Daves new school holden shambles. Think i need a cert......

[Muncie]

Block cleaned deburred and stoned for flatness on all the mating surfaces taken a few hours, bearings taken out cleaned oiled and reassembled with the stud kit to stop me losing parts, on to crank next then flexi gauge to check clearances appears bearings are oversized too so thats good.

Never built a big piston engine from scratch before I built a few development engines for Rocketlab 6 years ago so at least know how be clean and thorough. Its nice to have spotless hands after working on something means you aren't assembling someone else problems i guess.

Cam bearings could probably do with replacement...... I dont have tools for that and the new lifters guy said it had are used so they're going in bin I'll order some from Mace won't hold things up much.

 

 

[RUNAMUCK]

Its a good idea to give those head bolt holes a wee lick with a countersunk too.  

Although the threads aren't flush with the deck. (Where they are, you can get a small amount of metal lifted by the bolts, which can compromise the gasket seating/sealing) those holes look kinda scruffy at the deck face. Best to do it while it's apart.

[Muncie]

4 hours ago, RUNAMUCK said:

Its a good idea to give those head bolt holes a wee lick with a countersunk too.  

Although the threads aren't flush with the deck. (Where they are, you can get a small amount of metal lifted by the bolts, which can compromise the gasket seating/sealing) those holes look kinda scruffy at the deck face. Best to do it while it's apart.

Noted, thats why i post all this stuff otherwise im guessing amd trusting the internet real life knowledge is really appreciated. Ill be revisiting the head surfaces again before I fit the head gaskets im running MLS this time and they'll need things tip top!

[Muncie]

Finally found a copy of the Holden rebuild manual...... all my pistons were up to fuck pulled them apart and set them up as per the book ends up 3 will appear upside down now 3 right way up rod markings face the front piston markings face front. Sounds a bit weird but they probably just run these pistons off in their hundreds not in left and rights.

Everything got a clean up looking really nice bearings were nicely lubed up by builder. Plucked a single piston ring off stuck in bore and its way to tight so im going to hone bores get those nice again won't take much then do gaps.

And because I im sick of shitty leaking plastic rocker covers I bought some alloy ones fron ZZ Performance in states and one of their dual row timing chain dampers. Only went looking for damper impulse bought covers sold myself on it fixing the leaks.

[Muncie]

Honed the bores they aren't 100% perfect some water marks remain but well down bore so they'll just retain oil and ive heard thats a good thing (thats probably bullshit) but im not an engine builder so from trash to not bad will do.

3 pistons down on filing rings fuck my life this is tedious im regretting not buying a ring filer its working though at least I have the ring expander thats saved my fingers no end.

Photos before and after.

[Muncie]

Yes im aware of that scratch on the deck near the head studs hole. Im tempted to fill it with Devcon. I think the fire ring will catch it and seal but I'd be happier with something in there.

[Muncie]

Assembly is well underway 

[RUNAMUCK]

17 hours ago, Muncie said:

Honed the bores they aren't 100% perfect some water marks remain but well down bore so they'll just retain oil and ive heard thats a good thing (thats probably bullshit) but im not an engine builder so from trash to not bad will do.

3 pistons down on filing rings fuck my life this is tedious im regretting not buying a ring filer its working though at least I have the ring expander thats saved my fingers no end.

Photos before and after.

Something the leaps out of this photo to me is, (I'm not an engine builder either brw) you ran the drill quite fast when you hones the bores no? (People always do) 

If you watch a video of like a Sunnen honing machine working, it runs slower, and plunges the Hone up and down quite quickly too. This is how they achieve the 60° hone pattern. Pretty much every drill hone pattern I see pictures of has a pattern where the marks are more horizontal than 60°.  It can be hard to get a drill to run slow enough to achieve this. (An air powered drill with thw pressure wound right down is one way)

[Muncie]

@RUNAMUCKHey, i ran it as slow as I could get away with on my drill only thing I have that does go slower would break my arm if it caught kind of a shitty compromise I know and was "stroking" as fast as I could.

Watched a few videos first so unfortunately you and I know it ain't perfect.

Hone i used had quite long stones too so was either smacking main webbing or popping out bore.

Its at least better then it was.

[RUNAMUCK]

100%

 

I'm not throwing stones. Just pointing out my observation. 

[Muncie]

22 minutes ago, RUNAMUCK said:

100%

 

I'm not throwing stones. Just pointing out my observation. 

Your all good mate, sure this won't be last engine i build.

So bottom end is together it turns beautifully by hand no tight spots lubed up excessively (Diddy would approve) and ready for the next parts, probably heads i think as im waiting on stuff to come in for valve train.

