Fuel Injection upgrade

[Rusty_S85]

Rusty, if the mechanical pump is just going to be a dummy, a couple of thoughts. Ford had a pump with an integral canister filter (it was replaceable) that might be a possibility. On using a dummy for fuel to pass through, if you can find one of the older pumps that screw together it would be easy to gut it, replace the diaphragm with a plate and gaskets and if it has the telltale "weep" hole, block it so oil won't come out.

Well thats what I was thinking but I was looking at Holley and Edelbrock fuel pumps those mechanical fuel pumps have screws that hold them together to allow you the ability to clock the pump how you want it for your application. This would allow for ease of disassembly and I guess during disassembly I could gut pretty much everything including the lever and plate off the back side where the lever would normally go this would keep any kind of failure from possibly filling the crank case up with fuel. Weep hole could be plugged as well. Pull the check valves out and it would be a giant pot that fuel would flow through.

I just wonder if that could pose a problem since it would be such a large cavity allowing for fuel to settle leaving deposits away from the fuel flow. I also question about the pressure, Im sure the pump itself wouldnt fail at 60 PSI but the gaskets is another thing.

This is the type of pump I keep looking at if I would do it. Id probably go with the summit brand one cause the Holley is over $100 and the summit brand one is under $90.

I wouldnt use a OE Ford one how ever Id be concerned that the smaller 5/16" fuel line inlet/outlet would be too restrictive when everything else is 3/8". Only 5/16" I have will be the quick disconnect I have for the return at the fuel tank which is a -6AN to 5/16" quick disconnect where its some 2 feet max of 5/16" hardline back into the tank. I dont believe that short of a run of 5/16" line would create enough of a back pressure on the return system to overwhelm the regulator but if it did I could always do a -6AN bulkhead fitting and bend my own hardline for the inside of the tank and make my return connection to the bulkhead fitting.

~Update~

Just came across this when looking up dummy mechanical fuel pumps. This is on a Corvair but same idea would still stand. The Holley pump above appears to have 3/8 pipe threaded through and through which I couldnt thread a 3/8 npt on the inside to make the same hardline connection I would have to do something like a bulkhead fitting.

I think I can come up with something but hope it can be with a cheapie mechanical fuel pump with 3/8" npt fittings and not hose barbs.

[Rusty_S85]

Rusty, if the mechanical pump is just going to be a dummy, a couple of thoughts. Ford had a pump with an integral canister filter (it was replaceable) that might be a possibility. On using a dummy for fuel to pass through, if you can find one of the older pumps that screw together it would be easy to gut it, replace the diaphragm with a plate and gaskets and if it has the telltale "weep" hole, block it so oil won't come out.

Well thats what I was thinking but I was looking at Holley and Edelbrock fuel pumps those mechanical fuel pumps have screws that hold them together to allow you the ability to clock the pump how you want it for your application. This would allow for ease of disassembly and I guess during disassembly I could gut pretty much everything including the lever and plate off the back side where the lever would normally go this would keep any kind of failure from possibly filling the crank case up with fuel. Weep hole could be plugged as well. Pull the check valves out and it would be a giant pot that fuel would flow through.

I just wonder if that could pose a problem since it would be such a large cavity allowing for fuel to settle leaving deposits away from the fuel flow. I also question about the pressure, Im sure the pump itself wouldnt fail at 60 PSI but the gaskets is another thing.

This is the type of pump I keep looking at if I would do it. Id probably go with the summit brand one cause the Holley is over $100 and the summit brand one is under $90.

I wouldnt use a OE Ford one how ever Id be concerned that the smaller 5/16" fuel line inlet/outlet would be too restrictive when everything else is 3/8". Only 5/16" I have will be the quick disconnect I have for the return at the fuel tank which is a -6AN to 5/16" quick disconnect where its some 2 feet max of 5/16" hardline back into the tank. I dont believe that short of a run of 5/16" line would create enough of a back pressure on the return system to overwhelm the regulator but if it did I could always do a -6AN bulkhead fitting and bend my own hardline for the inside of the tank and make my return connection to the bulkhead fitting.

~Update~

Just came across this when looking up dummy mechanical fuel pumps. This is on a Corvair but same idea would still stand. The Holley pump above appears to have 3/8 pipe threaded through and through which I couldnt thread a 3/8 npt on the inside to make the same hardline connection I would have to do something like a bulkhead fitting.

I think I can come up with something but hope it can be with a cheapie mechanical fuel pump with 3/8" npt fittings and not hose barbs.

Little update on my project, Today during lunch I got two photos of my short block which I believe is getting close to being shipped out.

Instead of building a 306 I am closer to 307 cid now as the short block had to be bored 0.040" over instead of 0.030" over. I dont mind this long as my trust I placed in the builder is correct and that he actually made sure there will be no issues.

