Restarting My '70 Nova Project

[BleedingOrange]

Yup, when I am working on different projects, I wake up during the night, and re-think and re-build this stuff until I fall asleep again.

 

[BravoXray]

Don’t forget to double check everything. Treat it like a pilots check list. I did engine work on a 70 Challenger, I double checked everything twice except adding coolant and water to the radiator. I caught it in time but just barely.

I'm pretty good at double checking things. That's one good thing about going slowly on projects like this, it gives me time to go over not just my written checklist, but also my mental checklist. A few times, I have caught myself and gone back and corrected something.

Yup, when I am working on different projects, I wake up during the night, and re-think and re-build this stuff until I fall asleep again.

I have had the same experience, lying in bed and rethinking what I did that day, and getting up to make a note to check it the next day. Most times, I had done it correctly, but did catch myself a couple of times.

 

[Alan46]

That's a good looking FAST Mustang you had there.
FYI, a 4" X 4" V8 is a 402 cu.in.
You have to go to 4.125" bore to get 427 cubes.
My 434 is just a 0.030" over 427.

Pulled all the paper off the block today, it looks pretty good, really orange.
Spent about an hour chasing out all the threaded holes in the block, and there are a lot of them. Blew them all out with the air nozzle, the head bolt holes on the Dart block are blind instead of open into the water jacket like the stock block.
Unpacked the new main bearings and made a small modification to the rear main shells to get more oil the the thrust surfaces, a mod I've seen a few SBC builders recommend. Installed the rear seal half in the block and the rest of the upper bearing shells. Got the crank, wiped and blew it off, lubed the bearings and journals and dropped it in place. Installed the lower shells in the caps, lubed them and dropped them into place. Seated them in the block, installed the cap bolts, snugged them up, forced the crank forward and aft to set the rear cap and thrust bearing properly. Dial indicator show .005" end play, which is in spec. Torqued the 7/16" main bolts to 65 ft.lbs. and the splayed 3/8" bolts to 35 ft.lbs., as per the block specs. The crank even spins nice and freely, which is good!
Not sure I'll have time to work in it tomorrow, going to visit some friends from out of town and need to get the BX out and mulch up all the leaves that have fallen. Most of the trees are pretty bare, except for the oaks, they always hang on to their leaves all winter.

View attachment 1734356View attachment 1734357

Thanks for the correction! It’s been many years since I had that engine built!
Where did you get the knowledge to build your own engines?
Have fun with the build, I can tell you really enjoy doing it!

 

[BravoXray]

Thanks for the correction! It’s been many years since I had that engine built!
Where did you get the knowledge to build your own engines?
Have fun with the build, I can tell you really enjoy doing it!

I have been working on cars since I had my first car, a 59 Buick, that I converted from a 2 barrel carb to a four barrel and installed dual exhaust with Cherry Bomb mufflers.
Then, working in the family construction company operating and working on construction equipment and later in trucks and trailers. I've rebuild dozens of Detroit Diesels, Cummins and CAT engines, in addition to lots of Ford, Dodge and Chevy car and truck engines. Until recently I still had service and overhaul manuals for a lot of them, but I sold them as I had no use for them.
I also have rebuilt two Continental aircraft engines, the O-300D in my Cessna 172D and the IO-520BB in my Beech Debonair.
Oh, I also rebuilt the Yanmar 3TA-72 diesel engine that I installed on the genset I built, and a couple of Honda engines off other generators.
So, I have a nearly 60 span of working on engines and mechanical things in general, and understand the importance of procedures and specifications in the repair of things.
Sometimes, I'm sorry I know so much, but I also don't trust many others to do things correctly and not rip me off.

 

[Alan46]

I have been working on cars since I had my first car, a 59 Buick, that I converted from a 2 barrel carb to a four barrel and installed dual exhaust with Cherry Bomb mufflers.
Then, working in the family construction company operating and working on construction equipment and later in trucks and trailers. I've rebuild dozens of Detroit Diesels, Cummins and CAT engines, in addition to lots of Ford, Dodge and Chevy car and truck engines. Until recently I still had service and overhaul manuals for a lot of them, but I sold them as I had no use for them.
I also have rebuilt two Continental aircraft engines, the O-300D in my Cessna 172D and the IO-520BB in my Beech Debonair.
Oh, I also rebuilt the Yanmar 3TA-72 diesel engine that I installed on the genset I built, and a couple of Honda engines off other generators.
So, I have a nearly 60 span of working on engines and mechanical things in general, and understand the importance of procedures and specifications in the repair of things.
Sometimes, I'm sorry I know so much, but I also don't trust many others to do things correctly and not rip me off.

Like they say “ if you want it done right then do it yourself “

 

[BravoXray]

Like they say “ if you want it done right then do it yourself “

And then if it goes titsup, you know who to blame.

