Hello to all my new bullnose friends!

I've been lurking around this site for months now, but kept pretty quiet. Today I've decided to jump right in. I am in - for lack of better words - the "middle" of a build. It started in 2007... so I hope this isn't the true middle

Many reasons and circumstances for the long build time, but you all know this.

So I'll give some details. I originally inherited a 1981 F100 with 4.9L 300 inline 6. It had been a Michigan truck it's whole life and had the (lack) of body to prove it. I purchased a 1982 Ford F150 with a 302 that originated from Arkansas and hadn't seen a MI winter - for the body/frame.

Over the years, I've picked away at some things - the biggest accomplishment being that I was able to swap the 300six, along with a nice interior, over to the Arkansas body/frame.



I even took the time to grind down the frame and apply roll-on bedliner. But as many of you might expect, I'd go with something different next time (POR-15 or marine paint, maybe).



Roll-on bedliner on the floor of the cab. Actually, it's under the cab and on the firewall as well... I went a bit over-the-top.

Without getting into the details of the last 10 years... the truck has gone through spurts of work, but nothing really significant. I rebuild the carb. Tried my hand at a method of painting that I found on another forum - with pleasant results (I'm nowhere near finished, though).

The hood in the picture below was painted with a foam-roller, 1:1 Rustoleum and thinner, with a cap-full of hardner in there... wet sanded a LOT after every second coat, and a total of about 8 coats for good color coverage.



Anyways... this is what the truck has looked like for quite a while now. I still have the "bad" fenders, doors, and hood on the truck while I do the restoration of the "good" parts.



But --- the reason I am posting today is because I tore down the engine (completely) and I've handed the bare block, crankshaft, camshaft, and head to a machine shop that I was referred to by friend. I had a ton of blow-by, and cylinder #2 had half of the compression of the others. Turns out - I had busted rings and ring landings in that cylinder. All other cylinders looked "okay", although they all have a different story after I took bore measurements... egg-shaped... tapered... you name it.



Did I mention that I have never rebuilt a motor before? Anyway... I'm expecting to hear back from the shop this week on what the motor requires. My goal is to rebuild close to stock, nothing special. But I'll make improvements where it makes sense. I've been debating with myself for months on whether I would try to rebuild the NON-working emissions system on the truck. Most of the components are there, but not all. The ones that are missing or non-functioning are hard to find online. I can understand and appreciate arguments for both sides (removing vs. keeping). Hence, why I have been debating with myself about it...

I guess that is all for now. I have more pictures if anyone is interested in anything they saw above. I'll keep this thread updated as the engine rebuild progresses.

Thanks for having me!

-Adam

 

Wow, Adam, thanks for joining!

I noticed what looks like an Explorer hood ornament on the blue cab?

As for the emissions, what do the laws over there require? A 1981 doesn't have much but it has an EGR valve, I would remove it and tune the engine to accommodate that seeing as how you're already rebuilding it. Any engine is going to have egg-shaped, tapered bores, there's no way around it. I have zero knowledge on rebuilding the 6-banger but others here can help you with that I reckon.

I did the same as you when I first joined here, hung out for a few months and then finally created an account so I could start talking to people and answering questions when I could.

If you've been here a while, you should know about Gary's site where we're hoping to house all (at least most of) of the documentation, it's at ???Gary's Garagemahal - Bullnose Forum and is pretty much a brand-new site with very limited users, information & functionality for the time being, but give us some time, please.

 

Adam, Welcome to FTE.
Yea I hope you are not in the middle of that 7 year build!


That paint job came out nice and flat. I have seen other posts of that being done and on another forum someone did a full car. He did not put the time into the paint job like you but his looked good from 50 feet.


On the motor what you say it sounds like you need to bore the block & new pistons as a start but the shop will let you know.
Have you looked over https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum52/ to see what others have done to their 300 six.


