69 Ranchero R code

[Dyno]

 Hello, new member here. Spent a long time looking at site before signing up. Look forward to sharing info.
 Here's a couple picks of the current project. 1969 Ranchero Gt 428CJ ramair numbers matching when bought about six years ago. Finished? about a year ago, are they ever done?
 Bought the car in pieces, pulled chrome from floor joists of house. Got her home and was able to fire up without much effort, had sat for a number of years after previous owner passed away. Have pissed off the purists car came with MSD ignition on it and it's staying, unless something better comes along. Did take body all the way down replaced one front fender and part of a rear quarter. Other than that some minor patches. Went back to original color Indian Fire and the white bucket seat interior.
 This past march was a rough one out driving on I-95 when a valve dropped and cracked the cylinder in 2 spots. Keepers broke around the lock groove, hadn't seen that before. This was in the aluminum heads I had bought to save original heads. It was a good thought ? So now it is lets have some real fun.
 Building a 445 stroker with a old boss/buddy of mine , usually build myself with machine work subbed out. specs 105 block + .030, Eagle rotating kit cast aiming for 11.5 -1 for a good pump gas engine, Bullet cam like 243@.050 int on 104 c/l. RPM intake. Welding up the wrecked aluminum head new seats in one chamber with 2.25" Intake and 1.900 exh 11/32" stems, port work will commence only been about 30 years since I was playing on the superflow bench. Will cryoage everything prior to final assembly and then get her on the dyno and see where she is at. Headed to Md this weekend to file fit rings and some other stuff.

[Nightmist66]

Welcome aboard! Sounds like a fun project. Just to clarify, the valve sizes mentioned are correct? I mean this as politely as possible, but you may want to reconsider those valves and/or heads. I once slapped on an old iron CJ head we have here with 2.250/1.750" valves on my old 4.080" bore 390 block. Block was bare so I could look from underneath while moving the valves by hand. I don't think the exhaust made it hardly .400" lift before smacking the cylinder wall. Even then, it would be terribly shrouded anyhow. I think the max valve sizes I would personally run in a 390 bore is 2.200/1.680" with a minimum of 4.080" bore size. I currently run 2.200/1.650" with a .700" roller in a 4.085" bore. Too large of valve will hurt way more than it will help due to shrouding, even if it "fits".

[Rory428]

Agreed, I can`t imagine ever being able to run such large valves in a .030" 390 block, may want to do some checking before doing any machine work on the valve bowls. Is that Ranchero a 4 speed or automatic? A guy I knew owned an Indian Fire R code 69 Ranchero, in  British Columbia Canada, but he died a few years back, no idea whatever became of the Ranchero. Certainly have to think that there wouldn`t have been very many Indian Fire R code Rancheros ever built! I used to own 2  69 Cobra fastbacks, both R codes, 1 4 speed, 1 auto, sure wish that I still had one (or both of them)!

[Dyno]

Guys I hear ya. Don't worry I have thick skin.

 These were the valves he asked me to buy and that's what I did. Last time down at the shop we were talking about the shrouding of valves, his comment we can always cut them down if needed and go from there. It is after all about getting the right flow, air in air out. The cam is Hydraulic roller with .626 lift with 1.76 Harlands. Heads were cheap when I bought them so can't really hurt them now.
 The shop is about 1.5-2 hours away from me so I get there when I can it will just take awhile to get it all set just right. Have assy. to do and check everything as we go , fix any "issues", take apart, cryoage and then re assemble before dyno time. Pistons are about .005 proud of the block, should keep the squeeze on pretty good.

 This car came from eastern Pa sold new in Pottstown, PA. C-6 automatic with 3.50 traction Lok, still works well !   Of the 102 built per my Marti report only 5 were done in Indian Fire with the white comfort weave interior. This was done on their deluxe report not the one where they try to get to one of one. All in all wasn't a bad car to pickup as my first step into the FE world.

 Here's a couple pic's of NO FUN to find. The keepers are broke around the lock and the valve head is stuck on side in piston. All I come up with on keepers is a bad heat treat ? Never seen them break like that before. Was rolling along nicely at 70 -75 mph prior to this happening.

[Dyno]

Got a call from the machine shop with my original block, Sleeve installed.They used a 1/8" thick sleeve told them do a clean up on the deck to true them and open the bore to match the others. Said they should have that done this week.
 Told them I will get to building it at a later date as it will just be put in the corner when done.
 Need to keep the other eng build going, tuff finding time to get to my buddy's shop.

[Dyno]

Was supposed to go the shop this weekend and work with build but buddy said not to show as he was busy with stuff. Saturday afternoon get text with some pics from him of the valves in head looking up thru the block. Here they are Intake 2.250" exhaust are 1.691" figuring a little nip at top of cylinder for clearance.
 Port work will start to happen next mapping out the ports really shows how wrong they are as cast. Taper is decent until a little before short turn where they open up then shrink to short turn. Be some grinding to straighten this out. Will verify everything in port with "wet" test on flow bench to make sure flow across back of valve into chamber is where we want it.
 Then it hit me after texting with him this is the first time my engine is not being built by me, I'm actually paying for an engine build ?
Not the worst thing as I learned a lot form him doing this stuff like 30 or so years ago. Mainly why I worked for him was to learn from him as he had been doing Pro racing prior to me working for him. The chance to go Pro racing was just a bonus.

[Dyno]

 Well the plot thickens when we started checking flow of the heads. Not good figured they would flow a little more than they do, what really threw us a curve when we "wet" pattern the heads it shows the fuel just rams straight into the bowl wall and on the wrong side of valve.
 SO this will take quite a bit of port massaging ! Guess there goes the feeling in the hands back to all tingly again. The ports flow "wet" about like the bad ones on a BBC where 4 ports need lots of help. Just on the FE all intake ports need the help.

[blykins]

That big of a valve on that small of a bore is a lot of waste.   You can get 360 cfm out of a good head with just a 2.150" intake valve. 

The Eagle crank should give you another tingling feeling in your hands.  They have a really solid reputation of breaking at the 1/5 rod journal.

[Dyno]

Brent hear ya on valve size was already at 2.190 when one dropped. The 2.250 were bought and will be trimmed some to what we feel works out well probably about .020-.030" .
 The Eagle crank was all that was available and there were no definite answers on when scat would have them. Just have to dig supply chain issues. So plan is to Cryoage the parts. Have been doing this to parts for a long time. Basically re-aligns the molecules to make the part more resistant to breaking. Also makes the surface a couple rockwell harder. Appreciate the warning/thought.
 Don't know if you have tried cryoaging parts or not, if not check it out. I see you get in to some big builds but it is a way to make some power with less desirable parts. Years ago had a Pro Stock team pickup 20hp without changing anything else in his combo. I had always questioned it prior to that. Plenty of places out there do it.

[blykins]

Brent hear ya on valve size was already at 2.190 when one dropped. The 2.250 were bought and will be trimmed some to what we feel works out well probably about .020-.030" .
 The Eagle crank was all that was available and there were no definite answers on when scat would have them. Just have to dig supply chain issues. So plan is to Cryoage the parts. Have been doing this to parts for a long time. Basically re-aligns the molecules to make the part more resistant to breaking. Also makes the surface a couple rockwell harder. Appreciate the warning/thought.
 Don't know if you have tried cryoaging parts or not, if not check it out. I see you get in to some big builds but it is a way to make some power with less desirable parts. Years ago had a Pro Stock team pickup 20hp without changing anything else in his combo. I had always questioned it prior to that. Plenty of places out there do it.

Have had plenty of Scat cranks in stock (still do). 

I think the Eagle issue was a design issue.  Just not structurally sound.  Lots of guys broke a bunch of them several years ago. 

[Dyno]

 Finally was able to get down to the shop last weekend as both of us had time available.
 Ended up cutting the intake valves down to 2.19". Went thru getting the initial valve job done and all valve heights set. Now for grinding to start. Taking longer than wanted but time constraints happen.

 Hopefully this weekend can get together if not will just tell him to go for it.

 He has a project coming up and when that one hits the shop all the rest will be back burner stuff. Some of the "specs" on it had my mind going peak torque north of 6800 rpm with a valve lift over 1.300", oh and the 10500 rpm limit. Should be interesting !!

[Dyno]

 Well the plot has thickened yet again ! Had the engine all together and up on the dyno set timing and just checking things over pulled dipstick and found "frothy" oil, was running 6 qts in 7qt pan as a test. Added extra qt to no avail.
 So here is what has happened over many weekends. Ended up finding that pump was pushing oil out at input shaft and "froth" there.
Reworked an old pump and put all back together, oil pressure was down about 20 psi running on drill which made us happier was about 70 psi before on drill. My buddy was running it later in the week as he tries not to offend neighbors with dyno runs after a certain time in evenings. Checked the oil and found water in oil checked her over and came up with manifold leak in one corner. So machined manifold to set more uniform and figured it was fixed. I had went down and spent a day cleaning the gunk out of everything and re assembling. Again he had it running later in week and found water in oil. So took her off the dyno as he had another engine coming in for testing. Made some block off plates for water jacket and found the real culprit a crack in valley above a couple lifter bores. Hairline crack but I decided we aren't attempting any repairs on that block.
 So yesterday went down and disassembled that engine inspecting for anything that could have been damaged, no issues thankfully.
 Loaded my original 428 block up and gauged the bores to see where we were with them. Ordered new pistons to work with the stroker kit for these bores. Once they arrive can finish machine this block and get it all back together.
 It's been an interesting time with all of this.