I’ve got most of the motor back together and ready to go. I’ve had the valve covers off a couple of times when the motor was in the car, and it was always a bit of a mess trying to get the gasket to stay in place and keep sealant from spreading everywhere. The job is, of course, far easier with the motor out, and I think I’ve got a nice, tight, leak-free seal on both banks.
I did the job twice, it turns out. After I got them installed, I couldn’t recollect if I had cleaned the covers on the inside before they went on. Rather than risk running dirt, wire wheel splinters and the like through my refreshed motor, I pulled them off to check. Sure enough, they were dirty inside, so time and money well spent.
The water pump is also on, so now I just need to do a final degreasing, masking and painting.
While this has been going on, I’ve disassembled the driver’s side front suspension, a process I detailed in a photo journal yesterday.
Except for the bushing on the lower control arm, which I farmed out, I’ll be reassembling this side of the suspension myself the next couple of days with plans to have both sides done by the end of this weekend.
Nice work… keep those posts coming. I’m redoing the disc brakes, pads, calipers, and turned the rotors… I decided to leave the inboard caliper in place in lieu of removing the steering arms. Ford didn’t make it easy… I was blown away at the diameter of the pucks. Fortunately no rust or pitting of the puck bores in the calipers. I’m having the backing plates/ dust covers powder painted.
Interested to see the front suspension teardown, as thats one of the few areas I’ve yet to do on my own car.