I did request the block to be left bare if possible since I will be painting it, in the photos its hard to tell if the block is bare fully or if there is black paint on the sides and no paint on the front. I dont mind this as I can mask off the deck and the under side before I use my drill and a wire brush wheel to clean it all up and prep it for paint.

I was looking at 9.1:1 compression but that was based off a 0.030" bore and a guestimated 0.011" deck clearance. With a 0.040" bore and the same guestimated 0.011" deck clearance I am seeing 9.17:1 which may very well be 9.2:1 as looking at the photos it appears the deck clearance is closer than 0.011" which is great for me cause I have the Recommended Felpro 10-111 headgasket for my AFR heads which is 4.100" bore and 0.041" compressed thickness.

I will also double check piston to valve clearance just to be sure but I dont believe I should have a problem with 1.90"/1.60" valves. Especially when taking into account the valve timing from my cam card which states the intake opens at 1* btdc, closes at 35* btdc and the exhaust opens at 49* bbdc and closest at 5* btdc. Long as installing the cam straight up puts the cam on the money when degreeing the cam I shouldnt have a problem with piston to valve interference.

So far it looks like the work was done quite well and it doesnt look like there is any defects or cut corners that I can see. I cant tell if any heavy metal was added to the crank, I was informed the hyper pistons for this build it should have the rotating assembly rebalanced due to the pistons being a bit heavier than stock. But I am not the builder I am just the assembler that will be putting it all together and checking specs here and there.

Im thinking I am going to have to order my 2K urethane engine paint from eastwood, the stuff I have now is about 3 years old and shelf life unactivated is listed as 2 years and I dont want to take the risk. id rather spend another $80 on the paint and do it right than cause myself a headache.

[Gary Lewis]

Little update on my project, Today during lunch I got two photos of my short block which I believe is getting close to being shipped out.

Instead of building a 306 I am closer to 307 cid now as the short block had to be bored 0.040" over instead of 0.030" over. I dont mind this long as my trust I placed in the builder is correct and that he actually made sure there will be no issues.

I did request the block to be left bare if possible since I will be painting it, in the photos its hard to tell if the block is bare fully or if there is black paint on the sides and no paint on the front. I dont mind this as I can mask off the deck and the under side before I use my drill and a wire brush wheel to clean it all up and prep it for paint.

I was looking at 9.1:1 compression but that was based off a 0.030" bore and a guestimated 0.011" deck clearance. With a 0.040" bore and the same guestimated 0.011" deck clearance I am seeing 9.17:1 which may very well be 9.2:1 as looking at the photos it appears the deck clearance is closer than 0.011" which is great for me cause I have the Recommended Felpro 10-111 headgasket for my AFR heads which is 4.100" bore and 0.041" compressed thickness.

I will also double check piston to valve clearance just to be sure but I dont believe I should have a problem with 1.90"/1.60" valves. Especially when taking into account the valve timing from my cam card which states the intake opens at 1* btdc, closes at 35* btdc and the exhaust opens at 49* bbdc and closest at 5* btdc. Long as installing the cam straight up puts the cam on the money when degreeing the cam I shouldnt have a problem with piston to valve interference.

So far it looks like the work was done quite well and it doesnt look like there is any defects or cut corners that I can see. I cant tell if any heavy metal was added to the crank, I was informed the hyper pistons for this build it should have the rotating assembly rebalanced due to the pistons being a bit heavier than stock. But I am not the builder I am just the assembler that will be putting it all together and checking specs here and there.

Im thinking I am going to have to order my 2K urethane engine paint from eastwood, the stuff I have now is about 3 years old and shelf life unactivated is listed as 2 years and I dont want to take the risk. id rather spend another $80 on the paint and do it right than cause myself a headache.

Looks good, Rusty.

But on the balancing, did you ask for that to be done? They can do that w/o fully assembling the engine.

And I agree on the paint. I wouldn't chance it.

[Rusty_S85]

Looks good, Rusty.

But on the balancing, did you ask for that to be done? They can do that w/o fully assembling the engine.

And I agree on the paint. I wouldn't chance it.

I asked him back on April 6th when I heard about that from the engine builder we use at work that I wont use cause of mistakes he has made in assembly. But the engine builder replied back with "we balance everything we build so this isn’t a issue at all for us".

The engine builder we use at work he said you can tell if its been balanced as he will have to add heavy metal to the counter weights to offset the heavier hyper pistons that is being used. I trust that it has been balanced as he did state that they balance everything they build and he has been in business since 1968 so he has to be doing something right to be in business that long.

The crank is a reconditioned OE 50oz imbalance crank and the rods are reconditioned OE as well. Thats why I went with him cause his price was reasonable and the fact that I am getting a OE crank and rods that puts my mind at ease for not having to worry about any issues that could come up with an aftermarket unit.

