Anyone been waiting longer than normal for cometic head gaskets ? I ordered from one of the big parts houses because the gasket is nearly $25 cheaper than any where else and normally they have them within a few weeks. It's been over 2 weeks and I just got a e mail saying estimated ship date was 7-8-16. Wonder if it would have been quicker paying the higher price and going straight through cometic.
Sorry, just venting.. uggh.

So, I just swapped a set of SBF crane gold roller rockers and a stud girdle kit that have been on the shelf for atleast 15 years for a new pro power/speed master steel crank. It's a 4.25 stroke but has standard FE rod journal sizes. I'm going to go make the trade friday on my way up to buds Creek for the IHRA nationals.  Now I know this is junk to most of you guys but hey' it's essentially free to me and atleast its Fe and something that may get used eventually. My question is how difficult is it to get 6.700 rods with the Ford rod journal size ? Would it be safe to take the journals down to 2.200 or would it be best to just leave it be ?
My plans are to sometime down the road build a stroked 390, put a 6/71 on it and drop it in a back haved, roll caged 72 Ford maverick (that's just been setting) street/strip car and have some fun with it.

This will be the test bed for my garden mule engine .
69 fast back roof and rear quarter's. Fiberglass deck lid, doors, hood and one piece front end. Front end shortened 5". Aluminum rear wing. I did all the fabrication, body work, paint, built the chassis, set up the chassis, built the rear end, 4 link bars, wish bone, anti roll bar wheelie bars, . I did use some pre cut brackets for the 4 link . Took me about a year to build the chassis. Mostly weekend's and some very late nights. Everything was done right here in my driveway and small shop, all done by me. Chassis, body, fabrication, paint, electrical, engine ect..   Completed the chassis in 2006. Had the car finished and certified in January of 2007 . I had taken my .060 over 390 from the previous home built chassis (the "FEnatic" car when it was silver) and put into this car and had it ready to go by April and ready to test. After several test hits getting the clutch close I let it rip for a full pass and had a 1.396 60ft and a 3.989 330ft ,,, then all hell broke loose. The slug slung out of the edge of the 1Ua 428 crank, a eagle H beam rod broke, crank broke behind #3 main and it ate up the bottom of the engine ..when I coasted off to the side of the track the engine was actually still running of the front 4 cylinder's.    the machine shop that balanced the crank apparently didn't peen or tack the Mallory slug in and after a while it slung out and all hell broke loose.  The car set for about 5 years after that as my wife had some struggle's medically. She has had many health issues for many years but during that time it was as bad as ever. Everyone tried to get me to sell everything, or would ask what I planed on doing with it. I told everyone not to fricking worry about it lol. In 2013 a friend talked me into sticking a 514 Lima with a glide in it at the last min before the Ford fun weekend. It was his bracket engine that came out of a car he had just sold as a roller, no motor. On the 3rd pass it broke a valve an split the cylinder so our weekend was done.
So this is where I'm at now,. Hoping to have the garden muel engine finished and up and running by fall so I can get some good solid test passes.

How much compression are 1020's good for ?
What's the thought on useing copper coat?
How many uses do you guys normaly get out f a set of Cosmetic's ?

I have a Allison AT 545 automatic transmission in my bus conversion. It's mounted behind a FT 391 and the tranny Is a Jasper re man with about 10,000 miles on it or so I was told. It shifts great, doesn't slip and pulls good. The problem I'm having is it keeps kicking the spring out of the torque converter seal. I have changed this seal 3 times now and the fist time I changed it it lasted about 200 miles. Second time around it went maybe 50 miles. Last time around it made it about 100 miles. Soon as it kicks the spring out of the seal Trans fluid will start coming out of the bell housing. It's a steady small stream. The pump seal is not leaking, it's for sure the torque converter snout seal. I have called and talked to Several truck shops, tried looking it up, talked to Jasper, and all they want is for me to have them do a over haul or check it out. I could be wrong but I do not believe it's a transmission problem itself. I think maybe the converter has ballooned or gotten out of shape and the snout isn't running true in the seal and maybe putting alot o force on it and causing it to kick the seal out.
Am I way off base here ? Any of you guys with big truck and  commercial vehicle experience have any thoughts or similar experience ?

I have done it and I imagine at least one or two f you have as well, dbl pinned the cam gear. Have always wandered though why dbl keying the crank gear wouldn't be even more important.
I guess I'm just asking for you guys thoughts on this. I have seen way back in the day where some guys ha put a couple tacks on the crank gear. Not recommended I sure.. LoL

Ok jerico goo roo's I don't know if any of you guys run any kind of data logger with a transmission input shaft sensor but I ran across this while looking for some info on the racepak sportsman data logger. A friend of mine is old and tired and starting to part out some o the stuff in his top sportsman/quick 8 car and I got first dibs on his sportsman series racepak. This collar looks like a good setup to me because with the old Lakewood bellhousing and clutch setup I'm using and the large face throwout bearing, well there's just no room on the candle stick to mount the sensor and still have enough bearing movement. I think this would work perfectly but the collar has to be made and well I have thought about trying to do just that but my old 3 i1 machine would be a bear to make something like that on. I know Jay recently made a collar of his own for a different type appalcation and was wondering if you (Jay) or anyone else with the equipment could make one from these plans ?