few questions to finish up build

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SRT_DSTRHOLC

SRT_DSTRHOLC

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Ok so I have some questions I need anwsered....

Do I soak the lifters? or anything of that sort?

should I pack the oil pump Vaseline in all the open areas?

I already know about priming the motor and moly grease on the cam.. is there anyhting Im forgeting?
 
i'm putting my motor together in the next few days what seemed to work good in the past was a torque spec sheet, crossing all off as you go along. as well have everything laid out and clean for a faster assembly. last motor was assembled put in the car and and started in one day.

soaking the lifters is recommended by comp cams. i soak my pistons in a bucket as well. i dont think vasoline in the pump will do anything as it will go right to the filter. just prime it.

make sure everything is very clean. use lots of moly on the bearings, dont forget your copper spray for the head gasket, fill the oil filter before install.

man ther is alot more but the a check sheet will really help you keep moving forward. good luck to you/us.
 
I just put mine together, I had it running for a couple of weeks. I used a comp cam they provided a lube that went on the end of the lifter and another oil that went on the sides of the lifter. They stressed the importance of putting the right stuff in the right place. Also i'm running there zinc additive in the oil for the first 1000 miles.
 
prelube the timing chain and fuel pump ?
 
I dont believe any recommends soaking the lifters any more. You can pack the oil pump but I think if your going to pre lube the motor neither are going to make a difference.
 
I soak lifters, but don't "pump them up" , using a quality cam lube on the lobes and lifter faces. If you prime the engine's oil system there's no point in packing the pump. All the vaseline or whatever will just go to the filter and sit there clogging it until the oil comes up to temperature. This is why I personally avoid heavy grease as an assembly lube. My preferences are Torco MPZ, Permatex Ultra-Slick, or STP straight from the can. I've put several engines together using liberal amounts of engine oil on everything (except cam lobes) and been just fine. Just make sure nothing goes together dry.
 
Use moly on the lifter faces, and cam lobes, I also like to use a dab of moly on the rocker and shaft contact points as well as the valve stem tips, and pushrods. I like to use STP or CD 2 on the pistons when assembling them into the block, also a coat of the same inside the cylinders. Flip the engine over and lube the wrist pins with some engine oil. For the oil pump I always take the cover off and inspect the parts for burrs and free movement of the relief valve, when installing the pump I fill it with motor oil, not grease. For the lifters a coat of oil on them and in they go with some oil applied inside their bores. rotate the assembly by hand checking for tightness anywhere. I also ALWAYS check main and rod bearing clearances using plastigauge. Prelube using a shaft and a cordless drill until oil is coming up thru the rocker shafts.
 
Double check all hose clamps, vacuum lines, and fuel line fittings for tightness.
 
so should I soak the pistons with the rings on or should i apply a little bit of oil in the rings. I dont want the motor to smoke.

And how do i prelube the fuel pump?

And if I prime the whole motor wont some of the cam moly grease come off?

And is spray for the head gaskets really needed?

I have the mopar book on building a small block, but its for building a Stock small block
 
74Burntorange said:
And how do i prelube the fuel pump?
Click to expand...

You do not "prelube" a fuel pump.... you "prime" = pre-fill. Big difference.
So the engine doesn't fire, disconnect the coil wire and turn the engine over enough times to draw fuel all the way up from the gas tank and fill the fuel system.

And if I prime the whole motor wont some of the cam moly grease come off?
Click to expand...

"Priming" the oil system with a shaft down the distributor hole doesn't turn the whole engine over, it just turns the pump impellers and circulates oil throughout the system.


I have the mopar book on building a small block, but its for building a Stock small block
Click to expand...

The basic principles should be the same.
 
Put your rings on the pistons in correct orientation, coat the ring/piston assemblies with STP, lube the bores with STP and stab them in, using a ring compressor.

Follow your books assembly order, crank, rear seal, and main bearings first. Then pistons/rings/rod bearings. Next cam and timing chain, then front cover and harmonic balancer, oil pan and pump, heads valve train intake valve covers water pump etc.

Take your time and make check marks in your book as you install and torque the bolts. I like to recheck torque on critical parts at least twice.

Building a motor is my favorite thing to do on a car project. enjoy it !
 
I like to put the cam in first. That way you can just reach under and guide it back. Plus you don't want to find out the cam is too tight on the cam bearings after the whole bottom end is assembled.

I soaked timing chain, lifters, and rocker arms in oil prior to assembly. I "dunked" the assembled piston in oil prior to installing. Have the ring compressor a little on the loose side, put piston in, align by pushing compressor down, them tighten the compressor the rest of the way up. Don't get aggressive tapping them in.

Make sure you have sufficient chamfer around the top of ALL bores prior to assembly.

Large supply of new paper towels is nice. I used new large plastic trash bags on my work bench to lay the parts on to make sure no grit gets on anything.
 
Do you have to prime the oil pump with the cam out of the engine? I'm going to have to put a new pump in my 318 and I don't understand how you could spin the distributor drive with the cam installed.
 
You have to take the oil pump drive out. Then use a priming shaft that goes all the way down to the oil pump. Use an elec. drill to turn the shaft. Make sure you rotate the motor over to a couple of times to get oil up to the rocker shafts.
 
koo so when I see oil getting to all the rockers on both sides I should be good right? and use an oil pressure gauge?
 
I run the oil pump on the stand right before I drop the engine in, and I use a mechanical oil gauge screwed into the block. I run until I get pressure plus a good 30 seconds or so. More than plenty to purge all passages. I avoid turning the engine over by hand once the lifters are installed so as not to wipe lube off the lobes (probably not a big deal). Priming won't wash the cam lube off, as the cam lubricateses by windage (oil slinging from the crank and rods). That's why you want to keep a new engine at high idle for the first several minutes, so plenty of oil gets slung onto everything as it wears in.

For the fuel pump, smear cam lube on the eccentric, and/or put a good blob on the end of the arm. I just fill the carb with fresh gas through the bowl vents, and don't try to run a mechanical pump before startup.

Most head gaskets are designed to be installed DRY. Especially the blue ones. If I knew more about gaskets than the engineers at Fel-Pro, I might try spraying stuff on randomly on my gaskets. But I don't know more about gaskets than the guy who designed them, so I follow the instruction sheet packed with the set. The last time I sprayed anything on a head gasket was the flathead 6 in my Willys.
 
Drop it off at a shop and have them build it. At least you can point the finger at someone else if the engine blows. Also you can get a warranty at most shops so if the engine fails, just get a new one. :p
 
If you´re doing a all new build combo
When you´re about to do the break-in.
Calculate and list everything that can go wrong as far as leaks concern,
oil,coolant, fuel, and check those system over.
Try to set everything, that will be under pressure during the break-in, under pressure before the first fire up to check for leaks.
Be sure that the coolant system is filled with no air trapped.
Maybe lift the top from the carb and fill the bowls with fuel.
Be sure of that you can spot the timing mark during the break in on both the damper and the timing cover.
 
What do I do about the cooling system? distilled water? radiator fluid? tap water?
 
so fill the system completly with Tap water for brake in? then after brake in use 50/50?
 
74Burntorange said:
so fill the system completly with Tap water for brake in? then after brake in use 50/50?
Click to expand...

Kinda, it also gives you a chance to flush out any klingons that were missed during the cleaning process, this before putting in the good stuff. By a few hrs. I mean after running the engine in and maybe taking it for a short stroll but I never leave the water in for more than 24 hrs. If some other problem occurs just dump it, ain't going to hurt nothing cuss it's just water. For the break in, which for most cars is a couple weeks run the 50/50 for internal protection.

Terry
 
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