[Rusty_S85]

Looks good, Rusty.

But on the balancing, did you ask for that to be done? They can do that w/o fully assembling the engine.

And I agree on the paint. I wouldn't chance it.

I asked him back on April 6th when I heard about that from the engine builder we use at work that I wont use cause of mistakes he has made in assembly. But the engine builder replied back with "we balance everything we build so this isn’t a issue at all for us".

The engine builder we use at work he said you can tell if its been balanced as he will have to add heavy metal to the counter weights to offset the heavier hyper pistons that is being used. I trust that it has been balanced as he did state that they balance everything they build and he has been in business since 1968 so he has to be doing something right to be in business that long.

The crank is a reconditioned OE 50oz imbalance crank and the rods are reconditioned OE as well. Thats why I went with him cause his price was reasonable and the fact that I am getting a OE crank and rods that puts my mind at ease for not having to worry about any issues that could come up with an aftermarket unit.

Decided to give summit a second chance after they wasted a weeks worth of my time when I was trying to order a pair of custom AFR heads with the upgraded valve spring package to match my cam closely as well as the 3/8" to 7/16" rocker arm stud upgrade. They told me they had to get the pricing with upgrades from this other store that is the only one that can take on that kind of order and they would call me the next day back with pricing to finalize the order. A week later never got a call back I called 3 times trying to find out whats going on kept getting told they will call back tomorrow once taking the information again. I eventually ordered the $2,200 cylinder heads from Jegs and got the order placed in one go and havent bought anything from Summit since 2019 after that head incident.

Well I got one part of my order today which was the cylinder head dowel kit and the timing cover dowel.

Part number PIO-S-1112 was the head dowel pin kit for $6.99 that stated in the quantity section that it was a kit of 4 pins. That was fine.

Part number DUR-AD-967 was the timing cover dowel pin and this is the problem, the quantity section stated it was sold in pairs. What I received was a lone timing cover dowel pin in a baggie. I emailed summit to try and get this resolved cause I only ordered one as their site stated they were sold in pairs not individually.

The second half of my order is the Ford Racing timing cover set that I will be using instead of the cheaper dorman one I purchased has me too worried about the crank seal not lining up perfectly from what I have been hearing about the dorman timing covers for sbfs.

Hopefully summit can resolve this and not try to pin this on me due to a website error where it should have said each instead of pair. But this is the kind of thing that has me not wanting to do business with summit because if I was waiting on this to come in to finish my engine build I would be screwed cause it took this four days to come in from ordering and I would have to wait till Monday for them to resolve this meaning I would lose basically another week of building my engine all due to this screw up on their part.

I was going to buy a blueprint 306 short block from Summit, they were going to cut me a deal on it after they heard about the cylinder head issue but when I asked the manager in a email 1 day after he replied to me with that offer asking if the shipping would include lift gate service or if I would have to pay extra for that as I wanted to know to not be surprised he never replied to me again. I love summit cause they have quick shipping especially with a new warehouse being in dallas I can get parts in 1 - 2 days but this kind of stuff is becoming too much for me with how horrible they are getting with handling orders. I know the virus had some effect but this bad service goes back to 2019 before this virus even was known.

[Rusty_S85]

Decided to give summit a second chance after they wasted a weeks worth of my time when I was trying to order a pair of custom AFR heads with the upgraded valve spring package to match my cam closely as well as the 3/8" to 7/16" rocker arm stud upgrade. They told me they had to get the pricing with upgrades from this other store that is the only one that can take on that kind of order and they would call me the next day back with pricing to finalize the order. A week later never got a call back I called 3 times trying to find out whats going on kept getting told they will call back tomorrow once taking the information again. I eventually ordered the $2,200 cylinder heads from Jegs and got the order placed in one go and havent bought anything from Summit since 2019 after that head incident.

Well I got one part of my order today which was the cylinder head dowel kit and the timing cover dowel.

Part number PIO-S-1112 was the head dowel pin kit for $6.99 that stated in the quantity section that it was a kit of 4 pins. That was fine.

Part number DUR-AD-967 was the timing cover dowel pin and this is the problem, the quantity section stated it was sold in pairs. What I received was a lone timing cover dowel pin in a baggie. I emailed summit to try and get this resolved cause I only ordered one as their site stated they were sold in pairs not individually.

The second half of my order is the Ford Racing timing cover set that I will be using instead of the cheaper dorman one I purchased has me too worried about the crank seal not lining up perfectly from what I have been hearing about the dorman timing covers for sbfs.

