This is what I'm debating about but haven't decided on (nothing is taken apart yet, I'm intending it to be a summer project). I wanna post/ask some stuff on the 335 forum but maybe I'll begin here.

1981 F350 400 4x4 T18 4.10 31" tires Holley 4412 2V headers true duals. No idea of true mileage, odo reads 94k but the title says 0 so I have no idea if the odo has rolled over perhaps N number of times + the PO had it only for a year or so (bought it from his boss, it spent its life as a Farm Truck in Ft. Lupton) and didn't know much about it. All the emissions controls have been removed/disabled, it passes the sniff test using VERY fine tweaking of the carb + creating an intentional vacuum leak. (This is a different story, maybe I'll explain more later.)

This thing has allegedly been rebuilt once supposedly by a reputable shop in Denver but that was two owners + an unknown number of miles ago. Oil (20W50) pressure is approx 35 at hot idle, approx 60-65 when moving. Vacuum is 16 in & steady. All cylinders have 140-150 psi compression EXCEPT FOR #1 which has 130 BUT it goes up the same 10-15 lbs. after adding oil that the others do.

This project began as installing a 4V carb - 670CFM Holley Truck Avenger, Eddy Performer 400 EGR manifold; these are parts that I acquired over the past year. Last Fall it began blowing blue smoke for a few minutes on startup, I don't like that. When I replaced the clutch & installed headers last Fall I found a LOT more black gunk in the #4 exhaust port than any others + the #4 plug had a lot of black buildup on it. I'm not sure if it's oil or gas or what, it could very well be from an ignition problem to that cylinder.

So, taking the heads off and having them redone (assuming valve guide seal problem here, perhaps the guides themselves) isn't *that much* more work once the intake manifold is off.

When the crankcase filled with gasoline last Winter (https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...ml#post5749513) I took the opportunity to stick my finger in the hole in the timing chain cover and found that I need a timing chain pretty badly, it felt like there was at least 3/4 of an inch of slop there (which makes me wonder how many miles have been put on the thing since it was last rebuilt).

So, now the top AND the front have to come off. After last Winter's episode, it's kinda lookin' like an oil pan gasket is now in order, too. Which is a great time to replace the rear main seal. At which point it's probably easiest to just take the engine out and take it apart all over the garage floor. Which is a great time to replace the input & output shaft seals on the tranny, I guess.

I put less than 1,000 miles per year on the thing and use it mostly for hauling trailers full of firewood in the winter; mostly along the front range area but I sometimes cut & haul back to Denver the black stuff from the Hayman burn area up near Conifer.

What I'm really hoping for is to not have to do anything to the bottom end, mostly because I'm afraid of the expense + it's probably already been bored once and .060 over is too much for this engine IMHO. Since it needs a timing chain, this might be a great time to install one at 0deg offset (instead of 4deg retarded) and, ideally, a new cam. Since I'm doing the heads, the lifters & springs & whatnot would be part of it. I'm kinda looking forward to doing it myself so I can learn something about it; my father used to build stock car engines in the 60s & 70s and he knows a fair amount of this stuff and will help but I've never done it (although I just recently got a copy of the Tom Monroe book + my brother is pretty good at this stuff).

The first questions are:

• Will it pass emissions with a 0deg offset chain + maybe a 255DEH?

• My engine may already have something non-stock seeing as how it was already rebuilt once, there's probably no way to see what cam I have than to take it out and measure it, correct? My understanding is that I shouldn't replace a cam without also replacing its bearings.

If I remove & disassemble the engine I can at least see what it is I've got by taking various measurements here & there, I guess. But I don't want to perform work/spend money that isn't needed. I'm not interested in a Bandimere top-10 contender, it's an ugly, rusty, work truck (crappy cellphone pix in my gallery) that I want to haul a few thousand pounds of firewood + get me out & around when we have waist-high snow (which is actually quite fun . Bodywork I guess will have to come next year; I have a front clip + doors from an 82 F250, need floor pans + rocker panels + a bed.

So, whatya think? I don't dare try and post all that at once to the 335 forum, it's too long and nobody would read it (much less answer).

-chris

P.S. Thanks for the recommendations for the shop on Federal!!!