Читать книгу Ford FE Engines - Barry Rabotnick - Страница 7
ОглавлениеOne of the first things to define is your anticipated budget for any engine building project. It is very, very easy to get overly excited about things when you start out, and go far beyond expected costs. The volume of unfinished project cars offered for sale should give you a clear idea of what happens if things get out of control.
A well-thought-out budget process involves several aspects. Some of these are rational, some are emotional, and all are important to consider before you grab that first wrench.
The cost and value of the vehicle and engine should be one consideration. If you are restoring a 1969 Shelby GT500, you can obviously justify investing a lot more into an engine than if you are building a scruffy 1976 F250 as a retro shop hauler. If that Shelby engine has a partial VIN stamping on it, you will want to salvage that block no matter how bad it may be. The worn-out 360 in the pickup has essentially zero market value and can be readily replaced if it needs significant repair. If you’re assembling a hot rod from scratch, you can set your budget in dollars and work backward from there.
The “risk versus reward” discussion is going to enter into the budget talk as well. When building a 300- to 400-hp engine, we do not need to consider the more exotic and expensive parts. The cheapest parts you can find are rarely (if ever) the right answer, but many common upgrades are fairly inexpensive in the context of a build’s eventual cost. Just remember that each decision usually spirals into the next one, and that you will likely be spending more than you anticipated in almost every case as things come together. Allow yourself some cushion on the financial side of things.
When deciding to rebuild an FE engine, many factors figure into the approach. Is it a garden-variety 360 truck engine? No need to go to any great length to save original components. If it is an original restoration candidate like this one, more thought must go into originality and value.
As you go through the budgeting process, you should also consider future plans and the ease of subsequent upgrades. If your project is bouncing up against the limits of your checkbook (as mine always do) think about the future. It’s far easier to swap out for nicer valve covers, intake, carb, or distributor after the engine has been installed and in service for a while than it is to move to forged pistons or change cam types.
Throughout the actual rebuild process, you will be faced with decisions about whether to reuse and rework the original parts or replace them with new items. Some of these are normal wear items and are assumed to be intuitive; you are going to acquire new piston rings, engine bearings, gaskets, timing set, and such. Some items are potentially reusable but should be replaced in the context of a true rebuild. In this book I am assuming a minimum of new pistons, new cam and lifters, and the complete machining and reconditioning of heads and block. On the cylinder heads in particular, consider the cost of reworking the originals against the price of new replacements.
As a quick reference, at the time of writing this book the cost of stock replacement–type parts and complete machining will easily approach $2,000. Even when doing all the disassembly, inspection, and assembly work yourself, I would keep a $3,000 or $4,000 minimum budget in mind for a proper rebuild. It’s very easy to double that (or more) when contracting some of the work or adding in upgraded or higher-performance parts.
Performance goals have a direct relationship to the budget process. Almost everything you do to improve performance will have an impact on the project’s cost. With that fact noted, quite a few performance improvements are possible for a modest cost increase. On the risk versus reward scale we can get a nice initial increase with very low risk/cost.
The first question when looking at performance goals will be the intended use of the engine. It might be fun to ask for 600 hp, 20 mpg, a smooth idle, and a low budget, but reality dictates that you are not going to get all of those at the same time. The right answer for a 4-speed Mustang is different from the proper package for a four-wheel-drive truck. It’s most common to ask for a certain amount of power and then try to fit that engine into your design and budget envelope. It is often a better idea to approach it from the opposite direction: Define the vehicle needs and budget first, then see what kind of power you can get within those boundaries.
From the factory, the non-high-performance Ford FE engines used in passenger cars and light trucks were good running, durable, and reliable. But they were not noteworthy for outright power. They were intentionally designed for low-RPM torque; smooth, responsive driving; good idle quality; tolerance for low octane fuels; and low maintenance. In today’s environment we have much better ignitions, more consistent (perhaps not better) fuel quality, and enthusiast owners who are much more involved in terms of tuning and more tolerant of high-performance characteristics such as idle quality, noise, and part throttle behavior.
A well-built stock or moderately upgraded 390 4-barrel engine should provide between 300 and 400 hp. A similar 428-based engine should deliver between 350 and 450 hp. While the 352 and 360 engines are worthy powerplants for street use, the reality is that you are far better off converting them to 390 cubes or more during the rebuild process. The upside gains in power and torque are dramatic, and the costs are nominal.
Limitations that should be considered included fuel tolerance. A compression ratio between 9.5:1 and 10.0:1 will usually work well with pump premium. Heavy vehicles with highway gearing should trend to the low side of that range, while a lightweight vehicle with steeper gears can go to or beyond the high side. This has more to do with the amount of load the engine sees going through the torque peak than with the absolute numbers. You also need to consider vacuum at idle if you are using power brakes. The bigger cams and larger carburetors associated with high power will reduce available vacuum, possibly below the minimum 10 or 11 inches desired at idle.