When I replaced the floors, rockers, rear door posts and cab corners I also used roll on bed liner top & bottom.
I used Tractor Supply Store black paint for the frame & drive train other than motor (ford blue) and T18 trany (gray steel color).


If I am in the middle of my rebuild/restore I don't think it's that bad as come Dec. will be 2 years I am into this.
see link of my build in my sig it may give you a little push.
Dave ----


ps, what was wrong with the 302 motor and why not rebuild it?

 

I forgot about the emissions stuff, yea not much on my 81 when I get done.


I am also running EFI exh manifolds for better flow and the stock carb & intake.
Dave ----

 

I feel a bit "star-struck" getting immediate replies from both of you guys! You are like 'bullnose celebrities' to me

Yes, that is an Explorer hood ornament. As far as I know, that truck was pretty much stock when I received it. It has the Explorer hood ornament, "Custom" badge on the fender, and "Ranger" decal above the radio. Not really sure how that happens haha.

So I have an update: shortly after my first post yesterday, I received a call from the machine shop. Short overview:

Total cost $1,120.00

This includes:

"Head job"; including new valves, valve stem seals, valve seats on the exhaust, valve springs, a few replacement rocker arm studs, decking and valve job.

Machining the block; including decking, boring over, and honing, and polishing the crankshaft.

This price also includes a Master Kit; including a gasket set, rod bearings, main seal, timing gear set, freeze plugs, cam bearings, new lifters, piston rings, main bearings, new piston set, new oil pump (without pickup tube, I think), and a new camshaft.

They will also check clearances once everything is done.

Overall, I am happy with this price and I am happy with the guys who run the shop. It is a small shop, with only a few employees. But they seems extremely friendly and very knowledgeable. They were willing to take some minutes to talk to me, show me things, and give advice for other questions I have. I hope this good relationship continues.

As far as timing, they are hoping to have everything finished next week (8 days from now).

What the price does NOT include: re-assembly. I'm a little nervous, as this is my first rebuild. But I told the shop that I would feel most comfortable if they could supply the parts which they know will fit. I would not feel comfortable measuring, checking clearances, and making a parts list on my own and hoping that everything is right.

Okay, we all love pictures here!

Here is the hot-tanked block and head:


And below you can really see one of the bent rocker-arm studs. There are 2 or 3 more that aren't as bad, but bad enough to replace. I believe that this particular stud was bent back in 2009 when I suddenly had a stuck valve while the engine was running



Last, you can see the polished crank:



In the meantime, I am cleaning up some parts that I still have in my garage and getting them ready for engine enamel. I'm planning on doing the whole engine, valve cover, push-rod cover, timing cover, and other odds and ends, in DARK Ford Blue. I'm thinking of maybe doing some accessories (water pump, pulleys, etc.) in black to add some "pop". Maybe also the timing cover in black... not sure yet. But while I have the chance, everything will be cleaned up and painted.

I guess that's all for this post. Thanks for reading!

-Adam

 

Ah yes, the 302. Actually, it is hard for me to remember. I purchased this truck from a guy out in western Michigan, who had a bit of a scrap yard behind his house. The body was pretty good except for a crumple on the drivers side rear corner of the bed. However, the motor hadn't ran since he was the owner (5 years maybe?) and had been basically stripped to the bone. The entire cooling system was gone, it had no carb, intake was exposed, plugs gone and openings exposed. It was a real mess. I'm not saying that it wasn't fixable, but at that time - I had one motor which ran (the 300six) and one motor which would require a lot of work before running (the 302). I chose the running motor and sold the 302.

Besides that, and more importantly, the 300six had/has sentimental value to me.

Also, my dad had 2 Fords while I was growing up with straight 6 300's and both motors were still running strong when the rest of the truck had rotted away and donated to salvage yards.

I knew how much longevity these motors had and thought this was the safe option for me. I am not looking for performance, although I would like to be able to do some 'light' towing occasionally.

Yes, I am familiar with Gary's site! It is quite amazing. I hope your comment about it was sarcastic!

