Lykins Motorsports 482FE, 538hp/620 lb-ft, towing application...

[blykins]

Performance Summary:
      Cubic Inches:     482     Dyno brand:  Stuska
      Power Adder:    N/A      Where dynoed:  Dale Meers Racing Engines, Buffalo, KY
      Peak Horsepower:  538
      Peak Torque:  620

Horsepower and Torque Curves:  Peak hp was at 5200, peak torque at 3750.   Had 590 lb-ft available at 2500.


Engine Specifications:
   Block brand, material, finished bore size, other notes:  BBM cast iron, 4.250" bore, 10.150" deck. 
     
   Crankshaft brand, cast or forged, stroke, journal size:  Scat steel 4.250"
     
   Connecting Rods brand, material, center to center distance, end sizes, bolts:  Scat I-beam, 6.700"

   Piston brand, material (caster, hypereutectic or forged), dish/dome volume, static CR:  Custom Racetec forged, 30cc dish, 1.5/1.5/3mm

   Main Bearings, Rod Bearings, Cam Bearings brand and size:  Federal Mogul, Federal Mogul, Durabond FP-01

   Piston rings brand, size, other notes:  Mahle, 1.5/1.5/3mm

   Oil Pump, pickup, and drive:  Melling standard volume, factory style pickup

   Oil pan, windage tray, oil filter adapter:  Moroso factory style pan, 5 quart, no tray, billet filter adapter.

   Camshaft brand, type (hyd/solid, flat tappet or roller), lift and duration (adv and @.050"):  Custom Lykins Motorsports hydraulic roller

   Lifters brand, type:  Morel

   Timing chain and timing cover:  Ford Racing/factory

   Cylinder heads brand, material, port and chamber information:  BBM as-cast, SI 2.250/1.75 11/32 valves

   Cylinder head flow in cfm at inches of lift (28" H2O pressure drop):
      Intake               Exhaust
      .100               .100
      .200               .200
      .300               .300
      .400               .400
      .500               .500
      .600               .600
      .700               .700
      .800               .800

   Flow bench used, location:

   Intake valve brand, head size, stem size:  SI, 2.250, 11/32

   Exhaust valve brand, head size, stem size:  SI, 1.75, 11/32
   
   Valve springs brand, part number, specs:  Comp Cams 930, 140/340

   Retainers and locks brand, part number, specs:  Comp Cams 741, Comp locks

   Rocker arm brand, type (adjustable or non-adj), material, ratio:  T&D Street

   Rocker shafts and stands, brand, material:

   Pushrods brand, type, length:  Trend, 5/16" .080", 8.700"

   Valve covers, brand, type:  Custom Lykins Motorsports

   Distributor brand, advance curve information:  Mallory Unilite

   Harmonic balancer brand:  Powerbond Street

   Water pump brand, type (mechanical or electric):  Edelbrock

   Intake manifold brand, material, porting information:  Edelbrock Performer RPM, no porting

   Carburetor(s) brand, type:  Custom Quick Fuel HR-780

   Exhaust manifolds or headers brand, type:  Dyno headers

[abyars]

That will make a great tow engine.  I'd love to have that much torque at 2500 rpm!!

[Qikbbstang]

That motor is off the charts cool. I want my 427 stroker to be just like the 390 GT motor it came with except on steroids. Your peak HP @ 5,200 nails that perfectly.
      Brent you got to at least post a picture of that mill - maybe even in the truck it's going in. Seriously hate to get on your case, but it can't be that hard for you to take a video of the mill in the dyno room and load it on to photo-bucket - give it a try!

[My427stang]

BB, Brent posts most of them as they happen.

Here are some pics: and the original write up.  Didn't find the dyno run on this one, but I bet he has it.  He gives all his customers a video of the engine on the pump

http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/message/1433791250

[blykins]

BB, seriously hate to get on *your* case, but I posted this build on the FE forum at least twice.  You just don't pay attention.  Dyno videos are available on my website and on my You Tube channel.  I think everybody knows this except for you. 

