1980 RX-7, with a V8?

Not that it's a huge achievement, but I installed the camshaft last night. I was going to install the crankshaft tonight but Napa Auto Parts was closed by the time I got home and need to get some plastic gauge.
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I still haven't been able to get the thermactor plugs out of the heads yet. I think I am making things worst for myself too because I am buggering up the plug a little.

I tried to get the plug out of my original heads, they are stuck in there to. I am considering taking them to the machine shop and see if they can get them out.

I got scared when I saw the photo above. I saw the red line and thought it was dye like it had a crack in it. But then I saw that you installed the cam so im guessing its cam lube!

Correct. It's lube.

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, but I haven't had the time to spend on the project car. Instead, all of my weekends and free time has been spent doing a massive front and rear yard landscaping project for my wife over the last three and half months.

I have some good news; however, I got the stupid thermactor/smog plugs out of the GT40 heads today. <img src="" />

I feel like an idiot not being able to get them out earlier because they came out pretty easy with the right tool. All I had to do was cut the tip off the extractor bit to get a better bite on the plug, and it came right out!

While I was at it, I wire wheeled the paint off one of the heads. Not sure when I will work on it again, I'm hoping next month or June.

Maybe someone can help me with a quick question regarding piston ring gap on the 302/5.0L.

I am using Sealed Power rings with a moly top ring and cast second rings. I have measured be ring gaps and the values are not quite what I expected.

The top ring is measuring 0.018" to 0.020" - Ford spec is 0.010" to 0.020"

The second ring is measuring about 0.016" - Ford Spec is either 0.010" to 0.020", or 0.018" to 0.28".

I'm not sure why bottom ring is so tight and my top ring is so loose on a fresh bore. I am confident I have the rings in the correct order (top/bottom).

Do moly rings have looser gaps due to their material and this is normal?

Should I go with this?

Are the rings supposed to be file-to-fit?

The rings are not file-to-fit. They are direct OE style replacements.

The rings are Sealed Power E-251K30.

I decided to go ahead and run with it. I'm confident it's not due to a machinist error because one is tight and the other loose. I know I have the rings orientated correctly. It doesn't seem like there is anything I can do about it. I thinks their just designed that way.

Or I'll find out the hard way later I guess.

To supplement my earlier posts, I am finally making some real progress this weekend. A few weeks ago I decided I was going to spend three solid days of work on the car and aim to have a long block by the end of the holiday weekend.

It's going pretty well. Yesterday I assembled the short block. And today I managed to get the oil pan, timing cover and water pump on. Today a lot of time was spent cleaning parts and painting them. One head is painted and ready to go on. The other still needs some prep work. I don't think I'm going to get to a long block tomorrow. But none to less I'm happy with the progress.

I have one question I forgot to ask.

Do the pedal stool style rocker arms from the stock heads fit the GT40 heads? I know the GT40 heads on the Cobras came with roller tip rockers, but I was going to reuse the rockers that came on my engine.

Is this okay?

yes all pedestal rockers are interchangeable.BUT when you put on whatever set you have,make sure the lifter preload is correct.might need a shim kit depending on whether heads or block have been milled at all,easy to do and like $12 for a shim set

I did have to use some shims. I watch a YouTube video that said lifter preload on the stock thread pattern is approximately 1/2 to one full turn from 0 lash. Does this sound right? I set all my valves so they I reach 23ft.lbs. at 5/8 to 7/8 of a turn. Probably 10/16 valves shims in them.

I have completed my long block assembly. I would share a picture but I haven't figured out the way around photo bucket yet.

My current goals are to have the engine sitting in the car by Labor Day, end of September at the latest.

I just tighten em on the base circle till it feels right.but ive done way over 150 of them over the years...same as setting lash with an adjustable train.you eventually do it by "feel".on the base circle of the cam,the pushrod should have zero up n down and be able to spin with some drag.thats aboot it

A quick update on the project. Yesterday I was able to spend nearly all day on the seven. I started my day by going to get a tire for the left front. I neglected to stay up on the tire inflation as the tires are rotting away sitting there. Consequently, a few weeks ago I saw that the tire went flat and the rim was sitting on the ground. I aired it up, but it was too late. The side wall split and no longer holds air. I have learned that my car came with the wrong tire size on it. It came with 155/80R13, but America’s Tire tells me it is supposed to have 185/70R13, which they had in a used tire. So I resolved this issue for $32.

