve Ford head (E7, GT40, Edelbrock, AFR) uses 20 degree valves all across the board, but the Trick Flow heads utilize 15 degree intake and 17 degree exhaust valves.  Trick Flow did this by essentially rotating the combustion chamber around within the head casting, hence the Twisted Wedge name.  Not only does this rotation put the spark plug at a better angle, but it also puts the intake valve in the middle of the combustion chamber.  A centrally-located intake valve allowed Trick Flow to shorten the intake runner (by 3/8”) while increasing the intake valve size (2.02”) and intake port volume (170cc) at the same time.  What this whole combustion chamber rotation and intake runner magic adds up to then, is a good mix of low-end torque on the street and around town, along with higher end power on the highway or at the race track.

As nice and pricey as these heads are though, I’m not just going to bolt them onto my engine as is.  I’ve read a few horror stories about people taking aftermarket cylinder heads out of the box, bolting them right on to an engine, and running that engine…  ALL TO FIND OUT that those nice aftermarket heads don’t seal right, aren’t making the power that they should, etc.  Almost always, those issues are caused by machining errors when the heads were produced at the factory.

Now, not very many bad cylinder heads slip through quality control at the factory.  But every once in a while, there’s a valve guide clearance that’s left too tight or too loose, a valve seat that’s not cut right, or even a head gasket surface that isn’t milled completely flat.  In order to avoid this, some people buy the heads as bare castings and buy the valves and valve springs separately.  Then, they have a machine shop cut the valve seats, hone the valve guides, mill the head gasket surfaces, and basically build the heads to better-than-factory specs.  However, this whole process of gradually building the heads up with higher-quality parts is only practical for expensive race engines.

I don’t want to take any chances on the possibility that my Trick Flow heads might have any of those machining issues I mentioned earlier.  So before I even think about bolting those heads on to my engine, I’m going to take them to Rich at his machine shop, Rich’s Custom Engines.  There, he’ll vacuum-test the intake and exhaust ports to properly determine if the heads I have here are actually built correctly or not.

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July 2016,

 

I should probably mention the head gaskets that I bought for my engine as well.  They’re Cometic multi-layer steel (MLS) head gaskets.  They’re used on pretty much every late-model vehicle on the road today, and they’re a major reason why you don’t see said newer vehicles blowing head gaskets like, ever.  They’re a helluva lot tougher than head gaskets of the olden days.

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The biggest reason why I bought these MLS head gaskets is because of another engine spec called quench.  Quench is the small distance between the piston at TDC and the head gasket surface (the deck) of the cylinder head.  Most performance-oriented engines run best at 0.035” to 0.045” of quench, since that’s where the combustion of the engine is the most efficient.  Head gasket thickness is a HUGE factor in getting that quench spec just right.  Deck clearance + Head gasket thickness = Quench.

After I calculated / found out my deck clearance of 0.011” about a month ago, I went onto Summit Racing shopping for head gaskets.  My preference was set on some laminated Fel-Pro gaskets.  They’re not too expensive, and they’re used on a lot of older engines like the one I’m building.  The PROBLEM though, with those laminated Fel-Pro head gaskets, was that they were all too thick for my engine.  They would all put the quench spec WAY too high, usually over 0.050”.

Thankfully though, Cometic makes plenty 0.030” MLS head gaskets, which would put my quench right where I want it to be.  0.011” deck clearance + 0.030” head gasket thickness = 0.041” quench!  That’s perfect!

I also made sure to buy head gaskets with a 4.060” bore size, even though the bore size of my engine is about 4.030”.  Notice how I said “about” in that last sentence.  The reason being is because I know my engine’s bore size is actually a little over 4.030” for piston-to-wall clearance.  If I were to order head gaskets with a 4.030” bore, then part of them would be sitting INSIDE the combustion chamber.   By doing that, the head gaskets would just burn up and blow instantly.  These MLS head gaskets are only 0.030” wider than the bore size of my engine, which is just wide enough to keep them out of the combustion chamber.

Now, even though these MLS head gaskets are nice (correct thickness, proper bore size, very strong, twice the cost of the Fel-Pro gaskets, etc.), they carry a fair risk along with their usage.  You see, the block and heads need to be COMPLETELY flat and true to one another for the MLS gaskets to seal just right.  There can be absolutely no imperfections on the decks of the block and heads, otherwise that MLS head gasket will leak somehow (coolant leaking, coolant mixing with oil, combustion gases getting into coolant, etc.).

