Indy Mustang

[junkyardjeff]

I have been asking for advise on how to perk up this motor and I think I might have to start over with another as I really don know what has been done to it and since I dont know exactly been done its hard to get advise.

[junkyardjeff]

I would like to report that after about 15,000 miles and two trips to Florida the motor is about done for,I am thinking the cam is loosing a lobe and there is a noise along with the lifter tick. I still cant blame the builder just yet since when I broke in the motor the oil was loosing the zinc and did not find out until much later and if thats the case the other noise might be the bearings going bad due to the metal running through the motor,I was hoping it would last much longer and from what I have read about that place I probably got a good motor compared to the rest that came from there. I will tear into it after I get my 2wd bronc finished and see whats wrong.

[ezernut9mm]

sucks to hear. thanks for keeping us updated.

[junkyardjeff]

I thought it was going to be a good motor but now I wish I had gone somewhere else for a motor,I will be tearing into it in a couple months to see what is going on but I have a feelingI might have to find a good used 351-W to put in it until the Y block gets built.

[68shortbed]

This sounds like the same guy, lots of complaints in the Indy area
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/pts/2720547720.html

[junkyardjeff]

There are adds on craigslist in my area that defiantely are from the same guy.

[junkyardjeff]

After some investigation I dont think the motor is done for,I think my problem is in the valve train so I am going to put in a stock 351 cam and maybe a better set of heads later this year. The motor has plenty of oil pressure so I think I am going to try to save it as it will be a couple years before I can get my 292 Y block gone though and it will still need to go to Florida a couple times.

[junkyardjeff]

I would like to report that the Indy mustang 351 made its third trip to Florida and back,it still has a noisy lifter which I will address when I install the cam I originally wanted next spring. It did not like the department store house brand oil I used last year and sounded good with the Rotella T oil I used this year,I am still going back to a Y block eventually but will try to improve the 351 for use until I get the Y block built. The bottom end seems good but the valve train is noisy.

[junkyardjeff]

Its made 5 trips to Florida and still holding togather,I did some tuning and perked it up a little so its good enough for now but the quality of the lifters is questionable and they do make noise after sitting and after the first start after a 1000 mile drive. I have found it likes Chevrons Delo oil the best and has not made that noise again that it did with the cheap oil a few years ago,I have decided to leave the motor alone until I put it in another car and will be able to go over it when its on the stand.

[junkyardjeff]

It just made a 900 mile trip to Michigan and still never put a correct 351 cam in it,from what I read on that mustang forum I must have gotten the only good motor from that place and I think it has about 30,000 miles on it now. The 55 is going to get a Y block again someday and this motor will be going in another car and when its out the cam and intake will be changed,it runs good so no sense in tearing it apart.

[junkyardjeff]

It made its 6th trip to Florida last november but had to haul it home,no it was not the engine but got the C-4 hot and lost third gear. I would rather it be the engine since the trans is a pain to pull and would have gave me the excuse to put a better 351 in it but it just wont quit,still has rocker arm noise but never got any worse.

[junkyardjeff]

That engine is still going,got the trans working by just changing the fluid but its not right so next week I am going to install a used C-4 I picked up over the summer. Traded for a drop in ready 55 272 so that 351 might be in for only one more summer.

[bellamor]

I am surprised to find out that the upgrade for this car is still on-going. I am happy to know that you still find the car helpful.

[junkyardjeff]

I am not getting stuff done as quick as I used to and too many other projects I am dealing with too,I was planning on building a Y block but one came along I could hear run and now I picked up a 65 Mercury Montclair for my long distance car so the 55 is not going to go very far so a used engine can be used. When it gets done the IM 351 will go on a stand and come apart to see just what I got and fix it the way I want it and keep it for another project.

[junkyardjeff]

Well it looks like its finally time to tear into this Indy Mustang 351,I have been fighting vacumn related shifting problems since day one and today I hooked a vacumn gauge up and it was low and had to really crank the timing up to get it closer to be where it should so it looks like the cam has been installed retarded and since it has a 302 firing order it needs to come out. This engine has never ran like it should and when I crank up the timing it really pings so time for a correct 351 cam and maybe a 1970 timing chain set and while its apart replace that mid 80s truck intake,I wanted to do this sooner but life got in the way and also tired of the trans issues that are caused by this engine.