Big Bore Boss build

BruceH

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Pulled one head and cleaned it. It passed the straight edge test for the sealing surfaces.



The pistons and wall look pretty good to me. FYI the piston to bore clearance is .0015" and no torque plate was used for the hone. Pistons are Mahle with their proprietary coatings. I'll have to look at my records but I think there is about 25,000 miles on this block since it was assembled. Fuels have been 92 pump and E85. It's seen as much as 19psi. The wetness is residual coolant from the head.




I'll pull the other head, take the header off, clean and straightedge it tonight and then call it a day. My body really appreciates me only doing a few hours a day.
 

BruceH

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The motor is now out. Everything looks pretty good. The carbon deposits almost looked like detonation so I cleaned one of the tops with a brass brush and solvent. It cleaned up enough to show that only the carbon was pitted, the pistons are fine.

One of the pistons with carbon pitting and another after being cleaned:







I'll have time to clean up the engine bay while waiting on the machine shop. It needs it.



More to come next week. The machine shop said everything should be done by midweek. That will give me enough time to assemble the motor during the week and do the install/tuning over the weekend.
 

lethe

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Good times. Im still kind of surprised how easy it is to pull these motors. There really isn't that much to remove.
 

ford20

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How do you test with the straight edge? Do you just grab a straight edge ruler and run over the head and the block to make sure there are no high or low spots?

What would happen if you have a low spot some where?
 

lethe

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He has a machinists straight edge and uses feeler gauges. If there is a low spot then the heads need to be machined.
 

BruceH

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How do you test with the straight edge? Do you just grab a straight edge ruler and run over the head and the block to make sure there are no high or low spots?

What would happen if you have a low spot some where?

He has a machinists straight edge and uses feeler gauges. If there is a low spot then the heads need to be machined.


Pretty much it. I have a 6" Starrett machinists level. I purchased it when I was into NRA High Power Rifle competition and used it for aligning sights when changing barrels. It is machined to be very straight so the sight glass readings are accurate and repeatable. It's also smooth enough that it won't damage the head surface.

I check with a feeler gauge. The Ford spec is .001" over 1". As long as it's not more than that it's within spec. I check all the sealing surfaces from different angles.

I'll check the block deck in the same manner prior to assembly. So far I haven't had to have a head surfaced. IMO it's because of the tty headbolts applying the correct clamping force equally across the head but it's just a guess.

Edit: Here is a picture of the tools. They are in the bottom of the pic.

 
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BruceH

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Broke the motor down as far as it's going to go. From here I'm collecting parts and will have a forged rod and piston longblock sitting on the engine stand. All I really need are phasers, cams, oil pan, windage tray, oil filter adapter, and pickup tube. It will keep me busy after this build is done.

Took a few more measurements. Crank end play is still at .008". Side rod clearance varied from .013-.016" IIRC it was originally at .011"-.014". Not too bad for 25,000 miles with over half of it boosted.

I'm not going to replace the bearings on the take out motor. Based on everything I've seen so far there is no need to. The cams were retarding as commanded which means oil flow was correct all the way to the top end. The cams themselves and the journals also looked good. I'm sold on using factory clearances and 5w-20 oil. It certainly hasn't caused any ill effect.



This is the rear cover. No signs of oil leakage. I used a Motorcraft mail seal. The previous version of this motor used a National rear main seal and it leaked very slowly. Research revealed that the National brand 4.6 rear main seal leaks quite often. I'd advise anyone who is building a motor to buy the Motorcraft version.

 

BruceH

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Thanks guys.

The latest is that it's almost done, (edit: the machine shop is almost done) lol. I have the machine shop fit the rings and that's all that's left. The head machinist wants to do the rings and they are backed up (they were when I dropped everything off too, it's a very busy service/repair shop that also has a nice machine shop). I was told that it will be early next week which is only a few days away.

In the meantime I've purchased an FRPP 62mm throttle body and will probably pick up a Ford Racing 3v intake manifold too. Those items should help me squeeze all the na power out of it I can. If there is a torque loss associated with the FRPP intake the extra displacement should make it not noticeable. My previous na experiences with the FRPP 3v intake was a loss in torque.

The summary:

3.700" bore x 3.750" stroke, flat top Diamond pistons, FRPP CNC heads, 127500 cams with 113 lsa and 6 degrees of retard ground in. 12:1 compression. Mac mid length headers.

Beginning goal is 400/400 on 92 pump gas and stock like driveability. The goal for E85 is 420/420.

I've done just about all the work I can in preparation for this project. The only thing left is waiting a few more days. Sounds easy but I've already been waiting two weeks longer than I had thought it would be. All I can do is talk about it.
 
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BruceH

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The waiting is really getting to me. Today I put the Mac headers on the heads. No motor yet, lol. Soon.

 

stkjock

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hey isn't it salmon season yet?
 

JoshK

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Oh how I remember my machine shop wait. I sure wish I was building an engine like this, even though it would still get boost, lol.
 

ford20

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He has a machinists straight edge and uses feeler gauges. If there is a low spot then the heads need to be machined.

Pretty much it. I have a 6" Starrett machinists level. I purchased it when I was into NRA High Power Rifle competition and used it for aligning sights when changing barrels. It is machined to be very straight so the sight glass readings are accurate and repeatable. It's also smooth enough that it won't damage the head surface.

I check with a feeler gauge. The Ford spec is .001" over 1". As long as it's not more than that it's within spec. I check all the sealing surfaces from different angles.

I'll check the block deck in the same manner prior to assembly. So far I haven't had to have a head surfaced. IMO it's because of the tty headbolts applying the correct clamping force equally across the head but it's just a guess.

Edit: Here is a picture of the tools. They are in the bottom of the pic.


I appreciate the info guys, thanks :hi:
 

BruceH

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hey isn't it salmon season yet?

Yes it is. Everyone is catching a lot of silvers (coho). My friend with the boat passed away about 18 months ago and I really don't have the desire to do a charter or guide service. Our neighbor brought us two very nice silver fillets a few days ago so we aren't exactly going without.

For the time being the only hobby I have is the car. I'd like to work on my golf swing but I'm usually too tired and sore after getting home from work. Getting older and having arthritis is wearing on me. My job doesn't help at all, lol.

I've been spending a lot of time on here as a substitute for a real hobby, lol. Hopefully another round of acupuncture will have good results similar to the previous round and I can have a golf season next year. A good portion of this year was spent at work or on the couch. It's just how it is.
 

rojizostang

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definitely get the golf swing sorted out, that's a biggie!

can't wait to see what kind of numbers this motor makes for you. hopefully it will breathe some more live into to 3v scene lol.
 

BruceH

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Just talked to the machine shop. Everything is ready. I'll pick it up tomorrow after work. I'll try to not get carried away with assembly and installation. Both of my previous builds have been started on Friday after work and the motor was running on Sunday. Then again I could take Friday off and knock it out by Saturday, lol.
 

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