Avid sure looks purdy!!

http://aviaid.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/ws_oilpns_bbf.html

Ok, I started a very lame personal build post.  The first post is basic back story and it might help as to why I want to build what I am hoping to.  The second post is nothing really but some info. The thread is called My Side Bitch build... Thats the name of the truck Side Bitch.. I figure the money and time I spend on it is more or less makes it my side bitch:)

jayb: Its going to go in a 1968 F100 short bed I have.  I saw the pictures in your book (that book is crazy!! never would have thought it be that BIG, so much info. I think the name is deceiving).  When I talked with you I was trying to get this motor in the 73 truck I have but Id end up ruining a really nice truck.  The 73 has a 3 on the tree and is just a real nice driver.  As I was planing to build a better motor for it I kept having to make compromises.  I really want a motor that will test me, to me its exciting to work out problems.

I'm following the build that Blair Patrick is involved in with the twin turbo set-up.  I was gonna go that way on a coyote base motor but lost interest and wanna build this instead.

For the record I'm horrible at spelling (even with a college ed) and I'm even worse at writing... but sit at a bar with me and I bet you have fun:)

Thats the name of the truck "Side Bit$H".

Quick back story:  Never was much of a performance Ford guy, Started reading Car Craft,Hot Rod etc at like 12 and memorized everything like it was the holy grail.  I got a job as a dishwasher and saved all my money.  On my 15th birthday I bought a 1970 Coronet SuperBee (fake clone) with a 383.  I basically took a poor running car and destroyed it by working on it.  But I got my feet wet and there is something about hard learning.  Later I got a job in a body shop (got fired for being to slow and not having enough experience) I was 16.. Later I hooked up with a guy who owned a machine shop.  No idea why but he took me under his wing and did his best to slow me down to think about what I was doing.  I meet him 32 yrs ago and even though I've moved from NH to S.Florida I still keep in touch with that guy.  Hes a typical New England rough sweat heart.  If you ask him "whats that gonna cost me" his reply is always "as much as I can get out of ya".  I know a lot of people wouldn't do business with someone like that but he really really knows his stuff and always comes through when you need help.  I've been in his shop at 1 am in a snow storm just talking and a guy would pull up with a broken plow and he'd break out the welder or whatever and fix it.  An hr later the guy would be back making money and Id notice my friend didn't even charge the guy..  Id say something and he'd say "he's been slow and I know moneys tight" and then follow up with "and I know he'll be helping me this summer at the house when he's back on his feet"...... Maybe you get the idea.

So, I ended up working there a little.  NEVER allowed to do anything of value.  He had two lifts and one always had a broke project taking up space and the other he'd do side work for friends.  I'd R&R a bit but watch the magic he'd do on motors.  When your a kid and you get all your info from a magazine the inside of a motor was a mystery.  Id see him take a set of heads that had been sitting outside for years and make them look brand new. 

Long story short I have a deep appreciation for high quality machine work and the guy who taught me the value of taking your time and doing it once.

Present day... I'm gonna be 50 this year and even though I've been into motors, cars,bikes you name it I've never built a real deal over the top piece.  As a toy I was going to build a early 70's Ford truck and jack it way up and be a RedNeck..  I found a 1973 1 owner F250 2wd and the owner LOVED the truck.  He explained that everyone who came to look at it wanted to jack it up and make a big mud truck out of it (exactly what I wanted to do).  I could tell that was not the angle to use when buying his "baby".  He sold me the truck, had it towed home and put a starter and some new fuel in it and the truck started and ran on its own.  First time in 5-6 yrs.  I knew nothing about fords and my buddy looked at the valve cover and said "I think thats a Ford Edsel".. So I started trying to learn about the truck.  Sure enough after a few slow trips with no front breaks I started to fall for the little truck.  It has a 3-on the tree (had no idea how to shift it) and a 360FE.  Its been 3 years and I've done a simple resto-mod to it.  By coming to this site I started to plan to build the motor.  First thought was to get a 390 crank and pistons and go that route, then it was a thought to stroke it, then stroke it and buy aluminum heads.... it kept growing.  In this time I'd search CL and found a 1968 F100 short bed with a 360 but an auto and 9".. In the past 3 years I've ended up buying everything to build a real nice rust free short bed.  But everyday I drive the original F250 that started it all.  I figured I'd buy the new 5.2 crate coyote motor and build it for twin's.  That truck would be my present to myself and I'd send the motor back to MA to my old friend and maybe fly back to assemble it (more like watch him and get made fun of) with him when it was ready. 

