85 Ranger getting some teeth...

[85_Ranger4x4]

The difference is going to be on how good the set of E7's is to start with. You know your 289 heads are going to need new valves. Chances are if you're careful in shopping, you can get by with a set of E7's that only need a valve job after porting. That's what I did with the sets I ported. The only out of pocket expense on the first set was $50 for the heads, about $70-100 for the valve job, plus whatever I spent on porting kit and a set of long stemmed carbide porting bits.(which I've since used on at least 4 more sets of heads) I put $150 in those heads 8 years ago, they're still running now on a second build in my Ranger. I also topped em off with a used set of Cobra roller rockers (also bought used with over 100K miles on em) All told, I invested $250 in these heads and rockers. And still enjoying them after 8 years.

I did a little looking for giggles, right now the only E7's on craigslist kinda locally (1hr away in Omaha) is a pair of bare heads with 70k miles on them for $100. I would still need valves, springs/retainers, pushrods, and rockers to make them work... not much of an advantage compared to sending the 289's thru the shop.

I still haven't decided which way to go for sure yet, the thing had 8.4:1 compression stock with the D8's, maybe if I mill them, do a valve job (cost would be nill to grind the valves because we have a valve machine) and match the ports that wouldn't be too bad of a way to go either.

 

[baddad457]

E7's came on all 87-97 vans and trucks, so finding a good serviceable set locally is as easy as hitting your local pick a part. Don't give up so easily. Might also consider a rebuilt set from a local machineshop. Ask around.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

E7's came on all 87-97 vans and trucks, so finding a good serviceable set locally is as easy as hitting your local pick a part. Don't give up so easily. Might also consider a rebuilt set from a local machineshop. Ask around.

I haven't given up, just thinking thru options.

We had a local junker haul in a tractor yesterday but I didn't get a chance to ask him. When the tractor goes home I will try to bug him.

Aside from slightly smaller chambers what else are the advantages of the E7's vs my D8's?

 

[baddad457]

They just plain breathe better in stock form than the D8's. What I do with em is to open the exhaust ports (walls and roof) to match the header gasket (leave the floor alone aside from polishing) & blend this back into the bowl under the valve. I clean up the bowls under the intakes but leave the intake runners alone, other than to port match the openings. I don't have any numbers on the esult of all this, but it's got to be vastly better than they are in stock form.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

How do these sound?

They came off an 88 mustang it was my budys it ran he just upgraded to aluminum he said it had 125000 on it when they got takin off almost a year ago make me an offer on them i realy just want them gone

I am thinking about just checking them for trueness and port matching them. As far as milling them for compression they had 9.2:1 from the factory, and I think that would probably be good enough for me. Not to mention an even double the hp of my 2.8 (I realize that was with a roller cam though)

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

Nice find!

 

[baddad457]

Those'll do just fine.

 

[baddad457]

Now just find a good set of 1.7 pedestal full roller rockers to fit em. That'll net you about 15 hp.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Now just find a good set of 1.7 pedestal full roller rockers to fit em. That'll net you about 15 hp.

I might add them later.

I still have to go look at these heads, and for that matter another guy emailed me, so they are not a done deal yet.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I got them.

The chambers don't really look much different than the D8's, the thermactor hump is much smaller though.

What pushrods do I need to work with my flat tappets? He couldn't find the ones that came with the heads but threw in some from Explorer GT40 heads. They are probably the same as what the heads originally had, but now I have a different lifter setup than they had originally so I don't know if they will work anyway.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If I were to bore it out and get different pistons would it be worth my while to get a different pin height or should I get direct replacement overbore pistons?

 

[baddad457]

The E7's chambers are a full 6 cc's smaller than the D8's. As for pushrods, the ones you used with the D8's should work. As for pistons, look for a set with a pin height as close to 1.620 as possible to get as close to a zero deck as possible.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Well the story takes another twist...

There was a 302 advertised as a '84 in my across town from me (2 miles away) so I checked it out for giggles. Stuff keeps coming up that keeps me from rebuilding my current 302, which really isn't a small undertaking once you start looking into it.

My research before I left showed that a '84 engine should be TBI, the first thing I noticed with this one is the big sequential intake that lays over the top of the engine. I did some poking around and while I couldn't find the date code above the starter I did find a date of December '86 on a valve cover. That would make it a '87, which jives with my book on the intake. Things don't line up to set up an engine like that for a '84 car, so I bet he is off on what year his friends car was that he junked. Not that a '87 is really a barn burner either, but should be a roller (I think)

So for twice the expense of the goofy oil pan with the dipstick in it that my '78 block required I drug it home ($200) serp setup, dipstick in the block and all. New looking alternator and the flexplate is still bare metel. Advertised with a freshly rebuilt tranny so I bet it was changed when the tranny was. Got another stupid dual sump pan to hang on the wall to go with my other 2. I figure with just the oil pan difference, I am only down $100 for a more capable and all around better fitting engine than my '78 was.

Going to do some more research and I have to check them out yet, but I will probably stick my E7s on it if they will work and it doesn't already have them. I have found some rumblings that they won't work unless the pistons have valve reliefs... hard to tell at this point.

Gonna have a heck of a SBF garage sale when the dust settles on this project...

 

[baddad457]

If it's an 87 motor, it'll depend on what it came from. Look at the corner of the passenger side head in front, next to the valve cover. If there's a "T" there, it's got E7's. If there's an "S" there, they're E6's and the pistons won't have reliefs.

 

[baddad457]

If it's an 87 motor, it'll depend on what it came from. Look at the corner of the passenger side head in front, next to the valve cover. If there's a "T" there, it's got E7's. If there's an "S" there, they're E6's and the pistons won't have reliefs. Regardless if either, the 87 will be a roller block.