The Mad Scientist Crossflow

[ando76 4,354]

Bench full of goodies

 

 

Tools of the trade. Need torch light these days as the eyes are not as good as they use to be. love my long burrs. Only way to go

 

[ando76 4,354]

Cam with freshly linished up bearing journals;

 

 

These are the crappy bits of casting that need to be removed to assist with oil return. That and enlarging all the oil returns is a must - even on a shop ute engine in my opinion. Truth be know is that I will give this engine a good hiding.

 

[ando76 4,354]

These need to be opened up;

 

 

all done now but phone ran out of battery power.

 

Here I am using my custom ground old head bolt to clean out the head threads. It is amazing the amount of crap that gets in them - and this is after I have degreased the block once.

 

 

I like to use an old head bolt rather than a normal tap for these threads as that is how I was taught by GT. I am not 100% on the reason why - it is just something that I took from him and have done ever since.

[Thom 6,650]

I do the same I've modified a head bolt to suit I also did it for the sump bolts (both sizes)

[ando76 4,354]

Yeah a bottoming tap is the go for all of the other non critical threads IMHO - but you can make do with a starting tap but you have to be careful around the water pump area and anything near an oil gallery.

 

None of this makes any horsepower, but it does make them go together nicely. 

[gerg 10,871]

Looks like we all think alike. I do that with lots of different bolts as an internal thread chaser. Doesn't cut any more thread out but rather burnishes the surface and makes the thread smoother. I use a chainsaw sharpening wheel to get the right shape scallop at the tip of the bolt.

[wagoon 2,429]

This sort of stuff might not make horsepower but there are plenty of things that can cost horsepower. And all these little tricks are the difference between someone that slaps an engine together and someone that assembles an engine.

[gerg 10,871]

Speaking of horsepower... Any guesses as to final number? I'm calling 190 at the wheels

[ando76 4,354]

And so once again I fall victim to the brilliant machine shops that operate in this area. The shop ute's new engine was bought locally for $20 off a mate. The block and crank had been machined locally and as usual it was fucked up. Appears someone forgot to machine No.1 main journal. That is the journal I measured when I ordered the new bearing for the engine - thinking that the crank would right but oh no once again the local machine shops prove hopeless.

They forgot to machine this journal. They machined the other 6 but oh no - lets not machine no.1 lets just linish it and make it look like it has been done. Seriously can it be that hard.


I am often asked why I send my race motors South for machining and balancing. The answer is right there. So once again the no.1 rule of engine building rings true - check - check and check again...

Am I a little bit pissed at the moment? Yes. Spend local - Not fucking likely... Luckily for me I have another rope seal crank at home here that is actually STD/STD.  It will need to be removed from the engine its in and linished up but at least I know that it is half a chance of actually going together.

 

Yes I could try and have the existing crank ground to .010 like the rest of the journals but even they are too tight for what I want and I really don't want to risk it or spend any money.  So the spare crank and linish myself on the lathe will do the job. 

 

I had to use the .010 bearings off my roller cam engine to prove to myself what was going on and I want to save them so the spare crank it is. 

 

And now you know why I have way to many grey hairs and I drink too much.  On a positive note.  I gave up on the engine and worked on my boys buggy and I got the jetting spot on.  It rained and I made advantage of the liquid horsepower and chucked some serious donuts and drifting on the streets around the shed.  problem solved.

[hendrixhc 10,918]

I like the way you have re written 1/4" on the die grinder. Is that to remind you what size it is?

[ando76 4,354]

I've actually never notice that sticker until just now.  that does look kinda weird.  When I think of the time I have spent on the end of the die grinder it is hard to believe I have never seen that sticker.  I'm going to check it out when I go back to work tomorrow

[ando76 4,354]

So I could not believe what I thought was happening on Saturday, so I took my new prescription glasses to the shed today (I still use the old prescription at the shed) and I re-did all my measurements.

 

After a heap of measurements I think I have worked out what has happened.  The crank is actually .010.  The reason for the confusion on No.1 main cap is that it appears to have been line bored with that main cap - back to front.  Wasn't until I got the std/std crank in there, with my glasses on that I could see what had happened.

 

Never mind - onwards and upwards.  I have a .020 block at the shed so I will pull it down, clean it up and start all over again.  I have a set of balanced .020 8.5cc dish pistons here with fresh rings on balanced rods, but standard bolts.  I'll use them as I will be keeping the rpm down and I will end up with 10.5:1 comp so it should torque and pull hard.

 

The weather has come good, thanks to the cyclone moving away, so I will do a bit more panel work on the ute in the mean time. 

[gerg 10,871]

Wow you really are the go-to guy for crossy bits

[Outback Jack 6,352]

Loving the thread Ando, very informative. keep up the great work.

 

Jack.

[ando76 4,354]

Thanks men.  Could not stop thinking about this demon engine all night.  Got to work this morning and the first thing I did was turn No.1 main cap around the wrong way and wouldn't you know it, perfect fit.

 

So one of two things has happened.  It left the factory like that (possible) or it was line bored later with the cap on back to front.  Not really sure.  I'm thinking that I will assemble this engine with the cap on backwards and if the crank spins freely and the tolerances are good - then to hell with it - I'll use it.

 

If it was a conrod bearing or a customer engine I would definitely not do it - but since it is for me, Bugger it.  It is the mad scientist crossflow after all.

[gerg 10,871]

Hey you never know... It might be somehow worth a few hp

[ando76 4,354]

That's funny.  The weather has come good for a bit up here so I'm flat out doing the panel work on the ute.

 

 

here is a pick of the main cap - the wrong (or is that right) way around. Perfect fit.

[gerg 10,871]

So your local machine shop is still a bunch of goofballs just in a different way to what you first thought.

[ando76 4,354]

I should probably cut them some slack.  Maybe it occurred from the factory.  The engine I pulled the STD STD crank from had March 1983 Ford bearings in it so I think it has never been apart.  Funny thing is the bottom side of the thrust bearing was not fitted with a proper thrust bearing - just a normal shell.  Very weird.  Perhaps this engine is just another factory oops???

 

No really the local shops are not much chop on anything other than stock stuff.  It is pretty scary because in a few short months we will have a drag strip 50 minutes away and a lot of rich business people are buying race cars from down south.  Imagine what is going to happen when they need machining....

 

I will continue to send all my stuff south as I am sick of being lied to by the local shops.  Like saying they balanced the engine and two of them came back without a mark on them.  second one was a customer engine so I sent it south to Cam @ Engine Engineering and surprise surprise, it had not been touched. 

 

I refused to pay the bill for the local machining and they threatened to take me to court.  No worries I said, I'll see you there with the reports from an independent machine shop that proves you never did the job you want to charge me for.  Still waiting for the summons.  That was two years ago. 

[dougie77 789]

Maybe you should buy the machine shop and make some money from these rich business people

 

 

Cortina for life

[ando76 4,354]

Funny you should say that but its not the first time that idea has come up.  Cam wants me to buy one of the shops and he will come up and run it.  Trust me if one comes up for sale I will seriously consider it and add a small speed shop to the side as there is nothing like that up here.

[wagoon 2,429]

You need a blacksmith fabricator in that shop??

[slydog 7,873]

Bring it down to NSW and Ill be in charge of marketing sales and beer.

[gerg 10,871]

Sounds like a good excuse to move up there.... Only if your shop has aircon and a nice lounge

[Ando81 2,949]

If you need someone to test your engines, I have an xf sedan and ute available for a heart transplant