slaus wrote:Any updates Jason?
toyotero2dend wrote:Good to see that you up and running Jason
Hmmm - yep it all turned to putty!
Then engine builder had taken ZERO care and so main bearings were stuffed as were the cam, lifters and pushrods all within 20 minutes run time.
So I organised a brand new billet comp cams bump stick and a set of nice new lifters to match a full new set of engine bearings. I have thoroughly washed out the engine block and all components being re-used.
The support bolts for the main studs in the girdle had been nipped up which had caused direct contact between crank and bearing. I discovered this when I was reassembling the bottom end myself. If I gave each or any of the bolts an eighth to a quarter of a turn past hand tight the crank became hard to turn. Having been nipped up previously the top and bottom of each main bearing had been gouged out leaving the sides if pristine condition. I did them hand tight before nipping up the retainer nut which will lift the bolt a woofteenth away from the cap leaving it in place purely for support in severe flex situation just as it was always supposed to be for...
When I went to install the brand new lifters which are identical in diameter to the old ones they just plain wouldn't fit unless you hammered them in.
I had been at the engine shop when he went to fit the lifters on this build and they had been tight then - I just didn't know how tight. He had put a cover on the engine and said he would sort it out in the morning which plainly did NOT happen... I had to spend a quality morning honing out the lifter bores.
The cam had been tight to fit last time round and the engine guy informed me he had machined the cam journals down to make it fit which thing had not made me happy at the time. Since I don't have a cam bearing install tool and had not yet realised the engine guy himself was responsible for the hand grenade I went back with the block and new cam bearings to make them fit. He offered to machine down my nice new comp cam and I promptly told him I wanted the bearings fitted and shaved to suit if the cam was tight. When he gave me the block back with cam bearings fitted he assured me the cam was a nice loose fit - which turned out to be absolutely correct if you didn't bother to push it all the way home at which point it nipped up.
Had to pop out the rear welsh plug and spend a large chunk of an evening nervously and carefully shaving the rear cam bearing with a Stanley knife blade...
So I had the crank, rods, and pistons all zipped up when cyclone Marcia hit. Short video out my front window below. So with the day off work I degreed the cam and was then without power for the next week. Living without power takes sooooooo much more time just to accomplish the basics!
I got power again yesterday afternoon so the head is ready to be torqued down hopefully tonight and on towards engine reinstall over the weekend.
Cheers,
Jason