First 390 build

[DubyaTF]

 Hello all,

    Been lurking here for a while and wanted to share and hear your invaluable input! Please have a read, fire your questions at me and help me fix my bad decisions. Any input is greatly appreciated!

   I have a C7ME-A block bored 40 over, Speed-Pro 2291F pistons on recon'd 390 rods with ARP bolts, C1AE-A crank, rebuilt C8AE-H heads with factory sized SI stainless valves. I chose a Comp Cams XE274H with matched springs and lifters. Pushrods are Comp Cams 9.621 length with Melling heavy duty rocker shafts and stock non-adjustable rockers. I put ARP fasteners on everything, top to bottom, front to back. I had the entire rotating assembly fully balance and have a Pro Products balancer. For intake I have a Denny Aldridge ported Edelbrock Streetmaster with a 1" 4-hole spacer running a 770 Quick Fuel vacuum secondary carb.

   Transmission is a C6 with a Hughes 2500 stall, large external Derale cooler and extra deep trans pan.

   This whole crazy combo is for my '65 F100 with a 9" axle that needs to open diff replaced and re-geared once I know the engine and trans are happy. At the end of the day, I wanted to build a solid cruiser with a nasty idle, decent reliable power and something fun to drive.

[My427stang]

Put a 4.11 with a posi of some flavor and recurve the distributor, it will be a blast

[jayb]

Any reason for the selection of a 4 hole spacer?  Usually an open plenum intake will prefer an open spacer, or maybe a Super Sucker type spacer...

[cjshaker]

Nice truck! I like the color matched rims! Is that a pearl/metallic paint on the bottom/top? If it is, I'll bet it looks sweet in the sun. Sounds like a nice build on the 390 also. Should be a blast to drive. So what bad decisions did you make, other than getting into old cars/trucks in the first place?

[DubyaTF]

   I appreciate the replies very much especially from some Ford FE masters! The pic is the "before" so the dash is painted to match the body now and the wheels are standard American Racing Torq-thrusts with BFGs. It does have a pearl to it and in certain light it almost looks completely white. Any way, This is my retirement project from 25+ years active duty Army and I've been into cars since diapers. lol! I grew up on Ford, had my share of GM in my 20s and went back to what I love.

   It'll definitely get a Trac-loc but I'm not sold on which gear for cruising yet. 4.11 puts it at 3000rpm for 58 mph with my 245/60-15s. So I'll wait to get bugs worked out before I commit to a gear.

   In my search for a "unique" intake I found Denny Aldridge's website for his shop in Vancouver, Washington which is a couple hours South of my area. To say the least, it was educational, entertaining and well worth the drive time. I ended up spending 6 hours talking (mostly listening) and touring the shop. The Streetmaster had been ported in the plenum by Denny and some work in the runners as well. I laid down my build plan and just for giggles I thought I'd run a 4 hole spacer. The cam was based off Denny's guidance and everything else seemed to fit that route. You are most certainly the expert here Jay so.... I had the idea that a 4 hole would somewhat help with velocity into the open plenum. I haven't found anything outside of your Intake Comparo book that anyone has tried this or documented it. Again, just seeing what it'll run like on the street since I don't care about mpg as much as throttle response and durability. Maybe I need your book.

   I enjoy reading the forum and learning from all the bench racing and hearing different ideas. Also, I forgot to mention in my first post that my distributor has the Ignitor II in it and now I need to read up on recurving it.

[DubyaTF]

  I plan on using some clay to check my valve to piston clearance unless someone tells me there's really no need with a mild cam. I suppose my other question is in regards to cam break in with dual valve springs installed. I have read in my cam paperwork that it's recommended not to have both springs in until after break in is complete but again I was told by my machinist since this cam is mild in lift and duration, it's not REALLY necessary. I have Castrol GTX 10W-40 conventional oil and the Comp Cams oil additive to run for break in. What else can I do to prepare the engine or myself before I put fuel and spark to it? Thanks for any advise!

[blykins]

It really depends on what the valve spring pressures are.  If the seat pressure is around 100 lbs and the open pressure is under 300, then I think you're ok.

Ditch the Castrol and the Comp additive, and buy some Brad Penn or Gibbs break-in oil. 

Make sure you have the timing set with about 28-30 degrees of advance so it will start immediately.  Also make sure the fuel bowls are full. 

I'd have a big cooling fan handy, as well as a water hose that you can run over the radiator if it starts getting warm.   

