I finished the build and installed the engine. Has about 600 miles on it. Haven't taken it over about 3k rpm. Needs some tuning/experimentation with timing, carb, and gas, but runs well. Good torque in the 2,500 rpm range.

I'm probably not going to be of help to you. No dyno testing, and I don't have the experience to judge how this engine compares to other builds. Certainly more power than the 2 barrel 360 that came out of the truck. It is a mild build. I think you could spend the same on your 390 and get more out of it. And I know I could have done things differently to get more.

I assume I'm in the ballpark of the factory rating of the 410 (330 hp, 444 lbft)?

Regarding the last post I made about piston and valve contact, that was a measurement mistake. I have plenty of clearance.

Is there a specific PPM of zinc (or phosphorus and moly) that is recommended? I have read generically (not specific to FE's) 1500 PPM for break in, 1000 PPM afterward for a non roller cam.

Valvoline VR-1 data sheet shows 1100 PPM. And I happened upon a review claiming they reduced Zinc content from 1400 to 1100 PPM recently.
https://sharena21.springcm.com/Public/Document/18452/a90245ef-03ba-ed11-b81d-48df3793b338/ec3c3f0d-04ba-ed11-b81d-48df3793b338
https://www.valvolineglobal.com/en/vr1-racing-oil/

Couldn't find anything for PennGrade.

Also looked at a couple of additives (Howard's/Rislone). If you spread their small volume across 5-6 quarts of oil, you get about 1000-1500 PPM.

What is the harm in running a break in oil with an additive on top for good measure?

Hello everyone.

I finally got the machine work done, and I am starting the reassembly.

This is what was done by the shop:
-Honed cylinders with plates (had previously been bored 0.030")
-Crank fully ground and bearing clearances set
-Crank balanced
-Block decked, pistons are 0.012" below deck
-Aluminum intake machined to fit
-New cam bearings

I was planning to reuse my original cam shaft and lifters. I noticed this copper colored spot on my cam that I previously overlooked. I can not feel this spot. I've included a picture of the mating lifter.

I've also included some other pictures of the wear patterns on the cam lobes.

As a reminder, this is my second time building this engine. I had a rod bearing failure. I believe it was caused by lack of oiling mods, bearing clearances too tighten, and lack of cleanliness.

Is it possible that this copper is from the failed bearing? There certainly was copper in the oil. But I would think I would be able to feel it.

Thanks for any advice.

The method I used for measuring the head chambers was to stick a piece of acrylic to the head with grease and then fill the chamber with water through a hole in the acrylic (using a dropper with markings every .25-.5CC if I recall). I repeated the measurement over multiple chambers, and they all came out to right at 74CC. I personally felt confident in this method, would you say this method is accurate?

If you were to change the cam, what would you change it to and would there be other things you'd consequently also change along with it? I am not 100% set on that cam, but of course having an already broken in and paid for cam is very appealing.

I did measure the depth. Looking back at my notes, I actually recorded 0.032". I found TDC with a dial indicator and then used a straight edge and feeler gauges. Maybe I was off by a couple thousandths in my measurements but not 25-30.

I did not have the deck machined at all during the first build, and I highly doubt it ever has been.

The purpose of the truck is a street/hot rod. I will not drag race, but I will be hard on it at times. I use it for truck duties around the house, but I am not frequently pulling trailers or heavy loads. 69 F100, ~29" tires, 3 speed manual, 3.25:1 rear.

Sorry for the delayed response, I have been busy and not checked back.
 

Just some thoughts for you to consider. Are you absolutely certain that your crankshaft is an actual 3.98" stroke 410/428 one, and not a 3.78" 390/406/427LR one? The reason I ask is because I have seen issues where people have installed replacement 410 pistons (with a 1.66" compression height) into 390 engines (which want a 1.76" compression height). This results in the engine having the .025"-.035" deck height you describe, which substantially lowers the compression ratio, down into the 8.X:1 range. That has a LARGE detrimental effect on the engine's power output.

I did not personally measure the stroke. It has the 1U cast into it. I had it ground the first time, and I would have thought that this would have come up. Maybe that's not the case. Because of the damage to from the bearing issue, I have it at a shop being reground now, and I can inquire.


I thought that 0.030" was the factory piston depth for a 410. I am not sure where I read this now. Can anyone verify?

