A Racing Dog

The head core and valves are starting to look better. The head core was stripped and cleaned with Gunk Engine Brite gel and Seafoam and manual labor with a parts brush. I was going to get it built but with most of the parts being at the edge of spec, I figure I’ll get it back together, running, a log book then when we get done with Honey’s school I’ll start looking at pro heads. A pro head is only a few hundred more than me doing it myself with Dan doing the machine work.

Before you get it cleaned you’ll need to pop the valve seals off. These were pretty trashed. There is a special pliers to remove them but they aren’t available at most parts or tool stores, mostly online and the tool truck want about 70 bucks for the pair. Good news, you can use a screwdriver but I like using a pair of picks to pry them off. To install the new seals you can use a deep 1/4″ drive socket to push them on.

For the valves themselves rather than buy new, I measured them as per the FSM both prior to and after cleaning. They were cleaned with a 6″ brass wire wheel/ buffer. Brass is good because it’s soft. I then finish it off with Scotch Brite maroon and 600 emery. The exhausts aren’t too bad but the intakes are a bit of a bitch. This is a before and after of an intake.

This is a pic of both of the valves with before and after. Make sure you keep the parts in order so they go back into the same hole from which they came. I did splurge on this build and buy all new HLAs (lifters).

The shade tree build is complete on the short block. Finished up the pistons earlier. Not bad for on the cheap. I’ve almost got as much in new calipers, torque wrench and valve spring tool than in the engine at this point. I’ve been measuring as we go. Most of the parts are still within tolerance but nearing the end of useful life. So I decided rather than try to get more performance, I’d put this back together as a stocker and complete the car. Later I can be concerned with max engine HP.

First things first, rings and rod bearings. I clean the ring lands with Seafoam and an old, broken ring. Make sure you don’t gouge too much out. Ring pliers are really inexpensive and keep you from breaking expensive rings.

Next step. using a ring compressor and installing them to check bearing clearance. Again with the Plastigauge. A ring compressor is a must have. You can borrow one from most chain parts stores if you don’t have one or buy a cheap one (like what they loan) for about ten bucks. Watch for scaring the bore with the rod or rod bolts. The FSM calls for using some sort of tubing on the bolts but if you are nimble you can feed it though the cylinder without scraping the walls. Snug the ring compressor against the bore and use the butt of a hammer to gently tap the piston into the bore while supporting the rod with your hand on the other side.

More with the Plastiguage. Measure it, wipe it down and apply buttloads of assembly lube.

I use a 3/8″ drive speeder to snug the nuts, then finish to torque in three or so passes. Once you are torqued, you need to check side clearance to see that the big end doesn’t bind on the crank.

Repeat three more times and you’ll have a populated short block, ready for trim, accessories and head. Now that everything is clean and lubed make sure you cover the engine with a plastic bag to keep it nice and clean.

I’ve pretty much got all the parts for the engine refresh, or shade tree rebuild. It will be gaskets, seals, bearings and rings. I’m not going to do the head this time. The valve train is showing some wear but still in spec. Rather than build on that I’ll wait and do it later or use this as a core for a pro head.

Ready to turn the corner and start putting parts back on the car.

The bench is a bit messy. The block was cleaned and checked for dimensions. Good set of cores, bores speced almost factory. The piston skirts have some wear and the rings need replacing as do the bearings.

Now on to checking the main bearing clearance. I use Plastigauge but the big time builders do it old school and measure. I did though spot check the front and rear caps using the old school way. For that, you need a good calipers or mic and telescoping gauge. I use a Mitutoyo 500 series. The HF stuff, like with the torque wrench, just isn’t appropriate. First, measure the OD of the main journal, I do a couple of places at 90* to make sure it’s square, more or less. The machine shop already did it, but I didn’t get the exact measurement. Install the bearings and torque the cap to spec without the crank installed. Measure the ID of the installed bearings. The difference between the ID of the bearing races and the OD of the crank is the clearance. Or you can use my good buddy Plastigauge.

Once you’re satisfied with the clearance, install the bearings and liberally apply assembly lube.

Torque the caps to spec following the instructions in the FSM.

head disassembled, a photo by Dave Stevens on Flickr.

Turns out the crank is good. Just needs a buff with some emery. The shop miced it and it’s almost stock. Nowhere close to needing an undersize. Head will get a machining per the rules and springs and valves if needed.

start of block work, a photo by Dave Stevens on Flickr.