 

[BravoXray]

Got started installing rods and pistons today. Got everything assembled on the bench so I could get this done in an efficient fashion. The oil rings are really fiddly to get assembled and in position, In addition to the two rings and expander, there is a spacer ring that sets at the bottom of the groove to support the other rings where the groove extends into to piston pin bore. Getting all four pieces positioned just right is an exercise in patience, but I finally got them and the other two rings in place and installed into the tapered ring compressor. Installed rod bearings, lubed the bearings and crank and applied moly lube on the rod bolts. It slid into the block easily and seated onto the crank journal. Rolled the block over, attached the rod cap and snugger the bolts. I'll go over all the bolts once I get all the pistons installed rather than doing them one at a time.
I was fiddling with the oil rings on the next piston, when the lights went out. Power went off. Went outside and checked to make sure the fuse on the transformer for my house hadn't blown for some reason, but it was okay. Also checked the one on the pole at the end of the road that feeds the houses on the road, but it looked fine also. About that time I heard a couple of sirens leaving the fire department, so maybe there was an accident and someone hit a utility pole.
Rather that dig out the generator from the back of the shop, I decided to just wait and come back down after the power was restored, besides, I had a couple errands I could run and be back in a couple of hours.
Got back after 4:00PM and power was still of, so I checked the utility company's web side and it said power was expected to be restored around 4:30PM. Figured I'd wait on it, and it finally came back on about 5:15PM, and I was having dinner with a friend at 6:00PM, so that was it for the day.

Maybe better luck tomorrow.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

My wife & I took auto mechanics at a local community college in the 70s. One student rebuilt his motor and it ran but oil smoked. "I don't understand" he said, "I had all the piston ring gaps lined up".

 

[Alan46]

My wife & I took auto mechanics at a local community college in the 70s. One student rebuilt his motor and it ran but oil smoked. "I don't understand" he said, "I had all the piston ring gaps lined up".

UH-OH

 

[BravoXray]

Got to work on the engine for a while this afternoon. I had gotten the rest of the pistons installed yesterday, and after running some errands this afternoon, I installed the cam, chain, sprocket, and timing cover. It's a two piece and when I installed the cover, the top three bolts that are 1/4" flat heads, were too long, and bottomed out in their holes. So, another trip to the hardware store for some shorter ones. Got those in and set up the degree wheel and checked to make sure top dead center is still correct on the damper and adjustable pointer. It was within 1/2°, so I put the damper on with an adapter that allows using a 1/2" drive ratchet to turn it over. I set the head gaskets on the block and set the heads in place, then installed the head studs. I got the ARP lube on the ones on the right side and got the nuts snugged down. Tomorrow, I'll do the left side and get them all torqued down. I get a little done every day.

 

[dodge man]

Getting close!

 

[Alan46]

Nice job! What kind of compression #.

 

[BravoXray]

The calculated compression ration is ~10.8:1. Dynamic compression ratio, taking into account the valve closing timing is more like 9.5:1.

 

[Alan46]

The calculated compression ration is ~10.8:1. Dynamic compression ratio, taking into account the valve closing timing is more like 9.5:1.

View attachment 1760227

 

[BravoXray]

Made a lot of progress today. I got both heads torqued down in three steps, 35, 50 and 70 ft.lbs. Then, after I lubed them up really well, I dropped all the lifters in their bores.I didn't degree the cam since I had done that when I had originally assembled the engine, and as all the parts are the same, I saw no reason for it. Then the push rods went in and then the rocker arms and adjuster nuts. I rotated the engine over five or six rotations and stopped at TDC to start setting the valves. That went smoothly, as it only takes two complete revolutions to set all them, and then two more to recheck them. After that, I screwed the oil pressure sending unit in place at the back of the block.
I cleaned up the valve covers and installed the 1/4" X 1 1/4"
SS studs in the heads that make installing and removing the covers a lot easier, as it holds the gaskets in position. Tightened them down and then pulled out the intake manifold and gaskets.
I bought a tube of gasket maker in a pressurized can, I had never used it before, but I've seen a lot of YT mechanics like the guys on Road Kill like it and use it, so I thought I'd give it a try.
I spread a little around the water ports on the heads, laid the intake gaskets in place and then ran a nice 1/4" tall bead on the China walls, the front and rear block rails where they used to use a cork gasket that would either leak of squeeze out and cause leaks. I did that the last time a put the manifold on, and it didn't leak, so I'm doing that from now on. Dropped the manifold on, started all the bolts, then tightened them all down in sequence, from the middle working outward. Done. It's starting to look like an engine again.
I bolted the motor mounts on, the installed the ball stud for the clutch Z-bar and a small bracket that the clutch return spring attaches to. Lastly, I bolted the water pump in place, removed the turning fixture from the crank dampener and bolted the crank pulley on.
Gee, the parts bench is almost empty, finally.
Tomorrow, I have to paint the new oil pan that I had to get so I can use my old oil pump. I had bought the one that Dart said would fit a block with the two piece rear seal and right side dip stick, but it wasn't deep enough to use with my Melling oil pump and pickup. It's black, but I'll blast it and paint it Chevy orange to match the block. While it's drying, I'll roll the engine upside down and clean up the bottom end and install the oil pump and drive shaft. Don't want to forget that, as you can't install it from the top because of the retainer collar that mates with the oil pump shaft. I'll probably wait until Saturday to put the pan on so it's completely dry. It takes longer when the temps are cooler like it's been here lately. After the pan's on, I'll dump in the oil and prime the oil system, making sure everything's getting oil.

