KLZE? Or What?

[icajewler]

So, where to find colt cams? I think I'm going to try and go all out rebuilding this over the next few months. My wife is finicky about how much goes into savings so I've got somewhat of a choked money supply. But, I can slowly get each part, just not all at once. Ok, colt cams, what's next?

[Sleeper6]

colt cams will require sending in your old DE cams to them and about $400-500 to get them reground. If your trying to do this and keep the wife happy, just drop the pan, check your rod bearings and call it a day if they are good. If not you might as well plan on the whole works arp head studs will run you $250, or I can get you info on the bolts I got that were only $90. As for oil pump if your pulling it all apart just get a new one and add a 3mm shim for the $300 it will be cheap insurance and save you second guessing if anything goes astray down the line. Mazda factory head gaskets will set you back another $180, not counting all the countless water piping o-rings. And if your doing rings you might as well plan to have the motor honed and decked as well as decking the heads, easily another $5-600.

Again my advice if you want to keep the wife happy, use what you have, shim your oil pump if the bearings are good, manual tb tensioner conversion, new belts and call it a day. Maybe buy some ZE cams and replace the friction springs if you want to get really creative and you can still have an enjoyable project the wife wont hold over your head for under the $500 mark.

[SuperK]

there are a few of us that would like to get some colt cams. I would only get their least aggressive grinds for street use though.


http://www.coltcams.com/html/camshaft/index.cfm
The price of colt cams are 440/set. they have discounts if multiple sets are purchased.
3-4 sets - 360/set
5+ sets - 320/set

5 people would be pretty easy to find.


I would also suggest investing in 1/2" socket set. they're plenty strong enough for the headbolts.

[icajewler]

Sounds like a plan I will do an all out rebuild after I'm out of college though. PhD in chemistry is the plan and it's going great so far. So, I will just re-gasket and zoom around in a ze with de cams and work on the body till I have my career going Thanks for the advice!

[RX8SE3P]

Don't even touch the head gaskets then, they're almost always ok (unless you've already taken the heads off). Check oil for coolant and if it's just plain old black oil then I doubt the head gaskets are bad.

[icajewler]

I found a spring and retainer kit for the kl. I don't know how much they normally are, but is $45 a good deal?

[SuperK]

that probably is from xtremethings. He's a good guy and I would trust what he has for sale. Alternatively I can also sell you a set for 50 shipped.

[icajewler]

How much of a difference does changing them out make? I would like to redo valves and lifters as well. How much does it affect engine longevity to replace them?

[SuperK]

the valve spring/retainers you will only be doing the intake side, so 12 per head. 12 springs, 12 retainers, 24 locks.
The retainers you have in there right now are prone to cracking when revved continuously to 7500+ RPM


If you do not and plan not to redline the engine then there isn't any benefit to swapping anything.

[icajewler]

This engine is going to be destroyed over and over and rebuilt probably two to three times a year depending on how well the season goes. I would just like to replace most things before I drop it back in the car and put it on the tuner. (hoping to go MSII before then end of the year.) I'm hoping to stay in my bracket bhp wise and still have enough kick to be out on top. The k8ze i have did well, but the cylinder head chose to tell me otherwise. My group and I have decided our end product over the course of the next five years or so will be a forced inducted klze. Having connections to Indy car builders, they are helping install and tune the turbo. (they just changed over from v8 to v6's this year and run a small litre 13:1 cr turbo induction.) I am hoping that I can learn more about Ford's K series on here step by step so I can build and tune this engine to the spec's I wish to have. As the saying goes in the group: I do what I want.

[SuperK]

to learn more about tracking a K series engine, look no further than here: http://www.interpreptuning.com/


Alistair has much experience building track-ready KLs and still does machine work on them today. He does some block work with the oil passages, some crank work, some oil pump work to work reliably on the track.

The response I got from him was... have a lot of engine spares

[icajewler]

Awesome info! Thanks the most! Maybe I can get it on the track within the next few months and get some pics posted.

[Kenzie]

Thank for the info guys! So if I'm understanding my research correctly, the klze will function ok with k8 ecu and k8 vaf but to get it running to 'full' potential it is the kl31/36 ecu and the k8 vaf works with that? Unless i get a klde ecu and run a kl02 vaf? And how can you tell the difference in ecu's? I'm so close to having all my parts! I just really don't want to me missing anything.

The KL31/KL36 ECU will say KL31 or KL36 on it

KLDE ecu will say KL something on it. Is your car a 1993 or later? Whatever you do, try find the same year ECU when you swap as a 1994+ car will only have the 1 coolant sensor and a 1993 ECU will look for 2 sensors.

This is not true, I have a 94 with two coolant sensors.

[SuperK]

The ECU won't look for anything. I once asked it to look for my missing wrench. It's still missing.

[RX8SE3P]

Thank for the info guys! So if I'm understanding my research correctly, the klze will function ok with k8 ecu and k8 vaf but to get it running to 'full' potential it is the kl31/36 ecu and the k8 vaf works with that? Unless i get a klde ecu and run a kl02 vaf? And how can you tell the difference in ecu's? I'm so close to having all my parts! I just really don't want to me missing anything.

The KL31/KL36 ECU will say KL31 or KL36 on it

KLDE ecu will say KL something on it. Is your car a 1993 or later? Whatever you do, try find the same year ECU when you swap as a 1994+ car will only have the 1 coolant sensor and a 1993 ECU will look for 2 sensors.

This is not true, I have a 94 with two coolant sensors.

It's 100% true. 1994 and upwards ECU look for only 1 sensor. Don't count the dashboards sensor. It's only for the display and ECU doesn't use it.