My new 347

Teaser pic. Should ship today.
More to come when I get my hands on it.

Where's that hard-on Smilie?

Professionally built stock bottom end by Ford Strokers 28oz imbalance crank
Wiseco pistons, shooting for around 9.6 to 1 comp.
gt40p heads ported (by Thumper) with 1.94/1.54 SS undercut valves and upgraded springs. Intake ports measured 140cc
Custom cam designed with my rear mount turbo in mind

28oz Damper DamperDudes.net (Americas Largest supplier of harmonic balancers)
28oz flex Plate 1830201 - Small Block Ford 289-351W 1963-1982, 28 oz Ext-bal, 164 Teeth
TCS Torque converter shooting for 2400 (1800 stock) stall. Single over-sized clutch for lockup to try to get that turbo spooling, and weight moving.
Trick Flow Track Heat intake
Scorpion Endurance Series Rocker Arms SCC-SCP3021BL
Rocker Arm Channel Kit M-6588-A50
Rocker Arm Pedestal Shim Kit M-6529-A302
Head Dowels TFS-51400420
Comp Cams Hydraulic Roller Lifters 851-16
Pushrod Length Checker TFS-9000
Rocker Arm Pedestal Shim Kits M-6529-A302
water pump reverse rotation GMB-125-1960
Oil Pump Melling M68
ARP Head Studs @ 80lbs w moly
ARP Oil Pump Driveshaft Kits 1 54-7904
ARP High Flexplate Bolt Kits 100-2901
PCV Valve EV127A
push rods: Chromoly, 5/16 in. Diameter, 6.250 in. Length, Ball/Ball Ends Comp Cams CCA-8400-16

gaskets:
header gasket remflex 3028 or Earls Pressure Master 29D03AERL
oil pan gasket Fel-Pro OS34508R
Head Gaskets Fel-Pro 9333PT1
lower intake: Fel-Pro FEL-1250s3
Oil Pan Gasket FEL-OS13260T
Bolt O ring oil filter adapter FOTZ6749B
Block O ring oil filter adapter F6TZ6L621AA edit: it was for too large of a circle. I had to cut it back and use ultrablack to ensure a seal.

Crank bearings....Very sad story on my new motor
695-MS590HX x 1 MAIN BEARING SET Standard Size
695-CB634P20 x 8 CONNECTING ROD BEARING 20 thou undersized for cut crank
edit...New cam synchro gear needed. Shaft size .531 Use a steel gear

edit:
moved to Twisted Wedge fac 170 heads
Pushrods: 5/16" with a length of 6.7"
Comp Ultra gold 1.6 rockers
Custom FTI cam
Morel link bar lifters
rollmaster timing set
Fel-Pro 1133SD4 MLS head gaskets

Strategy is REAC4A2 for Tuning

Siemens Deka 63lbs/hr EV6 Injector Part #108191
Aeromotive 340 Fuel Pump, part #11542

 

[Josh P]

If the motor goes critical mass, push it south of the border, I'll find it.

 

[Dono]

lol.
Yup, great truck to drive.
I'm thinking its a good thing the guy working on it doesn't do this type of thing for a living. He'd clearly starve to death.

 

[4pointslow]

Maybe it is just the block heater.

 

[CDW6212R]

I'd bet on and do the freeze plug again, hoping that heater seal is just not working right.

 

[Dono]

The coolant was dripping off the header at a pretty fast pace, so the leak shouldn't be too hard to spot once some form of safety precautions are taken. A coolant system pressurizing thingy would be a great thing to try, but I'd like to keep the $100.00 in my jeans if I can.

If there's no 'safe' way to look for the leak, I'll go the pressure tester route for sure.
I'm not ruling out the block heater, but after installing a new one (That fit pretty snug in to the bore) I'm not so sure that's the issue.

 

[CDW6212R]

Do you have a good/friend radiator shop to go to? My preferred AC shop is a radiator shop in name, and they can easily run the test. But is it $100, it shouldn't be a long task to do, the looking and locating the leak is the tough part?

These trucks are full of parts under the engine, I just put the front drive parts back(swapped) into my 98. I finally got it driving, and delivering mail. I stuck the front drive shaft back in it yesterday, and so far no bad noises from the TC. I'm going to have to have a Torsen diff, in front, my new route is full of hills that will need maximum traction. I'm going to swap 3.73's for the 4.10's it has now(the 99 V6).

 

[Dono]

and.....Head gasket. Again.
Shoot me.

 

[Josh P]

If you didn't have bad luck with that motor, you wouldn't have any luck at all.

 

[CDW6212R]

Ouch, I hate that to happen again.

I'm fighting a "death wobble" in my sister's Jeep Wrangler, and it's undrivable now after I worked on it yesterday. It gets old sometimes to fight the same thing again and again.

