Oil pump shaft in pan!!!!

[mitymerc]

Soooooo,

I installed 1 head & header (working too late @ night), then realized that I had not checked p to v clearance, ok, I'll just check the other one right? So I put some clay on the piston & make ALMOST a revolution, The valve hits the head,.....Ok, too much clay? No, still hits, NO clay whatsoever, still hits.....Removed both push rods. The piston hits the head, yes the piston. Out comes the dial indicator, .051, Time for new thicker gaskets (more expense).... Now we have .059.

After both heads were on, cam installed & rockers adjusted. I contemplate the brand new oil pump shaft, which is installed from the BOTTOM end, after much dicking around, I got the engine high enough to pull the pan & do all that.....

Ok, I am going to start it tonight....

Moving on to the lower intake.... before installing the heads, I checked all bolt holes, clean-up tapped those that needed it, and helicoiled 1 of them.

Of course, as I slowly snuck up on the rearmost pass side bolt, the torque wrench zipped right around....the bolt hole stripped out....

I put loctite on it & tightened it to about where it would slip & crossed my fingers...

2 of the bolts that came w/the intake spacer were too short, so that didn't go on...

Alrighty then, I jacked the front up so I could install the tubes from the headers back to where the cats will go. Coolant started dripping from, you guessed it, the area where the intake bolt was stripped....

Couldn't find the source so I tightened the coolant lines back there & hoped....

Now I've got the proper intake bolts, It will fire TONIGHT....(last Fri)

Pumped up the oil pressure. The stinkin' distributor won't seat!!!! I spent several hours trying to get it to sit all the way in, it wouldn't go down past the o-ring. I tried for a while & walked away & did something else before coming back to it. Over & over again all evening.

Took a mental health break on Sat (I was now past the 3 week mark of my supposed 3 full day project (The Vic hates me No Capri, Stang not even the MGM CP Wagon has treated me this way).

Sunday....
(IT WILL START TODAY)

Dicked w/the Dist for about an hour, walked away & came back w/the BMFH. (well actually the RSB [really small ballpeen]). I tapped lightly on the top of the shaft & it seated!! so, being a glutton for punishment, I took it back out.... It seated w/a few light taps, I took it out, it seated w/1 tap, I took it out. Now it goes in & out easily (and yes I did test fit the pump drive w/no drama before installing it). Of course w/all the monkeying around I had lost tdc. Working by myself I couldn't feel for compression @ the plug while rotating the damper from the floor under the car, & I couldn't see the timing marks from down there either. I finally got it set right.

It started once, stalled & wouldn't fire again. That's when I noticed the smell of unburned gas. It was all over the lwr intake, running down the trans & onto the floor.

Tweaked the fuel rail, reseated the offending injector and finally got it running.

I’ve got 11.5” of vac, & the coolant is not leaking, base timing is set to 12*, tps is set, Mission “Test Drive” is a go….

It runs like a pig, no low end at all (no back pressure?). Bogs almost to the point of shut off if hit w/full throttle.

Monday night can't find a fuel pressure calc on line (all my bookmarks got wiped in a crash)
Finally found one, it recommends 60lbs!!! for my projected hp (I'm guessing 275).

Found some time on Tuesday night to adj pressure, now it's still a dog on the bottom, but when the r's build it starts to pull, but not as hard (butt dyno) as the MGM wagon w/a STOCK H.O.

This coming weekend is already shot, so I will be going into the 5th week of my 3 day project....

[grandpaslincoln]

11.5 Inches of vacuum? Got something wrong there mang.

[91waggin]

11.5 Inches of vacuum? Got something wrong there mang.

I was gonna say....

[86VickyLX]

You have some vacuum leaks or something mang. It should be closer to 20psi. What firing order are you using?

[mitymerc]

I was concerned that there would be a vacuum leak due to the cracked corner of the intake, however, the Grand Marq has a 5.0 H.O. and only shows 12, that car runs fine. It's the 351/H.O. firing order, & I checked that the wires were routed properly...The weather is supposed to be a little nicer tomorrow, I'll double check the vac on both cars....

[88grandmarq]

list the set up you are running again, I forget.

if its a stock HO, EFI set up, you need a minimum of 17 inches of manifold vaccum.
notice I said I manifold vaccum, where are you hooking up your vaccum gauge? you need a source straight off the manifold.

also.... fuel pressure should be 38-42 psi, no more.

[gadget73]

I get 17 out of my stock 224k mile HO motor. I get stable 19" out of my Towncar.

[mitymerc]

It is a stock lopo w/stock H.O. cam, 1.7 cobra rockers, 58cc aluminum gt-40X heads, explorer intake, 65mm t-body, 19 lb inj's, stock fuel pump, I have a 155lph to install later, Mustang air box w/k&n, 1 5/8 shorties, currently running through about 3 feet of 2.5" pipe, an X pipe + 2.5" exhaust coming soon. 3.27 gears I have 4.10's and a tractionloc to install @ a later date.

This induction syst went 11.90 in my Capri w/the substitution of an E cam.

I measured the vac @ the fp reg, maybe I should check it elswhere....

[gadget73]

You should be getting much better vacuum than that. I can go pull vacuum on the HO converted Vic and I'll bet it would be 17 or 18". Different heads, but that won't affect anything significant as far as idle vacuum goes. Vacuum at the FPR is OK, its direct to manifold, though I usually use the line to the fuel tank recirc valve since it won't mess with the idle fuel mix.

[mitymerc]

You guys are absolutely correct, now that I am looking at in the light and somewhat rested, as opposed to in the dark, & cold when I'm fatigued. I checked it @ the vac line that runs to the fuel rec valve, I see 18" on the Gm vs 11.5 on the Vic.....

[88grandmarq]

check for vaccum leaks around the upper and lower intake manifold... spray some carb or brake cleaner around the gasket areas.

also check your rocker arm adjustment... if they are too tight, it will cause low vaccum.
re-adjust them for giggles.

you mentioned having minimal P/V clearence... have these heads been machined/cut?
if so, depending on how much, you may need to check your push rod length.

[grandpaslincoln]

Also, since you put a cam in, did you make sure the valve timing is correct?

[mitymerc]

Still running rough, low vac.

The Sat bef. last, I took it to the muffler shop & had the cat back created, it is 2.5" to 1 chamber Thunderbolts exiting behind the rear wheels. Once it was muffled I heard a hissing noise from under the dash!!! That's when I remembered the brake pedal hose that was disconnected to swap the ECM. Problem solved, yeah right, it made no discernable difference in the vac/driveability.

I haven't re done the rockers as I am afraid to take the cracked upper intake off (the crack checked out w/ ether & brake cleaner no leak, I used aluminum putty on it just to be sure...).

I am trying to locate another Explorer upper.

Last Sat we took it to a cruise/show. As soon as we got to the starting point, a heater hose blew, I borrowed some tools, bypassed the core & actually WON the 1st place trophy for '80's cars!!!!!

Today I spent all morning @ the junkyard & found nothing that I was looking for.

When I stopped for gas on the way home, the car would barely turn over ('91 MGM CP), I got a jump, got it home @ found the alt was dead.....Luckily I had one in my private salvage yard (the basement).

Then I replaced all the heater hoses as well as the w.p. bypass hose on the '87 CV CS.
On the test drive, the interior of the windshield fogged up, It looks like the heater core is gone...........

I keep reminding myself that working on cars is FUN.....