danoreilly
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2010
- Messages
- 138
- Reaction score
- 4
- Location
- Colorado Springs, CO
- My Car
- 71 Mach1 351C 4V
02 Deluxe Convertible
67 Fairlane GT 390
Lovely, lovely, lovely...or put another way BAD-A**!!!!
Got all my problems worked out of my '71 351C rebuild today, and it's WOW!!! You may recall I had an oil pressure problem. Well, I'm almost ashamed to say, it was my fault. I could never build up more than 40PSI, which is well below 50-70 called for by Ford at 2000 rpm. I was also getting some valve train noise I couldn't explain.
A buddy suggested I pull the valve covers to get a look at if the valves are receiving oil. What did I find? #4 intake rocker arm loose and rotated to the side, and the pushrod and lifter nowhere in sight! Looked with a flashlight and saw them laying in the valley, and I was able to extract them with a magnetic pickup. No damage to either, and with some fancy handwork and a 4-claw pickup tool, I was able to reseat the lifter and reinstall the rocker arm properly. This was totally, 100%, my fault: I forgot to tighten that one rocker arm bolt when I was shimming my intake rockers.
Well, suffice it to say: the motor fires up in less than 1 turn, I have 67 PSI of oil pressure, no valve train noise. I reset the timing to 14 BTDC, it's SMOOTH, and I love the kick in the pants now - which will be even better when my carb guy dials in my Holley carb.
Now to install the hood tomorrow and take my baby out for a run!
Got all my problems worked out of my '71 351C rebuild today, and it's WOW!!! You may recall I had an oil pressure problem. Well, I'm almost ashamed to say, it was my fault. I could never build up more than 40PSI, which is well below 50-70 called for by Ford at 2000 rpm. I was also getting some valve train noise I couldn't explain.
A buddy suggested I pull the valve covers to get a look at if the valves are receiving oil. What did I find? #4 intake rocker arm loose and rotated to the side, and the pushrod and lifter nowhere in sight! Looked with a flashlight and saw them laying in the valley, and I was able to extract them with a magnetic pickup. No damage to either, and with some fancy handwork and a 4-claw pickup tool, I was able to reseat the lifter and reinstall the rocker arm properly. This was totally, 100%, my fault: I forgot to tighten that one rocker arm bolt when I was shimming my intake rockers.
Well, suffice it to say: the motor fires up in less than 1 turn, I have 67 PSI of oil pressure, no valve train noise. I reset the timing to 14 BTDC, it's SMOOTH, and I love the kick in the pants now - which will be even better when my carb guy dials in my Holley carb.
Now to install the hood tomorrow and take my baby out for a run!
