SB engine rebuilding got ya! School is Open!

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My #1 tip: if you don't like leaks, torque your oil pan and valve cover bolts. Most people I talked to say they just torque them to "eh, good enough" And they also insist that they'll leak no matter what you do. I do 5 ft lbs (the lowest my torque wrench'll do)

Also, never forget that Chrysler has a bad habit of changing things just for the sake of being mean. So just because you're using parts from the same kind of motor doesn't mean they'll work. (this's been the big problem putting the dartness together.)
 
WOW. I wish I had some of these responses before I started. I see several great tips here so..Thanks I'm adding what I learned building the 318.

1) Run that new oil pump before installing. I couldn't believe the metal trash that came out of it.

2) Burp the air out of the oil pressure gauge hose...or you might not get oil pressure, This stumped me for a few minutes prior to starting.

3) Check wires like coil and starter relay. 40 year old ones break easy and you want that engine to fire right up.

4) Thin wall socket needed for a couple head bolts if you have large springs.

5) Mark bolts with sharpie after torquing a quick look so nothing missed.

6) Not all books and manuals agree and even the parts suppliers have different views. IE torque specs, gasket sealers, lock tight. When there was a conflict I chose what made sense. Especially if the experience here on FABO had a common answer.

Thanks for the sticky.
 
Alway check piston and valve guide clearance with a non stock cam, I had to cut guides and pistons with a tiny cam, apparently the block and heads had been decked a ton in its previous life. I purposely went small so I'd have no problems.

Check the centrifugal advance on your distributor, they can seize in a matter of a day, and I have seen two of the MP distributor's with the adjustable slots, set at opposite ends of their travel, right out of the box.
 
Make sure if you are using a forged crank in your stroker build, that you get the HP bearings. They are narrower than the standard bearing to fit with the extra radi of the forged crank. I found this out on my own when my forged 408 kit came with standard clevite bearings!
 
All great stuff, dad and I will be firing his 273 up shortly...I hope, so a review of this will be in order. Thanks to all!
 
moparlover said:
always use a brand new oil pump if you have the $50 to spend. it will pay for itself.
use a high volume pump if it's a performance engine. high pressure pumps can lead to troubles if it's a stock-type oiling system and not an all out race build with external oiling, restrictors etc... a high volume pump is generally sufficient. use a good oil pan with extra capacity and matching pickup if you can afford it.

all clearances should be checked. every bearing. learn to love plastigauge. all bearings should be pre lubed, preferably with white lube before initial startup. fill the oil filter with oil. use a distributor shaft to prime the oil system as well.

use good gaskets. cheap ones will end up having you tear things apart to replace them. such a pain in the butt just to save a few bucks.

everything should be clean and oiled as you assemble. ring end gaps should be checked.

everything has a torque specification... follow them to the T. use a good torque wrench.

your rods and pistons should all be weight checked and balanced with your crank.

use new head bolts and rod bolts if possible. especially if you dont know the history of some of the bolts you dont know if someone overtorqued them or ran the engine like crazy etc.
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Great advice!

If you are going to use a high volume pump, I highly reccomend a deep sump pan. If you use a stock pan, you will have to keep an eye on your oil level. Most of the oil could get pumped to the top end without you knowing it. We all know what could happen next!
 
This got me awhile ago:
When torquing bolts down, if the holes are dead ended (meaning they don't go into a water way), blow them out with air otherwise you'll end up getting hydraulic lock and the bolt head will snap off. Apparently it can crack the block or head round the bolt hole as well, no good.
 
Idaho said:
What books are recommended?
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how to rebuild the small block mopar by William Burt # sa143 cartech , is excellent though the one i got is for magnum and i have LA engine but all the tips and tricks are relative.heaps of good clear photos, check sheets you can copy and engine specs.
 
Chase all threaded holes and bolts/studs prior to reinstallation. Use a special "deadend" chase for all blind threaded holes. This way, you'll get more accurate toque readings and may avoid some broken bolts too.
 
Remember to put the oiling hole side of the rocker shafts facing down. Doh!

And NEVER trust a /6 nylon distributor gear with a hairline crack in it for a "test trip" down the road to try your now non-lean burn setup. -At least I got a tow home with my buddies Dodge truck, so the humiliation was far less.
 
CordobaDart said:
Remember to put the oiling hole side of the rocker shafts facing down. Doh!

And NEVER trust a /6 nylon distributor gear with a hairline crack in it for a "test trip" down the road to try your now non-lean burn setup. -At least I got a tow home with my buddies Dodge truck, so the humiliation was far less.
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Down and towards the valve springs....
 
Are these only tips for smallblocks? Well this wasnt a smallblock(slap me if it doesnt belong in here). The dum-arse at the machine shop didnt put the seals or atleast squirt some silicone in the sides of the rear main cap, on my brother-in-laws 440.. I caught it right before we were gonna drop it in. It would have been a pain to take it back out. Oh and i had to rearrange the rockers lol the shafts were upside down too. Shoulda known, hes a chevy guy, and "dont do high-performance" , is what he said.
 
DusterKrazy said:
Great advice!

If you are going to use a high volume pump, I highly reccomend a deep sump pan. If you use a stock pan, you will have to keep an eye on your oil level. Most of the oil could get pumped to the top end without you knowing it. We all know what could happen next!
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X2.... I needed to rebuild a 340 after only 500 mi. because of this mistake. 6500 revs pumped the sump dry pretty quick
 
Make sure your machinist knows that when you deck the block you also have to cut the china rail or your intake won't fit without being cut.
 
MOPEkidD-3 said:
Make sure your machinist has experience with Mopar engines... I read so many threads about guys who got their engines FUBAR'd because they had a dumb Chivvy guy put the short-block together. For my 360 build I found a machine shop in Colorado Springs that built circle-track racing Mopar engines and after attempting to pick the guy's brain a little bit I quickly found out he knew WAY more than I did... Very reassuring!

Only thing I didn't like was he didn't act like balancing the rotating assembly was a big deal for a street engine, even though everywhere I've read says it's a 'must-do' for any decent performance engine. He still balanced mine upon request though.
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whats the chance of getting the name of the machine shop from ya. im thinking bout building a mopar roundy rounder for here in cali.
 
Seen this missed a few times on engines that come in to get fixed- Rear galley plug needs a small .030"-.050" hole in it to oil the cam gear properly.
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Skimmed over most posts so far. Didn't see any valve train geometry comments. make sure you check pushrod length if any material is shaved off of the heads or block, or if you use a thinner head gasket. A solid lifter and an adjustable pushrod go a long ways toward reliable and durable combinations.
 
CPMotorworks said:
Seen this missed a few times on engines that come in to get fixed- Rear galley plug needs a small .030"-.050" hole in it to oil the cam gear properly.
527016_525889790815731_1236393259_n.jpg
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Was not aware of this one. Is that hole typically already in place in the plug kits you buy or do you have to drill it?
 
subcom said:
Was not aware of this one. Is that hole typically already in place in the plug kits you buy or do you have to drill it?
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Has to be drilled by the engine assembler. A 1/32" drill bit is what I use, so it takes some care to do it without snapping off the bit. I use a Bridgeport to do it.
 
This is a SUPER important detail. I would have never checked for this hole without this thread. I'm building a 318/390 stroker so I can't fool around. THANKS............!!!!!:prayer:

treblig
 
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