And so it starts... 340 build

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Here is the short block. KB-243 (IIRC) pistons at zero deck. Notice the pistons outside area as it travels inwards towards the center raises up a little. This is why I put clay on it in 3 areas to make sure it will clear the head all over. More so important now that the iron head is not being used. The stock Edelbrock head gets moved over to the engine. My Comp roller rockers at the time are being used on the wife’s engine. I only have the MP-HD rockers. For pushrods, found here on FABO are the MP adjustable length pushrods. They work like checking pushrods except there beefier and work just fine. Lock’em down and your good to go.

With the dial gauge (not set up right in the picture) & rockers installed with minimal lifter depressing to simulate maximum lift, rotate the engine around to see how much clearance you have to the piston with the clay on top of the piston. You can see I have a major amount of room! This thing can swallow a ton of lift! Just make sure the lifter isn’t depressed down much. Checking springs should be used while doing this. There ding ding cheap!

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Once you have checked the piston to valve clearance you can now measure the pushrod length properly and order them up. This was the case since the block was previously milled an unknown amount. The manifold was a hard fit.

As most now.... there is a alternator fitting issue with after market heads at the head and the back of the alternator. You will have to play with cutting spacers. The round metal tube can be purchased at a hardware store. Or should be! Take an OE unit with you to match up. I also used a Summit Racing Alt. aluminum bracket set up. I like it a lot. Looks good, fits well, lined up good, tightens up the belt easy. When cutting spacers to fit the Alt. to the head, be careful you don’t throw the belt alignment off.

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340 @ .030 = 345 CID
Final compression ratio at 10.25-1 W/KB-243 pistons hanging on OE con rods, MP windage tray
Hyd. Comp cam, Cam duration @ .050 - 241/247 - .546 -108 Summit double roller timing chain
MP-HD rockers, Harland Sharp rocker hold downs, MP adjustable length pushrods
Stock Edelbrock heads, RPM-AG & 750
Summit racing 1-5/8 headers & “A” body 2-1/2 dual exhaust kit w/mufflers, second set are also the better Summit Racing true all the way through 2-1/2 turbo mufflers.
Pullies are March
Distributor JY junk. Need to get performance distributor.
Chain store Water pump, thermostat, plugs and wires, etc.. on the small parts...

Edel. 750 purchased cheaper than dirt from member @richmystery116 thank you very much my friend! Always great to hang out.

Again, sorry again to all for this thread starting out as a unknowing piston debacle into a full but still cheap rebuild, but, there you have in short.

Any HP guessing?
This engine will not be dyno tested. Just installed in a Duster w/a 904, custom pro torque converter and a unknown as of yet gear ratio. The 4.88’s on 28’s in there are not going to help much... LMAO
The car is all steel for now and gutted.
 
Nice work. I too, like the summit brand alternator brackets. They did good on those.
I like your engine run stand. I desperately need one of those.
 
@mopardude318 All you need to start is box beam that slides into box beam, a stationary circular saw, a welder and some time to think how your going to do it.

Add some Harbor Freight 4 inch caster wheels (2 that swivel) and start cutting and welding. There is a thread or two on this subject floating around where guys have made there own and a few I like better than mine.

Adding gauges is a plus and can be pricey. But all you really need is oil pressure, engine temp and RPM. A starter switch can be cobbled cheap as I bought mine from Summit. Add some wiring for the gauges, ignition and the battery and your about done.

Go for it! Have fun with it.
 
Nope and negative. The knew a couple (2) of fellas that did without issue for a long time. I figured I’d give it a shot and see.

I ran them once and they were adjusted about the same as in your picture. I had them in a 360 with a hydraulic cam much like yours. I didn't make it to 4500 rpm on the dyno before 3 or 4 of them broke. Out they came and 1 piece pushrods in the correct length went in--360 went on to make something like 418 hp or so. Just what I experienced--the rest are in my pushrod length checking drawer. J.Rob
 
Very good. Though it did take a good bit once and now the handle is cracked and the top end swivels a bit making welding a challenge from time to time. I’ll get to use it again soon for the 8-3/4 back brace and perch gussets. The wife got that for me as a present.

