Portland. I've also heard there are good shops in Idaho... was even given the name of a couple by people here who take their blocks out there to get done up.

 

 

You being a tease now?

Lol

That surface finish almost look too smooth. What's left to be done?

 

It's actually just right:


Only real things left to do is get one cylinder checked out (few rust spots have developed) and buy a camshaft.

 

Oh my god an update! Should have a new flange welded on the pan by next week.

I also finally ordered the cam.

 

Dude. Is that device finding the flatness of the cylinder head by measuring variation of the magnetic response from the surface? Is the "Eval Length" depth or width of scan?

I've measured metal many ways but never flatness, other than with a straight edge.

 

It's a profilometer for measuring surface finish/roughness. I'm not sure a device exists like you're describing; closest would be a Talyvel which is like a super precision pendulum for sensing tilt.

 

The flatness of reflective surfaces, such as the machined head shown, can be measured in wavelengths of light, down to a resolution of just 1/3rd of a micron.

 

My guess is "Eval length", which shows .030, is the length of the stroke of the probe.

 

Cut out and repurposed the weld in dipstick adapter. Flange is 1/4 thick flat bar. Five pieces welded together.






The oil pickup was huge pain. It needs to clear the top of the bed plate nuts (which have absurdly tall washers under them) while also not touching the windage tray in the stock oil pan, all the while having a similar internal cross sectional area as the stock tube so that flow isn't restricted. Ended up buying some round tube, pressed it about half an inch tall in the h-frame press (I did it in stages between the press plates hence why it's not entirely uniform). Then bent/hammer formed the front side, which connects to rectangular tube which itself connects to the stock tube flange that bolts to the front cover. The rear of the tube is the stock foot with some bridging to help it connect to the flattened tube without causing a restriction.

Overall took several weeks to conceptualize and fabricate and was a constant frustration. That being said my total cost for materials and welding was around 200 which is quite a bit cheaper vs the ~1700 it costs for a hypermax pan and pickup (worth noting their pan doesn't have a windage tray which seems like a weird omission).

 

I would try and fashion a support for that pickup area that is hanging nearly a foot out into space.

 

If I were going through all of that trouble like you are, I would definitely have that engine as my headstone. I just hope the vehicle surrounding the engine you are building will last as long as you hope it does.

 

Newer trucks are so incredibly ugly and communicate a pathetic "I'm afraid of everything outside the window" with their engorged aggro stylings. That and all the smart crap in newer vehicles are just a couple reasons why I'll be holding on to this thing for as long as I can.

 

That, and half your 401K is already invested in rebuilding the thing. You have no choice but to hold on to it.

If when it finally gets finished: Send it straight to Sotheby's.

It will be the most exclusive, exquisitely built examples of the 7.3L PSD in existence in the entire world.

Make your money back, and then some, beating the DJIA for the same number of years (decades?) of invested principle, and then splurge on an engorged aggro styled Stryker.

(Fancy hospital bed.)



All teasing aside, the community at FTE has been fortunate to have been given a bird's eye view of your build journey, where you have brought an attention to detail uncontemplated by many, and only attempted by few.

 

I can trade a 2000 PSD for this? Sign me up.