Well after all the waiting and saving we finally got started on the engine build yesterday morning.

 

First job before rudy got there was to get the freeze plugs in place and just finish painting the front face.

 

When he did arrive we started by putting in the shell bearings and testing the clearance of the crank shaft

 

 

Next job was crank down the caps and using plastigauge (which squishes out to a certain width) inbetween the shell bearing and the crank you can work out the clearances at the top which were absolutely spot on from front to back:

 

Santa's little helpers Rudy and my dad Chris (soon to be a zedder)

 

 

ARP studs installed and torqued down with bearings and assembly lube:

 

 

Windage tray and oil pump fitted to test fitment and clearances:

 

Next job was check the oil pan fitted:

 

 

Next job was to assemble a piston with rod and fit the spyro-locks then get it in the cylinder to test for clearance as the crank rotated:

 

Disaster, (well not really) the clearance as with most strokers was impaired by the cast block and the bolt in the end of the con rod :(

 

Out comes the grinding stone....

 

 

Ooh it fits! Just! Still a bit of grinding to do but just about there:

 

Camshaft goes in:

 

 

We moved everything to cylinder one to find the highest point to check the cam against and test fitted the timing gear:

 

 

Luckily although it's not a small base diameter cam it clears perfectly with base timing. A few tests to do but should be fine throughout.

 

It is incredibly close in there though!

 

Better picture of the cloyes billet timing gear, not cheap but very nice setup:

 

 

Overhead view of the base of the engine:

 

And a rotated view of the engine:

 

 

Sump back on ready for storage till i get back next weekend:

 

I wish i knew what i was looking at Nick - but hey looks very fookin impressive to me!!! :bow: :bow:

lol, the engine's upside down for starters so that won't help :rofl:

 

I'm just test fitting, the crank and pistons first to make sure the engine rotates correctly without fouling anything then once thats done i'll blast all the metal filings out, grease it then we're ready to put the nice shiny heads on set up the tuning bits and bobs :D

I want one!!! Very nice pictures mate

Cheers buddy, I love it, can't wait to see it in situe again all painted up and the shiny bits on it :hyper:

good progress mate ,cant wait to see it in the bay moving towards it's first fire up :bow:

 

Chris

Cheers Chris, well plan is after i get back form japfest and santa pod next weekend i'll be putting the pistons and con rods in and starting the grinding as well as degreeing the cam to make sure everything fits then the next week i'll commute from my parents where the engine is and slowly clean and reassemble it ready for gapping the piston rings.

 

Bank holiday weekend i'll spend three days straight and get the whole engine finished, sealed, tappets and rockers adjusted then order the final bit - the push rods then i'm done and ready to start it up for the first time :D

I bet you cant wait mate , the anticipation nearly killed me and that was just an old dohc engine project i done many moons ago lol, enjoying the update's and look forward to the next one

 

Chris

Very very excited mate, it's all i can think about at the moment - sad i know :rofl:

 

Cheers buddy, as always i'll keep you lot up to speed :)

Really nice to see it all coming together now Nick :bow:

Can't wait to see (and hear) it once it's all done. When are you aiming for it to be complate by? Will you be taking it to JAE?

nice work mate im sure it'll all be worth it in the end!!!

Nick, remember it's rods 2 and 5 which may hit the cam.

Nick do you want to turn mine into a V8 for me :D

Top work Nick! Hope it all goes smoothly!! :D It will be worth all the hard work you've put into it in the end :bow:

Looking good, nice days work there

Thanks guys, i feel like i've done ten rounds against tyson today. I ache everywhere but nice to read such nice complements :)

 

When are you aiming for it to be complate by? Will you be taking it to JAE?

 

Fingers crossed i'll get the engine built by the beginning of June and the car on the road for July.

 

Nick, remember it's rods 2 and 5 which may hit the cam.

 

I had a feeling you were going to say something like that lol Why are they any different from the other 6? My thoughts were that the inlet and exhaust open and close at exactly the same timing as each other?

 

Nick do you want to turn mine into a V8 for me :D

 

Lol, I think this is the one and only V8 conversion i'll be doing in my lifetime but you're more than welcome to see how i've one it and copy and paste :) After all any chevy small block will fit in it's just what you do to it that makes it from 250-750bhp :)