Excellent info once again Panic, thanks for the insight - although it will take me a while to fully digest it all, so please forgive me if I continue to ask absurd questions.
I've considered doing an air cleaner mod with an early style Hellings oiled horse hair filter, which was available at the time. I've also heard that oiled copper wool was also used as a filtering media in certain applications during the period, so I'll be looking into that as well. I have a suspicion that some of the guys probably gutted the stock oil bath air cleaners and ran with no filtering media whatsoever, but this is just a hunch (and not something I'd be willing to consider).
I agree that the stock quench distance leaves much to be desired. I'd love to go as far as 0.040" on the deck, but am worried about having a good sealing surface (I'd settle for 0.025-0.030" if I must...anything to bring that quench distance DOWN). Would you recommend something like a sonic-test to double check deck thickness? Unfortunately, my finances will not allow me to tear this thing down every few months, so I need it to be pretty dependable.
I will be using NOS head studs off an early 40's Dodge military truck, and my one modern compromise will be the use of ARP bolts for the mains & rods (I am told Ford FE rod bolts work).
I can tell you that some of the valve seats show a little pitting as this motor sat outside for a long time before being 'rescued'...will get the best photos I can of the valve seats tonight (I have not removed the valves yet). I would guess that the exhaust seats are recessed something on the order of 0.010" into the deck surface, so if I go any more than that on the deck I'm into the seat.
I'll get photos of the deck surface and chambers this evening...they're plenty crusty so I'll see what I can do about cleaning them up a little first.
Thanks again!
