Polishing a turd.

***cleatus12r*** · #1 Tue, October 12th, 2021, 04:47 PM

COMP Cams has lost my business forever.

I realize that due to the manufactured shutdown plandemic that there will be shortages and delays but here is a timeline of stuff that has gone down with this company from the onset of ordering to the current time of 2:30 PM 10/12/21.

8/24/21 - Purchased roller camshaft kit direct from COMP.
9/21/21 - Called COMP to see if they had an ETA on the kit. Short lifters, retainers, and keepers.
9/22/21 - COMP called me and miraculously had lifters in stock now. Still no retainers or keepers. The sales person does the order a la carte just to get me the parts. The kit was $910, I was charged $890.

See previous post for filler to today.....

10/12/21 - Jeg's sent me the 4-groove keepers for the intake valves. Got heads assembled and installed on block. GETTING SOMEWHERE!!!! I set out to install the pushrods that CAME WITH THE 351M/400 roller KIT. They're an inch short. REALLY!?!?!? Of course the stock ones are way too long to work with roller lifters. I called COMP AGAIN....waited on hold for an hour and fifteen minutes just to be put on hold and directed to a "tech's" voicemail. An hour later I get a call back just to be told that they don't know what pushrods I need. So, I offer to buy a pushrod length checker and that I want to get an RMA for the incorrect pushrods and when I find out what length I need, I don't want to pay the $200 pricetag for replacement pushrods when I was only initially charged $69 for the ones that came with the kit. "I'll see if my supervisor will go for that." Here I am waiting for a pushrod length tool (out another $48 including shipping) now....delaying my build/install by another two weeks at least and hoping that I don't have to throw away another $200 on pushrods. They've already screwed me on retainers and locks ($100 on top of the already $890 for the kit initially) and two months of time.

This engine isn't for me, either, so I have a pissed-off customer to add to the frustration.

***cleatus12r*** · #2 Fri, October 22nd, 2021, 09:24 AM

Ended up buying $225 pushrods.

An email from COMP said that the catalog says the pushrods in the kit won't fit a 351M/400 but the ONLINE catalog (as well as all vendors) conveniently left that out. Who buys anything from a paper catalog these days!?!?

Oh, and since I opened the box of pushrods.....I own the wrong ones. Perfect.

The almost correct-length pushrods and rocker pedestal shims (since the pushrods are .020" too long) might all be on my doorstep by Saturday.

Nope. Never again.

***Power Hungry*** · #3 Fri, October 22nd, 2021, 09:36 AM

Damn. It's a shame that this is where this industry has gone. Comp Cams used to be an industry leader, and now it's just the same garbage as everything else.

***cleatus12r*** · #4 Wed, October 27th, 2021, 09:01 AM

The rocker shims came on Friday and the 9.050" pushrods came in yesterday. I had some time to figure out the shim thickness on a few cylinders and came to the conclusion that .010" shims were good to get plunger travel to about .050" .

So......

I'll get the intake put on today and maybe get the run stand pushed over tonight.

Seriously, after 3 months and 4 days since this project started, I am emotionally DONE with this ride. It better run and stay together for a while!

There's also about to be a 7th 7.3L in the stable.

***cleatus12r*** · #5 Fri, October 29th, 2021, 04:46 PM

After three painful months (plus 5 days), it's ALIVE! With the fuel injection, it didn't even rotate twice before it popped off.

What a rollercoaster ride. Now I have to find a day or two to remove the old engine from the pickup and put this one in.

***Jackpine*** · #6 Fri, October 29th, 2021, 05:20 PM

Now that it's done, and running, you're going to have to give it a new name. "Turd" doesn't seem appropriate now. Maybe, something like "Heavy Iron", or, "Iron Maiden"?

- Jack

***cleatus12r*** · #7 Fri, October 29th, 2021, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackpine

Now that it's done, and running, you're going to have to give it a new name. "Turd" doesn't seem appropriate now. Maybe, something like "Heavy Iron", or, "Iron Maiden"?

- Jack

Well, it IS a Ford 400 so it still is, and always will be a steaming pile.

The happy news is that I wss able to get the old engine in the truck to spin 360 degrees so I don't have to pull the torque converter out with the engine. It's been sitting without a driver's side cylinder head for many years and of course the rear cylinder sat with water in it.

Looks like another good rebuildable 400.