After getting home and putting the tire on the car I then tackled cleaning the engine bay. I started by spraying down the car with water, sprayed some simple green on it and let it set. I then came back with a bucket of water and car soap and scrubbed the engine bay with a brush. I am surprised how well it actually turned out. Not perfect, but better than expected. I then procced with cutting off the mounting point for the original trans cross member on the D/S. Granny’s says it’s got to go to fit the soon to come T5.

Most of my day was spent mocking up the radiator mounting. In earlier posts I brought up that car was missing some tabs to mount the lower radiator support in place. Granny’s hooked my up with a bracket to drill and bolt in place. I decided to go a step further and weld it in place.
The upper mount is a close fit to the hood. I have to get the radiator up high enough so the lower radiator neck clear the sway bar with clearance to fit the hose and clamp. But not so it’s pushing up on the upper mount because it barely clears the hood. The upper mount comes within about 3mm of the hood (I checked it with Playdoh). After I decided it all seemed to fit, I had a buddy weld the brackets in place.

So I now only have a few things before I’m ready to set the engine in the car. They include: remove the carpet, bolt the clutch and transmission in place, mock up the clutch slave and few other little odds and ends. I’m pretty excited, I should be in the car in a couple of weeks depending on how life goes.

BTW, does anyone have an easy answer to posting picture now that photo bucket screwed everyone?

In reply to YoloRX7:

I've been using imgur until i figure out how to hotlink from Google photos

Well there she sits, but I can't say I have the smile I was hoping for. It was a quite beast to get this thing in and I have several fitment issue to work out.

I'll start with the larger of the issues. The one that's confusing me the most is how the engine is not sitting level left to right. The engine is noticeably higher on the right side of the car. I realized this when I went to install the transmission cross member and saw the transmission was titled sideways. I think this explains why I was having difficulty aligning the engine mounts when going in. In order to get it to where it currently sits, I had removed the headers and all the engine mounts and brackets to work it in. I primarily fought the engine mount and bracket on the right side. I am questioning if Granny’s bracket on the sub frame is a little off spec creating the issue. I don’t know how to conclude that however or fix it.

Other fitment issues include the fire wall and steering box on the driver side. The air injection tube that bolts to the back of the heads is resting on the firewall. When installing the engine I actually had to come partially back out and relieve the firewall back another ½” or more. This is still not enough. I’m not sure the BBK headers are going to work either. The number 6 tube contact the steering box.

So my game plan is this. If the clearance between the oil pan to cross member is adequate, I will see if I can lower the engine on the right side. This would help me with the clearance with the firewall on the left side. The question is how to lower it. Elongate the frame bracket holes and sink the bracket? If I can’t find a way to do this, then I will be left to shimming the driver side up. This will also require the engine to come partially back out to relieve the firewall further and open that gap up between it and the air tube. After I address the levelness I’ll see how the headers fit again.

I’m open to any suggestion someone might have to lower the engine on the passenger side.

Contact with the firewall.

Transmission not centered in the shifter opening. It's tilted to the left. I'd really like to lower the right side of the engine.

Here are few other images of things I've been doing as of late. The whole photo bucket thing kind of turned me off this forum for a minute. Thanks Revhard for helping me out!

Engine and trans sitting in garage in preparation of installing.

The pull style clutch slave mocked up in place.

I cut out part of the Mustang firewall that includes the EFI harness hole. I'm thinking of riveting this to the RX-7 so I have an adequate size passage for the harness and it seals good to the bulkhead.

Suggestions

raise the left side to match, left looks very close to the steering shaft....

uneven = who the heck cares as long as she bolts up and runs.

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Here are a couple of photos I took when I originally beat back the fire wall on the left side.  I circled the area where I'm making the contact.

My idea is to lower the right side by ovaling out the engine mount holes where the cross pin bolt goes through.  This will allow the contact point on the firewall to rotate towards the radius that leads into the transmission tunnel where there is additional clearance.  It also will rotate the header/exhaust manifold away from the steering box.  I figure if I screw the mount up it will be the easiest and least expensive thing to fix.  I hope to have time on Sunday to play around with it.

Well I'll apologize, but I can't figure out how to display photos for this new format.  If some knows how please share with me.