For me, I don’t have to worry too much about the MLS head gaskets leaking on my engine.  I KNOW that the decks of the block are both completely flat, because I couldn’t even slide a 0.001” feeler gauge underneath a straight edge on there.  The same is true for the Trick Flow heads as well.  These MLS head gaskets will seal just right on my engine, and again, they’ll put that quench spec right where I want it to be.

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July 2016,

 

I also bought a set of 1.6 ratio Trick Flow roller rocker arms.  They’re the stud mount type since the pedestal-style rocker arms aren’t compatible with the Twisted Wedge heads I’ve got.

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These rocker arms are of a full roller design.  By that, it means the fulcrum of the rocker rides on bearings, while the tip contacting the top of the valve stem rides on a little wheel.  These little things reduce friction in the engine and free up horsepower compared to old stamped steel rocker arms.

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The rockers also came with these little things called polylocks.  The larger piece with the hex end is basically your rocker arm nut that threads onto the rocker stud.  Once you get your rocker arm adjusted to where you want it at, you turn the little allen set screw inside the nut to lock the adjustment in place.

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Since I’ve got pretty much all of the valve train parts with me, I’ll now be able to measure the length of the one valve train part(s) that I don’t have.  And that missing part(s) would be pushrod length.  Once I find out what length of pushrods I need, I’ll buy them along with the rest of the engine parts.    

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very good write up there.  couple things.  you'd be better off getting head studs instead of head bolts.  and get yourself a can of hi-tack for the cometic head gaskets.  

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8 hours ago, Prokiller said:

very good write up there.  couple things.  you'd be better off getting head studs instead of head bolts.  and get yourself a can of hi-tack for the cometic head gaskets.

 

I've got a can of copper spray sealer for the head gaskets.

 

You're right about head studs working better for my motor than the head bolts I bought.  Hell, studs work better on any engine wherever you can use them!  I guess the reason why I just bought head bolts rather than studs (other than being cheap about cylinder head fasteners) is because I think that ARP head bolts are PLENTY of an upgrade over old torque-to-yield bolts.  Plus, those ARP bolts will be threading into an iron block, whose threads won't strip out as easily as an aluminum block.

 

...I probably should have gotten head studs though...:unsure:

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don't get me wrong, your doing the right thing by buying new bolts in general.  the issue can be uneven torque.  now does this really matter in your application as you're not building a 1,000hp track monster?  no, but as you went into this much detail on all the other stuff...  bolts apply torsional force which is both pulling and twisting.  studs only apply tension on a single plane.  they only pull against the threads not pull and spin. 

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I didn't see were you got the adapter bushing for those heads, they are cut for the larger 351 bolt size and need the bushing to run the smaller 302 head bolt size.

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On ‎7‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 7:45 AM, Prokiller said:

don't get me wrong, your doing the right thing by buying new bolts in general.  the issue can be uneven torque.  now does this really matter in your application as you're not building a 1,000hp track monster?  no, but as you went into this much detail on all the other stuff...  bolts apply torsional force which is both pulling and twisting.  studs only apply tension on a single plane.  they only pull against the threads not pull and spin. 

 

Alright, alright, alright!  I'll get some head studs for my motor!  I looked them up on Summit Racing just now, and they're only about $50 more than the head bolts I bought.  I thought they would be more expensive than that.

 

I kinda get what you're saying about the whole pulling, twisting, and single plane stuff.  A head bolt basically has to do 2 jobs at once.  It has to thread into the block (twist) and clamp down the head (pull) at the exact same time.  A head stud splits up the pulling and twisting tasks by using one piece for each task.  The nut twists to clamp the head down, while the stud pulls against the threads in the block which also helps with clamping the head down. 

 

If I was still using those GT40P heads, the ARP head bolts I bought probably would've worked just fine.  The engine I'm building will be primarily used on the street, but I've stepped it up to a whole new level now that I bought those Trick Flow heads for it.   

 

I'm thinking if I was working with a small block Chevy, then I could probably get away with just using head bolts since they use 18 bolts per head.  But the Ford 302 (and 351W) uses only 10 head bolts per head, which is almost half the clamping power as the Chevy motor.  You know those 6.0L Ford Powerstroke diesel engines?  The ones that blow head gaskets all the time?  They also use only 10 head bolts per head, which is a HUGE reason why they blow head gaskets so much.  10 head bolts just isn't enough clamping power to keep those head gaskets sealed right.  The small block Ford motors aren't as bad about blowing head gaskets just because they don't run the crazy compression that the diesel engines do.

 

ARP head studs are on my wish list now.

 

 

 

On ‎7‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 8:49 AM, Zach said:

I didn't see were you got the adapter bushing for those heads, they are cut for the larger 351 bolt size and need the bushing to run the smaller 302 head bolt size.

