Drug this thing home (360). Now what should I do with it? - IT'S ALIVE!!!!

[471_Magnum]

My 471 had Eagle H-beams, running nowhere near their HP limit. No problems there. Lots of issues reported on the SIR rods though. Of course, much of that is just the internet rumor mill doing it's thing.

Missed my pistons today. Nobody answered the door for the UPS man. The wife now knows not to let that happen again.

[471_Magnum]

Is there anything purdier than a new set of forged pistons?

[firefighter3931]

Is there anything purdier than a new set of forged pistons?

Those are purty ! 

Should rev like a banshee with those slugs ! 


Ron

[471_Magnum]

Dropped off the pistons at the machine shop yesterday. They'll bore it next week and then I'll bring everything home for mock-up, before for taking it all back for decking and balancing.

Maybe... just maybe... I'll be doing final assembly by next month.

[471_Magnum]

Machine shop called today. The block is ready to come home for the initial mock-up. Going to have to put in a couple of late nights, but I might be able to get it back there by the end of the week (for decking, and installations of cam bearings, freeze plugs etc, as well as balancing). Might be doing final assembly on the short block by next weekend.

Woo hoo!

Financial realities might dictate I slow the pace a bit though. Need to bank another paycheck or two before I buy the last of the parts to finish the build-up.

[471_Magnum]

Brought the block home a few days ago. Did a mock-up to check rod bolt clearance, and to check the deck height.

No issues with rod bolt clearance, but it's going to need to go back for 10-15 thou off the deck.

Spent a few hours today giving it the poor man's shot blasting. Went to work on it with the wire wheel to remove all the remaining rust. Also chased out all the bolt holes and knocked off some flash.

Tonight I'll file-fit the rings and then it will be ready to go back to the shop for the remaining machine work and balancing. I might just sit on it this week though.

My cam kit also arrived the other day. I've since had second thoughts for that cam. I really think it's going to be overkill with my stock heads. In addition, it's not going to work with my stock springs. Double springs are recommended and that would require work to the spring seats.

So.... I think that cam kit is going to sit on the shelf until I make the investment in a set of RHS heads. Barring an unforeseen financial windfall, that will NOT happen this year.

Once I get the 340 apart, I'll take a look at the cam in there. I might just take the cheap way out and poke it into the 410.

[471_Magnum]

Everything has been to the machine shop and back again. It's already for assembly.

1750 on the bobweight. ZING!

Installed the pistons on the rods tonight. Block and crank both need a bath before I can start the serious assembly. Maybe Saturday.

[471_Magnum]

Running into an issue. Installed the crank the other night and it's not spinning as freely as I would expect:
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=QuestionAnswer&Number=6584197&fpart=1&PHPSESSID=

[471_Magnum]

After consulting with a few other engine builders, I went ahead and assembled the bottom end a little tighter than I would have liked. It's well within factory specs, but I'm use to putting cranks in on the loose side. My clearance is about .0017. On my big blocks I've always run around .0025.

Got the pistons and rods installed as well now. Deck came out perfect.

As you can see from the photos, the 4" stroker crank uses-up every bit of realestate inside that block. No clearancing required though.

Waiting on the cam now. I had initially ordered the Comp XE275HL, but after looking closer at my valve lift limitations, I sent it back and exchanged it for a XE274H. Almost identical cam timing with less lift (.491/.480 vs .525/.525). I don't think I'll notice the difference on the butt dyno. Anyway, should have the cam in the next couple of days.

Also need to make a decision on the oil pan. I had planned to run a factory pan and try to fit in a windage tray. No-go on the factory windage tray though. Just can't clear the rods. So now I'm debating whether or not to spring for the Kevko pan and pick-up, or make due with just a factory pan. As long as I stick with the standard oil pump, the factory pan will be fine, but the extra insurance would be nice.

[firefighter3931]

Nice progress 


Ron

[471_Magnum]

Still waiting for my replacement cam. I'm at a standstill right now. Not much available time to work on it anyway.

Had some interested in purchasing the 340 as a long block. That would be just the cash injection this project would need to finance a set of RHS heads. I doubt that deal is going to materialize though.

[471_Magnum]

Due to the accident, the project was put on hold for about a week. I did get my replacement cam though, and I have ordered a Kevko oil pan and pick-up.

