As some of you know, I'm swapping my TFS-1 out for a custom grind Ed Curtis cam. Today's holdup was a dropped (and lost) 10* valve lock retainer.
YAY
Thankfully SK Speed had them in stock. I grabbed a couple extra.
On a side note I'm actually VERY lucky I tore back into this thing....
The Fel-Pro 1250 intake gasket was about ready to let go on the driver side. No leakage, but it was warped.....very odd. Part of it had extended past the water passage opening. My guess is it had another couple of hundred miles.....Considering it was only 8000 miles old I'm disappointed. Everything was torqued properly last time too.
--Valves are done on the driver side head.
--Old cam is out and looks PRISTINE. It will be for sale with the old springs/ locks/retainers shortly.
--Still have to do passenger side
--Still have to determine new pushrod length.
I WILL need new ones. The lobe base circle is .110" smaller. That's what happens when you get .565" lift...
cool man, good luck on the rest of the install. Did you and Dave compare cams? I'm curious of how different they are between Jay and Ed your combos are pretty similar
Most of my keepers fell in the middle of the car underneath where I couldn't reach them.
This one hit the frame rail and just ---- disappeared. I know it hit the floor afterward, but it faded into another dimension after that.
10-4
I'm going down to the shop to get some done on it now.... Pics to come.
So any updates? Is the Ed Curtis cam a billit one like Jay's?
I should really call Jay and get a cam but I'd like to redo my AOD first and get a good torque converter. Plus I lost the spec sheet for my engine and I don't remember how far or in the pistons are in the hole :brick:
How you making out on the car?
Somehow 2 header bolts did that to me. I did find a nut that fell into the frame rail the other day. One less rattle.
Well, nothing has been accomplished since Friday. I've been too busy with other stuff and my friend can't touch it either. My car is outside the shop now. Seems every asshole who needed a brake job decided to do it THIS WEEK :mad: Can't do anything on the car out in the rain....So it's just sitting, ripped apart.
This weather has been unbelievable. I think it's rained more in the past week than the previous 3 months combined. I think we've had 4 hours without rain in 6 days...
This is part of the reason I put it off for so long....I KNEW once I had it ripped open I'd get railroaded. The curse strikes yet again.
I hear ya , I got the same problem here. Can't wait for the rain to stop.. I got 2 cars to finish up myself than I can get to mine.
I'm gonna have to pump the combustion chambers out just to be on the safe side. Flush everything with tranny fluid too. The heads are on and the hood is too, I even covered the holes up (didn't tape them though), but with hhis much rain everything has that "sweat" on it...
Sounds like my job, had to play with the rain, should be a good growing year.
If it's like this at the end of the month, I'm not opening my pool this year. I used it 5 times last year and it was only usable for 8 weeks -- August was a bust. If not for my daughter, I'd have tore it down already and got a hot tub.
Man that sucks. Hell we got an extra 2 inches of rain this April and it's been raining like crazy in May so far. I think I've only driven the T-bird about 4 times because of all this rain......
Cam's in, springs all swapped, bumped the motor once with the checking pushrod and everything's good clearance wise!
Before I pull the pin on new pushrods I want to be absolutely certain on the lifter preload. The cam card and instructions from Flowtech Induction did not specify very clearly. Included with the cam were a set of basic instructions from COMP (because they're the ones who do all of Ed Curtis' grinds)
Those stated .030" plus or minus .010" for lifter preload -- Comp's recommendation for all hydraulic roller cams.
Looking through some old paperwork I had made me come across the cylinder head paperwork from Trick Flow. It had a small section in it on -- you guessed it -- setting up the valvetrain. That stated zero lash plus 1/2 to 3/4 turn on the shaft nut. Sounds as if those two different sources would net a VERY similar end result.
Comp will get a phone call today. I'll e-mail Ed Curtis too.
Side note: I had forgotten that the Summit timing chain had an adjustable gear out front. Only 3 positions -- zero, 4 advance, and 4 retard, but hey I can't really think o many times where people go 2 degrees on a street car...
yeah that,, and blight.
Good for now but if the ground stays wet, bacteria will probably blight out all my beef steak tomatos.
sometimes i think being vague protects them in certain ways for liability reasons.
If the instructions were clear, then they would be accountable for thier claims of performance specs.
Both of the sources I had stated to follow the instrucions for your specific cam if there are any first.
I e-mailed Ed. I await his reply. Getting a hold of Comp on the phone is near impossible. After that I can measure these pushrods up and finish.
Spoke to a few people and Ed e-mailed me back. 1/2 turn is right on the money.....
Measured the pushrods with an adjustable one......
Interesting results.....Perhaps I shaged up.
I got a .057" difference. Only thing is its for SMALLER pushrods.....
The base circle on the new cam is .100" smaller -- overall max lift is .055" MORE (with 1.6 rockers) -- does this makes sense?
Are you using checking springs with the gauge? Just a note to, the pushrods only come in .050 lengths. I triple checked mine and still needed .250 longer. I also set my cam on tdc the cam card had the spec for, after finding true tdc, and was just about exact at 0 to 0, I could of used a little more advance but it would of put it to much out of spec.
