Valvebouncer

Not the one I did. I had to replace them any way as some fuckwit previous mechanic lost one bolt and replaced it with a normal bolt. Use holden head stud sealant, it’s the best stuff and the only decent thing to ever wear a holden badge.

It doesn’t hurt to put stud sealant on the inlet manifold bolts that go into the water jackets too.

What’s wrong with the original timing cover?

I’d do AU bottom end. It’s got a better combustion shape in the piston crown, longer rods which give you better angle in the bore and more torque down low and cross bolting of the alloy sump to the mains caps. What’s not to like?? Dave is spot on with the head. See if you can find a non vct Xr6 au motor. Better cam, valve springs and exhaust valves are 2mm bigger.

The inlet manifold gaskets will differ for the water ports , some early 289 are small and some 302 and 351 are different. There will be 2 sets of seals for the block to middle of the inlet manifold. Most importantly, make sure the head gaskets are around the right way!

A bit late now but yes, you just tap the valve stem seals on. Use a pin punch with no burrs on itand use it to guide it on straight otherwise it won’t seal for long

I doubt it. It was on a he earlier ones. Had a pipe bolted to the back of each head running from one side to the other. Plus ports hanging down inside the exhaust ports.

Are they the same front and back?

Did you try tapping it down with a brass drift and hammer?? Just support under the valve with some soft timber ( pallets are good for this )

They are but some have the front drilled and tapped for accessories to be bolted on or the emissions exhaust port at the back ( older heads ).

As in twin helix twist???

I can’t remember which is which but the exhaust and inlet have different retainers. From memory that one piece does stuck quite badly. Spray it with wd40 while whacking the top of the valve with a plastic face hammer. I have a huckson hammer, I’ve had it for many years and done many many rebuilds with it.

The grooves form a v shape and should line up over the top of one another. In the engine I did 2 of the pedestals were backwards which made an x shape which didn’t allow enough oil in and chewed them out.

You need to buy a parts washer if you are going to keep doing engines!

2nd this!! Might as well cut out the middleman and grind it up and put it in the sump.

That lifter looks like it has some nasty scoring at the top. It’s hard so see but that lower part above the roller could be overheated?? What do the lifter bores look like?

What are the casting numbers on the heads? It’ll be underneath the rockercover in amongst the rockers

Dunno mate, never dealt with the spider thingy. That shim is the rocker cover gasket. If they are ok you can clean them up and reuse them. They stick like shit to a blanket on the head though!

It’s not way hot but I get why you worry. Have you checked with a tissue that the fans are wired up and blowing the right way? Just feeling isn’t good enough. Other than that is sounds like you have checked all the basics so it’s onto the engine rebuild. How much was it over bored? Did they put head stud sealant on the outer head bolts? If not it may have a blow head gasket. If they put the head gaskets on backwards the overheating will be instant and uncontrollable. I’d check the water pump too as Thom said. You may have to remove it to check this.

Watch this video then just snap the bastards off

@NZXD

Here are some specs taken all from Ford workshop manuals First are eb-ed Next are ed xr8 sprint These are xy Xw gtho supplement

Wouldn’t it be 1971? Remember we were the only country to have a 302 clevo and they came out in the XA in 1972.

https://www.tmeyerinc.com/product/track-boss-cleveland-block/

They can have very thin bore walls, I have seen some bored 30 thou over and hitting a water jacket unless it is one of the bulge blocks with 4 bolts mains. They can also run hot easily if the cooling system isn’t bang on. None of this explains why they didn’t use them for long though. I think that is more to do with physical size. The heads are massive compared to Windsor heads which externally cut back in on the exhaust side which means the engine isn’t as wide and fits between shock towers easily .