In this book we will restrict discussions to street performance applications within a range between 300 and 450 hp. We will primarily be covering builds based on 360, 390, and 428 engines. You can certainly make a lot more power using aftermarket or factory high-performance parts, and the comparatively rare 427 block, but that type of build falls outside the context of this volume.
A group of formulas and equations are employed in both stock and high-performance engine building. Some of these are used to determine the basic configuration of the engine, such as displacement or compression ratio. Others are used during assembly to verify measurements such as deck clearance or ring gaps.
These days most of the calculations are readily available on the Internet or as part of engine-building software packages. Instead of listing them all out in complete mathematical detail, I will describe the purpose of the most popular ones, give a simple overview of the math and the impact they have on the build, and provide a couple examples. I will cover the measurement and clearance numbers during the assembly chapters.
Displacement
This is the measurement of “how big” an engine is in terms of cylinder volume. Displacement is referenced in cubic inches (or cubic centimeters). It is a simple cylinder-volume calculation, multiplied by the number of cylinders in the engine. Neither the combustion chamber nor the piston shapes affect displacement.
To calculate this number we need only the diameter of the cylinder and the stroke of the crankshaft (the distance the piston moves up and down during each crankshaft rotation).
To calculate displacement, we take the cylinder bore’s radius squared (the bore diameter divided by 2 then multiplied by itself); multiply that value by PI (22 divided by 7); and then multiply the result by the stroke. You now have the displacement of one cylinder. An increase in bore diameter or stroke gives you more displacement.
This formula can be simplified and calculated as: bore × bore × stroke × 6.2832 inches.
An example for a .030 over 390 would be:
Compression Ratio
This is a comparison of the total volume in a single cylinder when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke versus when it is at the top. The combustion chamber and the piston have a great deal to do with this more complex calculation.
Compression ratio is expressed as a value over 1. We are comparing the total volume above the piston when it is at the bottom of its travel to the total volume above the piston when it is at the top of its travel. If we have 10 times more total volume at the bottom of the stroke than we do at the top of the stroke, we have an engine with a 10:1 compression ratio.
To perform this calculation we need the bore diameter, the combustion chamber volume, and the head gasket volume. You’ll also need the deck clearance volume (the distance from the top of the piston to the top of the block when that piston is at the uppermost end of its stroke travel). The last thing we need is the effective dome volume of the piston; add this if it’s a dish or subtract it if you have a dome.
Take the individual cylinder volume number calculated in the displacement discussion. Add in all the head gasket, combustion chamber, crevice, deck clearance (volume of that small space calculated as a cylinder), and dome volumes (some of those are usually given in cubic centimeters, which you’ll need to convert to cubic inches). The total number is “on top” of your ratio. Now take all those volumes except for the displacement and you have the bottom number in the ratio. On a street engine you should end up somewhere between 9 and 10 to 1. Higher compression ratios will deliver more power, but will not tolerate low-octane pump fuels. On the risk versus reward scale, an extra point in compression might get you another 30 hp but cost you the need for race gas or a detonation-prone combination.
The typical calculation for a normal 390 Ford with flat top pistons (rounded numbers) is:
Bore = 4.050
Stroke = 3.780
Cylinder volume = (calculates to 48.71 ci)
Chamber volume = 72 cc (converts to 4.39 ci)
Deck clearance = .030 (calculates to 0.39 ci)
Gasket volume = 10.2 cc (converts to 0.62 ci)
Piston dish volume = 6 cc (converts to 0.37 ci)
Total volume with the piston at the bottom of its stroke = 54.48 ci
Total volume with the piston at the top of its stroke = 5.77 ci
Compression ratio = 54.48 divided by 5.77 = 9.44:1
Deck Clearance
This clearance is the result of a stack up of component dimensions. It is the distance between the top of the piston at its uppermost travel and the head gasket deck surface of the block. These days we seem to prefer to get this as close to zero as we can without going positive. The currently accepted ideal range for best power and combustion is for the piston to be between .040 and .060 away from the cylinder head at top dead center. To achieve this with the common .040-thick head gasket, we need to have the piston somewhere between .000 and .020 below the block’s deck.
Add up one half of the crankshaft stroke, the center to center length of the connecting rod, and the compression distance of the piston. Compression distance is the measurement from the centerline of the piston’s pin hole to the upper flat surface of the piston.
Example (using a 390 Ford FE and rounding up for simplicity):
Block deck height from factory measured from main center to deck surface = 10.17
1/2 of the 3.78 stroke = 1.89
Connecting rod center to center 6.49
Piston compression distance 1.76
Total = 10.14
Block deck height minus the total of parts = .030 deck clearance
This means that a simple clean-up machining of .010 to the block’s deck will get you into the desired range.