I am sure I will have some questions about the EGR and emissions delete when I get closer to that!

-Adam

 

Hey guys,

I submitted a couple posts yesterday, but I think they are in limbo waiting to be 'vetted' before they show up. In the meantime, I'll throw another post out there with a question:

I am looking to replace my exhaust manifold - mostly because the heat riser valve and springs are missing/gone. The metal tube that goes from the exhaust manifold to the intake manifold is there, but the valve is non-functioning.

I will post a picture of what I'm referring to that I took from RockAuto so that there isn't confusion.



The circled plug is where the metal tube is attached to the exhaust manifold (plugged in the RockAuto picture)

As far as I know, this is not a true 'emissions' feature, but rather a 'cold start' feature which forces hot exhaust gases back into the intake. Once the system heats up, the valve spring releases and allows the exhaust gases to escape through the exhaust as normal.

My question: do you recommend that I fix/replace the exhaust manifold so that I can get the heat riser and valve to function again? Or do you think it is unnecessary to have this 'cold start' feature?

From what I have read and understand, 'cold start' would be anything below normal engine operating temperature (or a fraction thereof). Besides, I would imagine that the spring only reacts to temperatures well above outside air temp - as it is part of the exhaust header.

Thoughts?

Thanks so much!

-Adam

 

Wow, we're celebrities now, Dave, didjya catch that?

~~

Adam - you're off to a great start, congratulations.

Most important: If you have never assembled an engine before, I'm really really really going to encourage you to get some guidance & help there; there are some gotchas that can really shorten the lifespan of your new engine if it's not assembled correctly, e.g.

- piston rings have a top & bottom, and a tapered edge

- where and how to align the ring gaps and measure the clearances

- where to use RTV-type sealant, HOW MUCH to use, and where NOT to use it

- measuring clearances between pushrods & rockers

- tightening head bolts - in what order and in how many stages (e.g. first pass tighten to X ft/lbs, second pass tighten to Y ft/lbs, etc.

- do NOT use RTV on head gaskets, you'd be surprised how many people do that with resulting blocked coolant passages

And on and on; assembling an engine correctly is something of a Big Deal and I don't at all recommend a newbie at it do it himself.

~~

Your paint scheme... I see multiple shades of blue, it looks like the cab is one shade but the hood & doors are a different color, this would explain the mixture of badging on that thing.

~~

You're in Michigan (I'm originally from the Chicago area, kinda close) and it gets COLD out there, I'm gonna suggest you do everything you can to help cold-weather operational ability (e.g. the heat riser stuff for the carb, and the factory air cleaner. Some people will disagree with me but that's the way I feel, carbureted engines from 35 years ago don't behave like today's computer-controlled, multi-port EFI variants.

~~

Most important - and I said this already - get some guidance on engine assembly, maybe even let your machinists help/show you.

Think of it this way... if you want to go sell the thing afterwards, you will have the confidence it has been rebuilt correctly and you can show that to potential buyers. Myself, I've seen too many that were put together by people who clearly didn't have a clue as to what they're doing, rendering much of the work & expense a waste (when it doesn't run correctly, makes funny noises, leaks fluids, wears out again lots faster than it should).

Maybe some other celebrities will also contribute here.

 

The exhaust flapper is there to force exhaust gasses on to the bottom side of the intake to heat it to prevent fuel from puddling in the intake when it is cold. It does not actually put exhaust gases in the intake track.

The EGR system that lowers combustion temps and in turn NOX emissions does that. That silver pipe plug is the feed for the EGR valve that sits on a spacer plate under the carb.

The EGR system is good at lowering emissions but not so good for HP and fuel economy.

 

I can't find any such posts waiting for moderator action and there really shouldn't be any, anyway, as all registered members are allowed to post things.

BUT

The software running this site is a bit buggy sometimes, and strange things have happened before. Last night for example, this site was weirding out on me for a few hours and there's nothing I can do about it, that's outside of my control. Possibly your posts got eaten by last night's weirdness.

