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Nath

Nath's Cleveland

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Just went and picked myself up a new heart for the XD. I know I was planning to do a six, but after driving the XR8 I realized ~200hp and the sound of a six just wasn't going to cut it... With the amount of aftermarket bits and reading material for Clevos I reckon it's probably the better option at this point. Might get crazy in future and do a boosted Crossy or something once I learn more about the process but for now it's Clevo time!

 

Way too dark for photos now but I'll put some up tomorrow...

 

Anyway, the engine I got is a 302 out of an XC Fairmont Wagon I think, according to the engine no. I'm guessing whatever car it belonged to is now a bunch of beer cans or something as it looks to have been sitting for a really long time. The guy I got it off said it was from a deceased estate, just sitting in the back of a ute in a shed. It's seen better days for sure, was sludgy and manky as hell when I took one of the rocker covers off. Turns over ok though.

 

It's mostly complete except for a couple of bolt ons, which is good since I won't go having to chase random parts and play the "identify what size bolt I need for this random hole" game.

 

To be honest it's a little rougher than I would have liked but seeing as I'll be replacing most of the stuff anyway that's not really too much of a problem. There's a really good chance it's a virgin bore, doesn't look to have ever been rebuilt at a glance, all the original paint is even still on it. Won't know for sure what's happening in there till I take it apart though...

 

 

Anyway, no specific build just yet, but I do plan to track down a 351 crank etc to rebuild it as one. Hopefully it can officially remain a 302 which is easier to avoid any hassles (doesn't say I'm not allowed to drive a 351 XD but plenty of 351 falcons up to XB are banned, XC-XE aren't even mentioned...yet).

 

Not sure how viable it would be cost wise but I'd also like to try and use as much lightweight/alloy stuff as possible to keep the weight down a bit (free HP right? :D ) and make it handle less like a wet sponge once the Clevo is in the nose.

 

In terms of what I want from it, I'd be happy with an ok all-rounder (not a daily). Something that I can take to the drags a couple of times a year, do a hill climb or two with and still be able to drive it down to the shops or whatever. I realise this means it won't be competitive but it's more for fun than anything else.

 

So without getting too crazy to build or shitty/unreliable to drive, what's a good amount of horses to shoot for? 350-450 should be easily do-able from what I've read. Haven't made any decision as to the rest of the driveline yet other than the fact it will have a manual box behind it

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First step is to remove the sump and check out what you got... what size bearings 010,020,030 ?... and what your ground surfaces are like ???

 

Also whether it is a 302 or 351 already!

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EFI is the devil.

 

And yeah Free. If anyone was thinking of buying shares in petrol stations in Sydney now would be the time...

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Efi and chill.

 

Plus all the alloy bits; heads, manifold etc.

 

Very dissapointed you didng go boosted. :)

 

Has to be engineered and I wouldn't be able to drive it for like a year.

 

Here it is... even came with 2 air cleaners! Maybe it should be called the ghetto Clevo build because it looks like hell. What's the general opinion about off the shelf heads? Just having a quick look on ebay there's a few. Would save all the hassle of having to reco these and would probably not be that much more expensive when everything adds up, especially if I clean mine up and sell them.

 

20150822_074804_zpsvwobyjvd.jpg

 

 

 

Oh, and I finally found a fitting use for the disgusting chrome wheels that came with the XR8. Wouldn't rate them much as a wheel but they make a good makeshift pallet.

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Nice pickup even though it's not a crossflow.

 

A stroker kit will be cheaper in the long run if you have to go and source the rotating assembly for a 351 then get it checked, balanced, new pistons for rebore etc

 

Don't buy cylinder heads from ebay as you will most likely get procomp. These guys do alloy heads http://www.airflowdynamics.com.au/  http://www.chiheads.com.au/product-category/heads/ford-cylinder-heads/3v/

Like anything it really comes down to how far you want to go with it as to whether the alloys are worth it. Yes the alloy heads will save a heap of weight but don't think that you can just buy the heads and they will be ready to go, they will need to at least be looked at to make sure they are all good. You know where to send you cast heads to get done properly already :)

 

I can't recommend this camshaft highly enough, there are a couple of guys on here running it and you will get 450hp if everything supports the cam http://www.compperformancegroupstores.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CC&Product_Code=32-246-4&Category_Code=F351HFTCXE Here are the specs http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=848&sb=2

 

But be prepared to sink 8-10 grand into the engine alone if you go alloy heads and all the other gear, and you will probably end up spending 10-12 grand.