 

I stuck one of the 7/16" ARP bolts through one of the head bolt holes in the head, and it had just a little bit of wiggle room.  I then found a 1/2" bolt ( 351W head bolt size) in the shop, tried to stick it through the same head bolt hole, and it was too big to fit.  The 170cc Trick Flow heads I bought are drilled for 7/16" head bolts.

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13 hours ago, BrettNorton said:

 

Alright, alright, alright!  I'll get some head studs for my motor!  I looked them up on Summit Racing just now, and they're only about $50 more than the head bolts I bought.  I thought they would be more expensive than that.

 

I kinda get what you're saying about the whole pulling, twisting, and single plane stuff.  A head bolt basically has to do 2 jobs at once.  It has to thread into the block (twist) and clamp down the head (pull) at the exact same time.  A head stud splits up the pulling and twisting tasks by using one piece for each task.  The nut twists to clamp the head down, while the stud pulls against the threads in the block which also helps with clamping the head down. 

 

If I was still using those GT40P heads, the ARP head bolts I bought probably would've worked just fine.  The engine I'm building will be primarily used on the street, but I've stepped it up to a whole new level now that I bought those Trick Flow heads for it.   

 

I'm thinking if I was working with a small block Chevy, then I could probably get away with just using head bolts since they use 18 bolts per head.  But the Ford 302 (and 351W) uses only 10 head bolts per head, which is almost half the clamping power as the Chevy motor.  You know those 6.0L Ford Powerstroke diesel engines?  The ones that blow head gaskets all the time?  They also use only 10 head bolts per head, which is a HUGE reason why they blow head gaskets so much.  10 head bolts just isn't enough clamping power to keep those head gaskets sealed right.  The small block Ford motors aren't as bad about blowing head gaskets just because they don't run the crazy compression that the diesel engines do.

 

ARP head studs are on my wish list now.

 

 

 

 

I stuck one of the 7/16" ARP bolts through one of the head bolt holes in the head, and it had just a little bit of wiggle room.  I then found a 1/2" bolt ( 351W head bolt size) in the shop, tried to stick it through the same head bolt hole, and it was too big to fit.  The 170cc Trick Flow heads I bought are drilled for 7/16" head bolts.

Ahh they must have diff ones or changed them out because my trick flow 170s have the larger hole and I had to use the washers. Also on the studs I was taught this way. With a bolt imagine holding onto a door knob with both hands and someone pulling against it to open it you can hold it closed pretty good but you can be pull through the if you loose you footing. Then with studs imagin your in a hallway with 2 doors and you hold onto one door with 1 hand and the other with the other hand at the same time. Since you have something to hold against you can hold the door tighter because you can and anchor point and a clamping point. Hopefully that babling made sense lol.

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July 2016,

 

Last night, I got around to measuring for the pushrod length that my engine needs. I used an adjustable Trick Flow pushrod.  It goes from 6.100” all the way to 7.400” and has a lock nut to lock the adjustments in place.

IMG_20160730_191701.jpg

 

I started by wiping the oils and all the crap off of the deck, then I hammered the head dowel pins into the block.

IMG_20160730_191214.jpg

 

I took the head gaskets out of their wrapper and…  OH GODDAMMIT!!!  The pair of Cometic head gaskets I THOUGHT I bought turned out to just be one single Cometic head gasket!  Oh well, another gasket is on my next order.  I only need one for now.

IMG_20160730_191255.jpg

 

I set the head gasket on the deck, followed by one of the Trick Flow heads.  I threaded the head bolts into the block and snugged them down as hand-tight as I could get them.

IMG_20160730_191349.jpg

 

IMG_20160730_191617.jpg

 

Now to measure pushrod length.  First step was to color the top of one of the valves with a Sharpie marker.  Second step, I adjusted the pushrod to where I thought I wanted it, and dropped it onto the lifter.  Third step, I set the pushrod guide plate in place, and snugged the rocker arm studs hand-tight.  Fourth step, I set the rocker arm and polylock onto the rocker stud, tightened the polylock until I got zero lash on the pushrod, and added 0.020” preload (1/2 turn on the polylock).

IMG_20160730_191811.jpg

 

IMG_20160730_191853.jpg

 

IMG_20160730_192151.jpg

 

Fifth step, I turned the engine over a few times, which caused the rocker arm to push down on the valve spring.  This left a mark on the tip of the valve, which I got a good view of once I took the rocker arm off.  I repeated all of the above steps until I got the valve tip mark to look like THIS.  A thin stripe right down the middle.

IMG_20160730_192345.jpg

 

Once I got the valve tip mark that I wanted, I took a 12” long caliper and measured the length of the adjustable pushrod.  6.332” is what it measured.

