The Great Pumpkin - '71 Duster

[rmchrgr]

So I got some things done on the engine this weekend. The block was cleaned, painted and most of the freeze plugs have been installed.

First step before any paint job is to clean. The block was hot tanked at the machine shop but it's still pretty dirty so it was time to put my fancy Moroso engine cleaning brushes to work. The set was around $30 and is worth it. There are several types of brushes for doing different jobs - cylinders, oil galleys, lifter bores, etc. Also went to HD and got a nice, clean 5 gallon bucket and a long-handle scrubbing brush for the outsides of the block. I used a cleaning solution of around 8 oz. of heavy duty Simple Green (purple) diluted into about a gallon and a half of hot water. Worked great! Block was cleaned and dried with compressed air, then the bores and cam bearings were oiled to prevent rust.

Here's the bucket of solution with the brushes.

And here is the clean block. I had to re-do the masking after this. I used some older tape and it reacted with the soap and left a residue on the deck surface. I will have to get it off before final assembly. I used low-residue tape the next time to prevent that situation again.

This is the freshly-cleaned block after the second masking job. I used an old timing cover to cover the machined surfaces on the front I did not want to be painted.

Chrysler small block blue! I love this color, it really pops. Incidentally, I used a set of steel freeze plugs that I had to cover the coolant holes during paint. I installed brass plugs but these were just to keep over spray to a minimum. Probably not necessary but that's the way I roll.

I put a second coat of paint on this morning and then put the freeze plugs in. I used Permatex "Indian Head" gasket shellac on the plug holes and sides of the plugs. You're supposed to wait until it dries but I just slathered it on and knocked 'em in. I can see why you should wait though because this stuff is really goopy and gets all over the place.
Since I am a guy that likes the right tool for the job, I used a cool freeze plug installer tool to drive the plugs home. Most guys use a socket or something that fits inside the plug to install them but this does not always work as well as it should for two reasons; 1) they need to go to a certain depth and 2) the plug can get cocked in the bore with a socket. The tool I used has a step that goes flush with the outside of the bore when the plug is at the proper depth which also makes it square. Works great! Smack it a few times with a hammer and it's in. Note residual goop on the tool, ignore sexual innuendo.

Here's the freeze plugs knocked in. I like the juxtaposition of the brass plugs against the bright blue, gives a nice detail.

I threaded a few plugs into the side of the block. Never sure exactly what these are for. I guess they are drain plugs? They are not pipe thread as far as I can tell so I didn't put any Teflon paste on them.

I also threaded in a dipstick fitting. There is a compression fitting with a ferrule that screws into this fitting so the dipstick is locked in place. I got it from Hughes Engines. I might get a cap for it and take the dipstick off between oil changes.

Last thing I did today was to paint the lifter valley with Glyptal insulating paint. There is always debate on whether to use this stuff or not. The claim is that it helps oil drain back and keeps the oil from penetrating into the pores of the cast iron. I really don't know myself but it seems like a good thing to me. My old engine had it and it looked fresh when I took it apart so I know it's heavy duty stuff. I believe it's primary use is to insulate electric motor housings that create a lot of heat. It's not cheap either. But I did it and it turned out OK. I wasted an old brush that I tossed after I was done with it. It was a little tricky not to get it into the lifter bores and on the deck surface so it looks a little unfinished in spots. It'll do the job just fine and it will be under the intake anyway.

So the next step is probably to start file fitting the rings and install the rotating assembly. I plan to start as soon as time allows, hope to make some progress this week.

More to come!

 

[rmchrgr]

OK, so did some piston ring filing today, got the first and second rings done. All in all, went pretty well.

I will admit, this is the first time I have done this particular operation, kinda felt a little like a rite of passage. When I was at school and eventually at a dealership, I built engines but truthfully, I never file-fit piston rings. I guess you can sorta say it's a 'performance' detail. Either way, was good to get a feel for it.

It was definitely good to have the right tools for this job. I bought a ring-squaring tool just to do this and it made things go smoothly and helped get repeatable results. I'd buy one again if needed but the one I got should cover most small block applications - 4.00 - 4.085".

