[73XR7]

Ok here is the deal, as you all know i have a 73 XR-7 Triple Ginger Cat, well my string of bad luck has once again caused yet another problem! I drove it last night and all was fine but when i pulled it out of the garage this morning , it had a new NOISE that i was unfamiliar with, after a quick call to a friend it was determined that a Lifter had collapsed or a broken rocker arm, but with my luck it would be a Lifter! Anyway i am not that mechaniclly inclined and nor do i have the money to repair her now or for a while, and it is my only car! So i am thinking of either selling her, trading her, or parting her out to fund a new Cat that runs good.
I will give the run down about her:
351 C 2V FMX 2:75 open rear
NEW Suspension ALL of it
New Rad, ALT, Hoses, Belts, Cap rotor Wires, Plugs(all motorcraft except rotor)
Near perfect Ginger Interior(no cracks in dash pad, drivers seat has 2 small tears, and headliner has small tear, Perfect console, rear set is good)
New tires, brakes, brake line to rear
Chrome is good
weather stripping is good
new fuel pump
only needs minor things which i can get if need be, 1/4 panel on passenger side , steering coloum sleeve(car was broken into and Lock was pulled out of coloum sleeve), carb should be replaced
AND IT APPARENTLY NEEDS A LIFTER!!!
Has great oil pressure and ran fine till this morning
Car is located in Springfield MA

So all please let me know what i should do i trust all of your opinions and judgement so please speak up!!!:1zhelp:

 

[OC_Cougar]

Hm, my first car was a 66 mustang and I was ALWAYS bending/cracking pushrods, blowing lifters and then having to replace that crap... turned out that someone before had put TOO heavy a spring on the heads and was overtightening the rockers. More of an inconvenience that a cost problem.

Oh yeah, I also broke the crankshaft in half and still drove the car home. Ford Tough.. hehe. (it snapped mid bearing so it held it together)

Robert

 

[wvcat]

It is really an easy fix. Just pull the intake manifold, valve covers and rockers and pushrods. Pull the old lifter out and drop the new one in and reassemble. Of course most will say replace the cam too. The cam change is a little mor difficult but could be done by someone with limited mechanical knowledge. Probably the worst part is tearin off all the accessories on the front of the engine...AC, PS, Alt, Water Pump, Crank Pulley(could be difficult) Timing Cover, Timing Chain and finally the cam. I know it sounds difficult but its really an oversized jigsaw puzzle...lol
John
wvcat

 

[73XR7]

ok ok i think i will attempt to fix it, now which kit should i go with John?
Summit has 2 one good from 1500rpm up and one good from 2000 rpm up.
Also the motor has 127,000 on it is this a feasable job with this milage?

 

[wvcat]

Go for the one thats from 1500 up unless you want to upgrade your exhaust and carb/intake. Probably you should take the valve covers off and take a good look at your springs for a broken spring.
John
wvcat

 

[Cougar72]

If the motor has 127,000 miles, why not a rebuild? Even if you dont do it yourself, it's not very pricey and they can catch alot of things before they go wrong. PAW has
351 Cleveland parts for a rebuild, I think its around 175 for the kit.

 

[dark7068]

Dave, dont give up. I had my share of bad luck this weekend too. My control valve on my daily driver (Fairlane) broke, the ball stud broke inside somehow. The roll pin in the centerlink sheared off which caused the c.v. to move around I guess and snapped. Also blew the pressure hose, hit the header.

As for your car, might be cheaper to find a temporary motor until you can fix your Cleveland proper and build it up some at the same time. That way you can tear it apart in your garage/shop and find out how they work too, get a book on engines. The best book on Clevelands is "How to rebuild your Ford V8-351C,etc. by Tom Monroe. Its an HP Book series.

I still have a loaner motor in my car, now I might need a loaner control valve too.

Rick

 

[vfret]

I would replace just the lifter and worry about the cam and rebuild later when your ready to pony up some real dough. If you can find one lifter, you can open it up, replace the lifter, and get it closed backup in just a coouple hours. I would think second on putting a performance cam on a motor with 127K miles.

 

[1974 cougar]

if it was me, I would just replace the lifter. 127k is a lot on a engine. Check with your local auto parts store and you might be able to get a lifter set for cheap. It's a quick fix. I can hear your 351 is begging for a rebuild and is begging for a four barrel and a 600 holley.

 

[jimk351c]

If you want just one lifter, I recently did a cam / lifter swap on my 351C-2v. The stock type lifters I pulled only have 3K miles on them. I'd be happy to put one in the mail and send it to you. However, if it was me, I'd replace cam & lifters at the same time with new stuff.

 

[Cougar Kitty]

73XR7

Sorry, to hear about the misfortune...but is it? I would go ahead and overhaul it. My first car was a 68 Firebird and I overhauled the motor in the driveway with a friend when I was 18. It's not that difficult and I'm a girl! As far as my Cougar, I had a friend do it...had no time...but, I did have another car. You must have friends don't you to get you around for awhile. If you part it out let me know...I NEED A GINGER INTERIOR BADLY.

 

[73XR7]

Thank you all for your help!

Ok i am going to go ahead and fix it, my buddy here (the ford guy)
is going to help me out first i am going to bring it there and let him determin in person what is wrong...if it needs it i will replace the cam and lifter set and timing chain while i am there, also does anyone have a 4 bbl intake that would work with the 2V heads for really cheap, i will have money soon my settlement got started today and should be wrapped up in a month but i am broke for now this Cam lifter thing is gonna break me but i can live with it. But i figured why not do the intake while i am here.I already have a Holley 600cfm carb ready to go.
So again thanks all for your wisdom and support i greatly appreciate it.


P.S. if you do have a 4 BBL intake e-mail me off list or call me at
413-782-2121

 

[Cougar Kitty]

Also interested in Carb + intake

Going...4 barrel:ylsup: