[eschaider]

Looking very nice Joe. Admittedly it is short time on the oil but it still tells a story.

The aluminum and iron content is the new motor break in story.

I particularily like the zinc and phosphorus numbers.



Ed

 

[jrgoffin]

I was pleased with the Zn & Ph as well, Ed. Heck, it could even be a decent oil to use full-time since my yearly oil changes typically don't accrue 1,000 miles. Even with the elevated levels in the "good" M1 oils, they are only advertised at 1000 and 1100 (Ph, and Zn, respectively). Then again, they are still better than any oil that falls under the newer API SN standard (the M1 HM oil is still an "SL", however). In any case, I'm still intending to use the 0W-40, and for anyone interested, the M1 Product Guide has some decent information.

 

[Helomech74]

Hard to beat Rotella for break in oil, nice and cheap and it does the job. I've used it for break in and regular usage for years with great success.

 

[jrgoffin]

It is good stuff - definitely glad Ed recommended it!

I still like having the higher zinc and phosphorus levels, even though most might say they are only necessary for flat tappet cams. Even better, the eight quarts I used came in at about $25 total. A great bang for the buck, for sure.

 

[jrgoffin]

I was hoping to report that the Vampire would be all up and running by now, accompanied by some photos of the wiring, but I've been laid up with Bronchitis all week and my motivation has been in the tank. But...

The temps are up about 70° today in these parts, so I mustered up enough strength for the maiden voyage. My plan was just to granny drive around the neighborhood, then maybe swing around on the main road and run back home (a couple miles or so), but it went so well that I ended up heading out for about 15 miles. As Ed had mentioned a while back, "It will probably drive like a brand new car", and that was absolutely the case - it couldn't have gone smoother.

I was somewhat of a wussy and stayed below 4,000 RPM's and out of boost this first drive, but it was still an absolute blast. This thing is going to be a beast for sure, and with a run through my local "test track" (the 2.5M airport perimeter road), the nimbleness with the 105# off the nose is definitely noticeable. Overall, I can't be more pleased with how this has all turned out. All the temps were stable, nothing is leaking, and the smoothness is almost scary. I did make a quick stop when I got off the "track", so I had to throw a picture out for good measure:

Also, I am going to love the DF clutch: it is smooth, seems to grip real well, and makes absolutely no noise. As I put the first few miles on, I could tell the pedal felt even lighter, and my initial observation about it needing half the grunt to push is probably in the ballpark. Definitely glad this was my choice. I probably could have gone out and really jumped on it right off the bat, but I'll be conservative and have the Vampire dialed in before I do that.

Additionally, I have yet to re-torque the head studs (again, not much motivation this week), although I could possibly say that the swap to the ARP2000 studs was sort of a re-torque on the gaskets. I'll be hearing about that, I'm sure!! At least for now, by keeping the RPM's down, everything has gone well. I'll try to crawl back under later to check for any leaks, but everything has been pretty dry so far. Looking forward to really finishing this right around the corner...

 

[eschaider]

... Additionally, I have yet to re-torque the head studs (again, not much motivation this week), although I could possibly say that the swap to the ARP2000 studs was sort of a re-torque on the gaskets. I'll be hearing about that, I'm sure!! ...

Grrrrr ...

 

[04DeadShort]

Lol Ed. Glad to hear things went perfect Joe.

 

[jrgoffin]

I knew that comment would hit Ed's radar screen in about two seconds!!

In my own defense, I've felt like crap all week and cashed in some sick time that will keep me home until 4/9 - hopefully I'll get at least one of the projects done.

Funny enough, I didn't think much about it, but grabbed a black t-shirt from my stack before getting ready to hit the road: turns out it was the one Gibtec sent me. I hope that won't mean I'll develop some weird ritual where that will have to be the one thing I wear when driving it now! Better call them and get a few more for sure...

 

[eschaider]

I think you are going to be just fine T-Shirt or not — although they do look good. BTW the car looks great!

Try not to get into boost, certainly until you are tuned and definitely retorque the heads before you get tuned.

For some reason I had forgot when the switchover to the 2000 studs from the 8740 studs occured. Did you do it before or after the first start? If it was after then you should be good to go. If it was before then you still have all the bull work in front of you. Definitely do it before you go to the dyno. If the tune is not a dyno based event then you have a little more wiggle room but I would still encourage the retorque before you make the engine grunt anywhere, especially on the rollers.

Congrats on a Most Excellent Adventure :beerchug:


Ed

 

[jrgoffin]

Thanks, Ed. It was definitely a blast to drive so far, even if I was taking it easy. Once I really open it up, I'll have to be cognizant of the extra weight off the nose since it definitely feels much different in the curves. Still, the fun factor will be taken to a whole new level.

I'll have a bit of wrenching to undertake since the 2000 studs did go in while the engine was on the stand. With the passenger side being the "easy" one, I'll get on that first and then take a breather before wrestling with the brake booster and all that. If I can motivate myself to schedule the dyno time, that would definitely get me moving, but I'll probably just play it safe and put a couple hundred easy miles on it before really getting on it

Of course, there is still the Vampire waiting for me as well...

 

[eschaider]

The incidentals on a project like this may seem like incidentals at the front end but by the time we get to them, they loom almost as big as the engine build. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact the 'incidentals' feel a lot more like work.


Ed

 

[408Stang]

I got mine running today too. Fired right up. No noise. Smooth as can be.

Letting it cool for retorquing the heads.

 

[jrgoffin]

Well, as much as I enjoyed building the engine and getting this point, it was time to step up and get started on the re-torque of the head studs. Today was the "easy" day, so I just went ahead and knocked out the passenger side first. I already know the driver's side is going to be a pain since the hydro-boost has to be wrestled out of the way, but this side, rather than being a cinch, could probably be considered just slightly less of a pain. Since you are closer to the strut tower, have the A/C lines in the way, and will need to disconnect the fuel rail on that side, it definitely wasn't a one-hour job. Oh well, at least it's one more big item off the list on the way towards the real end of all this.

