[TurboRay]

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That's SWELL, fellas ~ and I have E85 at a fueling station about a mile from my house! BUT...... the response was to hard-wiring the switchable octane circuit. Sooo...... what's the harm in leaving it intact (switchable) for the rare or improbable instances when 93 isn't available? <shrug>

[evintho]

Glad you started a build thread.  One more thing we have in common........totalled Mustangs!
The motor in my roadster came outta my '89 ragtop.  This guy rearended me at 40 mph.  The insurance company wrote me a check and let me keep the car.



As far as the surface rust on the inside of your engine, contact your local machine shop and see if they can do anything about that.  Not sure if it'd be a problem, or not.  Maybe not if it isn't on any machined surfaces but I'd sure try to eliminate it, if it were mine.

[Cobrapatrol]

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That's SWELL, fellas ~ and I have E85 at a fueling station about a mile from my house! BUT...... the response was to hard-wiring the switchable octane circuit. Sooo...... what's the harm in leaving it intact (switchable) for the rare or improbable instances when 93 isn't available? <shrug>

You're right, TurboRay, there's no reason not to add the switch. 

I've been going through the original harness and I noticed that the fuel pump relay circuit, which also goes to the VIP connector, was intermittent.  I traced it back to the factory splice near the ECU connector. I peeled back the original friction tape on the splice and the crimp was loose.  1984 factory work.

[Cobrapatrol]

As far as the surface rust on the inside of your engine, contact your local machine shop and see if they can do anything about that.  Not sure if it'd be a problem, or not.  Maybe not if it isn't on any machined surfaces but I'd sure try to eliminate it, if it were mine.

I used Rustoleum gel rust remover and a wire brush to get started. That's worked pretty well. I've used Glyptal before to seal the interior of an engine block to aid in oil drainback. Just have to see how well it cleans up.

[Cobrapatrol]

Does anyone know an engine machine shop in the Seattle/Tacoma area? I'd like to get my block honed.

[evintho]

Have you mic'd the cylinders to see how out of round they are? On my 5.0 build, the worst cylinder was .005 out. It was a 90k mile, well cared for motor. I simply picked up a 240 grit ball hone from Amazon and honed them myself. Super easy and left a really nice crosshatch pattern. I also installed new rings on the factory pistons. The car is on the road now with excellent compression, no smoke or blowby.

[Cobrapatrol]

Thanks, I've ball honed my last two engines 😉 I'd still like to examine my alternatives and knowing where there's a recommended machine shop can be useful. I haven't lived in the PNW all that long but I know there's not a shop close to me. Especially one that knows anything about 2.3T.