[Drew Pojedinec]

*yawn*

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvOf9h7GYpruYRV_I3ohy4Q

[TJ]

Seems like when a new engine build first hits the dyno there's enthusiasm but then rarely is there any follow up on how a build worked for its intended purpose.  So here's just a few follow up comments after a year's worth of use (about 6,000 miles) with my 482 built by Brent.

In a nutshell, this build does exactly what I wanted.  I dropped this engine into my '65 F250.  Power band works well with my gearing (NP435 tranny and 4.10 rear).   It's  very capable idling/parking my 10,000 lb camper, merging onto freeway, and taking hills on the interstate with my camper.  I run it fairly fast and steady for a truck (3000ish rpms) on the freeway and it runs smooth.  I believe it has enough guts down low that I could swap in an over drive and pull my camper 70mph at around 2500 rpms.  It's a nice, strong truck-like build that I can see working well in something newer than my '65...especially for someone wanting something ugly strong and fairly simple to maintain and keep on the road. 

[Drew Pojedinec]

Awesome to hear TJ.

Out of curiousity, and perhaps to dispel a rumor....
What does your fuel economy look like?  are you able to eek out double digits?  if so, I'd consider this a MAJOR win on all fronts.

[JamesonRacing]

Seems like when a new engine build first hits the dyno there's enthusiasm but then rarely is there any follow up on how a build worked for its intended purpose.  So here's just a few follow up comments after a year's worth of use (about 6,000 miles) with my 482 built by Brent.

In a nutshell, this build does exactly what I wanted.  I dropped this engine into my '65 F250.  Power band works well with my gearing (NP435 tranny and 4.10 rear).   It's  very capable idling/parking my 10,000 lb camper, merging onto freeway, and taking hills on the interstate with my camper.  I run it fairly fast and steady for a truck (3000ish rpms) on the freeway and it runs smooth.  I believe it has enough guts down low that I could swap in an over drive and pull my camper 70mph at around 2500 rpms.  It's a nice, strong truck-like build that I can see working well in something newer than my '65...especially for someone wanting something ugly strong and fairly simple to maintain and keep on the road.

I have a very similar application - 66 F250 that I pull my 24' enclosed trailer and race car.  Tow weight is around 7500 lbs.  Engine is a stroked 427 marine block, 480 cubes, NP435, but I replaced the original 4.10s with 3.54s.  The numerically lower rear gears have me right where I want to be with RPM, around 2500 on the two lane highways.  Your engine build is making more steam than mine though...something for my wish list   Congrats!

[TJ]

Drew,
Getting 10-11 mpg on the freeway (90%) of my miles.  Work commute is 8-9 mpg ( half of that is stop/go and half is crawling on the rush hour freeway.  Towing the camper is 6.5 mpg.  My stock 390 used to get 11-12 freeway and 8 towing if I stayed below 65, but 7 if I went above 65.

There is some "low hanging fruit" to pluck.  Been thinking like what JamesonRacing mentioned of changing the rear or adding an overdrive.  At 65mph I'm spinning 3000 rpms.  This engine could keep me moving at 65 with 2000 rpms when empty and 2500ish rpms when towing.  With 590 lb ft at 2500 it wouldn't be lugging too bad.  Might squeeze a little more mpg with some carb tuning and a vacuum dizzy, but really like the all around drive ability of Brent's starting point carb tune and non-vacuum dizzy.

JamesonRacing,
My only hesitation with changing the rear end is that I like my slow 1st and reverse for parking the camper and crawling in the field with loads of firewood.  Do you ever find yourself wishing 1st was synchronized...for instance when slowing down for a turn with the trailer is 2nd gear a little too fast?  I can only get into 1st from a stop.  I've looked at several trannies.  I haven't seen any that have a wide enough ratio so I'm thinking about a gear vendor overdrive.  Not sure I want to spend $3k though.  If lightning hit my wife's diesel I might be more motivated.  For out of state trips with the family, I can see this engine going into a rust free dually that's just old enough to be exempt from emissions testing.  I like the idea of a simple, yet strong motor when away from home.

[JamesonRacing]

My only hesitation with changing the rear end is that I like my slow 1st and reverse for parking the camper and crawling in the field with loads of firewood.  Do you ever find yourself wishing 1st was synchronized...for instance when slowing down for a turn with the trailer is 2nd gear a little too fast?  I can only get into 1st from a stop.

