Thanks to everyone who has helped me along the way to my first off frame resoration..in fact my only restoration!

So now that I have all the sheet metal removed, repaired, primed and ready for paint, the chassis cleaned and painted..wife reupholstered bench seat, and interior as needed, new brakes, wheel and master brake cylinders, shocks, brake lines, rear end inspected, cleaned and ready to go, transmission awaiting some advice from Van Pelt as some here have suggested and the steering gear rebuilt..pheww! (Found a nice guy in CA who had a sector shaft for me)

I've got the intake manifold and heads and water pumps in my cleaning bucket soaking and degreasing..ordered new carb. So having said all this and not necessarily in the order I described, do I remove the cylinders from the camshaft and out of the block? Followed by removing the camshaft followed by removing the intake and exhaust valve assemblies?? What parts (other than those worn or damaged) should be replaced consistent with routine maintenance like removing crud, rust etc. from engine block etc.
I would appreciate some thoughts..shop manual doesn't give any order of these sort of things.

 

What are your goals for the engine? How did it run before teardown? It appears pretty darn clean inside, so I'd assume it has been rebuilt before. If you clean off the top of a piston, do you see an oversize stamped into it?

Order of disassembly is:
-- remove ridge on cylinders
-- remove oil pan and oil pump
-- remove piston/connecting rod assemblies
-- remove main bearing caps
-- remove crankshaft
-- remove valve assemblies
-- remove lifters
-- remove timing cover
-- remove camshaft

Your engine stand doesn't look real sturdy, be careful when flipping the engine over!
--

 

Thanks ALBUQ..I don't know if engine was rebuilt before so I'll take your word for it .I want to keep engine stock with any necessary parts replacement consistent with routine maintenance while I have the engine apart..I have all 8 pistons out..they look identical. The oil pan is dropped and I'm ready to pull camshaft..after that intake and exhaust valve maintenance/replacement of parts ie: replace piston rings etc..clean crud from engine block..put back together.
I want engine clean and running at normal temperatures and normal oil pressure.

 

Not sure what you mean by pistons having oversized stamped on it..right now they are covered with black carbon but I'll check.

 

On an oversized piston which you need after boring the cylinder they often(always?) stamp the size on the top of the piston, you will need to know this size before ordering new rings. The bearings will also be marked on the backside with the size.

You could also measure the bore diameter to determine piston size.

 

Best prices that we use is 'Cleggs Machine' search them, all USA products.
example all gaskets, set of pistons & rings rod & mains melling oil pump
cam bearings all for around $850. Then valve stuff local Napa.
Go the extra mile and weigh all pistons and rods check crank balance and
balance complete flywheel with pressure plate & disk. Easy tip, first thing
install cam bearings then cam do all the valves then adjust valve lash with only
the cam gear to turn by hand because with no crank you can see the heal of
the cam. Maybe over kill but we have an adaptor to spin the cam with a drill
then recheck valve lash as though the engine is running I guarantee it will be
whisper quiet and smooth as silk. thats what we want....

 

Wow..unknown territory for me..weigh pistons? Check balancing?? I've got a lot of research and reading to do but I'm determined to do this. BTW..why can't I retain pistons and just replace bearings and rings..wouldn't this save me from expertise needed to re-bore cylinders etc. Just a thought..trying to save $$
One thing for sure, I'm going to get this engine to run before reinstalling in case I screw somethings up. I'll keep you posted and will probably looking for help along the way.
Thanks to all of you.

 

The pistons show to be .040" O/S, but those marks next to the 40's are suspicious. Are the piston skirts knurled?

The manual tells you how to measure piston fit in the cylinders using a feeler gauge, if you don't have the tools to measure. If budget is that big a concern, then a hone and re-ring should do well. I'm not seeing anything to indicate the engine was in bad shape, what were the specific problems?

The crankshaft has sludge traps in the throws. To clean them you have to pull the plugs and thoroughly clean out the oil passages. The replace the plugs with new ones. It would be worth it in my opinion to take at least the block, crank, and heads to a shop to be vatted, measured, and checked for cracks.

What do the bearing shells say on the back side?

 

If you gonna get nuts on it i think it might be a good idea to put hardened valve seats in it . Ross didn't your's eat a seat on a long trip ? Mine in my 53 is a factory rebuild of a 52 block so i believe mine already has 'em ........

 

Good point, but I haven't heard what usage he intends for the truck. Prolonged running at highway speeds, you need hardened seats. If the engine is an original '49, it should already have them.

55F350, you can check yours thru the spark plug holes with a borescope, or if you have good eyes. I wouldn't assume a 52 would have them because it likely has rotators. Mine is an EAB block, so 52-53, and it didn't have them

 

No ross mine is a shortblock now but mine had the old style lifters and springs in it . the 52 block i have from the 52 customline and the 53 8ba in it had the rotators so i got 'em laying around but not using them .....

 

F1, you don't have the replace the pistons if they are within specifications and not cracked anywhere.

Ross says the manual describes how to check them with gauges so I would start there and wait to make sure you don't need to have it bored and go up a size before you start buying parts.

 

Those knurl-like marks on the piston tops make me think the pistons are something other than 40 over and were knurled to make them 40 over. Either that or they were 60 over and turned down to 40 over? I've never seen anything like that, it's very suspicious.

The method in the manual is honestly BS in my opinion. A machine shop can mike them in 10 minutes and give you much better information. In particular the manual's method doesn't tell you much about taper. I ran my engine with .010" taper for 7 years, and it ran well enough. A bore, new pistons and rings would run about $400. You also have the option to go back with 3-ring pistons, with less drag = "free" HP.

 

There are 5 Early Ford V8 clubs listed in Florida.
Early Ford V8 Regional Club List

Not all local machine shops or engine builders know flathead engines. Most clubs have local club members who have built engines. If you strike out with the EFV8 club try posting for help on the fordbarn.com. To find someone near you.
Always nice to have folks looking over your shoulder to guide you with a first time build. They will usu. be willing to loan you the specific tools to help you through this part of your restoration.
I just finished my rebuild and sought out a lot of help. Send me a pm and I will share some of the pitfalls and successes I made with Mater.

Your engine looks pretty fresh but as has been stated measuring your components is critical. Next is setting a goal that is within your budget.
Two thumbs up on balancing your rotating assembly. Ford did this but subsequent rebuilders would not have.....$$ well spent.

 

This is a very good idea.