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.
