Day one of the engine build!

[Intercooler]

Found a couple of hours this evening to get started on it. First was the tapping of holes, cleaning, then paint and ring fitment. Tomorrow is clean, install cam and crank/bearings.

Here is a picture of the Total-Seal Top rings. Supposedly the latest and greatest: http://home.att.net/~jesse.adkins/TotalSealTop.JPG


Here is a picture of the new style ARP main studs with the hex cast in them for removal:
http://home.att.net/~jesse.adkins/Studs.JPG

Here is a picture of the Durabond cam bearings with Teflon coating (reason for the blackness):
http://home.att.net/~jesse.adkins/TeflonCamBearings.JPG

 

[bob86gn]

That is good stuff Jesse. Nothing beats putting stuff together!!

 

[Intercooler]

Day two!

Things didn't go so well today but I finished up on a decent note.

The Durabond cam bearings with Teflon coating gave a very secure fit with the 204/214 slid in place. I was told Durabonds retain dimension better and my first try with them tells me they were correct, I have tight clearance:

http://home.att.net/~jesse.adkins/CamIn.JPG

The clearance on the mains checked out at a tight .002", more like .0018" so that is perfect:
http://home.att.net/~jesse.adkins/Clearance.JPG

Front shot:
http://home.att.net/~jesse.adkins/Front.JPG


Assembled to the point of hanging the rods/pistons:
http://home.att.net/~jesse.adkins/Assembly.JPG



Tomorrow is ring install then hang the pistons/rods and then I think I need a little break

 

[victa1]

Is that good ole' plastigauge I see?

 

[Intercooler]

I was in a hurry to get it home so I decided to just use plastic. A dial bore gauge is usually what he does before I pick them up but I had to be in a hurry! Looks ok still!

 

[Raist103]

When installing the cam (Which I am doing for the first time tomorrow) is it pretty straight forword lube and stick maybe wiggle a little to get into place? Also what does installing it require removing, Rad. and Fan?, Alt.? Intercooler piping?

email me at raistlin103@hotmail.com if you get time

Thanks for any input.

 

[Intercooler]

Putting one in a used motor will be a little easier to slide in as compared to my unfired engine that is tight. You have to take the front of the engine off (piping, pulleys, front cover, timing chain and gears, cam button, etc..). In the car can be a little tricky because you can't guide it like when assembling a motor because the oil pan and crank is in the way. If I were to try one in the car I would spring for the cam install tool from Summit or Jeg's that gives you a handle to control it and wiggle it in. Good luck!

 

[Lee Thompson]

A word of caution

The cam bearings look to be moly coated ( you say teflon)
Also you say the cam seems to be tight once installed in the bearings
This is what happened to me, not once, but twice.
If the cam does not turn FREE ( zero drag) there is a good chance that once you start doing your break in the bearings will spin in the block.
I was letting the eng. run at 2000 rpm for 30 min. After about 20 min. there was a loud screaming noise and the eng. locked up. After some checking and turning the eng. with a socket and rachet, it fired back up only to lock up again after 2-3 minutes.
When we torque the mains and heads, we are pulling on the cam bearing holes in 3 different directions. In my case and most others, we use a higher torque value than the factory uses, thus distorting the 2 center cam bearing bores making the bearings out of round as they conform to the shape of the hole. This only happens to the 2 center bores as the end bores have much more mass around them.
As the eng. warms up the cam and bearings get hot and swell.
The bearing will seize to the cam and spin in the bore.
Believe it or not the bearing spinning in the bore will wear the bore making it bigger. I was able to save the block by having the bores sleeved.
Ever since that disaster I wait until the short block is assembled and the heads are torqued on before I slip the cam in. If there is any drag, I have a tool on a shaft that I can use a drill and open up the bearing . Tight clearances are great as long as they are not too tight. Best of luck to you.

 

[Intercooler]

The part # has T in it for Teflon coated. It is snug but I can turn it (not like freewheeling) but tighter than others I have put together. I plan on working it in a little before I actually button it up. If it doesn't feel good at that point I will yank it out and try to remedy the situation.

 

[disco stu]

Hey Intercooler, can you give me the part # for those rings? And are they 1/16, 1/16 3/16? And wher did you get them? thanks