Awesome job!

Thanks!

I also wanted to try something different on the linkage. I got a replacement 2x4 linkage kit and mocked it up. I wasn't quite satisfied how it looked and fit with my fuel regulator and lines, so I decided to try and make something. I have a simple threaded rod with rod ends going to both primaries on the pass. side for 1:1 linkage. Easy. I added nut serts to the linkage arm so I don't have to fiddle with fishing nuts on the back side while servicing.




Now, I had to come up with something to actuate the driver side from the firewall rod. I didn't like the first attempt, so I tried again. I took a piece of secondary bracket that has the slotted hole and trimmed the outside down. I bent a piece of flat stock and welded the two together and smoothed it off. I then welded a 1/4" fine thread Allen bolt from the back side of the lever. Again, so I don't have to fiddle in the car with a nut and bolt. I will have another threaded rod with rod ends that connects the firewall rod the the primary lever. I just have to slide it over the "stud" and install a lock nut. I also had to come up with a solution for a return spring setup. So this is what it looks like:





I gave the bracket a more finished look.

Using Jay's timing set, I started with some grade 9 bolts for the thrust plate and trimmed them to get .020-.025" clearance behind the hub.





Degree-ing the new "unspecified" solid roller that I picked out. Decided against putting the old cam back in. I also added a second dowel pin to the cam and made my own pins out of 5/16" tool steel rod. The camshaft, like the crank, wrist pins, rocker shafts, and a couple other parts, was also REM polished.





Buttoning up the short block:





Same windage tray and scraper as before.






Slapping on the Street Pro Port heads.

I didn't really care for the pickup tube from Milodon that matched the #31130 pan. I like the look of the Moroso, as it has very large radius bends. I thought I could improve on the pickup "box" on the Moroso though. Here's a comparison between the Moroso and the Milodon:





I started my Frankenstein project. I took a factory bell pickup tube and cut it apart:





I cleaned it VERY thoroughly and smashed the flange back down where the screen was sandwiched. I also welded in a washer in the center for a little more strength.



I also made a new screen out of 3/16" holed mesh. I countersunk the holes till the edges just about touch on the inlet side and trimmed to fit the dia. of the bell.



I'm well aware the larger screen will allow possible debris to enter the pump, but I'm willing to take that chance. Plus, I have strong magnets all over. Anyway, I needed to make a new inlet tube for the pickup. I cut the whole box off the Moroso unit and measured the length that I should need for tubing. I grabbed some 3/4" tubing placed it in the vice. First step was to make a nice radius for the entry. So I heated the end of the tubing a found a socket that slid inside the tube and also had a radius that I liked and hammered it home:





I cut the tubing to length and welded it into the bell.



Then I welded the tube to the now modified Moroso piece:




After rechecking fitment, I fully welded the bell to the tube and the screen around the perimeter.

Where to start.........Oh yeah, why the engine came apart to begin with. During the last 50-100 miles I put on in fall of '20, I noticed a little oil showing up in the radiator. No big deal, suck the oil off the top and top off the oil. Well, I also had at the same time a hairline crack at the drain plug bung on the oil pan. So, to fix it I decided to pull the pan and weld it up. After I removed the pan, I looked up and noticed a couple drips of water coming off the #4 main/cam bearing. Now the problem was going the other way. So, out came the engine for repair....I also noticed the glyptal was questionable in the pan, so I just removed everything. Welded the crack in the pan and added a new drain plug/bung in the rear.

I sleeved the oil passage in the block on both sides and had my machine shop pressure test it with hot water-checked OK. So, more good news, my machinist was checking over the crank and magged it. Thought there was a hairline crack starting on #5 rod journal radius. I wasn't there to see the mag being done, but he does good work and I trust him. I can't see with my eye anything at all, so must be extremely faint. I dug out another spare 390 crank and decided, why not do the things I thought about last time.

I spent a couple minutes and removed all the glyptal inside and smoothed things out:






Here's the new(used) crank as it started after a pass from the magnaflux:




I decided to bull nose and knife edge the counter weights as well as remove all the rough casting. So I started hacking and grinding....











I figured since I was this far, I would take it to a semi-local place to have it cryogenically frozen. This crank was already .010/.010" and needed to go to .020" on mains and .030" on the rods to clean up. So this is what it looked like after it was frozen and machined:




I also had it REM polished. It's my poor boy billet crank.

Blowing the dust off this old thread. It's been a long, hard road, but after changing my mind several times and waiting on parts for what seems like forever, I have iteration #3 of the dumpster fire 390. Way too much to list right now, but here's a clip of it running today:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ouUFcCn7ARY&pp=ygUZRm9yZCBGRSAzOTAgb24gdGVzdCBzdGFuZA%3D%3D

As mentioned, you don't need a shorter plug to fit that location. I have been using these from McMaster Carr. This one is a typical 1/4" NPT plug and is .440" thick- https://www.mcmaster.com/6367N14

I also like their "extreme pressure" plugs like this one- https://www.mcmaster.com/4534K42 It is .410" thick and NPTF, but it sits 2-3 threads further in than the other plugs do. So if you have a hole already tapped and/or you can't tap any deeper(shallow hole) and a traditional plug sits 2-3 threads above the surface, this one will sit flush or just below. Just be sure it doesn't go too deep and block any passage behind it.

Quote from: Nightmist66 on August 07, 2023, 10:03:41 PM

Quote from: blykins on August 07, 2023, 06:26:31 PM

Good to see the out-of-the-box TFS heads showing similar hp and more torque than the $$$$$ Pro Port stuff.

Do you have a link for your back to back testing?

I don't have any back-to-back testing with TFS vs. Pro Port, but I was referring to Mike Brunson's discussion up above, where he did a back-to-back test of iron heads, Pro Ports, and TFS heads.  The results are up above in his graphs.

No worries, just thought you may have tested some somewhere I missed.  Curious which iteration Mike used, there are quite a few options.