1964-1974 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
1. Piston ring gap:
Insert a piston ring squarely into the cylinder bore, I would say at about the mid-stroke position, and measure the gap. If it is less than the minimum specified in the manual, it needs to be cut. There is a special tool for doing this. It can't be done accurately by using a file as it needs to be square.
2. Cleaning:
For the most part, cleaning should be all done by the machine shop. Use clean, preferably white, lint-free rags and wipe each cylinder bore and bearing journal until the rag comes out clean. The machine shop should have thoroughly cleaned the oil galleriess after tanking the block and crank, but it doesn't hurt to run a wire brush (a rifle cleaning kit works well here, the only worthwhile use I have for one) down the galleries then blow them out.
3. Lubrication:
I have a clean bottle of Never-Sieze (Molybdenum disulphide grease), diluted with engine oil, that I use when assembling engines. (I have another can of Never-Seize that I use for the dirty jobs, like chassis work.) The Moly coats the bearing and cylinder surfaces and gives them very good lubrication for the initial start-up. It's good for cam journals and lifters, too.
4. Recommendations:
If this is new to you, take your time. Make sure everything is torqued to the correct specifications. USE NEW BOLTS on the flywheel, the old ones were designed to stretch when torqued and should not be re-used. I think they are the same as the Pinto used. (I didn't know this when I rebuilt my first V-4 engine, and I was lucky that nothing broke.) Before driving the car anywhere, retorque the heads and intake manifold after warming the engine to operating temperature.
5. Clutch:
Do you know how old the clutch is? If not, you should probably replace all of it. If you know the age, and there is no visible damage or excessive wear, I would probably still replace the disc and throw-out bearing. If the pressure plate is the older three-finger design, a new diaphragm pressure plate works smoother and with less effort, according to an e-mail I recently got from Chip Lamb. I always thought that all new pressure plates worked better than the old ones. I remember reading years ago that a good heavy duty pressure plate for the V-4 was a Falcon 6-cylinder one, but I never got a part number.
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