Austrailian heads project

[Spike Morelli]

As it turns out, I DID take some photos as I was moving along. Shown is the block, baked, peen-abraided, and hot tanked. She's a clean machine, just how I like'em to start out. All of the threaded holes get chased, sharp edges all get ground and chamfered. Main cap fit is checked, tightened up if necessary, usually not lose on Fords, but checked just the same. Main line got caps cut and line honed to assure all is in line and sized. Factory main cap bolts are cleaned and will be more than adequate for the build.

 

[Spike Morelli]

Some degree of oil control is done by tapping the large oil hole in the #1 main saddle and installing a plug set below bearing level, then the oil hole next to it is drilled to enlarge it, opened up from the bearing saddle up to the pump intersect, no farther. This supplies the necessary oil volume to the #1 main, without over supplying it and losing a certain amount of oil pressure. Oil supply holes in #2-3-4 saddles going up to the cam bearings will receive threaded restrictions, the camshaft still will receive adequate oiling to those bearing positions, while keeping more oil at the main bearings.

 

[Spike Morelli]

A source of oil pressure loss can be attributed to oil bleed around the lifters. A huge oil galley intersect thru the lifter bores is the issue here. A common approach to this is to have the lifter bores sleeved. The sleeves have a smaller hole , rather than the huge round slot, as is factory in them, to supply the lifters with oil. The oil pump itself being used is a standard volume stock oil pump and pick-up. Aiding the return of oil to the sump, the return passages are ground to remove sharp edges and the valley receives a coating of Glyptal. Neat-o....

 

[Sheriff41]

Some beautiful work there, Spike. Please add more for us as you can.

 

[Spike Morelli]

Clevite mains and rod insert bearings are being utilized at .010/.010, clearance set to the high side of tolerance. I originally thought I'd use Icon pistons, however I'm using DSS Forged custom pistons, because they allow me to use the factory press fit pins and factory length rods. Not shown are the rods, which I ground and polished the beams, had Peen-rite shot peen after, and added ARP's top of the line Wave-Loc performance bolts and nuts. Piston rings are from DSS, and are 1.2/ 1.2/ 3 mm performance rings supplied with the pistons. They are "file-to-fit", gap depends on bore chart, material used, and intended application. I gapped them all to spec, deburring each afterwards, gave them a wash, and installed them using a ring expander. Note, don't ever install the rings to your pistons by "spinning" or "twisting them into the grooves, like the old days. Those old rings were cast iron. new rings are made of alloys that, when twisted, will retain some twist, and fit tight in the groove, so don't do it. Use a ring expander. And, if you haven't ever used a tapered ring compressor sleeve, get one. They make piston assemblies a breeze to install.

 

[Spike Morelli]

So here's a good look at the dish shape DSS Pistons have, to go with the Aussie 302 chamber shape. negative 18CC dish with deck and head gasket gives 9.5:1, which is a reasonable street compression ratio, and NOW, instead of having open chambers, I have an efficient "quench in the head/piston combination. You may start to notice that, so far, what I'm doing is not focused on raising the horsepower level per se, more in the nature of having more efficient combustion chamber shape and increasing the oiling efficiency. Bragging rights will be more about the mods I'm doing. I won't be dynoing the engine, nor racing it, though I might be talked into doing a few 1/4 mile passes just to see what it's got,, but if I never do, that's fine too.

 

[Spike Morelli]

The entire rotating assembly, including the flexplate and Cobra Jet harmonic balancer were balanced, and installed. Stock oil pan, Milodon aluminum water pump, stock fuel pump, complete the short block. All fasteners used externally are Factory style bolts from AMK. Oil pump driveshaft is ARP. Now, the heads are in the shop getting hardened exhaust seats and bronze guides. I bought all-new single lock groove valves from S.I. Valves to go in the heads. The post will stop momentarily here, as the head shop gets time to do a few things.

