WhitsEnd Transformation

[WhitsEnd]

Most of the goodies came in,



Unfortunately, the cam is not in that pile. So, the bottom end is done and I'm on hold, pending the arrival of the custom grind.

[WhitsEnd]

Some of the stuff still outstanding and on order (mostly, for my own reference):

Camshaft
rocker shaft stud kit
rocker shafts
shaft stands
pushrods (not ordered yet, need to mock up, measure and order)
oil pan gasket
fuel pump
valve cover gaskets
timing cover gasket
misc. bolts...

Right now, a bunch of you are wondering "why doesn't he just buy a complete gasket kit"

Well, the problem is, I have a box full of multiple leftovers from those kits already. Anyone need multiple water pump gaskets? I don't use the head gaskets in the full kit either, I prefer the Fel-Pro 1020.

[cdnwillyg]

It must feel like Christmas all over again! Good on you ! I like it when my parts orders come in like that.......gives a guy a little motivation for sure.
And people wonder why a rebuild is so expensive????

[Bullitt74]

Pulling up a seat and making some popcorn for this thread...nice work!!

[Manny]

Most of the goodies came in,



Unfortunately, the cam is not in that pile. So, the bottom end is done and I'm on hold, pending the arrival of the custom grind.

It ain't mine but that pile makes me all giddy inside thats great can't wait to see more !!!!!

[WhitsEnd]

I love that new cam smell!

[WhitsEnd]

Unfortunately, once installed, I found my Ford Motorsports timing chain to be quite loose. This is a timing set I had bought for a 428, but felt it was too loose for that motor. I held onto it, thinking it could be used on a lesser motor. Once installed, I just couldn't do it.

So into the trash and another will be ordered.

This puts me back at least 2 weeks because it haults the assembly for this weekend and I have plans to go snowmobiling next weekend.

[WhitsEnd]

I thought I'd get ahead on a couple things since the engine assembly is at a standstill...and I'm glad I did. Another issue of mixing old and new parts on this motor has erupted.

I started to install one of the cylinder heads to get a pushrod measurement so I could get them ordered. Well, I quickly noticed the stock head bolts will not work with these Edelbrock heads. The upper bolts on the end are machined into a pretty tight pocket. No way to get a socket on that.



So, I guess I'll add a set of ARP head bolts to the Summit order...I guess "budget build" can have a different meaning to different people. This one is starting to have a different meaning than what my wife had in mind.

[WhitsEnd]

Trying to wrap up things while I'm on hold with the head bolt and timing chain parts issue...

I restricted the oil passages in the heads to the rocker shafts. I'm not restricting them significantly, just a little. There's a lot of opinions in the FE world on how much to restrict and if you need to restrict at all. If I were using roller rockers with needle bearings istead of bushings, I would restrict the oil quite a bit. The needle bearings are like a big leak to the oil system. I would also restrict quite a lot with bushed roller rockers and solid spacers between them because the leakage is controlled and they just don't need that much oil.

In this case, I'm using stock bushed rockers with the springs between them. These allow more leakage between the rocker and pedestal, so I'll supply more. I'll also be installing an oil pressure gauge because a change will indicate rocker or shaft wear (I hope, not something more serious).

To restrict the passage just a little, I used a short piece of brake line that fits snugly in the hole and leaves a 1/8" orifice, or 0.125". On my 428 with roller rockers and shimmed solid spacers, I restricted to 0.90" using a set screw with a hole drilled in it.

Here, you can see the brake line on the bench and the punch used. The oiling hole is within the pocket of the 2nd rocker shaft bolt hole from the left.

[WhitsEnd]

And the tubing installed in the oil supply hole.

[WhitsEnd]

While still on hold and not able to do anything else, I decided to mock up the rockers and shafts. The alignment on Edelbrock heads is not optimum with stock rockers, but the pedestals have some play side to side and this can be used to better center the rockers on the valve stems before locking down the pedestal bolts.



FE gurus will notice the drawer pulls on my tool chest also use FE rocker shaft pedestals.

[WhitsEnd]

One of the painful and annoying things about the FE design is the Philips head screws that hold the cam thrust plate in place. There are aftermarket bolts available through Precision Oil Pumps that ARP makes specifically for them with reduced bolt head thickness. This allows the bolts to be shallow like the Philps head and fit behind the cam sprocket.

I inhereted my father's tools, so I happen to have the required driver for this job:



It can be used to loosen or tighten. It's spring loaded and just requires a tap with a heavy hammer. Hitting it applies force as well as rotational torque.

[Ozblitz]

Looking good! Really nice truck too.
I just started my CV swap and I'm also not to crazy about lowered look so, I'm going to put the 5/8 spacer at the bottom of the frame like you did. I noticed the tubes were not mounted from the top but actually under the frames C channel. Did you have to cut the tubes down to fit inside the C channel?
Thanks for the post!

[WhitsEnd]

Looking good! Really nice truck too.
I just started my CV swap and I'm also not to crazy about lowered look so, I'm going to put the 5/8 spacer at the bottom of the frame like you did. I noticed the tubes were not mounted from the top but actually under the frames C channel. Did you have to cut the tubes down to fit inside the C channel?
Thanks for the post!

Yes, I cut the tubes on the end without the threaded insert. Threaded end is still facing up. Being contained within the channel allows the spacer to be installed on top or bottom, since nothing protrudes. I like the cleaner look, overall strength and versatility. If anyone wanted to drop it lower in the future, the spacer can simply be swapped to the top of the frame...it's not welded. Of course, I would need to rework the lower control arm mounts at the rear, but they're very accessible.

I think the truck will still be lower than I would like, but I'm looking at strut spacers that fit between the top of the spring assembly and the casting hat.

[WhitsEnd]

Good news! The new timing set arrived and it fits nice and snug

Although, the dowel pin hole was a little closed down from the surface grinding operation and had to be drilled out.