Cordell Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 F it. Cordell's going to help me do a leakdown test on the stock engine. I sold the F150 engine for $150. Will let you guys know how Scott likes/dislikes the engine... Like we talked about it will most likely just confirm that it needs rebuilt, but we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Welp, thanks to Scott we confirmed our suspicions: the cylinders have enough blow-by to believe that the pistons are swiss cheese. Probably shoulda put an air filter on this thing sooner. Surprising considering how decently the truck drove! Gonna take the accessory drive off, prep this pull this puppy. Regardless of the engine's condition, I still need to pull it anyway to put the other 4-speed in at some point. We'll need to take the motor apart to see how bad the damage is. Anyone interested in helping in the next 2-3 weeks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc1647545523 Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Since Cordell diagnosed it and delivered the bad news, I'd say it's his responsibility to assist you through this project's completion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FyrhzrdGT Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 Let me know if you need that hoist dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Let me know if you need that hoist dude. Thanks, man. I've got a HB cherry picker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Cranium Posted October 31, 2011 Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 How did the tear down go? Wish I could have made it over, I enjoyed tearing down my LT1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted October 31, 2011 Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 How did the tear down go? Wish I could have made it over, I enjoyed tearing down my LT1. You didn't miss much, the engine is pretty close to coming out, so we gave up and pulled the head off. It looks as though the engine had sucked in some debis as there are some small points of damage. It will need pistons for sure, and some minor repair to the head assuming we could see the worst of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 Big appreciation for Scott and Eli coming out, as well as mr/mrs crossle (nice meeting you, Erica!). It was great not only having another set of hands, but Eli and Scott bring a lot of knowledge to the table. I truly couldn't have done it without them, and I don't think this job will get done the right way without their help. Matt (tinman) and I have spoken about m&m, so I'll get machining prices. I'll also have to return my gasket set for a master rebuild kit with .030 flat-top pistons and bearings. More to come! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted November 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2011 Big ups to Rick (LT1Rick) for helping me out yesterday. We were able to enjoy an absolutely beautiful fall day...and succeeded in pulling the engine and transmission! I definitely had a little Captain in me... http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=669&pictureid=5610 The engine had a ton of black gunk. Sludge on the lifter valley plate, inside of the timing gear cover. The funny thing is the oil pan looked a lot better than we expected. Getting a rebuild is a good thing. Going to call M&M Machine shop tomorrow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted November 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 (edited) Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Mike at M&M in Delaware has the block and head...going to do the machine work and reassemble the engine. More to come after TurkeyDay when he gets started. T18 4-speed transmission will be redone in December, and Columbus Joint and Clutch will redo the stock driveshaft to accept a slip-joint - as both the trans and diff are fixed-yokes. Inspiration for paintjob: http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/body/hrdp_0707_1962_ford_falcon_budget_paint_job/ I've toyed with the idea of lowering the truck. The vast majority of Interbutt posts discourage cutting the front springs on the twin I-beam front suspension, as camber will get way out of whack and tire wear will become a major issue. However, I don't know of anything cheaper. TALK ME OUT OF IT! For what it's worth, this truck is going to keep it's stock steel wheels (repainted bright white) with relatively thin tires. Just looking to take some of the wheelwell gap out of it... ALSO: ID'd the rear axle...9" Ford, open-diff, 31-spline, 2.47 gears I guess I won't need to worry too much about not having an overdrive in the tranny! Edited November 24, 2011 by zeitgeist57 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted January 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2012 (edited) I stopped by to see Mike at M&M. We spoke on monday (after delays delays delays for weeks) but he was FINALLY getting around to my motor this week. Good timing on my part...it was getting it's cylinders honed as I was there. Block was also bored out .030. Block was clean and decked; looked good! Head was magnafluxed but still bare. Crankshaft was in good shape, but the cam was toast: wear wasn't too bad on the lobes, but you could see some nasty chipping on the edges and pock marks, like casting imperfections. Full rebuild, new Comp cam, flat-top pistons and rings, new valvesprings, gaskets...reuse con rods and crankshaft...also resurfacing my flywheel. $1390 with tax! Gotta love it when the price goes down from what you thought it was going to be... That is definitely a chunk of change, but to see what they are doing made me realize that this truck will either go forever, or I will put it into another Ford truck down the road. I called Mark at MD Trans by Doc's place and they said they would get the T-18 4-speed inspected and resealed. That will help me get both engine and transmission from Delaware in one trip. Overall my cheap-a$$ is slightly hurt by the expenditure of cash, but I have a strong sense of confidence that this is the right thing to do for my Ford, as well as a great - and necessary! - experience as a car guy. I'd rather be rebuilding a common Ford engine for a hobby truck, than have to get raped by hurriedly replacing a blown engine in my VW or Honda. I should've repainted the frame with this relatively mild weather we've been having...or at least the front part before the engine/trans goes in. I still will need to modify the driveshaft to accept the fixed yoke on the T-18, as well as the fixed yoke on the axle. I was hoping to get this driveable by the end of January, but I don't think that's going to happen at this point. More to come... I also did a full budget of everything I need for the rest of the truck, from hoses and belts to shocks, clutch, brakes etc...