Superbird major repair/transplant -FAIL! Sept 22 update

[70Sbird]

next 4 - here is the new 4.15 stroker crank, de-burred and mic'd for bearing clearance, I also tried something new, priming under engine paint, we'll see how it holds up, and here it is.... last week the first four bolts went back together, the new water pump is in the housing!

[Richard Cranium]

What's with that extra bolt boss on the front of the block; is that an A-body block?

[70Sbird]

Still working on the prep work for assembly, I had the crank drilled for my 4 speed but am using the modern (truck) pilot bearing, here it is Finally! I took vacation last Friday for a 3-day assembly weekend!, got the crank in , It is now officially a Stroker motor! eight of these assemblies.....

[70Sbird]

What's with that extra bolt boss on the front of the block; is that an A-body block?

It's a 1976 vintage block, my 440 was a little thin after sonic testing for a second overbore and a stroker kit

[70Sbird]

Now to degree the cam, do a little more clearancing on the block for the rods/crank I have a complete shortblock!
Bolt on and paint the heads then start setting up the rockers. Very time consuming process on the rockers compared to the stock ones but they should be good for a few extra ponies when complete!

This brings me up to tonight, I have to finish spacing the rockers on the passenger side and get the pushrod length set, I'll take a few more pictures of that process and post them in the next few days.

[Aero426]

What did you use for engine paint?     Was it the MP stuff in an aerosol?    I understand it is pretty thin and you need the primer underneath for coverage.

[tan top]

What's with that extra bolt boss on the front of the block; is that an A-body block?

It's a 1976 vintage block, my 440 was a little thin after sonic testing for a second overbore and a stroker kit

i been wondering that for some time  !!! keep seeing that extra cast boss with a hole tapped on the left side !!  on a few blocks  , thought it was A body barracuda & dart  blocks at first  ,   did'nt they have something similar  

Now to degree the cam, do a little more clearancing on the block for the rods/crank I have a complete shortblock!
Bolt on and paint the heads then start setting up the rockers. Very time consuming process on the rockers compared to the stock ones but they should be good for a few extra ponies when complete!

This brings me up to tonight, I have to finish spacing the rockers on the passenger side and get the pushrod length set, I'll take a few more pictures of that process and post them in the next few days.

awesome stuff!! keep the pictures coming  

[70Sbird]

What did you use for engine paint?     Was it the MP stuff in an aerosol?    I understand it is pretty thin and you need the primer underneath for coverage.

Doug,
I'm just using Dupli-color engine primer and " Chrysler Hemi Orange" enamel (primer can visible in this pic) The color is probably not an exact match, but unless there is a "correct" painted engine sitting right next to mine 99.6 percent of the population will never know!
And, using the gray primer, only about 2 color coats really look good! the other thing is that it's only about $4.75 a can at Farm&Fleet, and is very easy to touch up down the road if necessary

[Aero426]

Can you tell us a little about the valvetrain you chose? 

[70Sbird]

Can you tell us a little about the valvetrain you chose?  

Doug,
Sure, since most of the engine came from one source, Hughes engines.
The cam is a flat tappet hydraulic, (Hughes 3742)
Flat Tappet Hydraulic / One Bolt Timing Gear. Serious street and strip: oval track, mud racers. 3.91:1 gears, noticeable idle, 3000rpm stall. High rise dual plane, 3x2 or small single plane intake, headers required. Stage I or II HP ported heads. 170psi suggested cylinder pressure.
Camshaft Technical Details
Intake Valve Lift Exhaust Valve Lift w/1.5 .548/.555"
Intake and Exhaust Duration at .050" 237°/242°

Lobe Separation Angle 108º
Min. Suggested Cylinder PSI 175
Sweet Spot RPM 2300 - 5600

This cam sounds WAY bigger than I would have chosen but Hughes said that with a 500 cubic inch stroker engine, it will be able to use all that cam and still be very streetable. I guess I'll trust him since he has set up more engines than I ever will. We'll have to see how it acts when I get it running.
My original (906 casting) heads were also ported and had oversize stainless steel valves installed. I'm definately addding a better intake and carb to my Christmas list!
I then used Hughes 1106 valve springs (150# @ 1.880' INSTALLED 335# @ .550' LIFT) and the aluminum 1.5 ratio roller rocker arms. They are supposedly good for about 25 horsepower over the stamped original or MP "6-pack " rockers and the stamped ones are not recommended by MP for any cam over .500 lift. I'm also using custom length pushrods, I spent last night getting the "optimal length" set up and dropped the master off today to be replicated in 16 identical pushrods. Ill pick them up Friday afternoon. Hopefully I'll have the engine buttoned up this weekend