I believe your estimation of both your static and dynamic compression ratios is off considerably, and it needs to be brought up. To achieve that, I really don't think you want to be cutting .030"+ off the deck surfaces! Unless you can find some actual high compression 420 pistons in .030" O/S, you may need to look at custom ones.

I agree completely with Brent Lykins' comment about the camshaft, if you do want horsepower up in the 425-450 range. He knows a lot more about cams than I do, but I suspect would advise going up about 10° @ .050" on both intake and exhaust. What you have now is essentially just a 'very mild' improvement on the stock 428CJ cam. These motors made about 400 HP from the factory, and that's with the CJ heads, 10.6:1 c.r., a very good factory intake and 735cfm Holley carb. It also had much better exhaust manifolds than your truck came with. So as several others have suggested here, get some actual headers for your truck. In that regard, Jay Brown found in his testing for his 'Great FE Intake Comparo' book, that an engine in the power range you're talking about (425 HP 428CJ) would 'average' about 330-336 HP with several different headers, and the ancient 'log' style exhaust manifolds, as found on most factory FE's, would only muster 293-296 HP.

Understood about the camshaft. I chose it because I was concerned about detonation given the factory 410 is 10.5:1, and I didn't want to run premium (at a time when 87 was $4.30). In hindsight, I would be ok with premium or backing off timing when not.

Yes, I need to make headers a priority.

And definitely replace that 83 Lb. cast iron intake manifold! Almost any aftermarket aluminum 4-Bbl intake you can find will deliver more power (as much as 35 HP!), and will take 50 Lbs off the front of your truck!

I do actually have a knock off Edelbrock intake I am debating whether I'll use. It definitely needs some fitting.

Hello,
I am starting the process of rerebuilding a Mercury 410 engine. I already built this engine but unfortunately it lasted <500 miles before developing a rod knock on #4 connecting rod.

I do not know 100% why this happened, but I would say it was a combination of too small of bearing clearances, cleanliness, and oiling issues. Rod bearings had 0.0015” clearance and mains had 0.002”, I understand now this is too tight. And I did not do the oiling modifications.

This time I’ll be taking the block, crank, rods, etc to a machine shop that knows FE’s.

Application: 69 F100 with 3 speed manual. This is a street truck, I will not be racing, but I will have fun with it.

Expectations: I would like 400-450 hp. No, I am not dead set on this. I know that is borderline for some parts I may want to use and so perhaps I would back off of that expectation.

Engine Details:
-Original Mercury 410 block, crank, rods 
-Block is bored 0.030” over
-Stock Deck Height (pistons 0.030” down)
-Crank main and rod journals are 0.010” under
-Howard’s Cam HRCCL250031-12
https://www.competitionproducts.com/Howards-Cams-Hydraulic-Flat-Tappet-Camshaft-Lifter-Set-Ford-FE-352-428-213_223-050-525_525-112-LS/productinfo/HRCCL250031-12/
-Stock Rocker assemblies
-Sealed Power 1139P 9.5cc cast pistons
-C6AE-R Heads with CJ valves. No porting. Measured 74CC chambers
-Stock 4 barrel manifold (will probably go to aluminum)
-Edelbrock 750CFM carb
-Stock truck exhaust manifolds with dual exhaust. Will probably go to headers eventually
-Compression ratio estimated at 9.6 static, 7.9 dynamic

I want to keep the same block and crank. Perhaps I need to change pistons and rods to achieve my expectations?

Regarding machine work, I want to make sure I give the shop direction or I walk out knowing exactly what will happen before hand (this didn't happen with first shop). I think the crank needs to be reground to achieve the advised 0.0025-0.003" clearances. I think I will want to have the block 0 decked to increase compression a bit. I think the bores will be fine with a hone. 

What are the thoughts/opinions on this?

Thanks for any advice!

The factory S manifold valve cover gasket surface sits 0.040" lower than the heads on both sides in the front. And 0.027" lower in the back. So it is even left to right with some difference front to rear. And the gasket should lift it up to be flush.

Measuring the gap between the S manifold and the head, I can put a 0.017" gauge about halfway down all along the passenger's side. On the driver's side it is touching at the very front, 0.006" around #5 port, 0.009" around #6, and 0.014" around 7 and 8. So it is pretty similar to the aluminum intake.

China wall gaps also similar:
Cast iron 0.070"
Aluminum 0.070"