Stock pushrods are 5/16" x 8.2" according to Crane: http://www.cranecams.com/userfiles/file/304-310.pdf
My thinking exactly, those stamped rockers don't go with those retainers, like brown shoes with a black suit. Just looked off to me at 1st glance. Gotta love a mixed-bag of parts... all well and good until they cause something else to break. Bob
Wrong fulcrum balls and push rods for the cam, rockers, and valves. The studs in the photo are small thread-large shoulder positive stop studs used with rail type rockers and long tip valves, but everything else could be wrong. Everything from push rod length, fulcrum ball thickness, overall lifter height as well as base circle of the camshaft should be checked. Does it have 351 or 289 firing order? Someone could be using an early pre 68' adjustable style cam (289-225 hi-po ?) with later non adjustable positive stop valve train or 351W heads on a early 289. Tom S. in Tn. Edit: the earlier adjustable valve train used shorter push rods and thinner fulcrums. It changed around 68'(?) but can be inter changed using all correct parts. No washers to take up slack.
This statement means nothing. Also if you bought the engine how do you know they are correct. The push rods are to short. Once you start using non OEM parts the other OEM components must be verified. Just standard engine building etiquette. You shouldn't have to debug an engine that you paid to have built period.
This could turn into a real rats nest of problems. Lots of opportunities for mismatched parts. Are you sure it is a 351 ?
Thats the first thing I thought when I saw this. Only the builder knows whats going on in the bottom end and if he was using those washers then one could only guess as to what else he skimped on. Good luck.
The more I look at the pictures the more I have to agree with the others that say to pull the whole thing apart, since he screwed the valve train up god only knows what else he did wrong inside that engine. If those retainers are dished (hard to tell by looking at a small picture) then they are not the right retainers for those rocker arms.
I was just saying because a few people said the stock pushrod length. I know it will need custom pushrods to solve this.
http://boxwrench.net/specs/ford_289_302-5.0.htm http://www.boxwrench.net/specs/ford_302_351W.htm Firing order is determined by the cam.
Not being a ford guy, running sbc's myself, did ford use different height lifters in different motors? A short lifter would make the correct length push rod act like it was too short.
Before doing anything to the motor put a straight edge on the top of the valves to see if they are all at the same height,since they are not adjustable they need to be set at a certain height to work correctly. I need to check out the valvetrain on my mid 80s 351 since it has had a noise since firing up,its a rebuilt motor that I think has been assembled with miss matched parts.
Looks like the 1/2 ass engine work a guy I knew that posts all the time on CL builds . First the retainers are wrong as I think you already know . If the heads were redone , then the valves were ground which means the top of the valves were also ground . With all that done and then using the same damn push rods with the wrong retainers and washers stacked on top , I can see why you have the problems that you do . The rockers are suppose to be tightened down all the way since they have no adjustments on them . BUT you never add washers on top of the rockers ! That's a first for me ! With the washer on the rockers like that , the valves are being pushed open way too much which can cause it to run really bad PLUS they might even hit the pistons depending on which pistons you have ! Anytime I build an engine and have the head done with the face shaved and trued up with all the valves ground I ALWAYS use a push rod measuring tool to find the correct size that the engine will need . Usually I can't use the old ones and a set of new push rods aren't very much at all . You are about 2.5 to 3 hours from me in Abbottstown , but if you want to make the drive down I will be happy to look at the engine and get it fixed up for you . I don't charge much but won't charge you anything to look it over for you and tell you what the problems are . I will tell you the parts needed to get it fixed . I might even have the parts here for you . I ONLY charge for labor and never add a % onto parts when I do work ! If you have any questions you are welcome to send me a PM and I will do my best to help you through this mess ! Retro Jim
Nah he pre-oiled the motor and it was running with good oil pressure. I can't see how they could all be collapsed.
It just needs the right combination of parts, like the correct rocker arms and all related parts. It could be as simple as the push rods and rocker sets for the non-adjustable valve set up. The milled head surface at the where the rocker studs are mounted support this. Bob
Measure the length of the studs. http://sbftech.com/index.php/topic,21288.0.html Do the studs look brand new ? And post pics of the rocker balls. Do they seem to fit the inside of the rocker arm correctly ???
I know ford raised the deck height in 71 could this be a case of 69 or 70 heads on a 71 up block 8.2 push rods are the only ones I find for a 351. they made up the height somewhere.
No wonder I made the switch to playing with Chevys many years ago, see what I missed? 352/390, very few quirks, same with the 429/460. Bob
We used a Cleveland cam in a W engine back in the day. The base circle was the same and we used the same push rods also. Was the engine hitting on all 8? Check the firing order by watching the rockers as you pull the engine through. Yours has the wrong lifters or pushrods for sure. We sold our car and a few years later the guy came looking for us, was glad to find we still were living at same house. Was saying he rebuilt the car and could not get it running, we laughed and said you didn't remember we told you not to use the firing order on the manifold, did you? yep he did, came over a little while later smoking the tires. Funny you can exchange some parts from different engines we liked the sound better with the Cleveland firing order, same as Chevy. You'l figure it out. I also found an engine that had a flat tappit cam with Hyd lifters with the pistons taken out, try solving that one quick. Have fun, Dave
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