Building this 9000 RPM Ford pre-Crossflow engine!

[@leoahearn7382]

Us Ford 4 popper guys follow “the rule of 9s” for adjusting clearance - 1 up/8 down; 2 up/7 down; 3 up/6 down and so on.

[@RallyRobert976]

Hi Lee, on the tappets setting if you get No. 4 valves rocking you can adjust No.1 cylinder inlet & exhaust at the same time and continue this pattern cylinder by cylinder until you have them all done.

[@stevenfarrall3942]

Memory lane. I have done that process innumerable times on a pre-crossflow.... when I raced in historics. Mind that engine was a proper Cosworth screamer, geared cam drive, all steel etc etc. And that was safe to about 12,000. But as it was in a sports racer, not an FJ, we used a slightly less lairy cam and there was no need to go over about 10,800, which it did happily. Not too shabby for a 1950's designed engine eh? Oh and it was 1100 cc. BHP about 118.

[@malcolmshaw2609]

All steel motor will be good for 9k even with the standard rockers, I’ve already got a 1558cc in a Ginetta G4 and that pulls all the way to 9k, 140 Bhp. This one’s 1598cc. Can’t wait to get it on the Dyno.

[@bored-old-man]

40K subscribers - Well done!!

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

👍😎

[@grantsnell6782]

Your explanation of what happens in a crossflow engine is interesting, l have always thought of inlet and exhaust as separate events.

[@georgerobartes2008]

They are , he just explained it badly . There is no problem with port area on these engines either . Some actually built these heads with straight tubular inlet ports welded into the head with little improvement . I used to run a 1650cc Mk1 Cortina in the 70s . Mercedes liners 82.5mm Hepolite Power max pistons lightened balanced bottom on VP lead indium bearings ported head on 40 DCOES for fun or a 28/36 DCD for touring , poor man's dry sump system . Last but not least one of Dave Newmans " Half Race " camshafts.......

[@djwarren5081]

Dad was aircraft engineer. A tiny bit more adjustment was either a gnats whisker or a cock hair. Not strictly imperial measures but they seemed to work.

[@barbaraneville5036]

Seems a Tad is a good engineering measuring term LOL

[@gothicpagan.666]

A nanny's grab is a slightly bigger scale

[@puggzymalone5824]

Hey congratulations! You've made it to 40,000 subscribers! It may have taken a while but you've finally got there! Next goal is 50k subs!

[@edwardshotton8383]

116E 6488 push rods available in USA @ $2.00 each.

[@anglelaw]

you might want to turn the petrol pump blanking plate the right way round so the baffle plate is inside the engine

[@georgerobartes2008]

Priceless.

[@gj91471]

I use an Integral Rocker Cover on the X-flow..... No valve bounce. This was first done by Ted Martin back in the day

[@terryjacob8169]

Used to be availble from Piper Cams, back in the 1960's. As rare as rocking horse droppings these days .

[@barbaraneville5036]

Time to take the outer case of the PC off then and get a can of compressed air ( airduster ) and blow the crud from around the cpu and the rest of the case Do mine once per year Surprising how much dust and dirt gets into the case

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

I used to swear by BMC A & B series pushrods they were rock so to speak. 🙃🤪👍

[@gj91471]

I use Manton for Pushrods (USA).

[@1magnit]

There's always a simpler way to explain it. Turn the crank so both valves on no 1 are rocking, adjust both on no 4.Turn crank so both on no 4 are rocking and adjust both on no 1, Same for nos 2 and 3. When using feeler blades , use the go and no go method. If you're aiming for 0.018 inch then use a 0.016 and a 0.020 blade. One fits, the other doesn't.

[@bigturboxr3i]

Spiffing work Lee, reminds me of setting up old Valencia's and HCS fords. Never underestimate getting valve clearance correct for good power, as you say everything wears in the valve train and they can quickly close the valves up. Wing nuts on the rocker covers are handy.

