gerg

Even when one feels that the Clevo is the heart and soul of the Aussie Falcon, (as do I) the reality is that the chance of finding a good usable block gets more remote every day. For my Coupe, i may well have to ditch the numbers-matching 0.030" over block that's in it for perhaps a new Dart or even a crate Coyote donk, and that's not a decision to take lightly. Personally I'd like a Dart 8.2 block, 4.125 bores with a 3.25 stroke and CHIs, that would make a short-stroke 347.

Has been mentioned a few times, but cut and shut an EA CFI manifold? Much nicer shape and cheap as chips from the wrecker.

Sounds like you're pretty onto it, from what i can gather Pillow blocks are the better choice if you can find one that isn't core-shifted. I've heard that US-cast ones may be of better nickel content but cant confirm. Worst ones would be later black non-pillow blocks. I guess it's not necessarily about which type of block but rather finding a good example that's not corroded in the jacket and was cast with straight cores.

Yeah I've straddled the shock towers with one foot on each trying to lift one off, beats leaning over the engine and stuffing your back! Shall keep an eye out for a Performer or Weiand (supposed to be good).

Hey (sort of) on the subject... What kind of restriction is the stock iron 2V 4-barrel manifold? I've heard that they're not a bad thing compared to most stock units but want to know what kind of upgrade it would be going aftermarket. My wife just smoked me in a new Aurion V6 and it's really gotten to me.

Me love that long time

As long as the pistons face arrow forward it doesn't really matter on a 6 cyl. V8s are a different a story.

Depends if the crank was balanced with flex plate and converter or without. If done without, then a flywheel and clutch balanced together will suffice, and as you're not really going much past 5000, it shouldn't matter a great deal. The harmonics on these Ford 6s are bad not just from a crank point of view, but as the revs get up there, you're starting to get major cylinder imbalance due to poor inlet manifold design. Just ask Ando or Stumpers about differences in flow between inlet runners. I think the long, whippy, non-counterweighted crank and the cylinder imbalance work together to create the harshness that you're experiencing. Maybe you could try loctiting some studs into the converter and using serrated or wave washers under the nuts to stop vibration from loosening them. Maybe you could even try chamfering the flex plate holes to take tapered spring washers like those on a land cruiser axle-to-hub (some call them taper-locks) No fucking chance of that coming apart!

Ok you all want it so hard... Not the best from a phone camera but you get the idea of the gayness.

Yes I can vouch for that Ando, a standard Clevo oil pump (same design as a crossy) will empty your sump in about 8 seconds. A high volume maybe 6 seconds. Your engine doesn't care how much volume of oil is being rammed into it, just pressure. If it cant use the volume (and a fresh engine certainly won't), it just spits it out the relief anyway. High volume pumps are for Chevs and Holdens, which have less efficient gear pumps. Fords have gerotor type, which are shitloads better.

Better check too that the wire is rated above the fuse. A meltdown wouldn't be a good look. Fuse as close to the source as possible, preferably at the battery before the relay. If you fuse it further down and get a short before it, big time FUBAR. You can get Hella relays with fuses built in. I hope you're using a blade type fuse, and not those evil glass ones from the 1920s. They have given me so much grief over the years.

Yeah looks ok to me, the stock iron manifold might be a bit weak in some spots, time will tell. Turbos are more about pressure than flow and I've seen some factory diesel ones that look like shit (literally a log manifold with a flange) but they work. VL turbo ones were nothing to look at but did the job.

No thermostat = cavitation in your water pump. It needs a restriction to pump against (ie the thermostat) otherwise the flow is unregulated. Instead of pumping, the impeller spins around in a vacuum bubble and does nothing. Try putting a thermostat in and see how you go.

Yummy engine parts

Is it the same as a mustang T5? ie longer input/bellhousing and shorter extension housing?

There must be some kind of spacer to prop it up, fuck paying 300 bucks for a new one

At the very least, cut open your oil filter and make sure that all the shavings were caught. They should be on the outside of the element. Replace your oil pump as a matter of course. I'll bet my left one it's cactus from sucking through all those chunks of iron. Particularly bad in an alloy body. Mine was total shizer, and replaced it. Luckily my Clevo still has good oil pressure so I'm not going to strip it in the near future, i guess you just need to make your own judgement on that one.

Your lifters are hardened only for the first couple of thou on the face. Once that's worn through, you're into soft iron and that takes a very short time to carve out. You only notice something's wrong once the lifter' sworn past the point where the hydraulic adjuster runs out of travel to take up the clearance. 2000 km is about how long mine took to do the same thing. It sounds like my story all over again. I still blame shit quality lifters as the second time round i followed the same process only good quality US lifters and a Crow cam. 30,000 ks later and sweet as. If I were to do it again I'd run it in on a stand with outer springs as described above

Seriously thinking of getting some Slick-50 now. Mixed reviews online but some positive testimonials always steer you back

Gross power was pure engine output in favourable conditions without water pump, smog pump, alternator, exhaust system, etc. Net was with all that shit installed. The US car industry was forced to quote only the SAE net power from 1972 onwards. Some big V8s back then dropped around 150 hp just by changing the method of measurement. It was also a good way of hiding the actual drop in power when the smog-era came along. A 350 Chev making 140-odd horse looks crap in anyone's language but if you tell the customer it's net HP, not gross, then it's not so bad. Ford's 250 2v was advertised at 170 hp, yet over a decade later an alloy-head, EFI cross flow 250 somehow couldn't make that much. Sorry to all those 250 2V fans out there, but i call bullshit on that one. So Pontiac's 230 hp is wildly exaggerated and I'd say it's closer to 150 in the real world. Still, throw on a set of triples, a cam and a decent exhaust and that thing would be cooking.

Straight 50 oil is definitely not suitable for tight motors. When cold it resembles gear oil and is actually used in some jap truck gearboxes as a substitute. It may be of some benefit when using forged pistons that are loose when cold but i reckon it would stress the oil pump something chronic. The 50 mono grade means it behaves as a 50 grade oil would at both cold temp and at 100 deg. Multigrade (say 20W50) means it behaves like a 20 grade when cold but like a 50 grade would when at 100 deg.

A workmate used that shit on an old 2H powered Landcruiser and reckons he had to wind the idle down after treatment due to the reduced friction. He's not one to bullshit either.

Make that X-series as well

I had my EF flywheel lightened and drilled for a 6-bolt heavy duty clutch which i think is the same as a late Windsor. Including clutch kit it was about $600 all up. Clutch felt good to use, nice take-up. Had it for about 4 years without drama before retiring the car.

I think ando's experience is with race cars that are working the steering really hard, engine and pump spinning at 11/10ths, lines getting covered in dirt/mud and copping hot radiator air all the time. That's why he runs them where he does. On a street car cruising at 2000 rpm it's not a problem to run them along the cross member, and ando's right about cost, it's to make production easy by slotting in the PS box and lines before the engine goes in. Then once that's in, the pump simply gets connected up to the flexy ends of the lines and all done.