Frank Wyatt

I don't know how it got closed up but it happened before it was put in the engine. I am using the extended tip EFI plugs but they don't stick in that far. It's running great now so it was on me for not checking the gap before installing them.

I found my problem and the truck now runs like new, well better than new I guess. I got up this morning ready to swap in another distributor that I have if the new plugs didn't make things better. When I got to no. 6, the plug gap was completely closed:nabble_smiley_whistling:. Problem solved. I also went back over the rocker arms and re-set the preload on all my lifters and got rid of the rocker arm tapping. I also have to say that Jon at Delta cams reground me a great cam and it is preforming beautifully. It has great torque and acceleration in what ever gear I'm in.

I gave it a half turn today but it was not enough so I will give it another half turn tomorrow. I am also going to install my new plugs and plug wires that came in today.

Got it running and back together today and drove it to church tonight. I still need to make some adjustment in my carburetor as I am having some part throttle stumbling due to being a little lean. I recalculated my static and dynamic compression and I now have 9.54 static and 8.42 dynamic compression. So far, I have detected no spark knock on the 87 octane that's in my tank now, even with being a little on the lean side.

Where is the air injection hole located? The only thing I was worried about was coolant leaking thru think it was the EGR port in the intake manifold to the EGR plate / valve and the air intake. I was able to get a freeze plug to fit the hole and a little liquid sealer and drive it in worked for me. I did not see any where else coolant could make it into the motor other wise. Dave ---- It took a while but got the head back from the machine shop yesterday. It got all new valves, valve guides new seats on both the intake and exhaust, and all new valve springs. It was also shaved .010ths to get the surface back flat as it was .006ths out. I still need to get another flex pipe to hook the front manifold up to the 2 to 1 y adapter. I hope to get it fired up and get the cam broke in. I still need to install the fan and fan shroud and a few odds and ends like the few vacuum lines that I am using.

Plus my pistons are 19cc instead of 24cc and my deck clearance is @ .009 which I calculated at 9.4 comp. with 8.9 dynamic. All my bearing clearances plastiguaged at .001 to .0015 with all standard bearings. I need to finish my heat exchanger plate for my intake{I'll be running the EFI manifolds}. The mounting holes are drilled, I need to get two street elbows and two 5/8 heater hose barbs. I also need to tap the air injection hole for the threaded plug that I have so coolant can't leak into the intake past the carb gaskets. I want to prevent that problem before it can happen.

When searching for some used ones, there was one carpeted pair on eBay (tan color). Not that I don’t like them, but my «as close as stock» sickness made me hesitate… and you should not hesitate too long about rare items. After 3-4 days, they were sold. Since I consider that it will be very useful for my road trip, I finally ordered these plastic repro. You are right, I am wondering about their fragility. My new engine is in the truck, in fact since last Thursday. I have been sort of piddling along but I did get out there today and finished the things I could do until I get the head back from the machine shop. Speaking of which I am waiting on the second head as the original head, which came from my truck had cracks in five of the six exhaust seats and was unusable. The salvage yard where I usually get my used parts from wanted me to buy a whole engine, so the guy doing the head gave me a number of a fellow he thought might have one. One phone call later I went and took a look at what he had and we made a deal for $100 and I got my tools from the house and went and pulled a head from a 1968 F 100. I got it off and turned it over and it was the head from a 240 CI that I was wanting. So far this one isn't cracked and will be getting new exhaust seats installed.

Bill, as of now the truck is not in the way and will not need moved until it moves under it's own power and on guide pins i've been thinking of that since the new engine will be put in without the head and head installed once the rebuild is done on it. I pulled that engine with the head removed and I was able to screw two eye bolts into the head bolt holes to attach the chains to. 81, it was full of oil and coolant and wasn't overheating and no blown head gasket, but I wouldn't be surprised if to find pieces of broken piston sucked up in the oil pump pickup.

From what I have seen so far the rod looks pretty good, some wear but not really much to speak of. With the plastic bushings that are supposed to be there just a dab of JB would likely be sufficient. The major wear is on the lever with maybe about a 16th worth of wear on the opposite end of the rod. That rod seems to be a harder steel than the lever that pushes against it. If a lever doesn't come looking for a new home I'll likely be welding it up when my pal, Mitchel gets back from vacation. I was going to go check out the salvage yard today but it blew up a pretty good rain storm this morning. I still need to set my glider swing back upright that got blown over on my porch. I wonder if I could find a thin brass bushing to go there in place of the plastic bushings? Even if I had to enlarge the hole slightly, I don't see why that just might work, definitely stronger than plastic for sure.

Yep, and I was only doing about 45-50 mph when it let go. I'm only out about $600 so far and I'm waiting on the last major expenditure, the head. The fella doing it gave me a rough estimate of $130 to do a basic valve job and $48 to surface the head. That of course could change depending on what he finds once he disassembles it. I already know that number three exhaust valve is sitting slightly lower in it's seat than the rest of them so it may need seat work. If it does I believe I'll have him install hardened seats, if it's not too expensive.

No, because Ford went to a hydraulic clutch in 1983 and that part got changed and will not work on a manual clutch truck. The part I need was only used in 1981 and 1982. Also, my truck is a F 150, the truck in the picture appears to be a Ford Ranger, no interchangeable parts on them for the F 150 that I know of.

I need a clutch pedal lever, it's part # is E1TZ-7A554-A. It bolts to the cross shaft underneath the dash. If anybody has one in good shape I would greatly appreciate it. Otherwise I guess I could try my hand at welding it up and then making the hole round again instead of friction slotted. It's lever 7A554 in the pucture from Documatation. Thanks guys.

There's no way I can afford to pay for an already rebuilt engine as I was seeing prices at @ $2500 so I'm building another 300 to go in it's place, plus I'll know EXACTLY how it was built. The one I'm building has a 1981 casting number. The one that broke was cast in 1975 so I'm guessing that it had a LOT of miles on it. I'm ready to put it together right now but I'm waiting for my camshaft to be sent back. Jon, at Delta Cams in Tacoma, WA, is giving my camshaft a Comp Cams 248-4 grind and a set of lifters for 192.32. That cam and lifter kit from comp cams is 358.95 through Summit. I haven't heard back yet from the guy redoing my head, also the block is going back standard on rings and bearings.

What I did to my truck today is get the engine out. Two weeks ago today it broke on my way home. My 'cross the road neighbor was about three minutes behind me and gave me a ride home and a friend at church brought it home for me. It had a noise in the engine that I had decided had to be a piston was confirmed when I pulled the head and took number three piston out or rather what was left of it. It also snapped the big end of rod number one and knocked out about three inches of the camshaft out the side of the block and a lifter for number one exhaust out through the oil pan and liberated the coolant from the water jacket via a three or four inch crack in number three cylinder.

I like the Driven grease from Joe Gibbs like this: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hrs-99005. It's available also in a larger size 1 lb tub if wanted. Isky and Lucas also have their own camshaft break-in grease as well. My humble opinion is what Comp Cams provides is good for the bearing journals but the lifter face and cam lobes do not get pressure lubed by the engine oil pump and must make do with oil splash from the crankshaft and whatever drains down from the lifter valley. Again, that's just my opinion.