#50's new engine 91% installed!

[robroy]

Good evening! Here are some photos I took today while trying to install #50's engine.

Here's Hugh (my father), who helped me for hours today:



The chassis ready for the engine:



The pulley arrangement Hugh set up to drag the engine towards the truck. Even though we had plywood to roll on, the wheels weren't very friendly on the lift. And as you know, that T18+FE combo is very heavy.




Here I removed #50's new engine from its shipping pallet for the first time, which felt like flying a jet ten feet over the runway with no landing gear!




The engine hanging freely. An ominous weight suspended in mid air to say the least.



Trying to slide it in:



Finally couldn't get it in all the way, so Hugh came up with this idea to steady it until I can figure out how to deal with the clearance problem:



As it rests now, under a tarp. The T18 is resting on the crossmember and the front of the oil pan is on that sturdy board.



I started a tech thread in the Drivetrain section about the clearance issue I'm having; here it is:

http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... =4&t=41449

Robroy

[wickedinhere]

Is the oil pan hitting?

[kaptnkaos]

Hey RobRoy...

Just an observation... how come you gots a car oil filter on that purty yeller engine???
Truck oil filters stick straight out horizontal from the engine...

KaptnKA S

[robroy]

Hey WickedInHere and KaptnKA S, thanks for replying!

Is the oil pan hitting?

You know, it is close! As you know it's a rear sump model while the factory used a forward sump model. But I think it will clear. It's not actually hitting when I'm trying to slip the engine in. I can easily regulate the distance between the rear sump and the crossmember with the lift (or by gently, and I mean really gently, prying with a flat iron bar between the pan and the crossmember). I'm still not certain if the sump will clear the steering linkage though!

Worse case scenario I'll need to swap that out with something more similar to what my old engine had (forward sump). This new oil pan is also an eight quart pan, which is large if I remember correctly than what the factory used.

Just an observation... how come you gots a car oil filter on that purty yeller engine???
Truck oil filters stick straight out horizontal from the engine...

Excellent observation! It's interesting to know that cars had the vertical adapter. And you know, I've read from other forum members that the filter orientation I have fits 4x4 Bumpsides, and that it even fits some 4x2 Bumpsides. It seems that the clearance between the bottom of the filter and the main crossmember under the oil pan is pretty tight on 4x2's. I'm hoping that my AutoFab engine mounts will be a little higher and prevent that from being an issue, but in the worse case scenario I'll swap on a horizontal filter adapter before placing the engine in its final resting place.

If the vertical orientation works fine for my truck, I'd like it better since it might spill less oil during oil changes. I think the engine shop chose that filter orientation for exactly that reason, because I complained in detail to them about how nasty it was to change the oil on the factory engine, and they said they'd try to find ways to work around that. The rear sump oil pan was one of those ways, it seems, since the drain plug is no longer hovering right over the main crossmember.

Thanks again for the great replies!
Robroy

[kaptnkaos]

Good luck with that RobRoy...

Having it vertical like that, is actually better for the filtering system...
With the filter horizontal, some of the dirty oil doesn't get filtered at all.
There is an oil cooler setup that bolts to the engine block and replaces the filter adapter.
It has 2 fittings, one for outgoing oil, and one for return.
The filter unit bolts to the frame and has a verticle filter.
The out going (dirty oil) comes from the engine to the filter thru a steel braided line, then another line goes from the filter to the cooler that mounts, below where an A/C cooler would fit... just barely visible thru the grille...
the braided steel return line goes back to the block off...
There is also the extra added benefit of having an extra quart of oil in the system.
You do have to make a couple of holes in the radiator support to run the lines thru... other wise very nice and easy to install.
I'm thinkin' it is prolly aftermarket, but I snagged it off of the '71 Camper Special I parted out.
I wasn't able to install it when I had the '68 tore down because of time contraints...
My buddy was moving and I was not gonna be able to use his barn anymore.
There are a couple of other things I would have liked to do with it tore down, but I am pleased with what I got done in the time I had...

KaptnKA S

[Fordnatic]

I used a factory 4x4 rear sump pan on my F100 2wd. I did have trouble with the tie rod hitting the bottom of the pan with suspension travel. I had to remove the pan and straighten it out and then use a dropped pitman arm from a 4x4, which worked great!

I've always thought rear sump pans made more sense. When accelerating, the oil goes to the rear which for a rear sump pan is good and a front sump pan is bad. That's when the engine is under power and needs the lubrication the worst. When braking the oil will go forward-but then the engine will typically be at idle anyway.

