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I started off my weekend by installing my Corbeaus and center console, then moved on to building my motor. Here's what I did;
Plastigauged all bottom end bearings - all perfect. Torqued to 30 ft lb, then another 115*.
I contemplated using the 11x1.5 tap to clean the thread holes in the block for the head studs, but still didnt like the idea of using a tap to just clean the threads. So I flipped the block upside down, grabbed some carb cleaner and hooked the little straw up to it, then blasted out each thread hole until they were clean (and then some). Cleaned all the old head studs in a bath of laquer thinner and a soft wire brush. Cleaned all the nuts/washers the same way. Block was used and had not been surfaced, but has only seen MLS headgaskets so I cleaned the deck surfaces with laquer thinner until my white rags did not discolor any more. Spun the studs down into the block (did this side dry with no assembly lube). Double nutted the ends and just snugged each stud into the block. Ran a rag across the block with laquer thinner yet again to ensure cleanliness. Installed the head gasket. Istalled heads, used assembly lube on head studs/nuts and torqued in three steps; 30, 60, 90.
At the point of installing the cams I started to need some advice.
Q: Do the lifters need to be bled to avoid bending valves? Some people prime them, some people bleed them. Is there no problem with primed lifters bending valves on the mod motors?
Q: Do the cam caps have a "direction". I.E. - all the readable numbers facing down so they are readable.
Q: Do the cam caps have a specific location they need to stay in, or are they interchangeable? (Other vehicles I work on you cannot mismatch where a cap came from and needs to go back to).
Q: The main advantage I've seen on the Romeo heads is the cam cap "bridge" design for added strength. The cam journal locations are the same between heads. Has anybody put the Romeo "bridge cap" onto a Windsor head? I've got a set of scrap Romeos that I could use those off of and put them onto my Windsor heads.
Q: The heads are not CNC ported as I was led to believe. They were hand ported, and the port looks awesome, but the valve guides suffered a bit of trauma. They are scarred and appear to have a maximum of 1/16" material removed in spots. Is this something I should worry about? Having a valve guide partially break off wouldnt be too cool!
Q: The valvesprings are a dual valvespring design. I heard rumors of not having an "upgraded" lifter can cause valve float if using too stiff of springs. I have not seen any upgraded lifters available though. Is this a myth or something to be concerned about?
Any guidance would be much appreciated!
Specs on the motor: ModMax 4340 rods, CP 18cc dish pistons, ACL race bearings, (unknown rings), Ford 4 layer MLS headgaskets, Windsor heads, ported/polished, 1mm oversized valves, titanium retainers, bronze valve guides, custom ground cams (265/267, 230/232 @ .050 lift, v lift .047/.045)
I started off my weekend by installing my Corbeaus and center console, then moved on to building my motor. Here's what I did;
Plastigauged all bottom end bearings - all perfect. Torqued to 30 ft lb, then another 115*.
I contemplated using the 11x1.5 tap to clean the thread holes in the block for the head studs, but still didnt like the idea of using a tap to just clean the threads. So I flipped the block upside down, grabbed some carb cleaner and hooked the little straw up to it, then blasted out each thread hole until they were clean (and then some). Cleaned all the old head studs in a bath of laquer thinner and a soft wire brush. Cleaned all the nuts/washers the same way. Block was used and had not been surfaced, but has only seen MLS headgaskets so I cleaned the deck surfaces with laquer thinner until my white rags did not discolor any more. Spun the studs down into the block (did this side dry with no assembly lube). Double nutted the ends and just snugged each stud into the block. Ran a rag across the block with laquer thinner yet again to ensure cleanliness. Installed the head gasket. Istalled heads, used assembly lube on head studs/nuts and torqued in three steps; 30, 60, 90.
At the point of installing the cams I started to need some advice.
Q: Do the lifters need to be bled to avoid bending valves? Some people prime them, some people bleed them. Is there no problem with primed lifters bending valves on the mod motors?
Q: Do the cam caps have a "direction". I.E. - all the readable numbers facing down so they are readable.
Q: Do the cam caps have a specific location they need to stay in, or are they interchangeable? (Other vehicles I work on you cannot mismatch where a cap came from and needs to go back to).
Q: The main advantage I've seen on the Romeo heads is the cam cap "bridge" design for added strength. The cam journal locations are the same between heads. Has anybody put the Romeo "bridge cap" onto a Windsor head? I've got a set of scrap Romeos that I could use those off of and put them onto my Windsor heads.
Q: The heads are not CNC ported as I was led to believe. They were hand ported, and the port looks awesome, but the valve guides suffered a bit of trauma. They are scarred and appear to have a maximum of 1/16" material removed in spots. Is this something I should worry about? Having a valve guide partially break off wouldnt be too cool!
Q: The valvesprings are a dual valvespring design. I heard rumors of not having an "upgraded" lifter can cause valve float if using too stiff of springs. I have not seen any upgraded lifters available though. Is this a myth or something to be concerned about?
Any guidance would be much appreciated!
Specs on the motor: ModMax 4340 rods, CP 18cc dish pistons, ACL race bearings, (unknown rings), Ford 4 layer MLS headgaskets, Windsor heads, ported/polished, 1mm oversized valves, titanium retainers, bronze valve guides, custom ground cams (265/267, 230/232 @ .050 lift, v lift .047/.045)
