At Ford Motor Company, "Quality
is Job 1" and that extends to every facet of the business, including
crate engines from Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP). Ford Racing
crate engines are built with quality components, undergo rigorous
testing both on a dyno and at the track, and are assembled to exacting
tolerances.
FRPP
crate engine begins with many new components, including rods and
pistons, cylinder heads and the finest gaskets and seals available.
Only after everything has been assembled to Ford's strict standards
does an FRPP crate engine earn the right to wear the Ford oval.
To
help illustrate the FRPP commitment to excellence, we walked through
the crate engine assembly line to showcase some of the many steps that
FRPP engines go through to ensure that customers receive one of the
highest quality crate engines on the market.
Crankshafts are checked for proper journal dimensions, as well as run-out, taper and rotational eccentricity.
After the crank is polished, the surface is then checked to make sure that it meets or exceeds FRPP requirements.
The crate engine building process employs the very latest computercontrolled boring equipment.
Block decks are machined to ensure even height and parallelism, then the RA of the finished surface is checked.
Finish-honing is done by a computer-controlled cylinder hone using diamond stones; the final step is plateau honing.
To ensure accuracy, computerized checks of every 5th camshaft are done.
Every piston gets measured and weighed before they are put together in matched sets using strict tolerances.
To
ensure accuracy of compression ratios of the sealed crate
engines (M-6007-D347/M-6007-Z351S), combustion chamber
volumes are checked and corrected if necessary to achieve proper
specifications.
Connecting
rods are inspected to make sure they meet specifications. The bearing
bore is studied for taper, bore size and roundness. Weight is then
checked at the big and small end of the connecting rod and sets are
weight-matched.
After
engines are completely assembled, they are hot-tested (except
M-6007-X302/M-6007-XEFMS/M-6007-X302E/M-6007-X302B) to check the oil pressure and for water leaks.
The completed engines are run for approximately 20 minutes during this
process.
The
procedures highlighted above serve to illustrate the rigorous controls
that go into building FRPP's high-quality pushrod crate engines.
