Piston and rod bearings installation
There are too many details that need to be done to do the job correctly.
No kiddin. Some of what I remember "getting in late on" my days at the Miramar hobby shop
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1.....Some guy had a 67 GTX 440. I asked him what he was up to. "I'm pullin the engine to replace a bunch of gaskets, I've got oil leaks."
A few days later (this was part time) I was back in. He had a huge giant stack of Fram air filter boxes. He had dug them out of the trash and was MAKING engine gaskets from them!!!!
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2.....Art Emline, the thievin' bastard who stole some of my tools, put together a 396 and into a 57 Chiv. One Sat I was busy all morning. He had borrowed a spare coil, asked me some questions, finally came and said "I really need your help it won't fire."
I KNEW the damn thing should run, I helped him put it together and installed and lashed the cam.
He handed me a Pepsi can----"hasn't got gas yet, prime it with this." I smelled it to make sure. Told him, "go get me some gas." The can had JET FUEL in it
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3.....Friend was re-ringin' a 318 Poly. Had it on the stand putting the short block together. Came over, "I got about 4 pistons in, now it won't turn" He had not cleaned the ring grooves before installing the rings
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4....Some sailor got a SB Chivvy all together, painted, in the car, installed, and noticed HE HAD LEFT OUT THE OIL PUMP
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5....Putting rags into the carb intake ports is a great way to keep junk out of the engine. LEAVING them there when installing the carb is NOT so great.
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6....There were countless, nameless guys who managed to get a complicated piece like an engine out of the car, apart, overhauled or at least replace the short block, get it all back in, together, and not too many nuts left over. BUT THEY COULD NOT figure out how to time the damn thing. That is the reason I am so good at things like piston stops and initial fire-up. I taught myself how to do it. I've no idea, anymore, who taught ME the "finger in no1 spark plug hole" trick.
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7.....I myself made a real dumb *** mistake with the 440 in my old 64. I had scored a used mechanical cam. "It was huge." I was trying to get it done and fired, and was pushed for time. Turns out I dropped one plug putting it in, retrieved it, and installed the plug. I had droppped it right on the tip and pounded the damn gap shut. When I fired it up it took me some 5 minutes to figure out that .......it wasn't the big cam..........it wasn't the firing order.......is simply was not hitting on one hole. Most of the eggs standing around just thought it was a real wild cam, LOL