Piston compression distance is a different dimension, and is determined when the piston is manufactured. This is measured from piston pin centerline to the top flat portion of the piston’s head. This may not be the highest point on a piston; a domed piston will have a portion protruding above this point. Your piston manufacturer will usually provide this dimension for you in the instructions or packaging. It can be difficult to accurately measure on your own.
Ford FE Specific Design Choices
With some of the basic concepts in the background, we can take a look at the stuff that makes an FE Ford engine build unique. This will involve a bit of history to provide context to the possibilities within the factory architecture and using factory parts. While several aftermarket stroker packages are available now, this book is focused more on rebuilding and upgrading popular factory-style engines.
The engine pictured here is a completely original 1969 390GT. It has on it about 11,000 miles. The owner installed the vintage Cal Custom valve covers shortly after purchasing the car new, and it had been in storage for decades before he decided to refresh it and put it back into service.
Despite changes over the years, the majority of parts will physically interchange from one FE engine to another. It’s a bit unusual to be referring to engine changes as “new versus old” when talking about an event that occurred 50 years ago, but that’s what we do. The camshaft thrust design was altered in the early 1960s. You don’t see many of them around, but the old engines can be easily converted to the newer configuration. The motor mounts changed in 1965; old ones used two bolts while the newer configuration has four bolts per side. The new-style blocks can be mounted into the old platform but the older ones need some adaptation to work in a post-1965 vehicle.
The most common Ford FE engines by far are the 352, 360, and 390. Used in hundreds of thousands of passenger cars and trucks, these are the engines you will most likely find in cars, barns, and salvage yards. Less likely although still possible are 391 and 361 medium-duty truck engines. It’s also possible to find 428 blocks since they were used in full-sized cars and Thunderbirds, as well as in irrigation and industrial applications. The odds are very much against finding a 427 or 406 engine anywhere outside of the performance and restoration marketplace. The acquisition cost of those engines pushes them to the outside of this book’s budget-oriented focus, but all the concepts and processes described still apply.
The 352 starts out life with a 4.00-inch bore and a 3.50-inch stroke. The 360 starts out with a 4.05-inch bore and the same 3.50-inch stroke. A 390 has a 4.05-inch bore and a 3.78-inch stroke. With that noted, I tend to turn any 352 or 360 into a 390 almost by default. The cost of a 390 crankshaft and rods is very low, and the gains from the additional 30 or 40 ci are significant. A true winner in that risk versus reward equation.
The 428 is a special case with a 4.13-inch bore and a 3.98-inch stroke. Despite what you may see on the Internet it is best to assume that you cannot overbore a 390 block to 428 dimensions. These are thin-wall castings, and odds are you will eventually split a cylinder even if you get it running. More 428 crankshafts seem to be available than there are blocks, likely a testament to the crank’s durability when other parts failed in racing efforts. The 390 block and 428 crankshaft combination will yield a 410-inch engine, a factory package used in a very few Mercury cars for a year or so. If you already own a 428 crank this is worth doing, but piston availability is limited and often pretty expensive, putting your build cost into the realm of a stroker kit.
The engine we are primarily concentrating on rebuilding for this book is a cool 428 CJ out of a 1969 Shelby GT500. The processes and machining are the same as we would find in rebuilding a more common 390 for a pickup truck or Galaxie, or any FE engine for that matter. I use other engine images where necessary to illustrate a particular process or concept.
I am going to make some assumptions here. The first is that you intend to build and assemble the engine yourself; hence the purchase of this book. The next is that, as part of this task, you will take the engine components to a machine shop at certain points in the build to get things done that are not possible in the average home shop.
Every engine-building project requires decision-making over a wide range of options. One very important series of decisions revolves around selecting the level of build quality. For some folks the decision is entirely based upon economics, and any way to save on costs is key. For others it’s always going to be around quality, with a focus on having and doing things in the best possible way regardless of expense. Throughout this book I present a few options in both product and labor that range from “must do or have” to “a nice thing to consider.” I assume the reader is not building a professional-level race engine and not working with his (or her) own fully equipped machine shop.
The lowest-cost option for a chosen process frequently will deliver a perfectly good result, simply trading time for expense. Other times, nothing but professional tools and talent will deliver the needed outcomes. Some tasks can be bypassed with minimal risk for a budget-oriented build, and others simply must be addressed in every effort for any realistic chance of success.
I use a single engine for most pictures and build process documentation throughout the book, and follow it along as we go. While this engine is a rather “cool” one (a 1969 428 Cobra Jet destined for a Shelby GT500), the processes and machining are exactly the same as found in rebuilding a more common 390 for a pickup truck or Galaxie. Most of the photos in this book are following the rebuild of the 428 Cobra Jet, but other engine images are sometimes used to illustrate various components or processes. Some photos were “posed” for better visibility, and may not reflect normal or proper machine shop practices.