The block is at the machine shop right now. Should be back next week. The crank is scored in rod journal 2 so I’ll take that in on Monday. The rest of it looks really good, so says the machinist. I switched to another shop then when i was building stock car engines. Those guys were good, but they had to be reminded of deadlines. Every time. We’ll see how the new guy does but he runs his shop with much more discipline, and he’s got a lot more gear. And they are also racers.

The head will be next. The valve train will be stripped once the valve compressor from Tooltopia arrives. Getting one locally that would do an in head spring proved fruitless. I’ll give Dan the specs from the rule book and have him cut the head. I hadn’t planned on doing the engine, but, “as long as I’m in there” let’s do it. That and because 2 was getting trashed and 3 was a bit behind. It might have lasted a half season, maybe a season but 2 would have spun and that’s not good. The power train is a bright spot in a build that has had more downs than ups.

About what I expected when I cracked the lid. I had 7 HLAs bad, valves are a bit roasty and some grunge on the piston tops. I reckon it could be an 80k mile engine but what looks like happened is that they didn’t do the whole thing, they only replaced what was toast. In this case it appears to be a used short block but the manifold has different junk yard pen markings. It’s a bit of a Frankenstein. Most of the oil leak was from the cam angle sensor or the timing belt cover and perhaps the lower front main. Whomever was in there last either mangled the timing belt cover gasket or used the old one. It was pinched, crimped and ripped. It was so caked though it’s hard to tell how much came from where.

Not too bad, the carbon was flaking off easy and the pic was taken after I’d rotated the block so some oil and water jackets drained a bit. Walls don’t look scarred. I will tank it though and give it a touch up with some VHT. I’ll give it a measurement before I send it to the shop but looks like a hone is all it needs. Might as well do the bearings and check out the rings while I’m at it. And of course new freeze plugs and jacket plugs. Hell, this just turned into a lower end rebuild.

When I mounted the engine on the stand I used the rear mount method. My stand adapter needs 70 mm long bolts to clear the mount and at the engine mount point it’s a 10mm x 1.25. When I went to the fastener guru he said that wasn’t a common length for that pitch. In fact his master catalog didn’t show anything over 30mm in a 1.25. However, there plenty long ones in 1.00 and 1.50. He then asked if this was off an import car. Yeppers. I’ll fab a mount so I can mount the engine on the stand in a transverse fashion. I pulled the clutch when it was on the crane but left the flywheel so I could use it to prevent crank action when I took the front pulley off. I’ll fab an adapter plate for now out of 3/16″ plate though long term I’d like to design a purpose built stand.

Still debating on what to do about the head. I was going to at least do the valve seals. May have the whole thing done now. Cams don’t look bad and the valve train top end is nice and clean. I went to have a look see at the valves, opened the drawer that has the internal engine tools and right then realized I didn’t have a spring compressor that would work on this engine. Damn. Just like with the 5/8″ plug wrench. I thought Vatozone had the spring compressor to loan but I don’t see it. Though I only had budgeted the gasket set, it needs a bit more love than that.

The 1.6 long nose is almost completely stripped. I didn’t have a 12pt 12mm 1/2″ drive, all my 1/2″ are 6 pt soes I don’t round off any more heads than absolutely necessary. The 3/8″s weren’t going to cut it and I don’t like to use the impact on head bolts unless I have to. Like I had to remove the heads on the last two circle track engines I built. I did have one of the rear timing belt cover bolts snap off as well as one of the top bolts on the thermostat housing.

The block is so dirty I may have it tanked anyway. Or even do a full rebuild. It’s tough to know when to draw the line with a creep in scope and I’ve been following the “well I’m already in there” or the “it’s already off the car” mantra this far. The head looks like it’s in good shape though I’ll likely do at least the HLAs. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting the head cut to SM specs, I’ve got a shop that is capable and willing to cut it my specs but then there is everything else involved in replacing valves, springs, etc. Might make more sense to get something already built and use this as a core.

Trans didn’t clean up as well as I had hoped. More elbow grease and it should be good to go. And perhaps a clutch “while I’m already in there”. The clutch does look pretty good for a street car but sooner rather than later it’s going to need a race clutch. The drawback with that is taking out other things in the drive train that aren’t quite race ready like a worn rear end or a gear in the trans.