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I bought a rare 1986 Turtle Top Terravan RV in really great condition with only 60K miles on an E350 base. I got it at auction for not very much money since it hadn't run in 7 years. The revival required a rebuilt 4V carb, fuel pump, alternator, battery, fuel line and filter, oil change, transmission fluid change, rear brakes and new shocks. I've put 6K miles on it in 2 years. It gets 8 mpg and struggles to get up hills with a top speed of 60mph. But 0 to 45 is quick for a 8000 lb. vehicle. (why only 3 speeds? I guess 55mph was the goal..)
The last time I tore down an engine was in 1982 on a 1966 Chevy 327. They've added a lot of crap to a basic V8 carbureted engine since then! I would just like to adjust valves, replace plugs and run some new senders, but what a freaking mess with all the smog pumps, tubulation, vacuum towers, etc. I just want to get some more torque, better gas mileage and a quieter valve train.
To that end I am considering doing a top-end rebuild with aluminum heads and intake, maybe move to a Holley Sniper EFI but at least get the engine back to something that resembles an... engine. And I'd like to do that on a tight budget. "PCE by Speedmaster" on that "Jungle Site" has a ready to go aluminum top end for about $1200 and that's right in the ballpark for budget. With some aftermarket headers I can get all that tubulation out of my way and maybe even be able to tune my engine.
So, I am soliciting all y'all for ideas, warnings, scoffing and help to figure out what I should and shouldn't do here. For one, has anyone bought and used the cheap stuff from amazon? Also, can I change to roller lifters, what kind of cam shaft do I want for torque and fuel mileage, should I bother with EFI or can I get dependability and mileage from a carburetor? What is the quietest set up to do on the valve train next to a new oil pump (which I'm sure to do someday). The dog house is great at blocking out the exhaust noise, but it sounds like a conveyor line at 2500 rpm up there - (oil pressure is good and no valve noise when tooling around town) Maybe it would be less risky to just crimp a bunch of tubes and keep the old top end. Let me know. Electric cooling fan? Electric water pump? Electric fuel pumps? Smog pumps were already bypassed, probably in '97. There are mice too.
The last time I tore down an engine was in 1982 on a 1966 Chevy 327. They've added a lot of crap to a basic V8 carbureted engine since then! I would just like to adjust valves, replace plugs and run some new senders, but what a freaking mess with all the smog pumps, tubulation, vacuum towers, etc. I just want to get some more torque, better gas mileage and a quieter valve train.
To that end I am considering doing a top-end rebuild with aluminum heads and intake, maybe move to a Holley Sniper EFI but at least get the engine back to something that resembles an... engine. And I'd like to do that on a tight budget. "PCE by Speedmaster" on that "Jungle Site" has a ready to go aluminum top end for about $1200 and that's right in the ballpark for budget. With some aftermarket headers I can get all that tubulation out of my way and maybe even be able to tune my engine.
So, I am soliciting all y'all for ideas, warnings, scoffing and help to figure out what I should and shouldn't do here. For one, has anyone bought and used the cheap stuff from amazon? Also, can I change to roller lifters, what kind of cam shaft do I want for torque and fuel mileage, should I bother with EFI or can I get dependability and mileage from a carburetor? What is the quietest set up to do on the valve train next to a new oil pump (which I'm sure to do someday). The dog house is great at blocking out the exhaust noise, but it sounds like a conveyor line at 2500 rpm up there - (oil pressure is good and no valve noise when tooling around town) Maybe it would be less risky to just crimp a bunch of tubes and keep the old top end. Let me know. Electric cooling fan? Electric water pump? Electric fuel pumps? Smog pumps were already bypassed, probably in '97. There are mice too.