Here is the ring squaring tool.

Here you can see the ring squared up at the bottom of the tool.

I've seen where guys use the piston turned upside down and push the ring down to square it but I don't like that idea - too much potential for damage. I wouldn't want to nick or drop a piston from handling it over and over again. Plus, you'd have to reach underneath to push the ring up to the piston top whereas with the ring-squaring tool you can just pull the ring up to the tool from the top with your fingers. In addition, the tool has a step which puts the ring at a repeatable depth without having to eyeball it every time.

So no filing would get done without a ring file. The one I have is a Powerhouse brand I got from Summit. First thing I did was to file the edges on this thing as they were really sharp. It also needs to be mounted solidly which can be a little tricky depending where you put it. The arm can get in the way so you need to make sure there is room for it to swing around. I used a triangular shelf bracket I found in my basement clamped in a vice. Worked OK and was comfortable to use. I liked it on top of the vice - no reaching or bending over and plenty of room.

Here's the ring file set up in the vice.

So the way I did the actual filing took a long time. First thing I did was to put the ring down into the bore just to see what it looked like - no gap, ends butted right against each other, just as a starting point. Then, I pushed one side of the ring down to rotate it 90 degrees and push the sides of the ring together to pull it out.

Then, onto the ring file. Regardless of your method, you do it the same way for every ring. The rings had markings on them so they were on top.

Markings.

Also, to avoid irregular cuts, you file one side only. Lastly, you turn the file wheel towards you so as to avoid burrs on the outside of the ring cutting into your freshly-machined bores. Some files have a directional arrow engraved into the face of the tool to remind you which way to turn the crank but mine did not so I drew one with a Sharpie.

Note directional arrow. Duh.

There's definitely a little technique/feel to this. There are two posts at the top of the tool which act as a stop for the ring. While you push the ring against the stops, you hold it down with one finger and push the ring end against the filing wheel with another. The wheel also takes a different bite sometimes which you almost don't know until you start turning. You can adjust the pressure of the ring against the wheel with your finger if it does not feel right.

The first and second rings had totally different characteristics. The second rings only took a few tries to get the gap set as opposed to the first ring which took several rounds of back and forth. First ring gap was set to .018" (.0045 x 4.070) while the second ring was set to .020".

I tried to get to the gap slowly. Here's where the repeatability comes into play since taking the ring out of the bore several times to check/file/check can get pretty tedious. The squaring tool makes it a breeze, would have taken forever to do without it. I kept a bunch of feeler gauges handy for checking to see where it was at.

Anyway, I found it useful to count the number of turns of the wheel. I tried variations of 15 crank turns. After the first round of filing, I'd check to see where it was at - I'd do 30 turns at first which was around .006-.007". Then it was back and forth until I got close, like .015", then just a few turns at a time until it was where I wanted it. If it was tight, I did one or two turns to get it perfect. I finished it with a stone to break the edge and ensure against burrs. I'll probably hit it again before I put the rings on the pistons.

Oil rings are next. I checked a few of the oil rails and they will also need to be filed. There is a 'minimum gap' rather than say .018" or .020". Hope to get to those this week.

Oil control rings, ready for action.

So that's all for now. More to come.

 

[Abodybomber]

Attention to details during assembly, makes all the difference. Nice work.

 

[rmchrgr]

Attention to details during assembly, makes all the difference. Nice work.

Thanks. I actually enjoyed doing it.

 

[rmchrgr]

Made a little more progress today. I painted one of the heads and the timing cover. Came out pretty good. It pays to take your time and mask stuff off properly, just comes out so much better.

I am digging the Plastikote paint. It feels like plastic when it dries, almost rubbery. Hope it holds up well.

In any event, it was a nice day here, upper 70s and sunny. Perfect day to paint.

Here's the finished product after the masking tape was removed.

Here's the timing cover.

I noticed that the timing cover I painted and the old one I took off were made in different places - one in Mehico and one in Canaduh. The Mexican one was off an '84 M.Y. 360. The Canadian one was from the 340 I pulled last year but not sure if it was original to that motor. When did Chrysler start having parts made up there? There was a Windsor, Ontario plant. Not that I really care, just thought it was interesting to see the same exact part with different markings.

