My SSR: Originally Smokin Asphalt 03 #00099 now kustom graphics, tu-tone Kandy Lime Green/Pearl White
My baby's hurtin.......
Not the SSR. The wife has that down in KC, MO.
This baby is one I bought when I was 16 years old (almost 30 years ago).
It's been sittin in storage in my attached garage for quite a few years. A few years back I fired her up and she ran, but not quite right. Had a little valve clatter. Didn't think much of it at the time since I wasn't driving it anywhere.
Well since the wife has the SSR in KC, and there's a show in town. I figured what the hey, I'll fire up the old girl and take it to the show. Charged up the battery, poured a little racing fuel in the carb, and turned the key. She fired right up, but ran a little rough. Well I pulled her out of one garage and pulled it under the tent. Cleaned her up nice and filled the tank with fresh racing fuel.
The valve clatter was a little louder than I remembered, so I decided to pull the valve covers and have a look (hoping maybe just a valve adjustment).
That's when I found a rocker arm setting sideways and a push rod showing it self I pulled the push rod out and it looked like an S well, maybe not an S but it wasn't far from it. I decided to check the rest of the rods. The remaing rods on the left bank were fine
Now it was time to check the right bank. removed the cover and found two more like the other one. Checked a little further and found two more ready to do the same thing
I took one of the rods with me to the parts store for comparison. And wouldn't you know it. I get a new guy at the counter that asks what I needed.
Told him" a set of pushrods for a 1972 351 Cobrajet."
He looks at me and asks "who made that?"
I couldn't believe it. a parts person in an auto store that doesn't know squat.
After walking him through the full set of simple questions. He finally bring it up on the computer. There were two listings. The top one for $15.99 each but none in stock. and a second line that listed 16 in stock @ $.01 each. Wohoo! I got the deal of the century!!! He then calls for a manager to verify the computer. Two of them looked at it and couldn't believe it. They check other stores and the system came up the same. They made some excuse about corporate getting all over them if they sold em for a penny so I told em I'd give em a $1 each for em. They reluctantly said ok.
Back at the shop and install the ones I needed to replace. Unhooked the coil wire and set up my remote start button. Slowley cranked over the motor to watch the valves moving. The left bank bent a rod right away. When I removed it and looked closer I found the Exhaust valve had stuck. Put some pb blaster on it and gave it a tap with the brass hammer, and it was in working order again. so I put another rod in and tightend it to specs.
Went to the right bank and checked them. Found three of them had bent right away too. And the fourth was only pushing down a little bit. I pulled them all and got the one intake valve freed up. The three exhaust valves however weren't moving. I tapped them a bit with the brass hammer and they went down, but weren't coming back up
Seems I have three either very Stuck valves or three Bent valves. I've applied pb blaster to all three and left them for the night. If I can;t get them freed up in the morning. I'll be pulling the intake and head off to see how bad it really is. THAT IS "IF" I CAN LOCATE A GASKET KIT FOR IT FIRST. And maybe even a set of valves.
Since this ain't a normal 351 cleveland motor. It's harder to find the replacement parts. Especially the heads and valves.
Any one with any idea on how to unstick valves that are partially open with out tearing the motor down. Please chime in.
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Go fast till you see GOD, THEN HIT THE BRAKES!!!!
My SSR: Originally Smokin Asphalt 03 #00099 now kustom graphics, tu-tone Kandy Lime Green/Pearl White
I restored the body back in 1984 (my senior graduation present from me to me. Yeah a little selfish, but hey I was worth it back then). and other than washes, oil changes and always racing fuel. I haven't done a thing to it.
It only had 69,462 miles on it when I bought and has never seen a winter on the road. It now has 76,168.
This is a very rare factory original cobrajet with a full gage pakage and four speed. The only other options on it were Power Steering and the Ford 9" 3:52 geared rear end.
I love this car. The shape and style, the ride and the Power. Not to mention it gets 27 mpg (with 114 octane) on the open road if I can keep it under 100.
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Go fast till you see GOD, THEN HIT THE BRAKES!!!!
My SSR: '05 Concept Truck, powered by Heavy Duty rubberbands, and a really BIG WINDUP KEY!
I've talked to Diane, and we've decieded that, that is too much car for you. You should give it to us, where it can be taken care of and not stuffed in the back of some ol shed and neglectied.
You're lucky we don't just turn you in to C obrajet P rotective S ervices, right now
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I think you are on the right track with the PB blaster and the brass hammer. Keep soaking and tapping and hopefully these will free up. I'm sure there is a little corrosion on the valve stems from the car sitting up for a while with some of the valves in the open position. If you need me to, I could fly up there a couple times a year and take that car out for a few good runs through the gears to keep it in shape for you...
