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Timing Chain Replacement (56k Beware)

LEB Ben

Arrogant A-hole At-Large
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This is a fairly in depth write-up and pictorial of how to get to the timing chain and replace it, with a few tips and tricks along the way. Not all my techniques used are necessarily 'proper' but they did get the job done. Keep in mind, this is on a 351M with A/C...but for the most part, most of the steps will be the same on a 360/390 and 429/460.


If you're anything like me, it's good to take some pics of the engine in it's original state and any areas you'll be working, so then you'll have an idea of what it's supposed to look like when you're done.

DSC02797.jpg


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-I started with draining the radiator...don't forget guys, there's a pet cock to drain, alot less messy than just yanking the lower hose:

DSC02825.jpg


-Next, you'll want to remove your fan shroud (if you have one)...as well as the fan (the fan requires a 7/16 wrench), and you'll have something that looks like this (with A/C removed and idler pulley removed):

DSC02811.jpg


(For reinstall, place one bolt in the bottom slot of the fan spacer...that way you don't have to try and hold the fan in place)


-Next you'll want to remove the power steering pump (I just removed it from the block and rested it in the bay):

DSC02813.jpg


(Keep in mind to get the belt off of the PS pump, you need to loosen the 3nuts on the top side and one nut on the side of the bracket. At which time the pump will slide up and down in that bracket)


-Next comes the Alternator bracket:
DSC02815.jpg


(Be sure to take a picture and consult that picture if you're unsure which wire goes where on the alternator...so you don't end up like me and fry your alt. and battery)

At this point in time, I still had my smog pump on, and I decided it was a good time to ditch it. In the picture, you'll notice the wrench to the back side...that's because the bolt went through the block and was secured with a nut:
DSC02817.jpg



-Next, you'll want to remove the heater hose and the lower radiator hose from the water pump, and at this point, you should have something that looks like this:

DSC02826.jpg



The next step was to remove the crankshaft pulley:

DSC02824.jpg


In order to get the bolt out, you could either use an impact, or stop the pulley from spinning (I chose the latter, but did have a 400lb guy pulling down on the pry bar)

DSC02828.jpg


And now, you're down to the fuel pump (could have been done earlier, but waaaaay easier to get to now), damper, the pointer and the cover:

DSC02831.jpg



-Next...be SURE to use the right tool for the job. YOU NEED A HARMONIC BALANCER PULLER. I was stubborn and tried using an old flywheel puller and it put pulling pressure on the wrong areas, and gave me something like this:


DSC02832.jpg


So I bought the right puller (only $16 and can be used for several other things as well).
DSC02840.jpg


(My dad also saved my behind and brought my balancer to work, and it only took a 25,000 lb press to make it right again. So he saved me $100)


-Next...my cover was stuck on pretty good, so I needed to use a couple screw drivers to get under the gasket and pry it off. Be sure not to bend it, and remember there are also two dowel pins that it sits on. Once you get the cover off, it'll look like this:

DSC02873.jpg



How about this chain stretch for ya:

DSC02879.jpg



Now comes the toughest part of the WHOLE project, getting the cam gear and the crank sprocket off. For me, the crank sprocket moved easily, so I didn't really worry about it. The books all said to use long screw drivers and wedge them behind, and the sides of the cam gear, and try to pull it off. After toying around for 10-15 minutes that way and bending a couple screw drivers, I decided to just use a pry bar, and I wedged it on the underside...2-3 tugs later, the cam gear and crank sprocket came free:

DSC02881.jpg



Upon further inspection, there appeared to be a few teeth sheered off, but the bigger concern was all the 'nylon' coating that was missing:

DSC02882.jpg



I had a feeling of where they went:

DSC02887.jpg



I was right:
DSC02893.jpg



Next, was time to scrape all the gaskets...this is what I used, and made light work of scraping:

DSC02904.jpg

DSC02903.jpg


The spray worked great, and was the first time I ever used it...but it was amazing, made the old gaskets and silicone dissolve away. BE CAREFUL though, DO NOT get it on your skin...it DOES burn.

Now before you put the new chain on, you wanna be sure to get the #1 cylinder all the way to the top. It's easier to rotate the engine, if you take all the plugs out and have ZERO compression:

DSC02897.jpg




After all those missing teeth, making sure all the valves are opening and closing properly and trying to see if the push rods are still good:

DSC02905.jpg



Sliding the new timing set on was pretty easy, you just have to make sure you have the gear and sprocket don't get diagonal. Also, don't forget about the keyway on the crank, and the tab on the back side of the eccentric:

DSC02908.jpg



Now before you put the timing cover back on, make sure it's perfectly clean, because it seal to the block and the water pump (I figured I was in that far, and opted to buy a new one from JBG). I bead blasted mine. I also put a new seal in it too. I dunno how easily the seal was supposed to come out, but it took a 1,500lb press to get it outta there:

DSC02909.jpg




Then, you just go back in the reverse order and start putting things back together, remembering to tighten things to proper torque specs. Example...I was taken away from the job in the middle of the water pump...so all the bolts were just finger tight...when I got back to the project, I forgot to torque them all down, and threw everything back together...So when I went to start it for the first time, coolant poured out from everywhere. So I had tear back down to the water pump and do it right.
 