We will follow this engine through teardown, inspection, cleaning, machining, and reassembly. During the teardown and inspection phases we will be “hands on” until handoff to the machine shop. At that point we will become spectators, watching the shop handle its tasks. I do not detail how to run an SV-10 Sunnen cylinder hone, but I do explain what it is doing and why. Once the machined parts are completed, we will then resume our firsthand position as the builder doing the actual measurement and assembly work.
Choosing and Qualification of Your Core
This is when the fun begins. By definition, a “core” is the engine you start out with. It may be complete and running or a collection of parts gathered over time. Acquiring a non-running engine with an unknown history is like buying a lottery ticket, but you can tip the odds in your direction a bit.
My favorite type of core is old, greasy, and unmolested. Something still mounted in the vehicle is almost always more desirable than one that has been laying out open to the elements. When working with stock or nearly stock engines, the fewer indications of modification or prior internal work the better off you are likely to be in terms of internal condition. The 390 in a rotted-out pickup with an aftermarket Holley carb and some glass packs has likely had the snot run out of it, while the 2-barrel unit in an old LTD probably ran smoothly until the car fell apart around it.
Blocks cast in 1964 and earlier have a two-bolt motor mount. Blocks cast later have a four-bolt motor mount. The later blocks can be mounted easily into an older vehicle, but putting an old casting into the later application will require creativity and fabrication.
Look for obvious signs of distress. A prior owner trying to diagnose an engine problem will pull one valve cover and/or the oil pan chasing a knock. He may have removed a few spark plugs looking for coolant, or he could have pulled the distributor looking for a twisted-off oil pump driveshaft. Pushed-out core plugs or coolant in the oil might be signs of freeze damage in northern states. Fresh gaskets on timing covers or heads are a giveaway of recent repair work. A coat of inexpensive paint on an otherwise unremarkable engine might be as simple as a cosmetic sales pitch, or a tip-off to recent fix-up attempts.
Just remember to keep your eyes wide open and realize that the odds are very, very much against finding any sort of super deal on a 427 or 428. Pretty much everything you find will be a 360 or a 390, and those two are nearly impossible to identify externally. If you are able to turn the engine over with a socket on the damper bolt, you can use a wooden dowel stuck through the spark plug hole to identify the stroke by marking it at the top and bottom of the piston’s travel. If it has about 3.5 inches from top to bottom, you’re looking at a 352 or a 360. If you get a reading of around 3.75 inches you’re onto a 390.
Block Markings
A good place to start your identification search, and a way to eliminate certain possibilities, is with the casting marks on the block. FE engine blocks usually have a number of casting numbers, both formal and sand scratches, on various areas of the block. Some of these marks are good for identification, but unfortunately many other markings were used almost at random and have little if any meaning for actual identification. I cover the most common ones below, but remember that nothing on an FE is to be taken for granted. We’ve seen actual non-cross-bolted 427 industrial engines as well as paper-thin 390s sold as standard bore 428s online. Take nothing for granted.
Mirror 105: Just like it says, a backward, mirror-image number “105” casting mark commonly found on the driver-side front face of blocks cast at Ford’s MCC foundry starting somewhere in the early to mid-1970s. Usually a later-model 390 block with the extra main webbing. But not always.
352: The 352 designation is found on the driver-side front face of many of the FE blocks cast at Ford’s DIF foundry throughout the 1960s. This does not mean you have a 352 engine. Or anything else for that matter because most 390 and 428 engines as well as many 427s will have this marking.
The 352 designation is found on the driver-side front face of many of the FE blocks cast at Ford’s DIF foundry throughout the 1960s. This does not mean you have a 352 engine. Many other displacements have the 352 designation cast into the block.
The “DIF” casting often found on Ford FE blocks designates the Dearborn Iron Foundry where the blocks were poured. This location was in use through the early 1970s; therefore, a real 428 CJ block would likely have that DIF on it somewhere.
Similar to the “352” often found cast on the front face of the engine, the 352 designation in the bellhousing face does not guarantee you have a 352-ci engine.
This 427 marking that is often found in the lifter valley or the bellhousing face shown here is misleading. It can often be found on 390 engines as well.
66-427: This one is often found on the inner valley above the lifters or on the bellhousing face. It tends to get folks really excited for a few minutes, but means pretty much nothing. Often found on otherwise normal 390 engines.
C scratch: This is a good one to find. Found as a freehand letter “C” scratched in the bellhousing area of the block, this is considered a good indicator of the 1968 and later double-webbed 428 block as used in the 428 Cobra Jet engines.
A scratch: Another nice find. This is the letter “A” scratched freehand into the bellhousing-area casting. Normally associated with 1966–1967 non-CJ 428 engines.
Inside the water jackets: Proof positive of a 428. If you remove the center freeze plug you can often see the number “428” cast right into the base of the water jacket core. Similar casting identification can also be found by looking straight down through the water opening on the decks where the head gaskets go. You’ll need a flashlight.
