Engine rebuild

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Well, I have decided to do it. She goes in on Wednesday to have the engine pulled and sent to the engine rebuilders.
The guys that are doing the rebuild are true blue GM/ Chevy guys and have been doing their stuff for over 20 years commercially.
Although I am not in favour of boring a matching numbers block, a slight skim probably wouldn't hurt and will return the cylinders to 'true'.

They are:
Boring the block 20 thou over
Balancing and blueprinting the crank
Installing stainless steel welch plugs
Painting the engine chevy blue
Installing a 'Larry Perkins' internals kit - New oversized pistons, rings and bearings. Larry perkins is an Australian V8 Supercar driver and Automotive Engineer who operates a shop simular to Lingenfelter, without the twin turbo stuff. His gear is top notch and is lighter than stock.
Installing bigger valves - don't quote me but 1.6 inlet and 2.02 exhaust
Installing a heavy duty timing chain
Installing a bigger cam and push rods and lifters to suit (not too lumpy)
Installing a set of roller rockers - Street Terra from Yella Terra

This will be matched up to the already installed Edelbrock Performer inlet manifold and Edelbraock QJet 1903 795CFM carb.
OK, she won't be a big power house, but I think she will run for a long time and hopefully for another 20 odd years, when the only thing I will be driving is my 'missus up the wall'! :L

I will miss her, as she will be gone for around 2 to 3 weeks. :cry

What do you guys think or do you guys have anything to add?


Tony

 

[mike weyman]

just watching from the outside , and speaking from my recent expeience. don't bother getting the heads redone ,the machine work to port ,polish, and the gasket matching ,aside from the valve work and the unshrouding of the valves will cost as much as a set of good aftermarket heads that will outflow the stock heads easily .keep the old heads for posterity sake to give to any new owner, but they probably won't use them anyway. as far as boring the block , myself it would be 30 over, once you touch it it doesn't matter.the numbers are on the deck of the block. it would raise compression to have it zero decked but you will loose the numbers .

is this an ncrs showcar or your toy??if it's ncrs , keep everything as is. if it's not, no-one will see the diffrence.(no more than the carb and intake.)mike

 

[goingballistic]

Don't know if it's possible in OZ but I'm building a 383 stroker. I purchased an old 350 block and am working with that, I wanted to keep the original matching numbers motor in tact. So when the new motor is ready to drop in, I'll simply ( ha ha ) pull the old motor, crate it and drop in the new one.

As far as boring over, I'd go 30 over, like Mike said, it'll give you more displacment and it's worth the investment ( small incremental cost). I'm placing AFR 195 heads on it and decking to zero, it'll give me about 10:1 CR when it's done and about 400+ HP. I bought a 383 stroker crank and a 400 balancer.....if you're going to all this expense why not punch it all the way out? I know there is a lot of debate about pistons, I chose forged as the guy I'm working with is leery of pre-det on hypereutectic pistons and cracking them...........new one on me but I trust his opinion. I'd also install a true double roller timing chain. just my 2c worth.

Paul.

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Thanks Mike & Paul,

I have thought about removing the 'original donk' and storing it while another block took its place. It is a good idea especially if I want to keep all the original bits. I feel there maybe something missing as I drive around though.
I suppose that resleeving is a possibility later on, when I have a walking stick.

Yep, stroker kits are available here as well as running water and electricity!
:L
Yeah, legal in all states and I thought about this idea too, if the crank is not up to another round. We have a few Lingenfelter 383 Stroker Corvettes here in Oz and I have also seen a couple of supercharged ones as well. Nothing like the twin turbo version yet, but give it time, someone will have too much cash and need to spend it for sure.

Of course, all the best laid plans can be changed.
If when we pull her apart and find a cracked block or the crank is cactus, then the decision is made and there will be a stroker going in, no fear.
There are no usual signs of that though.
I have a mate in our club who has a 400 in his 82, goes pretty well too. He is selling that car. :confused

Mike, you are probably right about the NCRS thing. She has the making to be an original Vette though. All the numbers match in the driveline and just because she is right hand drive doesn't mean anything anymore. Apparently we nearly have an NCRS chapter here in Australia (just two more members)and the guys have said that being NCRS can still be achieved if the car is right hand drive as it says someting about safety modifications or something along those lines. It would take a fair bit to have some body parts changed back though. My t tops were taxed before it left the states (glass codes) and also the drivers door glass (passenger now) has been replaced. The ignition is Mallory instead of the HEI system and the a/c has a bigger pump. Small changes.

Thanks for the input guys, I'll let you know how I go tomorrow.


Tony

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

So far so good...

Well the engine is out!
All went really well and was out in five hours.

When she came out, it was my chance to do a little research and check some numbers. Yep, the casting numbers on the block were ZDD & 14010207, which matches 40605 other Corvettes in that year. The engine number is also visible as it has allways been. I could not find the second location on the block for the engine number, so I am guessing it isn't there. Everything seems to be as it was on the build sheet and when it left St Louis 23 odd years ago.

