How To Rebuild Your Ford V-8 351C-351M-400-429-460.pdf - Index of

cam sprocket and chain, and then the
crankshaft sprocket.
After you have the chain and sprockets
off, check the nylon teeth for cracks or
breakage. If there are any, replace that
sprocket. Also, treat it like a chain. Replace
the cam sprocket if it has more than
50,000 miles on it regardless of its visual
condition. This is particularly true if you
live in a hot climate and your engine is a
'73 or later emission-controlled model
whch operates at higher temperatures. In
this case, I suggest replacing your aluminumlnylon
cam sprocket with the castiron
type.
As for the cast-iron type sprocket,
they won't be cracked, but the plates
which make up a silent chain may have
worn ridges in the sprocket teeth so one
or both of the sprockets should be replaced.
To judge tooth wear is difficult.
Drag your fingernail across the face of a
tooth. It if is rough to the point of making
your fingernail hang up or jump from
ridge to ridge, replace the sprocket/s.
REMOVE CRANK, RODS & PISTONS
BEFORE THE CAM
A camshaft can be removed before
the crankshaft and rod-and-piston assemblies
are out, but it's more convenient to
reverse the procedure. With the crank and
rods out of the way, you'll have access to
the full length of the cam from inside the
block rather than just the end of it from
the front of the block.
Remove the Ridge-Because the top piston
ring doesn't travel all the way to the
top of its bore when its piston is at TDC,
there is approximately 114 inch of unworn
bore and carbon buildup at the top
of the cylinder called a ridge. It should be
removed before you attempt to remove
the rod and piston assemblies, particularly
if your pistons can be saved. They can be
damaged easily if forced out over the
ridge. If you know you aren't going to
be using your old pistons, they can be
driven out the top of their bores using a
long punch or bar which reaches up under
the dome of each piston. Don't hammer
on the rods.
To remove the ridges, you'll have to
use a tool appropriately called a ridge
reamer. This tool has a cutter mounted
in a fixture which can be adjusted to fit
the bore. A socket and handle or wrench
from your tool box is all you need to
rotate the tool to do the cutting, or
reaming.
As you go from bore to bore, youll
need to rotate the crankshaft periodically
to move the pistons down their bores so
you'll have clearance for the ridge reamer.
Fate of most high-mileage aluminum/nylon
cam sprockets: cracked and broken teeth.
Hot climates and emission controls cause
an engine to operate at higher temperatures
and aggravate the problem.
When cutting a ridge, cut the ridge orzly
to match the worn bore. This is all that's
required to remove a piston. Remove any
more material and you may have to
4'
rebore your engine-whether it needed it
or not.
Now you can get on with the rod-andpiston
removal process. Roll the engine
over on its back to expose the bottom
end. Before removing any corznectingrod
caps, make certain each rod and cap
is numbered to match its respective cylinder.
This for locating the rod-andpiston
assembly in the correct bore and
to assemble the rod correctly to its piston.
Numbers should be on the small machined
flat next to the junction of
each rod and cap. Also, the numbers
should be on the right side of the rods
and caps that are for the right cylinder
bank, and on the left side for those in the
left bank. This check is a precautionary
step because Ford stamps the numbers on
Exaggerated section of a worn cylinder
bore. Bores wear in a taper: more at top
than at bottom. Short unworn section at top
of a bore is the ridge, directly above topcompression-ring
':
travel limit.
fl
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Using a ridge reamer to remove ridge at top
of cylinder bore lets each piston and rod
assembly slide out top of bore without the
du;ing manufacturing. o ow ever, if they rings hanging up and causing possible ringaren't
you must do it. ~~d~ land damage. If you intend to reuse your
pistons, doing this is essential.
and caps are machined as an assembly.
consequently, any mixup here will
spell trouble.
For marking rods and caps, use a small
set of numbered dies. Do the marking on
the rod and cap flats adjacent to their
parting line-and on the same side as their
cylinder bank. If you can't obtain number
dies, prick punch marks corresponding
to the cylinder number. Or, use an
electric engraver. It has the advantage
that you don't have to hit the rods or
caps to mark them. Mark the rods and
caps before removing them from the
engine.
Protect the Bearing Journals-After removing
each rod cap, but before removing
the rod-and-piston assembly, place
something over the rod bolts to protect
the connecting-rod-bearing journal. A
bare rod bolt falling or dragging against
the bearing surface during piston and rod
removal can cause journal damage. Therefore,
place a 2-inch piece of hose or tube
over each rod bolt. This protects the
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