First is so low that I can't imagine using it during normal driving.  I only go into first when I'm pulling the trailer and starting from a dead stop.  I have thought long and hard about switching to a five-speed trans.  Would make the driving a whole different experience.  Wish a NV4500 was a bolt-in deal.

[Drew Pojedinec]

Sounds great TJ.

About gearvendors......
I have one in my car.  It's fantastic.  I got it used for next to nothing really.

I'm probably going to get a new one for my truck when I redo it, i like them that much.
As far as I'm concerned a GV is forever..... I'd never sell a vehicle with one in it.  They are super simple to rebuild and pretty much last forever provided you have it wired correctly etc.

A zf5 or nv4500 adapter would be nice for sure, but there has to be something nice about the reliability of a Np435

[TJ]

Drew,  Thank you for the info on the gear vendor.  Just did 200 mostly freeway miles today and was daydreaming about having a GV.  I plan to run this truck a long time and this engine longer.  We'll see.

 This is a great forum to read, I just don't know enough about FE's to contribute.  BTW, name is Terry Jordan and go by '65Ford on the FTE forum.

[FirstEliminator]

FTE?

[Drew Pojedinec]

Ford Truck Enthusiasts.
It's basically 20 people that are really informed on ford truck, 100 people that are slowly improving their trucks, and 10,000 high school kids that know everything.

I'm "DeepRoots" over there.

[TJ]

Ford Truck Enthusiasts.
It's basically 20 people that are really informed on ford truck, 100 people that are slowly improving their trucks, and 10,000 high school kids that know everything.

I'm "DeepRoots" over there.

That's about the size of it.

[FirstEliminator]

I'm a member of a few Ford truck sites. The ones I've been visiting don't have much activity. Fordification.net OldFordCrewCabs.com I think. I'm slowly building my truck too. So I don't visit much. My truck is a 79 F-350 Crew Cab Long Bed 2wd. Similar to your application, I am building a 545 stroker from a 460. Got a cam spec'd by Scott at ReIncarnation. Going to be a good truck build. It will have an E4OD behind it. I reduced the rear gear from 4.10 to 3.73. Performer RPM, FPA headers, mildly ported D3 heads. Hopefully, the mileage should be at least as good or even slightly better than with the smogged out 460, C-6 and 4.10. I'm sure the performance will be night and day better.

    Your 482 is very similar to what I'd like to build for my Colony Park wagon. Let me ask ya, what rpm does your 482 idle? Is it a smooth idle? Or does it have some chop?

[TJ]

I have it idling 850ish, and it has a nice little rumble.  I classify it as a spirited truck engine... definitely more aggressive than a typical truck from the '60s.

[FirstEliminator]

   When I put together the engine for the wagon, I'll probably be looking for an idle speed of 600-700. A little less cam might be best for me. I watched the video. I tend to speculate that with about 5 degrees less duration and 112 maybe 113 lobe separation will get me the idle speed and quality I'm looking for.
    I would bet you might find another mpg with vacuum advance.

     Here is something to think about with your desires for an OD trans. With the length of your truck, there should be plenty of room for an auxiliary trans. a 3 or even 4 speed aux will get you any gear you want. I have a 1957 GM 4104 bus, like an....well, it is actually an old Greyhound bus. It has a 4 speed manual where 1st is so darn tall that the bus seems to idle at 10 or more mph. It's terrible at starting out on even a slight grade. Or, moving it around to park in a tight spot. I recently bought a Spicer 7041 aux trans to see if I could fit it in the bus. It will be a very tight squeeze to get it in there.  I may have to machine an adaptor plate to mount it directly on the V-drive. Since the trans is 30 feet behind the shifter, I will be setting it up with pneumatic cylinders to shift. I have a Brockway truck that has a pneumatically shifted auxiliary and it's a very nice set-up.  Anyway, you may find a smaller auxiliary like a Spicer 5531 or up to a 6041 might work for ya. I've seen installations in pick-ups on the web. 

   Mark

[abyars]

Ford Truck Enthusiasts.
It's basically 20 people that are really informed on ford truck, 100 people that are slowly improving their trucks, and 10,000 high school kids that know everything.