Hopefully summit can resolve this and not try to pin this on me due to a website error where it should have said each instead of pair. But this is the kind of thing that has me not wanting to do business with summit because if I was waiting on this to come in to finish my engine build I would be screwed cause it took this four days to come in from ordering and I would have to wait till Monday for them to resolve this meaning I would lose basically another week of building my engine all due to this screw up on their part.

I was going to buy a blueprint 306 short block from Summit, they were going to cut me a deal on it after they heard about the cylinder head issue but when I asked the manager in a email 1 day after he replied to me with that offer asking if the shipping would include lift gate service or if I would have to pay extra for that as I wanted to know to not be surprised he never replied to me again. I love summit cause they have quick shipping especially with a new warehouse being in dallas I can get parts in 1 - 2 days but this kind of stuff is becoming too much for me with how horrible they are getting with handling orders. I know the virus had some effect but this bad service goes back to 2019 before this virus even was known.

Another step closer. I went to the UPS Freight yard to pick up my short block which arrived yesterday at 11:55am. I wasnt able to make it yesterday as they close at 12:30 for pick ups and drop offs so I scheduled to pick up today.

I have to say Creb Engineering really packaged the short block nicely, the block was mounted upside down with two 2x4s at a angle fitting the cylinder head deck surface with a strap over a piece of cardboard holding the short block to the pallet. There was no damage to the block and only very minimal rust that I will have to clean up. The rust is mainly regulated to the bellhousing area and on the hump cutout for clearing the starter. There is also a little surface rust on one of the crank throws at the back. I believe this to be the WD40 being washed away as that area was a little exposed than the rest. But no where else in the block was there rust out side of some pitting on the block deck surface but the pitting is located on the outside edge away from where the head/gasket seals so its of no concern for the reliability of the build. He also ran a tap in every threaded hole so everything is properly clean and looking through the cooling ports it appears that there is no rust inside the block what so ever. Brass core plugs were used which is a plus in my book as they do not rot out like steel plugs do. All oil galley plugs were replaced with pipe plugs which is a huge plus in my book as well. Another thing that I did not expect was inside the crate was a box of rocker arm studs but it wasnt studs in the box but a can of brake cleaner. He told me spray the block down with brake clean to flush out the WD40 before I paint the engine assembly. I didnt expect him to do that but that right there along with the quality of the crating and the quality of the short block I received I feel I will be doing business with him again for any Ford short blocks I need in the future.

Below are some photos of the short block installed on my engine stand. I did not do any work today but I did take note of pieces I need to source that are not with the short block. I need to source a pair of bell housing dowels but I am going to look up the OE Ford part number and get OE Ford dowels and I need to get the threaded adapter that threads into the block for the oil filter. I will be sourcing this via OE Ford as well. I believe this was left off to allow your original to be reused. I also need to find where my dial indicator is as I need to check my deck clearance cause looking in person I honestly think the deck clearance is tighter than 0.011" Running my finger over it to me it feels more like 0.005" but I need to verify this to check quench as well as to calculate compression ratio. I want to provide as much accurate information as I can to Parkland Auto Machine to have my Distributor recurved.

This front view shows the oil galley pipe plugs installed. It also shows how clean the block is which is just as clean inside the water jackets.

This photo here shows the corrosion on the outside edge which if memory serves right would not be covered by the cylinder head but any case I will be going over it with some light machine oil and a wire brush wheel on my battery operated drill when I get to the exterior rust on the bell housing area. I do not believe that will effect the sealing of the block. It is not in the area of the fire ring sealing surface for the cylinders nor is it near the printoseal areas of the coolant passages.

This is a close up it shows the pitting a little better which is not really deep pitting but it is mainly showing the piston to deck clearance. If anyone wants to make a guess on how far that is down from the deck surface I will entertain the answers. I think its pretty close to zero deck I dont think its 0.011" like I was calculating. You can also see through the coolant passage the cylinder and see how it is void of any rust. Im really going to have to flush my radiator core and radiator out. Im going to replace the hoses just to be safe anyways. I also need to check piston to valve clearance as well with some clay. I should be good how ever with 1.94"/1.60" valves but I still want to double check just to make sure.

This photo here shows some surface rust around cylinder 8 that I will be wire brushing. I dont think its really in the metal its just a flash type rust or could just be some discolored WD40 that is staining the surface. I have not washed anything on the block yet as I am not doing assembly yet and I dont want it to rust with the humidity we have along with all the rain we've been having the last few days.

This photo of the under side shows the missing oil filter adapter piece but it mainly shows the surface rust in the cast iron back by the bell housing. This is where I will be wirebrushing mainly as some of it is on the pan rail as well but not in any place where the the gasket will seal. It also shows on the crank throw where it appears fresh drilling was done to adjust the balance for the Hyper pistons which I was informed all rotating assemblies are reconditioned OE and they are balanced as well. I dont see any heavy metal slugs for adding weight so it appears that a little weight had to be removed to bring it back into spec.