Speedy Gonzalez.

Mackenzie Bros.

More to come.

 

[rmchrgr]

One more thing - I mentioned in my previous post that the 1st and 2nd rings had different characteristics when cutting, the 2nd rings cut very easily while the first took way longer. Well no ****, Sherlock, they are of course made from completely different materials.

The first ring is stainless and is much more rigid to be able to withstand the initial combustion blast. The second is cast iron and much softer. I had a fleeting thought they were different material when I was cutting them but I was concentrating on doing the job and it didn't really register in the front of my brain.

I called Total Seal to ask them a question about oil control ring gap and I asked why the second rings were so much easier to cut - it's because they are in fact softer material. Doh.

 

[sireland67]

Did you file the rings, and match them to the cylinders that they are going in?
I had a friend once file them all on the same cylinder.....

 

[SNKEBIT]

Did you file the rings, and match them to the cylinders that they are going in?
I had a friend once file them all on the same cylinder.....

Oh no he didn't!!!!!! ops::violent1:rotest:

 

[rmchrgr]

Did you file the rings, and match them to the cylinders that they are going in?

Really?

 

[sireland67]

No lie, the guy was building a 350 chevy.

 

[SNKEBIT]

No lie, the guy was building a 350 chevy.

Well, that explains that. :glasses7:

 

[Abodybomber]

Did you file the rings, and match them to the cylinders that they are going in?
I had a friend once file them all on the same cylinder.....

Facepalm 101, on Chevy dude. At least you bought ,a decent ring filer/grinder.... The money they get for the tools nowadays, blows my mind.

 

[sireland67]

Well, that explains that. :glasses7:

Funny thing was, I told him he was making a mistake at the time, he went on a rant about all new pistons were the same size, and it had a fresh bore so it did not matter.
This was 30 years ago, I just said its your engine.

 

[rmchrgr]

OK, can we move on from your buddy's ill-fated, Brand X ring job that happened 30 years ago?

You know, I try to write these posts with as much clarity and detail as possible to avoid questions like this but I guess I need to do a better job. I apologize for not including that little detail but maybe I just figured it was generally understood that one needs to fit the rings to the individual bores.

We now return to our regularly scheduled program.

 

[rmchrgr]

Alright, little more progress on the engine build. Got the oil rings done. No more ring filing! Got half of the pistons on the rods today but ran out of time to finish the job. I was cursing the Spiro locks but once I figured 'em out they were a piece of cake.

The oil rings took a long time to do since there are two oil scraper rails per each cylinder. They are also steel so they take a while to file to spec.

I had to read up on this a little. There is no real exact dimension for these like .045" per inch of bore but rather a minimum clearance of .015". I talked to Total Seal and they said .025" is good for my application so that's where I ended up.

So here is a shot of the oil rings all done and MATCHED TO THEIR BORES. After I was done, I put them in individual, labeled baggies to keep all the cylinders together. Everyone happy now?

So the spiro locks - until you figure out how to get them in, they really suck. I fumbled around with them for a long time, like over an hour. I felt like I was destroying the pin bore trying to wrangle them in. I watched videos and read forum posts for help but I could not get them in. I must have been hung over from my birthday BBQ on Saturday because I was not in the right frame of mind at all. I was at it from yesterday afternoon into the evening and gave up.

So after I was done with daddy duty this AM, I went back to it for a bit and was able to figure it out pretty quickly. First thing to do is pull them apart like a slinky - since that's kinda what they are, a coiled spring. So you pull it apart a little which makes it easier to slide the tip into the lock groove in the pin bore. Once it's firmly in the groove, you push the spring down with the tip of a small screwdriver while you sort of pull up on the end of it to make the concentric circles smaller. This allows you to force the spring into the groove. You work around in a circle with the screwdriver tip until it fully seats and snaps into place. It ain't coming out. Again, once you figure out the method, it takes 10 seconds to do them.

