Nath

Yeah I smeared vaso around it. Fucking kero absolutely destroyed my syringe though... all the numbers came off. There was no way I was fitting more than 27ml of fluid in there. I checked again with the shitty syringe and came up with around the same number (had to guesstimate where 5Ml was, could only see 1-3). Will check again using a measuring cup instead. That head has been rebuilt before apparently. The springs are aftermarket too. Measured with spark plugs and valves in too (they haven't come out yet).

Measured one... Roughly 26ml of kero to fill it. Might have taken a tiny bit more but was a pain in the arse keeping the CD case sealed on top and using the syringe (kero seized it up after a few tries). Gonna be a prick to do them all so I might just do one more to confirm. So that's 26cc (1ml = 1cc right?). Wouldn't that change based on head gasket thickness as well? How does that weigh in on piston selection?

Ok time to do some stuff... I'm going away for work till Sunday as of tonight so I want to order some stuff before I leave... Just so there's no mistakes with this. Going by this video... First, I need to clean everything up so there's no crap in there. Chuck the rocker cover on and turn the thing upside down. Leave the valves and sparkplugs in, make sure the valves are sealed with a bit of vaseline, cover the chamber and start filling with the syringe. Thinking I'll just use kero since it'll be easier to see, or whatever I have laying around? The guy in the vid it with all of the chambers, so I guess I do it to all of them as well. Also if anyone has part numbers for a good timing set, ARP rod bolts or an oil pump they'd recommend that would be helpful too since I'll order all that today. Also, I have the E2 head in case anyone was wondering.

Would also like to know... Gotta buy one myself soon.

Got the syringe.. Unsuccessful in the not looking like a junkie department though.

Can I just start scratching myself everywhere and looking around for unicorns while I explain it?

I'll bookmark that calculator then... "Min 9.5:1 comp ratio, 3.25 + diff ratio" For that cam that I put down. 10:1 was the number Stumps gave me when he suggested the build. If anyone reckons I should aim higher I can... I plan to run it on 98 all the time anyway. That particular cam is hydraulic... Would it be worth going solid? I'll take that on board about the deck height Ando, thanks. Now... I need to figure out a way to buy syringes from the chemist without looking like a junkie.

Such a good thread... Needs a bit of necromancy. Anyone else got any good backyard upgrades?

Cheers, I'll keep all that in mind. I've found a few calculators via google the thing I'm a little hazy on is just exactly how to come up with a good combination of part sizes and machine work to reach the desired ratio. Sweet! Looks like I have a couple of choices there then.

It's been a while since I've asked a stupid question so here's one: My understanding of exactly how to get the correct CR is a little fuzzy. I know it's a combination of different measurements and sizes of variable parts, but is there an actual formula for working it out? And if there is, what order do you start selecting parts/machining stuff to get the right CR?

That's some true backyard brilliance there. I will get on that first thing in the morning... Might be a little suss buying syringes in the middle of the night. I have a few CDs lying around... Eminem's Curtain Call should do the job

Sweet! Is the distributor really necessary? My understanding of it was that you just gut the stock one, set the base and the MSD takes care of everything else.

Awesome, thanks. I was actually wondering how much of that I'd need to bring in. I will keep that in mind about the valve grind. Edited. PN# 8253 will be the coil I will grab then. Edited. Not a huge drama but it'd have been nice if I could get one the same shape as a stock one (that one seems wayyyy different). Trying to make stuff as inconspicuous as possible (even gonna modify a stock air cleaner to fit the carb). The MSD Universal Blaster one was what I was originally gonna get but no biggie. I'll see if I can scrounge a BF starter, will it just bolt right up? Good point about the timing set. Is a double row timing chain necessary or not for this motor? Also wasn't sure which particular lifters to grab either (I think it has a suggestion on the camtech website?) Part numbers would be hugely helpful cheers mate.