So my goal for tonight is to source the OE number for the oil filter adapter piece and the bell housing locating dowels and to hopefully find them on ebay for sale. This will allow me to have the block prepped for assembly starting this Saturday if its not too humid. My goal for saturday is to grease/lube up the cam shaft and the timing set and get them installed so I can at least degree the camshaft make sure it matches the timing card and verify what length pushrods I need to order. Im hopeful the length is close enough that I can run the same length pushrod for both intake and exhaust. I am going to do the half lift method of figuring the proper length of pushrod.

For those that dont know the half lift method is where you adjust your rocker arm down till the center of the rocker trunion and the center of the roller tip pin is horizontally level to the valve spring. From there you take the lift of your cam divide it in half and turn the nut that many number of turns to set the rocker arm at half lift. This when done properly will result in the rocker arm being horizontal to valve at half lift placing the roller tip as close to ideally close to the center of the valve as possible. This will give me a easier starting point to figure out what length I ideally need. Then I will contact AFR cause AFR recommends 0.120" thick wall pushrods and when looking at OE length push rods I could not find anything 0.120" thick. When searching for 0.120" thick there is no pushrod close to being the length I will most likely need. I need to confer with AFR and see if I can run anything else. Cause for a OE Roller length pushrod which is 6.250" length for use with guideplates summit lists 3 wall thicknesses, 0.080", 0.105" and 0.135" and AFR states they do not recommend larger pushrods as they will require clearance done to the heads which they dont recommend thats where the 0.120" recommendation comes in from. I am wondering if 0.080" would be enough or if I should go with 0.105". There just isnt any 0.120" in these lengths.

[Rusty_S85]

Another step closer. I went to the UPS Freight yard to pick up my short block which arrived yesterday at 11:55am. I wasnt able to make it yesterday as they close at 12:30 for pick ups and drop offs so I scheduled to pick up today.

I have to say Creb Engineering really packaged the short block nicely, the block was mounted upside down with two 2x4s at a angle fitting the cylinder head deck surface with a strap over a piece of cardboard holding the short block to the pallet. There was no damage to the block and only very minimal rust that I will have to clean up. The rust is mainly regulated to the bellhousing area and on the hump cutout for clearing the starter. There is also a little surface rust on one of the crank throws at the back. I believe this to be the WD40 being washed away as that area was a little exposed than the rest. But no where else in the block was there rust out side of some pitting on the block deck surface but the pitting is located on the outside edge away from where the head/gasket seals so its of no concern for the reliability of the build. He also ran a tap in every threaded hole so everything is properly clean and looking through the cooling ports it appears that there is no rust inside the block what so ever. Brass core plugs were used which is a plus in my book as they do not rot out like steel plugs do. All oil galley plugs were replaced with pipe plugs which is a huge plus in my book as well. Another thing that I did not expect was inside the crate was a box of rocker arm studs but it wasnt studs in the box but a can of brake cleaner. He told me spray the block down with brake clean to flush out the WD40 before I paint the engine assembly. I didnt expect him to do that but that right there along with the quality of the crating and the quality of the short block I received I feel I will be doing business with him again for any Ford short blocks I need in the future.

Below are some photos of the short block installed on my engine stand. I did not do any work today but I did take note of pieces I need to source that are not with the short block. I need to source a pair of bell housing dowels but I am going to look up the OE Ford part number and get OE Ford dowels and I need to get the threaded adapter that threads into the block for the oil filter. I will be sourcing this via OE Ford as well. I believe this was left off to allow your original to be reused. I also need to find where my dial indicator is as I need to check my deck clearance cause looking in person I honestly think the deck clearance is tighter than 0.011" Running my finger over it to me it feels more like 0.005" but I need to verify this to check quench as well as to calculate compression ratio. I want to provide as much accurate information as I can to Parkland Auto Machine to have my Distributor recurved.

This front view shows the oil galley pipe plugs installed. It also shows how clean the block is which is just as clean inside the water jackets.

This photo here shows the corrosion on the outside edge which if memory serves right would not be covered by the cylinder head but any case I will be going over it with some light machine oil and a wire brush wheel on my battery operated drill when I get to the exterior rust on the bell housing area. I do not believe that will effect the sealing of the block. It is not in the area of the fire ring sealing surface for the cylinders nor is it near the printoseal areas of the coolant passages.

This is a close up it shows the pitting a little better which is not really deep pitting but it is mainly showing the piston to deck clearance. If anyone wants to make a guess on how far that is down from the deck surface I will entertain the answers. I think its pretty close to zero deck I dont think its 0.011" like I was calculating. You can also see through the coolant passage the cylinder and see how it is void of any rust. Im really going to have to flush my radiator core and radiator out. Im going to replace the hoses just to be safe anyways. I also need to check piston to valve clearance as well with some clay. I should be good how ever with 1.94"/1.60" valves but I still want to double check just to make sure.

