Ok so I almost have everything now for my 390 build and all oil mods are done but I got a question on this one I see in my Ford Performance build book. Is this a regular oil mod...never heard of this one from you guys or anyone else I don't think.

 

sorry for bad pic...camera phone

 

They claim there is a restricrion "cast" into the main oil gallery in the block. How the hell do you cast in a restriction, when all the oil passages are drilled?

 

I know I was kinda confused at this one

 

73, it is there and you can fix it. I don't know if 'cast in' is the best description, but here goes. There was a time when the FE was newer and sometimes the lifters 'ticked'. Apparently, Hank2 was really freaked out that the engines in the thunderbird did this sometimes, as he was trying to sell them as a 'performance luxury' car or some such nonsense and wanted the lifters silent. The restriction was added to the casting and the drilling procedures were changed to leave more iron in one of the passageways- and now we have more pressure at the lifters. We also have less pressure and volume of oil at the #5 main and #8 rod. Ever wonder why these rods and mains are more likely to have trouble than others on the FE ? They are also last on the oil supply. So now you know. Well, what to do about it ? Your picure dosn't really show where we need to look. On most of the FEs I have done, you'll need the block on the bench or on the floor, and look in the intake valley. There was a plug at the top a an oil galley that went straight down. It is almost all the way to the rear of the valley. If you look down that galley you'll see where it starts at about 3/8ths but there is a spot where the passage is only drilled out to about an eightth of an inch. Thats your 'cast in' restriction. Takes you about 30 seconds to fix. At the shop I'm with, every FE gets this checked, and if it is not full size, it gets drilled. We also put the M57HV in them. Supposedly, there were some blocks ( earlier ones ? ) that had the restriction in the end of main galley, like your photo implies. I haven't seen any built that way, but it would be prudent to look in that gallery with the plugs removed and check it out. We have yet to have an FE fail. The FE requires some attention to details, but it is very sturdy. Did you drill a hole in the plug behind the dizzy to oil its gear ? Lots of guys miss that one. Every brand has its own oddities that have to be taken care of. We have a dodge guy that does all of the oil work on the pentastar engines and another guy who checks over the chevys......I think they are just making sure the details are taken care of on thier brands as I do on the FE. DinosaurFan, on work's old 'puter

 

So it sounds like instead of just drilling the gallery full size, they drill part way with the full size bit and then used the small drill to finish. Not a truely cast restriction but one done by choice of drills during machining. Never lost a bearing except when an oil pump shaft failed, but I didn't do the block prep either. That was street or racing, but I did always request screw-in plugs rather the press-in ones.