Right, suppose I'd better pull my finger out and actually post a full build, hopefully with part numbers and stuff. As usual while I have an ok knowledge of the basics, a lot of the more technical stuff goes right over my head, so any advice from you guys is greatly appreciated. If you think something needs to be changed I will do it. Starting point is based off the advice everyone's been giving me so far. Not trying to re-invent the wheel or anything. Shooting for a full list of part numbers and stuff before the end of the week, so I can start ordering everything. I'll keep updating this as I decide on specific parts. Especially for the bottom end stuff I'm not sure of the exact parts I'm ordering yet so I'll post what I can here and just keep updating this post based on what you guys tell me and what I can get a hold of. Underlined stuff is what I have already at this point in time. Bottom End/Head - 4.1 EFI Block bored 50 thou, decked and line honed - Full balance - ARP rod bolts - Standard 250 rods - Rollermaster Double Row Timing Chain set ROCS3170 - 10:1 Comp Ratio - Pistons to suit 250 rods, 50 thou* (Looking for exact ones - brand, part no. etc to suit the CR) - Bearing Sets* (Could really use some help selecting the right sizes and stuff. Any suggestions would be mucho appreciado) - New oil pump (standard one) - 250 crank (Does this need to be machined in any way?) - Camtech CT142 528(a) - 230 degrees @ 50 thou cam (This was what was originally suggested to me, and what I'll roll with unless anyone suggests something that they think would be better). - EFI Head (has been reco'd in past apparently) - Oversized valves fitted (already done on an EFI head right?) - Heavy duty valve springs (aftermarket springs already fitted, win!) - 5 angle valve grind - Ported - Machined for CR - Anyone got a particular recommendation for head studs or gasket? Intake and Exhaust - Aussiespeed Intake Manifold (Can of worms, but better than redline? For 200 bucks extra I may as well.) - Carby: Still undecided. Suggestions have been a 44mm IDF Weber or 500 Holley depending on the cam. Guys? - Phenolic Spacers for the intake manifold, and possibly the carby if needed (already got one for the manifold, just figured I'd use it since it's there). Carby one will depend on any bonnet clearance issues. - Unknown Brand 6-2-1 Extractors (got them with the engine). Slightly rusty for the "it was like that when I got it officer" look. - 2.5inch exhaust system Ignition - MSD 6AL2 Programmable (already sitting on my desk!) - New MSD Ignition Coil #8253 - Bosch Electronic Distributor to set base timing (will probably take the one from my 3.3 and clean it up). Transmission/Diff/Other - E Series 5 Speed with Exedy Clutch. All ready to go. (Been playing with the idea of a short shifter and some other superfluous stuff but that's low on the priority list for now) - E Series Diff for the disc brake rear. Low priority for now. - Heavy duty starter and alternator - May upgrade the radiator. Currently using the ebay special which seems to work ok but I'd hate for this to be the undoing of the whole thing. I'm sure I've forgotten something or stuffed up somewhere there. Let me know if I've missed something or something isn't needed and I should cut it away. Still haven't finalised the cam and carb choice yet. Could also use some help selecting which bearing sets I need. Would be really handy if I could get a kit so I know it all matches up... Oh, and most importantly: Black engine paint for stealth.

Sorry guys, haven't had time to scratch my arse today. Only just got home 20 minutes ago. Plan on ordering everything by the end of the week. Will do the specifics of everything tomorrow (day off).

Fuck I love this forum haha.

Well I can't argue with that haha. Guess it's decided then. Thanks for all the input guys. Tomorrow Ill start compiling a list of all the specific brands and sizes etc. Hopefully I can order everything within the week.

That's good advice mate. Honestly I can't give a definite answer either way. I do intend to get a cams license eventually and would be pretty interested in putting it in some hill climbs and other stuff just for fun. It's definitely not gonna be a dedicated track car though and I can't see that happening more than a few times a year. If you reckon I can get away with the 250 rods for that then I will take your advice. You're probably right, I am getting a little carried away. If I can track the gear down and it'd only cost me a bit extra then yeah I'd jump on it. I liked the idea of finding an ACL kit because all the suppliers just sell them (if they have any) for not much more than a standard kit AFAIK. If I save on the machining then I may have coin left to splurge on a spool kit but that's still a big maybe anyway. That kit Sly suggested is more like a "best case scenario because I got everything else discounted" option. I will take a look at the precision ones. At this stage I know what I want from it, I have the block and head ready to go, I just need to decide on which specific bits to buy from where. I do like the idea of a kit that just has everything... Saves stuffing around.