Casting numbers such as C6MA-xx: These numbers are normally found cast upside down below the oil filter mounting pad. Unfortunately they don’t really mean all that much. While important for a restoration project, the fact is that Ford used the same casting number across a wide variety of engine sizes and levels. That means that these numbers do not help for identification other than for exclusion. You know that a D4TE (the “D4” indicates 1974 in Ford code) is not going to be a 352, which was stopped in 1966.
Date codes: Often, but not always, cast in place above the oil filter pad, the date codes tell you when the block was made. Like the casting number, these will not tell you anything about the engine itself other than by exclusion (e.g., a block cast in 1964 is not a Cobra Jet since those started in 1968). Date codes are the holy grail for restoration work, but have limited value for performance efforts.
Cross bolts: Probably a 427, unless they’ve been added by a racer somewhere in the block’s history.
Screw-in freeze plugs: Probably a 427, unless they’ve been added by a racer somewhere in the block’s history.
The Drill Bit Test
This one test is the single best way to quickly identify an assembled FE block. Credit for it goes to FE.com forum member David “Shoe” Schouweiler. You need only the simplest of measuring tools: drill bits. The following is paraphrased from several of Dave’s responses to block ID questions posed on the forum.
Remove the center freeze plug from the side of the engine block. Using common drill bits, try to slip the shank portion of the largest possible bit between the center cylinder cores through the freeze plug opening. The size of this largest drill bit will indicate which water jacket core was used to cast the block.
If you can fit only an 8/64-inch or 9/64-inch drill bit shank between the cylinders at the largest gap position on the block, and a 10/64-inch doesn’t fit anywhere, then they are 427 water jackets.
The 406/428/DIF361/DIF391 blocks will allow a 13/64-inch drill bit shank to fit into the gap at the largest position.
The MCC361FT/MCC391FT blocks (MCC = “mirror 105” marking) allow a 14/64-inch bit to fit between the cores.
Regular 360/390/410 blocks have about a 17/64-inch to 19/64-inch water jacket space at the largest position on the block.
These are approximations, but they tend to be close.
Even if you do have the good jackets, be sure to sonic map the cylinders before boring because core shift might cause problems. It is not at all unusual for FE engines to have considerable core shift, and the oft-raced and abused 427 engines seem to have some of the thinnest cylinders.
Once you bring your new jewel home (and/or remove your “old friend” from the car) the real work begins. You can learn a huge amount from the teardown process. The key is to avoid the temptation to fire up the impact wrenches and rip it apart as quickly as possible. Careful inspection of an old engine will carry a clear history of the conditions it ran with, and will avoid unnecessary expenses if problem areas are identified and quantified early on. I am going on the assumption that we are taking the engine completely apart before handing the major components over to a machine shop for reconditioning. Be prepared for the occasional surprise.
Be prepared for the occasional surprise when tearing down an engine with an unknown history. This 427 engine is a true barn find, and was filled with . . . mouse stuff.
In this chapter, I go through the basic teardown effort; details on each key component appear in the chapters that follow. We are going to work from the outside in as we go, removing external parts first. As you proceed, it’s a great idea to use a digital camera to record how things came apart, and use plenty of plastic sandwich bags to label and organize the fasteners and small parts as you go. When parts are oily it’s difficult to write on them; tag wire and paper tags are often useful. When labeling a box or a part for its location, I prefer to use the terms “driver-side” and “passenger-side” because they are less likely to be confused. In my shop we do almost nothing but FE engines; thus, we are quite comfortable with using just the Ford OEM cylinder numbering system with the cylinders on the passenger’s side as numbers one through four. However, in a shop that works on numerous engines from many manufacturers, a description of “driver-side second cylinder” could be less likely to cause confusion.
You will want a reasonably large area to work in, with plenty of workbench space to lay out the parts as they are removed. It’s a grimy process, so be prepared with lots of paper towels and rags. I find that covering the floor and work areas with newspaper or butcher paper goes a long way in controlling the inevitable oily mess.
Basic mechanic’s tools are obviously required. If you are working with rusty fasteners you should be using six-point sockets to minimize the risk of rounding off the bolt heads. An air or electric impact wrench can be really handy for some stuff, especially the damper bolt. But try not to get too fixated on using it for the more easily removed stuff; the risk of damaging the bolts is simply too high to justify saving the 10 minutes of hand removal. Some of the external fasteners will be easily broken with an impact wrench, particularly the exhaust manifold bolts, which have seen many high-temperature cycles and exposure to the elements.
Start out by removing the carburetor (drain any gas) and the fuel pump. Both are likely to be rebuilt or replaced unless new or particularly valuable. Remove the spark plugs, plug wires, and any wiring harness segments that remained attached to the engine. If still in place, remove the alternator and power steering pump and their respective brackets. Pictures of these before removal will come in handy during assembly. Remove the pulleys, the oil filter mount, and the motor mounts.
