Looking around for an oil pan and I found this:

http://imgur.com/YxbO8JO

$15. Looks small to me, but the guy said it was off a 1966 428. Needs some work but you have to like the price.

He also had a pair of heads and exhaust manifolds off the same motor that had the original air injection rails:

http://imgur.com/PgY6Y89

C6AE-U heads

$140. I have no use for them, but I've never even seen those injector rails before. Couldn't say no.

The guy also had some "large port" 390 heads for $200 that I did not buy. Maybe should.

I think the head gasket issue has been resolved, so a new thread is prudent. Car is still having knocking issues after head gasket replaced.

When I got it back from the mechanic, the copper crap I used had plugged up the overflow. So, there was still an issue with coolant and that has all been worked out now. When I first got it home the rad hoses collapsed once it cooled and I was like WTF? Plugged overflow. Also, the mechanic did an oil change (is that required for a head gasket job?) and only put 5 quarts of oil, apparently the guy who sold me this motor said it's modded to hold 7. So I added some oil and Lucas to get it full and it's better, but still when it gets up to temp, pulling, knock and gurggle like it would if it was overheating. It's not overheating. Runs at 190. Aluminum rad, dual electric fans. It'll cruise fine at 70 MPH no problem, then you go up a hill, and gurggle, gurggle knock. Or you stop at a red light and have to get up to speed again, i gotta go really slow or it will knock. Running 91 only for at least 3 tanks now.

So, the first suspect would be this crack in the intake manifold:

http://imgur.com/ssrVNmy

The mechanic I just paid $1400 to for the head gasket job seemed to think this crack was not much of a real problem and quoted me an additional $600 for a replacement aluminum intake.

Sigh. So if that's the problem, I think I can do this job myself for half that. I already paid $75 in parts for the head gasket set ... Like $5 on Rock Auto.


Second suspect ... Timing issue overlooked? Has all new plugs and wires.

Eta: pic: http://imgur.com/0oz7yN5

Aluminum holley, electric choke, like 1 year old. Kickdown is disconnected.

Part of the problem here, the car drives FANTASTIC for 10 minutes. At temp the problems start.

I have a pair of 65 Mercury Marauder Z code 390 4bbl, pentroof valve covers. Cool, right? What's even cooler is, besides that they should fit my 428 just fine, that's actually the correct valve cover for my 1965 Z code Park Lane convertible.

What I would like to do is just clean them up real good, and paint them Ford blue. Paint thiner maybe? I washed em down with soap and water, think I let some gasoline soak inside a little, would like to get them totally clean. I might call a shop I know, see if they can just sand blast 'em for me. Shouldn't cost too much. In the meantime, maybe I can get a good idea on what they would charge to replace a head gasket.

I figured this was worth it's own thread. My head gasket (maybe) thread is here:

http://fepower.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=4287.0

So, I had an idea.

428, runs great, little hot in hot weather, and I live in Arizona. People here have been tremendously helpfull, but despite the aluminum radiator, electric fans, trans intercooler, she still runs a little hot. 190ish in hot weather. So, my original fan is only running with the like 8 inch metal plate that says "CAUTION - FAN", ya know the original metal 1965 "shroud" . I use that as a guide for how my hood shuts. That is top clearance. Pic attached.

Now, I had a plastic shroud. I still have parts of it. I could never get it mounted right. Several times it got mauled by my fan. I have the bottom half of it though. It's pretty beaten up, it fits. A new one is like $85 ... I know, but I am cheap. Maybe the bottom half ... better than nothing at all?

http://m.imgur.com/zh8DeYw

Maybe, I can create a flexible, adjustable shroud, or a shroud made of multiple pieces, so you can remove or adjust the shroud without taking the fan assembly off. Patent it, get rich.

Ok, so I got this awesome custom 65 Merc convertible I been working on for years. Runs great, sounds great, fun car. Originaly the car was a 390 with a C4. Now it's a 428 and a C6.

Now, everything is great, but the shifter is a little sloppy. Even I have trouble being sure what gear it is in, or getting into reverse sometimes. The indicator is not much help either, somwhere between L1 and D2 I think is what you want to be in. i kinda go more by feel now.

Also, it seems to kinda shift late, even when I have it in the right gear setting (in low it doesn't shift, often find myself switching on the fly if I accideently have it in low) and it's such a beast, I never dare floor it, but if I just punch it a little in low gear, yah know WHAAAAA it's kinda scary. I'm afraid I am gonna break something because it seems like the RPMs get really high before it shifts. Is this normal, or do I need some kind of adjustment?

