Looking good so far. And a lot cleaner than Dad's 302, I must say. If you needed intake bolts, you should've spoken up, I have a couple Windsor's worth of spare bolts. I just rummaged through to replace three on Dad's engine.
Have you done the diagnosis to verify where the oil is getting into the combustion chambers, or where it may be leaking out?
Number 8 has an oil control problem. Leaning towards valve seals because the car made good power. I figure blow by at the rings would significantly diminish power output.
Could be stuck oil control rings. You can have good compression and still consume oil if the rings are stuck. The Lightning 351 should be a pretty decent upgrade either way.
Yeah, you should run something like ATF into the cylinders, and also change out all the valve seals, then do a leakdown test on all the cylinders to ensure no leakage past the rings and valves.
The engine is on the stand now. I will investigate further after I get the 351 settled, plumbed and running. Then I will rebuild the 1986 5.0. I already have a gasket set including valve seals. I will probably throw the e-cam at it.
The 351 swap is almost done. The hood bracing is gonna be cut, but I need a raised hood of some kind.
Looking good, keep us posted. I think once that 351 engine is up and running there will be no going back to a 302.
Yes. But I will have to fabricate it... eventually. I am inclined to agree. I even have another 351 to build up for it. That would be impressive!
I would put the air filter or filters in the hood, and the air box on the throttle body, so that when the hood is shut, it seals around the box. Similar to a shaker hood's design, but the filters are in the hood.