LEB Ben

Arrogant A-hole At-Large
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All in all, it was a fairly labor intensive project, because it'll take a good 8 hours from tear down to building it back up, but it was all relatively easy work. Another tip, be sure to have any and all gaskets, seals, parts, etc. in your hand before you start so you can get it all done at once.


Other info...I figured it would be best to replace the water pump since I was already in that far...JBG had new ones for $50...O'Reilly's had remans for $13. I also bought an oil pump from O'Reilly's for $30. As stated earlier be sure to have a good grasp or document any wires that may be touched, moved or disconnected. I also decided it was a good idea to remove the radiator after the fins caught a couple good raps from a wrench...but that was only 2 tranny, lines and 6 bolts.



I would also like to say PB blaster is absolutely essential, and so is an extra set of hands or two:

DSC02921.jpg

DSC02895.jpg






I hope you guys enjoyed the read and that this thread can help future FTF'ers.
 

LEB Ben

Arrogant A-hole At-Large
34,919
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Thanks guys...it really wasn't that bad of a job, just be sure you have plenty of PB blaster. So if you know how to turn a wrench, I'd definitely advise doing it yourself. My dad called around just out of curiousity to see how much the cheapest shop would be...and the cheapest place around was $500 plus parts and said it would be a week before they were done. It took me 3-4 days to get it done, due to waiting on parts...and I had $13 in VC gaskets, $11 in a front cover gasket set, $7 in a pan gasket set, $50 in a water pump, $30 in an oil pump, and $20 in a Cloyes HD Timing set (plus my screw up cost me an alternator and a battery at $110 total). So I was basically out of the actual job for $150 (and it coulda been cheaper) and 8-10 hours of my time.
 
I buy gasket sets for my 289 and 429 at swap meets dirt cheap from Non-Ford guys .
 

LEB Ben

Arrogant A-hole At-Large
34,919
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I buy gasket sets for my 289 and 429 at swap meets dirt cheap from Non-Ford guys .



Good call...but gaskets are one of those things I'm really picky about, I get worried if they're old and brittle...or if for some reason they're not the right set for me, I have no one to blame but myself.
 

surewhynot

Rep whores make me sick
13,843
821
Florida
HAve you noticed any power gain from having a straight up timing set verses the factory retarded one?
 

89frankenford

Grabber Green Consultant
4,547
147
NH
thats a really good write up!!! and some good pics too! as everyone else stated, any noticeable power gain?
 

dakonthemountain

California Chapter member
Great job Ben! Glad to hear you have it all done. How's it run?! When and if I have to replace mine, I'll refer to your post and do it myself. Good simple to understand writeup and photos!
Dak
 

LEB Ben

Arrogant A-hole At-Large
34,919
1,124
outside your house
HAve you noticed any power gain from having a straight up timing set verses the factory retarded one?

thats a really good write up!!! and some good pics too! as everyone else stated, any noticeable power gain?

Well I was hoping someone would ask that...haha. I know it's been a pretty heated topic on other sites, and some knowledgeable guys say it's not possible, and others say it is possible...so I didn't want to start another efan debate. However, I wouldn't say that I notice anymore power (maybe just a hair), but I will say the daggon thing does seem to be aloooooooooot more responsive from the low end (off idle) to about mid-range (35-4000 rpm)


Great job Ben! Glad to hear you have it all done. How's it run?! When and if I have to replace mine, I'll refer to your post and do it myself. Good simple to understand writeup and photos!
Dak

Thanks Dak. As I said earlier, it was pretty simple, just time consuming. I didn't go into all the little details like reclocking the dizzy, pulling the Temp Sending Unit wire, etc...but I figured most guys would get that.


***One thing I will say about the distributor though, while rotating the engine over and whatnot, it is possible to put the chain on 180* from where it is supposed to be. So if you button everything up, and can't get your truck to start, try turning the dizzy 180*, and it should fire right up.

***Another tip...if you do have an A/C box in the way, anytime you go to pull the valve covers or the rear spark plug on a 335 series...you can easily access the rearward bolts of the VC and the rear spark plug from UNDER the vehicle.

You can see here, I'm on the rear VC bolt with a 1/4" drive with a 1/4" to 3/8" adapter and a 7/16" socket. You can also see how easy it would be to access that rear spark plug as well:

DSC02899-1.jpg


I think been crashed TOny.

Nope...I didn't crash, it was just time to spend some time with the good ol' girl friend. (God I hope Lee doesn't read that)

Good write up Ben.Will give you some Reps for it too

Thanks Tony, I appreciate it.

Great job, and great pictoral write up! YelloThumbUp

Now it's time to do yours, isn't it???????? Hope this helped.

Thanks for taking the time to post pics and do a write up on this.

No worries, if it helps even one member here, the write-up was worth my time.
 

TexasNomad

FTFS Designated DRINKER!
Well from what a certain pork product has told me in the past..
Your supposed to see huge power gains! from a straight up timing :p
I thought your Broncos 351m was pretty much toast?
 

LEB Ben

Arrogant A-hole At-Large
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outside your house
Yeah Tex...that may have something to do with it for sure. After feeling the responsive difference, I wouldn't doubt there would be more gain on a good engine...but you're right the ol' 351M is about toast. If I woulda had half a hair on my azz...I would just pulled it and gone to town...but time, experience, nor money was on my side.
 

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