They got me the same one several years ago for Father's Day. I thought it was a toy until I used it. It's badass. I love mine. It's made in Italy by Clarke.
 
@rumblefish360

Have you run those adjustable pushrods before? J.Rob

Nope and negative. The knew a couple (2) of fellas that did without issue for a long time. I figured I’d give it a shot and see.

My brother ran them for years in a 360 I built him when we were young. That was about 1985 or 86, It had a MP 268/272 450/455 cam.

I still have 15 of them. One tip went bad when a comp lifter collapsed, but that was in a different motor.

Hope they do well for you. Nice build by the way.
 
Just gonna address something.



Half of the world calls them freeze plugs and the other half says they're core plugs.

They were from as far as I can remember to help save the block from cracking in case of a freeze and insufficient antifreeze...which way back when was alchohol or some crap. The old n dustys here can clarify that part...but the point is they can serve both purposes though only to an extent, not always would they save it. But getting sand out is not their only purpose, or else you would see diff makes variations of it.. obviously you need room to grow all around the cylinders where it's most seceptable to cracking! Unlike the much thicker head cores!

Freeze, expansion, core...plugs
Google it, bing it, Yahoo it. Freeze is what you see! Just revisiting this since I see some want to correct me and there are like minded folks going with that...otherwise who cares, I know what they are.
Mayne it's like this for some..like how many words do we have for a pussy? Your favorite one doesn't replace actual name or its intended purpose.
 
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Interesting... hummmm.
And the point was to..... come up with as any names for the part? LOL! There should be a list!
:rofl:

I heard them also called frost plugs. IDK-WTF
I had 2 pop on my 400. :(
I’ll get to them soon I hope. Still have them, just need to clean up the area and re seal them.
 
Great thread
we used to run adj pushrods in early hemis
not a brakage problem unless you ran the adjusters too far out
 
IMO, the 'freeze' plug is in fact a device used to fill in the sand-removal holes in the side of a casting. That they can sometimes function as a pop-out in a freeze is ancillary...which is a fancy way of saying it just happens as a side-effect. Since water freezes from the outside in, a 'freeze' plug is only gonna be so effective.

But I gotta say, if you're counting on a freeze plug to pop out, instead of using anti-freeze, you're the type of dude who's either living on the edge - a true rebel - or just a dumbass. Kind of like slipping your jimmy in some strange **** socket and hoping for the best.
 
IMO, the 'freeze' plug is in fact a device used to fill in the sand-removal holes in the side of a casting. That they can sometimes function as a pop-out in a freeze is ancillary...which is a fancy way of saying it just happens as a side-effect. Since water freezes from the outside in, a 'freeze' plug is only gonna be so effective.

But I gotta say, if you're counting on a freeze plug to pop out, instead of using anti-freeze, you're the type of dude who's either living on the edge - a true rebel - or just a dumbass. Kind of like slipping your jimmy in some strange **** socket and hoping for the best.

WTH??? It’s not even 8 AM here and we have gone off the rails. I love it!! Only gregcon can lay out the facts like that.
 
Interesting... hummmm.
And the point was to..... come up with as any names for the part? LOL! There should be a list!
:rofl:
they are chastity plugs , so guys don't stick their dicks in there and **** things up
I heard them also called frost plugs. IDK-WTF
I had 2 pop on my 400. :(
I’ll get to them soon I hope. Still have them, just need to clean up the area and re seal them.
 
Interesting... hummmm.
And the point was to..... come up with as any names for the part? LOL! There should be a list!
:rofl:

I heard them also called frost plugs. IDK-WTF
I had 2 pop on my 400. :(
I’ll get to them soon I hope. Still have them, just need to clean up the area and re seal them.

Nat added this;

“they are chastity plugs , so guys don't stick their dicks in there and **** things up”

Within my reply by not typing outside the quote brackets.
And OH MY! You dirty boy you!!
:lol:
 
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