Here is the engine finished...

 

that looks superbly clean. I don't think I have the patience to clean stuff up like that when working on my cars. nice!

 

WOW that is spiffy clean!! And congradulations on your success.. Alot of people get a bit scared when they think about diving into the 4.6 as it is a bit different than engines from years past.. A little patience and like you found out they aren;t all the difficult to work with.. (I was hesitant to change the spark plugs in my 4.6L Thunderbird the first time).. It will be for darn sure I will remeber what you ran into the next time I have a 4.6 with a suspected bad head gasket...