Time to put "Project Blue Beast" up.

[cjs_72f250]

sorry, what i meant was in your second photo, there is a stamp on it that says either 362 or 352 A 55

i think all the FEs have that kind of casting. when i first got my 390, i was worried about that 352 casting, but it doesn't define what engine it is.


--nice looking project you got there. good luck with it and have fun!

[Ares68F100]

BAM! Time for a huge update. I got busy today on my day off and with it being sunny and all. Decided to remove old motor + tranny and get the engine bay ready for the new motor. Not to mention make it easier to do the disc brake conversion and suspension work I have been planning on. So here we go with some pictures. Oh yes, and may God bless the man that invented air tools. My very first motor swap involved hand tools, a jack, jackstands, and a skate board...


Front end removal completed. MUCH easier this way. No hoisting over the front of the truck.



Hood and grill.



New hotness.



Me, Chris, on the left with the glasses, my buddy Steve on the right.



Nasty peanut butter out of the oil pan. Yum.



Motor out! Emptiness in it's chest.



Powered by Carl's Jr.



Old and busted...

[trukcrazy]

Great progress, I like the new hotness.

[RebelRider]

Makes me want to get my butt off the couch and head to the shop.
Great pics!

[Ares68F100]

Well what stops you from getting down there?

[RebelRider]

Well what stops you from getting down there?

No Carl's Jr.!

[Ares68F100]

Well more progress is being made, slowly but surely. Even with air tools some stuff just takes a long time. Also a lot of this make me wish I had bead blasting tools readily avaliable for the larger stuff. I do for the smaller pieces but not for the hood etc. I am thinking about looking into picking up a smallish setup for that. Something that I don't mind if it takes longer than an expensive setup but still gets the same results. More pictures coming soon.

[Ares68F100]

Redoing the tranny crossmember, and rock guard.

Here is my other buddy Ben helping during the hand removal of the old grease, paint, rust and whatever other scum has adhered itself to the rock guard. No pictures of the transmission crossmember just yet.



Primed and sealed.



Finished product. Undercoating. Long term derability and of course protection against rust.

[ezernut9mm]

so that's what a clean fe looks like!!!!

[Ares68F100]

Yea it is nice looking. Heres hoping to it lasting and lookin good for some time to come.

[Ares68F100]

Got a slew of new parts heading my way.

MSD RTR Pro Billet Dist
MSD Heli Core Wires
March Performance Pulley Set
Hooker Comp Headers
and a new Flex-a-lite Flex Fan
EDIT: and a new Miloden Oil Pan

ETA for start up is one month.

[Ares68F100]

Time for some pictures of new parts and updates on the installed stuff. Motor is coming along quite nicely. I am about 80% complete on motor stuff. Got the timing cover, lower pulley set, fan, distributor, oil pump, oil pump driveshaft, static timing set, and installed the hooker headers today. Would have finished the top to bottom end today and had her all done and waiting for flexplate and the back end goodies but the other woman in my life called me away. So this is all for now. Not to mention that my workspace has been literally cut to a 1/4 of what it was. The city I live in decided that even though my truck had all 4 wheels on the ground and legal tags, up to date registration etc etc. That my truck was BLIGHT and was to be A. Towed Away to the crusher by them B. Towed away to the crusher by me C. Put it out of the sight of the eyes of my neighbors or D. Keep it there and get a $1000 fine + Option A... ********... I choose option C and shoved it into my garage. Where it takes up most of the room due to the shelving units I have housing spare parts and whatnot...

New March Performance Pulley set.



New MSD Heli-Core 8MM Wire Set in Blue



New Milodon Oil Pan



Side shot of the motor showing off the Hooker Comp header.



Front shot of motor showing off all the other hard work.

[dcbullet]

Great update! Glad to see the progress. How much did the serpentine kit set you back?

[Ares68F100]

Almost 2 bills. Worth it though imo. I like the feel, and the look. Not to mention I am sure there might be some sort of performance gain. LoL. Can't be all go and no show.

[layedout72]

oh...my...god.....that motor is frikkin GORGEOUS. i absolutely LOVE it.