New FE build BBM block and heads

[FUNFER2]

Great build, any updates ?

I can only dream of building and owning a Kirkham.

[jkg2101]

thanks for asking
i'll add some follow up info, which maybe will help someone else in the future

The oil dipstick was a surprise. I used a stock short metal dipstick in the stock location from a 60's ford of some sort. It ended up running into the brake fluid reservoirs, which are mounted on the side of the engine compartment.

So I bought the expensive Lokar flexible tube dipstick for FE, which attached to a header bolt and worked just fine.

[jkg2101]

When I started it, I had a few surprises.

The relatively thin exhaust gaskets (cheap ones that come in an FE gasket kit) leaked all over - the Kirkham headers use individual pipes, and the mounting flanges are relatively narrow. I bought expensive graphite thick gaskets, and that dramatically reduced, but did not eliminate the leak. Given how loud the exhaust is, you can't hear any leak now, but i can see a tiny trace of soot in select spots.

[jkg2101]

The biggest problem on start up was a pretty significant rear main seal leak. I have a good PCV system, creating a nice vacuum in the block, so it was not related to that.

In the end, I had to pull the pan in the car, and remove the rear main cap. This is tough to do on any FE, but especially hard with the frame crossmember in the way. I made a custom puller device, and rocking it back and forth helped a lot.

Blair was nice enough to give me a special rear main seal that he customized to better seal. He thinks the rear seals these days are not what they used to be, but i wouldnt be surprised if the dimensions of the RPM crank are a tiny bit off. The crank was a tiny bit off at the flywheel end for mounting, and required some slight sanding by me, as well as at the balancer mounting location.

I also had a nice oil leak at the remote oil mounting block, which was a billet aluminum piece from Precision Oil Pumps. I couldnt get those guys to answer their phone or my email, so I bought one from somewhere online (maybe moroso?) and it is not quite as pretty but does not leak at all.