Block repair... Advice needed...

[riotwarrior]

***** @ the RPD challenge.
next time i got 2 free hours, ill do some researching.
i gotta drop my PSD heads off @ the shop so ill ask my engine builder.
he would be the source for specialty bearings.
as for your challenge, I DO NOT ACCEPT.

i wouldnt wish a RPD paint job on my worse enemy.
are you sure youre not hispanic with the multitude of odd ball colors you want to paint your truck?
(nowthatmytruckisalmost1or5colors,icantalktihs)

Hey...its only 1 month of rdp hood...whatz matter...chicken?

 

[IDIoit]

youre foul.

 

[towcat]

I need some advice about block repair... I pulled a junkyard 7.3 and took it to my machinist. He said the cylinders look good, but the three central main bearings spun in the block. He said it is possible to cut the block where the main caps mate and line bore the crank axis but he did not recommend it. It raises the pistons which increases the compression ratio and can cause valve clearance problems. He also had concerns about the accuracy of the long bore and engine geometry. His advice was to find a better block to build.

Anyone here have any experience with this kind of block repair? I am not all that concerned about the piston height. I have some prototype decompression head gaskets being made for me that finish at .110" thick. My target CR is 18:1 and I can always shave the pistons a little if needed. If the block really is junk I won't waste my time with it, but in Arizona the trucks never rust so finding a good engine without a truck wrapped around it isn't easy!

if you can make your way to the SF bay area and give me some advance warning, I have core motors sitting on the ground. most are 150k/mi on them. all have excessive blowby but all have good oil pressure. Due to extended idle times, towtrucks rarely wipe out bearings but will kill rings like they're candy. If you want one, I have one with your name on it. pickup only.

 

[riotwarrior]

youre foul.

YOU'RE

 

[towcat]

YOU'RE

both on you need to back it off a few notches.
both of you know better. you've been around long enough.

 

[IDIoit]

both on you need to back it off a few notches.
both of you know better. you've been around long enough.

no clue what the issue is....
neither of us have an issue...
but uahhh ok.

 

[riotwarrior]

both on you need to back it off a few notches.
both of you know better. you've been around long enough.

We is just one abother...

No harm no foul intended

 

[Ford F834]

if you can make your way to the SF bay area and give me some advance warning, I have core motors sitting on the ground. most are 150k/mi on them. all have excessive blowby but all have good oil pressure. Due to extended idle times, towtrucks rarely wipe out bearings but will kill rings like they're candy. If you want one, I have one with your name on it. pickup only.

Thanks towcat! If I strike out in Arizona I might actually take you up on that. I have family in the Bay Area so I could easily make a trip out of it...

As far as the special bearings or building up material with welds, this is what my friend in Czech Republic suggested. But they are more resourceful there, and having something custom made is not a huge deal. He's the one who is having the decompression gaskets made for me. But I am not in Czech Republic I am in Arizona. I will be doing good just to have regular machine work done right. Besides, given the choice I'd rather not rely on some janky repair or oddball parts.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Maybe I'm WAY off base here, but are you sure that you have spun main bearings? Your picture shows a spun rod bearing not a main.

 

[towcat]

Thanks towcat! If I strike out in Arizona I might actually take you up on that. I have family in the Bay Area so I could easily make a trip out of it...

As far as the special bearings or building up material with welds, this is what my friend in Czech Republic suggested. But they are more resourceful there, and having something custom made is not a huge deal. He's the one who is having the decompression gaskets made for me. But I am not in Czech Republic I am in Arizona. I will be doing good just to have regular machine work done right. Besides, given the choice I'd rather not rely on some janky repair or oddball parts.

in most foreign countries, you make do with what you have. not so in the US. you can afford to be picky.
i do reccomend dropping in a set of sleeves with any of my rebuildable 7.3's the wall taper is pretty mind boggling. still, on a motor you are building up, it's not a bad idea. no more worries of cavitation as a result.

 

[towcat]

Maybe I'm WAY off base here, but are you sure that you have spun main bearings? Your picture shows a spun rod bearing not a main.

irregardless, another shortblock is a good idea.
there are four known cases of crank breakage here from regrinds since 2005.

 

[barr05]

Ford F834
I have some prototype decompression head gaskets being made for me that finish at .110" thick. My target CR is 18:1 ..

I'm interested in this part..

 

[Ford F834]

Maybe I'm WAY off base here, but are you sure that you have spun main bearings? Your picture shows a spun rod bearing not a main.

Yes, sorry... I should have explained that the photo was just something I had on hand to illustrate the level of rotating assembly carnage. My machinist showed me where the three center bearings spun, and the two ends had hour glass shaped marks where the bearings were wobbling as the unsupported crank started to "jump rope" inside the main webs.

 

[Ford F834]

i do reccomend dropping in a set of sleeves with any of my rebuildable 7.3's the wall taper is pretty mind boggling. still, on a motor you are building up, it's not a bad idea. no more worries of cavitation as a result.

Have they been bored oversize already? I know this is a controversial subject but if they sonic test okay, going .020" overbore is only about 5% of the original wall thickness. Seems like that is a preferable result over the major surgery of a full re-sleeve. Am I missing something major? There is cost of course, but $ aside is sleeving the best answer?

 

[Ford F834]

Ford F834
I have some prototype decompression head gaskets being made for me that finish at .110" thick. My target CR is 18:1 ..

I'm interested in this part..

R&D is supposed to carry them at some point if they prove their worth. Right now it looks good, but I don't know what Justin's plans are as far as ordering more. He got the first set in a customer's truck, and two more sets are being made now for myself and another FTE member. If you want to be a Guinea pig contact Romel77 on FTE, he is the one having them made. Otherwise keep watching the R&D website. The gasket thread is here... the high temperature Reinz Extreme are also being tested. However, they cannot be made thicker than stock. The decompression gaskets are regular material with steel shields and one helluva stainless fire ring.

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1393005-performance-head-gaskets-6.html