Ok, if you guys are up to the challenge ... what we have here is a rare 1965 Mercury Montclair Marauder fastback. Came to me as a car I was going to use for parts, more I looked into it, I think this car has 30k original miles. Sitting a long time. So, I thought I could get my money back out of it, since it's so rare, original and complete, and then I realized I would be a fool to sell it, if I can save the motor. Seized when I got it. All original down to the tags, have the original engine and carb tags. Have the entire original engine. Would be awesome if it could be saved. Z code 390 4b. Big, Orange beast.

So here's what I have done. I removed the entire intake,  og carb still mounted to it. Removed everything down to the block and the heads. The original dual exhaust has mostly been cut out, I am trying to cut it so I can remove the heads with the exhaust manifolds. My goal is to get down to the block and the cylinders and get this motor spinning again.

Almost sold this car for $2k. I would have regretted that. This car is worth doing right. I also have a 65 Mercury Park Lane custom convertible with a 428 in it, so I have lots of original extra parts. This fastback still has most of it's original paint.

Anyway, thanks to you guys I am about to get the heads off without breaking anything, once I can finish cutting the exhaust, and then the entire top end will be off and I will take some pictures.

Then you guys can tell me, if it can be saved. Then if you want to walk me through putting it back together, that's where I get stuck. It's full of fouled oil right now. I have not forced anything. Have not broke anything but some metal fuel lines and trans lines. I got all the parts in boxes, everyhting to put it back together. Obviously, need to drain, and (how to dispose?) fouled oil, and get PB Blaster in those cylinders, see if it can spin again, see how bad it is damaged inside. I didn't intend to get this deep into it, but this car deserves saving if I can save it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/arizonaclassiccars/22124931318/in/dateposted-public/

Here is my current dilema. I have an extra set of heads sitting in my garage. Think I have them sold for $200 which is twice what I paid for them in a package deal. Rebuilt good heads. $200 would help, but maybe not as much as having a good set of rebuilt heads in regards to getting this motor going.

If it's hopeless, obviously I sell the extra heads. If it's saveable, maybe I hafta get the original heads rebuilt anyway, to do it right. Thinking sell.

Issue number 2, maybe slightly off topic, but ... and I think everyone who knows what "rolled fenders" are is going to agree with me here, car has never been fully repainted and the lower rear quarter panels has some rust, as well as the wheel well lip. I cut it out already on the drivers side. i am thinking doing a "custom" wheel well with fiberglass on both sides, to allow wider rear wheels. i can do fiberglass and body work. Just slow. I know, from experience putting 17s on my convertible, these rear weheel wells are really tight. Half an inch of clearance can be a world of diffference. Just makes me want to puke cutting out the passenger side, which is not rusted, on a car this original.

Sorry for the wall of text but, sound like a good project?

Pics of car: https://www.flickr.com/photos/arizonaclassiccars/albums/72157644208477655

Lol, you can see my breaker pipes right next to the car in some pics. I got the top end almost all removed without breaking anything. Found a really cool original "65 390" tag on the back of the passenger head. I think where the dispstick bolts in or something? Complete, but maybe fubar original motor, but that is amazing to me, that tag was on that motor for 50 years.

The only pic I have is my shiny engine compartment. Had a trans leak on the way home, power brakes slipping, trans acting jumpy, smoke from engine compartment, but I limped her home. Was night time, didn't have far to go. Was still leaking trans fluid when I got her home, so it did not run dry. I put a quart in as soon as I got home.

So, upon further inspection I saw some lines that rubbed on a pulley. Yeah, time to resolve that issue. I run a trans cooler, so there are multiple connections.

So, I bought 10 feet of trans line. I figured I would only need 8, but I was not going to be mad at myself for getting 2 extra feet. I am under the car with hose clamps and trans fluid running out all over my hands, felt like a doctor doimg surgery on a bleeding patient. Ran the lines in a way where they wont rub on the pulley.  Got all my clamps on there. I used a smaller line than I had in the past that fits metal tubes coming off the trans better, then had to do a small to large connection, too slippery ... could not get one connection to the trans, so I put in a small to large there, with metal line between. Only way I could get a connection to the radiator.

Started the car, had to tighten one clamp, got it all leak free and then added a quart of type F, some stop leak for good measure, ran the car, still jumpy in shifting. No longer leaking, but acting funny. Check my trans fluid dipstick, dry. So it just sucked up one quart ... plus. How many more do you think I need? Did I damage the trans by driving it like 1 mile with it being low on fluid?

It's a C6.