I had a very slight problem when I installed the heads. Thinking the pistons would definitely clear the heads without issue, I installed the heads. The installation proved to be a complete disaster. The rotating assembly wouldn't turn over! I realized there was something seriously wrong and deduced it was due to piston/head interference. I called Mahle, and they explained there was a bad batch of pistons that went out of their facility. They offered to send me a brand new set of pistons to replace the set that I had. The only thing I was out was the head bolts since they are a one-time use as well as head gaskets. The new head bolts were still cheaper than head studs, so I counted myself lucky.
Here's the shape of the two pistons. Notice the top piston has a very tight machined lip (at the "F" arrow) versus the bottom piston, which has a generous lip. The bottom pistons were the correct piston for the application.
Here's the block with one head removed and ready to replace each piston set. Luckily the rings were easy to transfer, but those stupid circlips are always a problem to get on!
I primed each hydraulic lash adjuster by using a small allen key to release tension on the spring inside and allow oil in. I'm not sure if it will help in the long run.
The heads are back on the short block and ready to receive timing chains. I installed a MMR Hurricane oil pump with billet gears to avoid any failures of the known brittle stock oil pump gears.
After installing lash adjusters and captive roller followers, I installed the first set of camshafts and bolted the camshaft bearing caps down with ARP cam cap bolts. Normally these bolts are torque to yield and throw-away items, but not so now!
I installed primary and secondary timing chains using a video on Youtube. The timing chains, phasers, guides, etc. were all original to the engine. I replaced the timing chain tensioners with Boss 302 units for higher RPM stability. I also replaced the brittle stock crank timing gear with a billet TSS unit, specific to the Gen 1 Coyotes. The great thing about VCT technology is that I didn't have to adjust the cam timing. All you do is align dots on various cams to the dark timing chain links (in order) and you're done.
Here's the finished engine, awaiting a front timing chain cover.
The front timing cover is a new unit specifically made for supercharged Mustang GT applications. The previous F150 timing cover is missing a critical boss for the Mustang GT style alternator and accessories.
The Stef's oil pan is a completely custom aluminum unit, fully baffled with flexible rubber baffles instead of trap doors. The oil pan is specifically made for the Pantera and is sold by Pantera Performance Center. The pickup was installed with putty and the gasket/windage tray to check oil pump pickup clearances. No adjustments were needed since the pickup was within tolerance at about a 3/8" gap.
With the oil pan installed, the bottom end looks beautiful.
A large notch is necessary to clear the rear A-arm crossover frame piece, which won't be cut out of my car. If I want to access the crank, I'll have to remove the engine which negates any reason to remove the crossover piece.
The finished engine long block assembly, complete with phaser actuators and valve covers. Each place where a gasket might have a three-way junction was augmented by a dab of RTV, just like the factory. Note that the balancer has not been installed yet, which means the engine is not completely sealed yet.
(All work shown in this post was done in 2018)
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