"About 4 sq. inches for the TP, 3 1/2 for the high riser ... with a 9 per cent flow improvement" per Car Craft, August of '67.

I would have guessed a lot better flow improvement but ... what do I know.

What cam are you using and what is it's lift?

Problem is they wont fit with the factory baffles in place. With the baffles out they fit no problem, but with them in the baffles hit the rocker shaft. These are factory finned aluminum ones with the "428 cobra jet "logo and a snake in the middle. Well, this is pretty simple. Factory "snake" covers fit fine with factory valvetrain parts, right? So, if you really have Ford rocker covers - not the poorly cast "repro" - then you must have some kind of non-stock valvetrain parts. QED. The car originally came with the chrome pent roof "powered by ford" pieces, but I'd rather use the aluminum ones. It's a '69 mach I 428cj R code car. To my knowledge, there were no "Powered by Ford" covers with the pent-roof design....meaning they are shaped like those in the image, below. Perhaps you mean the standard 1968-69 rounded covers? I bring it up only because true pent-roof covers are commonly used to gain extra clearance in exactly this kind of situation. Mr F

Not exactly what you're talking about, but a similar line of info.

I hunted around for a pair of chrome valve covers for my pair of marine 427s, and ended up with covers by Daytona. They were inexpensive and added a bit of chrome for the ladies under the hood (you know, it's like a bass lure, it's how you use it that's important, and don't just lay the hatch open and give em all a long look and let em gawk, just give em a quick peek).

I was motoring along at 3500 RPM when all of a sudden there was a horrible noise and I thought I'd dropped a valve or busted a rocker, or bent a pushrod or something. It was the internal oil shield under the breather outlet, and the cheap tack welds gave out and the darn thing was pounding on the valve adjustment nuts on top of the rockers. Sounded like a tin can had fallen into the motor, and made a terrible racket. When I opened the valve cover, it was just sitting on top of the rockers, loose. I just pulled it out, and buttoned everything back up, and all is well.


P

IF the flywheel has a dual bolt pattern as some do you will be able to use the flywheel. The difference is that the 390 engines use a 1 1/8" 10 spline input shaft and the 427 and 428 uses a 1 3/8" input shaft. Nearly everything looks like it will work but, the input shaft sleeve that the throw out bearing rides on is a larger diameter which requires a larger throw out arm, which requires a larger pivot for the throw out arm. All this adds up to a lot of unnecessary expense. I suggest that you trade this really good stuff to someone that can use it without problems and get a correct flywheel and clutch assembly. Oh yeah, there's also the matter of clearance inside the bell housing, 427s and 428s had a bit more clearance built into them for the 11 1/2" clutch assembly. That has been addressed in this forum recently I believe.

The common choice is the Melling M57HV. One of these is almost certainly the Meeling High Volume pump which is the consensus of choice. In a solid lifter block, you could use the stock (cast iron) pump. You will have to ask Mustang Unlimited for clarification of which pump is which. Don't use a HP pump, or you'll suck the sump dry due to slow oil return (regardless of the fact that the melling Web Site says this can't happen)

maybe a bent valve

Sounds like a bad (leaking down to quickly) lifter to me. With the valve cover off and the engine idling, firmly hold the rocker arm against the push rod and lifter with your hand (you may want to have a rag in your hand as a cushion). Compare a couple of others to the susupected bad one. There sholuidn't be any noticable play in them.

1. They are both considered small blocks.
2. They both bolt to the same motor mounts
3. They have the same bellhousing bolt pattern
4. The Cleveland is bigger, heavier and harder to find a good block to build.
5. The Windsor is narrower, lighter and has 1000 times more aftermarket parts available.
6. Neither one is an FE. Please try the general subjects forum. The link is just to the left.

Royce Peterson

I think that even the 400M would have to be a small block as it shares a lot with the 351W and the 385 series engines. They don't call it a Morphidite for nothing.

It makes changing oil messy.
It may also cause interference problems of its own as it extends the filter out quite a ways from the block.

Didn’t BB Fairlanes use a different sway bar that cleared?

first FE's need higher oil pressure than most engines as you can easily wipe the bearings on these motors. you need to reduce the spring pressure in the oil pump by pass valve. you should though have 60-80 psi warm anyway, so you are not too far off. others may disagree with me though.

