Horsepower On A Budget - Tech Information

...and in the block's saddles the crank was dropped in place. At this stage, there was no grease applied to the bearings in the caps, since Bob wanted to check bearing clearance prior to torqueing the crank in for good. Note that this block uses as two-piece rear seal, which is generally considered more desirable in performance applications.
...and in the block's saddles the crank was dropped in place. At this stage, there was no
Unlike most assembly jobs, Bob chose to use readily available Plastigauge rather than set up his dial indicator and calipers to check bearing clearance. The old standby, which has been in every engine builders tool box forever, works just fine when you're trying to keep costs down. For a couple of bucks you'll have enough to do all the bearings and then some.
Unlike most assembly jobs, Bob chose to use readily available Plastigauge rather than set
Once you've laid out a small piece of Plastigauge across the radius of the crank journal the cap and bearing are simply torqued to spec and then removed.
Once you've laid out a small piece of Plastigauge across the radius of the crank journal t

A small part of the Plastigauge's packaging acts as a measure to show what the squished material translates into bearing clearance.
A small part of the Plastigauge's packaging acts as a measure to show what the squished ma
With confirmation of the correct bearing clearance, the next step was to torque down the main caps. Making sure the bearings have enough lube is important prior to breaking out the torque wrench. Note that Bob also applies a little sealant to where the rear cap sits in the block. This helps prevents oil from seeping past the cap.
With confirmation of the correct bearing clearance, the next step was to torque down the m
With a basic engine kit such as this one from Wayne's the ring set is essentially pre-gapped. That's assuming of course that the cylinders are within tolerance after being machined. It probably wouldn't hurt to put a first and second ring into a cylinder and check the gap with a feeler gauge before putting them on the pistons and slipping them into the block.
With a basic engine kit such as this one from Wayne's the ring set is essentially pre-gapp

We did and all looked good here, so in went the cast flat-top slugs with one of the only specialty tools that was used during this build-a tapered ring compressor.
We did and all looked good here, so in went the cast flat-top slugs with one of the only s
As with the main bearings, a small strip of Plastigauge was used to determine if the rod bearing clearance was within spec. Sure enough, low tech tool does the job again.
As with the main bearings, a small strip of Plastigauge was used to determine if the rod b
With all the pistons and rods in their respective cylinders Bob wanted to determine top dead center (TDC) before the cam was installed. Here, a makeshift tool consisting of a 1/2-inch piece of steel that is attached to a cylinder head bolt hole with a tapped hole and a bolt at the other end was used to determine when the piston was up in the cylinder its highest.
With all the pistons and rods in their respective cylinders Bob wanted to determine top de

After reading the cam card attached to the box, the small performance cam was lubed and installed straight up. That means that Bob simple bolted it in place at zero degrees. No degree wheel was used, either.
After reading the cam card attached to the box, the small performance cam was lubed and in
The timing set consisted of a set of steel gears and a double roller chain. Good parts here, for sure. The crank gear did have three keyways cut in so if we had wanted to change he position of the cam by a couple of degrees plus or minus we could have.
The timing set consisted of a set of steel gears and a double roller chain. Good parts her
Making sure the quality nuts and bolts from ARP and Specialty Fasteners did their job meant using the correct torque specs and a thread locker when necessary. Here LocTite is used to provide a level of security that the bolts holding the cam gear in place stays put even when the engine is revved to 5,000 rpm.
Making sure the quality nuts and bolts from ARP and Specialty Fasteners did their job mean

The same theory applies to the high-volume oil pump and pickup that were installed in our small-block.
The same theory applies to the high-volume oil pump and pickup that were installed in our
Bob took the extra step of putting a small tack weld on the tube where it goes into the pump's housing. Otherwise, the press fit may vibrate loose and if the pickup falls off the engine could starve for oil. And once the oil pan, which was included in the kit, is installed, nobody wants to have to take it off, especially if the engine is in the car.
Bob took the extra step of putting a small tack weld on the tube where it goes into the pu
Another high-quality part that is included in the 350 engine kit is this aftermarket all-steel harmonic balancer. Stock balancers have a rubber ring insulating the inner and outer steel rings that can rot and dry out allowing the balancer to come apart. Not a good thing for either you or your car's engine. Using the correct took to install a balancer is a must, as is a correctly torqued bolt and washer helping to hold it in place.
Another high-quality part that is included in the 350 engine kit is this aftermarket all-s