Author: Dave Williams; dlwilliams=aristotle=net
This engine went to England. It's a mild 350 street motor; single plane intake, 750 AFB, 9.3:1 compression, and moderate hydraulic cam. The heads are 882 castings with some fancy seat and valve work, and the valves are all ceramic thermal barrier coated. The engine is now coupled to a Renault transaxle in a trike. It's not on the road yet, but a recent (8/99) phone call revealed it likes British four-star leaded petrol just fine.
Here's the block - a nice four bolt part. My core supplier priced me a two
bolt block, but when he found he didn't have any on hand, he gave me this one
at the same price. For a mild street motor it makes no difference, but the
new owner will like it.
The block has already been bored, now it's being honed. I use a metal tank
(the farm supply store thought it was a horse feeder trough), a 3/4 HP low
speed drill, and a Sunnen Model N hone. The aluminum bar is an adjustable
stop to keep from running the stones into the main webs. You can see the
streams of honing oil coming down from the top of the picture; the one on the
left is a pressure bleed to keep the pump from shooting it all over the shop.
Assembling the short block. The flat top pistons will give around 9.3:1
compression.
Nick wanted the engine run-in before shipment. I built this run stand
specifically for this job. Since then I've used it many times. Salvaged 2x10
boards from an old waterbed frame, some scrap angle iron from an old mobile
home frame, an old radiator I had in the shed, and a brand new $16 Wal-Mart
box fan. The radiator is underneath and the fan lays on top. Most run stands
put the radiator at one end, but this way I can get to both ends of the motor
without draining the water.
The engine started instantly, but oil pressure stayed at 10psi or so. After
much head-scratching and looking at the oil gallery drawings in the manuals, I
pulled the timing chain cover and timing chain. Whoops! The moron who put
the oil plugs in (surely it couldn't have been me at 3 AM) forgot the three in
the front, causing a major internal oil leak. Driving new plugs in fixed
*that* problem...
...but now, every time the engine started, it blew the oil filter off, with
results that would have been amusing on a Three Stooges re-run. This time I
pulled the pan off (if I'd made the legs on the brackets a little longer I
wouldn't have had to lift the engine from the run stand) and pulled the pump.
The plunger in the bypass valve was jammed so solidly I couldn't free it with
a punch. I replaced it with the cover from another pump, reassembled, and
got 65psi at hot idle.
This is about 5 AM. It's almost dawn. The smoke is from all the oil burning
off the exhaust pipes. Remember blowing the filters off? There was oil all
over. I ran the engine for several hours, stopping for an oil change and to
retorque the heads, adjust the valves with it running, set the idle mix,
ignition timing, etc. For a modest engine, that sucker sure sounded good!
Sort of a crisp lopey idle.
Boxing it up. I built the framework with the engine still on the stand to
make it easier. New water pump and fuel pump are visible - the water pump is
bolted down. Framework is held together with four inch long wood screws.
Flexplate goes on this side. Balancer *just barely* cleared. Most plug wires
were left on; it needed to be as close to ready-to-run as possible. Tape
labels on wires just in case. The ugly color is several coats of Rust-Oleum
Rusty Metal Primer; the chassis builder will repaint it with the spray gun
when he paints the trike.
I lifted the box into the back of the truck and finished it there. The top
was 1/4" ply and the sides were veneer wall paneling. Every ounce counts when
you're air freighting something from Little Rock to London!
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350 Chevy
completed 06/16/98
engine run-in and retorqued before shipment
complete engine except for pulleys
COMPONENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------
crankshaft:
Chevy 350, cast
mains - STANDARD
rods - STANDARD
balanced
journals polished
pistons:
Federal Mogul 350 Chevy, .030 over
flat top with four reliefs
4.030 diameter
TLML moly coated sides
CBC-2 ceramic coated tops
rings:
standard small block Chevy. 4.030, Hastings
side clearance .003 top and second
ring gaps .014 top, .013 second, .019 oil
rods:
found 8 matching rods from several different sets
bearings STANDARD
TLML moly coated
rod side clearances .012
resized big ends (minimum size)
block:
early type 350, four bolt, two piece rear main
bored .030
honed to .003 piston/wall clearance
2 piece rear main seal (blue silicone around edges)
new core plugs (blue silicone sealer)
new cam bearings (Clevite 77) (coated)
all threaded holes chased
heads:
"882" for '70s 400 CID, open chamber
O-ring valve stem seals
surfaced flat
exhaust rotators
1.94/1.50 valves
3-angle valve job (stock is 1-angle), vacuum checked
new bronze guides
exhaust valves ceramic coated heads, moly coated stems
new Competition Products valve springs, 220# open
intake valves back cut 15 degrees
exhaust valves TLML and CBC-2 coated
stock 1.5:1 rockers
timing set:
stock type silent chain
cam:
Elgin E-1166-P
lobe lift .302 int/.320 exh
valve lift .453 int/.480 exh (1.5 rockers)
lobe center 112 (straight up)
advertised duration 282/294
.050 duration 216/228
advertised timing 28 BTC 74 ABC 78 BBC 36 ATC
.050 timing -4 BTC 40 ABC 46 BBC 2 ATC
moly grease used for assembly lube
Competition Products anti-pump-up hydraulic lifters
stock pushrods
induction:
Carter AFB, 750 CFM
Edelbrock Torker II intake manifold
note: .060 aluminum spacer between carb/manifold gaskets for proper
air seal - Edelbrock's "skeletonized" carb mounting pad will
usually have a vacuum leak otherwise
oiling:
new Speed-Pro high volume, high pressure pump
Melling pump cover with anti-chatter grooves
steel pump to drive rod bushing
ignition:
Chevrolet HEI
moly coated distributor gear
end play shimmed to minimum spec
new cap and rotor
new plug wires
plugs gapped to .050
water pump:
standard "long" replacement, rebuilt
starter:
standard Chevrolet, new brushes
fuel pump:
new, standard mechanical
miscellaneous:
Delco chrome valve covers
Delco dipstick assembly
chrome water neck, timing cover, timing tab - used - no charge
valve cover load spreaders - used - no charge
14" auto trans flexplate
8" damper (large OD) (3/8" fine thread bolts)
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