Update and Electroplating Parts
Update: Engine block is still down at Manitowoc Engine Machine awaiting parts for final machining and balancing. I will also have them assemble the wrist pins and rods to the pistons and then finish the build at home. I am not going to re-install the balance shaft so I will have them drill, tap, and plug the oil holes for it.
A new ported, reground cylinder head, main bearings and rod bearings (King), valves, and ARP head studs arrived today from Super Six. I will be inspecting, lapping valves, testing spring rates and assembling this weekend. The rest of the parts are due anytime this month.
I have determined that I should replace the hydraulic valve lifters. There is likely nothing wrong with them except they have 180k miles on them and most of the rest of the engine internals will be new. Anyone want 12 stock Ford lifters for cheap let me know. They will fit a Ford 302 and similar engines (probably should be cleaned) (probably not worth the shipping cost).
I am going with Trick Flow TFS-21400004 lifters ($8 ea. from Summit). These come well recommended from a couple of sources. I’ll order them after Christmas.
On closer inspection of the old cylinder heads I found the tips of all 12 valves are pretty bashed up and worn. Signs of excess rotation and pitting. The rollers on the rockers look fine. Research and discussion indicates this would be either valve spring float or excessive lash. Listening to several run videos and looking at data I see no indication of float and, anyway, the rev limiter has always been set to 5700 rpm. Too low for any float. Most likely excessive lash which leads to pounding the valves closed which leads to breakage.
The new valve train was very noisy the moment it was installed. It probably had excessive lash but I did not understand then what I do now. I set up exactly per instructions from Comp CAMs (twice). However I have since learned that on occasion you may have to do some final adjustment with it running -we shall see...
Regardless I intend to have a friend of mine who does this stuff for a living stop by when I get to that point in the build. He will be able to spot if I am doing something wrong.
In the mean time, now that work has slowed down to normal I have been planning, planning some more, cleaning up the engine bay, cleaning parts and electroplating bolts and brackets.
And we visited the new grand baby in Arizona.
Electroplating Parts
I bought a zinc-tin electroplating kit from Eastwood ($75). I have been using it on all the exposed bolts/studs on the front and upper part of the engine as well as on a few smaller brackets, etc. This will brighten up all these fasteners that are rusted, dirty, stained and otherwise nasty. I am not using it on anything internal because – 1 – It might flake off eventually and 2 – No one can see it anyway and this is a lot of work.
The finish polishes up to a sort of bright stainless/tin color. Not like chrome but much better than plain steel and they will stay looking good from a long time. Why not replace the bolts? Even for water pumps and alternator brackets most of these things are Grade 5 or Grade 8. They are expensive and you generally cannot buy them at the Hardware anymore.
I set up a work space in the basement with a plastic cutting matt to protect the table and where there is water. You must have water nearby. The electrolyte is sulfuric acid, enough to do very extensive, very permanent damage, very quickly.
A quick word on safety:
Do not do this if there are kids around – ever.
Do not do this if there is not running water immediately nearby – ever.
Do not do this if you cannot set up the work space and leave it secure from kids, neighbors, pets (cats), etc. – ever.
Do not do this in a place where there are floors, tables, clothes, sinks that you care about – ever.
Do not do this if you do not have the patience, discipline and free time to follow through, clean up after each session and dispose of soiled paper towels/rags and used acid properly (eats skin, pipes, metal and, in the right concentrations, glass).
I got a small tear in a glove and in a short time it felt like someone was sticking a hot needle in my finger tip. Washed it off, no damage, but it got my attention.
If you pour water into sulfuric acid it will instantly produce an exothermic reaction that will boil, spit acid at you, produce bad fumes and make for a very bad day. Very illegal & stupid to dump used acid (very). Dispose of at your waste collection facility (you will probably have to pay a nominal fee).
Sorry that was more than a quick word.
Besides the above you will need the safety goggles Eastwood sends with the kit, a box of nitril gloves (many gloves). Several rolls of paper towels and a bagged waste basket. I also bought a set of cheap wire colanders to put parts into and sort through the various stages of the process. Parts below are cleaned but not yet plated.
I also bought an Eastwood bucket top parts cleaner to clean up the parts before plating. Works very well for small stuff like this. I even used it in the utility sink to clean the oil pan (pumped & scooped the fluid back into the bucket after use). The cleaning fluid is soap based, not solvent based. You can get it at the auto parts store (Purple Power, etc.). Works very well and you can run that stuff down the drain.
This is a slow process with a lot of time spent per part – Probably 10 - 12 minutes per bolt/part in total.
First you clean everything up on the bench top wire wheel (a little tricky holding on to small stuff). Then touch up with a wire brush on a Dremel if needed.
Then clean – degrease – rinse – switch to nitril gloves – clean-rinse again (no oil from fingers please).
Then electroplating, typically one part at a time. 3 – 4 minutes each. Then flush. Some early parts I did not leave in long enough. You will know very quickly because they will flash rust in spots when they dry. Clean up and plate some more.
You can tell the bolts are about done when the threads start to look like they are filling in. They aren’t. The “fuzz” that is forming on the threads washes off. Nuts will still fit, etc.
At this point the parts are a dull flat gray. They are rust resistant but not pretty. A few minutes on a bench top buffer wheel with some polish cleans them right up and shiny.
I even plugged the hole in my oil pressure sending unit, suspended only the metal part in acid and plated it. Looks better than new.
Why you might ask? This engine will be mostly new inside. Shouldn’t it look new-ish on the outside? Besides, it is Wisconsin in the winter and I never got into ice fishing.