A little bit of history on this car, My father in law bought this car from original owner in 1972 with 74xxx on od. My wife went to Disney World with her brother in this car in 1976 for Bicentennial celebration and has very vivid memories of the trip. This car is a family heirloom that has been neglected for 35 years. Now I have the responsibility of bringing her back to her glory days. I have always been a Chevy guy and have built many show quality high performance chevys through my life but this FE ford is very unique and interesting. Thanks to all the members on this site for your help on this project and in general in the understanding of how this great classic should be built.
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here it is 63 ht, progress being made
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This car has bent so many pushrods it is unbelievable, how is this possible? I found that the valves were almost all glued shut and a couple of bent valve. I disassembled the heads, totally cleaned everything and replaced 2 bent valves. Painted the heads black and everything looks beautiful now. -
JohnJohn Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator
Thunderbird Registry #36223
jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695
https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htmComment
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here some picsAttached Files- 2015-11-09 10.30.54.jpg (239.0 KB, 92 views)
- 2015-11-09 10.31.09.jpg (226.9 KB, 89 views)
- 2015-12-15 11.17.39.jpg (317.0 KB, 89 views)
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- 2015-12-16 09.16.50.jpg (246.3 KB, 90 views)
- 2015-12-16 09.16.55.jpg (207.5 KB, 93 views)
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Spent yesterday afternoon cleaning up pistons and cylinders and started reassembly. Fresh oil, new lifters and pushrods. engine really cleaned up well.Comment
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The bolt that goes into this hole is undercut:
The bolt heads look the same but one shoulder is smaller in diameter; one on each rocker shaft assembly. This ain't your run of the mill Chevy.Member, Sons of the American Revolution
CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
From: Royal Oak, MichiganComment
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Yes I'm aware of the undercut bolt, thanks Dave. The restrictor jet is drilled out to .075, should help control oil to top and oil pressure down below. My next step is to measure valve train to be sure pushrod length is to spec. I don't want no more of thisAttached FilesComment
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Both ends of the FE rocker shafts are plugged and the only way for oil to exit is through the oil holes in the rocker arms.
I suggest you disassemble your rocker shafts and do a thorough cleaning of the shafts and rocker arms. Use a drill bit to clear the holes in the rocker arms. Use a Dremmel tool to better define the oil path on the inside of the rocker arms.
CLICK HERE for my site. - DaveMember, Sons of the American Revolution
CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
From: Royal Oak, MichiganComment
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I cleaned and lubed them even though there was nothing to clean, they were like new. Some more progress made today. Rocker arm to valve clearance all within spec at .10 give or take a hundreth or 2 using standard length 9.62 in pushrodsAttached Files- 2015-12-20 12.43.07.jpg (355.8 KB, 117 views)
- 2015-12-20 13.49.53.jpg (347.8 KB, 116 views)
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- 2015-12-20 16.48.37-2.jpg (285.2 KB, 117 views)
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Looks SUPER !
I've got a gummed up or failed lifter (10K mile engine) and plan to replace all of mine soon. Thanks for posting the pics - I was thinking I may be able to replace them without pulling the intake or heads using my snap-on lifter tool and this shows me it just might work.
Just out of curiosity what brand lifter did you go back with?
(a little family history with my car too - my Dad and Mom bought it new so I know what your wife is talking about with the trips in the car)
Thanks,
EricComment
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Hi Eric, hope your project goes well for you.I used Sealed Power lifters and Comp Cams pushrods. I was nervous about putting this valvetrain together due to its history of bending pushrods into letter S but all went well, just make sure they are blead down when you install them. Good luck!
TonyComment
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Yes, I just pulled the intake and heads. Pulled all the valves out and degunked everything and replaced 2 bent valves. The intake valves were glued in place by foul gas. Since I had it all apart felt it was a good time to clean it up and paint what I could. It is a few odds and ends from being ready to start.Comment
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That's a lot of work and the castings are very heavy. If your valves were bent by the pistons you got lucky, as the damage could have been much more extensive. I hope everything goes well. - DaveMember, Sons of the American Revolution
CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
From: Royal Oak, MichiganComment
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