This photo here shows some surface rust around cylinder 8 that I will be wire brushing. I dont think its really in the metal its just a flash type rust or could just be some discolored WD40 that is staining the surface. I have not washed anything on the block yet as I am not doing assembly yet and I dont want it to rust with the humidity we have along with all the rain we've been having the last few days.

This photo of the under side shows the missing oil filter adapter piece but it mainly shows the surface rust in the cast iron back by the bell housing. This is where I will be wirebrushing mainly as some of it is on the pan rail as well but not in any place where the the gasket will seal. It also shows on the crank throw where it appears fresh drilling was done to adjust the balance for the Hyper pistons which I was informed all rotating assemblies are reconditioned OE and they are balanced as well. I dont see any heavy metal slugs for adding weight so it appears that a little weight had to be removed to bring it back into spec.

So my goal for tonight is to source the OE number for the oil filter adapter piece and the bell housing locating dowels and to hopefully find them on ebay for sale. This will allow me to have the block prepped for assembly starting this Saturday if its not too humid. My goal for saturday is to grease/lube up the cam shaft and the timing set and get them installed so I can at least degree the camshaft make sure it matches the timing card and verify what length pushrods I need to order. Im hopeful the length is close enough that I can run the same length pushrod for both intake and exhaust. I am going to do the half lift method of figuring the proper length of pushrod.

For those that dont know the half lift method is where you adjust your rocker arm down till the center of the rocker trunion and the center of the roller tip pin is horizontally level to the valve spring. From there you take the lift of your cam divide it in half and turn the nut that many number of turns to set the rocker arm at half lift. This when done properly will result in the rocker arm being horizontal to valve at half lift placing the roller tip as close to ideally close to the center of the valve as possible. This will give me a easier starting point to figure out what length I ideally need. Then I will contact AFR cause AFR recommends 0.120" thick wall pushrods and when looking at OE length push rods I could not find anything 0.120" thick. When searching for 0.120" thick there is no pushrod close to being the length I will most likely need. I need to confer with AFR and see if I can run anything else. Cause for a OE Roller length pushrod which is 6.250" length for use with guideplates summit lists 3 wall thicknesses, 0.080", 0.105" and 0.135" and AFR states they do not recommend larger pushrods as they will require clearance done to the heads which they dont recommend thats where the 0.120" recommendation comes in from. I am wondering if 0.080" would be enough or if I should go with 0.105". There just isnt any 0.120" in these lengths.

Found the Dowels and the Oil Filter adapter piece.

EAD-6397-B for the block to bellhousing dowels they come in packs of 4.

D7AZ-6890-B is the old part number for the oil filter adapter piece but it appears to have no clear cut way to install it without using a jam nut on the oil filter threaded end. These are sold in pairs by Ford

F1AZ-6890-B is the replacement for D7AZ-6890-B and it appears identical to the one above except it has a large torx interior on the filter side for installation and removal. I how ever can not locate a NOS Ford one of this one but did find them listed by this part number online, cheapest one I found is $34 as it is a pack of 10. I dont need 10 of them so I am seriously thinking about spending $20 for the old style which would be correct for our trucks and just figure out a source for a pair of nuts to thread onto the oil filter side to install it.

[Gary Lewis]

Another step closer. I went to the UPS Freight yard to pick up my short block which arrived yesterday at 11:55am. I wasnt able to make it yesterday as they close at 12:30 for pick ups and drop offs so I scheduled to pick up today.

I have to say Creb Engineering really packaged the short block nicely, the block was mounted upside down with two 2x4s at a angle fitting the cylinder head deck surface with a strap over a piece of cardboard holding the short block to the pallet. There was no damage to the block and only very minimal rust that I will have to clean up. The rust is mainly regulated to the bellhousing area and on the hump cutout for clearing the starter. There is also a little surface rust on one of the crank throws at the back. I believe this to be the WD40 being washed away as that area was a little exposed than the rest. But no where else in the block was there rust out side of some pitting on the block deck surface but the pitting is located on the outside edge away from where the head/gasket seals so its of no concern for the reliability of the build. He also ran a tap in every threaded hole so everything is properly clean and looking through the cooling ports it appears that there is no rust inside the block what so ever. Brass core plugs were used which is a plus in my book as they do not rot out like steel plugs do. All oil galley plugs were replaced with pipe plugs which is a huge plus in my book as well. Another thing that I did not expect was inside the crate was a box of rocker arm studs but it wasnt studs in the box but a can of brake cleaner. He told me spray the block down with brake clean to flush out the WD40 before I paint the engine assembly. I didnt expect him to do that but that right there along with the quality of the crating and the quality of the short block I received I feel I will be doing business with him again for any Ford short blocks I need in the future.

