shortblock cleaning

So I got a shortblock that has low miles on a rebuild and was pulled out of the smashed mustang and sit and sold. The engine has som grime from sitting uncovered arround the shop. Say I do clean the crap out of it with compressed air, a WD40 soak and flush/re-spray with compressed air(x2) and use a magnet in between a few times to be cautious concerning any foreign metallics. The only parts that will remain intact are the crank, rods and pistons. Everything else is coming out and will be handled and greased with engine assembly lube. Should I drop the crank and main caps to reapply assembly lube?? OR will the pre-oiling or priming of the oil pump be sufficient enough to lubricate these parts for the reassembly? Can I just squeeze the lube in between the journals and moving parts and will that be sufficient? I am going to buy a torque wrench anyway, for the rest of the assembly. What are the pros and cons of taking apart and reassembling an engine that was proffessionally rebuilt in contrast to my own possibilities. Should I use a degreaser on the shortblock instead? With a hot water pressure rinse? Or is the WD40 and compressed air rout sufficiant?    ........Almost!!!  

the problem is .. only you can see how dirty is really is...    and you need to examine what type of dust and dirt...

dust is usually not a problem...   but grinding dust.. with abrasive in it... will take the motor out in days..

so....    feel the dust with your fingers... see if it is soft... or really hard..

wipe the cylinders down with a rag first...   you can blow dirt between the top of the piston and the ring.. it will then score the cylinder wall.. depending on the type of dust...

it only takes a few hours it is has hard grit dust in it..  to take it completely apart . wash the parts in a light solvent..  brake clean..  carb spray... naptha..   do use long lengths of rubber fuel line over the rod bolts after you get the rod caps off to protect the crank finish while you are removing and installing the pistons from the block..

if the lifters were out of the block while it was stored... you really want to get a set of galley brushes and clean the lifter oil galleys also...    if you have conventional lifters...   you do want to drill a 2x4  to make a lifter keeper... keep the lifters in the exact order they came out..  if you mix them up... there is a 90 percent chance the cam will go flat in a week of driving..    

put some magnets inside the oil pan also..

so its up to what you find...

there is one thing i just thought of....  if the motor is on a stand..  tilt it way over and spray the cylinders .. this way the spray will drain out the end of the cylinder... not down around the rings...    you might get more dust out.. but make sure the lifters don't slide out..


oh... and be sure that you store your torque wrench with the adjustment set at 0 or below...  if you leave it adjusted up ,  it will change the calibration of the torque wrench...    

i have found torque wrenches that were 20 pounds low at 65 foot pounds..   would you intentionally torque your heads to 45 foot pounds???    back off the adjustment.   oh.. and those torque wrenches were found at a engine rebuilding shop i went to work at.  

