She’s done. In this article, we’ll cover crankshaft balancing, valvetrain and crankshaft assembly.
How do you like the plug wire routing? I’ll cover this in a later article installment. I’m considering having the water pump pulleys polished and chrome plated. By the way, the water pump/alternator belt pulley alignment is perfect. If the belt looks whacky [...]
Our flattie is almost finished. Compared to an original, she’s looking pretty snazzy.
Build, text and photos by Mike Mavrigian
The Ford flathead was a popular platform for early rodders, and basically started the hot rod and performance engine movement. The engine production ran from 1937 through 1953, with one of the most popular versions being the [...]
Our build is done. See the end of this article for several tasty photos of the finished engine, followed by a complete list of the participating manufacturers.
FINAL ASSEMBLY OF OUR
NASTY LITTLE DART 427W
OUR ONE TRICK PONY IS DONE.
WE’RE READY FOR THE DYNO RUN.
Engine build, text and photos by Mike Mavrigian
INTAKE MANIFOLD
Since our Trick Flow heads feature [...]
FROM SHORTBLOCK TO LONGBLOCK
CYLINDER HEADS & VALVETRAIN
Our beasty 427W is finally in longblock form.
Engine build, text and photos by Mike Mavrigian
The use of studs, as compared to bolts, provides a more accurate and consistent clamping load for the cylinder heads, and eliminates wear & tear on the block’s threaded holes during future head service.
by Mike Mavrigian
Build/assembly and all photos by author
Our Lunati roller cam features 0.544″ valve lift at intake and 0.560″ at exhaust, with duration of 232 intake and 242 exhaust. Centerline is 108 intake and 116 exhaust.
CAMSHAFT AND TIMING
Dart thoughtfully provided anti-friction-coated cam bearings with their block. Each bearing is etched with a part number, and [...]
We machine the block, balance the crank and check clearances.
The Dart Iron Eagle 351W block is a precision-cast and raw-machined product of unparalleled quality. Dart provides a bit of extra deck height and minimal bore diameter, allowing the builder to precisely achieve desired dimensions.
By Mike Mavrigian
all photos by author
CYLINDER BORES AND BLOCK DECK MACHINING
Our block [...]
STROKIN’ THE DART WINDSOR
Our current engine project begins with a 351W block and increasing displacement to a whopping 427 CID.
Text & photos by Mike Mavrigian
The Dart 351W iron-alloy block is available in either a 9.200” (standard Cleveland) or 9.500” deck height. We opted for the 9.5” deck.
This project will serve as an example of a [...]
The FE ready for it’s dyno visit.
PROJECT FE PART 5
Text and photos by Mike Mavrigian
INTAKE MANIFOLD
With the heads installed, and before installing the rocker shaft systems, you must install the intake manifold. FE manifolds feature captive pushrod holes (the pushrods pass through the intake manifold). In order to install pushrods, the rockers must be out [...]
Text and photos by Mike Mavrigian
PROJECT FORD FE, PART 4
The oil filter base (located on the forward left side of the block) features two ports and four bolt holes. A base gasket must be used for sealing between the adapter and the block. This gasket bwas included in our Victor gasket set.The gasket will only [...]
by Mike Mavrigian
FILE FITTING THE RINGS
Because of our over-honed cylinder diameters (4.263″), standard size rings wouldn’t work, so I started with a set of Total Seal rings P/N CR7190 35, supplied with our Diamond pistons. These are intended for a bore diameter of 4.268″ (1/16″ top, 1/16″ 2nd, 3/16″ oil), requiring a custom file-fit.
In terms [...]
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