The engine was on the edge of being restorable. I looked into buying a rebuilt Ford 1500 but went with originality in the end. A company called CraftWorks was suggested to me so I talked to the owner, Marty Craft, and decided to have him rebuild the engine. The original quote was around $2000 to renew this thing. Always double the first quote. The block needed to be rebored and shaved. I went with .020" over pistons. The original front cover was junk and had to be replaced. Fortunately, the head was in good shape. I replaced the valves and performed a valve job. Many of the internal parts were replaced (all bearings, oil pump, timing chain, etc.) It took about five months before I got the engine back home. CraftWorks also rebuilt the transmission. I rebuilt the Strombergs myself. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, a coworker and I installed the engine and drive train. The radiator was checked at a local shop, where they found one small leak near the top which I fixed. We then installed the radiator and hoses.

Last Updated: April 2002
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