351 W Build Gone Wild

Cylinder #4 represents the final flow numbers.

Here are my cam specs:
http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=876&sb=2

So this cam doesnt create more than .500 lift.

I'll ask the same question here as I did on Facebook and text - why is #4, which is after the bowl work, worse than #3 until you get to .4" of lift?  Is there anything Eric can do to get it flowing better at low lift?

Turns out no . Not without spending more money on the head work. So I am going to live with it.

Well... I got my block back from the second machinist. This guy Kent at K&S Engines turned it around in just a few days vs 3 years at the other place. All Kent was doing was decking the block. I was going with as close to "0" deck height as I could get. Kent said he measures with no rings on the piston and sets them up around 0.02"-0.03". So whenever the rings go on it should be REALLY close to "0".

I put the block on the stand last night. I was by myself with no shop crane so it was a trick. I got it done safe and secure. I started chasing threads tonight. I think I got about 1/3 of them done. Another day and I should be ready to paint. Then a few days later I will begin the build.

Cool!  As I said elsewhere, make SURE you get it CLEAN.  I like to use copious amounts of brake cleaner and wash the inside, as well as the outside, of the block really well.  And then blow it dry, including all the passages.

Sweet! Glad you are getting some traction on this project... I feel you on the wait times, my machinist has had my block and heads for about a year and a half... just long enough for me to loose the cam bearings which is all that is left to do 🙄. I bet it feels great to have that thing on a stand 👍

Alright, today I finished the thread chasing. I was a little surprised at how rough the main threads were. The machinist that decked the block set up the height by installing a couple of pistons. He apparently did'nt chase the threads before he did it because they were ROUGH. I hope that didnt effect the deck height measurement. I did all of the water pump holes, motor mounts, bell housing holes, ground stud holes, head bolt  holes, cam thrust plate holes, oil pan holes, oil pump and even the distributor hold down. I don't believe i missed anything. If I did it was probably just here on the list and not on the actual block.

I used my brake hone and honed all of the lifter bores as well. I very gently drug the mating surfaces of the main caps on some emery cloth like the SBF engine building book says to do.

The next step is washing and cleaning the block. I plan to get a couple gallons of denatured alcohol and use my pump up sprayer. I will flush out and clean all of the oil journals. The first machinist asked my to bring the crank back in to be "washed" before I start the build. I will , but he needs to do it right then while I wait because I am not waiting another 3 yrs to build the rotating assembly.

The next step is to paint the block a Ford gray color. And then... the building will begin.

Ford gray?????    Yeah, that may be "factory", but.....  

Anyway, you are making good progress.  Glad to see it, as that's been a long time coming.

Oh yes, on the cleaning bit, use your compressed air to blow out every single hole - but wear eye protection!

Gary Lewis wrote

Ford gray?????    Yeah, that may be "factory", but.....  

And what about it????  

Maybe I should paint the 450 block blue?
But I think it would look out of place in my truck.

Gray just seems ..... bland.  I realize it is "correct", but it doesn't do much for me.  I think Big Blue's block is black, and I'll probably paint or powder coat the pan black as well.

But, to each his own.  It'll run the same.  

My pan and valve covers and breather are Ford blue. The heads and intake are a natural aluminum and the accessory brackets are black. I think its going to look good together.

Yesterday I hosed the block down with denatured alcohol. I blew out every passage multiple times. Then I re hosed it down with the solvent as well as took a rag to all of the cylinders and lefter bores. I dropped the crank of at the machine shop to be washed again. I will still blow compressed air through the passages and journals when I get it back. I should be painting when we have good weather next week.

Good progress.  Gotta feel good after 3 years of waiting!

But I would wipe the cylinders, main bearings, and lifter bores down with a lubricant to ensure they don't rust.  Don't get enough on that it creeps and gets on other things, but you sure don't want rust.

My machinist said to wipe all of the bores with ATF and then wipe it off. There should be a residue left that wont hurt anything, but keep it from rusting. I havent done that yet because...

I painted the block and intake with VHT Ford Gray yesterday. Per the instructions for the paint it says I should bake the finish at 200 degrees for 1 hr. I am on the fence about this. I didnt lube the bores in case I decided to do this. The intake isnt a big deal because it can go right in the oven at home. It is light and about the same size as a roasting pan. However, the block is a different story. It is large, in charge and very heavy. I am pretty sure the little woman would have a cow if it tried to put it in the oven we just paid $1,700.00 for. The powder coat oven at the garagemahal could be an option if I want to go through the trouble of getting it off of the stand and in the truck for transport. Also, I need for the owner of the oven to be willing to do that. Is it really necessary though?