Begin Teardown of Peripherals
To remove the distributor, first take off the hold-down bolt and clamp. Then grab the distributor body, rotate it back and forth a couple times to loosen it, and pull straight upward. If it appears frozen or does not want to come upward, it is most likely held by dried oil and varnish around an O-ring that passes through the intake manifold, not by anything mechanical. Use some solvent such as carburetor cleaner and let it soak in while working the distributor back and forth to free it up. A few moderate taps on the bottom of the body with a plastic mallet are okay, but resist the temptation to pound on the vacuum advance. You will break the fragile distributor casting if you do and end up needing a new distributor.
Next remove the fuel pump. The fuel pump is attached to the timing cover with two fasteners.
To remove exhaust manifolds use six-pointed sockets and wrenches, as these fasteners are often both tight and very corroded.
It is highly recommended that you use a generous amount of penetrating oil and sharply smack the wrench to break them loose. If and when they break off, use drills, bolt removing tools, and Heli-Coils to re-create threads in these locations.
When smacking the ratchet assembly does not work, try a ratchet with a long enough handle to provide greater leverage on the bolt head. Since manifold bolts often snap loose suddenly, visualize where your knuckles will go when they do. If the path they will take involves something metal and hard, reposition yourself.
Remove Rocker Assembly
On Ford FE engines you need to remove the valve covers and rocker assemblies before you can remove the intake manifold. This is different from any other V-8 engines. Take off the valve covers and invert them on the workbench. They make handy “trays” for the valvetrain parts you are about to remove. If you are trying to keep things in their original places, you can use a Sharpie or paint pen to mark them “driver’s” and “passenger’s” side. Punch holes in a piece of cardboard to hold pushrods in marked order if you intend to reuse them.
The rocker arm assemblies are each held in place by four 3/8 bolts, with 9/16 wrench heads and large, thick washers. Loosen each fastener only a half turn at a time, working from bolt to bolt. This will prevent bending the rocker shafts from valve spring pressure. Each rocker assembly will have a sheet-metal oil return tray underneath it that also gets pulled off with the rockers. Pushrods simply pull out at this point; they go through holes or passages machined and/or cast into the intake manifold.
Important!
On most FE engines one of the four rocker bolts is longer than the others, usually with a reduced diameter in the shank. This bolt is where the oil feed for the rocker arm system is located; make certain to note its position for reassembly.
With the rocker assembly removed, you can see more clearly the difference between the oil feed for the rocker assembly, shown second from left, and the other three conventional mounting points.
Remove the Intake Manifold
It’s easier to use a knife to cut the water pump hose apart at this stage, as this is a replacement item.
If you have the factory iron intake be aware that these things are heavy at more than 85 pounds. If you still have the engine hoist available, it is very useful for this task. Remove the 10 fasteners holding the manifold down, taking notes that the rearmost ones are either shorter or have a spacer sleeve on them.
I find it helpful to use a razor knife to slice through the front and rear seals before trying to pry the manifold loose. An assortment of large pry bars, a very large chisel, and a plastic-covered dead blow hammer may be needed to get the intake to break free if it’s been on for a long time. Be strategic and use common sense here. You do not want to damage the sealing surfaces or break the casting. Once you get one side or corner to come free, you can work it up and down to get the other side loose.
It’s tempting to pry up the lifter valley tray and pull out the lifters at this point. But you stand a good chance of bending the sheet-metal tray up if you do. Better to wait until the heads and their respective gaskets are removed. Our engine was missing the valley tray. It is not easy to use with roller lifters, but a recommended item with flat tappet systems.
Remove the Cylinder Heads
With that intake finally out of the way, you can remove the cylinder heads. They are held down by 10 1/2-inch-diameter head bolts; 5 long ones under the valve cover area and 5 shorter ones alongside the exhaust ports. While I prefer hand tools, this is a place where a properly handled impact wrench with a six-point socket is okay for removal.
You will probably need to pry and wiggle the heads up a good bit to break them free from the old gaskets. To keep them from popping loose and dropping to the floor, I will often keep a long head bolt loosely installed in the center “short bolt” location as a precaution.
Be very careful with where you insert any pry device needed. We have seen heads where the gasket sealing surface has been nearly destroyed by heavy-handed removal damage.
A few light taps with a dead blow hammer can help coax the liberation of heads from block.
With the cylinder heads removed you can now pull off the head gaskets and easily pull the valley tray off. Lifters should theoretically just slip out with your fingers, but often take some effort on older engines. I have found that a spray and soak with carburetor cleaner or solvent helps loosen grime and varnish built up around the lifter’s bottoms. A strong magnet, a small screwdriver for gentle prying, and a pair of pliers to grab the top might come in handy on lifters that don’t want to slip out easily.
While most builds will be using new lifters, a very gentle touch will be needed if you plan on saving them for reuse (not advised), and keep them in exact position order.
