Installation of Piston Assemblies onto the Connecting Rods
Piston, Connecting Rod, and Ring Assembly Installation
Chapter 5: Camshafts, Lifters, and Timing
FE Camshaft Design Specifics
Camshaft Bearings
Lifter Selection Criteria
Cam Specs: Lift, Duration, and Lobe Separation Angle
So How Do I Pick a Cam?
Cam Thrust Plate and End Play
Timing Sets
Timing Covers
Dampers
Oil Pans and Oil Pump Pickups
Chapter 7: Cylinder Heads and Valves
Basic 360 and 390 Heads
Aftermarket Head Designs
Cylinder Head Reconditioning
Castings: Cleaning, Inspection, and Qualification
Component Selection
Valves
Valve Springs, Locators, Retainers, and Keepers
Setting and Inspecting Stem Tip Height
Valve Stem Seals
Cylinder Head Assembly
Mounting the Cylinder Heads
Head Fasteners
Chapter 8: Valvetrain Assembly
Pushrod Length Measurement
Assembling the Valvetrain
Chapter 9: Intake Manifold Selection
Fitting the Intake Manifold
Installing the Intake Manifold
Carburetor Tuning
Chapter 11: Ignition and Distributor
Installing the Distributor
Chapter 12: Pre-Oiling and Final Assembly
Oil Selection
Pre-Oiling the Engine
Valve Covers
Finishing Up: Sensors, Thermostat, PCV, Pulleys, and Belts
Chapter 14: Initial Start Up and Break-In
This book took a great deal of work and significant time to complete. Many folks helped put it together, and I want to make certain that they receive credit for their efforts and contributions. First is to Bob Wilson from CarTech. Without his efforts and tenacity, this publication would never have been completed. He will probably edit this out, but I hope he doesn’t because his efforts are very much appreciated and his recognition is highly deserved.
The folks I work with at Survival Motorsports put up with a lot during this project. Stopping a complex process in order to take photos and write out details is a significant disruption to an engine builder’s daily routine. William Blair, our lead machinist, made a huge contribution in terms of posing machining and assembly operations throughout the build. Brian Blair and Nancy Schultz helped keep the proverbial “wheels on the bus” in the shop while I was focused on the book. Marc Weiner, a former employee and longtime friend, also helped with images and with teardown and assembly assistance on the engine we featured. I cannot forget to mention Mr. Pankow, as it is his 428 CJ and 1969 Shelby GT500 that modeled for most of the images we used.
Every author thanks his or her family and I am no exception to that rule. My wife, Susan, and my three daughters, Autumn, Summer, and Lily, have spent the past months and years hearing more about Ford FE engines than they ever expected or desired to. In between their dance lessons, equestrian events, and music activities, they have learned about crankshafts, cylinder heads, and intake manifolds.
The FE Ford engine is blessed with a strong and enthusiastic following on the Internet. The Ford FE forum, Jay Brown’s FE Power forum, and a Wes Adams’s FE Fanatics Facebook forum are all great places to invest time before starting out on an FE engine build. Numerous folks are willing to freely trade historical information and firsthand experience in every facet, from racing to original production data to proven repair techniques. Without their help and shared knowledge, this engine would not be as popular in the market as it is today. As it is, the FE enthusiast will benefit from one of the best cases of documented cumulative history and assembled knowledge of any automotive engine new or old.
The engine featured in this particular book is mostly original. But the FE engine has greatly benefited from the aftermarket parts supplier community. After an extended period of inactivity, Edelbrock was perhaps the stimulus of the renaissance of the Ford FE when they released the Performer RPM cylinder head. Scat followed a few years later with the release of stroker crankshafts, and then others followed with a steady stream of new and improved FE parts. Today, we can choose from hydraulic roller cams from Comp and Crane, blocks and heads from Pond, BBM, and, of course, Survival, and a huge array of cosmetic and performance items from every major brand-name supplier.
One last note is something of a dedication to my father, Seymour Rabotnick. He could not turn a wrench or identify a single engine part. But he understood my enthusiasm and gave me a set of tools and an old junk car to get me started along this path.
Building, or rebuilding, an engine is a significant task to take on under any circumstances. There are plenty of great reasons to do it, ranging anywhere between financial necessity and the personal satisfaction of completing a complex and challenging job. Once you’ve made the commitment to build your engine, a broad