# My sons engine issue ...



## FOMOGO (Nov 22, 2021)

My boy and I built this car for him  16 yrs ago. Last year while driving it it started making bad noises, and by the time he found a place to get off the road it had locked up solid. He was in the process of moving into a new home and had no place to put it, so I went down with the trailer and hauled it home. Didn't have anytime to work on it, and while I don't mind helping out, I work on the "you broke it, you fix it" school of thought. it has sat out side, waiting for him to find time to work on it. So he came up for five days with his girlfriend, and we got it rolled into the shop and on the lift. Pulled the trans and drive shaft, all the accessories, radiator, wiring, etc.. Got it on an engine stand, and pulled the pan plug and got about a gallon of antifreeze, and then oil. Not a great sign. Pulled the spark plugs to check for any signs of contact, and got coolant out of #4 cyl. but all the plugs looked good. Pulled the intake and cyl heads, and #4 hole was full of coolant, but no damage to the piston tops, valve train, or combustion chambers, and now the engine would turn over. Spun it 180 on the stand and removed the pan and windage tray, and found a bent rod on #4. Hydro-locking will do that. Pulled that rod and piston, piston and rings look fine, rod bearings and crank throw looked good, . Was unable to find any obvious cause for the coolant leak, #4 cyl still has nice crosshatch, no sign of cracked cyl, and no obvious sign of head gasket failure. Could have easily been much worse, so all's well, that ends well I guess. The Galaxie has 70k miles of good times on it, including several 3k+ mile road trips, with us sharing the driving. We are going back to Denver with the kids Friday to spend a few days with our granddaughter, and then off to the beach for the winter, so the car will have to sit until I get back in the spring. I have a fresh 434ci FE short block that we will install When I get back, and he has a few free days. The block out of his car is an original 428 CJ that I bought for his project, so I will be pressure testing it, and if it tests good, which I believe it will, it will get a 4.25" stroker assembly, and go into one of my projects at some point. Was fun working together again with my son after so many yrs. Wish he was a little closer, and we could do it more often. Cheers, Mike











Nice to have a 7 body trunk to store all the parts.



	

		
			
		

		
	
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## Gaffer (Nov 22, 2021)

All things considered, I'd say you lucked out. That car, and especially the engine is a beaut!!!!!! I'm glad your son made it there and you get time to spend turning wrenches with him. I love working on our cars with my boys too.


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## C-Bag (Nov 22, 2021)

So the leak is still a mystery? How can you leave us hanging? Got to wait till next year? Arrrrrrgh….!

intake manifold?


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## brino (Nov 22, 2021)

Yup that rod is BENT!

Mike It's great to see you putting that shop to great use.
Nothing better than a family project; even if delayed and interrupted.

Your son will never forget it either and I'm sure will think of you when driving that car.

-brino


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## Ulma Doctor (Nov 22, 2021)

Great car to build up!
I’m happy you had some quality time with 2 loves- the son and a car!

I’m pretty sure that the rod could get another 75,000 miles!!!!


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## Janderso (Nov 22, 2021)

Beautiful car. I kept wanting to put fender on covers while pulling the engine.
Nothing better than Father and Son time working on a common interest!!!!!


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## lordbeezer (Nov 22, 2021)

We’re the valves clean on number 4?  Intake gasket look ok?  Worked on a lot of FE’s early 75 to 80ish at a Ford dealer truck shop. Neat trick back then was to take crank out of a 391 HD (forged) cut snout down to 390 specs. Customer brought his own used motor in to install in his plumbing truck F 250. Turned out to be a 428 super cobra jet engine. Took every tech around the block. Would throw the cleats off the 16.5 split rim mud grip tires.


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## lordbeezer (Nov 22, 2021)

Sorry for long post


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## FOMOGO (Nov 22, 2021)

Intake is my best guess also. Had a little coolant in two other cylinders, so intake makes the most sense right now. Will still pressure test the block and heads.



C-Bag said:


> So the leak is still a mystery? How can you leave us hanging? Got to wait till next year? Arrrrrrgh….!
> 
> intake manifold?


