Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

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NAM VET
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by NAM VET »

to fully torque my front "claw" onto the pulley, i used this piece of aluminum bar, drilled two holes, and then put two of my flywheel bolts in them, and this held my crank to tighten the claw. I trimmed the excess sealant squeezed out. By the way, I first tried to put the cork end gaskets in by pushing them around, and then realized you just snap them in.
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NAM VET
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by NAM VET »

Chris and I put the manifolds in, I had bought new special end nuts, the split ones, and after chasing the four mating holes where the two are joined, cleaning their surfaces up, and spraying on the copper spray gasket on the gaskets (forgetting my gloves, so had golden hands for awhile!) we put it all on the block. Used copper antiseize on the four new grade 8 bolts that loosely held them together until both manifolds were snug to the block. By the way, I bought new high strength studs, but mine looked basically as new when we took it all apart, and my machine shop told me there is always a risk of breaking one off in the block, making it hard to drill out. TM makes it clear about which bolts and washers go where. Of course, the exhaust gets a lot hotter, so the special washers go on the exhaust end studs.

So simply left the old but good studs in. Antiseize on every thing. By the way, when I took all the fenders and such off my truck, and then the block fasteners off, not a single one broke off. Whoever does it all again some time in the future, will be glad I did what I could to make the next disassembly go well. Fortunately, the head riser flap was not rusty, and works fine. I trimmed off any gasket or water pump sealant off the back of the water pump, so it doesn't interfere with my head install.
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NAM VET
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by NAM VET »

loosely set the oil tubes on, and covered up.
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just me
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by just me »

That picture of silicon squeezed out on the pan is exactly why I won't use that stuff on an engine. It will be just as squeezed out on the inside And I don't want any of that stuff coming loose inside and plugging an oil passage.
Today will be modifications day. Fiddling with odd items not all dealing with the engine rebuild directly. The bell housing and pan come off today so they can go to the metal cleaners on Monday. ( I forgot about them earlier on ) The plan is the engine leaves the machine shop tonight and comes to my garage for final assembly and installation. It will be stored for about a month before installation as I need to build a transmission and get some other things done before the swap.
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NAM VET
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by NAM VET »

I had read your earlier post about the silicone sealant and concerns about it migrating thru the engine. But others PM'd me about the only way they could seal the ends where the cork gaskets are proud. I put just a small wipe of the copper based silicone on the rail gaskets, not enough for any squeeze out. And just a little more on the corners of the end caps. I don't imagine there is more inside than is visible on the outside in my pictures. And when I cleaned my oil pick up screen on disassembly, it had some junk on the outside of the screen, which is pretty tightly woven. So I hope that any silicone that falls off inside just can't get thru the screen. I do agree there are some small oil passages in these motors. I am hoping that Chrysler thought that whatever could go thru the pick up screen was too small to block any internal passages. I just was in a bit of a quandary about a leaking sump and had to make a decision about what to seal it up with. My pan rails were pretty straight, but the bolt holes did all have at least a little dimpling from previous over tightening the bolts. So felt I had to use something. I have a tube of Halomar, but It is a mail order item for me, and I did not have enough left over to do the sump. And I plan on frequent oil changes on this motor, maybe whatever is in there will wash out with the hot oil. What did you use? I could pull it off and do it all over again if necessary. I am sure just glooping silicone all over is some risk to a motor. I already have hundreds of $'s in unused and spare fasteners and parts, what's a new gasket kit anyway.

thanks for your suggestions.

NV
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by NAM VET »

Just something immensely satisfying to finally have the cylinder head bolted down. Or more precisely, studded down. Ordered a set of ARP studs, washers, and nuts from VPW, and studied how far to screw the standard length and three longer length studs into the block. Then wiped a coating of Permatex #2 on the threads, and after having previously "chased the threads" with honing oil, screwed the studs in. The ARP studs have a allen wrench head to hold them in whatever position they need to be. I used a rifle cleaning mop with some solvent on it to remove any honing oil, to be sure the sealant works. Since the threads in my block must be in good shape, I found the Permatex squeezed out as the studs went in, so carefully wiped the "sqeeze-out" away, so it did not interfere with the copper head gasket. I wonder if one is using bolts instead of studs, if quite a bit of sealant will come up around the bolt head, and somehow interfere with head gasket sealing. Perhaps an advantage to studs. Then sequentially torqued the nuts down in small increments.

I used Purasil water tubing for the short water pump connections, and then again used hardened studs from my nearby ACE for the big outlet, and leftover ARP stainless bolts on the small outlet. Again Permatex #2 on these threads. And Permatex gasket sealant especially for water pumps. When I worked on my former Cobra, I used ARP fasteners for everything, and have a coffee can of left over this and that.

Today is carb installation day. Charles T completely re-did my carb and intake neck. Looks better than a new one.
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NAM VET
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by NAM VET »

My back hurts. I have been careful to seal every opening into the block, so fearful of dropping some fastener into the deep recesses of my engine. Tape over this and that. But sure enough, while test fitting a fastener on the side of the head, the bolt slipped out of my fingers, and managed to bounce into the 100 amp generator. Sigh....

So I removed the beastly heavy generator (actually an alternator) and shook out the bolt, then set the anchor on my knees, and remounted it. I started to have a back strain about the time I bolted it back onto the bracket. Wrapped the generator with plastic wrap. But pushed on, and mounted my Charles T rebuilt carb, and odd this and that external parts. More tylenol, then Advil. Added Aleve. Took some time to sort out the vent lines, which went where, going back and forth from my digital pictures and the somewhat indistinct drawings in my TM's. I was challenged by how complex it was to fit some of the lines, for instance, the crossover line from the oil fill tube to the carb took some time to tweak to fit perfectly. And even more time to line up and fit the vent line from the rear of the block to the carb. How these lines seemed to come off so easily, and yet be so complex to hook up again.