One also needs to be aware of which way to install the rods on the pistons. The rod has a larger chamfer on one side that goes towards the fillet on the crank journal while the smaller edge butts up against the other rod. Methinks it might be bad news if you got to the point where you fired up the engine with the rods installed wrong.

So here is the spiro lock pulled apart to ease installation.

Here is a rod and piston along side the little screwdriver I used to push the lock into the groove. Handling this stuff made made it really evident that these modern rods and pistons are so much lighter than OE stuff. It's kind of crazy how heavy the old stuff is.

Here's the rest of the left bank, ready for the next steps.

More to come.

 

[Rockerdude]

Beautiful job so far! Keep it up!

 

[rmchrgr]

Beautiful job so far! Keep it up!

Thanks! Rock on Rockerdude.

 

[rumblefish360]

As per your question, and some digging, not a lot of that though, the only thing I noticed is that our northern brothers make better quality stuff. They had the gig to make it first. The Mexican parts vary in quality. But can be good. To often, it's trash. I noticed this move to Mexico somewhere in the 80's. But I don't know if that is exactly accurate.

 

[Abodybomber]

Alright, little more progress on the engine build. Got the oil rings done. No more ring filing! Got half of the pistons on the rods today but ran out of time to finish the job. I was cursing the Spiro locks but once I figured 'em out they were a piece of cake.

The oil rings took a long time to do since there are two oil scraper rails per each cylinder. They are also steel so they take a while to file to spec.

I had to read up on this a little. There is no real exact dimension for these like .045" per inch of bore but rather a minimum clearance of .015". I talked to Total Seal and they said .025" is good for my application so that's where I ended up.

So here is a shot of the oil rings all done and MATCHED TO THEIR BORES. After I was done, I put them in individual, labeled baggies to keep all the cylinders together. Everyone happy now?

So the spiro locks - until you figure out how to get them in, they really suck. I fumbled around with them for a long time, like over an hour. I felt like I was destroying the pin bore trying to wrangle them in. I watched videos and read forum posts for help but I could not get them in. I must have been hung over from my birthday BBQ on Saturday because I was not in the right frame of mind at all. I was at it from yesterday afternoon into the evening and gave up.

So after I was done with daddy duty this AM, I went back to it for a bit and was able to figure it out pretty quickly. First thing to do is pull them apart like a slinky - since that's kinda what they are, a coiled spring. So you pull it apart a little which makes it easier to slide the tip into the lock groove in the pin bore. Once it's firmly in the groove, you push the spring down with the tip of a small screwdriver while you sort of pull up on the end of it to make the concentric circles smaller. This allows you to force the spring into the groove. You work around in a circle with the screwdriver tip until it fully seats and snaps into place. It ain't coming out. Again, once you figure out the method, it takes 10 seconds to do them.

One also needs to be aware of which way to install the rods on the pistons. The rod has a larger chamfer on one side that goes towards the fillet on the crank journal while the smaller edge butts up against the other rod. Methinks it might be bad news if you got to the point where you fired up the engine with the rods installed wrong.

So here is the spiro lock pulled apart to ease installation.

Here is a rod and piston along side the little screwdriver I used to push the lock into the groove. Handling this stuff made made it really evident that these modern rods and pistons are so much lighter than OE stuff. It's kind of crazy how heavy the old stuff is.

Here's the rest of the left bank, ready for the next steps.

More to come.

Nice work.

 

[rmchrgr]

Well progress has been a little slow on the engine build. I will admit, I have been hemming and hawing a little bit on one particular point and it's starting to make me a little nuts.

Currently, I am stuck on measuring the crank/bearings for clearances. Well, let me put it another way, I'm unsure of myself with a dial bore gauge and have been pushing this step off.

Per the machine shop, the clearances are .0025" which is right where they should be. But, I want to/need to confirm that things are correct and not too loose or tight. I feel like I can't get a good handle on using the dial bore gauge. The procedure is to 'zero' the gauge with a micrometer (after measuring the crank journal) then put it in the bore and see how much the dial indicator moves to verify clearances. I keep getting different readings and it never stays put. Grrr!

