Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

So, the 50' Willis finally came back Monday for the engine trans-plant. I don't remember If I mentioned in another thread about it but, the owners took the Willis to a tuner to have the emission stuff, other than O2 sensors, removed from the computer and while the tuner had the vehicle on the dyno, literally cooked the engine. When the younger of my bosses drained the oil, I could smell the burnt oil in the body room, 2 rooms over. :toilet:
Anyway, so shortly after lunch yesterday, the newly rebuilt replacement engine arrived, it was done by the customers uncle. The customer had told us that his uncle "Port Matched" the heads on both intake and exhaust.Upon inspecting said engine, porting material was found in the intake, further inspection revealed particles of grinding stones, paper towel reminants, and more metal particules from the "port matching" were in the lifter valley. Then we noticed something amiss with the roller rockers. About 75% were installed wrong. Large washers were used under the screw in studs, evidently the washers that came with the studs disappeared. We had to remove the studs to remove the heads. The head gaskets were installed with the words "this side up" facing the block. The timing cover was installed with a new gasket/silicone but with part of the original gasket still in place. Oh, they never cleaned the engine or the pan. They also didn't put the new oil pump on and it looked like they didn't inspect the original pump either. The short block and heads are at the machine shop for a proper cleaning and re-assembly. Pics follow

Finally got them to load


notice the different heights of the lock-nuts?

I don't know If you'll be able to see the difference between the 2.

Nut on round part of fulcrum


Nut on flat spot on fulcrum

Wow! Dont know a whole lot about details, but that looks like my kids could do better than that.

I agree!! Get this.........The guy claims to have built hundreds of engines. I sooooo wanted to ask him if any of them survived the initial start-up :rollin:

I was taught to always double check, even from a trusted machine shop.  Years ago, I lost an engine (5.0L) to a loose rod bolt which I accepted and installed without the double check. :(  Lesson learned.

That "porting" looks painful!

This guy is clearly not a mechanic let aside an engine builder. What a mess. Those heads are butchered worst than anything i have seen in 50 years. Have a great day guys.

From the Fred Flintstone school of port matching... Man, I could do a better job with a hammer and chisel. Heck, a hammer and no chisel would probably do just as good!

Looks like his port work may have actually been more detrimental than beneficial.  Wow that's crazy.  We've got a few redneck engine builders around here that turn out similar work.  A buddy of mine had them rebuild a big block Chevy's and they did it on the dirt floor of their garage.  It never was right after that.

Look on the bright side.......it's a chevy.
Seriously though , this looks like a guy that if you loaned him a rock, he'd  give a pail of gravel back.

Wow...

Holy fish paste batman, look like he air-chiseled them!?

I wonder how many of those pushrods would be bent the first full revolution!  How badly butchered was the intake they were trying to match? lol

What is with the prussion blue all over the intake side of the head???

It wasn't bad actually, stock intake.


They used it for the port matching................. it was also on the exhaust side

I do that but not all over the entire face of the ports. I scribe the gasket outline and use a small strip of BLUE.
But have never coated the entire surface other to get a flatness profile. Hay the guy clearly does not have a clue. This guy is not an engine builder by any stretch of the imagination. And someone should take his grinder away from him or whatever he used to gouge those heads up with,  Have a great day guys. Now off to work to build COOL CARS!!

I completely agree Tom, his tools need to be removed from his possession ASAP!!

Eeee....that was painful to look at:hick:

I am not by any stretch a porter. Just a novice one that messes around .

(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c209/tfalconier/16b73b2c-fd01-416b-9318-b38f98e75455_zpsdc83c048.png) (http://s28.photobucket.com/user/tfalconier/media/16b73b2c-fd01-416b-9318-b38f98e75455_zpsdc83c048.png.html)

There should be a $200 tax stamp to even own a Dremel... ha

Well Said!

Or at least a license to own & use one  LOL  and face criminal charges for "Wrongful" use of a dangerous weapon :mullet:

Please tell me they were atleast the smaller valve heads. Id smack the dog out of him if he did that to a set of double humps.

Clayton, those are stock aluminum heads. The engine originally came out of an 96' Buick Roadmaster.

Ah, still. I ported the heads on my wagon when i was 17 with very py tools and they still turned out better than that and the fulcrum, the kid i got the car from put a fulcrum in upside down.  Idiots aplenty

That be way toooooo true