Yeah, that's the difference I got between the old pushrod and the set length with the checker -- .057"
I must have screwed up. I'll check it later....Maybe make a solid checking lifter instead.
I used a sollid and check springs, didn't matter. it was the same. the check springs will work without the solid, just watch the lifter see if the disc on top moves when your checking it.
It did. I'm getting a new check spring today. This one was a "hand me down" and feels kinda stiff for it's intended purpose. My lifters have been sitting for 3 weeks now too so it won't take much to collapse the plunger.
All other things being equal I was expecting something around 6.800"....We'll see.
Isn't there an article on sbftech about turning a hydro roller into a solid roller for checking pushrod lenght?
Yeah, there's a few ways to do it. I'll try a new spring first. Like I said, I mighta messed up something anyway. Too tired after work today to pick up the spring. JUST woke up. I'll get it tomorrow. Car's inside now.....no rush.
Measured everything up CORRECTLY today. New pushrod length: [COLOR="Red"]6.750"[/COLOR]
I going with the Comp Hi-tech as opposed to the Trick Flows this time. They come HIGHLY recommended -- although the Trick Flow pieces ARE nice...
Time for a for sale thread :grinno:
How much adjuster thread do you have on the rockers? I lost quite a bit with mine.
I really didn't lose too much, but then again I only went up .050" in net valve lift and pushrod length.
On a better note:
I MADE A TON OF PROGRESS TODAY!!!! NO SLEEP BEFORE WORK FTW!!!!11ELEVEN!!ONE!
Looks like I'll need a new hood:
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/V8Demon/IMG_2109.jpg)
:hick:
Gotcha!
Here's the real one!!
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/V8Demon/IMG_2111.jpg)
One thing is stopping me from finishing......I need to run a SECOND spacer....
That's right. With those valve covers in the picture, the one inch phenolic spacer I have is not enough. Here's why :
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/V8Demon/IMG_2115.jpg)
Take note that the bracket is not bolted to the backside of the throttle body as it should be and the holes are about 1/4" off. The spacer is the easy part along with the 4 stud mounts. Finding the correct length center bolts with a small enough head that pass all the way through the manifold however....
I suppose some of you have also noticed where I've mounted my oil fill cap. Seems odd doesn't it?
Hint:
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/V8Demon/IMG_2120.jpg)
what's that sittin on the other side of the garage?
My buddy's 02 GT in which he grenaded the motor last weekend. Stage 2 Patriot heads, comp cams with upgraded springs, 4.10's spec stage 3+ clutch, strange axles, all on a stock block....
2 weeks ago he decided he wanted to put on the HP performance TT kit he had for the car. We knew that would be the end of the block, but wanted to see just how much/long it would go.
Twin 50mm turbos with 60 pound ijectors and a boost controller set to 13 PSI mad 580hp/604TQ at the wheels. He set it back @ 8 PSI which made just under 500 hp the tires...
Got it home and drove it 2 nights with no problems. Took it out last sunday and eased it into 4th @ around 50 MPH.....
[SIZE="7"]KABOOM! LOL![/SIZE]:hick:
He's found a low mileage Cobra shortblock block for $800 to swap in and put all the other goodies on. We'll be doing that the weekend after Carlisle.
She's done!
:evilgrin:
[SIZE="1"]Pics later......[/SIZE]
Yey. Good to here.
Well that only took 2 months ;)
Sometimes it takes time, been there.
I know I'm just messing with him ;)
Yeah, With the car not in my driveway, I wasn't too ambitious....
Due to that I have 2 dents to pull.....Very minor, but still......
On top of the trunk and another on the hood. No paint damage. Can't see them from 10 feet. It looks as if someone may have actually stepped on the trunk....
any pics man. i wanna see it done.
Not yet, Jon. I'll take some tomorrow after a bout with the dent puller and some elbow grease to clean her up.
how do you like the cam?
My first impressions are positive. It was a bad day to test it warm, humid and a horrid DA, but it hits hard in the midrange and up high. Off idle feels the same. I have to do some fine tuning, but it's good so far. I'm seeing 14" of vacuum in park @ 900 RPM on my vacuum gauge which reads less than zero when off so that's a good sign. Highway mileage seemed better according to the tripminder.
Things I have to do:
-Reset base idle/TPS. It's set,but I didn't check the voltage. I have a feeling it's out of whack due to the car not wanting to stay running at idle on a hot start. I have to give it some gas or throw it in drive after starting it before it goes from startup to normal idle or it will stall.
-Clean the valve covers I'm amazed at how dirty they got from rain water. It's almost like a calcium deposit. It's gonna take the buffer to get it off in a couple of spots.
