3.0L rebuild

evanesce69 · Dec 31, 2015

rebuilt heads
stellite exhaust seats, new valve springs (stock), 3 angle valve job

Proform roller rockers 1.7:1

These rockers have 5/16 in bolts which will need to be replaced. I've read about tapping the heads for 5/16" threads but i would recommend against doing so. The difference between M8 and 5/16 isn't enough to provide a "clean" thread tap... 5/16 is 0.3125" where M8 is 0.3150". The only thing accomplished is the removal of a thread... and the fit is questionable. Instead buy a M8-1.25 x 140 crown head bolt. This is the exact thread and proper length to bolt these rockers on right the first time. It goes without saying, make sure the fulcrum is positioned correctly, it is machined with a flat surface which the head of the bolt mates against. It is very easy to install the rocker with the fulcrum upside down... sounds dumb yes... but easy to do. Double checking your work is a good idea.

evanesce69 · Dec 31, 2015

Block is getting freeze plugs, cam bearings installed and decked. The bores are getting mic'd to determine whether or not an overbore is necessary, but I genuinely doubt it. I've run Mobile 1 5W20 full synthetic for the entire life of the motor. Upon dis-assembly the internals were very clean, the cross hatching in the cylinders was in excellent shape and the piston skirts have little to no signs of scuffing or wear.
I will be using copper head gaskets that are 0.021" in thickness. The block will be machined for O ring receivers. Lani from Copper Gaskets Unlimited, Phoenix AZ is making the gaskets, I'll post photos of them when they arrive. I have sent the old gaskets to him so there will be a template readily available for anyone who wishes to go this route. The only treatment necessary is a very light coat of K&W copper coat to form a watertight seal, less is better. Dead soft copper has excellent thermal characteristics and is malleable. It will form to any surface irregularities, but it is always best to ensure a clean surface, 50-80RA surface prep and FLAT... no more than 0.002" runout in any direction. O rings are not mandatory, but are highly recommended. They should stand proud above the mating surface no more than 1/4 the thickness of the gasket itself otherwise you risk "clipping" the sealing surface. It sounds like a lot of work for head gaskets but the rewards are well worth it. Cooler heads which reduce predetonation due to the extremely quick transfer of heat between the head and block, little or no hot spots and custom thickness'.

stmitch · Dec 31, 2015

Cool. What engine are the rockers designed for?

evanesce69 · Dec 31, 2015

stmitch-

They are designed for 74-94 Ford 302 and 351's ( 5.0 and 5.7 liter).

stmitch · Dec 31, 2015

I figured. There have been several 3.0 people in the past that have had trouble with 5.0 based roller rockers wearing the valve tips unevenly. The consensus with those guys is that the arm geometry isn't quite right and the roller doesn't stay centered well enough on the valve stem throughout the motion.

I'd suggest you cycle the engine slowly by hand a few times once the heads are back on and closely watch the roller/valve stem and how they interact. I'd hate to see you have issues down the line. A lot of the guys that had issues had them come up fairly quickly and found themselves buying new valves and rocker arms.

Rearanger · Dec 31, 2015

Nice detail work. :icon_thumby:

What would you hope to gain from the roller rockers?

Is the HG procedure overkill for stock engine?

evanesce69 · Jan 4, 2016

stmitch - there are shims that can be used to adjust the height of the rocker arm pedestal mount which can help adjust the geometry issue if it arises. I have already noticed there is a small amount of side to side rotation when the rocker is not tightened. I believe this can be useful in centering the roller over the valve stem.

Rearanger - are the copper gaskets overkill on a stock motor you ask, I'd have to say for seal-ability... yes, for durability... no. They even out the heat distribution along the heads mating surface helping prevent any hot spots. Even the best composite or MLS gasket will fail over time at these hot spots due to the decomposition of the "soft" materials used to take up any surface irregularities.

evanesce69 · Jan 4, 2016

The main goal of the roller rockers is durability. Reduced friction along the rockers fulcrum creates less heat, less noise and leaner oil. Along with this durability also comes the added benefits of reduced torque loss and greater volumetric efficiency which increases the engines performance.

evanesce69 · Mar 23, 2016

stmitch · Mar 24, 2016

It's getting there!

monstermazda · Mar 24, 2016

I would use the 3.8 roller rockers and shave the pedestal the have the better geometry

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

evanesce69 · Mar 30, 2016

yes... I can verify that he roller rockers i have do not work with stock pushrods.... the pushrods are too short. I can either get longer pushrods or mill the pedestals like you mentioned...

The cam is a custom re-grind from camcraft...
atm I'm using the stock rockers

the copper gasket were coated with K&W copper coat front and back, studs were torqued to 73 ftlbs.

I ran it through two heat cycles and then removed the upper intake and all rockers to retorque the heads...

It is a must! There was some seepage of the coolant before the retorque but is completely resealed now.

I plan to check the torque once again after I decide which way I am going with the rockers..... pushrod or pedestals...

head studs are ARP# 151-4203. they come in sets of 10, you will need to buy two sets (Ford 1.6L 4cyl) or they can be purchased individually

I have the oring tool from Isky racing.... works very well

head gaskets were made by Lani at copper gaskets unlimited phoenix Arizona. He has the template now for making RWD gaskets.... that will save you guys about $100 bucks in drawing and programming costs.

Rearanger · Mar 30, 2016

evanesce69 said:
the copper gasket were coated with K&W copper coat front and back...

I ran it through two heat cycles and then removed the upper intake and all rockers to retorque the heads...

It is a must!

I admire the detail but wonder why the need for such measures. Is it just the year or does Ford engineering make this necessary for all 3.0L heads?

evanesce69 · Mar 30, 2016

rearranger - You are correct, normally the retorque would not be necessary but copper head gaskets are not the norm. I o'ringed the block and put 0.032" copper gaskets on it with APR studs. The block is a 2004 model year, which had TTY head bolts.... 65 or so ft lbs and an additional 85-95 degrees of tightening. They would act like a spring then... The ARP studs do not stretch (appreciably) at those clamping loads, so during the heatcycle as the heads expand, the gasket gets compress slightly. this is made up by retorquing. so far from what I have seen there are no leaks of any kind, no "milk" on the dipstick. I'll know more when I change out the oil after break in.

monstermazda - what is your reasoning behind the 3.8L rockers? Why would you consider the geometry to be any different than rockers from a 5.0L? I want to understand your thoughts so that i can make a more informed decision on my approach...

stmitch · Apr 1, 2016

Just an FYI, I'm fairly certain that the roller rockers that Morana sells are designed for GM LS engines. Don't limit yourself to just Ford rockers. Morana's 1.8s have held up very well on my truck, and others have had similar results. I may have a part number for the Harland Sharp rockers around somewhere. I'll have to check.

Thanks for tracking down the part number for the head studs. That will help a lot!

3.0L rebuild

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