Ford 302

[CustomCourier]

Hello all.

Looking for advice on building my 302.

Purchased a bare block and it’s pretty rusty. It’s on a standard bore and hasn’t been decked before so not worried about that. What concerns me is the water jackets and lifter bores.

Has anyone ever cleaned up a rusty block to discover the lifter bores are over-size?

[paul c]

I haven't had any with problems but I have heard of lifter bores being sleeved after a lifter has chewed it up.

[CustomCourier]

That’s a good shout Paul. I didn’t even realise that the lifter bores can be sleeved.

[stevieturbo]

They definitely can, but hunt down a machine shop that can do it before getting too invested in it.

As seemingly it's not a totally simple process.

I don't really see why not myself, but it's what I was told when I enquired about lifter bore repair on an LS block, by quite a few machine places.

And even then...it still makes little sense. It's just a hole. Line up the mill/machine with existing hole, and it should be simple.

[CustomCourier]

I’m with you there. I can’t see what wouldn’t be simple about that for well equipped machine shop.
Anyway the block is with Agra in Dundee so we’ll see what they say

[Mc Tool]

Drilling the hole is easy , but it takes a lot of setting up. Clamping down something as large as a cylinder block aint easy , and then you either have to tilt the mill bed 45 deg , or the mill head has to tilt, then you have to locate the lifter bores. If you have damaged lifter bores I would start lookin for another block, or sleeve the existing holes and fit smaller dia lifters ........ cant remember where I saw it but some bloke had pressed in pre made sleeves and fitted mushroom shaped solid lifters.