 

[Spike Morelli]

While I know I'm not ready yet to assemble the heads, and finish the long block, I thought I'd show you the valve covers. Nothing really new here, a set of Ansen finned valve covers, made to look like the factory finned valve covers. Not a lot of people go all the way by adding the factory spark plug wire tab to the aftermarket covers. I did, it's really easy to mill down a few fins in the proper location. I used my Dremel Tool with a mill drum to take a few fins down to the surface. I got the tabs from NPD, polished off the tops of the fins using a sanding block because the covers had fin tops "as cast", added the correct decal and pcv/oil cap. I have a factory set of stamped steel covers with the oil dripper fingers, but I figured I'd dress up the finished engine with a few details.

 

[Sheriff41]

While I know I'm not ready yet to assemble the heads, and finish the long block, I thought I'd show you the valve covers. Nothing really new here, a set of Ansen finned valve covers, made to look like the factory finned valve covers. Not a lot of people go all the way by adding the factory spark plug wire tab to the aftermarket covers. I did, it's really easy to mill down a few fins in the proper location. I used my Dremel Tool with a mill drum to take a few fins down to the surface. I got the tabs from NPD, polished off the tops of the fins using a sanding block because the covers had fin tops "as cast", added the correct decal and pcv/oil cap. I have a factory set of stamped steel covers with the oil dripper fingers, but I figured I'd dress up the finished engine with a few details.

Nice attention to detail. Makes all the difference.

 

[Spike Morelli]

Just a detail, since you used the word. I took a small block Cobra "Powered By Ford' emblem , Dremeled down the honeycomb in the correct dimensions, and affixed the emblem , sunk into the rear panel on my Mach, using the two pins provided. I just kinda liked the added "something" it gave the rear view while keeping it a Ford part. Click on photo on the right to get better view and effect of emblem on the car.

 

[Vern Cook]

Beautiful job Spike and a nice touch

 

[Spike Morelli]

Coming along...... finally, the swap that started it all, the Australian cylinder heads. Previously, the heads were cleaned, magna-fluxed ( crack checked ), and the rocker pedestals were machined down for screw-in studs and guide plates. I just had hardened exhaust seats put in, new guides installed and the valve job roughed in, prior to lapping. After another cleaning, this weekend I spent an afternoon detailing the heads. The detailing included taking my porting die grinder to excessive casting flash and using a few files to break any sharp edges, in and around,the castings. Notice I didn't say "remove" casting flash, which I could very well have done, but the point was simply to remove any sharp edges and prevent any rough casting from breaking off later. Something the machine shop missed, was a broken bolt in a corner exhaust bolt hole. I dealt with that, and now it's good to go. Also, I ran thread chasers through all of the threaded holes in the heads one more time. This is the time to correct any bad threads, not when you're installing the engine. Also note that I have not ported or altered the ports, this is on purpose. The build is focusing on an efficient STREET engine, to which this design head excels, having very strong low and mid range, my trans "wide-open" makes it's shifts at 4000, ( FMX with a Trans-Go re-programming kit, stock converter ). The cam I'm using is a very mild roller ( more on that later ), so I haven't built it with big RPM numbers in mind. Compression, with the dished DSS forged pistons is 9.5:1, and the quench area is what this swap is all about without going to a "racing" head aftermarket casting. Here's a thought which I feel is worth doing......when you have your heads re-surfaced, have your machinist take a skim cut on the exhaust flange side of the head as well. Ford, in their infinite wisdom, machined the exhaust and intake surfaces 90* to the deck, so set-up is a no brainer , and having this surface smooth and flat goes a long way to help ailing exhaust leaks from headers, and when bolting iron manifolds up directly without using gaskets. Four thousandths of an inch was milled from decks and exhaust flanges. the heads were darned flat! Machining the exhaust flange works well on FEs too . Final step prior to assembling the heads is painting the interior surfaces with Glyptal. Keeping the paint off of the spring pad surfaces, removes any chance of the springs wearing away the paint and sending paint fragments into the oil. Next.......