Finished up about dusk, and wife and I had wood plank salmon steaks on the grill. I am just bushed, and pretty sore.

Yesterday I made up a cradle out of oak, to set the engine on so I can take off my engine stand, and put on the flywheel and bell housing. Then, it is into the truck!

I have tried to be as meticulous and precise with every step of my rebuild. I have replaced just about every bolt or nut with something new, often using this or that ARP bolt or stud, or a Grade 8 fastener, or a left over racing Aircraft fastener. With Permatex 2 as a sealant.

I have not installed the oil pump or distributor, as I am about to be away for several weeks, and don't want to have my oil prime in the pump seep out, and have a dry pump when I get back. Now for a warm soaking bath.
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by 06boblee »

Wow, 4 belts for the generator...
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by just me »

garage.jpg
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After a few non engine setbacks, I finally got the engine back to my garage from the shop. Final assembly of the external bits is all that's left. (And painting)
"It may be ugly, but at least it is slow!"
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by just me »

I don't believe in painting the gasket surfaces, so they were masked. Peeling off the masking after painting the cam side.
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"It may be ugly, but at least it is slow!"
NAM VET
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by NAM VET »

agree with that, I too masked my mating surfaces to avoid paint on any gasket surfaces. And was so fearful of dropping this or that into one of the block openings, that masked them too. But then I managed to drop a test fastener down into my big generator, necessitating removing it to shake out the bolt, and am still laid up pretty much just lying in bed with my back pain. So I then wrapped the generator in plastic wrap. If I had done so before, I would have my motor all ready to go back in my truck. As it is, I am driving out to Nebraska in two days for several weeks. A little forethought would have made life a lot better for me right now. It would be disheartening to have to take a sump off to retrieve a washer or bolt.

Being 70 now, I am no "stud", but wherever possible I have used either my left over ARP studs or hardened ones from my local ACE store for things like the distributor hold down fastener, or for the water outlets and head bolts, thinking that once a stud is installed, there is no more wear on the receiving threads. Once and done. Plus I think on important fasteners, fresh studs may give a more consistent and accurate torque-down. I suspect many of these motors were assembled with the old fashioned bending-beam torque wrenches, like I did for my TR's and MG's long ago. I still have one around somewhere.

I keep watching Utube video's of rebuild starting of these motors, reassuring myself that if they can do it, so can I. Heck, if you look at the picture of my removed distributor innards, you can see where the tip of the rotor was broken off, and yet my motor still ran.

Now if my aching back would just get better.....

NV
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by NAM VET »

When I dismantled my motor months ago, I carefully bagged and labeled the small parts and especially the fasteners. It became obvious to me that the last rebuild of my motor was not done by a Depot. My motor has evidence of a rebuild plate being at one time on the side of the block, since removed. As I look over my bolts, I notice that some have a "shoulder" that is un-threaded, and hence a much tighter fit with its washer in the hole thru which they are inserted. I note that these special bolts are most often found where the bolt goes into a part that needs a precise alignment, such as my flywheel, and cam crank sprocket. Or where one side of the two has fluid on one side, probably to reduce seepage. And the small one that attaches the internal front seal plate to the front plate from inside the engine.

But the last people to rebuild my motor must have sometimes mixed up the bolts, or damaged them, or just used what was near to hand.

For instance, the two bolts that hold the oil pump on my motor were different, one with the "shoulder" and one threaded to the head. I wish I had a source of these special bolts, but I am sure they elusive at best. I have bought bags of Grade 8 fasteners from Fastenal or from my can of left over ARP fasteners, and am using them wherever possible, not for strength, but just for fresh threads and perhaps less rust in the years to come. But none of my replacement bolts have a partially unthreaded shank.

Just a suggestion to carefully inspect and sort removed fasteners.

NV
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by just me »

I have seen several folks on the forums having trouble with getting the oilpans installed and went into installing mine with a little trepidation because I was going to have to install it from under the engine. (I have enough assembled that I can no longer just flip it upside down on the build table.) I needn't have worried. It just went on like any other pan I've ever installed. Glue the gaskets to the engine rails (Ptex2), snot the end corks to the pan and snot the bearing cap, retainer surfaces (L318). Put four small beads of Right Stuff in the corners and lift the pan into place. Using the stock flange head bolts, just started all of them a few threads and then gradually tightened them all in a sequence like a head or large flange. Wiped off the slight bit of squeeze out goo and done. Started painting the accessories and installing them. Need to get some hardware for the W-pump and a few other items and might finish up this week. The 120f heat may slow me down a bit. I can't paint at that temperature. The paint won't cure properly.
Only gasket my kit didn't come with is the oil pipe stanchion. I'll have to make that one and letter 710 on the cap. So close, but then I still have to build up my spare trans before I do the swap.
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by NAM VET »

Interesting that your gasket kit did not include one for the oil fill tube base either. I had a lot of spare gaskets left over for other engines, but did not have this one. So put on a bead of Halomar and just bolted it down on the two studs. We shall see.....

NV
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Re: Just another engine build thread. Sort of.

Post by Elwood »

Gasket material of almost every dimension and material is available from places like McMaster-Carr. I cut most of my own, so I know that the material is of a type compatible with the application and sometimes better than the material spec'd as OEM or in a kit, and not old and dried out.
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