Technical Back again with more bird issues...

The rocker arm assemblies were not reassembled in a specific order.

 

Did you get all the rod caps on the right rods? My brush set came from Moroso

 

This sounds like a possibility. I've seen a few engine failures because oil galleries were not properly cleaned. A small but very important part of a rebuild. Even with everything else spotless, crap left behind in oil galleries will kill your bearings in short order.

One other thing worth a mention. A few years ago I freshened a 428 and it knocked from the first start. The new fuel pump, and another new fuel pump to follow both made a pretty good knock. Easy to check though, the knock will go away if you run it with the pump removed.

 

I did. Biggest issue I can think of if it isn’t obvious when I pop the valve covers is dirty oil passages then

 

If there was trash in it and all the passages wasn't cleaned really good then you still have trash in it. It'll be in the new oil pump and every where else. Pull the oil filter and cut it and see if there is any trash or bearing material in it.

 

I suggest either you or the dogs and crap find a new home when you rebuild a motor.

 

Q1: Did you have the machine shop plane the exhaust manifolds and mating surfaces on the heads?
Q2: What are you using for exhaust manifold gaskets?
Q3: Ever think of checking out Vintage Thunderbird Club International's VTCI Forum and its 1964-66 sections? Over 15 years' worth of posts on the above and other topics. Need to get working link to the Forum though...

 

Heads, yes. Manifolds, no. They said it would be cheaper to buy new ones or headers, which are outside the budget. Part of why this is 2 months into year 2 of the project, budget.

Fel-pro

I have. But I can’t always get it to work on my devises

 

That may be your problem. The Rocker Stands ( rocker arms not so much) need to be reassembled in a specific order. There is one rocker stand (the 2nd one from the front or rear of the motor, depending on which side your working on) that is specifically drilled with oil passages. It directs the oil down the rocker pivot tube to all the other rockers. If it is not in the right location, you have blocked off oil to the top end.

 

i'm still hanging on the cam and lifters. if they are used and were not put back on the lobe they came off of then they will dish out the bottom of the lifter and cause them to pop and snap which will get louder and sound like a rod knocking. lets just say it was a mistake that i will never make again.

 

I go the stands right. Lifters were put right back where I took them from

 

Have you had a chance to narrow down the noise location? Could it be the alternator, water pump or power steering pump you are hearing? You can pull the belts and see if that is where it is coming from. A/C compressor? Did you dissasemble the lifters and make sure they are clean?

 

Like Eddie said....

 

In my experience, only FE blocks retain close tolerances on mains and main caps.
In a few instances, we found that used main caps came within .001-.003" from another block... FORD FEs only, try that with GM anything...
Worked on them all, no 'prejudice' here, just stating a 'curious fact'...

 

A couple more things, if you reused the pistons, did you check piston-to-bore clearance? You may be hearing piston slap. When you had the heads machined, did you disassemble them, or just have the mating surface machined?

 

i'm not sure what the stands have to do with it, but the lifters them self's are important you did say used on them, but your answer has been about the stands. if you say they are on the lobes they came from then i'll be quite.

 

Clay, listen to Mike! It will only cost you the price of an oil filter. I have done it many times. Cut that filter open and see what the filter has caught. If it’s perfectly clean, then trash probably isn’t your problem, I say probably because the filter does not filter 100% of the oil 100% of the time.... But, if you find a bunch of crap in it, could be your problem. Easy and cheap test.

This is such a common test, tool manufacturers actually make a “ filter cutting tool”.

Bones

 

We did not, piston slap is a possibility. The heads were fully taken apart and reassembled.

The lifters went right where each individual one came from, lobe to lifter.

I’ll do that this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Won’t even touch the ignition key until I get a look

 

ok i'll set back and be quite. hope the filter tells you something.

 

Filter is clean of metal, and I still can't pinpoint anything unusual with the stethascope. Just gonna drive her as is, as a friend of mine says I've described the noise wrong as well and it's just an exhaust leak to him .

 

Clay get in the car and accelerate hard, if the noise increases with the amount you press the gas pedal and disappears when you back off, that’s an exhaust leak.



Bones

 

It does. I was afraid to lay on it, but since I went “f*** it” and decided not to just idle it around, I realized it is indeed an exhaust leak.

 

Cool!, that’s a good thing! Exhaust leaks are easy to fix, compared to some of the other things we were considering! Hang in there and enjoy your T’Bird.



Bones

 

Wow, the easiest way to have found that was posted on Monday in #6 reply by one Very Sharp Mechanic.

 

I was listening all over, repeatedly, but couldn’t find jack shit. Guess I forgot I already had had exhaust issues and need to replace the exhaust manifolds

 

Another way to locate exhaust leaks is to have someone hold their hand over the tailpipe at idle, and listen for leaks. You can use silicone on the manifolds where they meet the heads, and for goodness' sakes don't overtorque the manifold bolts.

 

Just gonna order the Sanderson shorties since they seem to be the only ones that fit my bird out there that aren’t spcustom made and have my friend (the same guy who started me down the rabbit trail that’s lasted 14 months) handle getting a shop to install them while I’m at college. I want to be able to enjoy this thing when I’m not cramming my head full of knowledge til it hurts at university.

EDIT: I’m doing this because I know the source of the leaks. Passenger manifold was fubared and I never spent the money to replace it. Last time I did I bought shorties that didn’t fit and ended up selling them to someone else here.

 

Often with exhaust manifold leaks they have a light gray ash deposit where the crack is, might be hard to find. Use a mirror and flash light, some tend to close up as the engine warms up.

 

Good luck with Sanderson headers. Everyone I know who's tried them say they won't fit and go with FPAs that do. More money yes but THEY FIT. MANY threads about this at the VTCI Forum.

 

If I was fixing that exhaust leak I would go back with the piss poor flowing T bird manifolds. Properly prepared and installed they will not leak. Unless you are turning the engine 6500 rpm , you will never know the difference between the stock set up and headers.
Most headers I’ve ever dealt with, sounded tinny and had a tendency to leak.
The broken stock manifold is readily available through almost any FE site as a lot of people take them off and put headers on their hot rods. Just my .02





Bones