It is quite funny, I had a look at the exhaust pipes at the flange and the drivers side (old passengers side) has a dark carbon build up and the other side is clean.
I think that the valve stem that has been giving me problems and burning a little oil is on that side.
It doesn't really matter too much now, she is having the complete makeover.

It pays to check these things as the cars are usually tampered with before they leave the US. I know a guy here in Australia who had a matching numbers 76 coupe leave the US and when it arrived it wasn't matching anymore. Someone stole the engine!!
Our Coupe has also had some bits taken off since it left stateside. The T tops were different glass codes and the standard steel wheels were also exchanged for American Racing rims. Now I have to buy a new set of rims, tags and centres.

Anyway, I will keep you posted.


Tony

 

[goingballistic]

Funny you sould mention running water and electricity............I have a friend in Prenzlau just outside Brisbane, I visited him a few years ago and he DIDN'T have running water, his water was from the rain collection barrel outside his house, frogs the size of volkswagons in his driveway called cain toads and spiders big enough to cart you away and tan your hide for stepping on their kin. Here in the states we erradict things that big . I think you Aussies keep them as pets !!!!

Anywho, nice place, friendly people and a continuos party the whole time I was there.............over three months total up and down the coast. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Funny you sould mention running water and electricity............I have a friend in Prenzlau just outside Brisbane, I visited him a few years ago and he DIDN'T have running water, his water was from the rain collection barrel outside his house, frogs the size of volkswagons in his driveway called cain toads and spiders big enough to cart you away and tan your hide for stepping on their kin. Here in the states we erradict things that big . I think you Aussies keep them as pets !!!!

Anywho, nice place, friendly people and a continuos party the whole time I was there.............over three months total up and down the coast. Good luck and keep us posted.

Yeah, most of the farms and acreage blocks do not have town water or sewerage hooked up due to the expense. They have large tanks that collect rain water.
Some acreage blocks near towns, have town water, but no sewerage line. The sewerage is collected in a tank under ground and then collected later and disposed off.
The farmers do it pretty tough.
The frogs you are talking about are Cane Toads. These nasty little critters were introduced to kill the cane beatle, but became a pest themselves.
They can only be used for golfing practice now!
Saves on the golf balls! :L


Tony

 

[curtis]

man i would love to tee off on a toad with my driver !!!!!! what does it sound like? how do you keep the roos out of the running water down under?

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

...man i would love to tee off on a toad with my driver !!!!!! what does it sound like?...Splat :blow

how do you keep the roos out of the running water down under?
12 gauge shotgun...

Cheers

Tony

 

[curtis]

cool icons Tony goooday!

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Update

G'day everyone.

Well yesterday the old 350 finally got stripped down to find the original crank and bearings, original cam shaft and bearings and original low compression 8.5:1 pistons. Not bad for 23 years, I am impressed that she held out that long. ;worship

I was talking to the machine shop who is rebuilding the old girl and he said that the new pistons he was installing are a new design and are far superior to the old stock piston. Apparently the design of our old pistons is 40 years old and is very outdated. The new ones have better oiling holes and are much lighter than stock pistons. The crank needs a little grinding on the bearing department, but other than that she is OK. The bore on the block has no bad wear and only minor scratching. It doesn't matter though, it will be 20 thou over when finished. They are decking the block, but hope not to touch the engine number. They believe they will have enough to clean it up without that. The water journals are OK.
Cam has slight wear only, but it will not make it's way back in. A new slightly lumpier stick will replace it. Lifters are OK, they show signs of wear and have only slight indentation. New ones will be installed. Pushrods will be reused as they are OK. (I will have to talk to him about this, I would prefer new ones.)
The heads are OK, but valve stem seals are cactus. The rocker gear was loose when I saw it yesterday morning, so that explains the rattles. These guys will be replaced with roller rockers anyway.
Should be punching around 10:1 compression ratio when she is finished. That is a bit better than 8.5:1! What were they thinking?


Tony

 

[Jack]

Don't use the old pushrods ... new OE-type can be had here is US for less than 75 cents each ... a performance upgrade set under $25/set of 16. Gonna go with Yella Terra rockers? ... http://www.yellaterra.com.au/roller.php ... they're nice quality and ... made in OZ!

-edit- Also ... if the new pistons are appreciably lighter than OE ... your builder should have the entire rotating assembly balanced/re-balanced.
JACK:gap

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

...Gonna go with Yella Terra rockers? ... http://www.yellaterra.com.au/roller.php ... they're nice quality and ... made in OZ!
Yeah Jack, how did you guess? Yella Terra have a slightly cheaper version called the Street Terra. Same quality, but not so much of an over kill as the Yella Terra. The Yella Terra would be used in a Strip/ Race engine.