$700. Not too bad... Edited January 16, 2012 by zeitgeist57 Updates on pricing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted January 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Alright, busy weekend... On Friday, I drove to Delaware to pick up both the engine and transmission, verified by both shops that they were complete. I busted into M&M unannounced, and found out that the cheaper than expected price was a result of the engine NOT being a "longblock"...just a reassembled shortblock. Not a huge deal, but I did stress to Mike that I didn't want to put the head back on and I made that clear. I did like the looks of everything! Was a little disappointed that the .030 hypereutectic pistons were still dished (thought they were going to be flattop) but I guess the compression will still bump up nicely with the milled head and decked block. Left it on Friday and Mike assured me that it would be sealed, painted, primed with break-in oil and palated...ready to go on Monday. Got a call from him today that it's DONE, painted Ford Blue, and ready for me to pick up. MD Transmission was waiting for me. What was a really, REALLY dirty transmission was now cleaned and ready to go. The gear oil was sludge, so Mark at MD had to take more time than expected to flush the transmission out with solution. Some wear on gear sliders for 1st and Reverse, understandable as those are not synchronized. New front and rear seals. The return spring for Reverse (that boinks the shifter to neutral once it's out of gear) was busted so a new one was installed. I bought brand new EFI headers/manifolds on eBay on Sunday night for $60. Look forward to getting those soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=669&pictureid=5836 Foreground is the stock flywheel resurfaced. Truck came with a 10" clutch, but after some inspection looks like it is tapped for 11" clutch as well. Background is the T-18 4-speed, gone over and looking good...needs gear oil first! http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=669&pictureid=5835 Engine needs reassembled, but I am happy with M&M. It's primed with break-in oil. Didn't realize the Comp 252H cam is flat tappet; I'll have to keep it filled with zinc additive at every oil change! http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=669&pictureid=5834 EFI exhaust manifolds!!! Test fitting them here...will be interesting to see how the stock "log" intake and single barrel carb does paired up with these things. I still need to put in a major Rockauto parts purchase this week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Good to see you getting some major parts ready for the truck, congrats on getting farther then a lot of people. Now I'm sure you're looking forward to getting it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted March 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Alright...jeebus I waffled a lot on where to get parts the cheapest! I ended up finding an Advance coupon for $50 off $150, plus free shipping. Got a Perfection 11" clutch and some small items. Also used a 5% discount code from Rockauto and got the rest from there! Looking forward to getting parts back on this monster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted March 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 ...and I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMURRICAN... http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=669&pictureid=5908 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Cranium Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 Damn that looks corny! Is there a Y-pipe? Or is this going to be a dual exhaust? Good to see it's coming back together well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hpfiend Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 ...and I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMURRICAN... http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=669&pictureid=5908 looks good- now the alternator looks bad as the rest is so nice but it will all dirty out soon enough... nice work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagner Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 ...and I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMURRICAN... http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=669&pictureid=5908 That looks sooo UAH (Upper Arlington Hillbilly), I freaking love it. Mr. T approves of this plan coming together http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u203/ryan_orourke/mr_t.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted March 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 There is a Y-pipe coming in da mail...single exhaust dumping out the side. May even try to booger-weld the old glasspack for now! Yeah, the Alternator and starter are really grimy, but both still have Motorcraft stamped on the bodies, and tested fine at Advance Auto. I'm guessing they are original parts, so I'm going to keep them until they croak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hpfiend Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 May even try to booger-weld the old glasspack for now!. LOL RE booger-weld... never heard that one before- love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted March 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 (edited) I wouldn't even bother with a muffler if I didn't already have the glasspack on the truck. The engine ran alright before the rebuild, and made more noise out of the leaky manifold-to-downpipe joint than what came out of the glasspack! Allthough, I'm just realizing it also had the catalytic converter too...that may have muffled the sound a bit...DEFINITELY not reusing that! UPDATE: Aside from the engine work - and waiting for parts that should all be in my garage this week - I blasted the front subframe and radiator core support with rubberized undercoating. Aside from having a slight brownish tint in bright sunlight, this was good stuff! The backhalf of the frame is still solid, but a lot more surface rust. Gonna have to use stronger stuff to recoat the frame and axle (and possibly bed bottom!) I have decided to lower the truck on the cheap! Cut springs in the front, flipped front shackle/hanger in the rear. The truck won't get used enough for me to worry about tire wear that much, so there really isn't any other reason why I shouldn't do this: cheap, easy to do, retains most of the suspension geometry, still gets it lower! If I do have to replace tires, they are 215-75-R15...can't get much cheaper or readily available to buy! I will do the suspension mods shortly after getting the engine/tranny in. Since I'll need to lengthen the driveshaft a bit and have a slip-joint installed, I want to get the rear hanger flipped so I can accurately measure pinion-to-pinion distance. Might not be that big of a difference, but the flip should be relatively easy to do. For now, I'm going to keep the body "PATINA'd"...much to the happiness of most CR peeps! By the time I get the engine/transmission in, broken-in, and a new driveshaft done, it'll be April and I'll hopefully be without Cleetus III. I'll just enjoy driving the Ford and then figure out body work in the fall. Edited March 12, 2012 by zeitgeist57 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 Good to see someone restoring one of these bodystyles Clay. I always liked them, but most have disappeared to hillbillyville Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badasskylark Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Sweet project! For some reason I love the body style of the 80-86 Ford trucks. I look forward to seeing the progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted March 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2012 Damn that looks corny! OH, TEH SHIT GETS DEEPER... http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=669&pictureid=5917 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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