The mystery deepens and there's been another twist in the plot.It's got a 10-10 reground crank! So much for the myth of a new motor from Ford. My Dad and the original owner were drinkin' buddies. No doubt something got lost in translation ....

Of more interest, where Boss said to look, I'm seeing what I believe is an Oct 71 date on the bearings.



So that would be the last time it was assembled and I can't imagine Ford ever used re-ground cranks, so it didn't happen in Dearborn.

Plastigage says my front main and the 1st 2 rods have .003 clearance. Unless there's some known location for excessive wear I'm gonna call that good and leave the rest of the crank unmolested.

I know Pinto motors, unlike FE's, have the thrust bearing at the rear which does lead to more wear up front. I had a #1 rod get so loose the zero deck piston started slapping the head! But it didn't break.

 

I'm still waffling on whether to pull the heads. Nothing less than 120 on a compression test and if it ain't broke ..... There's also the idea that while I'm not in over my head with this FE, sometimes I feel like the only thing above water is my nose!

My original intent was to just clean, seal, and paint the motor because it was so obviously easy to do with the front clip off, but while it's out an inspection lap is a good thing ... and I found this today.



I have to say I was surprised, (shocked!), to see a plastic coated aluminum timing gear, and now I know where that ground up plastic I found in the pan came from.

 

You know that you are fixin to go down a path paved with dollar bills.

 

Paved with C-notes these days

 

Seen timing jump a gear when loose and bend pushrods and have seen oil pump screen clog up with plastic when that happens.

 

It’s hard to imagine who the hell thought that was a good idea!

 

there were reman shortblocks back then just like there is today. Looks to me the original 1967 engine was reman around date code on bearings. That’s why i suggested to look. No surprise on the nylon timing gear.

if you have cylinders down to 120 psi the engine is tired. It will most likely have broken rings and or broken piston skirts. 120 psi absolutely no way would i use it like it is. A 8.00 comp engine should be 145-150 psi. 9.5 as that one most likely is should be 170+.
do it now or do it later.
check piston deck height at TDC.
minimum rings stuck to pistons and have lost all tension. At minimum needs rings an hone, oil pump, how do bearings look?

 

I believe the Ford Service Manual says 115 minimum and it's been my experience that anything over 100 will start and move the vehicle down the road, but yeah, it's worn. It hasn't been rebuilt in 50 years! Might have 100K on it.

Another thing to consider is I'm 70 years old. With a new timing set that worn motor will probably last the rest of my life.

I'm just glad I found that gear. Over the last 25 years I've only put a little over 40K on it, but it has never once left me on the side of the road. It's needed 2 pump diaphragms, a belt, and one battery. That's it. My Dad put the battery in it in 1990, I got the receipt, and I didn't replace that until 2017 when I got tired of jumping it! When warm all the truck needs is a bump to start. A surface charge will do that .... A little downhill and a pop in 2nd works too.

BUT, rings and bearings aren't expensive. There are young men in the hood that are more than willing to help me lift and reset the crank. I'll have to blow the cobwebs off my ball hone ... and here I go over the fence again.

 

If it's running good enough to suit you. Fix what you know is wrong and put it back in. Odds are 50-50 that your crank will not be smooth enough to accept new bearings after all those years on the road. If you are going to put a new rear seal in. While you have that cap off, take a real copper penny and rub it across the journal if it leaves a streak of copper, it is too rough to run with a new bearing.

 

Not only is my supposed 352 crate motor a rebuilt 390, it came out of a car! The pistons reach all the way to the top of the bores. Also bored .040 over which means I've been driving a 403 inch 2bbl all this time. Who knew?

But all's not well in my little corner of the FE world. As I was fumbling and stumbling my way thru disassembly I dropped the last piston and broke off a piece of the skirt. Oh well. Keith Black makes a line of replacement pistons called Silvolite that are hypereutectic, well reviewed, and reasonably priced, so I bought a set that includes Mahle rings for $180.

The surprise came when I opened the box and found flat tops! I knew I wasn't getting truck pistons and ya can't tell by the online pics, but flat tops they are. Got valve reliefs but no dish. I believe that'll take my compression to 10:1 and I wasn't planning on building a hot rod! Are 4 barrels and headers next?

The crank's out for micropolishing courtesy of a friend. And here we go .... It's gonna be fast and loose!! And now I realize I'd better use some ARP rod bolts. One more out of control project ......

Which leads me to bearings and I'm liking the bi-metals. The car companies all switched in the 90's. The science of metallurgy moves on ...

Rock Auto sells Enginetech rod bearings for $12.84 a set and that just makes me nervous. Good reviews tho

King has an Si line with a higher silicon content than their bottom of the line AM bearing, but I'm starting to think they don't support FE's. I can't find any.

So I'm up in the air. Any suggestions?

 

I wouldn't bother with the ARP rod bolts, if you do that you will have to have the rods resized. A new set of rod nuts would be a good idea.
If you have the bushed rods you need to have that checked if it has a lot of miles, the bushings may need replaced.
After you get the crank polished and measured, so you know which size bearings you need, get on e-bay there are always good NOS sets of tri-metal bearings for half what the parts house gets for them.
As far as static compression that can only be determined by some careful measuring, chamber volume, deck clearance, head gasket thickness etc. It likely won't be as high as you think. Ford was famous for fudging their compression numbers. Then just pick a cam that keeps your dynamic compression around 7.5-1 and you will be fine.