IMG_20160730_192624.jpg

 

With that 6.332” measurement in mind, I went shopping for pushrods on Summit Racing.  Now, nobody makes 6.332” pushrods, so I had to go for the closest length I could find, which was 6.350”.

So, my 302 engine with a stock-ish bottom end, stock deck height, un-milled 170cc Trick Flow heads, 0.030” head gaskets, and 1.6 Trick Flow roller rocker arms, will be using 6.350” pushrods.  6.350” pushrods are on my next order.     

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9 hours ago, Zach said:

Ahh they must have diff ones or changed them out because my trick flow 170s have the larger hole and I had to use the washers. Also on the studs I was taught this way. With a bolt imagine holding onto a door knob with both hands and someone pulling against it to open it you can hold it closed pretty good but you can be pull through the if you loose you footing. Then with studs imagin your in a hallway with 2 doors and you hold onto one door with 1 hand and the other with the other hand at the same time. Since you have something to hold against you can hold the door tighter because you can and anchor point and a clamping point. Hopefully that babling made sense lol.

 

I was hoping my babbling made sense too lol.

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August 2016,

 

Small order of engine parts came in today.  These parts will let me put the long block together.

The second Cometic MLS head gasket that didn’t come with my previous order a few weeks ago.  I didn’t read the fine print in the Summit Racing catalog that said these gaskets are sold individually.  Don’t you hate when that happens?  Anyway, same specs as the first gasket.  4.060” bore and 0.030” compressed thickness.

IMG_20160803_164806.jpg

 

Comp Cams pushrods.  They measure 6.350” which will give me the best rocker arms geometry possible.  They’re heat-treated one-piece pushrods that are much stronger than what Ford used at the factory.

IMG_20160803_165754.jpg

 

ARP head studs.  @Prokiller  convinced me to use these instead of the ARP head bolts I bought previously.  Head bolts probably would’ve worked fine if I was still using the GT40P heads, but I’ve stepped my motor up to a whole new level by putting 170cc Trick Flow heads on it.  Probably the biggest reason to upgrade to ARP head studs (other than being only $50 more than their head bolts) on a small block Ford is because there are only 10 head bolts clamping the head to the block.  A small block Chevy uses 18 head bolts, which gives almost twice the fastening force as a small block Ford.  Due to those 10 head bolts, small block Ford engines need all of the clamping power they can get.  That makes head studs a necessary investment to keep the head gaskets sealed, especially in a performance-oriented engine like the one I’m building.

IMG_20160803_165248.jpg

 

Edited by BrettNorton
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August 2016,

 

Last weekend, I went to verify that the 6.350” pushrods I bought were in fact the correct length.  I set those pushrods into the lifters, colored the valve tip with a Sharpie, and bolted the rocker arms into place.  I turned the engine over, took the rocker arms off, annnnd…

W-Wait.  DA FUQ?!?!?!  AH SUNNUVA BITCH!!!  THOSE 6.350” PUSHRODS ARE TOO SHORT!!!

IMG_20160806_071117.jpg

 

The adjustable pushrod (left) is the proper length for my engine.  As you can tell, the 6.350” pushrod (right) is too short.

IMG_20160806_071221.jpg

 

Well damn.  I think I didn’t have those calipers zeroed right when I measured the pushrod length before.  I never bothered to check if the calipers were zeroed, and that mistake cost me another order of pushrods.

I measured the pushrod length again, using the same steps as I did before and making DAMN SURE that the calipers were zeroed.  The REAL pushrod length turned out to be 6.650”.

IMG_20160810_183142.jpg

 

I got said 6.650” pushrods in today, did the whole pushrod measuring sequence with the valve train, and 6.650” is right on the money.  They made the rocker arms leave a thin stripe smack in the middle of the valve tip.

IMG_20160811_084901.jpg

 

With these proper length pushrods in hand, I’ll be able to get the long block put together some time next week.

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August 2016,

Got the final batch of engine parts in today.

Summit Racing valve covers.  They’re tall enough to clear the roller rockers that I’m using and they’ve got a nice crinkly black finish, which means they won’t get all smudgy like polished valve covers.  Along with these valve covers, I bought some new valve cover bolts (1/4” X 1”), a set of rubber Fel-Pro valve cover gaskets, a new PCV valve, and a little Trick Flow oil fill cap.

IMG_20160817_182120.jpg

 

Edelbrock Performer RPM Air-Gap intake manifold.  The intake runners on this manifold are raised up off of the base a little bit, hence the “Air-Gap” name.  Keeping those runners off of the base allows for a cooler intake charge, less heat-soak in the carburetor, and some extra upper RPM power due to said intake runners being lengthened.

