Zach, what are your plans for your truck? I've caught bits,a nd pieces from some of your threads, sounds like your up to something. It's really not any of my business, I just wondered what your plans were.

 

Well...modding to a point. On a high school budget lol.

Actually at the moment I'm saving every dollar I get through work during the school year and this summer. First on the list is new shocks (God knows I need them). Going to pick up a rebuilt transmission at some point. Depending on my monetary status I'll either be getting a 302/new tranny, or a new tranny for the 4.0L, camshaft, any other miscellaneous performance mods I can afford, etc.

The transmission 2nd gear downshift synchro was pretty worn out when I got it, first gear is all but gone (feels unsynchronized), so I figure I'll get a rebuilt just to fix everything at once. Do the slave cylinder, clutch, throwout, all that while I'm in there. Rear main seal, just for kicks.

I'm lookin' at a toolbox right now, no paticular reason really. Just need storage space not available in the truck. One of the ones that sits below the bed top, I'm not removing my chrome rails on both sides.

I'm mainly lookin' at a cam, headers, and intake now. Also wanting to paint some more stuff under the hood or get some chrome accessories for the engine.

I'm keeping the outside of the truck lookin' mostly stock, except the exhaust, badges, lights, stuff like that. I want it to look fairly normal. I get a lot of comments on the good looks. I just want it to have some more giddy-up to match the looks. I'll need to regear it this summer as well...not looking forward to that. Anyone wanna drive to Texas and help out? lol.

I'm not sure what order to go from here, suggestions?

RP
Zach

 

I've also heard that the Hurst shifters are fairly loud. Other than those two issues, it should be great.

 

Yeah...I've heard of all kinds of ways to insulate them. Rubber, dynamat, other random redneck ways as well. I think I'll try the rubber, as that's what people seem to think is making the biggest difference. I'll let you guys know if I use anything else and how well it works.

RP
Zach

 

If you end up keeping your 4.0, and you go with a cam, you'll need a chip for sure, but also with a cam and headers, you may want to port, and polish the heads, maybe shave them a hair to raise compresion a little bit, then a slightly larger tb, and injecters. You'll need a custom tune for those mods, so I wouldn't buy a chip until you have decided exactly what mods your going to do, a 302 may end up being cheaper, but don't know for sure. Just take your time, and plan it out, check pricing, and such, educate yourself as much as you can, on the direction you want to go, 302, or 4.0, as I know you do. The most impotant thing is to enjoy your truck, even if you never get anything done to it, dreaming is part of the fun.

 

Everything makes sense...except one thing you said wendell.

How does shaving the heads raise compression? I would think by shaving them slightly=less surface area=more volume in cylinder=lower compression?

Educate me.

RP
Zach

 

I'm not an expert on the ole 4.0, but back in the day, the two methods for rasing comp, was to shave the heads, or domed pistons. My experience with the 4.0 is been with bolt ons, but a local speed shop should be able to point you in the right direction on what would work best for your motor, but your theory sounds right to me, your a pretty smart young man!

 

I'll have to look into that...seems weird to me, but something to look into either way. Thanks wendell.

RP
Zach

 

Guys...tell me this ISN'T an EGR. PLEASE tell me I don't have a California POS...

'94...



It won't let me make a new post for some reason...

RP
Zach

 

Shaving the cylinder head or the block for that matter makes the combustion chaber smaller.. since the stroke and bore are staying the same size the piston is still displacing the same amount... Well if you take a gallon of water and put it into a 2 gallon bucket (un shaved head) theres alot of room, and therefore low compression. BUT! If you take the same gallon of water and put it into a half gallon buket (shaved head smaller combustion chamber) your gunna have to push really hard ,more compression to get it to fit. Now although that is a good visual you cannot compress a liquid so it wouldent work, but air does compress thats how a supercharger works, but thats a different story.....

Also thinner head gaskets, bigger pistons (meaning dommed and larger girth or cylinder bore) and more stroke will also raise your compression.

 

im sorry... no thats not an EGR its a thermostatic air clean ( if they still call them that) it takes warm air in when the engine is cold to warm the engine faster and get into open loope for better emissions. if you have an EGR it probably will be on the driver side.

 

It reduces the volume of the combusion chamber. Of course piston to valve clearance needs to be checked if you start taking alot off of the head or block surfaces. Usually taking off a couple of thousandths just to clean up the sealing surfaces isn't enough to change the C/R much.

As far as the Hurst shifter is concerned, it gets rid of the sloppy plastic bushings in the stock shifter assembly. Ford has very seldom installed a manual transmission shifter that has a good shift feel and gives nice precise shifts due to their overzealousness of reducing NVH. I'll glady trade a little vibration for something that keeps you from grinding the synchros all the time and will last as long as the truck does.

 

Zach, there is where you went wrong.

less surface area=less volume in cylinder head combustion chanber

 

I was looking at it the wrong way, shaving the inside of the head to make MORE of a depression, rather than shaving area off to bring it all closer together. Thank you ALL for educating me on that.
Anyways, glad to know I don't have an EGR...so what does this do for me, what does it impair if anything, and can I remove it if I get an intake? What about the little hose on the other side, not sure where it goes, looks like a vacuum hose?

RP
Zach

 

Thanks Bob, and, 06fx4 for the clarification, I'm pretty good at what works, but not allways so good at how it works, I knew, I just had to think about it for a little while. It's been a while since I've had to deal with internals, or heads and such. With these new computer controled cars, I don't know what you can get away with, before setting off a cell. With my focus, I'm going to have to dig into the engine to get any real power, even if I go turbo, it still needs some internal upgrades to handle the boost. Zach, and I both thank you, I can't speak for him, but I'm sure he does, you guys are handy to have around.