Recent content by buildit

All W-motor blocks with the "X" on the front have heavier main webs than earlier blocks. They also have Armasteel caps, whether that means anything, I don't know. I also believe they are higher nickel content. I can't prove it, but it's just my observation after machining blocks for several years.

And, a #655 348 has the "X" on the left front of the block also. I carry a small brush to clean the casting number behind the left head. Then i press a lump of clay onto the casting number that I can't see and pull it off to read the number in reverse. I'm sure I'm not the first to do this.

I have seen two 409 #656 engines where the the last "6" was stamped in. The last is still in a cabover C80 truck, and I'm waiting for the owner to sell it to me. (I already bought two complete 409s from him.) As everyone knows, the "eyebrow" notch in a 409 truck block is considerably larger...

I once bought a core 409 truck engine up in Montana. The #2 exhaust valve had receded so far that it got into water.

The block's main bearing webs are also heavier on blocks with the armasteel caps.

I would not spend any money on the #379 heads.

The high and low rise Offy manifolds are exactly the same; the difference is that the carb mounting pad is thicker on the "high rise". I do not feel that they are a good design.

When the roller type comes apart, we found that the little roller is the perfect size to just go through the oil pump pickup screen. I have used both aluminum and nylon with no problems.

I consider the Offy to be a poor design for making big horsepower. I once bought a new one and cut it up to raise the roof of all the runners.

Also, on car blocks, the material is there to cut the notches for exhaust valve clearance. I checked a couple of car blocks with the sonic tester, and cut notches (not as big as 409 truck blocks have) using a milling cutter on a mandrel with an adjustable stop. I used a 690 head as a jig with...

We used to put the cam in the lathe and tram the tip with a dial indicator. I think it should be about .003" taper.

The odd thing about the counterbore is that they were not even machined on the same setup as the actual cylinder bore. In other words, they are not very concentric to the bore. As I recall, a .060" overbore usually would clean up on one side and not the other. On the blocks that I bored larger...

Big block mains, I fitted BBC four bolt caps center three, a full width BBC two bolt on the front, BBC two bolt rear cap. Line bored and then line honed. Re-drilled pan rail and used BBC pan. Timing cover upper two thirds, 409; lower third BBC. 6.385 rod, ring pack squeezed together a little...

I have a 4.380 bore 409 short block together with a 4.375 crank, but I do not recommend it. Way too much work and dollars. 4" crank is practical and fairly easy. (Still a lot of work)

Rebuilt a stock 3x2 348 once. .030 over, 9.5-1, Delta cams re-grind. 1 3/4" dyno headers. Made a little over 360 hp on the DTS dyno, once we removed the chinese made louvered air cleaners. It would only make 255 hp with those things on the carbs. '