Big Blue's Transformation

[ArdWrknTrk]

Gary, that's the floor reinforcing rib the strap is clipped to.
The other end is clipped to the gusset supporting the cab mount.

Kind of little one-way clip. It has teeth so it can't back off.
I don't know what they're made of.
The strap is newer, but the clips original!

[ArdWrknTrk]

Gary, I thought you were borrowing Scotties carb adapter?

If you're going to purchase one, the Price Motorsport one comes with injector port plugs
# CA 460-EFI


There's a genuine Motorcraft blue grommet box right in your photo.
Surely you don't need backup for the 25 minutes it'll take to break in the cam?

Given our 'forseeable future', where do you think you're going in Big Blue?
Maybe the whole "stay at home!" and "non-essential travel is banned!" isn't a thing out there in flyover country.... yet?
But those messages are on every road sign and entrance ramp.

Fines are steep here, and being doubled.  
$99 became $199 for being in a public park.
Congregation of 10 or more went from $500 to $1K, each person.

[Gary Lewis]

Bill - We will just have to see what I'm doing with the adapter, dizzy, etc when you get ready to put the new engine in.  Right now no one knows what the future will be like.  See below...

Jim - Scott's offer to loan an adapter was for break-in.  But I'm planning on running it for many months, so I need to buy one.  And his comes with injector port plugs as well.  But they are brass cups, which probably won't come out in a way that can be re-used.

As for how long I'll run it and where I'll go, the honest answer is "I don't know".  I just want Big Blue back on the road for a while.  We don't have fines here, but I don't expect to have him back on the road before the kids come in maybe 3 weeks and they have no idea how long they'll be here.  I get out maybe once a week to go get groceries 'cause I'm flattening the curve seriously.  So maybe COVID-19 will die down during the summer and I can go for a drive?  Janey's already said that when this is over we are going places - she's getting stir crazy.

As for the "genuine Motorcraft blue grommet box", that's the one that doesn't have the retard function - for whatever reason.  It was on the truck when I got it and starting hot was hard due to the kick-back.  So I piggy-backed another one on top of that one and put padding around its connectors so they wouldn't make noise on bumps.  And I might as well do the same with another one, which I have on the shelf.

On the grounds, I think I have those from Huck, so will look them up.  But I surely messed up the teeth getting them off, so may just go with jumpers from the fenders to the cab.

[kramttocs]

Gary Lewis wrote

As for the "genuine Motorcraft blue grommet box", that's the one that doesn't have the retard function - for whatever reason.  It was on the truck when I got it and starting hot was hard due to the kick-back.

It had the white wire, correct?
So are you thinking it was just a defective unit?

Curious because I had to set my timing back a little from Scott's recommendation as it was really hard to start when hot. Haven't tried putting the timing back and trying another DSII box. I figure it's all due to the engine being new but since I had just dealt with it and you mentioned the hard start...

[Gary Lewis]

It had the white wire.  And it says Motorcraft.  But the retard circuit doesn't work.  I added the other one and swapped the connections back and forth and the bottom one would just barely let it crank hot, and the top one let it crank easily hot.

Maybe it is a Chinese clone of a Motorcraft box?  If I were you, I'd try a different box.

As for Scott's instructions on timing, my dizzy is headed to him later today, so we'll see what he recommends for this engine.  I really like having him set the curve 'cause he knows exactly what the engine is as well as how I'm going to use it.  My note to him is as shown below, but he knows that there's gonna be no EGR as it comes in via the upper plenum on an EFI'd 460, and the carb adapter replaces the upper plenum:

Scott,

Just to document everything, I need this dizzy curved for:

· The short block you built

· E3 heads

· Manual tranny. In fact, a ZF5

· 3.55 gears

· 33” tires

· L&L long-tube headers running into either duals with Magnaflows, which is my preference, or a big single. I’d appreciate a recommendation there.

The truck, an ’85 F250, will be used for cruising, overlanding, and towing.

Also, I need the carb adapter kit for the EFI plenum, and plugs, wires, cap, and rotor.

