With the engine back from the machine shop I got to work right away prepping it for installation. I considered using the original oil pan to preserve the dent that I always thought was from dad hitting a large rock during a family Rocky Mountain camping trip but I decided to replace it with a reproduction pan. That trip included using a Camp’otel car top camper. The small divots are still visible from the gutter clamps. The dented oil pan will be put on display in the man cave in the future.
The engine install went well except for the part where I forgot that the right exhaust manifold must be staged in the engine bay before the block is lowered. I had gone as far as having the transmission bolted up and the motor mounts placed when I realized my mistake. I tried but there is no way to get the manifold in even lifting the engine as much as possible while attached to the tranny but there was nothing to do but unbolt it and start over.
I had several problems pop up during the break-in. A reproduction starter relay stuck on, I’ve later found that it is a common issue with this product. Beautiful to look at, but functionally worthless. Then I had a massive heater hose leak that caused me to shut down to fix it. And finally, there was the oil light coming on solid during the break in. That caused an immediate shut down of course. I called the machine shop the next day for advice. He could think of no reason for it and suggested I put on an oil pressure gauge to be sure. It was a faulty sensor, the gauge showed good pressure.
I also had issues with the original Holley carb. It started having flooding issues. The word from Holley support is that back in the day they used some different float valves and the carb kit I had used had more modern ones that didn’t quite work properly. I found some that were of the ‘old school’ type but in the end the real solution was to purchase a new Holley carb. I will probably have the original rebuild professional some day but the new one is working well.
Having gone through all of these issues and finally getting a smooth-running engine, I was looking forward to getting it on the road, but it was not to be. I started hearing a ticking sound that sounded like a collapsed lifter. When I isolated which one it was I pulled it and what I saw was shocking. The lifter had been worn enough to have a hole in it. And that was why oil wasn’t staying in it. A wave of depression set in.
I had a conversation with the machine shop and was told that the residue would be all cast iron and the oil pump would take care of it and I shouldn’t need to pull apart the engine again. I had purchased a ‘blueprint series’ cam that emulated what Ford used for the 428 CJ. When I called for a replacement, I found that there was going to be a long delay due to a plant move and converting the ‘recipe’ file to different equipment. While I waited, I pulled the distributor so that I could run the oil pump with a drill and a shaft. Then I changed the oil and filter and ran it for a while. Then I changed the oil and filter again and then one more time and by this time I wasn’t seeing any tiny metal flakes. Then I pulled the camshaft and used a bore scope to look at the cam bearings. I didn’t see anything noteworthy but I’m not an expert. As it turned out, three lifters failed to break in. I got the new camshaft and installed it in early November but was timid to attempt a restart for several months. I’ll talk about that in the next post.
Something else I did during this time was to replace the cables for the hood pins. Back around 1977 they were looking poorly, and I was working after school and weekends in the parts department of the local Ford dealership. I bought a new set as a Christmas present for dad. He never put them on. They came with the car so about 40 years later, I installed them.
