'99 ohv 4.0 cam build

[jd4242]

Ill eventually go with the sct tuner once everyone is done. Right now Im working on getting a 3.73 out an AWD v8 explorer. Im also going to use the track bars that are on it to help minimize wheel hop, but retain my single leaf spring configuration. The track bar bracket holes are already in my frame so they should bolt right up. I also installed a SHO coil pack. I was haulin hard in 4th at 5k rpm and it hicupped on me. The SHO coil is good for 8k so that should eliminated high rpm misfires. Im also working on making an adapter plate for a 4.6 SOHC throttle body. Ive got a 97 Lincoln Town Car MAFS housing and with a little work my MAFS will drop right in. I cant decide if I should try to find a larger airbox or go with a conical filter. There is not much room for a bigger one in there and its been hard finding one with the right shape and correct angle on the inlet. As you can tell Im trying to keep things very factory like. The throttle body size is 65mm so Im really going to try and make it work. Everything should look like it came off the factory floor, especially if I can find a stock style big airbox.

The rev limiter is right around 5k believe it 5200 so you won't be able to go any higher.really that cam stops making power at about 4800 so no real need to go any higher.i would wait to swap your maf till your ready for a tune.if not it will lean you out and isn't good.

 

[jd4242]

O and great idea about the 3.73 from a 5.0 it will make a huge difference .we are about to do the same thing to my buddys ranger

 

[QueenCitySleeper]

It does not have a rev limiter. Ive seen it pass the 6k mark on the tach, once. So if I install my MAFS in a larger housing it will lean out? I thought the more air it sees the more fuel is commanded. The housing Im going to use is 75mm.

 

[jd4242]

It does not have a rev limiter. Ive seen it pass the 6k mark on the tach, once. So if I install my MAFS in a larger housing it will lean out? I thought the more air it sees the more fuel is commanded. The housing Im going to use is 75mm.

That's odd,never seen a truck not have a rev limiter unless it has been removed or raised by a tuner .that's not how it works tho,your electronics measure air velocity and is programmed for the size of the maf housing.if you increase the size of the housing your get a double negative effect.your getting more air because it larger BUT the velocity is slower,so it thinks your getting less air so it leans out.so now your lean and getting more air so means even leaner.

 

[QueenCitySleeper]

Ah that makes sense. So that should be one of the last things I do. Ill focus on getting the rear end in there. And will the lower gears throw off my speedo? If so, can that be fixed with the tuner? Also with the larger MAF housing I would need a dyno tune right, there is no way that James would know what the A/F is without a wideband O2 or could he factor in the 75mm housing when writing the base tune?

 

[jd4242]

Ah that makes sense. So that should be one of the last things I do. Ill focus on getting the rear end in there. And will the lower gears throw off my speedo? If so, can that be fixed with the tuner? Also with the larger MAF housing I would need a dyno tune right, there is no way that James would know what the A/F is without a wideband O2 or could he factor in the 75mm housing when writing the base tune?

What trans did you have?think you said manual .it will throw it off but i honestly don't know how you adjust for it on 2nd gens .mine i change a gear out on the end of the speedo cable.he probably have the specs for whatever maf you use but im sure he will tell you to just use a 90mm unit.your have to get a wideband O2 anyways for remote tuning.

 

[QueenCitySleeper]

yea Its a five speed stick. And I was thinking about the gear on the speedo, I need to find out if its more complicated than that. And 90mm is way overkill. The 5.4 v8s use the same 65mm throttle body that I picked up. 90mm just does not make sense to me, neither does the price of a Lightning part ($150). Unless I was going FI, this part is a waste of $$ to me. Thanks for all the advice so far, there are a lot of good ideas to be had

 

[jd4242]

yea Its a five speed stick. And I was thinking about the gear on the speedo, I need to find out if its more complicated than that. And 90mm is way overkill. The 5.4 v8s use the same 65mm throttle body that I picked up. 90mm just does not make sense to me, neither does the price of a Lightning part ($150). Unless I was going FI, this part is a waste of $$ to me. Thanks for all the advice so far, there are a lot of good ideas to be had

O i agree and he might not suggest that but that's what most tuner build off from.you get them way cheaper than that,think i paid like $80.if you have the gear on the end of the cable then yea that's all you need

 

[Dono]

I'm pretty sure to adjust your speedo, it has to be done with a programmer that can work with transmission codes.
If you want a remote tune thru datalogging, you need the wideband o2, no way around it.

