410 build up

[1985 Ford F-150]

A little update since eatin the lifter. We ordered an edelbrock 272 originally but they back ordered it till oct 2nd so we told em to cancel the order. We ended up buyin a Crower 268 cam and some Rhoads super lube lifters. We got the cam thursday and today we got all th stuff back together that required usin sealant and gaskets. Tomorrow well put the radiator in, put the fan and alternator back on, hook up the power, hook up the heater hoses, put the cap back on. Then bolt the coil, gas pedal linkage, carb, and hook the fuel lines back up.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

We also swapped the heavy cast iron 4 bbl manifold for one of the edelbrocks we have. It seemed to give it more power when we had it on the 390.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Got it runnin today and we broke in the cam and took it for a drive. I need to sdust the carb linkage cause its only gettin about half throttle. Either the manifold has a different position for it or the linkage got bent or twisted down out of adjustment.

 

[TexasNomad]

Thats really nice, sounds super mean too.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Thanks Tex. Ill get a vid tomorrow of it.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Got the linkage fixed and I bumped the timing back just a hair and I can glady say goodbye to traction when I romp on it.

 

[LEB Ben]

Sounds awesome Dan...hopefully you'll be able to keep it together this time.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Yeah were gonna change the oil in another 25-50 miles and then from then on well run 30w rotella with the zinc addative for extra measure.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

I cant wait to see how it handles a trailer. It also has absolutly great oil pressure now that we swapped to a HV pump. Runnin 60 psi at 2500 rpm which is highway speed.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Well got an update. It ate another set of lifters in half the time of the last set. We got talkin to my dads buddy and he said that from whats been happenin he thinks that the valve springs are too stiff and theyre pushin down on the lifters too hard makin em wear through. He also said that it needs to come out and put new bearings in it since the old ones are now full of metal from the lifters gettin ate. So were gonna pull it, tear it down and just buy parts when we have enough money to. Were also gonna get the heads looked at and see what the spring pressure is and then change em out for some crower ones that will be matched up with our cam and lifters that well get also get from crower. Not sure on the cam right now but Ill keep updatin as we get parts and stuff.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

We dont have money right now so were gonna just swap the lifters, cam and stock pushrods in it and see if itll work.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Got all the lifters out today and got it torn down the rest of the way. We ended up pullin the heads off as well to try another set thats ready to go and have been gone through to see what happens.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Got it back together with the 260 cam and lifters from the 390. We did make sure that we put em back in the same order as they came out of the 390. This set of lifters and cam have a couple thousand miles on em. We also swapped the heads out for regular heads and we put the original pushrods back in it. So well see if it holds for more than a few hundred miles.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Tried to start it this mornin and it was extremly flooded and wouldnt run hardly at all so we put the charger on it and let it sit all day then tried again around 5:30 and it was worse than before. So I pulled the carb off and the plugs out of it and im gonna let it sit over night so it can evaporate and get cleared out. I also dumped all the fuel out of the carb so it will be dry by the time were ready for it. Gonna go pick up some new motorcraft plugs tomorrow cause the others are too black to start very easy. It had a tiny oil leak comin from the corner of the intake in the front where it meets the head so I cleaned it off and tried to squeeze some sealant in there to stop the leak if it holds Ill leave it if not im gonna have to pull the intake back off and re do it.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Got it goin with a 750 edelbrock we have but it was too big and was drownin the motor in fuel. So we went through a 600 edelbrock we had and I put that on yesterday and it runs great I just need to get the timing dialed in then take it to a mechanic here so he can tune the carb for us.. If that carb decides it dont wanna run no more like it did with the 390 then were gonna get an adapter for a quadrajet and throw an old one we got layin around on there. I was readin on petersens four wheel drive that they tested a quadrajet, holley, holley street avenger and edelbrock carbs and they liked the quadrajet the best cause it didnt kill the motor on steep inclines, declines, bumps and side angles. My dad also had one on a truck he used to have and he said it was a great carb and never gave him trouble.

 

[DNFXDLI]

I have used Quadrajets it the past and they can work very well...hardest part is to be able to find someone that has experience with them...hopefully you get everything working good this time around!