[@nealodonnell2]

Same here good explanation cheers lee

[@ivorscruton5121]

On some engines, the valve springs have paint marks on the valve springs for orientation of the springs, paint to the bottom, for example. This is due to tighter windings needing to be at the bottom. Although this may not be the case for this particular engine, I noticed paint marks are not consistent.

[@clivewilliams3661]

I would have thought that cut to length pushrods would have been easy to install and will by their nature give the best rocker geometry. VW aircooled ChroMo pushrods can take fairly high seat pressures and valve lifts in excess of 600thou. Given that the pre-crossflow rod is shorter than the VW one that will raise even further the stiffness. The VW pushrods come in two thicknesses and the heavier weight ones are mostly used in turbo applications.

[@johnlawrence9066]

Very surprised using a high lift cam you didn't fit roller rockers . Found from experience unless you have stellite tipped valves , the valve tips get peaned .

[@k.kristianjonsson1537]

Do you mean that these adjustment Nuts are safe? They do not move even if they have no locking nut?

[@bobmizen1]

Firstly congratulations on reaching 40k subscribers, and thank you for the interesting content on your channel. Always looking forward to the next episode. Regards, Bob M. South Wales

[@jeupham]

What is the Ford block paint and what brand is this? Thanks!

[@AntheonMicallef]

What power did it make ?

[@gj91471]

I would use Piper for Camshaft grinding..... Eddie Griffiths for Engine Design.

[@bishen67]

I was wondering, is it not possible to adjust until the rocker is just touching the valve head with zero clearance , then set up a dial gauge and raise the rocker via the adjuster by the required amount ?

[@Nicknofish]

Rule of nine! Simple.

[@ghollidge]

Takes a minute but chargesan hour like a good mechanic

[@g0fvt]

Remember that turning the crank 180 only turns the cam by 90 degrees.... 9000rpm does seem very ambitious for this engine even with a steel crankshaft. Is that valve gear up to the job??

[@arzemagic]

Maybe you should check the back of the computer make sure the vents and clogged up with shite

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

I always Dysoned my motherboard for summer. More tea Vicar? Biscuit with it? 😁

[@krappy44]

Were roller rockers considered for the pre xflow given the numbers it’s expected to rev? Readily available (in your part of the world)

[@MegaReddevil71]

I was taught rule of nine works well

[@stevenfarrall3942]

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

[@aggiebq86]

What cam would you recommend for an 66 MGB? It will have the larger valves and a CR of around 9.3:1. Not looking for a race car but something that has better acceleration for fun on country roads.

[@georgerobartes2008]

I see no reply . I built a pile of Ford Kent engines in both 1650cc and 1760cc back in the 70s for boats and cars and my go to cam back then was in fact one of Dave Newmans " Half Race " cams . Very drivable all rounder. The B series engine design particularly in combustion chamber shape and what techies call flame front propagation is very similar in both , particularly when modified so this profile would work in the B series engine . Give Ken Newman ( Dave's son ) a call and he will advise .

[@benfrost8697]

Yup

[@vancemarin8022]

It would be nice if you could actually show how you shorten push rods !! Thanks

[@winzracingNZ]

Run 100psi boost and advance timing. 😂

[@gstree]

I have shortened many pushrods in these engines for my own very successful race engines. I would just grind the end off flat to size and then use the bench grinder to make the ball. Finally get an old cam follower in the vice and simply grind the pushrod into the cam follower using valve grinding paste. In all the years that I did it I have never had them hardened and none ever failed. I won about 300 races in the UK and abroad and two British championships. My 1500cc engine could rev to 10k all day long at tracks like Spa and produced about 180bhp, if you think that that's all bullshit then ask around to the people that normally finished behind me !

[@vancemarin8022]

@@gstree As I said SHOW me not pat yourself on the back !!!!