I did order a set of heads from Survival a couple weeks ago and figure I'd build the FE to be playful but realistic especially with the 3 speed.  Anytime I talked with someone and want to go bigger or more (solid roller instead of hydro ) Id be brought back to reality.   First, the F250 is so much fun to drive.  It always starts and stops and does anything you could ask of it.  I take it to car shows now and then when I want to look at other peoples cars and park way far away from everyone with the cool cars and usually a few come over and look it over and say "I remember".. 

If your still reading.. why I'm sure this is boring as all hell?  Anyway, I was at dinner last week with a buddy with a race car, a real race car and he says "Coyote will be cool but why not build the FE" we start talking and a few beers later we lays out a plan.  Use the 1968 F100 truck I was saving for the coyote and just go radical with the FE.  Hes a Turbo guy but his suggestion was a Procharger.  My next post will be strictly about the build and enough memory lane crap. 
1973 F250

My bad I didn't see the last 3 posts... thanks for posting.

Sorry...
I was just asking if you know anything about the cougar?  I actually watched that 1320 but missed the cougar when I saw it.. you pointing it out made me pay attention.   If you read the comments someone wrote it was ugly... it was so clean!  Cougar was hanging down low against a car that trees everybody. 

In general, garden variety FE blocks are similar throughout production  Early blocks like you have often don't have the bolt hole at the front passenger side for the later alternator mount, something to think about. The early blocks also take a different thrust bearing, so a different bearing set. There is a work around for that.

Is there a work around on the Alt bolt hole?  I've been going back and forth on the pully set up to run the procharger and was leaning on the MARCH system I have on an other truck... My set up now is all on the pass side and I could run the charger on the drivers side.  The company I'm working with sent me the picture of the procharger but I don't want to run the ac like that, I like the way mine is low on the pass side.  Now if Im going to have problems using the MARCH because it wont bolt up I'll have to work that out.

Same as the work around on the different thrust bearings.... I'll start searching that but maybe you or someone could give the quick.

Thank you very much

Excellent info, shows I didn't even know the correct year.  Block will be sonic checked in 2 weeks.  It just landed at the guys shop.  Fingers crossed...
Thank you

Hello, I have a block that I helped pull out of a 1963 T-bird (single 4 barrel) that the odometer showed 73,000.  Guy said it ran good but smoked and had never been opened up.  I have the motor at the machine shop now and as things do.. I've changed my build idea to needing a very strong starting point.  What was going to be a simple 445 street motor has now progressed to a possible procharger F1, solid roller.  I don't think I'll ever rev it to the moon but I worry about the stress on the lower end with the procharger.  I've been trying to read as much as I can about the lower end and what can be done to help it.  You might have seen my last post on the eBay girdle that I did end up buying.  I figure while I'm at it I'll cross-bolt as well.  In reading about cross-bolting a 390 I read in 2 posts the late model 63-64's are good blocks for this but have the 2bolt engine mounts... How do I know if my block is a late model and more importantly a good candidate to cross-bolt and even more importantly use as my starting point.?  The motor reads C1AE, the heads C1AE60156 and all I saw on the crank was CIAE.  At this point its the block I'm going with unless someone points out "Its the worst block ever and this is why" (my normal luck)..  I had 2 other 360 blocks out of trucks (1968 already 30 over and a 73 stock) and my machinist said the 63 would be better.  But I think he only meant that because in general the metal used was better?  Atlas I think thats what he meant.



Thanks for any help