I did get the appraisal out of the way today which allowed me to get going on pulling the old motor. I drained the coolant and removed the radiator tonight. Got some friends coming over tomorrow or the next day to help get the hood off. I should be ready to pull the motor by the weekend.

After that I'll probably spend a week transferring parts and detailing everything. The collision repair work will probably be going on simultaneously.

[471_Magnum]

Got the old motor out today and started to tear it down. Here's what I found.

Forged crank, and cast pistons. Block is 30 over. Cross-hatching looks fresh. Pistons about 40 thou in the hole (just eyeballing it). Got some carbon build-up, but otherwise the motor looks fresh. Not sure what it's really worth with the broken corner on the block.

Best news is that the J-heads look good. They've got 2.02 valves and hardened exhaust seats. Now I don't feel near so bad about compromising and not springing for a set of RHS/Indy X-heads. Not ruling it out completely though. Definitely an option down the road a bit if not sooner.

I'll disassemble the heads tomorrow and bring them to the machine shop Monday. Just going to have them cleaned and checked for flatness. Once I get them back I'll do a little light porting on them, just blend the bowels and match the openings.

My Kevko pan arrived yesterday, so other than some fresh fasteners here and there, and new hoses, that pretty much completes all the purchases for the new motor.

[471_Magnum]

I disassembled the J-heads tonight. They are a bit crustier than I originally thought. Lots of carbon on the intake valves. Couple of the valve tips some very small chips on them. Springs look kind of tired. They've obviously got a bunch of miles on them.

How much money do I want to sink into these things before I just say screw-it and spring for new ones?... 

[471_Magnum]

I brought the old heads in for a valve job. No sooner had I done that and I get a reply back regarding another set of heads I've been negotiating to purchase.

These heads are fresh J-heads with 100% new components including stainless valves and the correct springs for my cam. Not RHS heads, but they are a nice compromise. Anyway, I was able to put the brakes on the valve job and should get the new ones today.

Meanwhile I installed the cam last night and am trying to get it degreed. I build just enough motors to remember how to do this and screw it up the first time. I ran out of energy last night but will get the cam finished tonight or tomorrow. From there is should come together pretty quickly. I do still have to clean and detail the engine bay though, as well as paint and detail the engine, so I'm still a little ways off from installing the motor.

[471_Magnum]

The motor is now pretty much finished, to the point I've got it primed and installed anyway. Painted it this weekend and primed it the other night. Had a couple of minor glitches. The main issue was I couldn't get the motor to prime. Turns out the oil pump wasn't installed squarely and I couldn't get my priming shaft in the pump drive. Had to pull the pan to figure that out. Now the pan is leaking slightly. That repair can wait until after break in through.

So last night I dropped the motor in. Still have a long way to go before break-in, especially considering I need to complete the collision repairs first. Need to take a couple of days off since the wife is taking over the garage the next few days for a rummage sale.

[Ghoste]

That's good news on the engine then at least.  Our mutual friend dropped his new 428 into his 69 Ford this week so we are hoping to fire that thing up this weekend.

[471_Magnum]

It's all back together, including the collision repair.

Had a delay due to exhaust issues. Lesson learned: Pypes kits are crap.

I finished installing the TTi exhaust tonight. Tomorrow evening we'll break-in the cam. Then I'll need to install the inner valve springs, so if all goes well, I'll be flogging on it Thursday night or Friday.

[471_Magnum]

Got the new motor fired up tonight, but not without incident.

Started up right away. Probably the easiest new motor start up I've ever done.

Then it quickly went to SH!T.

Fired up with the oil pressure rising and ran it up to 2500 rpm, and then the oil pressure dropped to zero. I got it shut down within a couple of seconds.

Got out of the car to investigate and found oil running out from below the right side of the motor. Further investigation revealed the gasket on the 90 degree filter adapter blew out, dumping about 4 quarts on the ground via the header.

I just removed the adapter and went back to a short filter with the factory set-up. I'll sort out that adapter later.

Got the motor re-fired with no apparent damage from the brief oil starvation. No temperature or pressure issues. No leaks either.  The rest of the break-in was uneventful.

Draining the break-in oil now. Tomorrow I'll install the inner valve springs and hopefully get to drive it. Probably be Friday before I get it on the road. Big cruise-in on Saturday, so I definitely want to get it debugged and tuned up in the next day or so.