Remove Water Pump and Front Damper Assembly
Next remove the water pump. The water pump is mounted to the block with four 3/8-16 fasteners. Pay attention to where you remove them from, since some may be unique for attaching accessory brackets.
The back of the water pump has a removable flat cover plate. If you are re-using the pump, change that gasket out.
Next is to remove the damper from the front of the crankshaft. You will probably need an impact wrench to loosen the bolt. It has a 15/16-inch hex head, and it is going to be very tight. Alternately, you can use a large breaker bar and figure out a way to keep the crankshaft from rotating (a large friend holding the flywheel or a fabricated contraption to stop a piston in its bore).
With the bolt out of the way, use a dedicated puller to remove the damper. These tools are inexpensive and available from numerous tool suppliers, or they can be rented at many local parts stores.
It takes three bolts to grab the damper and a single long bolt in the center with a free spinning center that bears against the crankshaft. As you tighten up the center bolt it will pull the press fit damper off. I have seen folks use an impact wrench on the puller, but it is probably best to do it by hand to avoid damaging the tool.
With the damper out of the way, you can see the damper spacer and the square key. These are the next items we will remove.
Gently pry the square key out with a screwdriver. These usually offer very little resistance, but they are easy to lose. Be sure to keep yours in a baggie with the damper spacer. They are inexpensive and readily replaced if damaged.
The damper spacer is just a sleeve for the front seal to ride on and is not physically fastened in place. But they can get tight and bound in place over time. If it won’t pull off you can try tapping around it with a plastic or brass mallet. In some cases, we have had to use a 2-inch muffler clamp and a three-jaw gear puller to get them loose.
Remove Timing Cover and Timing Chain Assembly
Removing the cast-aluminum timing cover is a straightforward matter of removing the bolts. Most of the fasteners are 5/16 inch and have a 1/2-inch hex head, except for the two lower ones in the front on each side, which are 3/8 inch and require a 9/16-inch wrench. Keep track of which bolts go there.
There are also four fasteners on the oil pan that thread into the timing cover. These must be removed before attempting to pull the cover away from the block. With all fasteners removed the cover should pop right off with only a few taps from a plastic mallet and minimal prying.
After the timing cover assembly is removed, store it with the various sized bolts that go with it for easier reassembly.
Now that you have the timing cover removed, you can see the timing chain and gears for the first time. Depending on the reason for this engine needing a rebuild, it is always interesting to note how much free play is in the timing chain before you replace it. Careful inspection during disassembly can help resolve many mysteries.
Next pull the oil slinger, which is just a piece of stamped sheet metal, off of the crankshaft snout.
Go to the single center bolt in the cam sprocket and remove it. It has a 5/8-inch head and might be tight enough to justify the use of an impact wrench. Be certain to make note of the position of the thick washer behind the cam bolt, and the fuel pump eccentric.
With the cam sprocket center bolt and washer removed, you can usually get the timing sprockets and chain off with some wiggling, prying from two sides at the same time, and perhaps a light tap or two with a plastic mallet. Brute force is rarely, if ever, needed; the trick is to keep both sprockets parallel with one another and even with the block as you go back and forth until the one on the cam comes loose. Then you can remove the chain and cam sprocket and concentrate on the crankshaft sprocket, which may be stuck to the keyway. If you find a large flat split washer as a spacer behind the cam sprocket, discard it now. None of the replacement timing sets use them, and trying to reinstall one with a new timing set will cause serious interference problems. Since the timing set is almost always going to be replaced, you can use a chisel between the teeth to split or spread that crankshaft sprocket if needed, but it should slide off with a bit of effort.
Remove the Oil Pan and Pump
If you’re working on an engine stand, it’s now time to spin it over and remove the oil pan. The pan is retained by lots of 5/16-inch bolts. Make sure you get all of them out before trying to pry the pan loose.
The pan gasket will have become pretty well stuck to the block after time in service. I often use a razor blade or knife to walk around the sides and try to break that seal a bit before prying on the easily bent sheet-metal pan itself.
Badly damaged oil pans should be replaced; they are readily available. This one has seen better days.
If your engine has a windage tray it will be sandwiched between the pan and the block with an oil pan gasket on each side.
You must separate the windage tray from the block using a scraper to split the gasket free.
With the pan removed, it’s a quick task to remove the oil pump pickup screen and the pump itself, two bolts each. Then remove the oil pump drive; it will lift up with your fingers. This engine shows a lot of debris from deteriorated and fractured nylon teeth from an old timing chain set.
On everything beyond the lowest-cost effort we highly recommend replacing those items, but hang on to them for now.
Set the windage tray aside for later cleaning and possible reuse. Aftermarket trays are available, but original reproductions are no longer made.
