One more 2wd 98 coil spring 5.0 swap.

[Colin]

very purdy

 

[Jbrown1238]

I started today’s task list with cleaning and chasing the main cap threads in the block. First a good shot of brake cleaner down the bolt hole, then a swipe or two with a wire brush, followed by a well oiled main cap fastener threaded deep into the hole.

After all of the holes were chased I carefully wiped them down with a clean cloth and then wiped down all of the main cap fasteners. Then I test fit the main bearings into the block and each of the main caps.

Then I lightly set the main caps and torque them down to 65lbs per square inch and moved on to measuring the main cap bore diameter with the Clevite bearings installed. After the math was done I ended up with .0025 of oil clearance on each of the main bearings at 90 degrees from the parting line.

Then I moved on to measuring the piston diameter. I came up with 4.030 across the board on each of the eight Silvolite pistons.

Next step was to check the cylinder bore diameter to verify piston to wall clearance. I zeroed the dial bore gauge and moved forwarded in the same manner as with the main bearing oil clearance.

Now that several of the critical measurements have been established and the machine work has been verified as correct the block is ready to be fully washed and prepared for final assembly. The main caps will be removed and the main bearings will be numbered by location and individually bagged and sealed until they are needed.

 

[Jbrown1238]

While I was collecting everything I needed to wash the block I decided to paint my 25 year old engine stand. I carefully disassembled it and washed all of the bolts and hardware just as an added sense of security. I wanted to have a clean work station and make sure everything close to the block was as clean as possible. Before I reassembled it I shot two fresh coats of Dark Shadow Grey followed by two coats of clear. After a week of drying time the engine stand has been fully assembled and is ready to go. Speaking of ready, the block is going for a swim!

I used an entire bottle of Dawn dish soap and went to town with a couple clean rags, a handful of engine brushes and a regular scrub brush. After going around the block three times, carefully cleaning every hole/passageway and rinsing well between cycles, the block is ready to come out of the water.

After hanging it on the engine stand I quickly hit it with compressed air and then the spray lubricant to make sure no water sat for any length of time. The lubricant helped dissipate the water and stop any rust from forming. I then wiped the entire block down with several clean rags and hit it again with more compressed air and spray lubricant. Then wiped it down again to make sure everything was dry of water, clean, and well sealed with oil.

Once confident that the main surfaces were wiped clean I went ahead and used a gun cleaning kit to get into all of the oil passages and recesses I wasn’t able to reach by hand. I started with a clean cloth made a few passes and then switched to one wet with oil.

 

[Jbrown1238]

After the cleaning process was complete I moved on to installing the pipe plugs, freeze plugs, and dowels. Then one more pass with a clean rag and the block was ready to be sealed until more work can be done later this week.

Even though the block looked very clean before I started today you can still see machining debris in the bottom of the pool where it had settled a few hours after the block was removed.

 

[doorgunner]

Great project/Clean engine!

 

[veefer800canuck]

this thread is full of awesome.

you're gonna have a really nice truck when you're done.

if all the work you've done so far is any indication, it's going to look totally factory under the hood, only cleaner and nicer.

 

[Jbrown1238]

this thread is full of awesome.

you're gonna have a really nice truck when you're done.

if all the work you've done so far is any indication, it's going to look totally factory under the hood, only cleaner and nicer.

Thank you. That is what I am kind of shooting for, to have it look very much like it had come that way from the factory. When I had my 03 Cobra I painstakingly recreated all of the factory paint marks under the hood and any of the assembly line stickers around the car that may have shown wear and tear. It looked stock right down to the air cleaner. My dyno guy couldn’t believe I was sacrificing 25-30 hp just to keep the stock air box.

 

[RangerSVT]

Looking good, keep up the work. Any plans to work the heads, or replace em?

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

Looking good, keep up the work. Any plans to work the heads, or replace em?

SVT

Yes, I had a stage 3 port done on the GT40P heads along with porting the upper and lower GT40 intake. Also added Trickflow springs and Ford Racing valve seals. More detail on that work is included earlier in the thread.

 

[RangerSVT]

I thought you said you did something, but I couldn't remember...


SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

I thought you said you did something, but I couldn't remember...


SVT

I know it was a lot of work and money to push towards a used set of iron heads but I wanted the durability and security from heat that aluminum may not offer.

 

[RangerSVT]

I want to get a set if AFR 185's, but with my planned forced induction will put me way over the 500 hp limit of the block...

SVT

 

[Jbrown1238]

I want to get a set if AFR 185's, but with my planned forced induction will put me way over the 500 hp limit of the block...

SVT

I think the 500 hp limit really depends on how the motor is used. I know that 500 hp through a stock block is the limit when leaving the line under hard launch with sticky tires and good suspension, but what about medium street duty with semi strong pulls between gears on street tires. Not near the stress on the block under those circumstances. This is only my non-expert/thinking out loud opinion, no real experience.

 

[Colin]

only one way to find out

 

[RangerSVT]

With the AFR's I would be over 650 with the setup I'm building, not to mention I have the capability to ho to around 750. I'll stay with stockish heads for now...


SVT