Complexity
 

My 428 was rebuilt 2 years ago by the previous owner (2500 miles - some hard) and it is not performing as well as I would like. I have not had it dyno'd so I do not know the horsepower. Since I purchased the car, I do not have specs on the motor - previous owner will not respond to requests for info.
It runs strong, but doesn't scare me anymore.
I have been told that due to the height and look of the heads that they are FE. I believe the carb is a Holley 650 double-pumper and the cam is somewhat lumpy.
Had a problem last summer when the bronze distributor drive gear got chewed to pieces and left a coating of fools gold throughout the motor. Posted about that and the general consensus was to keep changing the oil and run it with the new cast gear. While the pan was off the motor, a guy with pit crew experience took a look at the rods and the markings/grind marks.... and told me that the engine had been balanced and blueprinted.
It is still short on power and is now running rough after a fairly smooth summer.
Everyone has warned me about Ford's complexities and the difficulty of matching parts.
Don't want to waste money buying parts that won't work, but do want to get a lot more out of the motor.

I have considered pulling the motor (can this be done with the body on?) and doing some exploratory surgery, i.e figuring out the bore size, cam, carb, heads... but don't really have the time or a good place to do it. Can't afford to send it out.

Although I think I know the answer to my question, I would like some input from you guys - What should I do? Where should I start?



Thanks

smith

I can't answer many of your questions, but I see that you have an ERA and I knew a guy with one who pulled his 427 out a few times and he never took the body off. Come to think of it, talk to Ernie (Excaliber) as he has an ERA with a 427 and has written volumes about having the engine out and rebuilding it and I am sure he never took the body off either. Just don't let him talk you into a Moped while he is at it. :LOL:

Ron :)

Cam and heads, thats where the power comes from! You can swap out those items with the motor in the car.

Psssst, wanna a good deal on a Moped while the car is down? :D

I don't have an ERA but I have pulled my engine several times by myself. My sequence was this:

1. after removing hood drain all fluids in engine and radiator.
2. remove radiator & some times I remove overflow reservior
3. remove or disconnect headers and side pipes
4. remove 6 or 8 bolts from clutch blow proof housing
5. disconnect all electrical, and fuel
6. remove bolts from pass side motor mount and remove starter
7. hook up cherry picker
8. remove driver side motor mount
9. lift engine approx 2"
10. pry off blow proof housing from engine w/ screw driver
11. rock and lift engine until it is free from bell housing
12. lift it out

If you cant afford to send it out and you cant do it yourself you dont have too many options. Maybe instead of a complete teardown bring the car to a performance shop for a checkout. A compression test can tell alot. Find out why its running rough first, then decide on future mods.

My 428 is not performing as well as I would like. It runs strong, but doesn't scare me anymore.

The engine is probably running OK ... its just that as time goes on and you get more miles on the car, it doesn't seem as fast as it was when you first got it. Familiarity breeds a necessity for more horsepower. Fact of nature.

I have my motor out of ERA 601 twice - bellhousing can be left attached no problem. Good luck. :)