Regardless, I can't find anything in limbo anywhere, so please try and repost, OK? Nobody is trying to restrict you.

 

Good Morning!

First of all, I completely understand your concern with me re-assembling the motor myself - as it is my firs time.

I purchased the actual Ford Service Manuals some months ago, and from what I can see, it does a really good job of instructing the proper reassembly (much better than Chilton's or the other Parts Shop manuals). I also have a friend/coworker who has done many rebuilds on his own, who has been very helpful and willing to lend a hand. As long as there aren't any "secrets" not shared in the FSM, I am hoping that I will be okay.

I've asked the machine shop to check all clearances once they are finished, and to be sure that all of the parts supplied for the rebuild will meet the required specifications - which they have agreed to. I don't really want to spend the $$$ to have them put it back together for me, and I also would like the satisfaction of doing it myself. But believe me, I understand and appreciate your concern! I hope you don't mind when I come back here and ask for advice!

Last, and probably least, I am a newbie regarding an engine rebuild - but I would consider myself mechanically inclined. I am a mechanical engineer by profession - but education does not correlate with successfully rebuilding an engine. I only mention it to give some insight. I am a quick learner and have great attention to detail (if I can say so myself).

Regarding the multiple truck badges: I meant to say that the truck came "stock" with these different badges. Or, at least, I am told that everything was still stock - and I tend to believe the previous owner. Here are 2 pictures of how I received the truck in 2007.





Thank you for the insight regarding the exhaust "flapper". So, if I understand, you would recommend getting this system functioning?

Regarding the emissions: I read a rather long and heated debate on here about emissions delete. There were basically 2 arguments: 1. The engine was designed and tuned with the emissions systems in mind, and besides the fact that it reduces NOX, the engine won't run correctly without it. 2. The emissions system on this engine was a poorly designed "band-aid" quickly put together to pass new emissions regulations. An engine does not require emissions systems to run properly, and can be tuned without it.

I'm not throwing my hat into this debate, but I understand and appreciate both arguments. Being a Tier 1 automotive supplier, I can definitely appreciate the "band-aid" argument haha! Personally, if I felt confident that I could get all of the emissions systems fixed and working properly, I would certainly do it. But there are many components to this system which are missing or known to be non-functioning. The items which are missing might not be replaceable due to parts no longer being available. I am also of the opinion that this emissions system is an "all or none" type of system. Meaning, it will never work correctly if it is only "half-fixed". So if you can't fix the whole system properly, it's probably better to delete it all and tune the engine without it. Thoughts?

Last - about the messages in "limbo". All of the messages that I wrote are not present on this thread. Nothing is lost. However, I submitted 3 messages between Thursday and Friday, and non appeared on the thread until this morning (Saturday). Each time I submitted a new reply, it redirected me to a page which said "your post will not be visible until it is approved by a moderator", or something like that. I figured that since I was new to the forum, my messages would be proofread by a moderator to make sure I wasn't a troll. Maybe after I am "repped" by a moderator, or whatever, my replies will appear automatically after submission. Oh well, it's not a problem as long as the messages aren't lost. As you can see, I like to write books.

I'll be working on the truck more tomorrow, and I'll take some pictures to post. Here's my current project - cleaning the oil pan......

 

I have a post on replacing the stock exhaust manifold with EFI ones.
If you cant find it I will when on my pc, phone don't cut it for finding other posts.
Dave - - - -

 

This is the message I referred to upon post submission.

 

I've run across that message a few times in my life, nobody can ever authoritatively explain why they sometimes appear and all I get is speculation from other users.

I just now approved a post of yours that was held up in Limbo, I'm guessing something about it tripped some anti-spam sensor or somesuch.

But please let us know if you see that message again, although HOW you would do that when it won't let you post is the challenge. Smoke signals?

 

I'm gonna post this in the mods lounge, this site has been behaving poorly the past few days and somebody above me needs to hear about it....