Building a 500/400 F.F.E. with Mega-Squirt

[Chryco Psycho]

yes you can buy an inside mic or snap gauges that can be miced with the outside mics you have
 with mains studs removing main caps is a bear

[airfueleddie]

Thanks for the reply Chryco. I tried using those snap gauges with my mics and I couldnt seem to get the same repeat measurements. Itseems they would vary a few thou each time I would attempt to measure  with them. Oh well, next time I'll see about using or borrowing a fine tool for this important measurement.

[airfueleddie]

I stripped the block back down after measuring the rest of my clearances. The paint looked like crap. It was thin in places, had a lot of orange peel, runs, ect..I want it to look good, real good! I spent almost 10 hours stripping every speck of paint of the thing. It was gummy sticky and messy, of course I washed, airblew, oiled, wiped oily rag in the bores after I was done. I even blew out all the threads and re-oiled them as well.

[airfueleddie]

Has anyone ever used this stuff before? is it any good?

[airfueleddie]

The block turned out very nice, It has excellent gloss, flowed out very well, appears durable but time will tell, I know one thing it was difficult to remove with a razor on the flat machined surfaces.Back to building. The thrust clearance was .006, the runout was .000 it was dead on. I sent the pistons to Calico to have the skirts coated.

[airfueleddie]

#2

[airfueleddie]

#3 In addition, I have aquired a complete ignition system. Distributorless, Ford 4.6 V-8 EDIS ignition, 32 toothed trigger wheel, VI Crank sensor, EDIS computer, including the plug wires which have a special end that fits onto the coil pack for a decent price. I'll post pics as soon as I get it. The crank had NO binding or tight spots to it.(Both main and rod bearings have been chamfered for the full radius crankshaft and coated). I used Lubri-Plate as an assembly lube,(Old habits die hard)LOL, It rotated very smoothly with very little turn over effort. Next up is the main girdle, I'll post pics of the process in case anyone may be interested in installing one. However, I had this block line HONED with ARP studs and the stock iron main caps. The girdle requires the mains be honed for the studs and the holes in the main caps to be enlarged to 17/32 which I think is only .060 larger. This allows the cap to 'float' on the studs. The stock bolts have a shoulder which helps 'register' the main caps. The girdle also requires longer ARP studs than normal. The #5 rear main studs are a bit shorter than the other 1-4 studs. The studs come with the girdle kit as do the oil pan rail studs. All hard ware is ARP. The girdle is a Hughes Engines assembly.

[airfueleddie]

Here's what the girdle looks like. I am a little ways off from final install though. Bring on the REVS!!

[Chryco Psycho]

looking good , oiling & tapping the holes si a must on any block

[Jacksboys]

Looking good.  I cannot wait to hear that engine running.   

[airfueleddie]

Thanks guys. I cant wait either! Here are the pistons back from Calico. Now I can install them and finish up the girdle install. More pics to come.

[airfueleddie]

Another of the lightweight Keith Black Forged 2618 alloy pistons coated by Calico recieving their CT-2 Skirt coating. The Piston height is 1.220,(measured from the pin centerline to the flat top of the piston). The piston weighs a little over 500 grams. I almost screwed up bigtime. I scribed the piston cylinder number on the bottom of the pin boss as instructed by Calico, due to their cleaning procedures any non-permanent mark would be cleaned off during the etching procedure. I guess I didnt press hard enough with my scribe tool. They kept them in the proper cylinder order due to the pistons being honed for a particular bore then they are 'married' to that cylinder then on. Thanks to Calico,(again), for keeping my pistons in their respective designation. 

[airfueleddie]

Per the girdle instructions, I had to use feeler gauge readings then measure that with a mic then write that measurement down at each stud. This will then be used to build up a set of ARP hardened washers to fill the gap between the girdle pate and the oil pan deck. Some measurements were as small as .070, some as high as .105. The plate then slides down on top the studs and is secured.

[airfueleddie]

Here is the new 'fancy' billet rear seal retainer that uses 2 o-rings per side to seal the lube. I installed the lower seal/upper seal with the sharp edge or 'lip' towards the crankcase. They provide a set of studs to guide it into to perfect alignment then those are replaced with 12 point indexed fasteners. Oh btw, they still require the use of sealer! LOL

[airfueleddie]

#2