I appreciate your reply! The block is a xxx roller block and had hydroulic lifters and cam. I am taking the roller lifters and stock cam from my '88 grand marquis 5.0. I will be using new pushrods and the roller lifters will be on the same lobes as they came from. I relapped the valves and did a hot water and wd40 rinse and wipe with a rag before re-assembling .(with valves in the same spot as well)
I hope that was good enough to get the grinding compound out!)I plan to take the crank out to have a look at the bearings on the connecting rods as well. So I can re-lube them with assembly lube. I will look at the cam bearings, I chucked the hydo-cam in the yard. I like the idea of turning the engine upside down and soak rinsing it. There is that freeze cap I think is for the journals. The engine has new f.plugs but I have brass ones. The re-build tag(s) I scraped off. There could be sand for all I know as well as wires from grinders-. I dont want to remove the pistons. There is an edge on one cylinder that has a minute rust spot on the top of the wall. I will get a high(1,000s) grit paper to remake the crosshatches that are there. The motor had d80e heads so I ported and polished the e6se heads mildly. Will the switching of those heads change the compression?
How can I tell if the d80e heads were decked and would that make them better than the e6se's? This whole ordeal is like a box of unknown equasions! (fun though!)
First seriouse major engine tooling for me.
I think down the road I will figuer on what I will need to switch to a carb besides a steel distributor gear. The exhaust manifolds sure do weigh alot! Will a mustang exhaust fit if I exit neer the pumpkin?
The engine also had a single timeing chain on it. So I got a double set and The guy gave me a h.v. oil pump as well. I got it so....
I am also plugging the holes in the back of the heads for water. I dont even want to have to use the electric gauges. I am tired of that stuff but I want to keep My Mercury. I know it will never be, But it reminds me of my old '68 Cyclone crossed with my 88lsc. (All Ford!) I'm not a hater of GM, I just don't ever want to be behind the wheel and here that chattery lifter detonation noise ever again-And with the pre-ignition and burbling, I just want to throw up!
Ford won me over with the fixed rocker shaft in the 390, and the not having to remove the oil pan to reinstall the timing cover.Why. I really need this motor to be dependable. I am expecting to get 20+ MPG and drive it daily in Florida and go to Niagarra Falls with it in the few years to come. I got PLANS- BIG PLANS!  -YUP! Ole LLOyd SAid, With his 390Tri-Power Monteray 2DHt- The secret to a Ford is- Youve got to let it BrEATHHH! Then I do A neutral Drop! and Burn the PolyglassGt's Through 2 gears. 30$ a piece Brand New Back in 1991. Bobs tirews had a supply he couldn't get rid of. What a find, And the HOOK-UP.Cyclone390 for 350$ and I was KING. I can Remember a Brand New 500Mercedes with the window sticker leaving it's owners mouth DROPPED as I LitEmUp at 60 on I95. NO WAY MAN.
Can't Touch This. Few Know how I mean. But If You Know, YOU KNOW.
There were lots of great cars in them days, Glad to have experienced.
The Spirit Of America. Wasn't Ford In F1 at one time, Anyway.  

I forgot to notice the way the roller lifters were rotated in there holes. I can get them in the same holes, but not the same block. And if the wheel is turned on the lobe it came out of, will that be a problem?!? DEtails Details....Should I deburr the oil pump? And drill holes in the screws!!?? Should I get a windage tray for a street vehicle while the engine is apart?? I want to get 250,000miles out of this motor. I want to bullet-proof the AOD after this.! It Never ends!!
(But for less than 3000$ over time, My ride will be SWEET!)
-What disk brake rearend can I find in a junkyard that will bolt right into my 88GMarquis? Are air shocks the only thing to take the sag-sway out of the rearof the car? even with a swaybar?
I know these are vast questions- I enjoy the site and responses and shootin rubber-spittin chunks!  

which position the roller lifters go back does not really matter..

there are a lot of things to do to the oil pumps and the oil galleys... but you have to brush them out with oil galley brushes after you are done...  rounding internal corners with a ball end carbide cutter with a 5 or 6 inch stem... sticking it into the galleys... with care and rounding the internal corners..

there are a lot of old police inteceptors out there.. that you should be able to get parts from..

getting rid of the sag is easy...  coil spring spacers..   ones between the coils or solid ones that extend the springs..

i would think that a new pair of springs would work better..

oh.. and if you have a weird tilt to the rear of the car..    be sure you check the front of the car...


if you want to make sure it goes that far...  you will need a good ring set also...

you might also want to coat the head gaskets with a thin layer of Hylomar.. if you can find some..  

>I want to get 250,000miles out of this motor.
Drive it very slowly.  
1967 Falcon 4 door 351C-4V
1970 Mustang 351C-2V
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
Owner built, owner abused.

That is the whole reason behind having a motor that is more powerfull than the car needs to drive about!! Preventive maintenance, engine over radio, and a sound attitude should get me the 250,000- At this point in life, I guess a head gasket and sorts could be considered just maintenance. Forget about the stupid 20+ rims as well. That alone will taxx!! I'll stick with my 14's and 15"s for traction and fun. I may entertain a 16" wheel one day though- It's all downhill from here. So florida is actually pretty flat down south, not much taxing on the drive-train like hills can do- Heat is the biggest problem here.-Dual fans one day!!