Do I need to do this step? Probably not but it is a good thing to do just to be certain of what you have. I'm one of those guys that needs all the answers so essentially yes, I need to do this step.

So I called the shop and told him what was going on and he said Plastigauge was fine to use just as a confirmation. Problem is now I have to clean things again. There is oil on the crank journals because I set it in the mains and put the caps on loosely. Not sure why I did this because now I have to clean it off again to use the Plastigauge. I think I unconsciously (or semi-consciously) wanted to skip the measuring step so I impulsively went ahead without doing it. Guess I was just excited to set the crank in blocck, it's been in a plastic bag on my bench for two months. Regardless, now I am paying for getting ahead of myself. Such is life with ADD. Maybe I can get away with just clearing a strip off and using the plastic. Anyway...

I have been skirting around this step for a week. I've done some other things like painting the other cylinder head, clean up the garage etc. Nothing associated with the task at hand though. I have it in my mind to go back and try to do this properly with the dial gauge though, I'm gonna get it right.

Another issue also cropped up. I realized that I put some of the pistons on incorrectly. The machine shop marked the pistons "R" and "L". Naturally, I misconstrued what this meant, I figured they needed to stay on one side due to balancing but that was not the case. The pistons all weigh the same so they can go in any cylinder. But of course, the "R" and "L" was in reference to the valve notches, not the side, so half of my pistons were on backwards. Doh! I had to re-do them. I am getting good at spiro locks! I can get them off and on in seconds now.

Did manage to have some success, I put the woodruff key in the crank. Funny, you'd think it was no big deal but it's not such a straightforward operation actually, the key is an interference fit. You need to put it in the freezer for a little while and then tap it in with a plastic mallet. It went in OK at first but didn't seat all the way in the slot. I had to whack it pretty hard with a dead blow to get it down but it's in. I checked it with the timing sprocket and it went on no problem. Done!

So a little up, some down but not much progress overall. It's getting into warmer weather now, I hope to be over this hump soon so I can get this engine project done. I feel like once I get over this hump there's a few more hurdles to clear like measuring pushrods and degreeing the cam.

Sorry, no pics this time.

More to come.

 

[rumblefish360]

That's all right about getting excited. It happens. Once I mixed up the end caps to the rods. A basic no brainer to do right. There marked! Beat myself up for weeks on that mistake. It was only 2 piston & rods installed but I'm very tuff on myself. Like the boss you want to dip in oil and light on fire after beating him senseless.

I'm much easier when I teach people. It feels good when people come to you saying "I was told your the guy to see about...." I like to teach. On the job or at home.

 

[rmchrgr]

Well, I managed to get the bearing measurements done. I finally figured out the dial bore gauge and now I have a decent feel for it. Not sure why I was fussing over it so much, it wasn't that big of a deal. Sometimes you have to fight through your trepidations and just do it because once I started, things just came naturally and I just knew what to do. I actually had a rhythm going.

I believe the one thing that might have contributed to my missteps was disorganization. Maybe I was doing a couple things at once, there was probably a bunch of stuff cluttering up the bench etc. There really is a benefit to being neat and organized because there are so many things that can and will trip you up. Why make it hard on yourself and introduce more possibilities for error?

So I cleared off the bench and put some new clean paper down. I took the crank and bearings out of the block and washed everything again with hot soapy water, then rinsed with clean water and air dried. Yep, wash, rinse repeat.

So now I got everything all clean and lined up on the bench on new paper. All the other crap was cleaned up and I was in the zone - no wife or kids around, just me, the dial gauge and my bearings.

The procedure is to do each journal individually. Step one is to mic the main journal and lock the micrometer to wherever it's set. Most of the readings I got were either 2.500" or 2.4995". Then, the locked mic gets clamped into the vice to 'zero' the dial gauge. If you've never used a dial bore gauge before, it has a spring-loaded plunger that accounts for any variation from a known spec. So you find the right-length adapter (2.500" in this case for the mains) screw it down to the gauge end and put it into the locked micrometer. It should fit without the dial moving at all or at least very little. Once you see that the gauge is not moving while inside the mic jaws, the gauge is set.