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

I hope so too but I aint holdin my breath. The one we got is just missin air screws so we just need to get some and then go through it and it should be good to go.

 

[blackhat620]

I think it was because we didnt use break in oil at the very start. We used rotella 15w40 and thats supposed to have enough zinc and stuff in it that ya dont need to run break in oil, apparently it dont so we ordered 7 quarts of royal purple break in oil to make sure we dont have to do this again.

We did 20 minutes at 1500. Thats what our book told us to do.

I dont know maybe cheap lifters from Comp cams. I read somewhere that the lifters now are made of softer metal since the late 80s. I think that combined with the oil companies takin the zinc out of the oils is whats makin em eat lifters and cams.

A few things on cam breakin;
1) Always use cam break in lubricant additive (todays oils even DEO, do not have enough ZDDP do to EPA requirements).

2) Use a liberal amount of assembly lube (moly based, not engine oil) on the cam and lifters. Note: is like to spray dry-film graphite lubricant on all bearing & cam surfaces prior to applying assebly lube when building an engine.

3) Use break-in valve springs or if running double springs just use outer springs during break-in.

4) Use standard lift rocker arms during cam break-in (ie 1.5:1), high lift rocker arms put to high of a load on the lifters & cam during break-in.

5) Make sure valve lash is set to spec.

6) Properly pre-lube the engine by spinning the oil pump just prior to firing, this means spinning the oil pump until you see oil coming out of every rocker arm or at least 5 minutes after the oil pressure gauge indicates pressure (it is a good idea to turn the engine over by hand a few times while continuing the pre-lube process).

7) At initial start up immediately bring engine speed up to 2500 rpm, never let the engine speed drop below 2000 rpm, you can vary the engine rpm between 2k-3k during break-in, allow the engine to run for a minimum of 20 minutes and preferrably 30 minutes during cam break-in. (Note: when initially firing the engine, do not let it crank for more than 30 seconds without starting or you risk running the cam dry). If the engine does not fire within the first 30 seconds you should pre-lube the engine again prior to trying to re-fire.

8) After cam break-in, change engine oil & filter, install proper valve springs, check valve lash, install high lift rocker arms if using them. Change the oil & filter again at 500 miles. (Note: it is recommended to use a good DEO (ie Rotella, Delo etc.) engine oil for the at least first 2k of engine mileage.)

9) Anytime a new cam is installed in an engine, use new lifters, and new valve springs of the proper pressure & length as recommended by the cam manufacture. Improper valve springs, improper lash adjustment, not using assembly lube during build, not using cam break-in oil additive, and using high lift rocker arms during break-in can all destroy a cam in short order.

10) Always read and follow the cam manufactures instructions, and follow any special break-in requirements.

You can also groove the lifter bores during assembly to increase oiling of the lifters. This requires a special tool.

As far as Comp cam lifters, they are US made quality products.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Thanks for the info. Its just got stock valve springs and non adjustable rockers in it. We used a zinc addative this time along with Rotella. We always prime the oil system with a drill for a while and turn the motor over. We use the cam lube that comes with the cam when we install the cam and lifters. We use moly assembly lube on the rods and mains. I also think that the other heads we had on it were what was causin it to burn oil cause now that we swapped em out with some others that we had done it dont burn hardly any oil.

 

[blackhat620]

Thanks for the info. Its just got stock valve springs and non adjustable rockers in it. We used a zinc addative this time along with Rotella. We always prime the oil system with a drill for a while and turn the motor over. We use the cam lube that comes with the cam when we install the cam and lifters. We use moly assembly lube on the rods and mains. I also think that the other heads we had on it were what was causin it to burn oil cause now that we swapped em out with some others that we had done it dont burn hardly any oil.

Okay, great, just make sure when you break-in a cam the engine RPM never falls below 2K for the first 20-30 minutes. 1500 rpm is not fast enough to allow for proper cam oiling.

The only way the previous heads were causing oil burning, is if the valve seals were bad allowing oil to run into the combustion chamber. It is always a good idea to replace the valve oil seals when rebuilding.