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My motor blew up......now what?

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Fabman

Dances with Racecars
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Lol... well I dont think 8000 rpm is crazy......


That is a lot of RPM for stock Boss rods. I would also run a better valve spring than the Boss springs, or replace them every season.

Most of the people I know who have the fully forged 5.2L FP350S engines get about 60 hours out of the engines before they need a rebuild at those RPMs. None of those motors have had a broken rod (Manley), but there have been a valve spring failure and a couple of fried pistons. I suspect these motors would last a lot longer if they were shifted closer to 7,800.

The Ford Performance Aluminator and Roush built 5.0L engines (wet sump) have typically gone 200+ hours turning 7,800.

I have seen a number of 302S engines break rods (stock Boss rods). Typically the engines are being pushed closer to the 8200 limiter vs being run at a more reasonable 7500 to 7800 RPM.
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
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8,154
Exp. Type
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Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
That is a lot of RPM for stock Boss rods. I would also run a better valve spring than the Boss springs, or replace them every season.

Most of the people I know who have the fully forged 5.2L FP350S engines get about 60 hours out of the engines before they need a rebuild at those RPMs. None of those motors have had a broken rod (Manley), but there have been a valve spring failure and a couple of fried pistons. I suspect these motors would last a lot longer if they were shifted closer to 7,800.

The Ford Performance Aluminator and Roush built 5.0L engines (wet sump) have typically gone 200+ hours turning 7,800.

I have seen a number of 302S engines break rods (stock Boss rods). Typically the engines are being pushed closer to the 8200 limiter vs being run at a more reasonable 7500 to 7800 RPM.
I typically shift it between 7800 and 8000. (Shift light comes on at 8k)
8200 gets me to turn 6 at Laguna and into the carrousel at Sonoma without having to hit 4th. This is why the motor is being freshend up for next season.
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
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Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
My last race car had a bridge ported rotary in it with a redline of 10.2.
Some habits are hard to break.
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
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I will be keeping my redline at 7800 for a while... Would be fully Cortexed by now if it was not for all the dead coyotes.
My current motor makes peak HP at 7850.
Be interesting to see if this latest version will be any different.
 
898
544
I have all my parts now. All new and had to wait for them. Except short block 😡 hope I remember how it goes back together lol
The factory manual is well worth the money to get the correct assembly order, torque procedures, and torque values. Just read the procedures multiple times before you actually start work. The manual is written around replacing a component, so the procedures start of with tear down / removal for that particular component and then have installation procedures. So, you have to assemble installation instructions from multiple places in the manual in a logical order.

For major projects, I usually print the applicable sections and then put them in a binder in the order I expect to use them with tabs / dividers labling each component installation.
 
The factory manual is well worth the money to get the correct assembly order, torque procedures, and torque values.
I got a digital version of the Ford manual on Ebay and have studied the procedures I will be performing. That plus Youtube made me realize I could do much of the assembly once I have the Aluminator shortblock. The only money I wasted was a set of head alignment rods. The Ford manual has you screw in a pair to guide the heads to the block. When I started to look for a source I found that most vendors wanted almost $400 for a pair....wtf! I ended up buying a pair for $120 only to find that the two dowels on the block perform that function. Oh well......lesson learned.
 
898
544
I got a digital version of the Ford manual on Ebay and have studied the procedures I will be performing. That plus Youtube made me realize I could do much of the assembly once I have the Aluminator shortblock. The only money I wasted was a set of head alignment rods. The Ford manual has you screw in a pair to guide the heads to the block. When I started to look for a source I found that most vendors wanted almost $400 for a pair....wtf! I ended up buying a pair for $120 only to find that the two dowels on the block perform that function. Oh well......lesson learned.
The Aluminator has the dowels installed already. You just put the gasket on over the dowels and set the heads down in place. You do not need an alignment tool.

Update: Just reread your post and realized you already figured out the dowels .....
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
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Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca

Mad Hatter

Gotta go Faster
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I dont know..... Nothing ever goes like its supposed to.... I remember having a missfire because the new engine harness had a pin reversed by Ford (to a coil no less)!! That fix was beyond the youtube help. Happy to do all the wrenching for everything except engine internals and electrics/electronics.
 

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