Now, you move over to the block. I installed the studs finger tight (per the ARP instructions) slathered some moly lube on the threads and torqued 'em down to 110 ft lbs in three equal steps - 36, 73, 110. Then the 'zeroed' dial gauge is inserted into the main bore to check the clearance which in my case is .0025". With the gauge inserted (make sure it's not in the bearing groove or oil hole) it is rocked back and forth. You watch the dial face to see how much the pointer moves. It will reach a certain point then will change direction and go back to where the dial was initially set. That is your measurement. To keep the thing steady, you put a finger behind the plunger section. This really helps because the adapter can slide around and even the slight pressure from your finger will just keep it that much more steady and solid.

I basically found everything was dead nuts, probably the most variance was .0005" one way or the other. So again, the machine shop nailed the job and everything looks good to go. And honestly, any variation was probably from my amateur measurements and cheapo off-shore dial gauge. Close enough for horseshoes and grenades I guess.

So next the crank goes in for good and the caps torqued down for the final time. The rear main seal is in. I checked the little cap plug that goes underneath the #5 cap and it's in there 'cause I never took it out.

One thing I do have to take care of though is to install the rear freeze plugs before the crank goes back in. To get this done, I unfortunately have to take the block off the stand to get enough access. I knew I would have to do it this way since I painted the block before putting the plugs in. What I probably should have done was put the rear ones in before painting since you don't really see the back of the block but we all know I ain't too swift. Oh well.

But hey, I learned something today and I was happy that I forced myself to do it. Felt like one of those rite-of-passage things. I will always know how to do this now.

Sorry, no pics again, was just focusing on doing the job, didn't even think about it.

More to come.

 

[rmchrgr]

So I thought I had the crank all buttoned up but no dice. I went to check end play and it was .002". Not good!

I tried to re-seat the crank by smacking it back and forth with a dead blow hammer but it wouldn't budge. So, the caps came off and out came the crank.

I went around with this a few times, mostly because I didn't really know exactly what I was doing. I have learned that crank end play is similar to backlash on a diff. where you just want enough movement for a margin of safety. You can actually feel the crank move a little with the caps on. Factory spec for this is somewhere between .002"-.007". With a hi-po engine it's better to be on the looser side. Some say to start at .006" and up to .010" is acceptable.

So not knowing what I was doing was more related to how it feels. When I first checked it, it wouldn't move at all but I didn't realize it wasn't moving because of insufficient clearance. I was prying on the crank throw with a big screwdriver trying to get it move but it was getting hung up on something. Leaning in the screwdriver also gives false readings because it really only takes a little nudge to get the dial indicator to move.

After a few tries, I took the #3 thrust bearing out. I read in the Big Inch Mopar Small Blocks book that you can rub the #3 bearing thrust surface on some emery paper to get the clearance. So that's what I did. Took a while to get it to where I needed it and the thrust surface seemed like it may have had some definite high spots. After every round of sanding, I checked the width with a caliper to try and gauge how much I was taking off. It's wasn't easy to do it that way. What I failed to do was do both at the same time so as to not have any discrepancy between the top and bottom half. I believe any difference was minimal though.

SO I put the modified bearing and still no change. Out came the crank again, this time to check the caps. It was suggested to me over on Moparts that the caps may have not been cut perfectly square. I didn't think that was likely though - I reasoned that the oil clearances were dead nuts. But the clearances really have nothing to do with how square the cap surfaces are to the block.

So I looked and sure enough, there was a spot on the rear cap where the cutter did not make a perfect cut towards the outside front of the cap which may have been causing it to bind ever so slightly. I hit it with a stone to even it out but really, nothing significant, just a few light passes. I checked the rest for burrs and found one that I also hit with the stone.

So all of it goes back together again but this time must have been the charm. I finally stumbled on the movement I was looking for, just a little back and forth with a slight pry on the crank throw. Not sure why I didn't get it before, maybe the cap really was the culprit. Perhaps it wasn't seating right, I don't really know.

