78RangerCarter

Just bought a restored 78 F-150 Ranger. Problem is the engine is all jacked up. Was driving it and lost all oil pressure. My buddy is a mechanic and found that the crank shaft wore the thresh bearing down and caused metal to block the oil screen; though his skills aren't good enough to get me past that. Issue is I'm sure there is metal that made it through and is flowing around my engine and there's a new knocking noise. Just replacing the bearing and crank shaft isn't going to be enough I would assume and I'm afraid to drive it at this point. I got the rig at a decent price, so I'm willing to drop 5k into to get it back up and running properly.. or better.

So, here's the question as I'm more of an IT guy then mechanic, I could use some in-sight. Do I get a crate engine or rebuild the current one. It's a 78 460 V8 Police Interceptor and honestly I'd like to keep something around (or higher) the same HP. If crate, any suggestions on type welcome, but remember I need to do the entire thing for under or around 5k. I'll need to replace clutch and flywheel as well from what I've been told.

I honestly don't know what information would be needed to put a suitable engine in place, but will find out everything needed to get ideas. Really want to get it back on the road (and occasional mud pit) soon though as while it looks nice in my drive, feels much better to have on the road.

Thank you much,

Carter

cgossett

Personally, I'd rebuild the original motor

78RangerCarter

Thank you cgosset.

If I go the rebuild route, what kind of things do I need to know or who should I go with? Anyone I've contacted locally seem like they don't want to get involved with an engine rebuild, so I may have to pull the engine and send off to someplace else.
Also, someone mentioned that if the crankshaft was going into the thresh bearing then there may be an issue with the block, though I honestly don't know and if it's being rebuilt and there is an issue with the block, what would that mean?

I apologize for all the questions, but really don't know much about this and just want to go the right route and have my engine troubles gone.

Thank you.

djfllmn

iTrader: (1)

take it to a good machine shop and they will tell you what it needs

Good old Bill

Understand your questions and concern. Normally, I would go with what you have, but in this case, I don't know! It sounds like someone has been jacking around with the original engine. It might be better to get NEW, not just a rebuild.

Why the new flywheel and clutch? I can go along with the clutch assy, but wouldn't a flywheel resurface be just as good and a whole bunch cheaper?

Just for your clarification, the word is "thrust bearing". Thrust bearings maintain the fore and aft movement of the crankshaft. Have a machinist tell you if the block can be rebuilt. Mechanics and machinists live in two different worlds, both need to respect and trust each others profession.

78RangerCarter

Good old Bill,

From what I understand the engine was rebuilt before, so you may be correct that previous owner (or person who restored) jacked something up. If new is the way to go, what kind of things would I need to know in order to order one?

One of the local mechanics in my area that I saw to see if they could fix the engine said I should probably replace both clutch/flywheel. I've since stopped driving the truck, but last time I did I could feel a "rotating" feeling in the clutch when I would go to shift, so I figured clutch definitely needs to be replaced.

Thank you again.

kzb86f150

I would look into a jasper crate engine if I were you I am not sure what the prices would be but the motors are of good quality and they have a nation wide warranty in case of failure. That is if you are looking to go to a whole new motor

Scraptor

If the thrust bearing failed, it can probably be repaired, if it went far enough to wear into the crank or block,it might be junk. A machine shop can look it over and tell you, maybe all you need is a set of bearings and a good cleaning .

techrep

iTrader: (1)

Buy a new lower end and put your top end on it...

MoDy150

Rebuild it yourself in your garage. Rebuilding an engine is fun and great learning experience.

There is tons of literature about rebuilding v8 engines out there.

You can borrow/rent the big tools. You can rebuild that engine easily for under $5k.

I've done several myself. Since I just gave up motorcycle riding, I've been thinking about doing engine rebuilds as a hobby and side income.

Find a good rep machine shop that's been doing block and head conditioning for eons. They will keep you straight. They can tell you if the crank can be balanced, if the block is still good, if the cylinders have been bored out, if the heads are warped and hone-able...everything.

Google v8 engine rebuild. Get an idea of the task.