Maybe Monday or Tuesday I'll get it stuffed back in the car.

 

[MossRoad]

That sounds like a great day of accomplishment.

Again, thanks for documenting this process in such great detail.

 

[BravoXray]

The oil pan paint job came out great, surprising, considering that I painted it in front of the shop to keep the overspray out, and the wind was blowing like crazy. Mounted the oil pump and laid the pan gasket on the block, and discovered it isn't made for a stroker crank like the previous gasket was. Soooo, I got back on Summit and after some searching by application and not finding what I needed, I took a wild guess at the part number and found what I needed. The previous gasket on the Chevy block was a Felpro 1880, so I tried looking up a Felpro 1881, and bingo, SBC engine, right side dipstick, two piece rear seal, thick timing cover seal and notched for a stroker crank. So I ordered it and it'll be here on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, I bolted the oil pan on the block, installed an oil filter, rolled it over, bolted on the short engine stands, picked it up with the cherry picker and set it up on the work bench. The previous time I dialed in the bellhousing, I had just set it on the floor, and it was a pain to work on down that low. Now with it up on the bench, it's really easy to work on.
I installed the dowel pins that locate the bellhousing to the block, and it went on pretty easy, doesn't seem like it's spreading or pinching the housing, so maybe it'll actually dial in pretty close. I got out the dial indicator and attachments and couldn't figure out how the heck I had set it up before, as getting it attached to the crank flange and then sticking back 5" to the trans bore was a pain before, as I remember. After fiddling with it for a while, I took some measurements and decided to 3D print a fixture to hold the micrometer to the crank and position it in the bore. I drew one up in Tinkercad and it's being printed right now down in the basement. I think it'll work just fine. I'll bet I've made over a dozen different tools and doodads over the last few years that were to aid in a shop project. A handy thing to have.
I'll bolt the fixture to the crank and the dial indicator to the two ears at the top, and then I can rotate the crank and read the runout. Hopefully it'll be within spec, under 0.010 total runout.

I MIGHT get to drive it before the snow flies.

 

[BravoXray]

Didn't have much time to spend in the shop today, but I did get the bellhousing dialed in. Surprisingly, I ended up using the same offset dowel on the left side that I used on the other block, so it mush be the bellhousing that is machined out of true.
With the stock dowels, it was off by as much as 0.036", with the 0.020" offset dowel on the left side, TIR was 0.006" as shown in the pictures.
My 3D printed fixture worked perfectly, and I didn't even have to bolt it to the crank, as it was a pretty tight fit without them.
I ended up printing it 1 1/2 times, as the first time I misjudged the amount of filament on the spool and it ran out half way through. Then, the control screen was locked up so I couldn't continue the print after loading fresh filament. Had to start it all over.
It really worked well having the engine on the bench, was easy to work on, way better than having it on the floor. Should have though of that before. Got the clutch installed and the bellhousing back on, time to get the transmission mounted up and get it back in the car.

 

[BravoXray]

I got the oil pan installed today. The new gasket came Tuesday, but my daughter and youngest sister are in town for some family business, so I haven't had much time to work in the shop. I kind of got ahead of myself when I installed the flywheel and clutch, as I forgot that I hadn't installed the pan gasket yet. I didn't want to pull it off again, so I was able to add a couple of 1/2" nuts and longer bolts to the engine stand attachments and still clear the clutch. he gasket and pan went on pretty easily, although it's a really tight fit between the pan and the timing cover. But by using a couple of longer 5/16" socket head bolts in the two front bolts, I was able to get it pulled down far enough to get the next bolts back started and pulled part way down, get the original pan bolts started and tightened down. I rolled it back upright and picked it off the engine stand and set it back on the bench. I bolted up the bellhousing, and the flywheel cover and tried to bolt the starter on. But the bolts wouldn't tighten up all the way, apparently the holes aren't threaded as deeply in the Dart block as they are in the Chevy block. I added a couple of washers to them, and that let them tighten up all the way.
I put a sling around the transmission, picked it up and got it slid into the clutch. I learned that if it doesn't want to slide in all the way, I can use a pry bar to lever the clutch release arm back enough to release the clutch disk to let it center up and the input shaft to slide in all the way.
By then it was time to take my daughter to the airport to catch her flight back to Sarasota.
On the way back, I stopped to look at a Suburban that I want to replace my F150 and Town Car with. That will eliminate a license plate and insurance on one vehicle. The Suburban can still pull my utility trailer, haul some cargo in the back and people when needed, so why not simplify things? I wanted a Tahoe, but haven't been able to find one to my liking, not black or white, or in my price range, so I've been looking for a Suburban too.

Hopefully, I'll get the engine set in the car tomorrow, we'll see.

 

[BleedingOrange]

Coming along nicely. Looks great. Hopefully you get to enjoy it some before winter sets in.