 

[QueenCitySleeper]

Hey Jd and Dono, Im doing research on what I need for the bottom end build. Did you guys have your rotating assemblies balanced? When spun above 4500 rpm there seems to be some mild vibrations in the motor. Also did you upgrade rod bolts and rod bearings? Im also going to go with a SOHC oil pan to stiffen things up. Is the Melling high volume oil pump necessary? I want to build it right, but nothing too serious. Ive always been a strong believer in overbuilding, I want to be completely confident that everything will hold up under smart, hard driving.

 

[jd4242]

Hey Jd and Dono, Im doing research on what I need for the bottom end build. Did you guys have your rotating assemblies balanced? When spun above 4500 rpm there seems to be some mild vibrations in the motor. Also did you upgrade rod bolts and rod bearings? Im also going to go with a SOHC oil pan to stiffen things up. Is the Melling high volume oil pump necessary? I want to build it right, but nothing too serious. Ive always been a strong believer in overbuilding, I want to be completely confident that everything will hold up under smart, hard driving.

I believe Dono is still running a stock bottom end.i did have mine balanced.all stock bolts are fine for the bottom end,but if you got DEEP pockets ARP makes and can make all the bolts to what ever grade you likei run the sohc pan and can tell you for a first gen its not a bolt on thing but would imagine it would fit in yours unless the sohc motor mounts sit the motor up higher to clear,idk.i highly suggest the high flow pump,you need a sohc pick up tube with the 328 pump.the bottom ends are pretty strong to begin with so not alot is needed and honestly the sohc is over kill unless you do FI or nos.like i said before these motors are NOT high rpm motors,there is no need to go above 5000rpms .your see if you ever get a dyno sheet,your power band should be around 2800-4800ish pushing it much farther will lose you power and time.valves are to small

 

[QueenCitySleeper]

yea I saw the ARP ones and yes they are pricey. So I understand that this is not a high rpm motor and thats pretty much the only reason one would need better rod bolts. If I got the bottom end balanced that would make the SOHC pan even less necessary, assuming there would be no vibrations of course. So as of now Id like to do pistons, melling pump, and possibly balancing the rotating assembly. My machine shop guy has good prices and does good work so Ill talk to him it about that when I have the pistons and rods pressed together. Sadly it looks like it may be a little time before I can find a place to pull the motor. Hopefully I get room soon, I keep coming up with cool and expensive ideas.

 

[jd4242]

yea I saw the ARP ones and yes they are pricey. So I understand that this is not a high rpm motor and thats pretty much the only reason one would need better rod bolts. If I got the bottom end balanced that would make the SOHC pan even less necessary, assuming there would be no vibrations of course. So as of now Id like to do pistons, melling pump, and possibly balancing the rotating assembly. My machine shop guy has good prices and does good work so Ill talk to him it about that when I have the pistons and rods pressed together. Sadly it looks like it may be a little time before I can find a place to pull the motor. Hopefully I get room soon, I keep coming up with cool and expensive ideas.

Well your need to have your crank and rods done.normally they go. with like a .02 crank and .01 on rods depending on wear and other things.normally they balance everything after they grind them down.i wouldn't go over .03 on the pistons either,the later blocks have thinner walls.any vibrations should be taken care of with all that unless its coming from your valve train floating and that can be from many things.