IMG_20160817_181156.jpg

 

The manifold itself came with a bunch of little fittings, plugs, bolts, and brackets, and I also bought some ARP intake manifold bolts and a set of Fel-Pro print-o-seal intake gaskets.

IMG_20160817_181504.jpg

 

Ford Racing water neck.  Along with it, I bought a 180 degree Motorcraft thermostat, some new water neck bolts (5/16” X 1-1/4” and 5/16” X 1”), and a Fel-Pro water neck gasket.

IMG_20160817_181744.jpg

 

Stainless steel Ford Racing headers.  They’re the short style of headers which offer lower-end torque in exchange for higher RPM power compared to full-length headers.  They came with all the hardware and gaskets needed to install them.

IMG_20160817_180715.jpg

 

Prothane motor mounts.  Obviously, they’re going to offer a bit of a rougher ride compared to stock-style rubber mounts.  But, they won’t feel as rough as solid mounts, and they’ll last a long time.  Also bought the hardware to go along with them.

IMG_20160810_173351.jpg

 

Copper Motorcraft spark plugs and 5.0Resto distributor clamp.  Figured I might as well buy these now.  I’m holding off on the distributor and plug wires until I drop the motor in the car.

IMG_20160817_182739.jpg

 

Everything I need to finish the engine (picture’s blurry, WHOOPS).

IMG_20160817_194734.jpg

Edited by BrettNorton
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On 8/18/2016 at 5:27 AM, Prokiller said:

are you still using the 94 accessory brackets? namely the alternator setup?  might have an issue with clearance on those valve covers.

 

I see a Fox timing cover and water pump. I would ASSume that he has Fox front accessory brackets as sn95 wouldn't work.

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36 minutes ago, 410sn95 said:

 

I see a Fox timing cover and water pump. I would ASSume that he has Fox front accessory brackets as sn95 wouldn't work.

good point, didn't look up at the other pictures he had above.  probably won't be an issue

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On ‎8‎/‎18‎/‎2016 at 7:27 AM, Prokiller said:

are you still using the 94 accessory brackets? namely the alternator setup?  might have an issue with clearance on those valve covers.

 

Ohhhh no.  My car originally had the 3.8L V6 engine and it didn't have any of the right accessory brackets.  94-95 5.0 accessory brackets are REAL hard to find, and they're hellaciously expensive when you do just so happen find them in GOOD shape.

 

That is a Fox timing cover and water pump on the engine, so I'll be using Fox-style accessories and brackets.  I'll probably be going with manual steering (still on the fence about it though), so the only accessory that I'll really be running is an alternator, and possibly a power steering pump. 

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August 2016,

 

GAHDAMN!!!  I spent all day working on the engine yesterday!

Even though I had the motor covered up for a long time, the shop it’s in is just so damn dirty and dusty that a few contaminants got on the pistons and in the bores.  I wiped all of those contaminants out and put some more oil in the bores.

IMG_20160818_073010.jpg

 

OW! DAMMIT!  I don’t remember whether I was cleaning a bore or turning the motor over when this happened, but I cut my arm on one of the ARP studs on the timing cover.  Holy shit that’s sharp.

IMG_20160818_073511.jpg

 

Anyway, next step of prep work involved testing the cylinder heads for valve sealing.  I never got around to vacuum-testing the heads at the machine shop, so I conducted a much simpler test.  I sprayed a bunch of carb cleaner into the intake and exhaust ports until it pooled up on each of the valves.  I waited for about half an hour to see if the valves would leak any fluid.  Surprisingly though, each of the valves held the fluid back and didn’t leak a drop.  Awesome!  I drained the carb cleaner out of the ports and then wiped the head gasket surfaces down with lacquer thinner.

IMG_20160818_080305.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_082403.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_075412.jpg

 

I wiped the head gasket surfaces of the block with lacquer thinner as well.  Those surfaces need to be clean clean clean clean clean clean CLEAN.  It’s a huge step in getting the head gaskets to seal right.

IMG_20160818_083020.jpg

 

Assembly began with the ARP head studs.  I covered the block threads with some thread sealer, and threaded them in until they bottomed out.  The thread sealer is needed because those studs are going right into the water jackets of the block.  Damn, they look good.

IMG_20160818_085735.jpg

 

The head gaskets also needed quite a bit of a wipe down.  I didn’t use lacquer thinner or any harsh chemicals since I didn’t want to take a chance on possibly destroying the sealer that’s on them.  I REALLY took my time with this.  I paid good money for these MLS head gaskets and I need to take every measure possible to make sure they don’t leak.

