427 FE Block Question

[Richard Cowart]

Well, the engine was delivered last week. Kudos to the driver who showed mercy on me and pulled the crate down the street with a pallet jack through ice, into the drive way through more ice and into the garage. I pulled off the top of the crate and the engine is wrapped in black shrink wrap. I wanted to remove it to have a look but resisted. I had ordered a case of Joe Gibbs racing oil and inside that box was my build sheet. I note that the date of casting was missing so that makes the block a service block. But it is a NOS 427 FE top oiler. And, DanEC and Dwight (by PM) correctly guessed that this is a Keith Craft engine. All of the documentation is at the house and I am at the office right now, but everything was documented. Weights of internal parts are listed and the engine was balanced to 0 oz. The Edelbrock aluminum heads were dissembled, ported, spring tensions measured, and reassembled. MSD electronic ignition. Gaps and torque specs were all recorded. Every component, and they are all top notch parts, has been listed. A stroker crank takes it out to 486 cu. in. The cam is a special grind and KC included the information from the machine shop who did the cam. They also put on a harmonic balancer. Dyno sheet shows 585 hp at 6,000 rpm, and ~ 562 ft lbs torque at 5,000 rpm. They have a detailed set of instructions on how to start the engine, but I will have someone else do this when the time comes. I will have to say that Keith Craft engines was a pleasure to work with. Very helpful and even though this engine is in a crate I could not be more pleased at this time. Lance is the new owner and bought KC Engines around a year ago. Great guys to do business with.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Richard Cowart

Dyno sheet shows 585 hp at 6,000 rpm, and ~ 562 ft lbs torque at 5,000 rpm. They have a detailed set of instructions on how to start the engine, but I will have someone else do this when the time comes.

I don't understand. If it was dyno'd, then it had to have been broken in. If it was broken in, why do you need starting instructions?

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by patrickt

I don't understand. If it was dyno'd, then it had to have been broken in. If it was broken in, why do you need starting instructions?

Good point. But also I thought a true break-in period takes 500 miles plus?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Bernica

Good point. But also I thought a true break-in period takes 500 miles plus?

Other parts on the car might (and do) require a "break in period," but not the engine if it's been on a dyno. If those starting instructions are anything more than "you might want to spin the pump before you fire 'er up," then I don't get it. Unless... that dyno sheet was from a "similarly built engine" and it really hasn't been run yet at all.

[patrickt]

As I said in Post #39 of this thread, he needs to stick his finger in an exhaust port, wipe, and report back as to what's on his finger.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by patrickt

I don't understand. If it was dyno'd, then it had to have been broken in. If it was broken in, why do you need starting instructions?

He includes standard start up instructions that assume the distributor has been removed or disturbed and the engine has been sitting a couple months. They want to see it pre-oiled and for who ever starts it up to be aware they can not assume it is timed correctly. Pretty standard stuff. Far as I know he dyno's every engine they build. They have an in-house dyno shop. I went down to his shop and watched the break in and dyno pulls on my engine - have video and pictures of it.



Don't know Lance since Tony and Keith handled my engine build but I have nothing but positive things to say for their business.

[Bernica]

Good to hear! keep everyone posted on your progress. Sounds like a nice motor.

[lippy]

What cam did he choose?

[Richard Cowart]

Originally Posted by lippy

What cam did he choose?

Still at work. I will grab the build sheet when I get home.

[Richard Cowart]

I really find it hard to believe that Keith Craft did not run the engine and would gave me a fraudulent dyno printout. That would be deception and out-and-out fraud, and quite frankly, could do serious damage to his business. This was not a cheap engine and I have 12 pages of documentation on parts, balancing, dyno results, torque, gap, and spring tension specs, head work, where some of the pages are signed and dated by the person doing the work. To suggest that KC took the dyno results from another engine run, changed the dates and engine type just is not credible without some sort of evidence.
The starting instructions are more of a check list, like pilots are supposed to use before flying. The principle warning is making sure that the timing is correctly set. With the electronic distributor customers have damaged their engines during start up. KC indicates to give them a call if there are questions. All of the concerns that have been voiced here are addressed in the information they sent.
The cam is from Comp Cams and the build sheet lists a hydraulic roller camshaft. Yes, it is sitting in its mounting frame in the crate and is still shrink wrapped. I was told to rotate the engine by hand every two months. They told me that they do not advertise this, but they do assemble Cobras for their customers who purchase engines - everything but the paint, and have assemble around 8-10 Kirkham cars. So, the plans are to ship the engine back to them when I get a car and have them assemble everything.

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by Richard Cowart

The cam is from Comp Cams and the build sheet lists a hydraulic roller camshaft.

Thanks Richard,
I'm curious about the number specs on your cam?
Do you mind sharing?

[Richard Cowart]

Originally Posted by Dimis

Thanks Richard,
I'm curious about the number specs on your cam?
Do you mind sharing?

Sure. And, I am just reading off the form that Comp Cams sent. I hope that when I post this the text and numbers do not readjust where they are scrambled. Hope this helps and I certainly cannot decipher this.

Gross valve lift: Intake 0.649 Exhaust 0.633

Duration @ 0.006 Tappet lift Intake 297 Exhaust 318

Valve Timing @ 0.050 Open: Intake 15 Close: BTDC 47 ABDC
Exhaust 64 BBDC 8 ATDC

Specs for cam installed @ 106.0 intake center line.
Intake: Duration @ 0.050 243.0
Lobe Lift 0.3690
Lobe Separation 112.0

Exhaust: Duration @ 0.050 252.0
Lobe Lift 0.3600
Lobe Separation -------


Grind #: FB 13051R/3151R HR112.0
Part #: 33-999-3