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## lordbeezer (Nov 22, 2021)

How much is block bored? Can’t remember the bore over limit. .060 I think because of core shift during metal pore. If someone was going all out on a FE they would have a sonic test checking for core shift. Probably not a issue since y’all have used for 16 years. Just FYI.


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## Eyerelief (Nov 22, 2021)

Good times!  Takes a real intake to carry the weight of an engine. 

 Can't believe your headed to the beach already  seems like the little league baseball players just headed back to Denver a couple weeks ago......


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## FOMOGO (Nov 23, 2021)

Yes, was aware of 391 crank mod, but with the advent of stroker assembly's from Scat and Eagle it's easier and cheaper to go that route. Back in the day, welding up rod journals, and  offset grinding for increased stroke was fairly common. The 427's got all the glory but a well prepped 390/428 could easily hold it's own on the street/track. Like any engine they just need to breath.This car is a blast to drive, will cruise all day at 90mph in 5th, at 2100rpm, and drop it down into 4th to pass, and it flat gets up and moves. We did quite a bit of work on the suspension, a six point cage welded into the frame really stiffened things up, big sway bars front/rear, lowered, modified T-bird discs upfront, 16" wheels/tires. Sits flat through the corners, and for a big car it handles the twisty's really well. Brings a smile to my face every time I get to drive it. Mike



lordbeezer said:


> We’re the valves clean on number 4? Intake gasket look ok? Worked on a lot of FE’s early 75 to 80ish at a Ford dealer truck shop. Neat trick back then was to take crank out of a 391 HD (forged) cut snout down to 390 specs. Customer brought his own used motor in to install in his plumbing truck F 250. Turned out to be a 428 super cobra jet engine. Took every tech around the block. Would throw the cleats off the 16.5 split rim mud grip tires.



A pic of the engine just before it originally went in, and a few of the car shortly after it was completed. God, it looks like I've aged a bit since then. Looks like the car has held up better than I have.


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## 682bear (Nov 23, 2021)

Beautiful car... I love the Galaxies...

I've owned 6 or 7 '64 Galaxies, all with the 390.... none if mine were that nice, though.

-Bear


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## lordbeezer (Nov 23, 2021)

Y’all built a very nice car. Quick story. Test drove a 67 Shelby GT 500 with a 427. Not 428.two 4V.  I was into street racing.loved it. I had enough sense to not buy the car after driving it. It was brutal. Would have killed my self. Wish I would have bought it and stored it.


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## extropic (Nov 23, 2021)

Very nice looking Galaxie. You guys do good work!


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## Martin W (Nov 23, 2021)

Thats a beauty!
 Love that car. 
Looks like you and your son have the fix well underway.

Cheers
Martin


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## FOMOGO (Nov 23, 2021)

This one is .030 over. the FE's are a thin wall casting, and .040 would be the max I would go for a performance build. A sonic check for me is a prerequisite for anything your going to be running hard. There are a lot of them out there running at .060 over, but sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you. These bores look great, so just a few strokes with a ball hone should do it. Mike




lordbeezer said:


> How much is block bored? Can’t remember the bore over limit. .060 I think because of core shift during metal pore. If someone was going all out on a FE they would have a sonic test checking for core shift. Probably not a issue since y’all have used for 16 years. Just FYI.


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## markba633csi (Nov 24, 2021)

Nice car! I'm guessing a tiny crack in one of the heads will show up when you test them
Happened to me once on a 4-banger
-M


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## eugene13 (Nov 24, 2021)

We had the same thing happen in one of our SBC race motors, unfortunatly it was turning about 7000 RPM, weird to see anti freeze coming out of a hole in the pan. I did manage to save the cam however.


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## FOMOGO (Nov 24, 2021)

Will let you know in the next episode of Ford Garage CSI. Stay tuned, coming this spring. Mike

Quote:
Nice car! I'm guessing a tiny crack in one of the heads will show up when you test them
Happened to me once on a 4-banger
-M


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