Well, its come down to mock assembling the 347 this weekend, and I've got a few questions about how to check for the correct push rod length. First off, I've got an adjustable pushrod checker (don't remember the size, but it was one that was suggested), but will I need one or two? I've got an engine assembly video from boxwrench, and its a real help. It says that when you test fit the engine componenets, you should install the valvetrain for at least one cylinder. My main questions are these;

1) Can I check the length for each pushrod one at a time, or will one pushrod length work for both intake and exhaust?

2) While length checking, the head gaskets won't be fully torqued. how will this effect the length of the pushrods when it comes to final assembly of the motor?

I hope someone can help me out on this one, because I am just not sure

 

How much money are you putting into this engine? What are you doing about the heads? Are you just putting completely stock heads on this engine? If so, that's not a good recipe for a powerful engine.

The stock Ford heads are not very good. The wisest thing to do is get aftermarket heads, they already have larger valves, better flowing ports, and the valvetrain is adjustable, so you do not have to worry about the pushrod length.

If you check around, you can get the stock heads modified to make them adjustable, but it's usually very expensive labor wise, and gets real close to the cast iron aftermarket head cost.

You are going to probably need some sort of adjustable valvetrain, especially if you run a non-stock camshaft.

 

Sorry Franklin, I should've made mention that I'm running Twisted Wedge 170 aluminum heads, fully assembled already.

 

So, they have a fully adjustable valvetrain correct? So you set it up just like a chevy with lots of adjustment. If everything is fairly normal, it should work out fine. The only reason you would want to mock it up is if you have a radical cam and the valves might hit the pistons, or the valve springs or the rockers may run out of travel and bind up. But it would have to be a all out racing cam(not good for the street) for that to happen.

Once you get the engine finally together, you just turn it around to #1 TDC, run the adjustment slowly down till there is just no play in the pushrods for the #1 cylinder, and then crank the nut down around 3/4 turn or so. You keep doing this for all the cylinders, turning the engine by hand 1/4 turn and going to the next cylinder in the firing order. That's it. See how easy the Chevy guys have it?

 

I would have to mock up the engine to determine which length pushrod to get right? I'm assuming that the stock pushrods wouldn't be something I would reuse

 

Do the heads have guide plates? If so, you will want to get hardened pushrods, since the stock pushrods will be rubbing against the guide plates, and will cause metal shavings to get into the engine. I would get with the head manufacturer and see what they say. Most manufacturers have good websites with manuals and recommendations on the site.

 

You can do you final assembly up to that point, torque down your heads.

What type of rockers are you going to use, pedestal (bolt down) or stud mount(guide plates) ? Then check the pushrod length. Twisted wedges use the same length for the exhaust and intake.

 

They are stud mount trickflow rockers with guide plates. I talked to a guy at summit and he said they will most likely use the stock lenth, possibly a size up or down. When I assemble the engine, I'll set up on stock length pushrods, and adjust from there. I will also call TFS on Monday and see what they say

 

If they are stud mounts you have it made. Be sure to install the guide plates before checking length. They will raise the stud up some. I think you should be able to go to the manufacturers web site and get a close enough length that will work. The way I adjusted mine right out of the gate was to tighten them down until I couldnt spin the pushrod while the valves were not under a load. Then a 1/4 turn from there. When I fired it up I could hear one or two ticking a little. I am going to put a couple hundred miles on it before I adjust them again. Hopefully that will get it though.

 

1/4 turn is not enough usually. It's usually 1/2 to 1 turn, depending on where you want your plungers in the lifters to run. With 1/4 turn, your lifters are not compressed very much, thus the little bit of ticking you have.

 

So do I still need to mock up a solid lifter when I do the measuring, or should I measure it with the lifters I got with the cam kit?

One more question. I've got comp cams engine assembly lube, but it seems pretty heavy. It is a white lithium based lube for every component, but from what I've seen in videos, they all use a very thin redish oil. Should my stuff work ok?

 

You can unless you have your hydraulic lifters pumped up well. Then you have to hit it right the first time or they will decompress if the motor is turned over more than about twice.
Go with what Franklin is suggesting. I have only built one motor and it hasnt been in action long enough to prove anything about my engine building skills.

The white stuff is probably similair to the lubriplate assembly lube its good stuff. Some cam companies suggest you use their lube on the camshaft. I think anything resembling assembly lube would be sufficient. I used some assembly lube that looked and smelled just like all purpose grease. It was what every parts store had on the shelf. I used some STP also on some of it. I hear a lot of people swear by the STP.

Be sure to clear the inside of the pushrods before assembling them. I put in a couple before I noticed some of them were clogged or had something in them. Then I had to remove the ones I had already installed to be 100% sure they were alright.

My first motor building experience was like motor building sex. A lot of in and out. I had to redo a few things b/c I wasnt sure about what I was doing. I did have the benefit of having a neighbor that has been a mechanic for 25 yrs. He would pop by every so often just to tell me to take something back apart again.

 

What do you mean by being "pumped up well"?

 

No matter how adjustable your set-up is you still have to measure to get correct push-rod length to obtain proper geometry. You really need to use solid lifters for this with adjustable push-rods. Intake and exhaust may need different lengths.

 

Any chance you called Trick Flow and asked them? Ah, I see post 8. The heads didn't come with anything saying what to use?

On a stock rebuild, 3/4 turn after is the norm for hydraulics AFAIK.

This link is very good info on valvetrain geometry