[CaptCobrajet]

Stick with your 4-hole spacer.  You need torque in the truck with small cubes.  I think Denny Aldridge is a pretty sharp guy.  I am working on some stuff for them now.  Nice guy.

[TomP]

If Aldridge is a couple hours south that could put you around Seattle... unless it was Sunday afternoon in which case it'd put you in Jantzen Beach near the bridge over the Columbia. 

That traffic also makes the gearing choice somewhat different than the usual. People says you won't want 5.43 gears for the freeway.... well in Seattle they are OK!

But I-5 jokes aside it depends what you can tolerate, 3.5 may seem too low if the exhaust is a loud drone at highway speed but with a 28" or taller tire and quiet exhaust the 4.11's will be fine.

[Barry_R]

Cool truck.

As far as the spacer goes the ONLY way to know is to try it.  I have long since surrendered on understanding
which spacer a certain package "wants".  Way easier to take a few and throw them at the engine.  I have seen 4 hole deals add huge torque below TQ per with no loss upstairs.  I have seen open spacers add a ton up top with no downsides.  And I have seen engines that did not care what spacer - if any - you put on them.

[DubyaTF]

   Thanks very much for the guidance Gentlemen! I'll order up some Joe Gibbs oil and see how it goes. My machine shop does spec paperwork on all their work so luck for me seat and open pressures are recorded! As suggested, I will try a couple different spacers to see how the driveability changes. I'm most curious how it'll affect the vacuum secondaries. I still need to see about some rocker shaft stands, studs and spacers from Mr Rabotnick. Maybe some rockers too.

  TomP- I'm in the Lacey/Olympia area since I work for the Army still and I know the traffic all too well. lol I'm betting that somewhere around the 3.89-3.91 gears will work for take off and cruising. I'll be monitoring transmission temps closely as well. Still waiting on some AN6 fittings for the trans cooler.

[DubyaTF]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYIU0gTkWsA

  This video is from a few months ago and the truck is fully assembled now. Specs of the build are:

   C7ME-A block with C1AE-A crank, C7TE-A rods with Speed-Pro 2291F pistons. I believe my static compression ratio works out to 10.25:1.
  The heads are C8AE-H with SI valves, 2.02 and 1.55 and they've had very light cleaning up with cartridge rolls.

   The cam I selected is Comps XE274H with their stock length pushrods and factory non-adjustable rockers.

   Intake is a ported Edelbrock Streetmaster with a 1" spacer and a 770cfm QFT with vacuum secondaries; jets are 72 in front and 73 in back with a 6.5 power valve. Feeding that is a stock mechanical fuel pump.

   Ignition is the Pertronix Ignitor II, Flamethrower coil and 8mm Taylor wires

   Exhaust is FPA tri-y headers into 3" ball collectors to 2 chamber mufflers and 3" all the way out.

   Stall convertor is a Hughes 35-25 on a stock C6 with a deep pan and external cooler.

   Rear end is Ford 9" with 4:10 gears, Trak-lock with 31 spline Moser shafts.

   Tires are BFG Radial T/As on American Racing 15x7; size works out to 26.5 tall.

   Cam is broken in, changed the oil and filter. Cut open the filter and didn't find anything so I'm moving on. Oil pressure was around 25psi @idle (750rpm +/-) when everything was hot. The oil pump is a Melling M57. It was opened and checked for cleanliness and we did open up the ports on the block for the pump and filter bosses.

   Besides figuring out my kickdown cable setup, tuning is my next phase of fun. Based on Mr. Lykins advice, the distributor was dropped in at 20 degrees on the balancer for cam break-in and left there. Primed the oil pump and carb, cranked it and fired right up! Scared a little pee out we got so excited. That's how it's set in the video and I've since pulled it back to 10 degrees advanced not counting the vacuum advance and I haven't figured out what the mechanical is giving it. Other than that, I've only adjusted idle mix on the metering plate. It does need to be jetted down as it's definitely rich out the exhaust. I'm considering replacing the distributor to the Pertronix D133710 just for giggles.

    Any advice or specs I should be looking for with my timing light or vacuum gauge? I know enough to be dangerous



   

[Riderjeff]

That is a nice looking / sounding truck!

[Gaugster]

Neat truck. If you don't have one already is look into a fan shroud. Otherwise you've got advice from some of the best in the biz!

[DubyaTF]

   
   Actually I built a fan shroud for it. It's not super pretty but does the job.