Got to use 2 of my 3 torque wrenches that sit around forever little Norbar for running up through the low steps to settle everything in then broke out my Warren & Brown aircraft spec wrench to do last whip around to final torque.

Thoroughly enjoyed so far not to many hiccups.

 

 

 

[Muncie]

I'll run this thing in without turbo on the stock tune keep cylinder pressures down till its done a few hundred ks.

I should get this running by time I'm back at work fairly comfortably now dropping engine in is easy part tuning etc is harder part for me im basically on auto pilot with this car now assembling stuff.

[fletch]

5 hours ago, Muncie said:

I'll run this thing in without turbo on the stock tune keep cylinder pressures down till its done a few hundred ks.

All the jokers I know building turbo motors just get them hot and check for leaks, change the oil, and send it. You get a better break in of the rings before the bores get polished and less oil burning.

[RUNAMUCK]

Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power https://share.google/V8UOYuxWRETgaWIhn

I used to subscribe to the "conventional wisdom" regarding engine break ins untill I read this link. I have a Popular mechanics magazine from the late 20s with an article about when it's important to follow that old outdated method. 

But modern engine maching technologies, (even ones with the wrong hone pattern 😝) and midern puston ring coatings mean it ain't 1920 any more. 

Best engine I ever built was started in the driveway, had the time checked, and shut off. 

Then rope towed to a 6.8km straight with fuck all traffic. I proceeded to drive that puppy as fast as it would go up and down that straight about 6 times. (Full throttle pulls to the top of 4th gear, and into 5th) ironically some time later when that motor died, I killed it driving it the exact same way, on the very same road.

[Muncie]

This week I'll  be schlooping the cam back in and realised I now have adjustable timing gears and a high stall so before I get in to that can you school me on moving my timing its set up in 2 degree increments either way think to a max of 6 degrees.

Now been DOCH (double over cam heads) any tweaks are global one cam everything moves, give me some advantages disadvantages of not leaving it stock.

[Muncie]

2 hours ago, RUNAMUCK said:

Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power https://share.google/V8UOYuxWRETgaWIhn

I used to subscribe to the "conventional wisdom" regarding engine break ins untill I read this link. I have a Popular mechanics magazine from the late 20s with an article about when it's important to follow that old outdated method. 

But modern engine maching technologies, (even ones with the wrong hone pattern 😝) and midern puston ring coatings mean it ain't 1920 any more. 

Best engine I ever built was started in the driveway, had the time checked, and shut off. 

Then rope towed to a 6.8km straight with fuck all traffic. I proceeded to drive that puppy as fast as it would go up and down that straight about 6 times. (Full throttle pulls to the top of 4th gear, and into 5th) ironically some time later when that motor died, I killed it driving it the exact same way, on the very same road.

Wow, I think I'll just give it some hot runs down East mine road once its all together. I dont have a safe tune yet for the turbo so will still have to be Naturally Aspirated.

When I used to drag free cars home that had sat in fields for decades we would immediately let them warm up then try do top gear skids, and they lived often for many years same logic and it makes sense.

 

[Roman]

On a VVT car you advance the intake cam (heaps) at rpm below peak torque, and then once you get to peak torque the cam starts pulling back again towards peak rpm. 
So we are talking 35-40 degrees of cam advance below peak torque, then can be back to zero by high rpm, or close to it. 
So as a general rule with a fixed cam you will gain top end power by retarding the cam a bit. 
You will gain midrange power and some idle chop noises by advancing it. (idle might not chop since your overlap amount is fixed)
You need to move it a bunch more than 2 degrees (of cam not crank) to see any changes though.
When on the dyno or road testing you need to move a cam by about 5 degrees to see any meaningful change.
So 1 or 2 degree increments probably wont do much.

[Muncie]

Suppose I need to find out whether the degrees of adjustment quoted for the timing set is crank or cam angle thats something I'd missed.

Still something to mess with hurting the bottom end performance isn't a problem as converter can soak that up now.

 

[Muncie]

Got block ready for heads cleaned all the metal out by using degreaser water blasting oven cleaner another blast leaf blower then finally washed with isopropyl and set them on fire because im a pyro! And a good going over with air gun they were nice and warm by this point so will bake dry themselves.

[Muncie]

Heads sat on as a mask for painting machined surfaces the headgaskets dont use, these got a bit pitted on old blocks so will make things a bit more durable.

Fresh coat of paint in aluminum as it made spotting leaks so much easier and seeing bolt holes when your doing stuff is a blessing.

Sump is on to keep things clean ive got to put the oil pick up on yet then front and rear plates and oil pump then ill put heads on for last time.

There's other boring things I'll work through but its progressing.