I'm "DeepRoots" over there.

Good one, but true in my opinion.

[blykins]

   When I put together the engine for the wagon, I'll probably be looking for an idle speed of 600-700. A little less cam might be best for me. I watched the video. I tend to speculate that with about 5 degrees less duration and 112 maybe 113 lobe separation will get me the idle speed and quality I'm looking for.
    I would bet you might find another mpg with vacuum advance.

     Here is something to think about with your desires for an OD trans. With the length of your truck, there should be plenty of room for an auxiliary trans. a 3 or even 4 speed aux will get you any gear you want. I have a 1957 GM 4104 bus, like an....well, it is actually an old Greyhound bus. It has a 4 speed manual where 1st is so darn tall that the bus seems to idle at 10 or more mph. It's terrible at starting out on even a slight grade. Or, moving it around to park in a tight spot. I recently bought a Spicer 7041 aux trans to see if I could fit it in the bus. It will be a very tight squeeze to get it in there.  I may have to machine an adaptor plate to mount it directly on the V-drive. Since the trans is 30 feet behind the shifter, I will be setting it up with pneumatic cylinders to shift. I have a Brockway truck that has a pneumatically shifted auxiliary and it's a very nice set-up.  Anyway, you may find a smaller auxiliary like a Spicer 5531 or up to a 6041 might work for ya. I've seen installations in pick-ups on the web. 

   Mark

The longer LSA spread would probably help with idle but you would lose some torque.  You would have to change the duration by more than 5 degrees to make a dent in it. 

[Rory428]

Sounds like a great engine for towing. TJ, have you considering a BW T-19 truck 4 speed? Although still a heavy cast iron trans, it does have a syncronized low gear, and has what I consider, much more usable 1 rst gear ratios. I believe the NP435 uses a 6.8ish 1rst gear, the T19 has a 4.0ish 1rst for diesel applications, and a 5.0ish 1rst gear when used with a 460 engine. However, BW also made a T-18, which was geared very similar to the NP435, and does not have a syncronized 1rst gear. Both the T-18 and T-19 look quite similar to each other, to tell them apart, a T-18 has a single PTO cover, on the drivers side, while the T-19 has 2 PTO covers, one on either side.For 26 years, I hauled my drag car with a 74 F350 DRW ramp truck/car hauler, normally weighed about 10,500 lbs, powered by a mild low compression 390 4 barrel engine from a 75 or 76 F250. Back in 1990, I just honed the bores, installed new rings on the original "410" cast piston, usual new bearings, valve job, timing chain etc. The only changes I made were a set of full length headers (Hedmans from 1990, FlowTechs about 10 years ago), a locally ground "RV" type hydraulic cam, and a C6 "S" cast iron 4 barrel intake mainold with a 450 cfm Holley carb. I also used the electronic "Duraspark" ignition from the donor truck. Mt truck had a NP435 trans, and 4.10 Dana 60 with 7.50R-16 Michelins, that were almost 32" tall. At 60 MPH, the RPMs were about 2700 RPM, the more common 235/85R16 truck tires are a bit shorter, so the RPM would be somewhat higher. I rarely used 1rst gear, unless starting off on a steep hill while loaded, but even still, the super low 1rst gear ratio meant I seldom got more than 10-15 MPH in first gear, I think the 5.0 low T-19 would be much more usable, plus being syncroed, much nicer to use. I realize that you have probably twice the power my 390 had, so a rear end ratio change may be OK, I never considered than myself.
As for a O/D 5 speed, my current tow setup is a 99 F350 DRW Super Cab 2wd, with a 6.8L V-10 and a ZF 5 speed trans, and Dana 80 with 3.73 gears. Tires are 235/85R16s. Not sure what the 1rst gear ratio in my ZF 5 speed is, but it is more usable that the NP435 in the old truck, plus is syncronized,but with 3.73 gearing, I normally tow on the freeway in 4th, only use 5th on long flat stretches, or at higher speeds. I tow a 24 foot Wells Cargo enclosed trailer, my truck alone is just under 7,000 lbs with me in it (no camper ,canopy, or any load in the box normally),and my loaded trailer is normally 7500-8000 pounds, so I am considerably heavier than the old ramp truck was. In O/D 5th, at 60 mph, the engine is about 2100-2200 RPM, in 4th its 2600 RPM, which is not too bad. In O/D 5th, there is virtually no throttle response, any hill requires dropping to 4th. Again, maybe your much stronger engine wouldn`t mind the O/D, or a taller gear ratio. I bought a used 5.0 low T-19 a few years back, to put in my 74 truck, but sold the truck before that happened. I understand the T-19 is a straight bolt it swap, my T-19 was from a 1984 F250 2WD, with a 460 engine.