IMG_20160818_090659.jpg

 

I sprayed both sides of the head gasket with some copper spray sealer and set it onto the deck of the block.  The studs really helped with getting it lined up right.

IMG_20160818_091317.jpg

 

I then set one of the heads onto the block, lining it up with the studs and setting it on the head dowels.  I then coated the nuts with ARP thread lube, threaded them onto the studs, and torqued them in 3 steps to 80 ft lbs.

IMG_20160818_093818.jpg

 

I repeated the same cylinder head install steps for the other side.  Trick Flow heads installed!

IMG_20160818_103116.jpg

 

Next step of assembly was the valve train.  I started by setting the 6.650” pushrods into the lifters, setting the pushrod guide plates into place, and torqueing the ARP rocker arm studs to 55 ft lbs with thread sealer.  I thought that rocker arm studs required Loctite, but the Trick Flow instructions specifically said to use thread sealer on them.  OK.  Fine by me.

IMG_20160818_114536.jpg

 

Now to install the rocker arms.  I started with the #5 cylinder and turned the engine over until that #5 cylinder was on the compression stroke (both lifters on the base circle of the camshaft).

IMG_20160818_114605.jpg

 

I then set the rocker arm on the stud, threaded the poly lock onto the stud, and backed the set screw out a little bit.  It was nice to see that those pushrod guide plates lined the rocker arms up with the valves pretty well.

IMG_20160818_114450.jpg

 

Now to adjust the valves / lifter preload.  I threaded the polylock down onto the rocker arm until I reached zero lash, basically until I couldn’t move the pushrod up or down any more.  Then with a wrench, I turned the polylock another half turn to add 0.020” preload to the lifter.  Then with the wrench and an Allen key socket, I tightened down the little set screw, holding the wrench in place and tightening until the ratchet bent a little bit.

IMG_20160818_114656.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_114727.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_114927.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_115016.jpg

 

I repeated those same rocker arm install steps for the other 7 cylinders and 15 rocker arms, until the whole valve train was installed.  Alright!

IMG_20160818_123421.jpg

 

Next major step was to prime the engine.  By that, it simply means to pump oil throughout the engine.  I started by pouring 4 quarts of 15W-40 Rotella oil right into the lifter valley.  The 5th quart of oil was poured over the cylinder heads to pre-lube the rocker arms and valve stem seals.

IMG_20160818_134456.jpg

 

To prime an engine with oil, obviously you need to have the oil pump installed, oil in the pan, and the whole valve train assembled.  But you’ll also need 2 tools.

The first tool I used was a simple little oil pressure test gauge.  With a ¼” NPT adapter fitting, it threads into the oil pressure port in the block.

IMG_20160818_140411.jpg

 

The second tool is an oil pump primer, which is a lot like a drill bit.  The smaller end connects to a power drill of some sort, while the larger end goes through the distributor hole and connects to the oil pump driveshaft.  The silver collar just secures everything to keep the tool from flopping around.

IMG_20160818_140340.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_140215.jpg

 

I had the gauge in place and the drill ready to go.  I turned the drill for 10 seconds or so and got nothing on the gauge.  “Shit!” I thought.  “Is that oil pump even working?”  I took the primer tool out, looked down into the distributor hole, and realized, “Ohhhh.  I must be turning the drill / oil pump the wrong way.”  Since the camshaft turns clockwise, the distributor and oil pump (driven by the camshaft) must turn counter clockwise.  I had the drill turning righty-tighty (clockwise), so I switched it to lefty-loosey (counter clockwise) and set the primer tool back into place.  I turned the drill counter clockwise for about 2 seconds and then felt a HUGE jerk that slowed the drill down.  Right as that happened, the oil pressure gauge shot up to 60 psi.  HUZZAH!!!  YES!  THE ENGINE HOLDS OIL PRESSURE!

IMG_20160818_140151.jpg

 

Installing the valve covers was pretty easy.  I wiped the sealing surfaces and set the gaskets into place.  I didn’t put down any gasket sealer because I think these valve covers might be coming back off some time in the future.  I then set the valve covers into place and snugged the bolts down as snug as I could.  Looking at them on the engine, those valve covers are pretty huge.  But then again, I’ve got some big roller rockers underneath them.

IMG_20160818_144153.jpg

 

Next assembly step was to install the intake manifold.  But first, I had to trim the intake gaskets around the water port area.

