1982 Bronco XLT

[Weberman]

Engine is close to being done. I have everything pretty close to done. I've got the pushrods on order after finding the length, should be here Thursday. I'll get those in, set up the guide plates and then put the intake on. Then we should be ready to go.

[Gary Lewis]

Cool!  When do you think you'll get to fire it up?

[Weberman]

I'm hoping the 13th or 20th, depending when I can get a couple people over to do the swap in a day. Tried the pushrods tonight and they are a bit low on the valve stem, but on a normal lifter they should be fine. My makeshift solid lifter is a little high, I cant get the retainer back in the lifter, just barely though, so like I said it should even itself out nicely. Time to get some oil and soak the rockers and get that valvetrain and intake on.

[Gary Lewis]

It'll be great!  Just take it slow and check everything.  Don't want to have a radiator hose come off during break in.  

[Weberman]

So I went to prime it last night and was wondering about lifters. One of them squirts oil like a geyser, the others just roll out. I just put some pushrods in there and it did roll out the top on all of them. I switched that lifter in different bores and different sides and it's just that lifter. Also not sure if it's full of oil completely. I put a quart in for sure and then maybe half of the jug, I have the rockers soaking in the bottom half of the jug. Is it a problem really if the others are still getting oil up to the pushrods? Just wondering if they should all be like the geyser/maybe too low of oil?/if it'll be all good when the engine is actually running and spinning the motor with the rockers and everything on. Also spun the engine over a little while priming and no change still that same lifter.

[Weberman]

Not much left to do til Saturday. Put the intake on today and that was really the last big thing. Here it is so far

[Gary Lewis]

Looks good!  I'll bet you can't wait.  Hope it goes really well.  

[Weberman]

Got it in and fired up! Got it in yesterday but had something later that night so quit on it for the day yesterday. Got one header on and the other on today. Still don't have front/radiator on so still more to be done but I heard it run at least. Started it up for a few seconds just to hear it, no idea on timing and all that but it makes noise at least haha.

One problem I've found is water pump pulley spacing. I used the 97 F250 timing cover. I knew the first time I got a water pump I got it for a 82 Bronco and then I found out that the engine was not from a Bronco as then the brackets wouldn't even fit. I checked the thickness of the bolt holes on the water pump and all checked out there between the one that I have for the accessories and the later 97. The timing cover had different ports though, which is why I decided to go with the 97, instead of getting the Bronco motor out, taking that timing cover off, swapping etc... So went to put the pulley on and only half the threads are showing so I'll have to figure out something there..

 Here's a short video of it running
https://youtu.be/kzd9Dm_axkw

[Gary Lewis]

Its alive!!!!  

Glad you got it going.  I don't know anything about the different brackets and water pumps or pulleys, but I'll bet you figure it out.  

[Gsmblue]

Congratulations on getting it fired up! We have the same taste in valve covers.

[Weberman]

Seems like I have played myself a bit on the water pump. And that my brackets are more unique than I thought. After very confusing research, EFI trucks had a reverse water pump. It said all serpentine belts had reverse except a few. Well I fall in the few that still has a standard rotation but also serpentine. It's gonna require a couple of water pumps to get it right as I need one with round holes in the back as it will need to mount to the reverse rotation timing cover, and the water pump will have standard rotation holes. I'll have to take the backing plate off the round hole one and out it on the standard pump for it to mount correctly, fit correctly, and cool correctly. A pain but at least hopefully I have it figured out.

[Weberman]

Few new things. Very close to being done. Got pretty well everything on.. waiting on thermostat to water pump hose and a longer belt which should be here later tonight. Scared myself for a bit..was careful about the torque converter but yesterday I went to start it and put it in gear and nothing.. added some fluid because I do have a small leak. Started and died when I put it in gear. Put it in neutral and started it and revved, nothing so out of disappointment slammed it in park and heard it grind. Moved the transfer case lever and it moved leached forward when I put it back in gear. Big relief.
Got the new water pump on.. had to use 2 to get the circles on the backing plate and then have the standard rotation but, all is well.

Here's a pic of the engine sitting where it should

[grumpin]

Nice! Getting there.

[Gary Lewis]

Cool!  Getting all of those details worked out is great.  And glad you figured out about the t-case being in neutral.  That had to be very concerning.

[Weberman]

Yeah it was definitely concerning but very relived when I found out it was the transfer case. The only other thing right now is that I don't have two bolts in the head for the accessory bracket. They can adapt to the 351 since its taller/wider, but the bolt hole that it goes through is just blocked off enough by the power steering pulley that it wont go in with the bolt's flange/shoulder. Had to enlarge the holes a little too. They just weren't wide enough to let it bolt into the head for some reason. Since it was aluminum and just a tad smaller than 1/2, I took the 'flange' out of the hole and thats all it took to get everything lined up.

[FuzzFace2]

Good to hear it is getting closer to run.

Only thing that worries me is that timing cover and water pump set up.
I think even changing the pumps backing cover to reverse rotate to match the timing cover but leaving the pump normal rotate may cause issues.

If it was that easy Ford would have done that from the start in my book.
I would be watching the temp gauge really close when on the road.
Dave ----

[Weberman]

I definitely will still but I think it will be okay. The 87 Mustang for sure, maybe other years or models, have a circle instead of the oval. It only puts water pretty well in the place where it meets the block. The other oval part where it kinda directs it to go to that circle vs just having the circle. Hoping for it to be good as everything looked good and lined up. Why they made that circle one those year(s) and then their timing cover they sell now has the circles to be universal, I don't know why they just didn't do it then/all the time.

Also Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[Weberman]

I have no idea what's going on. I put coolant in the Bronco when I got the water pump on there and tried to start it before Thanksgiving, turned a little and locked up. Pulled sparkplugs and coolant pretty well came out of all of them, a couple kept shooting out a lot at a time. I thought maybe I got it too hot when I was checking to see if it would move, but still was a minute tops total run time. Redid it all this weekend and just tried again and coolant came running out of the headers.. I just don't know why this thing is so cursed.

[Gary Lewis]

If you only started it for a few seconds then you probably didn't hurt it.

From going back over the thread you've not put coolant in it until just now, which is when you got coolant in the cylinders.  Right?  If so, then I think you have a gasket problem between the head and the intake.  It would be easy for a gasket to slide down as you installed the intake and then coolant to go into the cylinders.  And that's essentially the only way it can get in w/o a crack in the intake, head, or block.

[Weberman]

I put some coolant in it and let it set and started it the next day. I don't think it was high enough to go into the intake, but I could be wrong. Tore it all the way down to the block and checked with my smallest feeler gauge and a straight edge and it was overall good, couple kinda went under, not fully though but also my smallest feeler. I think that the gasket would take up that but could be wrong. I filled it all the way up today and it still filled up with coolant. I checked everything with the straight edge and replaced intake and head gaskets.