here I got salmon, trout, and steelhead in my front yard and it's always green./quote]
Sweet!
My Scout has driven the majority of the texas coast line in search of fat specks.
Thanks I will be looking for your post tomorrow
Momma and me do the specks and spot-tail reds on occasion on the fly outta port aransas...port a ain't changed much since the 60's unlike sopadre which is to be avoided at all costs and is no longer part of tejas in my world...kinda like dallas at the beach. We hope to make a roadtrip back for a month or so at xmas-time, be down arount san antone/austin also, ma and pa are still alive up north of foatwuth.
A "stock" build but very careful assembly will do all that you desire and give ya 200k miles with normal maintenance!
If you have already had the block crack-check done, that is a plus and imperative. The heads on those motors are terrible for cracks in the combustion chambers so make sure they are magged also. Same for the front and rear drilled/tapped "ears" on the castings where the exhaust manifolds mount, a very weak area on the castings.
Since the motor is a side-mount '75 vintage pickup, make certain that the block pads are drilled/tapped for Scout II engine mounts, you May need to drill/tap holes for that so ya don't have surprises down the line, there are variations in these engines and since the 392 was never meant for a Scout II (and the '74 and later production motors are different in the mount department)
cam bearing positioning is the lifeblood of these motors, we have much information regarding that is this sub-forum including many pics. Turn your machine shop dude onto this section for review and he'll understand these motors are unlike other deetrot iron in that regard. Same for the purification ritual for the rocker shaft assemblies along with correct match-up of components.
To be honest, we are not gonna be able to beat northern's price on these parts...but we do offer the best in customer support, spend some time around here and you will quickly understand that. I believe there was some misunderstanding when you called about parts since you advised you had already bought parts elsewhere. When dealing in special interest stuff like this, there re very few knowledge bases that know IH stuff. We share our knowledge quite readily with customers, that is why we exist..., this forum is not a place to go hang out and bs and bench-wrench though sumtimes we do that too!
If this were my own engine build, I'd have a nice three-angle valve job done with very close attention paid to proper "installed valve height" as the valve train on these motors is non-adjustable in any fashion. If it's not right, the lifters are gonna rattle.
I'd have the heads "trued" but otherwise left alone and retain whatever cr is provided by the replacement pistons. There is no need for any piston other than a stock-type cast unit. The motors will not rev to place any kind of stress on the internal components since they are super-duty parts to begin with (relatively speaking).
All the parts I use in my own work here are right off the shelf from ihon. There are very few "options" to be found today regarding parts by "brand name", there never were many aftermarket suppliers of IH components as there was in reality, no market for such, these motors were not mainstream passenger car engines and as such the oem-level parts were extremely high end to begin with. No one in their right mind ever built a "high performance" IH motor on a routine basis as there was no demand. What was demanded, was an engine that would run under maximum load hour after hour for 200k miles, quite a feat for a gasoline engine in a truck or school bus! Fuel economy back in the day was of absolutely no concern and ya can't make one of these motors less thirsty.
For your rotating assembly, whatcha need are:
1) pistons (0.30" over) and rings to match, oem design crown for retaining compression ratio.
2) full engine gasket set for improved cooling (ic) motor (very important as the head gaskets don't interchange and includes all seals).
3) oil pump rebuild kit.
4) cam bearings (those will be durabond in 11).
5) 0.010" undersize rod and main bearings.
6) lifters, either johnson or clevite, must have radiused running surface in order to provide proper rotation.
7) timing gear set (only if your machinist has verified that there is wear present in what you currently have, otherwise re-install for another 200k miles!).
8) brass soft plug kit (does not include plugs for the heads or the welch plugs in the underside of the intake manifold).
9) replacement water tubes for ic motor if yours are rotted at all (the "o" rings are in the gasket set).
10) cam...all I can say is what I would not use...and I've already mentioned that! Any cam other than an exact oem replacement is gonna have slightly altered idle characteristics, that just has to be accepted. Talk to Jeff/Darren regarding the cam used in that recently completed 392 they did and see what their opinion is regarding performance/idle. I did the carb for that motor which is an aftermarket performance unit and not the oem smog-carb which is really not suitable for an engine build such as this.
