If you are working with rusty fasteners you should be using six-point sockets to minimize the risk of rounding off the bolt heads. An air or electric impact wrench can be really handy for some stuff, especially the damper bolt. But try not to get too fixated on using it for the more easily removed stuff; the risk of damaging the bolts is simply too high to justify saving the 10 minutes of hand removal. Some of the external fasteners will be easily broken with an impact wrench, particularly the exhaust manifold bolts, which have seen many high-temperature cycles and exposure to the elements.
Start out by removing the carburetor (drain any gas) and the fuel pump. Both are likely to be rebuilt or replaced unless new or particularly valuable. Remove the spark plugs, plug wires, and any wiring harness segments that remained attached to the engine. If still in place, remove the alternator and power steering pump and their respective brackets. Pictures of these before removal will come in handy during assembly. Remove the pulleys, the oil filter mount, and the motor mounts.
Begin Teardown of Peripherals
To remove the distributor, first take off the hold-down bolt and clamp. Then grab the distributor body, rotate it back and forth a couple times to loosen it, and pull straight upward. If it appears frozen or does not want to come upward, it is most likely held by dried oil and varnish around an O-ring that passes through the intake manifold, not by anything mechanical. Use some solvent such as carburetor cleaner and let it soak in while working the distributor back and forth to free it up. A few moderate taps on the bottom of the body with a plastic mallet are okay, but resist the temptation to pound on the vacuum advance. You will break the fragile distributor casting if you do and end up needing a new distributor.
Next remove the fuel pump. The fuel pump is attached to the timing cover with two fasteners.
To remove exhaust manifolds use six-pointed sockets and wrenches, as these fasteners are often both tight and very corroded.
It is highly recommended that you use a generous amount of penetrating oil and sharply smack the wrench to break them loose. If and when they break off, use drills, bolt removing tools, and Heli-Coils to re-create threads in these locations.
When smacking the ratchet assembly does not work, try a ratchet with a long enough handle to provide greater leverage on the bolt head. Since manifold bolts often snap loose suddenly, visualize where your knuckles will go when they do. If the path they will take involves something metal and hard, reposition yourself.
Remove Rocker Assembly
On Ford FE engines you need to remove the valve covers and rocker assemblies before you can remove the intake manifold. This is different from any other V-8 engines. Take off the valve covers and invert them on the workbench. They make handy “trays” for the valvetrain parts you are about to remove. If you are trying to keep things in their original places, you can use a Sharpie or paint pen to mark them “driver’s” and “passenger’s” side. Punch holes in a piece of cardboard to hold pushrods in marked order if you intend to reuse them.
The rocker arm assemblies are each held in place by four 3/8 bolts, with 9/16 wrench heads and large, thick washers. Loosen each fastener only a half turn at a time, working from bolt to bolt. This will prevent bending the rocker shafts from valve spring pressure. Each rocker assembly will have a sheet-metal oil return tray underneath it that also gets pulled off with the rockers. Pushrods simply pull out at this point; they go through holes or passages machined and/or cast into the intake manifold.
Important!
On most FE engines one of the four rocker bolts is longer than the others, usually with a reduced diameter in the shank. This bolt is where the oil feed for the rocker arm system is located; make certain to note its position for reassembly.
With the rocker assembly removed, you can see more clearly the difference between the oil feed for the rocker assembly, shown second from left, and the other three conventional mounting points.
Remove the Intake Manifold
It’s easier to use a knife to cut the water pump hose apart at this stage, as this is a replacement item.
If you have the factory iron intake be aware that these things are heavy at more than 85 pounds. If you still have the engine hoist available, it is very useful for this task. Remove the 10 fasteners
