after driving around on low oil pressure and a bottom end knock for a few months i now have saved up some cash to rebuild. need as much help as possible cause i know fordmods is the best site.

need advice on rebuild only, have weighed up new motor options etc but as one fordmodder put in the past (better the devil you know than the one you dont) blah blah blah. going to keep this car for a while.

Current budget is $3.5 - 4k. (car is 96 ef futura, auto, 186,000km, 3.08 soon to be 3.45, jmm race headers, their dev 2 kit basically, autospeed style CAI, PWR tranny cooler).


Money will be spent on
a) Decided on acl race rebuild kit.

b) New stock oil pump or hiflow pump? will i need hiflow for cams/chip in future or stock ok? much price diff? Also do the pickups/screens/spring and valve need to be replaced with pump or are these generally ok.

c) optional, what is necessary/mandatory and what is a luxury?
- hot tank the block
- bore and hone
- refinish the deck (read this in another post but dont know what it is?)
- linish/balance crank

- new springs? or should i wait until cam happens one day.
- valvetrain kit (is this different to a timing chain kit?)
- timing chain kit
- new lifters and stem seals

How much of this would squeeze into $3-4K ?

Possible plans for cam-springs/histall/port/chip combo but unlikely in the near future.

thanks alot

if you have been driving with low oil pressure and a bottom end knock.
you more then likely will need to have the crank ground under size and order under sized bearing with the rebuilt kit. If the kit comes with over sized pistons the block will need a rebore and hone, OR if the bore are to far gone you will need to buy the over sized pistons. IF the bore is ok an hone so suit stock sized pistons may work, (note this will be determind the size of the replacment pistons you'll get with the rebuild kit)

A new stock oil pump is more then enough, a high fow/pressure pump is a waste of horespower. the new pump will have the new releif spring and vale already fitted, though it is a good idea to have the spring tension checked on a valve spring gauge. the one i bought needed 6mm of spacers fitted to get the correct pressure.

hot tank, bore and hone, decking the block is all part of a good rebuild.
same goes for the crank with grinding and linnishing.
BUT it all comes down to how much wear each part has.

there is alot to mention here. YOUR BEST OPTION is to give the engine to the machinist and get him to tell you what the engine needs

ACL Race series pistons are only available in oversize, 0.50mm & 1.00mm.
If the block is hot tanked ( caustic solution), you will have to change the water every day for about 2 weeks as the caustic comes out of the block. Cast Iron is very porous.
The oil will need to be changed reguarly as well, again, the caustic comes out, goes into the oil and etches the bearings.
You will notice the caustic in the cooling system after 1 day when it gets hot, the radiator cap will smell of it and feel greasy from it.
I know its a pain in the ar5e, to change the water everyday, but caustic eats alloy, hence, you don't hot tank anything other than steel or cast iron.
You can use a high volume pump, then you would use Penrite HPR 10 engine oil, ( 10W60 semi-synthetic).
I would do the whole engine at once, head work, cam, springs, balance, etc, etc, so there is no opening the donk later on.