Remove Piston and Rod Assemblies
Piston and rod assemblies come out next. The rods and caps should be marked for position before removal. When replacing both the pistons and rings during the rebuild, it’s not so critical to mark those items, but it’s a good working habit to get into.
A worn-out engine is likely to have a significant ridge around the top of each cylinder at the high point of piston ring travel. A ridge reamer tool is available for removing this ridge to ease removal and prevent damage to the pistons during a low-budget rebuild. But these days it is very rare to see such an approach taken. Instead, we simply assume that a ridge indicates the need for new pistons and knock them out, accepting the fact that they are not going to be reused.
Most stock FE Ford connecting rods are nut and bolt types with floating pins. Working one assembly at a time, we remove them, working front to back. Rotate the crankshaft until the big end of the rod is low in the block so the fasteners are easily reached. I usually loosen both nuts partially, leaving them flush with the ends of the threads.
Next, I take a plastic mallet and give them a sharp smack, which will separate the rod cap from the rod while preventing the rod from falling out of position. With the cap now loose, you can remove the rod nuts and the cap, setting them aside on the workbench. Use boots or pieces of 3/8-inch fuel line hose to cover the bolt threads and keep them from hitting and marking up the crankshaft during removal. Using your hand to keep things in position, it’s possible to rotate the crankshaft around to push the piston assembly partway up the cylinder. Continue rotating the crankshaft back out of the way and you can use a hammer handle or block of wood to continue pushing the assembly out of the block, guiding the rod to prevent cylinder damage. I use my knee or a helper’s hand to keep the assembly from falling out onto the floor.
Once removed, you should lightly reinstall the matching cap and nuts to keep them together.
Remove Crankshaft
We are down to only a few parts left now. Remove the main cap bolts. An impact can really come in handy here, although a long extension handle will do the job. The main caps are going to be tight in the block. Most all FE engines have the main caps marked for position at the factory, but it is a very good idea to double check and mark them as needed for position and front to back orientation. After 40 years of service, it is possible that somebody machined them differently, or replaced one and messed up the original order.
You can use a combination of the loosened bolts and a mallet to wiggle the caps loose and up out of the block. The rear one can be really tight in there due to the rear seal assembly. A slide hammer can be attached to the oil pan bolt holes to serve as both a lever and a tool to add a bit of upward force to get it free.
With the main caps out of the way we can lift out the crankshaft. These are pretty heavy, around 70 pounds, so have a place cleared off to set it once it comes out. You may need to rotate it a bit to find a spot where the counterweights clear the block for easy removal. Grab the snout and the rear flange and pick it straight up.
Keep your main bearings and caps sorted for further inspection.
Now that the crankshaft is removed from the block, find a clean safe place to store it before bringing it to the machine shop for inspection.
Inspection of the old rod and main bearings can provide good clues about the condition of the crank and rods. Excessive wear, off-center wear, and circumferential scoring can help diagnose what is going to be wrong before we even begin to measure. This information can help your machinist pinpoint areas that may require extra attention.
The old bearings can often provide useful information. These indicate that the engine was rebuilt in the 1970s, and that the crank journal has already been ground .010 undersized.
Remove Camshaft
To remove the cam you must first remove the front thrust plate. These are retained by two fasteners, which are often large Phillips-head screws. You must acquire and use the Phillips number-4 bit to remove these screws; anything else will round them out and create a bunch more work.
Once the thrust plate comes off, the cam will simply slide out through the front. By leaving this as the last major item to remove, we can guide it out with our hands since no other components are in the way, which is much easier than trying to pull it out the front without any support.
In our shop we made a cam removal tool using threaded rod and a long piece of aluminum. Even a simple long bolt with the proper thread pitch can be helpful here.
This handmade tool makes cam removal and installation much easier without the worry of marking up bearings or journals.
Finally, before heading to the machine shop, we finish off a few details. The rear cam plug gets knocked out using a long stick (a cut-off piece of broomstick works amazingly well). Notice that the plug goes in backward compared to a freeze plug: very important. Freeze plugs can be removed by punching an off-center hole in them and leveraging them out with a big screwdriver or a slide hammer. That same slide hammer will make quick work of the press-in-type oil gallery plugs as well. Threaded-in gallery plugs can be removed with the appropriate tools, along with application of heat and lubricants. These can be really tough and sometimes end up requiring drills, taps, and foul language, but they do come out.
Cam bearings are normally removed by the machine shop, using the same type of tool used to install them. They are easy to knock out if you rent or borrow the right equipment. Do not try to remove them yourself with simple punches or you risk damaging the cam tunnel bore and scrapping the block.
Now we are ready to take our parts to the machine shop for individual inspection, cleaning, and reconditioning as necessary or desired. Subsequent chapters focus on each component separately until we start putting things back together. Accordingly, you will find me doing some assembly work then backing up a bit to go over the next component in the process before moving ahead. I recommend that you read over the entire book before beginning the job to best familiarize yourself with the tasks ahead.