My SSR: '03 RED vin1337, '06(lastoneinblack) vin 24107..Sadly sold '04UV,'05SILVER,'06PACBLU FPR
Mystery oil and an oil pump drive on a drill. Fill the crankcase with Mystery oil and pump it through all oil galleys with the drill. Rotate the engine by hand a few times. If there is oil shelack build up around the valve stems, you can bet there is more in other areas. Buy a few cheap Group 7 oil filters and change them a few times. You could also use Kerosene or #2 fuel oil or even transmission fluid. As for the gaskets, the intake set you may have to get through FORD Motorsports.() Sorry, writing that word made me ill.
My SSR: Originally Smokin Asphalt 03 #00099 now kustom graphics, tu-tone Kandy Lime Green/Pearl White
Just so some of you can see what I'm dealing with. Here is a shot of the push rods I removed.
Compared to a new one.
Removed the springs to get a look at the valves.
With the seals removed I can see the valve stem very well and it looks pretty clean.
Been soaking them for a while so the orange like fluid is the PB Blaster
Supposedly one of my suppliers found me a gasket kit for the motor. We'll see when it shows up next Thursday.
In a little while I'm going back out and apply some molly lube to the stems and reinstall the springs so I can tap the valves down and then pull them back up to hopefully get some lubricant between the stem and valve guide.
Sure hope this works, cause if I tear down the motor, I'll end up boosting the HP alot while I'm at it. And that'll end up costing money I don't have to spend.
Not to mention a very P O'ed wife.
__________________
Go fast till you see GOD, THEN HIT THE BRAKES!!!!
My SSR: 05 Redline Red Auto AFR Heads Kooks Headers Harland Sharp Rckrs 600 Lift Cam 2800 Cnvtr 410 gears
Know Nothing Parts People
It is getting hard to find an auto parts store that has knowledgable counter people, most have kids that if it isn't a part for a late model rice burner they are totally lost.
My SSR: Originally Smokin Asphalt 03 #00099 now kustom graphics, tu-tone Kandy Lime Green/Pearl White
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1luckydog
Looks very good.
Oil bottle in the fender is 2 funny. Reminds me of my 70 Nova.
Modern vehicles...you'd be lucky to close the hood if you dropped a pen in the engine bay.
Best of luck on your test run.
The oil bottle is actually my fuel primer bottle. With racing fuel it tends to disapate from the fuel bowl, so a little drip in the carb and she fires right up.
__________________
Go fast till you see GOD, THEN HIT THE BRAKES!!!!
My SSR: PAID FOR Aqua Blur '05,#18006, Diablo Preditor, K&N, Spoiler,Nascar Chin Spoiler, Corvette emblems
You had me worried when I saw a video, I was afraid it would be of it coming apart.... Sounds good now!
A little road time, an oil change, and it should be good to go.
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Be who you are and say what you feel....Because those that matter....don't mind....And those that mind....don't matter. "
Was it the frozen valves that caused the bent rods??? My gosh. I would take allot to bend them-maybe not. That is the first decent looking Ford Torino that I have ever seen. Lower the back end a couple inches and it would look even better.
My SSR: Originally Smokin Asphalt 03 #00099 now kustom graphics, tu-tone Kandy Lime Green/Pearl White
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jgrden
Was it the frozen valves that caused the bent rods??? My gosh. I would take allot to bend them-maybe not. That is the first decent looking Ford Torino that I have ever seen. Lower the back end a couple inches and it would look even better.
Yes John it was the stuck valves that caused the bent rods. The cam will force the rod upwards, and if the valve wont move the rockerarm can't rotate, therefore the weakest point gives out which is the push rod. Just a simple piece of hollow tubing with a ball on each end. Also the least expensive to replace.
Thanks for the complimet on the Torino.
The rear can not be lowered any further do to the N50 Mickey Thompson Indy Profile tires. They are just under the wheel lip of the body and if the rear dips it cuts the sidewall.
If and when I restore it again I'll get a slightly differant offset to allow it to set down a little more.
Time for a test drive
__________________
Go fast till you see GOD, THEN HIT THE BRAKES!!!!
My SSR: Originally Smokin Asphalt 03 #00099 now kustom graphics, tu-tone Kandy Lime Green/Pearl White
First test run din't go so well.
Left the drive and got up 2500 shifted to 2 nd got back up to 2000 and she started sputtering.
Went about 1/2 mile and truned around. Barely made it back home.
Let her idle in the driveway and popped the hood. Pulled the aircleaner off, and found the problem right away. The upper front butterfly (choke) was stuck mostly closed. Reset the choke plate and she smoothed out. Went over to the drivers side and hit the throttle a few times. Oh yeah!! Much better. Took it up to 4500 for a minute and let her back down.
Now that she's breathin better, I think I'll take her down for some more racing fuel at the corner station.
Why is it always the little things that create the biggest headaches?
__________________
Go fast till you see GOD, THEN HIT THE BRAKES!!!!
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I pulled the push rod out and it looked like an S well, maybe not an S but it wasn't far from it. I decided to check the rest of the rods. The remaing rods on the left bank were fine
"
Fuzzy, looks great!!!
garage
) Sorry, writing that word made me ill. 
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