So, it begins!!

Why NOT to run Pennzoil conventional in anything you want to take care of!

Never have seen a gasket on the engine protection plate:

Rear of the block:

Rear main:

Flexplate:

Heads popped off, I think piston number 6(it would be second from left in this pic) is scorched a bit:

Not too bad, all that stuff got in there after it was loaded and unloaded, looks like the only thing is it has the carbon ridge along the tops of the cylinder bores:

All 8:

Front of the block, the blue pan gasket is a Felpro Permadry steel core:

I did find it's gonna need new cam bearings, but I was gonna have everything replaced anyway..

 

Good luck with the build! The SBF Ford is the best engine ever built! The options are endless. Be careful of Cam selection, you will want more of a torque cam in an F-150 or Bronco versus if you are going to put it in a mustang. The cam I have in my 5.0 only comes on about 2400 rpm which is way too much for a truck. I have a 73 Bronco with a .040 351W with an RV/towing cam and I think the power range is 1200-4500, it is a torque monster! Check for a set of GT-40P heads, you can find them used cheap and they are the best flowing, factory, small block ford head out there. Keep us updated!

 

The Slumbering beast

Untarped:

I dropped the pan, got all the pushrods out of in between the rods, slicked the cylinder bores with some oil, rotated the crank, found this:

Still has some crosshatching baby!! :WooHoo: every bore has a bit left, this is bore #6, and, they all have a tiny carbon ridge, not very big, I'm wondering(and hoping) if this engine wasn't bored over at all...

 

Main caps are off, and OMG, I got some metal particles off of the 2nd insert, crank doesn't look too bad, still gonna have it mic'd and turned if need be, main pics:

1st:

2nd:

3rd:

4th:

5th:

 

Looks wiped out. Do you use synthetic oil once you have it rebuilt?

 

Dino to break it in, something like Mobil Super, then I'll probably run Mobil 1 Euro Blend or Valvoline Synthetic.

 

Pennsoil flat out sucks...

I've always ran Havoline on every engine I've owned.... that oil will hold up and make an engine last. The last time I a Small block Chevy built with a few performance parts, the machine shop, engine builder and Crane Cams specifically said do not use synthetic oil.

 

I too love to build fast monsters. :biggrin: Purchased a 2006 mustang GT and changed the rear end to 4:10, new high performance head bolts, Himi cylinders, sixty degree cam and an aluminum fly wheel. Purchased an aluminum drive shift and protector. Also had a turbo from an F250 which I put on the little monster and put an inner cooler on it. Put Hawk performance brakes, slotted disks and dynoed it (pushed about 500 hp to the rear wheels). Also bought a Predator tuner, with a few custom tunes. I drove it on the road and ran it on 1/8th mile tracks. I also put a tuned suspension on the mustang and stiffened the rear end a bit.

I loved the car, wife not so much, she thought it silly for a 55 year old man putting that kind of money in a car you could really only use at the drag strip. In a since she was right....

It was all fun until I missed a shift and destroyed a couple of valves and pistons and had to tear down the engine again. Then I remembered why I did this as a kid....I had a lot of buddies who helped put Humpty Dumpty back together again....Long story short, I rebuilt the motor almost back to a stock engine, still getting about 400 hp. Sold it to one of the neighbor hood dads who had an 17 year old who had saliva drooling out of his mouth who wanted the car. They used it as an 1/8 mile track machine. Dad and the boys knew how to fix Humpty Dumpty so all was good. I got to see the car run and helped with the tunes from time to time. They sold it last year so the kid could get a pro-stock vehicle. The kid is good by the way....but hind sight being 20/20 I should have bought guns. :vollkommenauf:

 

BTW advancing the cam on these 2º brings the torque curve down, so couple that with a little hotter lobe profile of the stock H.O. mustang roller cam and the low rise dual plane intake, it'll be pretty good. For now I'm just gonna run thd E7 heads, later on I might swap on 40P's.

 

Unless you have a degree wheel, you'll just be guessing with cam bushings. The only way to know for sure is to use a degree wheel.
Pennzoil's sucks big time, same with Quaker State, they use Pennsylvania crude which is loaded with paraffin wax, which is what you are finding with all the build up. Years ago I pulled the valve covers off a 283 that all you could see was the wax build up. It was a mess to clean up. Good luck and have fun with your build. You could find some Windsor 351 heads and make yourself a poor mans 302 Boss. :biggrin:

 

Good luck with the build. Keep us updated.

 

The cylinder bores certainly look better than the bearings. With the parts list you put together it should be a healthy little monster. Good luck with your build.

Keith

 

IIRC it's said not to use Full Synthetic due to the older engines(even being rebuilt with hi-perf parts)don't have as tight of tolerances as the newer engines, and since Synthetic runs like water, it'd spell premature wear and tear. I might go with a Synthetic Blend, my friend has been running Motorcraft 10w30 Syn Blend in his 306 since it's break in, seems a pretty good oil, I might try the Valvoline Syn Blend in this one, I can't find Havoline anywhere here, specially since Texaco is now long gone....

 

Peak is just as good.... I can find Havoline in just about any motor oil section here in Ga.

 

Actually IIRC, it's done using an adjustable Crank gear, has 3 keyways on it, one is regular, one is 2 degrees retard, and one is 2 degrees advanced, unless you get a higher priced one, then you get a 6 keyway....

 

If you don't use a degree wheel, you will never know for sure what your final degree is going to be. I ran a engine/machine shop for many years and have built more than my share of engines and still do. You cannot get all you need to know out of a book or off the internet. I wish you the best of luck with your build.
P,S that foam gasket on the rear plate keeps dirt out and helps prevent a vibration that is common with small block Fords. Just a heads up.

 

Crank and pistons are out, found stock pistons, so it's not been bored over, which is awesome, factory crosshatching is what I'm guessing, bottom of the bores weren't as nice, had a carbon ridge there.... but, it'll be cleaned up with the overbore.

 

Why not run Ford semi synthetic? My local walmart sells it in 10w-30.

Looks like a great build! I have a 94 f150 that I rebuilt the 5.0 in, and rebuilt the 289 in my mustang twice. The small block fords are awesome little motors. One day I will build a 427w monster.

Good luck with the build. Bronco gets my vote!!