[@rickconstant6106]

In the Transit 2.5Di, a broken cam belt would usually do the trick

[@v4skunk739]

Your pc needs cleaning if the fans are going crazy, it will be full of dust and the dust greatly increases heat.

[@jackiemay9471]

on ford four bangers always i done the rule of 9 ie 1 down do 8 8 down do 1 5 down do 4 ect few other makes also same but the hillman avenger tiger talbot chrysler sunbeam ti was a pain

[@stuartshutt4118]

Rule of nine may need a little more explanation. On a 1-3-4-2 firing order four cylinder then the valve you set and the valve that’s down equals adds up to nine. So when 1 is down you set 8, when 2 is down you set 7, when 3 is down you set 6 etc…

[@paulhutchins6019]

That's how we used to do them back in the day 😉😊

[@johnbobyk1857]

Rule of 9 is you get a valve all the way down if it’s number 1 fully open you take 1 off 9 so you adjust number 8 and do the same with all the valves

[@MegaReddevil71]

Crossflows aren't 1342 firing order 1243 if I remember right

[@kevinstanzl8189]

@@MegaReddevil71 Rule of 9 works for Xflows, far easier than all that faffing about

[@markhodgkinson8431]

Those valve adjustments are faffy, could you not do 7+8 rocking then adjust the valves which are closed then turn 360' until 1+2 are rocking then adjust the rest only have to move the crank twice works well on tractor diesel engines obviously your little ford is going to be going a bit faster, when cutting down the spacers for the rocker shaft do you have to take expansion when hot into consideration or does everything expand the same??

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

I went to Devon once I Devoned believed it it wasn't a shithole it was a glorious place! 👍😎🤪

[@stuartmorris3407]

To set the valve clearances on any engine where you have the port combinations such as you have there you use the rule of nine. Valve number one fully open, set valve 8. Valve number 2 fully open set number 7 etc. Valve numbers add up to 9.

[@stuartlew1229]

should have spaced the rocker blocks from the head

[@davidgerrard8661]

Why's that?

[@stevenfarrall3942]

Erm. Not a good idea. The rocker adjusters are really close to the underside of the top of the rocker box.

[@gothicpagan.666]

Not a serious engine. If it's for appendix K, it makes sense otherwise higher ration rollers would allways be used, or has someone cast "Original" rockers with a optimised ratio? 😮😆 Even so your right, the pedestals need spacing if the correct valves are used.

[@godzilla12325]

How did you get a hold of ICELAND crates. Thats theft 😂

[@michaelcooper5337]

360p ?

[@kittinsconkers]

No 9 Rule? thats what I was taught lol

[@jsh6952]

Early Pre- heads should be called F-type heads and the cross flows should be called T-type heads.

[@bluemule3891]

Hey, we want more videos of drunk guys kicking stuff, forget this engine stuff 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Oh yeah, I prefer go no go gauges, very accurate, and fast for beating flat rate, The Ever Kicking Blue Mule NC USA PS More drunk guys kicking stuff

[@stevem7868-y4l]

9000 revs?? If thats what your customer is expecting, then i would not put any warranty on this engine

[@minigpracing3068]

People don't believe me when I say a normal 15 minute job will take an hour when you are recording it for a video.

[@michaelhamlet9167]

Why do you not just use rule of 9 to find when the rocker is off the lobe. 1+8 therefore 1 fully compressed 8 is off. 4+5 whatever it works a treat thank me later 😉

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

9000 rpm??? Small potatoes! 18,000 rpm and then we will be Superbike talking! 👍😎🤪

[@stevenfarrall3942]

Yeh. But not bad for a 1950's engine design - basically a road car engine too.

[@katywalker8322]

19000 and road going 4 cylinder 250!

[@TheRastler]

Hope nobody from ICELAND is watching😱

[@bobawatsit]

this engine will NEVER pull to 9000 rpm, that cyl head will not flow enough air, show us the dyno run, prove me wrong

[@bobawatsit]

you best fess up who you are and what you mean, or I will contact Y/T