 

 

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Will have a think about it...

 

Currently in the process of dismantling and cleaning stuff up. The amount of sludge in this thing is unbelievable - industrial strength degreaser is doing sweet FA, only barely comes off with a wire brush and even then it's not doing a lot. All the bolt ons are pretty much cactus (thermo housing etc).

 

The good news is, is that under 20 years of caked on crap there seems to be plenty of life left under there, seems to scrub up ok. Fingers crossed the bottom end especially is still good.

 

Off to get a gazillion litres of vinegar to soak a few things in and remove some of the rust. Industrial strength degreaser bath seems about the only thing that makes the shit come off (just did the rocker covers) and even then it's still clogging up my wire brushes.

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10 grand is for the upper level of the power you're after, but for the lower figure, one horse-per-cube is a good street engine that you could easily do, with a stock-stroke 351 (without needing stroker bits). You could get an exchange built long engine for about 6 grand.

 

However if you don't mind the sound of a 5500 redline, a stroker is good value. You can get away with stock-ish valve gear because rpm is the killer, not horsepower. The flip side of that is the need for a tough drivetrain. You're in big-block territory as far as torque goes and that's what kills boxes and diffs. They need to be beefy so there goes your savings on the engine.

 

My take on it (and just my opinion) is that it's your first engine. 10-12 grand is a lot of money to throw at something you're just learning on. Then there's what it's going into. An XD is a cool car but isn't suddenly worth 15 grand as soon as you bolt a sweet engine into it. I All it takes is one fuckwit driver to wipe it out and the insurance company will throw you a bone for it. I don't need to tell you much about that sort of thing Nath :-D

 

So what about a sensible, proven combo that you can depend on, and not blow your house deposit building it?

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horses for corses mate.... all comes down to $$$

 

as far as the bottom end goes, a 351 crank will be the cheapest option for getting extra CI, you already have long rods so keep them.

cranks come up pretty often.

if you want to spend the extra $$ and go a stroker, then by all means go for it, but just parts will be well over 2K + machining (they're nowhere near install finish when you buy them)

 

PISTONS: do not be fooled, you can push clevo blocks to 30 thou on the early ones, but they have a tendency to run hot, keep the over bore to a minimum and if required get custom pistons to suit (should only cost another $200), do not make the same mistake everyone does and jump straight to a 30 thou overbore. get forged pistons off the bat so you know your safe.

 

best bang for buck i would say is a set of CHI 2v heads, seeing as more and more people unfortunately seem to be having problems with AFD (which i have not had at all). otherwise you'd be looking at CHI 208s and the CHI dual plane manifold.

swapping over to alloy heads really is the best thing you can do, and honestly something you should save up for.

 

camshaft, the XE274H should produce 420hp with alloy heads and a good exhaust, the 284H should be well up over 450 (i think AFD claimed 480 with their heads and the XE284H cam) and the XE284H (would be my pick) will sound tits, a bloke uploaded vids to youtube of one see here:

have a look through his other vids for driving sound etc

 

the bottom end, get it balanced and the crank knife edged if you wanna take some weight out of it, get the rod bolts resized to suit ARP bolts, and if you really want to be safe, add a girdle from pavtek for cheap insurance (think they're around $300 last time i checked) standard rods will handle 7500rpm/600hp easily, same as the stock crank, just need to be prepped right.

 

intake will depend on your head selection, but TFC's are the best high rise on the market for 2v heads, otherwise RPM airgap etc

CHI intake for CHI 3v's

 

carb: don't even bother with something out of the box, it'll cost less in the long run to get one spec'd from Zok racing carbs, or Pro Systems, but make this the last thing you buy, as every other component in the engine effects this.