IMG_20160818_145630.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_145958.jpg

 

I took some time to wipe the intake manifold surfaces clean.  I then coated the water ports of the intake gaskets with gasket sealer, and put down a large bead of gasket sealer where the intake manifold meets the block.  The intake ports of the gasket didn’t need any sealer since they’re the Print-O-Seal gaskets.  I then set the intake manifold into place (making sure that the gaskets were still lined up), and snugged all of the intake bolts to about 20 ft lbs in a cross pattern.  I also installed the thermostat and water neck, coating both sealing surfaces with gasket sealer and snugging the bolts as tight as I dared to tighten them.  Intake manifold and thermostat installed!

IMG_20160818_160638.jpg

 

Last major step of the engine build was to install the headers.  I cleaned the sealing surfaces and gave the header gaskets the same copper spray treatment as the head gaskets.  I set the headers into place with 2 bolts started, and HERE is where I started to have fitment issues.

Many of the header bolts, especially on the passenger’s side, were in a pretty tight spot.  A few I could tighten with a socket and extension, but most of them I had to tighten with a wrench.  There was ONE bolt though, that was a complete PITA to get to.  On the first primary tube of the passenger’s side, there was a bolt there that I couldn’t get a socket or wrench on at all.  I had to take a long drift chisel, wedge it in between the header tube and bolt head, and BFH said chisel to dent the tube in.  THIS created the clearance I needed to get a wrench on that offending header bolt, and I was able to tighten all of them as tight as I could with the wrench.  Looks like there’s a pretty good amount of spark plug wire clearance in there.

IMG_20160818_181153.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_182030.jpg

 

The driver’s side header wasn’t nearly as bad about the bolt clearance, and I was able to tighten it down without much trouble.  The oil dipstick tube though, was a PITA in and of itself.  Sure, the tube went right into the block and didn’t come in contact with anything, but the bracket that holds the tube onto the header wasn’t oriented just right.  So I had to do a bunch of bending, mangling, and manhandling to make that dipstick tube bracket fit right.  I put some gasket sealer on the dipstick tube where it goes into the block, and I tightened the bracket down with the header it attaches to.

IMG_20160818_171308.jpg

 

Final part to install was the motor mounts, and I ran into fitment issues here yet again.  Passenger’s side mount fit without any issues, but the driver’s side mount, when tightened down, would rub against one of the header tubes.  Natural solution was to BFH the tube in the offending spot, but Goddamn those Ford Racing headers are tough.  I hit the tube so many times, and it only made a little less than a ¼” dent or so.  Driver’s side motor mount only slightly rubs against the header tube now.

IMG_20160818_191415.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_191441.jpg

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August 2016,

 

ENGINE IS BUILT!!!  HOLY GOD!!!  IT LOOKS AWESOME!!!

IMG_20160818_192525.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_192614.jpg

 

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IMG_20160818_192927.jpg

 

IMG_20160818_192958.jpg

 

Even though this engine’s ready to go into the Mustang, I’m gonna be waiting on installing it for a while.  I’m wanting to drop the engine and transmission in as one big chunk, and as you all know, I don’t even have a transmission for the car yet.  Coming this winter, I’ll be buying a T5 transmission and rebuilding it over winter break if time and money allows.  Then next summer, I’ll get the engine and transmission bolted together and dropped into the Mustang.

For now though, I’ve got the engine bagged up again (will be priming it with oil every now and then).  I won’t be doing anything with this Mustang car project for another 4-5 months or so.

IMG_20160819_071457.jpg

 

IMG_20160820_194322.jpg

 

IMG_20160821_193447.jpg

 

IMG_20160821_193950.jpg

Edited by BrettNorton
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Always a good read. Good stuff :thumb:

 

Just be thankful you had the engine out on a stand when you got the chance to do your dipstick tube. Mine was a bitch!

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On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 2:39 PM, Sho Amo said:

Always a good read. Good stuff :thumb:

 

Just be thankful you had the engine out on a stand when you got the chance to do your dipstick tube. Mine was a bitch!

 

That dipstick's an OE (at least I think it is) Ford part, dammit!  It's not supposed to be a bitch to put in!  Why does Ford do this to us!?!?!?  :cryingani:

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October 2016,

 

Small update, I got myself a 20 ton hydraulic press from good ol’ Harbor Freight this weekend.  Only costed me about $130 with a $50 coupon and 10% off for the parking lot sale.

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Pretty simple piece of equipment.  The 20 ton bottle jack bolted to that middle brace presses against the upper brace, which subsequently presses on whatever’s sitting on the lower brace where those black plates are sitting (height of that lower brace is adjustable too).

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Bolted some wheels and casters onto the press so I can move it around easily.

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The reason I bought this press is because of a T5 transmission I’ll be rebuilding in a few months.  The T5 transmission uses pressed-on tapered roller bearings (pic below), so a hydraulic press and a bearing splitter are essential to rebuilding any T5 transmission.