[JWW]

Looks good. You are making some great progress.

[robroy]

Hey KaptnKA S, Fordnatic, and JWW, thanks for replying!

KaptnKA S, that's interesting that the vertical filter works better! And I like the idea of the oil cooler, but at this point, I'm trying to keep it simple (somewhat). That is a good option though that I could consider instead of putting on the horizontal filter. Do you think the oil cooler would help significantly with maintaining a good engine temperature?

I used a factory 4x4 rear sump pan on my F100 2wd. I did have trouble with the tie rod hitting the bottom of the pan with suspension travel. I had to remove the pan and straighten it out and then use a dropped pitman arm from a 4x4, which worked great!

Fordnatic thank you very much for posting this experience! This confirms that I need to be really careful to check out the clearance there, and try to imagine how it will work under a variety of suspension travels. It's good to know that a dropped pitman arm exists and seems to solve this issue. I might go down that route if my pan truly hits the steering linkage (as appears likely).

I also mailed the shop that build the engine (Proformanceunlimited.com) to get the part number of that after market oil pan they installed. I want to look at the application information on the pan to see if it's only supposed to work with 4x4's!

I've always thought rear sump pans made more sense. When accelerating, the oil goes to the rear which for a rear sump pan is good and a front sump pan is bad. That's when the engine is under power and needs the lubrication the worst. When braking the oil will go forward-but then the engine will typically be at idle anyway.

Interesting! So is the oil pick up installed wherever the sump is located?

Looks good. You are making some great progress.

Thanks for the encouragement! You know how progress is, it seems like it's slow going for weeks and weeks, then all at once something major happens. I spent many months working on all kinds of details with the frame, suspension, steering, cab, and brakes. I will feel a great relief when that new engine is sitting securely in the frame!

Robroy

[rjewkes]

yes the pickup is selscted for where the sump is. the pump is still up front but your new pickup will have a tube/pipe long enough with the correct curves to reach the sump.

[robroy]

Hey RJewkes, good to know, thank you!

[rjewkes]

Glad to help.

[robroy]

Today I called Steve at Proformance Unlimited about both the oil pan and the oil filter adapter. As usual, Steve was patient and knowledgeable; here's what he said:

The oil pan is a Milodon 30550 like this:



The Milodon application guide says that this pan is for 4x4 trucks, vans, and 1978-up Broncos. I heard from Steve that if it fits vans, it will fit the 2wd F250, since as he understands it, vans have tight steering linkage clearance just like the 4x2 trucks.

I think Proformance Unlimited selected this oil pan in response to my statements about what I was looking for in the engine. One of the things I mentioned is that I was going to do some off roading with the truck and driving it in dusty climates. That's also why they picked out the large K&N "open top" air cleaner, but that's a story for another time. And this Milodon oil pan is, in the words of Milodon,

Designed for applications where extra rough terrain and jumping may be encountered, as well as for vans. Sump is moved to rear for additional differential clearance and increased capacity. Features horizontal baffles. Pan fits 4WD trucks, 1978 & up Broncos and vans. Features factory hard style fitting to attach factory style screw-in dipstick tube.

So do you guys think this pan will fit my truck? I have my doubts!

Regarding the oil filter adapter, I heard from Steve that if it wouldn't fit, I should ship him the horizontal adapter from my old engine and he'd bead blast and paint it to match my new engine and send it back. A very nice offer! But I'd probably be too eager to get the thing rolling to take him up on it. I'd just clean and paint it myself.

Thanks very much for the superb, valuable advice.
Robroy

[robroy]

Here are a couple more photos that show the oil pan when it's nearby the main crossmember that runs under the engine.





Robroy

[rjewkes]

looks like the biggest problem is getting the trans to clear the cab.

[robroy]

Hey RJewkes! Thanks for replying!

I think I have some good strategies for the transmission cab clearance issue now, thanks to you guys.

Yet as you know, if the oil pan hits the steering arms I'll have a problem just about as bad!

One of my main concerns now is that I may not be able to measure whether the 'pan will hit the arms or not, since the arms flex around when the suspension goes up and down. It won't be easy to say for sure. When on the phone with Steve at Proformance Unlimited I joked that I'd just put it all together and then go jump the truck off a ramp, so it would bottom out when it landed--then I'd see if I had any oil pressure after that!

Robroy