 

oil pump, change the pressure relief spring to a 70psi one.

 

Exhaust 4>1 pacemaker, either 1 3/4 or 1 7/8 headers.

 

kiss 8K goodbye.

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^ now thats at the higher end of what you would want to build.

 

lower end.

 

same bottom end as before, but use iron heads and get them ported (exhaust port is what needs most of the work) and a larger exhaust valve installed.

RPM airgap intake

comp DEH275 cam

10:1 compression

balanced bottom end, resized rod bolts etc

hypereutectic pistons

RPM airgap intake

Zok/pro systems carb

380-400hp and it'll be an awesome street motor. it'll also cost you well under 6K

 

dunno how old you are but it sounds like you are young, do not make the mistake of thinking you can outdrive everyone, horsepower and torque can get you into a lot of trouble very quickly, these are old cars, be respectful of what they can do.

this coming from a dude whos got a driving record longer than most movie scripts too mind you.

 

edit: if you wanted room to move upwards, build this with unported heads, you'll make 380hp, but then save up and down the track throw on a set of alloys and swap the cam and top end out, and presto you have another 100hp on top

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If it's your first Clevo build, take it easy. As Gerg and XCSedan have said, build it strong with almost stock internals, and dont spin it over 5,000 rpm.

Cam, carb, extractors and have some fun. 351 HP out of a 351 is very do-able, and a great drive on the street.

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Cheers fellas, quality posts as always. XCSEDAN I will definitely look into those two combos you posted. Just looking for something that's fun to drive that I can take it to a few track days a year. Not worried about out-driving anyone. I'm not looking at doing anything too crazy. Using a proven combo without any funky stuff is fine with me. 1hp per cube or maybe a little more for sub 6k sounds good, especially if I can chase more later down the track. Not really interested in doing a stroker though. Not a huge fan of this 5000rpm rev limit :huh:

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Here's a few pictures.

 

Rockers were a prick to get off, soooooo much sludge in there and it got all through the socket/ratchet and kept slipping. Got them all in the end though. Thinking maybe I should soak the heads or something..

20150822_145935_zpsyilsmeot.jpg

20150822_145943_zpsg9v8znhs.jpg

 

 

Air cleaner came up alright with a hit of degreaser and a scrub. I have the spare one which I haven't touched yet as a comparison I should use :P

 

20150822_150020_zpsfojior2s.jpg

Soaking the manifold to get rid of as much of the rust as I can.

 

20150822_145957_zps6dolrmaj.jpg

 

 

 

Still have to remove the torque converter left on there (bolts are being a prick so I left it for now) and the heads, then I should be able to get it on the stand.

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Those combos sound good, the smaller build with cast heads, stock 351 crank that XC mentioned is very similar to what I had built years ago, I sold the motor to someone who put it in an xy with a top loader, the only info I got back was that it was a great all rounder.

 

The engine started out as a 302c, utilised the cc heads and had them relieved a bit to lower the comp, 4v exhaust valve fitted, stock 351 crank and rods blah blah.

 

The only parts I supplied was the crank n rods, block, heads, manifold and camshaft, the shop did the rest and sourced what ever was needed, such as hyper Pistons, roller rockers, arp bits n pieces etc, the cost was around the 5k mark.

 

Sort of wish I had kept it....

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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I will only add that above mods are not the end of it. You still then need a decent radiator,transmission (top loader or tremec + bellhousing,clutch, flywheel and a shifter), a fuel system, then a set of decent extractors + exhaust. That will easily add another 5k. Will be a shitload of fun when you do it though.

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That was my thoughts.

 

If its to bad chalk this one up to experience Nath and use it for learning with.

 

Source another  block and go for it.

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Instead of buying another block which may be like this one, buy a pavtek bottom end and use the parts from this engine to make a long motor. Dont know if they balance their bottom ends though which you will need if you want to rev it

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