Tapered roller bearings used in T5 transmissions.

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The bearing splitter I bought along with the press.

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If finances allow it, I’ll be getting a T5 transmission in a few months.  Probably mid-December when the school semester is finished.    

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November 2016,

 

This is a picture from back when I installed the head gaskets on the engine.

Anybody see what’s wrong with this head gasket I put on?  I’ll give you a hint:

THE SUMMABITCH IS ON THERE BACKWARDS!!!

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Notice the larger irregularly shaped holes of the gasket (right end of the picture, towards the front of the motor).  Those holes allow a higher volume coolant to flow from the block into the cylinder head.  The other end of the gasket (left end of the picture, towards the rear of the motor) doesn’t have those large coolant holes in it.  It’s blocked off.  That blocked off end of the gasket is supposed to be at the FRONT of the engine, while the open end with the large coolant holes is supposed to be at the REAR of the engine.

The reason that head gaskets are made like this is for coolant circulation.  In a basic cooling system for an engine, the cool coolant goes from the water pump into the front of the block.  It flows through the block towards the back, where it then goes up into the back end of the cylinder heads through those holes in the head gasket I talked about earlier.  Finally, the now-hotter coolant flows through the cylinder heads from the back towards the front, where it then goes into the front of the intake manifold and out the thermostat.

So, with those large head gasket coolant holes at the FRONT of the motor instead of the rear where they’re SUPPOSED to be, then a lot of the cool coolant is just going to go straight up into the front of the cylinder heads and out the thermostat…  WITHOUT COOLING THE REAR OF THE ENGINE!!!  THE REAR OF THE MOTOR WILL BE STARVED OF COOLANT AND THE WHOLE THING WILL SEVERELY OVERHEAT!!!

*Sigh* Yeah, I made a stupid-ass mistake and put a head gasket on backwards.  I sprayed those gaskets with some copper spray sealer and ended up working fast to keep that sealer from drying.  I guess I was so worried about the sealer dying up that I didn’t pay attention to which way I installed the head gaskets themselves.  The picture only shows a backwards head gasket on the passenger’s side of the engine, but I’m going to assume that I made the same mistake on the driver’s side as well.

I was careless.  This small, stupid, seemingly insignificant mistake will be costing me a whole day and another $150 in head gaskets to fix it.  And HOLY SHIT, if I fired up the motor with that backwards head gasket, then my beautiful Ford 302 engine (that I’ve got at least $5000 sunk into) would be TOAST.

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Yeah, I’m pissed about putting a head gasket on backwards, but thankfully I caught the issue BEFORE I fired up the engine.  I don’t plan on running it until the end of next summer, so I don’t have to tend to this backwards head gasket issue right away.  I’ll just have to buy 2 new head gaskets (I’m assuming that they shouldn’t be reused after being sprayed and torqued down) and take a day to tear down the top end of the motor, install those new head gaskets PROPERLY, and put it all back together.  ALLLLL OVER AGAIN.

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November 2016,

 

Alright.  HEAD GASKETS FIXED.

I tore the top end of the motor down, and just as I suspected, the passenger’s side head gasket was put on BACKWARDS.  The blocked off end of the gasket was at the rear of the engine instead of at the front where it’s supposed to be.

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I didn’t make the same mistake on the driver’s side head gasket though.  See how the blocked off end is at the front of the motor and the larger coolant holes are at the rear?  This is how a Ford 302 head gasket is supposed to go on.

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Even though I’ve never run the engine, I bought new head gaskets for it since I sprayed the old-ish gaskets with copper spray sealer.  Obviously, that old sealer would have to be removed from the gaskets so that they would seal right.  But, removing the old sealer would require some kind of strong aggressive cleaner that will probably degrade and destroy the head gasket itself.  So I bought new head gaskets that’re the exact same as the old ones.  4.060” bore and 0.030” compressed thickness.

With the heads taken off, I cleaned the head gasket surfaces of both the block and heads.  Some of the copper spray sealer that I used on the head gaskets was stuck on the block and heads.  Thankfully, some lacquer thinner and a few rags cleaned that old sealer right up.

After cleanup, I sprayed the new replacement head gaskets with more of the copper spray sealer.  I set them on the block THE RIGHT WAY, WITH BLOCKED OFF ENDS AT THE FRONT OF THE MOTOR AND THE OPEN COOLANT HOLES AT THE REAR OF THE MOTOR.  Installed the heads, torqued the head studs, adjusted and set the rocker arms, blah blah blah rebuilt the motor.  HEY, IT’S ALL PUT BACK TOGETHER!!!  Phew, that backwards head gasket was a close one!

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