Below are some photos of the short block installed on my engine stand. I did not do any work today but I did take note of pieces I need to source that are not with the short block. I need to source a pair of bell housing dowels but I am going to look up the OE Ford part number and get OE Ford dowels and I need to get the threaded adapter that threads into the block for the oil filter. I will be sourcing this via OE Ford as well. I believe this was left off to allow your original to be reused. I also need to find where my dial indicator is as I need to check my deck clearance cause looking in person I honestly think the deck clearance is tighter than 0.011" Running my finger over it to me it feels more like 0.005" but I need to verify this to check quench as well as to calculate compression ratio. I want to provide as much accurate information as I can to Parkland Auto Machine to have my Distributor recurved.

This front view shows the oil galley pipe plugs installed. It also shows how clean the block is which is just as clean inside the water jackets.

This photo here shows the corrosion on the outside edge which if memory serves right would not be covered by the cylinder head but any case I will be going over it with some light machine oil and a wire brush wheel on my battery operated drill when I get to the exterior rust on the bell housing area. I do not believe that will effect the sealing of the block. It is not in the area of the fire ring sealing surface for the cylinders nor is it near the printoseal areas of the coolant passages.

This is a close up it shows the pitting a little better which is not really deep pitting but it is mainly showing the piston to deck clearance. If anyone wants to make a guess on how far that is down from the deck surface I will entertain the answers. I think its pretty close to zero deck I dont think its 0.011" like I was calculating. You can also see through the coolant passage the cylinder and see how it is void of any rust. Im really going to have to flush my radiator core and radiator out. Im going to replace the hoses just to be safe anyways. I also need to check piston to valve clearance as well with some clay. I should be good how ever with 1.94"/1.60" valves but I still want to double check just to make sure.

This photo here shows some surface rust around cylinder 8 that I will be wire brushing. I dont think its really in the metal its just a flash type rust or could just be some discolored WD40 that is staining the surface. I have not washed anything on the block yet as I am not doing assembly yet and I dont want it to rust with the humidity we have along with all the rain we've been having the last few days.

This photo of the under side shows the missing oil filter adapter piece but it mainly shows the surface rust in the cast iron back by the bell housing. This is where I will be wirebrushing mainly as some of it is on the pan rail as well but not in any place where the the gasket will seal. It also shows on the crank throw where it appears fresh drilling was done to adjust the balance for the Hyper pistons which I was informed all rotating assemblies are reconditioned OE and they are balanced as well. I dont see any heavy metal slugs for adding weight so it appears that a little weight had to be removed to bring it back into spec.

So my goal for tonight is to source the OE number for the oil filter adapter piece and the bell housing locating dowels and to hopefully find them on ebay for sale. This will allow me to have the block prepped for assembly starting this Saturday if its not too humid. My goal for saturday is to grease/lube up the cam shaft and the timing set and get them installed so I can at least degree the camshaft make sure it matches the timing card and verify what length pushrods I need to order. Im hopeful the length is close enough that I can run the same length pushrod for both intake and exhaust. I am going to do the half lift method of figuring the proper length of pushrod.

For those that dont know the half lift method is where you adjust your rocker arm down till the center of the rocker trunion and the center of the roller tip pin is horizontally level to the valve spring. From there you take the lift of your cam divide it in half and turn the nut that many number of turns to set the rocker arm at half lift. This when done properly will result in the rocker arm being horizontal to valve at half lift placing the roller tip as close to ideally close to the center of the valve as possible. This will give me a easier starting point to figure out what length I ideally need. Then I will contact AFR cause AFR recommends 0.120" thick wall pushrods and when looking at OE length push rods I could not find anything 0.120" thick. When searching for 0.120" thick there is no pushrod close to being the length I will most likely need. I need to confer with AFR and see if I can run anything else. Cause for a OE Roller length pushrod which is 6.250" length for use with guideplates summit lists 3 wall thicknesses, 0.080", 0.105" and 0.135" and AFR states they do not recommend larger pushrods as they will require clearance done to the heads which they dont recommend thats where the 0.120" recommendation comes in from. I am wondering if 0.080" would be enough or if I should go with 0.105". There just isnt any 0.120" in these lengths.

Looks great! They did you a good job!

[Rusty_S85]

Looks great! They did you a good job!

It is, I am really impressed by the quality of work he did. I know I will be recommending him for anyone else in the future. The engine builder we use at work I have to go behind him and run my taps through every bolt hole in the block that he rebuilt. I shouldnt have to do that, part of the rebuild process is checking the bolt holes and ensuring the threads are good. I mainly didnt want to use him for my build cause when ever we ask him what compression the engine is he always comes back with "oh about...." which doesnt sit too well with me, there is no about when it comes to compression you take the measurements and calculate it and you round it up or down.