Not necessarily so! You didn't tell us how old the engine is and that is important as it takes a while for parts to seat in. Guages are a good thing but they do make us worry some times. You also didn't say what oil viscosity you are using which is very important. I have cars and vans that have over 100,000 miles on them and I use 5 W 30 Mobil 1 full synthetic oil in and they only get better with age. You might want to try a lighter oil and see if that helps. When I was racing my 427s I used 50 or even 70 weight oil because that's what the thinking was back then, new technology is in place and I have friends that have several hundred passes on the same engine at extreme RPM without a failure using 0 W 9 weight Royal Purple synthetic, They do check/change the bearings regularly. I would not suggest that you go that radical, try a 5 W 30 oil and see what that does for you.

Also, what are your bearing clearances on the crank? What type of oil pump drive shaft do you have, and what type of shear pin are you using to attach the drive gear to the distributor (rolled spring, solid)? What type of engine oil?

The blue smoke is more likely related to excessive oil puddling in the heads (due to the high pressure) and being sucked down the rear valve stems, and not ring or valve stem problems. High pressure will fill FE heads with oil due to the limited volume drainback circuit. This diversion can cause the oil pan to dry up at the worst times, too. What kind of oil pan are you using?

Are you running oil restrictors in your heads (Holley jets or equiv with .060" to .090" dia orifices, depending on pump and cam application)? Are you running the "drainback diverter" style tray under your rocker pedestals, or is it the 1967-later style which doesn't divert oil back to the galley. Can you tell us something about the condition of the engine?

I agree, 80PSI at idle is a bit high (what is your idle speed). It might indicate you want to loosen up some bearing clearances so you can pump more oil across the crank bearings, helping keep things cool when hammering around the track.

I don't believe the FE needs an unusual amount of oil pressure to live on the track. It does need to have a continuous reservoir of oil (no head puddling which starves the pan), reasonable crank bearing clearances which allow reasonable oil flow to keep things cool, and the standard oiling tweaks (good shear pin and drive, good pan, basic passage clean-up, head restrictors, drainback provisions, properly selected oil pump).

Not a racer, just an enthusiast,
Shoe.

Not to mention, it heats the oil up more. As an example; I built a 406 3 years ago that I did some major oil galley revising. It had 2-1/2 thousandth's on both mains and rods with .024 side clearence and the hi volume TRW pump. It carried 30# at idle and 65# at speed and that was with 0-30 Mobil-1. Make sure you use a racing quality filter, not the cheapo FL-1 or PH-8, as these are in bypass mode too often. It could be that your relief valve is stuck too. The first job of oil is to cool, and if it cant carry the heat out of the bearings then you will have trouble.

Yes, I've had exactly the same problem with my ERA Cobra and a 428. The problem is as Mr. Shoe mentions. You most likely have a High Pressure pump which drives the pressure up (mine was up to 145psi at cold idle, 25 psi hot)and the oil fills the heads too fast (despite restrictors) flooding the valve guides and causing the blue smoke.

Here's what to do (I think...chuckle):

1/ Change to a Melling HV only pump...gives you between 70 and 80 psi at a cold idle or at revs, hot or cold(a stock cast iron pump is OK for solid lifters...I use the M57A , 5/16 end at the pump vs 1/4 with an aftermarket shaft for reliability...also, if you are using a Mallory ditributor, you will eventually break the split-pin holding the gear to the shaft, even with the HV only pump....Mallory admits this happens...I have a fix...e-mail me, or post a response, if you want info on how to rectify this without buying a new distributor);

2/ Make sure the oil drain pans are installed under the rocker shaft supports;

3/ make certain there are oil passage restrictors in the heads;

4/ make sure your oil pan is of sufficient quantity that you don't suck up an air bubble when the heads are full of oil (did you notice fluctuations in the oil pressure gauge when the engine is first started?... especially when you try to move the car when cold...that's air bubbles!) I recently bit the bullit and purchased an AVIAD oil pan...10 qt...original equipment on most 427 Cobras they claim. It does have a lot of baffles and such to help keep the oil to the pick-up under hard cornering and super-quick acceleration such as your car is capable of.

All of these mods can be done without removal of the engine from the car. Good Luck.

Well, we've asked him some questions and he's not responded, there must be a lack of interest at his end. It seems that everyone here has given him good suggestions. Maybe he cured the problem, if so, good for him.

Is it one of these?

if ford power parts in norwalk, ca doesnt have then they can point you to some one who does. also try dove manufacturing.

Pro Gram Engineering makes them. They are better than the originals. They have a web site too.

Here's the web addresses.
http://www.gessford.com/cobraparts/fblocks.htm
http://www.pro-gram.com