[JamesonRacing]

Rory - Found a T19 2WD trans from a mid-80s Ford diesel pickup.  Should that be a direct swap for my current NP435?

[TJ]

Thanks to all for the gearing ideas.  I hadn't thought about the spicer aux tranny.  I'll look into that. 

The T19 and the NV4500 have the same "flaw" for towing.  With my 390, the NP435 has a little too much gap between 3rd and 4th.  Any decent hill would bog me down in 4th and then I'd be stuck in 3rd doing 40mph at 3000 rpms.  While my new engine probably wouldn't bog down in 4th, I'd still like to have a between gear for that type of situation.  I'm guessing switching to a 3.55 rear would accentuate the gap between 3rd and 4th.  I can see why the last manual trannies Ford used were 6th speeds.

Brings me back to the GV.  It's one "flaw" is the price.

[Rory428]

Rory - Found a T19 2WD trans from a mid-80s Ford diesel pickup.  Should that be a direct swap for my current NP435?

What I understand is that the trans bolt pattern, input shaft dimensions, bearing retainer are the same, not positive if there is any difference in the case length, shifter location,trans mount, or speedo cable location. Myself I would likely lean towards the 5.0 1rst gear ratio, rather than the 4.0, easy enough to check that, but then again, with your beast of a FE, may not been an issue.

[JamesonRacing]

Rory - Found a T19 2WD trans from a mid-80s Ford diesel pickup.  Should that be a direct swap for my current NP435?

What I understand is that the trans bolt pattern, input shaft dimensions, bearing retainer are the same, not positive if there is any difference in the case length, shifter location,trans mount, or speedo cable location. Myself I would likely lean towards the 5.0 1rst gear ratio, rather than the 4.0, easy enough to check that, but then again, with your beast of a FE, may not been an issue.

The T19s seem to be hard to locate - think I'll roll the dice and give the 4:1 first gear a try.  I can usually get the trailer rolling from a stop in 2nd gear (3:1) on the NP435, only using first if I'm at a complete stop going up hill.  I sure like the idea of having 3rd and 4th closer together.

[BigBlueIron]

Another good option is http://www.advanceadapters.com/categories/ranger-torque-splitter/236/ I currently have one in my rat rod behind a np435. I haven't been able to drive it yet but expect good things. Also unlike a GV this spliter can be used in 4x4. Looking for another for my 77 F-350 which this one was originally planned for.

[TJ]

I considered advance adaptors.  They're only rated for 420 lb ft and I'd have to cut the snout off my NP435.  So that made me lean toward GV thinking that if I broke a GV, I can put my original driveshaft back on and be back on the road real quick.  Plus, not sure I want to move the gear shift closer to the seat.

[blykins]

TKO 600?

[TJ]

Believe me, I eyeballed and calculated gears on the TKO 600's for a bit.  A big plus is they would have to be smoother/faster shifting than my NP435.  But (and please correct me), the TKO 600 has a 1st ratio at 2.87.  Even if I switched rears from a 4.10 to a 4.56, my new 1st gear would be slightly faster than my current 2nd gear.  I use 2nd gear for most starts, but use 1st when starting out with the camper and also when loaded and starting on hills.   That 0.68 overdrive would be nice with a 4.56 rear and the rest of the ratios look nice too.

I just think 1st and reverse on a TKO 600 would be too fast when loaded or towing.  I like the ratios on Ford's ZF 6...if it would only mate to my engine.

ZF 6-speed
 Low = 5.79
 1st = 3.31
 2nd = 2.10
 3rd = 1.31
 4th = 1.00
 5th = 0.72