-edit- Also ... if the new pistons are appreciably lighter than OE ... your builder should have the entire rotating assembly balanced/re-balanced...
Yep, all the 'GO' bits arrived today. I spoke to Graham and he is sending the whole lot off to be balanced and blue printed before the weekend. The block was sitting in an acid bath this arvo and the heads were nicly polished and awaiting assembly.
He is setting the block up tomorrow (Wednesday) to start the bore/ hone.
JACK:gap

Can't wait until she is united with the body and trans and is sitting in the shed ready to be fired up. I think I'll need a few beers to celebrate that moment!


Tony

 

[curtis]

AAAAH! The anticipation!!!!!!

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Update

Well I visited the engine rebuilders on Friday and took some pics.
Seems as though the chev factory didn't get the decking quite right on the block as the front of the engine where the engine number is, was 10 thou higher than the opposite end! Just goes to show how far the moulds were out.
The guys had to shave my engine number off, but restamped it after they were done. Just doesn't feel the same now having the old number restamped.

That's the bad news, now for the good.
The guys are doing a bloody good job. They were showing me their handy work and pointed out different things that they had done. The guys have even chamfered the edges on the oil drain holes in the lifter valley so as the oil can make it's way to the sump easier! The stainless steel welch plugs look terrific.
The engine has been painted and the cam bearings installed. All we are waiting for is the crank and pistons, which are off being balanced, and they will start to put her together on Monday. I had a look at my Street Terra roller rockers, :cool what a work of art.
Speaking of works of art, I picked up a set of Edelbrock valve covers without the Edelbrock name, 4244 are the ones we picked. Nice!!


Tony

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

I'm so excited!!!

Today is the day the Vette gets reunited with the 'mighty mouse'.:J
Tilt Tray tow truck arrives here at 7:30am Monday (about 3:30 pm Sunday your time depending where) and she and I make a little trip down the road. She is booked in at 8:00am to start to have the engine installed.

I am that excited, I woke up earlier this morning. I usually wake up early if I am excited about something happening that day. You should have seen me when the Wife and I went to Townsville to buy the Vette. I couldn't sleep, I woke at 2:00am and just sat there in the Hotel room reading all the Vettes paperwork, you know old DMV records and receipts trying to get to know her history.

Mate, I am like a kid waiting for Santa!!!

Cheers
Tony

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

OK, It has now been 4 months...still purring!

Well just an update, the old girl is running like clockwork.
Had her on the dyno the other day to make sure the carb setup was right with the new engine. They guys had to drop the primary jet size as she was sucking far too much premium and then put bigger secondaries in.
My carb guy said she 'goes like a cut cat' and it was one of the sweetest small blocks he has seen for a while! It am pretty happy with that comment.

The reason I haven't got back to you all is that we have been busy installing a new set of custom extractors, which were HPC coated. Three weeks for these puppies to be made up. Once the exctractors were made up, it was time to put her on the dyno and find out how she was running.
All up I am happy. Keep in mind this engine is stronger, but not really any bigger as we only bored the block an extra 20 thou.

Max HP is 210 rear wheel hp at 4715 rpm. (As you can see, this was a tune run not a max rpm run!) Max torque is 327lbs at 3395 rpm and ranges between 171 lbs at 2386 rpm to 331 lbs at 3597 rpm, then starts to drop after that.
I put the power to weight at 16.73 lbs/ 1 hp, which is better than our Aussie GTS Monaro at 17.85 lbs/ 1 hp. (I think I am calculating this right)

All up I am pretty happy with the result as we were trying to keep her as stock as possible.


Tony

 

[Vette/Berlina-coupe]

Had it backwards...?

:eyerole -am apparently a bit late to be helpful laddie, but hope your quoted valve-diameters was simply bass-ackwards, owing that if your SB-V8 is naturally aspirated (not supercharged) then you always want your intake-valves substantially larger than your exhaust-valves! --why? :TALK -because your pistons act to shove the spent gases out of the chamber, while the only thing inducing air into the cyl.chamber is atmospheric-pressure as the pistons pull down; --this would obviously make a huge difference in power as your rpm's raise, ask them what the respective I&E/valve-diam.'s are, and let us know... ~Bob vH

 

[JohnZ]

:eyerole -am apparently a bit late to be helpful laddie, but hope your quoted valve-diameters was simply bass-ackwards, owing that if your SB-V8 is naturally aspirated (not supercharged) then you always want your intake-valves substantially larger than your exhaust-valves! --why? :TALK -because your pistons act to shove the spent gases out of the chamber, while the only thing inducing air into the cyl.chamber is atmospheric-pressure as the pistons pull down; --this would obviously make a huge difference in power as your rpm's raise, ask them what the respective I&E/valve-diam.'s are, and let us know... ~Bob vH

No, you're not helpful; get a life, and don't be such a jerk! Haven't you ever made a typo or transposed numbers?
:eyerole

 

[Evolution1980]

No, you're not helpful; get a life, and don't be such a jerk! Haven't you ever made a typo or transposed numbers?
:eyerole

I don't think he meant it in the manner in which you responded...