Engine Installation and Setup

Now that the engine is back from the dyno and the oil (scavenge) problems are sorted, it's been time to do final preparation on the engine bay and sort out all the support systems.
You know - oil, fuel, electrical, exhaust, coolant, etc, etc.

First thing to do was finish the engine bay paint and i did this with POR-15 chassis  paint (rust protector) in satin black.

On top of this I installed some heat reflector/shielding (from Thermo-Tec) rated to 2000 degrees F.
This self-adhesive shielding sticks really well to the engine bay paint so i'm hoping it does the primary job of keeping heat out of the cabin.
I have some tricky areas where the headers come close to the steering joints, the starter, the power steering hoses, and also the dry-sump scavenge lines - so i need to protect all of these items sufficiently to avoid damage from exposed heat soak.

The photo below shows the firewall and transmission tunnel after applying the reflective shielding.



The headers themselves are covered in insulating "wrap", but i also have a starter-motor heat-shield mat (held in place by stainless ties), as well as "Thermo Sleeves" to cover the battery cable enters the engine bay and bolts up to the starter motor, and also to cover the power steering and rear oil scavenge line.
This photo shows the engine in its final home. A huge milestone for me (plus proof a 429/460 with A460 heads will indeed fit in an early 1965 or 66 Mustang).

 

The following photo shows how i've positioned the engine as far back as i dare.
I can still get the rocker covers off, but i also made this easier on myself by welding a 7/16th UNF nut onto one of the engine mounts. This then lets me thread in a 7/16th bolt that i simply "screw in" as if tightening the bolt - and this slowly slides the engine forward on its mounts to give me plenty of work room.

 

 


















This little trick also allows me to fine-tune the final "fore-aft" positioning of the engine as well.

The photo below is included only to show that i am hooking up all the engine ancillaries (for the all-important first test start).
To get to this point i've had to complete all the break & clutch lines, as well as fill with fluid and bleed. Let me just say it took quite some time to bleed everything because of the angles of the clutch slave cylinder (under the dash and in a vertical rather than usual horizontal position), and the location/orientation of the brake biasing valve. Both these units needed to be temporarily "re-oriented" to get the residual air out of their respective systems!
Apart from the hydraulics, i needed the drive-shaft installed, the 3 fuel pumps, regulator, return-line, fuel-rails etc all pressure-tested, and also a temporary accelerator pedal built.... plus more......

After all looked ok, a nervous author hit the start button. I have some video of the first moments that the car moved under its own power, but the dam file is too big to load. Regardless, I drove it all of 10 meters to get it to the back corner of the yard and out of the way for a teenage party coming up. This was my "compelling event" to get it rolling.
The 2 photos below are simply included as i liked the look of them.

The rear valence and bumper are removed only because i was testing for leaks in the custom stainless tank (no issue there thankfully), and you can also see that the engine wiring has been draped up over the dash. The Autronic EFI control module just sat on the passenger seat.

Lastly, here is a picture from the front showing how temporarily some systems have been implemented. The external dry sump tank is the good old trusty plastic bucket held in position with hay-band. The coils are taped onto blocks of 2x4 that sit on the rockers, and a keen eye will see the oil pressure guage is the only "important" guage used. No need for a radiator obviously when it's being driven only a few meters.....

I have since reversed it back into the garage and have it up on stands again. The next set of jobs is to do final brake bleeding, fabricate a custom exhaust (hopefully a full 3" system will fit between the coil-overs and up over the diff'), fabricate a final dry-sump reservior, install the front sway bar, install the final coolant lines and radiator, install the engine "front dress" for alternator and power-steering pump mounts - and maybe even run wiring to the front for lights and blinkers.

Actually - that is a heap of work when listed as such. So future posts will cover them.....