Like my compression when I recalculated it for 0.040" over from the 0.030" I calculated last time it moved the compression ratio from 9.1:1 to 9.17:1 which I am rounding up to 9.2:1 but I think it may be closer to 9.5:1 as that deck clearance looks a lot closer to zero than it does to 0.011". I will know this weekend if I can find my old magnetic dial indicator to verify absolute TDC before I take my measurements

[Rembrant]

The list of parts I have selected for my conversion is as follows

x1 640863 Russell Performance Fuel Rail Adapter - Black - 5/16" to -6 AN

x3 640853 Russell Performance Fuel Rail Adapter - Black - 3/8" to -6 AN

x1 SUM-221330B Summit Racing Fuel Rail Adapter - Black - 3/8" Male to -6 AN

x6 750166ERL Earls Performance VaporGuard Hose Ends - Black - Straight - 3/8" Hose Barb to -6 AN

x1 670343 Russell ProClassic Fuel Pressure Take off fitting - Black - -6 AN with 1/8" NPT port

x1 650320 Russell Analog Fuel Pressure Gauge - 0 to 100 PSI - 1/8" NPT

x1 754166ERL Earl Performance VaporGuard Hose Ends - Black - 45* - 3/8" Hose Barb to -6 AN

x1 GF822 AC Delco 2000 to 2004 Corvette Fuel Filter (this filter has a built in 60 PSI pressure regulator)

x1 752066ERL Earls EFI VaporGuard Hose - 3/8" x 20ft

x1 F14B Spectra Premium 16.5 Gallon Fuel Tank 1985 F150

x1 FG34C Spectra Premium sending unit 1985 F150 (will probably source a NOS unit)

x1 HP4500 Standard Fuel Pump Connector 1985 F150

x2 750006ERL Earls VaporGuard Hose Clamps 3/8" set of 5

x1 GCA719-2 Walbro Electric Fuel Pump - 67 GPH - 70 PSI (foxbody mustang fuel pump)

To break down the above list for how it fits together is as follows.

the '85-'86 fuel tank has the large opening sending unit for use with a in tank fuel pump. It also has built in baffling to prevent fuel slosh which will result in laying down of your engine when you get down to 1/4 tank. The '85-'86 sending unit fits but is the only years you can use with the correct Ohm rating to work your '80-'84 carbed fuel gauge. '87 was the same sending unit but the Ohm reading was flipped so your gauge will read full when empty and empty when full.

This sending unit uses a 5/16" return quick disconnect which is where the single 640863 comes into play as it will connect to the 5/16" quick disconnect on the sending unit and allow you to use a 750166ERL -6 AN hose barb to make a 3/8" hose connection. The pressure side of the sending unit is 3/8" quick disconnect which is where one of the 640853 will connect to.

The fuel filter with integrated fuel pressure regulator has two male 3/8" quick disconnects for your inlet and your return where the other two 640853 comes into play. You will run a 3/8" fuel hose from the outlet on the sending unit to the inlet for the corvette fuel filter. The other 3/8" barb on the filter for the return will run back to your fuel sending unit and connect to the 5/16" return port. The other end of the fuel filter will use the SUM-221330B 3/8 male quick disconnect which will allow you to run a -6 AN to 3/8" hose barb fitting on the outlet to run a length of 3/8 hose up to the holley throttle body. The fuel filter is also easy to source local if you need one as its just a fuel filter for a 2000 to 2004 Corvette. The holley supplied filter/regulator assembly comes with a replaceable filter element as well as having a repair kit to repair the regulator. This Holley unit is over $100 and you will have to rebuild the regulator part over time as well as ordering special filters. The Corvette unit can be purchased for under $100, rock auto has AC delco for $70. This regulator that is built in will be replaced every time you replace the filter thus no regulator failure unlike the holley one that could have as its a separate unit in the filter/regulator assembly.

The fuel pump will fit the OE sending unit with no problem. One could use a fuel safe zip tie to affix the fuel pump to the cradle to help support it but with hose clamps on the hose it should not be needed. You can run the mustang style fuel sock or you could source a Ford Truck sock it will fit as well. I will be sourcing a truck sock for mine just cause its shaped differently and I feel would be proper.

Hey Rusty,

Just reading through your thread here trying to gain some info for myself. So you would install an '85-'86 fuel tank, and then install the Mustang Walbro fuel pump in the '85-'86 F150 sending unit? Do I have this correct? If yes, is the F150 stock pump not capable of the job? Or is this so that you don't have to use two pumps?

The AC Delco Corvette filter would just mount on the frame somewhere under the cab? And you would run one single fuel line from it to the Sniper throttle body? Do I have this correct?