It's the wife's fault!!!

[Nathan289]

Well my engine guy knows ford sixes.
He's built three for me plus a v8

My guy is super busy right now. If you aren't in a hurry he's great.

Dennis @ American engine

Only downside is he's on the right side of the state in spokane, wa

Pistons will be the expensive part if you need them.

There is a guy on ebay that sells a complete engine kit for $500.

Best prices I found anywhere. My engine guy matched the prices but I wouldn't expect him to do that for everyone

[Luva65wagon]

Gosh, I just uncovered that bag of parts to send you for the umpteenth time. Maybe this week they'll go out and not get buried again.

Don - not sure you'll want to haul your motor to Spokane, but I'll put a word out for Action Machine at 175th and Aurora. Have been dealing with them for 35 years and Rob has been there for most, if not the entire time. Good clean shop with smart guys.

[dhbfaster]

I noticed on the Action Machine website, they go through S&J Engines for total remanufacture. (Which is also in Spokane.) I had them quote a while back and they seemed competitive and they will pick up & deliver the engine pretty cheap. The mustang shop also said they do quite a few engines every year with them. ( I may have the car painted on that side of the state anyway. Seems like the way to go- just get it all done at once. Anyway...I need to finish getting the suspension all put back on first...but planning to get the engine out this fall. As always...thanks for the advice and places to check out.

[Nathan289]

Ive heard good things and bad things about s&j engines.

Most of the time the complaints are you dont get the same engine back that you dropped off.
so you order a 144 ship it over they send a 144 that they already had. They remanufactured it and ship it. It shortens down time kinda..
just inspect what you get back, thoroughly.

My guy rebuilds what you give him, unless you specify different.
he will work with you to keep cost down..

In my case I only replace bad parts with new when required. Like valves. If theres one bad it gets replaced instead of all of them.
unless I'm wanting all new valves then I ask for them. But 12 valves @ $9 each adds up quick.

This engine I just had built got new pistons 4:6 had frozen wrist pins and the cylinders had massive rige. Pistons for these engines $220 a set.
I replaced the oil pump, timing set, camshaft and lifters new along with gaskets, rings, bearings.

The cylinder head received one new valve everything else was reused.

I like to assemble my engines so I drop of the engine disassembled and pick it up the same way.
saves money if you assemble it yourself.

I spent $1000 on this engine. Ive also spent $1200 on another 170
The cheapest was $800 for the 170 & the 260.

[dhbfaster]

Really appreciate the info Nathan. I did talk to S&J about getting my same engine block back- and they said no problem they can do that. Without looking at my notes...I want to say including the work, parts (I think..Including pistons which they said were harder to find for the 144), round trip transport to Spokane, and tax...about $1825. I think for just labor & to put it through their process it was about $1000-1100. I prep it onto a pallet with nothing bolted onto the outside so to speak and that's how I get it back. I get it back in about a week. Seemed like a lot, but take out the transportation, and it's about the same price as a rebuild place in Portland (but they don't paint them), about the same as the performance place in Federal Way, but they need a couple months. I'm already way over budget-but I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm just going to have to work a few more months before I can retire...(at this point it's all irrational anyway.) I can bolt the easy stuff back on myself, and I understand the concept of air/fuel/spark pretty well, but I'd rather have someone that really knows these engines put all the important stuff back together for me (and I don't want to spend a year figuring it all out). I don't want to waste money on parts either, but if there's any question I'd rather replace it. I want it to run like a top for another 50 years...1500 miles a year.

[Nathan289]

144 & 170 pistons are the same and readily available.

Call Dennis @ American engine
509 487 3332

He can take a fully assembled engine rebuild it and send it back fully assembled.

Getting it shipped here would be the difficult part.

[Nathan289]

Removed the original transmission today. What a big ball of dirt. I think there's a transmission in there somewhere.

Cleaned up the part number area to find the part number stamped upside down? The other transmission I bought from Roger has the part numbers that are readable while standing under the car.
This transmission would only be readable if one were to stand on there head

maybe its ubber rare and worth a million dollars..

Getting closer...

[pbrown]

This transmission would only be readable if one were to stand on there head

Maybe it was installed upside down.

[Nathan289]

Pictures of engine bay.

Copper master cylinder lid

Upside down part number..

[dhbfaster]

If that is cleaned up, it looks about like mine did. I'll have to go check the number now...

[dhbfaster]

Nathan, how did you get the air intake manifold (etc) to look so beautiful back in that pic 0622? Is that new? Mine is a nice rusty brown.

[Nathan289]

Don,

I havent cleaned the trans yet. Just scraped the crap off the side to read the numbers.
I have another transmission from Roger, that is rebuilt or seems to be. I was thinking of using it. Though the inside of my transmission looks good. It spins fine too.

The head looks like it does because my engine guy cleans the block and head before rebuilding.
the head is painted cast iron color and the block is gloss black. Neither are correct colors, but it looks good and I dont feel like repainting them.

Ive been told the early blocks arent painted or I've been told they were painted ford low gloss black. So not sure. My engine was so dirty I couldn't see signs of any paint.


The tin was hot tanked too which removed all the old paint. I then sanded the surface rust. Primed and painted.

I still have the exhaust manifold to paint but I need to order a good manifold paint. Preferably in cast iron color.

[Luva65wagon]

Nathan - you are gonna do a dual M/C - even if you do have a pretty copper-looking M/C cover now? Sort of mandatory with the kiddies, I'd say.

Also, very odd tranny number. At the very least you could gut it and put the parts from the one I sent over and keep the oddity alive. My guess is the parts would interchange just fine.

Eastwood makes a very good brush on exhaust paint. Lasts the longest of all I've used. But all of them are good for the initial pictures, but none - except a good performance coating - last.

(Reminder... send Nathan the parts...)

[redfalken]

Eastwood makes a very good brush on exhaust paint. Lasts the longest of all I've used. But all of them are good for the initial pictures, but none - except a good performance coating - last.

I've used a lot of different coatings over the years and have been pretty meticulous about sandblasting, cleaning, and applying the paints but they never seem to last. After using POR-15 for exhausts on my new headers and watching it rust after the first few months, I saved up my $$ and went for the ceramic coating done by Performance Coatings in Auburn. I chose their Satin Tungsten Gray and it has a nice cast iron look.

Hopefully this will hold up and look good for at least a decade or more!! I'm tired of cleaning and painting...

[Nathan289]

Kenny

I found sand blasting didn't help.

What I've had good luck with is soaking a bunch of rags with brake cleaner. Wrap the manifold in the rags and let it soak.
I then wire wheel it and soak it again.
Probably one hell of a fire hazard.

Then hang it and very light coat of vht manifold paint. Let it dry. Then bake in oven when wife is not home.
Let it cool and apply second coat. Has to be light coats. Heavy coats bubble and flake off.

I usually coat, bake, repeat about three times till the appearance looks good.

Worked well on the last manifold didn't bubble and flake off. Not sure how well it held up though.