1966 Ford Mustang - Project '66 - Ford 289 Short-Block Buildup Part 1 - Project '66 Engine Build

13-bNotice the use of rod-bolt covers to prevent nicking the crank journal. The rod cap is installed and the ARP hardware tightened up. John repeats the process for the remaining seven pistons.

14 Once all eight pistons are installed, John rotates the block and positions each pair of rods (per crank throw) at their highest point, then torques the caps to the specs provided with the ARP Wave-Loc rod bolts.

15 With the reciprocating assembly all settled in, there are only a few small items left to deal with on the short-block assembly, including the valvetrain and oiling system. Here, our Comp Cams double-roller timing chain is set into place with the original fuel-pump eccentric and a new cam-gear retaining bolt.

16 We picked this Speed-Pro high-volume oil pump for our 289 buildup. The pump comes out of the box in a black oxide finish and ready to go with its own high-torque-rated driveshaft and gaskets. The replacement pickup tube and screen are also from Federal-Mogul.

17 Before bolting the new oil pump to the block, John uses a small punch and hammer to make a series of raised marks around the oil-pump passage on the block. This aids in sealing the pump to the block, John tells us. With the new gasket positioned, John bolts the pump to the block using our ARP hardware.

18 The replacement pickup tube is secured to the inlet side of the oil pump with its own gasket and ARP hardware.

19 John rotates the block upright once again, and slides our new roller lifters into place, accompanied by their H-shaped retaining bars. Notice the retainers have the word UP on them to show proper orientation.

20 The metal retainer, often called a spider, is positioned over the lifters retainers to prevent the lifters and retainers from coming out of the block too far at high rpm. The spring steel of the spider puts pressure on the H-bar retainer to do this. The spider is retained to the block by two Allen head bolts, which must have holes drilled and tapped to accept them. John made the two necessary holes during the machining operation, so we were good to go. Don't make the mistake of having a completely built short-block and having to take it all apart to drill these holes.

21 While not physically installed in this stage of our 289 buildup, we ordered a new damper and compatible V-8 flywheel from National Parts Depot so our 289 could be fully balanced. In an upcoming issue, well install the modified cylinder heads, degree the cam, and button up the engine with a new timing cover, oil pan, and other goodies to prepare it for some flogging on the dyno. After we dyno-test our hot little combo, well drag out the detailing parts and paint we obtained from NPD to dress our 289 for full show duty. Stay tuned.