Go away and try to do something more enjoyable for awhile, and come back to it when you can deal with it better. Don't give up.

 

[Dono]

I'm not giving up.
Today, I fixed my transmission.
The real issue was a broken spring in the 1-2 accumulator. The trans filter was also laying in the bottom of the pan. Not great. The good news is that there was very little clutch material in the bottom of the pan. Trans also now has a Lentech rebuilt valve body in it. Tim's friend with a hoist. Was definitely the right thing to do. Shifts much firmer now.

Now, what to do about the motor. So very bizarre that coolant could squirt out in that area. Not even under boost, doesn't leak until the revs climb (even just in neutral). Tim's friend (smart, accomplished mechanic) can't believe it. He's never seen anything like it.

I might start plodding along at taking it apart this weekend. Maybe not. I'm not going to feel pressured by this. It's super cold here right now. Doesn't make for a comfortable work space, even when heated. I just might be hung over tomorrow.

 

[Dono]

I need to re-title this thread to "My old, beat up 347". lol

Tim stopped by on Sunday, tired and wore out from helping other friends. I know the last thing on earth he would have wanted to do is load up his engine hoist and stand to run it into the city. Thank you Tim!

Tim also stay'd and helped me with the Torque converter bolts and hood. Because of this the motor was out Yesterday. Thanks again Tim!

The machine shop checked the offending head. Its not warped. Short story. They want the short block. Its deck resurfacing time.

They think with all the times I've cleaned the deck I have a problem using mls gaskets. They really took issue with me using a resurfacing disk. They said they round hard edges and the surface doesn't stay flat. I know I used resurfacing disks a couple of times. Last time, I blocked the deck properly.

 

[Josh P]

Nothing to joke about, it seems like this thread is the monthly cylinder wall checkup. You might have better luck with copper head gaskets.

 

[Bootless]

I totally agree with the copper head gaskets

 

[jd4242]

I normally would 3rd it but...they have their own issues like leaking and needing to be retorqed..so i dont know if going to copper with Orings would solve anything for you..if you was having issues with blowing the mls gaskets out because of compression would be a different story..

I say have the block decked and stick with mls

 

[Dono]

I'm betting its a deck issue that the mls gaskets don't like.
The block deck has been screwed with quite a bit.

No matter what gasket, I think the right course of action is to re-deck.
I don't want to re-torque as the motor needs to be pulled to do so. The mls gasket fel-pro 1133-sd4 is a great gasket. I just don't think I have the surface anymore.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

see heres the thing. most of the time i am the second person to know whats going on before don posts here. but for what ever reason, it scares the crap out of me when i get a notification in my email saying "dono has just posted...blah blah blah" and i think to myself..oh crap, PLEASE say he didnt find something else!!!!
no worries on the drop off don. i try to help when ever i can. just wished i had the energy to help tug the motor out with you. today was also a repeat of yesterday.
and the scratch isnt that bad either lol. (don knows what i am talking about lol)

 

[Dono]

The motor is stripped to the shortblock, and going in tomorrow.
When the oil drained in to the pan, there was a splash of bearing material. That's not good I say to myself.
Upon pulling the pan off there was way more 'stuff' stuck to the oil pickup screen that I am comfortable with. Some copper pieces and other magnetic pieces. Some quite large.

The shortblock needs a complete once over. I'm trying a new machine shop (The one that resurfaced my aluminum heads and they came out near mirror finish).
Also, my warm idle oil pressure was never as high as it should be. The machine shop that fixed my short block said that the cam bearings were ok after my oil starvation issue, but I'm not so sure. I'm going to have new cam bearings installed while its all apart.

Also, in the interest of reducing on-going pain. I just ordered a j&s Safeguard. I don't have the money, but for whatever reason this motor won't take much timing and If it can help keep my motor healthy I can't afford not to. I won't be using the stock location at the top back of the block for the sensor. John uses the spot I have circled on the block with an adapter. He says it works really well.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

i think.....no, i AM going to be ill......

 

[Dono]

At least the motor is out anyway.
I am really starting to think those cam bearings should have been changed after that oil pump drive gear ate its self.
As long as the crank isn't damaged, I'm 'ok'. I'm quite happy to have another set of eye's go thru the bottom end and start from the beginning. I think this is the only way to stop the bleeding.

I always found it strange that my motor can't take much timing, even compared to Vroomzoomboom's which is almost the same motor.

l'll get the safeguard and meth kit installed in spring, maybe sooner.

I pray to the great motor gods all the time, but they don't seem to be done teaching me yet.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

not to mention how badly i beat on the thing. as well as i think i have around 15 runs down the 1/4 mile, and how many tuning pulls as well. it just makes no sense