Damn you really do make an impressive argument... First link I found, this is what you meant right? 2k for the kit. http://www.spoolimports.com/spool-engine-rebuild-kits/ford/250-x-flow-with-200-rod-rebuild-kit/ford-250-xflow-with-200-rod-and-ross-racing-pistons-rebuild-kit Says they only have 40 thou for the bore size.

Cheers, I'll keep that in mind. 50 thou is the golden number if given a choice then. 1k is a bit rich for me just for pistons alone. You never know he might be able to get me a deal though. Won't hold my breath if that's the case. 2k... Not gonna lie there is some part of me that says fuck it, let's do it. 2k is pricey but not totally outside of the realm of possibility. Depending on how much the machining is going to hurt my wallet it could be an option. I do know a couple of guys who may be able to do it for me unofficially (payment in a selection of fine alcohol ) but I realize that means there's no quality guarantee. Having said that they've both helped me a lot in the past and done a good job. If I have to get it done "properly" then maybe not. I take it I get the added advantage of having all the good gear for the bottom end if I want to slap a turbo on it one day?

Yeah from what I'm hearing they're next to rocking horse shit and unicorn meat on the shelf. Still, if I can get CP pistons made to suit 200 rods I'm not gonna say no... I'm not going to skimp out on gaskets and little stuff. Don't want to be pulling the bastard apart a week after I start driving it because I wanted to save 40 bucks on a head gasket. I would rather leave a bit of meat on there... If it wants another rebuild at some point in its life I'd rather have a bit to work with. Is there really that much benefit from standard or even 20thou over compared to 60thou?

Some news: No bueno with any of the ACL race stuff. They still have some of the standard gasket sets and standard pistons to suit a 250 motor with 250 rods though, which I will pick up as a last resort. They're chasing up some other suppliers to see if anyone has an old dusty set on the back of a shelf but said not to hold my breath. However... One of the other guys in the shop knows someone at a company called Cp-Carillo and reckons they can make the pistons for me. When I mentioned those would be crazy expensive he said they shouldn't be - as they already have all the specs on file and he has a contact there. He said he's dealt with them before and they should be able to do it without me having to sell the car to pay for it. Promised he'd look into it so I'm expecting to hear back from him in a couple of days or so. They also mentioned they'd check out a company called Wyseco for me, who might also be able to find them. Gonna see if old mate across the road knows anything as well. At any rate, if I can't track down any pistons to suit the 200 rods by the end of the week, then I'll just get the standard 250 ones. Won't lose any sleep over it, but I figured anything worth doing is worth overdoing. May as well see what pops up. Just a few questions in the meantime: - Anyone dealt with any of these companies/used their stuff before? - Anyone know the difference between the standard gasket set and ACL race series one? Do I need anything more than a standard set? - Realistically, how much should I/do I need to have the block bored out? If I can get a set of ACL pistons then I'll just have to bore it to whatever size pistons I can get my hands on, but if I have a choice what should I do? I know I said 60 thou originally, but I read that doesn't leave much meat behind for the future. The block I have is a virgin block so that leaves my options open. Now... time to see if I can sort out the Kings Bearing sets.

Right... In that case I'll order all the bits from the ACL kit separately without the bearings. Too late now though, gonna have to do it when I get back.

Fair call but the bearings come as part of a kit, just need to know what sizes would be appropriate. Unless there's a major reason why I shouldn't use the ACL ones it's much less hassle to just get everything in one go.

Any advice on which bearing sets to grab would be helpful. If I can put my order in today before I leave I should have it by next week.