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The 3-speed was a Borgie unit that predates the single rail. It was a low-cost base model box that had no synchro on 1st, and like the single rail, had a top cover that the internals were loaded into. Technically you could call them top loaders but the one everyone refers to when using that terminology is the Ford unit. It was called that because when it was first introduced it was unique in having the top removable versus most of the other manufacturers using side covers. Having this top loader design makes it stronger because the sides of the case can be made solid with whatever ribbing/gussetting they need. This is what made the Ford Top Loader a legendary gearbox for strength.

Underbody oil leaks... Call it my "rust protection plan"

If the XC one is a definite fit, I'd take that one (provided you can do the work yourself). Gotta ask though, is it a 3-speed or a top loader bell housing? They are different boxes. If it works, you could sell it on later and get more than your money back on it.

If he was selling genuine Boss 302 heads, I'd hire a fucking helicopter and go and pick them up myself. Chances are though that they're not, same goes for K-code heads. Pictures would help more than anything else

Sorry mate, dunno about QLD but in NSW you'd need an engineer's for sure.

Not 100% on that, but having adjustable rockers, you might have a set of K-code 289s. If you can find it, look at the part number on them. Should start with a "c" (decade) followed by a number (year) then the numbers afterward. Just type it into Google and it should come up straight away. I doubt they are Boss, they're just modified Clevo heads.

Iac and throttle body clean is a regular service item, so I'd start there and work my way up. Nulon carby cleaner is only about 12 bucks. I'd also suggest some Subaru upper engine cleaner. Works wonders on any engine with some kays up.

They're your secondary boosters. That's where you fuel comes out under load. At idle and part throttle they shouldn't have anything coming out. Sounds like your mechanic mate was on the right track, dripping from boosters means that float is too high or the needle's not seating. Now that that's stopped, it seems like he's gone too far the other way and wound it down to the point where the secondary boosters are starving for fuel. If your floats are externally adjustable, wind the nut a quarter of a turn anticlockwise each time to raise the level a tad. You should check your bowl sight plugs to see if there is fuel touching the bottom of the hole, as this is the factory starting point for adjusting your levels. Being a double pumper, you can somewhat isolate the primary from the secondary stumble by feeling the "step" in the throttle and how the engine behaves. If it goes ok before that step, your primary level is probably ok. See if it makes a difference when driving. Remember too that your secondaries supply a small percentage of idle fuel so if the jets are starving, your idle will be lean and lumpy. Raise your secondary level and see what happens.

Thom is quite the E-series guru on here and if you search for threads on mixing and matching bits on E-series engines you'll find a wealth of information, mostly from him. I think the absolute optimum combo using factory bits is AU bottom end, EF head/manifold and EA cam.

Should say in the rules that if you drive a Holden and are losing, you have a right to whinge and get what you want... Worked for HRT

Does each tank have its own pump or just a changeover valve? Could the suspect tank have breather problems, becoming pressurised and over-fuelling the carby?

There's a saying that I like: "When you point the finger, remember there are always three pointing back at you"

I think what we can gather is that 4Vs can make power with less cam. I've read posts about how you can't approach a 4V build the same way you would with a SBC or Windsor. I think if you stick to the philosophy of the original engineers who designed them, you cant go wrong. GTHO cams are not really that wild by today's standards (probably about halfway down a cam catalogue from mild to wild), but Hoeys are known for punching out a factory (unofficial) 370-380 hp in their day. It's likely that that comes mostly from the head design. If you go shoving a cam in that makes good power on a 2V, it will be a dog in a 4V down low because the ports are so big and will lack velocity. I guess you could sum it up by saying that 2Vs make power with long gulps of air, 4Vs make it by using big nostrils.

Mate here's an outside-of-the-box idea... How about freshening up the 4.0 and building it for gas? It will simplify the wiring heaps and no need for all the fuel lines, etc. All you need to feed the engine is fuel and spark, maybe shove an MSD Programmable in to get the spark curve right. Of course, all depends on how available LPG is near you. Good score on that car... You really had a win there. Factury ute LSDs were 28 spline i'm sure, so that's paid for itself already. All the little brackets, screws and wires that go with a conversion are right there for you.

Blocked air bleeds will make it suck raw fuel instead of emulsion. Even a high float level will cause fuel to drip out. Without it in front of us, it's really hard to pick what the problem is.

Yep, looks like you've got a 302

You didn't mention if they were the black foam ones, the cream coloured hollow plastic ones or brass. I'd fill a small container with petrol and pop one in there. If it floats say above the seam along the side of the float then it's ok. If it sits lower then I'd replace it. There are specs available for the required weight of one. Too heavy = chuck it. Brass is easiest to test. Just shake it and listen/feel for fluid sloshing inside. If yes, it's buggered. You can solder up any holes but at 20 bucks each, just get new ones. If the needle/seat is the unscrewable type, pull it out and have a look at the rubber face on the needle. Blow it through to make sure there are no bits of crap in there. If it's the other non-adjustable type, you will have to pull it apart too but adjusting is done with the bowl off, and with it turned upside down, the float should sit level with the top of the bowl. Bend the float tab with a small flat screwy to adjust.

That kind of machine work is definitely possible but not cheap, I'm sure if you dig around, you'll find someone. Be prepared to pay more than you would just buying one as it's a lot more involved than just a grind and micro polish. It will need some serious balancing too. Luckily for us Ford guys, chev-sized rods are as common as dog's balls. It's also handy that Clevo big ends are massive with plenty of meat to offset-grind down to chev size.

Power valve only opens an extra jet under load. It will not cause fuel to spill out of the boosters at idle. If there's fuel dripping out of your boosters or float bowl vents, you have a float issue or stuck needle. Foam plastic type floats can become saturated with fuel over time, and brass ones can spring a leak or collapse. Either one will cause the bowl to flood and piss fuel out of the boosters or float bowl vent.

It has an effect of taming modified engines that have lean or rich mixtures, and also of allowing better combustion when cold. Instead of only getting one go at it, it can fire up to 6 times. Your plugs are much less likely to foul and stay very clean on the electrode surfaces. Just be mindful of a couple of things: it can give you a really decent belt, particularly if your plug leads are a bit ordinary. It's also a bit harder on plugs, seeing as it's firing much more often, and you'll wear them out sooner.

There is kind of a "sender" for a tacho, but they are for diesels which have no ignition pulses. They take the AC frequency output of the alternator before it gets converted to DC and calibrate the tacho to that.

A tacho just counts the ignition pulses coming from your coil. Aftermarket tachos often come with a switch on the back that goes from 4-6-8 cyl, so are universal to some extent. They need about 4 wires normally, one from neg side of the coil, one from ignition, an earth, and a tee off from your dashboard lights if they come with a built-in backlight. For simplicity, you could just loop the power for the lamp around from the wire from ignition so it's on all the time.<br /><br />Factory ones are often purpose built for the engine, unless you want to tinker with a 6 cyl one to make it work with a V8 like I did... Got it to within 50 rpm accuracy by guessing!

I think you really need to get hold of a factory manual. This seems like a very particular problem that doesn't happen often enough for others to know a solution for it.

Could be your boost cut coming in. They had some tricky safety measures to stop people just screwing more boost out of them

So it's actually not a T5? I thought they still were but called "Non-World-Class" and weren't as tough inside.