[njsteve]

Got the 7/16 x 5 inch bolts this morning and got the engine on the stand. Boy is this thing big and heavy. I started the disassembly and have already broken two 3/4" Craftsman sockets trying to pull the heads off. Those are some torqued down bolts! I'll need to use an impact rated socket tomorrow (after I buy one).

There is a ton of gunk inside that engine. When you touch it it crumbles more than smears. So it looks like I'll need to completely take this apart and hot tank the block to get all the goo out. That's what comes from 47 years of cold starts and limited driving. When I drained the oil (that only had 400 miles on it) - it was like black coal coming out of the drain plug. Can't wait to see what the oil analysis will say.

I pulled the first main cap to check the bearings. The crank looked great but the bearing was all copper. The rod bearing I checked looked fine and still had all its material intact. I'll Plastigage each one before I pull it all apart in the coming days. I like to know exactly how things were wearing in case I just go with a polish and re-bearing at STD size.

Interesting thing I am learning about Fords - they number the cylinders 1 through 4 on the passenger side and 5 through 8 on the driver's side. Not 1-3-5-7 and 2-4-6-8 like a GM. All the rods are number stamped.