Hi Folks,
I haven't been doing much mechanical work lately, as I've been devoting my time to writing music and playing in a band called "ROCK N BLUES" rocknblues.org lucky enough to not need to do anything other than oil changes, etc, for a few years. Well, I'm pulling the 5.0 out of my 68 coupe to swap in a brand new Explorer cam (neutering my glorious 5.0, don't ask why
), head gaskets, new speedo drive gear and general clean up/leak/seepage control after 6 years of daily driving. While I'm fairly knowledgeable and experienced, I don't turn wrenches very often anymore and I need some reminders on best practices, so I don't skip/miss any important stuff that will have me doing the job(s) over again. Here's what I'm dealing with:
A) 99-00-ish Explorer 5.0, "P" heads, B303 cam, roller rocker arms, assembled new by a Ford Motorsports dealer, NOT the Ford factory! It has a Performer RPM/QFT 580-VS combo, Mallory distributor and tri-y headers.
B) Ever since installing the engine, I've been fighting what I "THOUGHT" was a thermostat housing seep/leak! Well, just recently the real issue reared it's ugly head (pun) as the water jacket portion of the pass side headgasket blew out completely in the corner just below the thermostat housing. I will do some forensics upon teardown to determine if the head was improperly torqued and will likely take the heads to a machine shop to check for flatness, etc. Some recommendation on which head gaskets to use would be appreciated. I'm kinda leaning towards the Fel-Pro "Heavy Duty" 9333PT1, but am wondering if that will cause any issues as opposed to the 8548PT2? Also which intake gasket would be best for this application?
C) As far as cam replacement, given that it's a roller cam, I'm assuming no drastic break-in procedures, but curious as to proper lubing as it slides in and if anything special is needed on the distributor drive gear portion of the cam.
D) On to the lifters. I've never dealt with roller lifters and need to know if they need any special treatment and/or handling? Do I simply pull them out the same as regular flat tappet lifters and just pay
E) Now comes the question of valve covers and gaskets. The valve covers are currently cast aluminum cobra style and require a tiny bit of spacing for roller rocker clearance. When I started out I had some steel shim style gaskets (brand & part number unknown) that did not leak until after having them off/on a few times. I then went to the Moroso and have had nothing but constant seepage/leakage ever since. I really like the cosmetics achieved with my current covers, but am not opposed to switching to something/anything else that will give me the needed clearance and seal tightly while possibly allowing the gaskets to be re-used a few times.
Any/all suggestions appreciated.
Thanks,
Gene
I haven't been doing much mechanical work lately, as I've been devoting my time to writing music and playing in a band called "ROCK N BLUES" rocknblues.org lucky enough to not need to do anything other than oil changes, etc, for a few years. Well, I'm pulling the 5.0 out of my 68 coupe to swap in a brand new Explorer cam (neutering my glorious 5.0, don't ask why
A) 99-00-ish Explorer 5.0, "P" heads, B303 cam, roller rocker arms, assembled new by a Ford Motorsports dealer, NOT the Ford factory! It has a Performer RPM/QFT 580-VS combo, Mallory distributor and tri-y headers.
B) Ever since installing the engine, I've been fighting what I "THOUGHT" was a thermostat housing seep/leak! Well, just recently the real issue reared it's ugly head (pun) as the water jacket portion of the pass side headgasket blew out completely in the corner just below the thermostat housing. I will do some forensics upon teardown to determine if the head was improperly torqued and will likely take the heads to a machine shop to check for flatness, etc. Some recommendation on which head gaskets to use would be appreciated. I'm kinda leaning towards the Fel-Pro "Heavy Duty" 9333PT1, but am wondering if that will cause any issues as opposed to the 8548PT2? Also which intake gasket would be best for this application?
C) As far as cam replacement, given that it's a roller cam, I'm assuming no drastic break-in procedures, but curious as to proper lubing as it slides in and if anything special is needed on the distributor drive gear portion of the cam.
D) On to the lifters. I've never dealt with roller lifters and need to know if they need any special treatment and/or handling? Do I simply pull them out the same as regular flat tappet lifters and just pay
E) Now comes the question of valve covers and gaskets. The valve covers are currently cast aluminum cobra style and require a tiny bit of spacing for roller rocker clearance. When I started out I had some steel shim style gaskets (brand & part number unknown) that did not leak until after having them off/on a few times. I then went to the Moroso and have had nothing but constant seepage/leakage ever since. I really like the cosmetics achieved with my current covers, but am not opposed to switching to something/anything else that will give me the needed clearance and seal tightly while possibly allowing the gaskets to be re-used a few times.
Any/all suggestions appreciated.
Thanks,
Gene