Poor life choices - C4 content

petegossett wrote: In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid: Just keep your fingers crossed I don't berkeley something up, and it actually runs for a long time.

In reply to ClemSparks:

Thanks for the tip!

Isnt it common knowledge that a SBC will run poorly longer than most engine will run well? Maybe that was more true up through the 90s.

"A small block Chevy can run like crap longer than most engines can run at all."

Well I hope it runs a little better than that!

Day-41(4-hours):

I picked up a heavier-duty engine stand from Aeromoto this morning. The one I'd been using really wasn't rated for a fully built SBC.

From this:

To this:

I checked crank end-play, then installed the rear main seal and torqued down all the main caps. In the pack with the seals were a bunch of o-rings, I'm wondering if these are for the oil pan bolts?

At that point I was ready to install the timing chain and sprockets...except I couldn't find them. I was confident I'd ordered them - I remember putting them in my cart - but I was cross-shopping 4 different sites looking for the best deals. Reviewing all my packing lists and order emails confirmed I did not order it. Damn. Fortunately one of the Advance stores in the area had a double-roller set, and I had a 20%-off coupon.

I was surprised the crank sprocket went on with only a bit of light tapping, the one on the old crank wouldn't come off at all. But a few minutes later it was together and lined up.

I bolted the timing cover on sans gasket to check clearance, and realized the two bolts I'd used to hold it in place when I panted the block are now the only-2 that color. So I took a couple minutes to fix that.

The next order of business was to replace the rod bolts. Unfortunately my manual didn't provide any directions, but online it was suggested to tap out the old bolts & tap in the new ones with a brass hammer. That's where I ran into problems... I don't have a brass hammer, though I do have a copper one. While the old bolts were pretty easy to knock out, the new ones simply weren't cooperating.

The piston skirts prevent a direct strike on the bolt, and the force required was destroying my hammer, sending copper all over. So I tried pressing them in with my garage vice...and bent both the handle, and the threaded shaft.

I do have a bigger vice out in the workshop, but I need to replace the fluorescent bulbs or update to LED, and by that point it was dark and storming - quitting time.

Oh, I did pick these up for $75 today though!

In reply to petegossett:

Looks like great progress there. Nice work.

Is that a Mallory dist?

If you close your vise jaw, you can flip the rod and rest the bolt heads on the vise then tap the rod down over the bolt with a piece of copper pipe, or an aluminum drift.

In reply to petegossett:

You sure do have a pretty distributor.

I'm loving this thread Pete, but I think that's going to be a noisy timing set.

Maybe throwing those rod bolts in the freezer overnight might help a little?

In reply to Crackers:

Unfortunately "tapping" didn't get me anywhere with the rod bolts, it was more like "beat the E36 M3 out of it". Besides, with pistons still on the rod I don't think that technique would work?

I understand it is recommended to have the rods re-sized when changing rod bolts.

Can anyone confirm that?

In reply to Woody:

Great suggestion on the freezer! I'm not sure it will make a noticeable difference with as tight as they are? Though I suppose I could also toss the rods/pistons oven for a bit...while SWMBO wasn't watching.

The O-rings are your valve seals. They go in the top groove of the valve stems. You get one shot at it, so commit and make no mistakes or you'll need to get more.

Consider adding Ford-style umbrella seals as well - double your protection.

In reply to SkinnyG:

I just read that tonight - after I'd removed the bolts - but I trust the source of the advice I was given, so I'll swap these bolts out & as long as I don't discover any subsequent problems I'll continue to put it together.

In reply to SkinnyG:

Ah, ok. That makes sense! I did get umbrella-type seals too.

~Theoretically~ just swapping bolts should work. If, when you start putting pistons in, you can no longer rotate the assembly, you might have a problem.

I have heavily ported 305 heads on the 350 in my '77 C10. I used the umbrella seals as well as the o-rings. Despite the guides being perfect in the 305 heads, when I had the intake off after 3 years, there is oil caking on the intake valves inside the ports.

If you can fit those fancy viton seals that clamp onto the top of the guide, you will burn oil a lot further in the future.

Watching you do this make me want to tackle the LS in my truck when the time comes.

In reply to mazdeuce:

It should be a breeze after the Benz.

Not sure how many of the rods you have done, but maybe for the next set of rod bolts, instead of pounding them in, slip a collar over the un-threaded portion of the bolt and use a nut to pull them into the rod.

In reply to Ian F:

I tried that too, but the threaded portion is the same length as the thickness of the cap, so I can't use it to pull the bolt the rest of the way through. I also tried stacking some washers, but as the resistance increased the bolt head started twisting, and I really needed a 3rd hand to keep going.

The bolts are chillin' in the freezer now, I'll try pressing them in with my large vice this afternoon & see how well that works.

Day-42(3-hours):

Most of them going backwards...

I started out using my big vice to finish pressing in the first-2 ARP rod bolts the rest of the way. No problem.

Except that when I tried to put the cap on it wouldn't seat the whole way.

It turns out the knurled part of the bolt is about 1/8"-longer on the ARP bolts, preventing the caps from seating.

So I pressed them back out, and stared pressing back in all the original bolts...until I bent the handle on my big vice.

So I had to resort to my super-sketchy homebuilt redneck hydraulic press.

Which actually worked quite well. So after 3+ hours wasted needlessly removing and reinstalling the stock bolts, I installed all the rings just so I'd feel like berkeleying accomplished something.

Oh, I do have a question: my manual shows to install the rings on left-bank pistons the opposite direction of the right-bank - compression ring gap straight up on the left vs. straight up on the right, with the 2nd ring opposite. However the paperwork with the rings shows a completely different orientation that's identical for both sides. Which should I follow?

I don't think it matters as long as they're staggered. They tend to walk around in use anyways, if you look at a 2 stroke piston there is a pin in each ring groove and cuts in the ring ends to clear them so a ring doesn't walk around and get an end caught in a port.

I've found that when you spiral the pistons on with your fingers, they walk around more. I use piston ring pliers now.