Hi- my 1966 FE motor is finally about due for a rebuild. Does anyone have suggestions for a good San Diego area shop knowledgeable with FE motors?

I don't have space to pull the motor, so I have to deliver the entire truck to a shop. ImI willing to have the truck delivered in a fairly wide radour to get good work (like nearby Nevada or NorCal), but can't have the motor shipped separately.

Thanks for any suggestions. So far FE Specialties in Auburn (about 400 miles north) and the Mustang Shop (about 10 miles away) have been suggested.

 

Hang in there, it might be a few days before you get any answers.

 

Ask each shop how the rear plug for the cam is installed in the block. If they say open side out, find another shop. If they say, they need to check on it, find another shop.
Most shop employees were born after the last FE came from the factory. There should be a few good shops around Riverside, or Lancaster, but I have not been south of Sacramento in many many years, so I can't give you any current information on good FE shops in your area.

You could call Calvert Racing in Lancaster Ca. "They are a Ford suspension specialty shop" and ask them who they recommend for a FE build. They are good people and should know of the reputable shops in their area.
661-728-9600

I don't know anyone south of them.

 

X2 on FE Specialties.

Maxtor, that was pretty right on about the rear cam plug. Along with things like matching up oil passages between block and oil filter adapter, etc.

 

Thanks for the tips! I'll be use to use that litmus test about the can plug.

I have a few shops imI calling. FE Specialties quited about $5400 for a stock rebuild, and about $6500 for a rebuild and aluminum heads. They said that package would be good for about 420 "honest"hp. Thoughts on the pricing? Seemed a tad high but reasonable.

Most of the other FE spexspec shops are in the South or Midwest. And unfortunately I don't have the ability right now to remove and ship the motor.

 

It's amazing how prices have gone up in the last 60 years. I just had my 3 cylinder diesel tractor engine rebuilt and it cost 5k for it. 25k for our 511ci race engine. I see that Survival and KC are around 10k for a 400hp to 500 hp rebuild. Check around for prices, but it is more important to get a reputable FE shop to build it right the first time. You want a trouble free long lasting engine.
Now for a few extra dollars you can have one like ours.

 

I don't think that price is bad at all, seeing you have a knowledgeable FE builder AND,,, they are going to remove and replace the motor. Does that include removal and replace. Even if not, still think that's a good price.
Of course we all know the top guys East of Kali that live and breathe FE, but they are a long way off, and from what I understand are VERY besy.

Does the build also include a Dyno run and break in.

 

That price dd not include removal and replacement. They said R&R would run ~$1800 extra. While the rebuild cost seems fine, the R&R seems excessive.

I'll ask about break-in and tuning time.to see what is included.

 

I'm not from SoCal but I'll back up the shop investigating tests- go visit them and if they don't have any other FEs being built there, find another shop. Also, out of the box idea for your R&R problem- call around to your local high school auto shops to see if they would be willing to pull and replace it for you.

 

One other question to ask, the rear crank plug is a good one, but ask if they have torque plates for an FE. Don't let anyone do machine work on your engine if they don't have the torque plates to hone it. FEs have very thin walls and when you torque down the heads they distort the block, so you want the block distorted when it is honed so it will return to that shape (or close to it) when they assemble it.

 

That is interesting about the torque plate.

The FE builder in Arkansas (too far for me) charges extra for the build package that includes torque honing.
http://barnetthighperformance.com/390-428-fe-engine-rebuilding/

 

If you're willing to travel up to Oregon, have look at Gray's Racing Engines in McMinnville. www.graysengines.com

 

It is more complex to use torque plates, so being charged extra is not surprising. As per a posting on FEPower.net a sonic check is a good idea before you do any boring or honing. Post over there shows severe core shift with some wall thickness in the .03 range. YIKES!

 

Interesting. Please tell me why it is more 'complex' to bolt on a torque plate.

 

Because they haven't invented a self-installing one yet.