photo's as promised and a thermostat question

[kuusamon]

Here some photo's of what I am doing. Since I brought the car home from this condemned building it is a lot more fun working on it. Doing my best. I know when you see the picture of the engine not everyone might agree on the array of colors, the silver is wheel paint silver, the rest is regular spray paint since I do not have engine enamel. The engine will go in and on a later dat I will take it out again for a proper paint job. Just can't wait any longer for ordered parts and paint. Reason why the blue and other light colors, it is easier to see if any leaks. Maybe the intake manifold silver color is to pretend I have an aluminum modern intake I do not know. But if the car is working ok I will probably repaint the engine in it's original color with engine enamel. I have to find the enamel here because (I believe) it is not allowed to send paint or spray-cans over with the mail or even in your suitcase. The engine has been completely taken apart except removing the crank and can shaft and pistons because I can see they were replaced and new bearings before I bought the engine.

Very happy that I bought the book of Steve Christ on ebay lots of little tricks and what to watch for, so did I found out that one of the valve rocker shafts was installed the wrong way around. I was going to place the complete rocker arm and rockers back on the heads without touching it since they looked ok but after reading the book on page 113 right top picture it says:...don't you.., I decided to pull them apart and I am glad, all the holes were clogged and the shaft was full of debris.
Thermostat, I know, looked at the shop manual and the various threads here, how to place it. But the thermostat would, without the gaskets, slip into the intake manifold. The thermostat is just a bit smaller as the hole in the manifold. Gaskets would prevent that but the gasket are nothing more than a kind of a paper gasket, would that be strong enough from slipping the thermostat into the manifold?

[kuusamon]

more photo's

If needed this thread can be moved to 'our rides' or so

[kuusamon]

and more...

more pics, gearbox etc.

[REM]

The proper thermostat is large enough that it will not slip into the manifold even without the gasket.
Later years used a smaller thermostat and that may be what you have.
You have it all looking good.
Glad you are enjoying the process. Keep up the good work.

[kuusamon]

Thanks Richard,
found these at rockauto:

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1336632,parttype,2200

and this at ebay, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MILOD...item483d30363f

big difference in price, these should both be the larger diameter correct?

[simplyconnected]

Ron, the Stant or Gates thermostats are both good. Notice they are the same 2-1/2" diameter. Nearly every Ford used the same thermostats for many decades.

Place the 'bulb' or 'spring' end towards the heat source. The thermostat should fit neatly into a 'pocket' and the gasket should not interfere with the 'fit'.

I'm glad you took your rocker arms apart and cleaned all the holes. Most FE owners are un-aware that this is a major concern because they never look under the valve covers while the engine is running.

You guys with hydraulic lifters should open your valve covers and check to make sure you can SEE oil flowing out of your rocker arms. Ford drilled small lubrication holes in each arm. When you shut off your engine and let it cool, dirt in the oil starts packing the holes shut. After many years of heat/cool cycles, there is no flow, then rocker arm shafts develop deep grooves. You may notice lifter noise when wear becomes severe.

Y-Block engines have the same problem, but solid lifter engines are adjusted (and hopefully inspected) every 12,000 miles or so.

This is not a hard or expensive task. For the price of two valve cover gaskets and a few hours (good to do on a rainy Saturday) the end result is very rewarding.

Most of the work is done on the bench, cleaning oil crud off of parts. Mark your parts: The rocker arms should be re-assembled in the same position they were originally, unless they are replaced. As Ron mentioned, the rocker shafts can go on in two directions, but only one is correct for proper oil flow. - Dave

[60 T-Bird]

Very nice job you're doing...Martin

[kuusamon]

Yes thanks for the thermostat advise, what is reverse poppet or something?
One of the rockershafts does have some grooves, they are visible and can be felt with the nail of a finger. So a spare one is on my shopping list for next year.
Best is, what Steve C. writes is to remove the end caps for cleaning and get new ones but for us here you can not get to the store on the corner to get them so I did my best cleaning with the caps on. Used a single core electrical wire with the plastic outside still on. Bend a small hook or scraper on the end of it and insert the wire through the mounting holes and start scraping the inside. Spray some brake cleaner and wd40 in it and scrape the hole shaft. Then use a compressed air gun to blow it out, I have one with a long small nozzle very powerful. Watch out the sludge comes out every hole and usually end up in you face and hair.
Brake cleaner and wd40 are very good not good for your hands after working with it for a few days. I use lots of hand cream before I start working on the car and after I wash my hands with garage soap, that keeps it from entering my pores for a while.
I use another peace of electr.wire and a breakaway nail type peace from a pop rivit or a thin nail to punch through the oil lube holes from the shaft and also the rockers themselves.
Nearly all the holes in the rockers where clogged.

