Week #144

After getting all the rods and pistons installed I took a few shots for the website update as usual.  I posted them after a few days...as usual... and that was that.  Well, as I was looking at the pictures on line it dawned on me that something wasn't right.  I could see in the pictures that the pistons valve reliefs were different from one side of the piston to the other and that they were not turned all the same on each side.   DAMNIT, how could I not realize this when I have them in my hands installing them??  With the smallest amount of investigating, I got the info on which way they are supposed to be turned and mapped out which had to be RE-INSTALLED!?$@#!  I couldn't just swap them side to side due to the rod being directional.  4 assemblies had to be removed, piston removed, rotated, re-installed and re-installed back in the block.  I have to admit, I started not to post this blunder but I figured relaying my inexperienced errors might keep someone else from doing the same.

Finally, the rotating assembly is CORRECTLY assembled and now it's time to move on.  A HEMI owning friend was visiting from out of town on this particular Saturday night so we thought we'd slap on the timing chain, check the degrees on the cam and button up the bottom end on this bad boy.  As a means of rotating the crank, we started to install the damper on the front of the crank so we could use the big ass bolt on the front.  With the chain and sprockets in place, we started to tighten down the damper bolt... but it didn't tighten when we thought it would... the thing kept pushing the crank sprocket back further and further, eventually binding the chain a bit before we saw what was happening.  Normally the crank is machined with a stop for the sprocket to hit.  On my crank, this "stop" is like over a 1/2 inch further back.  In fact, there is even a second keyway machined in... very strange.  Well wasn't this great.  I proceeded to measure everything that could be measured on the crank in an attempt to confirm that I could even use the thing.  Luckily everything was identical to another crank I had in the shop... aside from the extra machining.  It looked like all I really needed to fix this problem was some sort of filler or spacer to make up the difference.  A lower sprocket from a timing chain set looked like the perfect candidate for machining down to make the part I needed.  That's just what I did.  A local machine shop had no trouble cutting the teeth of the sprocket and machining the part to the thickness I measured as being needed to fill the gap.  With the part made, the NEW timing set I bought fit perfect and I was able to continue on with the degreeing process.

The degreeing procedure requires you find "absolute top dead center" of the number 1 piston.  You need some type of stop for the piston to hit so this TDC can be located.  I took a couple of bolts and a small piece of plate and made myself a little rig that used a headbolt hole as a mounting point.  It worked just fine as I found TDC and continued on with the degreeing thing.  Using the method that was suggested on the Comp Cam's website, I was getting a different intake lobe centerline than the cam card said.  I did it over and over and still got a 105 centerline where the card said I was supposed to have 108.  I called my machine shop owner Dan Dvorak to get his advice.  In his opinion, my readings were optimal and that I should leave things as is... I would love it.  Good enough for me.  I dug out the oil slinger, timing chain cover, oil pick-up, windage tray and pan with the intent of closing up the bottom end.  After a quick beadblasting and the installation of a new damper seal, the timing chain cover went on.  I then flipped the motor to install the pick-up, windage tray and pan.  Other than having to deal with 2 gaskets, the windage tray and the pan all at once, the bottom end was buttoned up and the motor was flipped right side up for the final time.

I had a little bit of time left before I was to head inside so I said what the heck, I might as well install a head... then we'll have an official HEMI!  I had found the heads, along with a bunch of other HEMI related hardware, as a package deal at the Nat's many years ago.  This included head bolts, studs and washers.  I had always thought the bolts looked kinda cheesy but they were in an official looking package and I figured they should be ok.  Using one of my fancy, $170 a set head gaskets, the head was lifted in place and the cheesy bolts were torqued to the 75 ft/lb reading as called for in the manual.  Things were looking good.  I had always wondered how difficult it would be to install the pushrods on a HEMI so I tried to test fit one.  The pushrods I had were also part of the "package deal" from the Nat's.  It turns out I had a set for a solid lifter HEMI... these wouldn't work on this hydraulic motor.  I would plan on ordering a new set the next week.  That's where this sat... one head installed... with those cheesy looking head bolts.

It just so happened that the friend that was in town the night I discovered the problem with the crank was in town again for one night.  He stopped by to see how things were going.  We headed out to the garage for a couple of beers and some chitchat.  I pulled the cover off the engine to show off my progress.  He gazed at the motor for a second, rubbed his chin and asked, "Where did you get those cheesy looking bolts from?"  It didn't take too much conversation on the subject for me to decide to order a set of good MP or ARP head bolts.  I needed to order the pushrods anyway.

So now I'm much further along on the motor, but I have another $300 worth of stuff to buy just to continue.  I just have to keep reminding myself what I'll have when it's over.