Regardless, my clearance without the caps was now .010". The caps all went back on while checking clearances at every step and it stayed good. After all the caps were installed, I still lost a few thousandths (to be expected) but it was right at .007. Perfect!

So now that the end play is good, on to the next step which is installing the rods and pistons on to the crank. I will need to check the oil clearances on the rods though and I'll probably use Plastigauge for that since A) the pistons are already on the rods and B) even if they were not, I'd still have no way to torque the rod bolts down and check to check with a dial gunge because I don't have a rod vise. (Hope that makes sense to you) Hope this goes a little smoother than the end play. I am feeling a little wary of doing the rods though since I will be using a rod bolt stretch gauge for the first time.

Here's the 4" BPE crank with the caps and bearings ready to go in the block. Note my attempt to be neat and organized

This is the engine assembly lube I used. It's sticky, kinda gets everywhere if you're not careful. I've had to wash it off several times. I changed to the Permatex brand which is basically the same but less expensive and easier to clean.

This pic shows the method I used for torquing the main caps down. The ARP instructions say to get to your final torque in three equal steps. If I had one torque wrench, I'd be adjusting it 3 times for every stud. With the two, I only have to adjust one wrench one time. Lot easier! Incidentally, the stud kit I got from Hughes has one regular bolt in it which clears the oil pump. The bolt gets torqued to 85 ft lbs, unlike the studs which get 110 ft lbs. The #3 studs also have 12 pt nuts as opposed to hex so I had to switch out the socket when doing that cap.

Checking end play. When I took this pic, I realized the little tip on the dial indicator plunger was missing. Doh! Found another one and stuck it on. The other dial indicator I have was taken apart, all the screws were off the back cover. I didn't remember doing that. I think I may have dropped it and was checking it out but stopped and got another one. Strange.

Here's the crank in for good with the end play right.

Sorry for the blurry pics. More to come.

 

[rmchrgr]

More progress this week but not without a few stumbles. The pistons are in. Cracked my brand-new oil pump. Ordered transmission rebuild parts and a converter. My wallet is now drained.

So as stated, the pistons and rods are in. Like many other procedures here, I had a set up on the bench and repeated the same steps for all the parts; clean the pistons, rods and caps again, clean the rings, wipe down with WD40 and install on the pistons; clean the rod bearings, install into the rods and coat with assembly lube. Lube the rod bolts with ARP moly lube and put them to the side with the corresponding cap. Install the whole thing in the cylinder with the ring compressor, tap down with a hammer handle and install the rod cap. I tapped on the cap with a mallet since you are not supposed to draw it in with the bolts. Then I put the bolts in and snugged them up to be torqued later. Rinse and repeat.

Here's the piston and rod assembly being prepped to go in the block. Yeah, the rag is a little on the dirty side.

I used a Total Seal tapered ring compressor and smacked the whole kit and caboodle home with the handle on a plastic dead blow hammer. They all went in OK but afterwords I had this sinking feeling that I was not careful enough with how I put the pistons into the bores. I started having thoughts of broken rings and other such maladies because I thought I may have forced things a little too much. I believe now it's OK and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise but lesson learned; next time I will pay closer attention to how the pistons first go in the bore and make sure things are lined up perfectly before I start pushing down.

I also tried to pay careful attention to where the ring gaps were orientated. It's tough to remember little things like that when you're in the middle of doing it, you have to stop and think about every little step. That's why guys get paid the big bucks to do this, there's so much that can go wrong.

Here's the pistons going in the bore with the tapered ring compressor.

For lube, I used Total Seal "Quick Seat". This is a graphite-type powdered lube. T.S. recommends cleaning everything, spraying down the bore with WD40, wiping the excess and then rubbing the powder into the cylinder walls with your (clean) fingers. When mixed properly with the WD40, the lube mix takes on a greenish tint which is what you want. I used regular 10W40 on the skirts and a few drops of assembly lube on the wrist pins.

Quick Seat lube.

This is what it looks like. Reminds me of the graphite you used for the Pinewood Derby to lube your wheels and axles.

Here's the greenish tint once it's been rubbed in and mixed with the WD40.