On a good note, with an Eaton car, the T/B and plenum take one more headache out of the way by alleviating the need to yank the blower or somehow manage to get the rear-mounted plenum removed on a Whipple or KB equipped car. Just as an FYI, when I was building this up, I also replaced the evap hose on the back of the plenum (1/4" fuel line shown) since the factory two-piece connection rots out. It didn't take long to pull the fender liner and get to the cannister, and I'm sure the new hose will last forever now (plus, it's easier to deal with as one section). Anyway, ready to go, with the "secret" stubby 13mm wrench for the bottom left nut:

The small stuff from here is easy after removing the plenum: remove the COP cover and COP's, unclip the harness and lift it out of the way (getting at the RFI suppressor on the back of the head is kind of a pain as well), and disconnect the fuel line and the rail on that side. I had made sure there was no pressure in the line before, but a bit of fuel dribbled out. From here, I removed all the cam cover bolts in backward sequence:

I also packed some painters tape on the back of the cover since I knew it was going to get bashed against the heater core hose as it was wrestled out (kind of up, forward, up, forward). Sure enough, I did gouge it slightly, but since it's in the back, I suppose it won't be a big deal. Kind of a shame taking this stuff apart since it looks so nice, but might as well do it right! Everything underneath looks immaculate, as expected:

From here, just loosen each nut on the studs and then re-torque one at a time in the same sequence they went on. I printed out the page from the assembly manual with the torque sequence and just crossed each one off as it was done (again, back to 85 ft/lbs on all of them). Apparently I never attached this, but here it is now for anyone building an engine - makes a great checklist as when you are at this point:

Anyway, I spent a little over two hours in the garage, but I did gab with Ed for about 45 minutes, so that dragged it out for a bit (not in a bad way, of course!). Funny enough, when I told him what I was up to, the connection went silent for just a few seconds: almost thought he keeled over knowing I was getting to this finally!! Crisis averted.

Tomorrow I'll get the covers put back on and probably check each plug on that side while I'm there. I have been running these Denso IT-22's at 0.032" all along, but I may tighten them up to 0.030" to see if it makes any difference. With the bump in C/R, I'm sure that will be a good thing.

I'll also probably chase the threads on all the valve cover bolts and put new sealant under the head of each like they came from Ford, but that is nothing too challenging. The gasket is nice and slick from the Shell oil, and being anal, I'll probably pick up a new set and tack it on since it is kind of a pain handling when you have to jiggle the cover back in. The two dabs of silicone at the head and timing cover seam will also need to be cleaned, so it's just as well to start with a fresh gasket. This was already posted back on P.22, but here's the torque sequence again for the cover bolts since it's appropriate to reference again - another good checklist:

The other side will be following any day now, unless I get to the Vampire first before I dive it to yanking the brake booster out of the way next. More to come again shortly...

 

[jrgoffin]

I got mine running today too. Fired right up. No noise. Smooth as can be.

Letting it cool for retorquing the heads.

Nice!! Glad to hear another set of the Gibtec pistons are running smooth:beer:

 

[408Stang]

On the re-torque issue... Below picture is from Cometic's website. They say that their gaskets do NOT need to be re-torqued. I know this is debatable... I've re-torqued gaskets too... But I have to admit the gaskets I re-torqued were either fel-pros or solid copper with a wire lock ring.

With Cometic MLS I have not had to.
Let the debate commence.

 

[jrgoffin]

Coincidentally, the FelPro MLS gaskets also are listed as not needing to be re-torqued either. Considering some have not done it, and had issues, while others have taken the time for it and been fine, I figured it was an "easy" step that would erase any doubts. As meticulous as I was with this build, there's probably a good chance I could have blown this off (for lack of a better phrase), but there may have been some lingering un-ease every time I decide to mash the accelerator pedal. I'll sleep much easier now with this out of the way.

Besides, you-know-who would never have let me hear the end of it:bigwink:

 

[eschaider]

I have no idea who you could be speaking of, Joe. :no:

Very nice work on the retorque Joe and congratulations on the completion of your build project Mike. The large 0.004" PTW you guys used sounds big but really is not that much. As you both have experienced first hand, even at those clearances the pistons and engine are literally as quiet as an OEM piece.

BTW the reason for retorting on the gaskets is the block and head growth as the engine comes up to operating temps. Aluminum blocks and heads will grow much faster and more than the Steel head studs. The increased growth squashes the head gasket between them more than it was at original assembly. The new stack height for the individual MLS shim gaskets that make up a single MLS gasket is reduced from this squeeze and puts the head studs at a lower tension.

When you retorque the heads what you are actually doing is bringing the head down snugly against the new reduced stack height of the gaskets after the additional squeeze the block and heads gave to them. This procedure restores the original clamp loading of the gasket between the head and block, maintaining the intended sealing of the two. It is a real good practice on all aluminum engines with MLS gaskets not withstanding what the manufacturers may say about the need to retorque.

The retorqing is especially important on supercharged engines, particularly with PD blowers because of the unusually high cylinder pressures they can create at relatively low rpm and high boost.


Ed

 

[RussZTT]

And still recommended to torque them one at a time than to loosen all of them, correct Ed?

 

[jrgoffin]

And still recommended to torque them one at a time than to loosen all of them, correct Ed?

Exactly as in the diagram I posted up there, one at a time (essentially the same from the service manual), loosen then re-torque. If you start on the passenger side, it's even more of a no-brainer since you can begin at "#1" and cross them off as you go.

 

[eschaider]

Just like Joe said Russ.


Ed