[70Sbird]

Hey all,
Just a few more pics from the weekend. I spent a bunch of time on this but didn't get as far along as I'd hoped. Setting up the rockers has been very time consuming! I can now appreciate why engine builders get the money that they do. Like anything else, If I were to do it over again it it would take less time, but this is still a very tedious process! Hopefully it'll be worth it.
Here are a few pics of the rocker's progress. The rollers need to be positioned directly over the valve stem, and this is accomplished by using .015 and .030 inch shims to move the rockers back and forth on the shaft. And when complete have only .005" to .015" side clearance per set. not really that difficult, but you end up taking the rockers on and off a lot to get it right!.
Then came measuring for the pushrods, this is again a tedious process adjusting the pushrods length and rockers to achieve the optimal lift and desired valvetrain geometry, basically getting the pushrod 100% in line with no angles when the valve is fully open, and maximizing lift.

[70Sbird]

finally the rockers were set up and I rolled the engine over (hopefully for the last time) to button up the bottom end.
I added a few more drain hole and opened up the "louvers" on the windage tray and checked for clearance. I only needed to do one adjustment with a ball peen hammer for clearance for the #3 connecting rod cap. A very minor one, as seen by the sharpie'd square by the pickup tube. I put the pan on, bolted in the new engine mounts (Schumacher Poly-Locs) and rolled it back up to add the pushrods and adjust the valves.
Last night before I went to bed, I installed the intake and the studs for the exhaust manifolds and valve covers.
It's starting to look like an engine again!
I have to go out of town for work tomorrow, but i'm hoping to get it mostly finished tonight

[moparstuart]

 

[tan top]

    all looking good !!  good stuff going on !  

never realised there was that much to running them Hughes rockers , i know every thing should be checked for opitmum alignment   ,  

keep the pictures coming  , love looking at this kind of stuff  

[TheAutoArchaeologist]

Scott,

That looks awesome.  I can't wait to hear that beast running again! 

[70Sbird]

OK, I was hoping to buton up the engine tonight but hit a snag. My new Mopar Performance cast Aluminum valve covers and my passenger side exhaust manifold both want to occupy the same space when installed. There is plenty of room on the drivers side, but the passenger side is not going at all. has anyone else run across this before?

[A383Wing]

yup...the cast aluminum covers won't fit the HP manifold on the passenger side....you can try to massage the valve cover to fit...but I have heard it don't work very well and will leak

[Golden-Arm]

try a gasket on the manifold? a thick header gasket might help a bit.

[WINGIN IT]

How about just putting some stock ones on instead?

[Arnie Cunningham]

http://www.midwestmotorsportsinc.com/index.php?p=product&id=121129&parent=0

I was considering using a set of these when I had a leak I just could not stop.  I never did try a set.  They claim them to be .051 thick.  There is no photo so don't trust my cut and paste.  Call them and make certain you get exactly what you need.  You may be able to double them up and gain some room.  How much room do you need?  With the manifold that close, you may also want to add one of the motorhome gaskets that extend up between the cover and the manifold - ugly but effective.  Or, as mentioned, go with stock covers.

[70Sbird]

Hi everyone, I feel like a celebrity now since a few of these pictures made the club newsletter!
Just a quick update as I'm preparing to leave for Florida for work and will be missing the Cleveland meet
Here is the (almost) finished engine, the carb is just sitting in place as I'll take it off for the install. I also have a new power steering pump that still needs to be mounted, the PCV and breather, plus a few other small detail items. I washed out the engine bay on Saturday, and cleaned up the tranny then shot a fresh coat of Cast Iron engine paint on it so it looks fresh as well

[70Sbird]

Here is a quick pic of the exhaust flange I removed to "reclock"  it for use with the 68/69 manifolds
The last three were taken last night as I dropped the K frame and suspension. My trust buddy Shad and I are unbolting the remaining parts to drop everything out the bottom.

[TheAutoArchaeologist]

That's awesome to see.  You going to freshen up the front suspension too?!?!  When do you think you and the Shad will be putting the olde girl back together?

[70Sbird]

Ryan,
No the suspension is good, I put lower control arm bushings in last year, and everything else 10,000 miles ago. Just a cleanup and maybe some paint on the K frame. The engine compartment looks pretty good after a bath, I may hit it with a little cleaner wax if I have time. Hard to say when it will move again, It was supposed to be done last weekend. This trip for work that just popped up late last week will kill about 4 evenings of working time as well. Hopefully it should be back together by the 4th of July now.

[moparchris]

Lots of good work going on there!  It's goona be great when you start driving it.  Strokers ROCK!!!  Best of luck
Chris