I had asked about leaving it in like this while the rest of the engine is being assembled and they said that it's actually good to do so because with all the times the engine gets turned over, the rings are almost seated before first start up. Good deal!

So after the pistons were in, it was on to the rod bolts. However, instead of just torquing down the rod bolts to the recommended spec., I used a fancy rod bolt stretch gauge. According to whoever's webpage you read, rod bolt stretch is a 'more accurate' way of tightening fasteners. There's a specific way to do it though and takes a little bit to get a feel for it.

Unfortunately, I need to re-do them at this point because some of them need more stretch. There was some uncertainty on my part about how much stretch is actually needed because there is no exact spec., just a limit. I also may have interpreted the tightening procedure incorrectly. It's a little frustrating to have to do this stuff over since it's so time consuming but I guess it will be worth it in the end. I called ARP and I now know what to do so I should be good for the re-do. Glad I am not trying to make hours on this engine, I'd be pretty far in the hole!

Here's the rod bolt stretch gauge.

Here it is doing it's job.

So yeah, I cracked my brand new oil pump. Everyone knows that the left side bolt interferes with the pump body. I bought a main stud kit from Hughes which included a shorter bolt to clear the oil pump. But apparently, there was still a few thousandths sticking up which made the pump cocked. I didn't notice and started threading the bolts in. The outer one went in OK but the inside one started spinning. ****! I took the bolts out to look and see what happened and I glanced at the pump face - cracked all the way across. Junk!

The pump was from Precision pumps too so it was way more than just a regular HV72. I'm annoyed with myself for not looking but you think that this stuff should all go together. Live and learn.

I have the pump from my previous 340. I may just swap the newer gears and cover into the old housing or just get another pump altogether. Melling said it would OK to put the new gears in the old housing but I'm not so sure I want to do that, I gotta mull it over some more.

On a side note, I ordered some trans rebuild parts and a 'race-prepped' case for the 904 from A&A last week as well as a new 9.5" converter from Dynamic. The trans stuff should be here this week and the converter is at least two weeks out. I hope to have this car running before July.

Well, that's all the mishaps for now. More to come.

 

[rmchrgr]

Well, not much progress on the 416 this week. Summer is here and the car is still up on jack stands. The engine is where I left off last time, nothing has changed. Had some family issues come up at the end of last week that I have been/will be dealing with for the next few weeks. Between that and the screw-ups, I decided to take a break. Over the weekend I built a garden box for my wife and kids and replaced the broken lattice on the deck.

In the meantime, I have been agonizing about these stupid rod bolts. I have come to the conclusion they are installed incorrectly and should be replaced. That will be $145 down the drain.

The reason I need to get new ones is that I over toruqed one and I can't remember which one it was. I know it was close to the front but I'm not sure. I wrote down specs until #3 where I stopped so it's probably one of those but again, not sure. Besides, some of them started getting rounded off and I've torqued them now at least 6 times each. I don't feel confident about them anymore so it's probably just best to replace all of 'em and be done with it. Just have to chalk it up to experience I guess. In general, rod bolts should not be complicated. So what did I do? I introduced complexity where the was none and it bit me in the arse.

I spoke with Scat and ARP again and they both said just use the torque spec. I should have just followed the torque # in the first place but I wanted to see if I could do the stretch method. Scat comes up with a # based on optimal clamping load and the torque spec is generally what it is. ARP said any test they have done to double check the numbers are usually dead nuts. And really, neither ARP or Scat want to be responsible for connecting rod failures so you gotta believe they make sure stuff is right before it goes out the door. Again, the confusing part is why Scat gives a torque spec then a stretch limit. Should be either or.

I'm also still annoyed about the cracked oil pump which is another $140 down the drain. I'm really pissed at myself about that one. Might call the company that prepares them and see what they can do for me about a new housing since the gears and cover are matched.

The trans stuff arrived last week but it's on hold for now. Converter has not shown up yet but I am no hurry for it since you guessed it, the car is on jack stands. Hope the trans rebuild goes a little smoother.

No pics this time, rather not take pics of over torqued rod bolts.