PULL THE PLUG Removing press in oil galley plugs from blind holes, like a Ford FE block, is a little more challenging because you cannot just pound them out from the back side. First I center drill them with a 3/16” drill bit. Then I install and tighten a lag screw...
TAPERED ROD PIN BORE MANDREL Our aftermarket pistons for a LS7 Chevrolet came with SBC .927” pins. The standard LS7 pin is .925”. There is meat in the bushing to hone, but the problem is the shape of the small end of the rod and bushing. They are tapered. It looked...
ROD TO CAM CLEARANCE GAUGE Using a plastic banding strap as a feeler gauge works great to check for clearance. The straps are generally .035-.045” thick, so you might want to double them up to check for the minimal .050-.060” clearance recommended. They work great as...
BETTER ALUMINUM FINISH For a nice finish on aluminum, I save my chips from boring ductile sleeved blocks and add them at a 20% mix to coarse glass bead in the blaster. I find that it gives the aluminum a brighter finish that doesn’t stain as easy. It removes carbon...
POINTS OF CONTACT I needed to mount this Desoto Hemi from a nostalgia dragster on my align bore machine. It does not line up with any mounting holes on my end plates, so I have to drill new holes. Once the block is in close position in relation to the boring bar, I...
FE FORD I.D. They all say 352 on the side of the block, but this is how to identify which FE Ford block you have. A 352, 390 or 428 is cast in the bottom of the front right side water jacket hole. It’ll take a flash light, but you’ll see it if you look in the bottom...