I am pretty sure that I bagged and tagged the majority of the fasteners that  came off of the engine during disassembly. I do have a few loosey's on the work bench that I know go somewhere? Does anybody have a 351W fastener list laying around or on file somewhere?

The owner of the garagemahal is willing to bake a block.  However, it is doubtful that the floor of the oven will appreciate supporting a block as it is just thin sheetmetal.  So, we ought to figure out a way to provide some support.  And, if we are only going to 200 degrees then 2x4's would work - assuming there's some strength around the edges.

But, it will cost you.  You'll have to carry off this heavy box that I keep stumbling over.  I think its got some old chunk of cast iron in it, and three long bolts.

As for the fasteners, do you have any idea which ones are strays?  In other words, where to start?

Starting with the rotating assembly build.  The oil pump and puck up tube as well as the cam thrust plate bolts. Again I may have them bagged. I just need to look.

Brandon - See if this helps: Engine/Windsor.  I realize that this is just a start, but at least it is a start.

The thing that slowed me down is the pan bolts.  Ford, with their infinite wisdom, had 4 different sets of pan bolts for the 1980 - 88 engines.    Did they have pans falling off so they had to change?  And it took three failures to get it right on the 4th time?  One change was from a 1/4-20x.93" to a 1/4-20x.94".  And from 5/16-18x1.08" to 5/16x18-1.12".  So, make sure you use the right bolts.  

Thank you for that Gary. I was considering going stainless on some of the fasteners like the pan bolts, Intake and water pump. Not sure about the water pump though. Ford used some of their 3 11/32" special lengths that will require cutting.

I wouldn't hesitate to use stainless bolts.

I bought a cheap set from 'the bolt locker' and 90% were fine.
Exhaust manifold bolts were too short, but sure enough the listing stated "for headers" so assuming thinner flanges.
When I brought the issue up they pointed this out and said if I had mentioned it at the time of purchase they would have subbed longer.

It is *really nice* to have full heads left on those bolts after ten years of salty new england winters.

I had a productive day at the Garagemahal yesterday. We started off with some shop clutter removal. The microfiche machines were put away for now. We cut the top off of Huck. Gary went at it with the sawzall using a blade I brought called "The Fire and Rescue" blade by Lennox. That went really smooth I thought. The windshield gave up a little fight, but we got the job done.

I carried the block in from the truck which seemed heavy at the time until Gary emptied the coal slag blast media from the blast cabinet. There was apparently right at 700lbs of media in this tub we carried outside to dump. Made me wish I was still carrying that engine block around. Thank goodness I brought the all terrain dolly with me. That was a help.

I blasted my timing cover. Got it painted and put it along with the block and intake manifold in the powder coat oven to cure the paint as the instructions read on the VHT engine paint can. Note to self; I dont think a rattle can is the way to paint anything anymore. The nozzles are so unpredictable. The nozzle pretty much desecrated the timing cover. It had runs and sags everywhere because of how uneven the can was spraying. Thank the Lord it has a giant water pump getting bolted to it. (Two thumbs down on the quality of VHT's spray can)


Then I brought out the abomination of a carburetor I bought. I could only find one AVS carb used in all of my searches. I ended going to Stillwater to meet a guy to purchase it. This guy lived in the most white trash trailer house I have ever seen. The property looked like a trash dump. I had to take him to his parents house to pull it off of a chevy truck he thought he was drag racing. The guy had some pretty serious drug addiction issues. He had the opiate nod pretty bad when we were driving back. I knew then the price was going to be VERY negotiable. Also, I had no idea if the carb was even complete (pretty sure it wasnt) because I have never dealt with the AVS only the AFB.

Gary and I tore it down and started the blasting clean up process. I bought a cheap overhaul kit off of the web and got exactly what I paid for. So many parts were wrong and wouldnt fit that we were concerned it couldnt be finished.  Miraculously Gary had some new parts laying around and we cobbled it back together. Of course there was some stuff missing that I need to track down to make it a workable part. Hopefully Gay can get with Bill Vose and figure out what the arts are called so I can try to source them.

I was happy with what we accomplished and certainly do appreciate all of the help Gary!