FE vs Roush vs Blueprint

[Gus M]

Cobra gang,

Some very valuable insight that you share. Couldn’t get any better if I paid for it! Thank you all!

Patrickt, thanks for the sound clip! Question, could you not have stopped your oil leak by a gasket replacement? Can’t any oil leak on a FE be stopped with new gaskets? Why the diaper?

Olddog, interesting that some FE blocks are not drilled for hydraulic! That concerns me, ending the possibility of converting the motor over. I’ll need to call the builder of the motor and see if this block can be converted.

[jelfert]

There are also "modern" FE blocks that are far superior than the original FE and have the updated modifications. I ordered a FE engine for my BDR with a Robert Pond aluminum FE block.

[undy]

Originally Posted by jelfert

There are also "modern" FE blocks that are far superior than the original FE and have the updated modifications. I ordered a FE engine for my BDR with a Robert Pond aluminum FE block.

My Robert Pond aluminum block 482" FE built by Keith Craft still drips after several attempts to fix it. I finally gave up and decided it was just the nature of the beast. As a side benefit, it helps stop under chassis rust from forming (behind the engine)...lol

[blykins]

Originally Posted by undy

My Robert Pond aluminum block 482" FE built by Keith Craft still drips after several attempts to fix it. I finally gave up and decided it was just the nature of the beast. As a side benefit, it helps stop under chassis rust from forming (behind the engine)...lol

Hard to get all-aluminum engines not to leak. Aluminum blocks squirm too much when they get hot.

[undy]

Originally Posted by blykins

Hard to get all-aluminum engines not to leak. Aluminum blocks squirm too much when they get hot.

I guess the OEMs have succeeded in stopping leaks by design changes? I've had quite a few LS/LT engines and nary a drop of oil. Maybe the 6 bolt design holds things together better.

[blykins]

The OEM have stopped leaks by putting millions of dollars into R&D. If you notice, most modern engines don't have gaskets, they have o-ring seals, one-piece rear seals, etc.

Doesn't matter how new the block is, the FE design is 62 years old.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Gus M

Patrickt, thanks for the sound clip! Question, could you not have stopped your oil leak by a gasket replacement? Can’t any oil leak on a FE be stopped with new gaskets? Why the diaper?

When it comes to FEs, one drop would not be deemed an "oil leak." In fact, even 60 years ago the Ford dealer would call that dime sized drip that drops once a week or so as "commercially reasonable." (That's what they did and then they proceeded to do nothing to fix it.) There are a couple of reasons why a solid lifter FE is almost guaranteed to drip: 1) With solid lifters, you have to be able to remove the valve covers, so you can only go so far gluing them down; 2) The configuration of the FE engine is a little unusual because it has the intake manifold come in under the valve covers before it mates up to the head. That leaves four "spots," two on each head, where everything meets up, that is prone to letting oil out. Because of the rotation of the engine, the back of the passenger side head is the most prone; 3) The gaskets, and sealing material, around the intake manifold do not really leak, but they tend to lightly "mist" a bit. If you put fluorescent dye in the oil, and view the engine under a black light, you do not see an obvious leak but rather a gradual glow around the engine itself as oil ever so lightly mists out from a variety of spots; and 4) Regardless of where your FE is leaking, or misting, from the oil will migrate back to the block plate and bell housing area behind the passenger head and starter motor area. It will then drip from there. The old joke is that if you spill a can of oil on your workbench, the oil will still find a way to make it to the FE's bellhousing/block plate and drip from there. Placing the oil diaper along the bottom of the bell housing and block plate absorbs that one drop of oil and I can then pretend that the engine doesn't leak at all. Plus, that nifty fabrication of mine makes it look almost OEM. Had Ford done that back in the 60's they would have avoided a lot of customer come-backs for oil drips.

[twobjshelbys]

Q: How do you tell if a FE is out of oil?
A: It stops leaking.

[1795]

Originally Posted by patrickt

When it comes to FEs, one drop would not be deemed an "oil leak." In fact, even 60 years ago the Ford dealer would call that dime sized drip that drops once a week or so as "commercially reasonable." (That's what they did and then they proceeded to do nothing to fix it.) There are a couple of reasons why a solid lifter FE is almost guaranteed to drip: 1) With solid lifters, you have to be able to remove the valve covers, so you can only go so far gluing them down; 2) The configuration of the FE engine is a little unusual because it has the intake manifold come in under the valve covers before it mates up to the head. That leaves four "spots," two on each head, where everything meets up, that is prone to letting oil out. Because of the rotation of the engine, the back of the passenger side head is the most prone; 3) The gaskets, and sealing material, around the intake manifold do not really leak, but they tend to lightly "mist" a bit. If you put fluorescent dye in the oil, and view the engine under a black light, you do not see an obvious leak but rather a gradual glow around the engine itself as oil ever so lightly mists out from a variety of spots; and 4) Regardless of where your FE is leaking, or misting, from the oil will migrate back to the block plate and bell housing area behind the passenger head and starter motor area. It will then drip from there. The old joke is that if you spill a can of oil on your workbench, the oil will still find a way to make it to the FE's bellhousing/block plate and drip from there. Placing the oil diaper along the bottom of the bell housing and block plate absorbs that one drop of oil and I can then pretend that the engine doesn't leak at all. Plus, that nifty fabrication of mine makes it look almost OEM. Had Ford done that back in the 60's they would have avoided a lot of customer come-backs for oil drips.

Patrick,

I have a friend who races an Alfa and had an oil leak de to a leaky rear mani seal, the technical inspectors told him that he had to fix it before getting back out on the track. His fix was to make a diaper to catch the leak and change the diaper between sessions.

[patrickt]

Here's a front shot of the diaper. You know, I might be able to sell these for $250 a pop to OCD FE owners that make a BFD out of a small drop of oil.