Engine assembly tips

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twayne24365

twayne24365

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Hey guys, so i finally got the 383 block and my pistons to the shop friday for a bore/hone with torque plate, a good cleaning, new cam bearings, and a new distributor bushing. then i gotta take up my rods for arp bolts, shot peen, and re-sizing. other than that i have everything to put my motor together, minus a valve job cam and lifters. ive put many top ends on engines before but never did a rotating assembly. so for the past couple weeks i have read hundreds of articles on rings and bearing clearances and what not, but any tips you pros could give me on do's and dont's would be appreciated, basically a quick rundown of getting the short block buttoned up, what assembly lube to use where, etc...... heres what i got

.030 over 383
steel crank with re-done stock rods
arias domed pistons
all clevite bearings and je rings
fully ported 452 iron heads "ittle be anywhere from 10.5-11:1 depending on deck clearance"
leaning towards this cam from hughes:
254/260 @.050
.600/.615 lift with 1.5 rockers on a 108 centerline installed at 104
street dominator intake port matched with 2" spacer and 800 holley
 
Clean it, clean it, clean it and clean it again both the block, rods and crank and everything else. Use brushes and get all the oil holes and gallery's before you even begin to assemble it.
 
x2 purple haze and I would add check EVERYTHING. My 383 came back from machine shop with .001" skirt to wall clearance on forger pistons. REconned rods were .0015" out of round. Disaster in the making. Worth every minute spent. Saved my motor. Good luck and have fun, Tom
 
Gather all info measured from your parts to fill out a static/dynamic compression ratio calculator, such as:
https://www.uempistons.com/index.ph...e=comp&zenid=dbd552556747ec33237d796b8b5145a3
For the intake closing point, use the actual number listed on the cam specs, not adding 15 degrees to the .05 number.
With the calculator you can then select the correct cam events that give you the compression ratios you are looking for, be it street or strip, etc. Also note you may need offset cam keys or multi location timing chain gearset. I like Tchain gearsets that have a 7 or 9 position crank gear, but does cost a little more...
 
thanks guys, i told the machinest .006-.007 wall clearance, but ill be sure to double check it all. im also going to fill out a blueprint sheet with ALL clearances. I do trust the machinest though, hes been doing my familys work since the 70's
 
When you install the rings on the pistons, make sure that they can spin freely.

Set both thin oil ring gaps a minimum of 90° apart, same with both compression rings just before you install the pistons.

Get some spare 3/8" hose and cut it in short lengths to put over the connecting rod threads when installing the pistons to keep from nicking the crank...

The anchor slots (notches) for the bearings in the rod and cap go butt together on the same side, same with the main bearing caps and mains - the slots go together.

If your main and rod bearing clearances have not been checked, it's a good idea to plastic-guage them.

I like to use Casite Motor Honey or STP to lube the crank, bearings, and cylinders when I assemble the engine. It will keep things lubricated until the oil can get through there.

Build the short block, and then the timing chain cover with water pump before installing the oil pan. That way you don't have to split the oil pan gasket at the end for the timing chain cover. (I like to install the oil pan as late in the build as I can so if I drop a nut or bolt in the enigne, I can get to it without wasting a gasket.) I will sometimes wait until the intake and valve covers are done before doing the oil pan.

Hand start all bolts before tightening them so the part can float if needed to line up the holes properly.


Paint the engine when you are done. You did this much work to it, make it look nice...
 
Not a bad idea to run a tap through the head bolt holes if you are using bolts, so that you are reading thread torque not a bottoming bolt when you tighten up the heads. If it is in the shop get him to do it.
 
airwoofer said:
Not a bad idea to run a tap through the head bolt holes if you are using bolts, so that you are reading thread torque not a bottoming bolt when you tighten up the heads. If it is in the shop get him to do it.
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You should run a tap in EVERY hole to be sure that your threads are clean and you are getting proper torque and clamp load.


(Just like a woman, tap every hole that you can.... LOL!) :D
 
krazykuda said:
You should run a tap in EVERY hole to be sure that your threads are clean and you are getting proper torque and clamp load.


(Just like a woman, tap every hole that you can.... LOL!) :D
Click to expand...

Hahah, that last one is certainly true lol. But i ran a tap thrugh all the bolt hols before it went to the shop.... But carroll called and im picking my block up tomorrow am, so since it will be on the stand for awhile would it be best to spray it down with wd40 and wrap it in plastic?
 
twayne24365 said:
Hahah, that last one is certainly true lol. But i ran a tap thrugh all the bolt hols before it went to the shop.... But carroll called and im picking my block up tomorrow am, so since it will be on the stand for awhile would it be best to spray it down with wd40 and wrap it in plastic?
Click to expand...


Yes, but if they hot tanked it after you tapped, some of the debris can settle in the threads.

I like to tap all the holes after the machine work is all done, before I put it together. That way the tap cleans all the debris out also.
 
ok, ill go over all the threads again. then before I start assembly ill wash it real good and re spray with wd40.

heres another question, ill put the freeze plugs in when I get the block home, should I use some high tac or just rtv silicon?
 
bOb shingler said:
go around the holes with some wet or dry paper and use brass ones.
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^^ - make sure they are in far enough to show the taper of the plug bore, and I use a thin skim coat of ultra grey to make sure there's no seaping over time.
 
got the block back and i just put in the cam plug since i cant get to it when its on the stand, went around it with some emory cloth then cleaned it and wiped a little high tack on and drove that puppy right in. blocklooks great the only thing that i noticed wrong was that the first cam bearing is only about 3/4 lined up with the oil hole....is that going to cause any oiling issues?
 
twayne24365 said:
got the block back and i just put in the cam plug since i cant get to it when its on the stand, went around it with some emory cloth then cleaned it and wiped a little high tack on and drove that puppy right in. blocklooks great the only thing that i noticed wrong was that the first cam bearing is only about 3/4 lined up with the oil hole....is that going to cause any oiling issues?
Click to expand...


No, at the engine factory we allowed up to 50% overlap on the oil holes for the cam bearings.

Put the edge of the cup plug just below the chamfer of the hole.

Use loctite or silocone for sealing...
 
The order of operations should be inspect, tap, clean, assemble. The cam plug can also go on after it's off the stand. The cam bearing may just be sloppy, or it may be a passage in the block is not exactly where it should be and there are multiple holes to line up on that one. I modify the cam bearings a little just in case of that because you can't adjust it once it's in. You have to replace it if you mess one up putting it in. But it's no tthe end of the world.
 
Thats what i wanted to hear lol.

But im oing to re tap all the holes, also there is alot of fine metal shaving left from the bore/honing, is the best way to clean the block with a pressure washer?
 
leaning towards this cam from hughes:
254/260 @.050
.600/.615 lift with 1.5 rockers on a 108 centerline installed at 104

That's a big cam, when i talked to hughes they were lining me up with a better cam for my combo. I have a 512ci. Not sure of your intentions, but they sure are helpful. If that's what they recommended, please disregard .Oh, and as said before. clean, measure and clean ! I like to check the bearings torqued down before the crank is in it with a bore gage. It tells me if it's good to go. C300
 
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