The Ranger XLT @ Holley Ford Fest 2024 in Bowling Green KY After Missing HRPT 2019 and Power Tour 2021

[DuckRyder]

It isn’t looking good...

I cannot stop the right axle shaft seal leaking. I may have slowed it down, but it is leaking at a rate that I’m not really comfortable starting off with it leaking like that...

Also on test drive the transmission did something strange, like it was locked in high gear, manually shifting to 1st locked the rear wheels. It has never done this before either... no idea what’s up with that.

I’ll make a decision in the morning whether we are going and if we are going if the truck is going. The only plan B we really have is the Jetta and there seems to be something just wrong about doing power tour in a Volkswagen...

I got the brakes fixed but it is a serious Kludge involving safety wire and zip ties... Gonna need to get on classifieds and get the proper end. No yard near has any thing old enough to have one on it...

I guess I have myself to blame, I should have been done and driving it regularly for 6 months...

[DuckRyder]

Well...

It doesn’t seem to be leaking this morning, at least not badly. So the ticket is apparently to install your last Currie seal backwards because you are mad and not paying attention, note your error, snatch it out with a bearing slide hammer, beat it back flat on the garage floor and put it back in...

Think 5 QTS of Delvac 1 will get me through?

Big question mark on trans though...

Leaning toward going...

[Ranchero50]

Oh well, name it "Mad Dog" and put "Mad Dog 2020" on the tailgate for next years adventure.

Nothing sucks worse than not trusting your steed for a long trip. The stress just isn't worth it.

[DuckRyder]

Well and it stared knocking on the wal mart run this morning...

I think the sky king is trying to tell me something...

I’m unwilling to risk the block, I’ll risk a trans or rearend but I don’t want to scrap an entire FE..

[DuckRyder]

We will take the Jetta up and do the first day in Charlotte and see the sites...

Gonna sit the rest of it out.

Will have to get the motor out and see what’s up... If there is much wrong with it going back together as a 445...

[DuckRyder]

Thats not good at all....

Y’all remember this:

...Also I had the heads and intake ported and the the port floors on the Intake were filled with “Epoxy” to raise them to match the heads. This was about 2002 or so, but one of the ports the epoxy was completely gone and no where to be found (Burned up I assume) and several of the others exhibited cracking, so I removed them in spite of the mismatch created.

I’m thinking this might be what took me out...

I still haven’t gotten into the motor...

[crazyhorse]

Mr Duck , I'm sorry you got motor problems BUT 445 sounds really good.
Good luck which ever way you go.

[DuckRyder]

Made a little progress:

[DuckRyder]

No real evidence of metal in the upper end



Some flakes of copper / bronze in valley



No evidence of issues on pistons









No obvious damage to rods or crank (no blue/black rods etc...)



Don’t remember these marks but all rods seem to have them, so I am thinking its from balancing/machine shop fixtures...

5 is where it sounded like knock came from.

I did note that there seems to be excessive side clearances so checking that is on the list for tomorrow.

It seems to have zero end play, which I also don’t recall and will bear investigation...



Dist gear seems a little sharp so will clean and inspect that as well...

[DuckRyder]

Well I would say the mystery about what is wrong is solved. This is number 7.

Now the question is why?

It still doesn’t have any end play, but the thrust bearing looks ok.

This was one of the copper colored rods, i asked about this back when I built it, but the consensus was some of them are just like that...

Other things I’m aware of are:

I had a converter incompatibility issue with a flex plate and it wiped the front pump in the trans, this was right after it was reinstalled, I was expecting to find issues with the trust bearing.
When the heads were ported epoxy was used to port match the CJ style intake to the MR style heads, last time I had the intake off one was found to be MIA (wish I recalled which CYL, probably should have written that down.)

I think my tolerance for trying to rebuild it as a 390 is badly waining... guess I need to get some more measuring done...

[DuckRyder]

Rest of the bearings.
















First let me say that the pictures make it look worse than it is and I cannot feel any of these scratches, though they look nasty.

Also I left Crower a message about rebuilding the lifters.

I think the cam and lifters are useable...

[DuckRyder]

So, I bet y’all thought I dropped off the face of the earth...

Lot going on: New job (or role) at work, move to TN in the works sell house / rent house / buy house.... new grand daughter...

But the truck has not been completely neglected. Yes the 390 is still strewn about the garage...



I hope to have the short block at least reassembled buy the end of the month...

The cam (or actually the lifters) is still a bit of a question mark... If I end up replacing it I will probably go hydraulic roller this time around.

Anyway, stay tuned.

[DuckRyder]

So Robert what the heck is going on with this?

Well...

First I dropped one of the main bearings on the block and scored it while checking clearances

Second SCAT crankshaft oil slinger is badly misshapen (or at least it was until the machine shop took care of it) and crankshaft won’t turn in block.

Hopefully I can get on with it now.

[hfdco4]

Just keep plugging along. We are here hoping it goes well.

[DuckRyder]

“Long Block” built...

Gotta spray POR 15 tomorrow...