HM-2037 Build Thread

[Redstang69]

Bruce, yep I got it. Thanks for all the info, I'll have to get some stuff.
Alec hooked me up and delivered my headers, pipes, carpet, heater and glove box kit the other day. Got some stuff to start looking at.
Engine is bored and waiting to get the new soft plugs and cam bearings in.

[Redstang69]

Progress has been a little slow for me still. Seems like more time thinking about things and waiting on parts than actually working.
I got the tabs/wings glasses in on the bottom of the footbox. Still need to add a little short strand fiber to smooth it up.
I decided to take the plunge and drill my dash. I'm planning no exposed fasteners, so what I did was got 1/4"-20 x 1" "elevator studs", a 1" Forstner bit and drilled the dash from the front about halfway through. This let the stud recess into the dash so it's flush with the fiberglass face. I used 8 total and it seems to hold the dash really well. To finish the studs off and hold them in the dash I used Starbright 8200 marine adhesive sealant. It looks the same as 3M brand 5200, but Walmart had it in stock.
I went with the elevator studs because Lowe's happened to have them when I was there.
I intend to also make the dash removable so I still need to trim the top lip off and I'll probably have to notch the upper holes in the 1" flat bar so the studs can slide down out.
Got my block back last week but I'm having trouble getting the pistons in the rebuild kit I was planning to use. Hopefully I'll get some aluminum soon to finish my footbox/firewall.

[Redstang69]

One to show recess depth and one of the tabs.

[Redstang69]

Still slow moving for me, but today was kind of exciting. I picked up a cheap set of wheels and tires for temporary use until I'm ready to bite the built and order Halibrands, and today I set the chassis on the ground. First time it rolled.
Other than that I've messed with a lot of little things. Got the oil pan, pulleys, and brackets cleaned/blasted and ready for paint. Put my heat shield on the footboxes. Cleaned up some of the cutouts in the trunk tub and did my cutout for the wiring to come in.
Last week I dropped the crank into the block, got the pistons off the rods and got the valves ground. Hopefully Monday I'll put the new pistons on the rods and grind the valve seats, then I can put more of the engine together. My cam from summit got pushed to Oct. 5th as of now so that's going to slow things down.

[Redstang69]

Entry for electrical at the trunk tub. I decided to cut a square opening and use a simple square electrical cover to cover it. I figured it would be a more universal thickness for grommets.

[Redstang69]

Got the valves seats cut tonight and all the new pistons on the rods.
Just need to shave the heads a little more. Hopefully drop the pistons in this week.

[Redstang69]

Got some time later last night and dropped the pistons in. Went together very smooth. I checked all the ring gaps the other night and loaded the rings onto the pistons.
After a lot of reading and back and forth I decided to do my aluminum like Aaron did, scuff up and shark Hyde. I had initially planned to powder coat, then thought about paint. After realizing how close the headers are to the footbox I was skeptical that paint or powder will hold up to the heat. The shark Hyde will give me the look I want and the protection I was looking for.

[Redstang69]

Didn't realize it'd been this long since I posted. Not a lot to report on. I did finally get my footbox aluminum bent. The color it is in the pictures is not what it'll be finished. It'll be raw aluminum with shark Hyde. I did a test piece the other night and it worked out good, just takes a bit to sand the paint off the aluminum.
Finally got back to the shop and got my heads shaved a little.
I set them on and masked things off and put some primer on tonight. I used the Eastwood 2 part primer with internal activator. Went on very nice. The finish will be the Eastwood old Ford blue.

[s_reynolds]

What are the details of your engine build?

[Redstang69]

It's nothing crazy or elaborate due to budget.
351W 85 model. .030 over. Have an Edelbrock performer intake for it and a simple summit 4400 cam I'm waiting on. So pretty much stock. One day when the budget permits I'll try to get a set of AFR heads.
I've done all the work except for cleaning the block and boring it, that's where I hope to save some money.

[Redstang69]

Got a nice evening this past week and put the blue on. That Eastwood paint is really nice. Went on great and covered beautifully and didn't run. The engine turned out really nice I think with a nice shine. I threw a couple parts on just to see what it would start to look like.

[Redstang69]

I also decided to finish my fuel tank. I was originally going to get it powder coated but decided to do all the aluminum with the shark Hyde coating. I probably could've spent more time on the finish but I'm sick of this aluminum lol. The finish did turn out nice tho. Hopefully the before and after pictures (2 of each) will show a difference.
My process was 320 grit sandpaper and then the reddish scotch Brite pad.

[Redstang69]

Last after picture

[Redstang69]

After a long wait for a cam from summit, I ended up going an alternate route. I ran across a company, Delta Camshaft and they did a custom grind for me. I had the cam in just under two weeks. Thankfully summit cancelled the cam order and refunded me for the lifters I had already received. After getting enlightened that a 351W has stepped cam bearing sizes, I installed the cam.
I was then able to start attending the heads. I again ran into a snag. I went with a better valve spring for the extra cam lift and summit recommended the wrong retainers and keepers. I talked to Comp and got the right stuff and again summit took the incorrect parts back. I checked my to make sure I had the recommended spring measurements so there wouldn't be coil bind and the retainer had the appropriate distance from the valve seal and all is good. I'm pretty close to having it all buttoned up.

[Redstang69]

I've ran across a snag. I decided to do a test run with dropping the engine in the frame and to get a measurement for my expansion tank.
I got regular old motor mounts for 69 mustang with 351 figuring they would be correct. Turned out the mounts are probably 1.5" narrower than the tubes on the frame.
What mounts are you guys using on small block Fords? An I stuck using the expensive prothane mounts?