 

[jd4242]

O and the ARP ones you saw are just head studs.they don't list any parts for the bottom end.you have to call them and have the crank bolts made,rods i believe i used 302 bolts and head bolts they can make you a set that's plenty strong that are not a tty bolt.if you think the head studs were expensive you don't even wanna know cost of one off stuffbut again all this is WAY over kill unless going FI or NOS ....or both if your real crazy like some

 

[Dono]

Yup, my stock bottom end is holding up so far.
My rear main oil leak is getting worse though. Few more drops in the garage every few days than there were.

I agree, balancing the rotating assembly would make things way more efficient. Also, cc'ing the heads so that each combustion chamber is exactly the same helps take stress off.

I'd love to pull my motor and turn it in to a stroker. I just cant justify that kind of cash on my old truck. If the oil leak gets too bad, I'll have to pull the motor. Might as well refresh the bottom end at that point.

I have to say, I'm impressed that a bottom end with 186,000mi on it is holding up under the added stress.

 

[jd4242]

Yup, my stock bottom end is holding up so far.
My rear main oil leak is getting worse though. Few more drops in the garage every few days than there were.

I agree, balancing the rotating assembly would make things way more efficient. Also, cc'ing the heads so that each combustion chamber is exactly the same helps take stress off.

I'd love to pull my motor and turn it in to a stroker. I just cant justify that kind of cash on my old truck. If the oil leak gets too bad, I'll have to pull the motor. Might as well refresh the bottom end at that point.

I have to say, I'm impressed that a bottom end with 186,000mi on it is holding up under the added stress.

Yep a true blue print and balance motor can make a HUGE difference .your be surprised how much things are off,its how close you want everything.being are valve train is not adjustable it can be a pain to get everything right up there.if i were to do it again i would have gone with a true forge 4.0" bore with copper head gaskets/studs but yea these bottom ends are strong.im not much stronger than stock but i would feel safe pushing around 12-15lbs of boost at 10.6:1 or throwing a 50shot ontop of what i have

 

[QueenCitySleeper]

wait so 302 rod bolts will work? And yes this is not a performance motor so I can see how everything is not balanced as well as it could be. About balancing the valve train and block work, sounds like that is when things start getting expensive. And Id love to piece together a custom NOS setup. Nothing big, like a 75 or 100 dry shot, that would be fun. But like everything else, the NOS kit is only a quarter of the what must be bought

 

[jd4242]

wait so 302 rod bolts will work? And yes this is not a performance motor so I can see how everything is not balanced as well as it could be. About balancing the valve train and block work, sounds like that is when things start getting expensive. And Id love to piece together a custom NOS setup. Nothing big, like a 75 or 100 dry shot, that would be fun. But like everything else, the NOS kit is only a quarter of the what must be bought

Ill have to look thru my notes but pretty sure that's what was used,some secrets have to be kept thoyou would want a wet shot,i wouldn't think twice about a 75 shot on our stock motorshell i start stock 4 cylinders at that depending on CI.lol i love NOS but this new boost thing is pretty crazy also

 

[Dono]

Come on JD, give up the secrets

I'll be hounding you via PM if I get to the point of yanking my motor. Some ideas to save money and have stronger parts is always a good thing.

On balancing, Id start by picking up a kitchen scale, and weighing all the pistons. Then make the other 5 pistons the same weight as the lightest one by taking slight bits of material from the inside of the piston skirts, being careful not to compromise strength. Then, I'd do the same with the rods.

The crank has to be balanced at a machine shop (Kind sorta like balancing a tire)

You would now have a balanced short block.

On cc'ing the heads, that takes practice and skill. I'd try to find a machine shop that can do that also.

At least you could do the pistons and rods yourself.

 

[QueenCitySleeper]

Yea Jd, no one likes secrets
Dono, on balancing the pistons and rods, that is exactly what I was thinking. Im pretty sure my machine shop guy will give me a good price on the crank. And I know how to CC the heads. Its just that it would take FOREVER to do. If I did that I might as well CC the intake and exhaust runners too. Now if I was building a HI-PO motor things might be different. Im very curious to see how much smoother this engine can run with 10-1 comp. and balanced. It should make a good bang for the buck combo.