Cam Swap Assistance?

[horseballz]

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

 

[rbohm]

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?

ok, are you sure the head gasket blew there and not the intake? doesnt matter either way in the end just making sure you get the right solution.

for the intake, i use the good felpro blue gaskets and lay on a thin coat of silicon sealer on both sides of the gasket before torquing the intake down to 30ft/lbs. i know the spec is 25, but ford allows that extra 5 if you are having issues with the intake leaking, and yes i checked it because i was having that very issue. once i went to 30ft/lbs all my leaks stopped. i also changed the torque pattern for the intake. ford has you start in the center and spiral outwards. edelbrock on the other hand recommended torquing the corners first in a crisscross pattern, and then going inside out. again that has worked well for me over the years on several cars with no issues.

as for head gaskets, again i go with the good felpro blue gaskets. i know there are others out there that proclaim to be better, but i have yet to find anything that outperforms the good old felpro blue.

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.

no drastic break in procedure, run the engine at about 1500 rpm for about 20min, and that is mostly for the new lifter more than anything else. as for lubing the cam when installing it, with a roller cam you do not need to run a high pressure assembly lube, good old break in oil will do fine.

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

the nice thing about roller lifters is that they are reusable on any roller cam of the same type you have. so you can reuse the lifters you have as long as they are in good shape.

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.

go back to the gaskets that didnt leak, a bit of die grinding on the valve covers for clearance is no big deal. par for the course in fact for cast aluminum valve covers. however if you dont want to do any grinding on the covers, you can roll your own gaskets that raise the covers for clearance. take two of the rubber style gaskets with the steel core and glue them together. gm weather strip glue works great for this. what i would do is set one gasket on the valve cover, glue the second one on top of that and use bolts to hold the gasket together while the glue sets up. you dont have to bolt them together, just use the bolts as a locator to prevent the gaskets from walking while the glue sets up. we did this with our race car years ago when we were still using stamped steel valve covers and needed rocker arm clearance.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

I would use the 3-M "yellow death" (or black) weatherstrip adhesive when doubling up valve cover gaskets. GM may sell it in another package, but when used on weatherstrip, it will outlast the rubber and the metal it is glued to. I used it to seal the thermostat gasket only first thermostat change. I thought I was never getting apart and used MEK to clean stuff off.

For the lifters, remove the spider from the valley, lift out the dog bones, then pull the lifter up and out. Inspect carefully before reuse. Keeping the RPM's up like a flat tappet break in is supposed to be a waste of gas, unless you are looking for leaks. I have only heard of red assembly lube if you are going to fire it up, but why not prime the whole engine with the oil pump?

+1 on Fel Pro head gaskets. On the intake, Fel Pro is making steel core ones, and a search in the Fox section will show why and suggest part numbers. The discussions usually have a reply from jrichker with specific steps to make sure you do not have leaks.

 

[rbohm]

I would use the 3-M "yellow death" (or black) weatherstrip adhesive when doubling up valve cover gaskets. GM may sell it in another package, but when used on weatherstrip, it will outlast the rubber and the metal it is glued to. I used it to seal the thermostat gasket only first thermostat change. I thought I was never getting apart and used MEK to clean stuff off.

my bad, you are right it is 3M weatherstrip adhesive. and you are also right about cleaning that stuff off, it does take forever. and dont get it on your hands or clothing either, that stuff will last forever.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

Sorry, I can not type right now. My fingers are stuck to my last weatherstrip job on my hatchback. Surely some family member will want cash and come looking for me before my bladder bursts.

 

[rbohm]

Sorry, I can not type right now. My fingers are stuck to my last weatherstrip job on my hatchback. Surely some family member will want cash and come looking for me before my bladder bursts.

typing with your tongue then are you? your computer must love you