-Change the oil & filter I put Shell Rotella 15w40 in for a break in. We put a fram filter on. Iv'e discovered my car DOES NOT LIKE this combo. Rotella gets water thin quickly and the drainback valve in Fram filters makes your oil pressure ever so slightly less than with a better filter. I've had an interesting anomoly with my oil pressure warning chime since I've had the car. Most go off and ring @ 7 PSI.....Mine does it at 20. I've verified this time and time again. The cam lube didn't help any as it's thin to begin with as well and I used ALOT.
Time for a mobil one filter and the 15w50 I run this time of year...
I'm going to try 10w50 this winter or if I can find it 5w50. I know Mobil and Castrol used to make it. 60 miles is enough on the break in oil. I'm sure there's a bit of tranny fluid residue leftover in it from the flushout as well.
15W50? Really? I run Mobil 1 10W30 and have fine oil pressure. Why such a heavy weight oil?
Motor is a rebuild with larger clearances. I can run 10w40 in the winter, but this time of year I need something a little thicker...at least to keep the chime from screaming @ idle anyway...In the summer I get 17 PSI @ hot idle and the chime rings.
I can beat on the 15-50 all day long too. The majority of the problem is the oil filter. Can you say 4 PSI @ idle from a different filter? I've seen it going from a Fram to a Bosch.
Glad it's running again...
But I have to ask, is/was the swap worth all that hassle??? For myself, I know the the answer is a definite no...
That remains to be seen....
Oil change complete. I was surprised at the amount of trans fluid left over....I flushed it twice already. Beeping stopped. Figured out the hot start issue.
Of course I get it running right and it starts to rain....24 days in June 22 with tons of rain......
This is looking to be the worst summer in over a century up here.....
My pool temp was in the mid 80's by this point last year. It's currently 68*
FAIL.
When my engine was rebuilt it was rebuilt to factory clearance specs (for good or bad) so I run 10W30 in it. I know FRAM filters suck (why would you run one ;)) but have you tried running a Motorcraft FL-1A? I always run those on my T-bird.
Oh rain and cold temps......how I hate thee. We've had the same problem here. It's been rainy and cold till about 6 days ago. Since then it's been in the 90* range with a couple of pop up thunderstorms. Worst summer evar :hick:
After reading numerous tests, I feel the Mobil one and Bosch filters are actually a better filter now. The Motorcraft filter was redesigned sometime in 2007. While it's still an excellent product, the supplier ( Purolator) has cut back a wee bit.
Here's a very comprehensive oil filter study. http://www.knizefamily.net/minimopar/oilfilters/reference.html
And yes. This motor was clearanced a bit on the loose side ;)
I'll be sticking with Motorcrafts for a while. I still have 4 of them from about 3 years ago sitting in the garage from when I bought a case (12) of them;)
Just currious but why was your engine clearanced on the loose side? Was there a performance advantage to it? Just wondering.
Many built motors go loose. In 2001, the plan was to use forced induction. To be honest I'm happy I didn't go that route with this car.
Paul, any pics yet? How does she run? It better go low 12s. lol
Glad to hear she's going again Paul..................now we need some pics and a verdict !!!!!!!!
I think video would be in order for this swap
I can do that. Gotta go into work tonight and I wanna clean it and pull the dents first, so figure --- Saturday?
Oh ok the engine was originally supposed to get a blower. That blower ended up on the Mustang ;) It's never too late to supercharge the Cougar.....
I don't feel like paying for a Lenco yet. ;)
Teaser.....
(http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk191/V8Demon/Mustang/Engine_87.jpg)
Pfffft....showoff. Vid or never happened! lol
I just had to do it:mullet:
Take note of the valve covers -- specifically their height, and notice that the intake actually clears them.... ;)
Seems I'm gonna need some help with my 2 dings. They defeated my suction cups. There are paintless dent removal guys that make house calls.
On a side note, I'm grabbing a batch of urethane paint tomorrow for my next project.....
:evilgrin:
Those PDR guys are real good, but expect to pay them well.
Should run me about $150 or so....
It's nice money for a few min of work. But it saves hundreds in the long run
How is your distributer boot so black? ;) Did you paint it?
I did a dodge and burn on the jpeg but my boot IS blacker than most I see.....
Junkyard special -- $5. ;)
According to my timing light, idle in park is 920-ish, 780 or so in drive.....The rev up is to 3500 RPM.
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhouoYcsDJI
Sounds awesome paul. Whats your exhaust setup?
Mac equal length shorties & H-pipe, Borla XR1 lers dumped before the rear axle. 2.5" pipe.
I should add -- that was a dead cold startup.
That's a nice cold start, That improved on mine to. the e-cam I had would never idle on it's own when it was cold. did you make it idle that high?. I'm right at 800rpm it was set that way for the E-cam, I want to try and lower it . Good job sounds good.
Yeah I put the idle there. MY issue was actually a hot start. It will stay running, but will hunt if I go too much lower. I could probably drop it 50 RPM....
It's louder than mine ;) It sounds good :D
Oil cooler on order from Summit. Should be here Friday. Dent removal guy comes tomorrow. I pick up paint/primer and accessories on Monday and some fun begins next weekend if all goes well :evilgrin:
You're painting the car Barney purple right? ;)