Completed Project Brandon's mild 4.0 OHV build

[Xeek]

$131 isnt bad.
no melling m328? :/ does an oem sohc pump flow pretty good or would i be trying to find a melling sohc one?

 

[jd4242]

$131 isnt bad.
no melling m328? :/ does an oem sohc pump flow pretty good or would i be trying to find a melling sohc one?

in your case i wouldnt even bother with that pan.its more for boost or nos or high rpms.and there not that easy to come by,unless you get a good deal i would spend the money else where

 

[Brandon96]

Okay, went out an remeasured..

Driver's side or the new aftermarket head I was consistently getting 5.470 (no more than +/- .002 fluctuations) using the rocker wiggle method. I did NOT try to bleed the lifters since they were all so close.

Passenger's side, or the Ford Head, I got 5.496 - 5.516 using the rocker wiggle method. I then tried a couple times by extending the pushrod all the way out, locking it and turning the engine over to compress the spring and let it sit that way for a minute or so to bleed the lifter. After that I tried the rocker wiggle method and was consistently getting 5.525 - 5.530 on presumably 'bled' lifters.

I'm confused as heck with whats going on here..

Not to mention I stripped a rocker bolt and damaged the threads in the head. Looks like I'll have to re-tap that thread? any suggestions?

 

[Brandon96]

Upon further review/thought..

Does a 5.525 length pushrod sound right?

 

[jd4242]

Okay, went out an remeasured..

Driver's side or the new aftermarket head I was consistently getting 5.470 (no more than +/- .002 fluctuations) using the rocker wiggle method. I did NOT try to bleed the lifters since they were all so close.

Passenger's side, or the Ford Head, I got 5.496 - 5.516 using the rocker wiggle method. I then tried a couple times by extending the pushrod all the way out, locking it and turning the engine over to compress the spring and let it sit that way for a minute or so to bleed the lifter. After that I tried the rocker wiggle method and was consistently getting 5.525 - 5.530 on presumably 'bled' lifters.

I'm confused as heck with whats going on here..

Not to mention I stripped a rocker bolt and damaged the threads in the head. Looks like I'll have to re-tap that thread? any suggestions?

where these measurements when the rocker stopped wiggling?thats a huge difference.with the lifter bled down can you stick the checker in the lifter and push it up and down like a spring or is it firm and not moving?these where all at tdc of the compression stroke right?stick a stock rod in there and see if you can press it down and take it out.a stock rod should fit in the perfect but should have no preload,should be able to press it down into a bled lifter and the rod should come out.5.525 is what you should need but if you getting that on one side without any preload its not going to work it will just throw its self out in no time,hell even a 5.550 would

 

[Brandon96]

...

Crap.

Yes, all were done at TDC or very close. I'm watching the intake then exhaust lifters move and trying my best to stop the crank when I can see the piston at the top through the spark plug hole.

I will take a video tonight of what I'm doing and maybe you can tell me what I'm doing wrong..

I might need someone to stop by and do this for me LOL.. no joke, seriously.

 

[jd4242]

there may be just that big of a difference in the heads thats why i always say get two of the same.maybe someone else can chirp in and have some points or a better way of doing it i see a whole list of pros at the bottom of the page watching us!!!:shifty_ey:shifty_ey

 

[Brandon96]

Okay, so I went out there and did it once more again. But I still think I'm doing it wrong.

I stuck a set of stock rods in and cycled the engine a couple times to try and bleed out the lifters evenly. I then tried to push down and remove the stock rods out, but was un able to do it. I then remeasured the three intake sides of the #4,5 and 6. I stuck the length checker in at it's shortest length. I then slowly expanded it until the rocker would not wiggle. Here are the measurements I got;

#4 intake - 5.496
#5 intake - 5.514
#6 intake - 5.532

I clearly am off somehow.

To reach TDC on each cylinder I'm waiting until the intake lifter drops and holding a pushrod into the spark hole and waiting for the cylinder to come all the way up. Could I not be reaching TDC? I'm runnin out of ideas :\

 

[Ronin8002]

You must be a degree or two off with the crank...it has to be hard to get it exact by just eyeballing it. I don't know why else the numbers would change like that.

 

[Brandon96]

ARGH!

How can I go about finding TDC more accurately.. degree wheel?

 

[jd4242]

Well there is one way.hate me for saying it hope not.if the decked it at an angle it would be off like that!!

 

[Brandon96]

Well there is one way.hate me for saying it hope not.if the decked it at an angle it would be off like that!!

I was considering that.. but ignoring the thought for right now.. hahah.

 

[Brandon96]

OKAY, I learned a little bit today from a pro . A man by the name of Rick who lives in my brother's neighborhood stopped by today, curious as to what was going on the garage. I told him what was going on and it was like he was Godsent. This guy knew more about engines, more specifically the old Pontiac big blocks than I think I'll ever learn in my life!! He taught me a thing or two on how to to measure pushrods, and also taught me how, AND helicoiled the rocker arm bolt hole for me! What a guy!!!

So I could write up all the numbers, but I'm not going to. Basically it went like this;

Averages w/ a .035 preload:

Bank 1 Intakes - 5.539"
Bank 1 Exhausts - 5.540"
Bank 2 Intakes - 5.539"
Bank 2 Exhausts - 5.539"

So, we (or he) decided I should go with a 5.540" pushrod. With all my numbers, that will put DARN close to a .033 - .038 preload on all the rockers. I then turned around a verified this with a few guys over on RPS who've used the same preload with a lot of success.

Why .035? I don't know. But multiple people use it, so i will too

Pushrods should be here on Tuesday. I'm going to see what I can do about maybe putting the bottom end into the truck this weekend, we'll see about the weather :/

 

[Ronin8002]

Glad you got it figured out.

Yeah get that thing in the truck this weekend so on tuesday you can just put together the upper end, hook up all the hoses and junk, and have it running by next weekend

 

[Xeek]

hell yea. get that thing started. go buy a nice vid camera, record the engine running/driving. then just go return the cam

what you doing for exhaust anyway?

 

[Ronin8002]

then just go return the cam

Haha for a minute I thought you were talking about the camshaft and I couldn't figure out what you meant by that :scratch:

 

[Xeek]

lolol
no cuase if thats what i meant i wouldve said "return the whole engine". and added "to my house" after that and following it up with "the super charger the other guy had on"

 

[GRNMACHINE]

Glad to hear the good news! And looking forward to some completed pics soon.

 

[Brandon96]

...what you doing for exhaust anyway?...

Well I'm cleaning up the stock headers so I can wrap them. I eventually hope to put some long tubes on it, but am going to wait for a used deal or Ebay deal to come around again..

But I currently have one single functioning Cat, the secondary or second downstream from the y-pipe got clogged, broke up then got blown through my old exhaust system :. So I hacked the old single one off and gutted out what was remaining in the cat and welded a single 2.5" pipe into a single 3" in, dual 3" out Flowmaster original 40, then ran 2.5" duals out behind the rear wheels.

So I think I'll leave it like that for a bit, I plan to have a nice little growl to it

 

[jd4242]

Glad to hear you got it figured out and fixed.