Thanks,

Gary Lewis

[kramttocs]

Just stumbled upon this thread: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1479261-duraspark-retarding-during-startup-3.html with your testing in it.
I will try that new box I got from Amazon. One thing I noticed in that thread was that your Motorcraft labeled box was E8PF whereas the one I got from Amazon is D9VZ. May not make a bit of difference but just pointing it out.

[Gary Lewis]

Well, that guy is smarter than I am.  And his memory is better.  

[Gary Lewis]

Minor change of plans on the dizzy, et al.  Scotty and I talked this morning.  He charges $110 to re-curve a dizzy, and then there's shipping plus the cost of a cap, adapter, rotor, etc.  But he charges $200 to the door for a properly-curved new dizzy with cap, rotor, adapter, etc.  That sounds like a better deal.

So I'm going with a new one and keeping this one.  He'll get it curved and shipped out next week along with the plugs, wires, and carb adapter.

Meanwhile I'd pulled the dizzy and coil, and was just looking at the coil & bracket and found this.  There are two problems there.  Can you find them both?






HINTS: The 1985 EVTM says specs are 1.13 to 1.23.  And the other problem is cosmetic.  

[kramttocs]

Resistance for one.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but according to mine, that bracket would look better in a gloss black powdercoat.  

I also kept my old distributor and had a new one sent. Just a heads up if you end up with the same. The new spacer (might be a technical name for it) had a lot of play in it. I took a stainless steel washer that fit the vacuum advance bolt (the one that goes into the cutout in the spacer) and ground two sides to a slight angle. This stops the spacer from shifting.

[Gary Lewis]

Yep, right on both counts.  

But, by spacer you mean 12A217?  Officially known as 12A217 ADAPTER ASSY. - (DISTRIBUTOR BASE)?

If so, I think I understand.  Thanks!

[85lebaront2]

Resistance, one possibly stripped stud, funky high tension connector. Surprised it didn't fry a DS-II module.

[Gary Lewis]

I, too, am surprised.  And you are right about the funky high tension connector.  That's 'cause it had a funky MSD coil/dizzy wire which required a male connector on the coil.

[85lebaront2]

Once you get the EFI system up and running it uses a male coil connector too.

[kramttocs]

Yep -that's it. Tried to get a picture of it. The wedge shaped washer under that bolt.
Yours may not have the play in it but mine was enough that when setting the timing I didn't want it to factor in.


(If you look closely you'll see a gloss black powdercoated coil bracket )

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks, Scott.  If mine is loose I'll use your method.

As for what I did this afternoon, after getting things sorted with Scotty I made one of three spacers to stack the DS-II modules.  (Apparently I don't have the connector nuts I thought I had.)  But, I made it out of 3/4" diameter stainless, and my 1/4-20 taps don't like it.  I chipped one of my taps, and others just didn't want to go.  But I finally got this one done and here's how it fits.  Hopefully I'll get the other two done tomorrow.




And, Scott, I see the bracket.  Looks good!  

[ArdWrknTrk]

I picked up on three.

Do I get a star????  

[Gary Lewis]

Jim - You get a star!  I'd actually forgotten to mention the weird connection on the coil until Bill mentioned it.  (Yes, Bill, the EFI coil has that same male connection, but I have the coil.)

I forgot to say that I found a #2 cable today that I'm going to use as the ground from the auxiliary battery to the engine.  But I haven't found where I want to connect it on the engine end, and I may wait until I get the headers on to do it since I want to steer far away from the exhaust.

Any suggestions?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Is there any reason you wouldn't use the same bolt on the right front of the block that the start/main battery connects to?

[Gary Lewis]

I don't think I have that much cable.  I've though about going to the frame on the driver's side, which then goes to that stud.  Thoughts?

[ArdWrknTrk]

I think you have to ask what current needs to take that path.

Seems your two big draws are going to be the winch and inverter.
And those both have dedicated cabling.
I think everything else could be handled by the truck's stock wiring.

Maybe I'm overlooking something?
Maybe I like to keep it simple?

I think if you get a solid connection to the chassis, all the electrons have the same fair chance of finding their way home