[simplyconnected]

...Nearly all the holes in the rockers where clogged.

Mine were too. I ended up using a small drill to clean the dirt out and to make sure the holes were all big enough.

I drilled and tapped a hole in one end cap, put a screw in the hole, and used a claw hammer to pull the cap & screw out. Then, I pushed the other cap out using a long rod from the inside. The entire inside was MUCK and sludge (more like black grease). It had to be decades old.

Those solvents are expensive and so is compressed air. A rag and a rod works wonders.

Putting them back in was easy... I just left the screw deep in the hole and replaced the cotter pins.

My rocker arms did not fit directly over the valve stems, so I ground slots in the oil holes underneath with my Dremmel tool. This will allow oil to still flow to the rocker arms even if they don't align perfectly:

Rocker arm shafts are hardened and ground.

Now, I can see oil flowing from each rocker arm. - Dave Dare

EDIT: Reverse poppet thermostat

[Astrowing]

I used a rifle or shotgun cleaning brush, followed by the rag swab. It took several hours to clean them up, as you guys have said they were aweful!

[redstangbob]

If you find your shafts are worn or gouged, replacements are not expensive, around $25 at Autozone. Good luck, Bob C

[kuusamon]

update

I will post some pics again soon, as soon as I have my camera back.
Slow and very slow process but continuing. Every now and then I am able to sneak away from work and my wife and son taking care of my work in the hotel.
Reason why it is slow is because when I bought the car, part of it came in pieces, the engine that came with was not in the car and this engine had never been in this car, missing parts and sometimes the wrong parts were included. The engine was full of water (condensation water?) The top was not working and missing parts, the brake system was all apart and the previous owner had started to change from normal brake system to power brakes but nothing was installed and not the right parts.
So engine is in and mostly connected but I found out that the torque converter is not the correct one that came with, it does not fit. So connected the gear box without the converter in order to continue.

Finished the brake system last night. Build from 2 junk power brake boosters 1 good one which seems the original
that is supposed to be in this type of car. There was no bracket for the booster to the fire wall. I bought one cheaply on fleabay from a ford truck and the holes are fitting. Just had to cut of a tiny bit (about 1/8) from the bottom that was hitting the steering column.
Low and behold, the brake system is working, bled them with a 'one man' bleeding kit of 2 bucks.
Only thing is the brakes do work good strong and not spongy but the pedal travel is a bit short, maybe the hockey stick bracket should be a little longer (it says #23 on it).
Parking/hand/emergency brake system is working connected it but one strange part I can not figure out. I all the drawings the equalizer bracket connection to the arm has 2 connectors, 1 is the hook and the other one is a little cup whit a hole with a slot? maybe for a spring or so??
Power steering (almost) hooked up, missing again a part, the little curved piece that connects to the pump and connects the input hos to the pump.
The input hose is lying there and just to short to connect to the pump, found out that there supposed to be a little curved piece that screws into the pump. The other return hose is no problem.
Anybody know the size(s) of this curved piece? connector sizes?. There was no info on it in the parts books.

Any way still so many missing pieces or parts. another few weeks and I have to store her for the winter again and I won't be able to work on it until next May.
Lots and lots of work.
regards,
Ron

[jopizz]

It sounds like you have the wrong power steering pressure hose. The correct hose should be made with the curve at the end.

[kuusamon]

Yes thanks John,
I have found on the net the p/s pressure hose and is one piece.
I will order one, in the mean time I will fabricate something to make it work temporarily. input size in the p/s pump looks like 5/8 , the other side might be 7/16.
regards
Ron