Vintage Ford Budget Performance

With the engine rolled over, rod bolts are tightened down to between 19-24 lb-ft using a smaller 3/8-inch drive torque wrench. Do not tighten the rod bolts with the torque wrench until all eight piston/rod assemblies have been installed.

Connecting rod side clearances should size in at 0.012- to 0.018-inch.

Be sure to install the head gasket correctly, with coolant passages located at the rear of the block and with "FRONT" located at the front of the block. A backwards head gasket will cause overheating and engine damage. Torque the heads according to the factory crisscross sequence at a final value of 65-70 lb-ft.

Crane pushrod guide plates are next. Use Teflon tape or liquid Teflon on the stud threads because you are screwing them into a water jacket.

Each valve lifter gets a coating of molybdenum grease at the lobe face before being inserted into its bore. Do this only with flat-tappet lifters. Lifter bores need engine oil or assembly lube to prevent seizure during start-up.

With the studs and guideplates installed, it's time for rocker-arm installation and adjustment. Do this with the engine's firing order. Rotate the engine and watch valve timing events. When the intake valve closes and the piston is at top-dead-center, adjust the valves. Tighten the rocker arm adjustment to where the rocker is touching the valve stem. Then tighten one-half to three-quarter of a turn. Repeat for each cylinder.

Intake manifold and gasket installation requires caution. Fel-Pro Print-O-Seal gaskets self-seal well. However, use silicone gasket sealer around the coolant passages. With early small-block heads, cut the dog-leg part out of the gaskets for better coolant flow.

The dog-leg is a '69-and-up 351W thing and not applicable to the 289/302. Run a bead of silicone along the block rails. Stay away from the cork end gaskets provided--they leak.

Oil pump and pan installation wrap up this engine build. Check oil-pump-to-crankshaft clearances, then pick-up to pan clearances. You don't want the pick-up to touch the pan. Use sealer between the block and gaskets for best results. This reproduction oil pan is available from Mustangs Plus.

We like this Pro Street harmonic balancer. It is wider and a bit heavier than a stock Ford balancer. Our 302-inch small-block calls for the early style 28-ounce balancer. We've got an ARP balancer bolt and washer to secure the damper. Use the correct harmonic balancer installation tool. Torque the bolt to a spec of between 75-90 lb-ft.