4.6L 3V Build

[Stinkyone]

Man, this is looking great!

 

[tmcolegr]

Project has come to a halt. While checking rod side clearance, I found clearances ranging to anywhere from a minimum of .005" to a maximum of .009" (using the 2 feeler gauge method) on a pair of rods. This is well below the targeted .012" .014". All rod widths are within spec. The crankshaft rod journals are ground too narrow. This is not a new issue:

http://s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32425&highlight=%22rod+side+clearance%22

I have removed the rods and will machine the big end to get the desired .013" side clearance.

Note to others: this is why it is so very important to check all specs when assembling an engine even when using new parts. This engine would have run, but not for long in that condition.

 

[US-1]

Damn Kellogg anyway.

 

[TexasBlownV8]

sounds familiar.

 

[GrnBullitt08]

Looking good.

 

[tmcolegr]

Connecting rods have been clearanced to allow .013" to .014" side clearance using a Millport Model 618 horizontal surface grinder with magnetic base.

This machine may look outdated but here is an example of the finished product:

 

[tmcolegr]

Later this week I will be freshening up the valve job using a Rottler SGF8 Seat & Guide Machine and finishing off the job with a Rottler F88E Boremaster to surface the heads to an RA10 surface finish

 

[NastyStang113]

Good progress!

 

[dagamore]

This machine may look outdated but here is an example of the finished product:

Dude with the quality of the final products, is just more proof that at times the old ways work the best at times!

 

[mikeysgt]

i have your build linked to my favorites on my computer. so many things to learn and i could sure use some of your info when i try and find a shop around here to do work like this for me in the future. can't wait to see the results when it's all done and tuned!

 

[US-1]

Connecting rods have been clearanced to allow .013" to .014" side clearance using a Millport Model 618 horizontal surface grinder with magnetic base.

What???? No Bridgeport????? Oh.....the.....horror.

 

[RRRoamer]

What???? No Bridgeport????? Oh.....the.....horror.

For what he was doing, I'll take the precision surface grinder over a milling machine ANY DAY!

As for the age of the tool, while the old tools might not have all the bells and whistles of the modern stuff, they are usually a lot better built, which could explain why they are STILL being used by people who may be a LOT younger then the tool is.

Kind of like the B-52 bomber. It is being flown today by people that could be the GRANDKIDS of the original pilots. Somethings just WORK.

 

[US-1]

Kinda...sorta....one of those "joke" things.

I am rather fond of my Bridgeport though.

 

[tmcolegr]

What???? No Bridgeport????? Oh.....the.....horror.

Actually I could have used either of the Acer Ultima vertical mills (EVS-3VK or EVS-4VK). However I prefer to use the Millport Model 618 horizontal surface grinder for this particular task.

 

[tmcolegr]

After careful consideration and discussing rod side clearance with engine builders more experienced than myself, I have opened the rod side clearance up to .015" (Manley's spec is .010" - .020"). All piston & rod assemblies have been reinstalled and rods torqued in 3 steps to 60 ft. lbs. Note: if using the feeler gauge method to check side clearance after assembly, 2 feeler gauges should be used to confirm the rod is not cocked on the rod journal which would give a false measurement.

 

[tmcolegr]

The assembly process continues...

GT 500 oil pump 7R3Z-6600-AA (superseded by 9R3Z-6600-A) has been installed. Pump was fitted with TSS (TSSM20) billet oil pump gear. Mounting bolts torqued to 89 in. lbs.

Windage tray installed. Nuts and oil pump pickup tube standoff torqued to 18 ft. lbs.

Oil pump pickup tube installed with o-ring in place. Pickup tube to oil pump mounting bolts torqued to 89 in. lbs. Oil pump pickup tube standoff bolt torqued to 18 ft. lbs.

***Important***

Before installing the oil pan it is extremely important to measure the oil pan to oil pump pickup tube clearance. If this procedure is not followed, insufficient clearance between the oil pan and oil pump pickup tube can result in a restriction of oil supply to the oil pump and ultimately oil starvation. The process is very simple but should not be overlooked even when using all stock parts. In my case the ARP main studs dropped the windage tray down and oil pan to oil pump pickup tube clearance was slightly more than 1/8". Jim Sr. @ JDM recommended .270" - .350". This measurement was confirmed as Canton recommends 5/16" to 3/8". There are a couple of different methods to change this dimension. Method "A" would be to carefully bend the support strap between the oil pump pickup tube and the threaded standoff which secures the oil pump pickup tube. Method "B" would be to machine the threaded standoff to the required height to achieve the recommended oil pan to oil pump pickup tube clearance. I chose method "B" and machined .180" from the standoff which gave me .340" clearance between the oil pan and oil pump pickup tube. If you machine the threaded standoff as I did, be sure to measure the remaining thread depth for the oil pump pickup tube support bolt to assure the bolt doesn't bottom out on the main stud. I had to use a slightly shorter M8 x 16mm grade 8 bolt with hardened washer and coated the threads of the bolt with blue thread lock.

The procedure to determine the oil pan to oil pump pickup tube clearance is very easy to perform - refer to following pictures.

• Measure the oil pan rail to sump dimension

• Measure the thickness of the oil pan gasket. For those of you using multiple gaskets with a windage tray or crankshaft scraper, measure all those as well and add up that total thickness.
• Measure the height of the oil pump pickup tube to pan rail of the block

• Now calculate the oil pan to oil pump pickup tube clearance. Oil pan depth + oil pan gasket(s) thickness - pickup tube height = oil pan to oil pump pickup tube clearance.

 

[dysan]

It's great to see this build documented like this. I wish I had the balls, time, room and money to try and build my own engine.

Thanks for sharing this build.

 

[tmcolegr]

It's great to see this build documented like this. I wish I had the balls, time, room and money to try and build my own engine.

Thanks for sharing this build.

As I mentioned in one of the earlier threads it has taken me 5 years to put this build together....

 

[tmcolegr]

I will now turn my attention to the cylinder heads. Probably need to explain why I have made some of the choices I did with these heads. My original goal was to build an engine for my weekend toy capable of producing 550 RWHP. The stock heads flow adequately to reach this goal. Therefore, no porting, polishing, bronze guides or lightweight (std. diameter or oversize) valves will be used. It is my personal opinion that often times large amounts of funds are spent on cylinder head work when the supporting mods don't justify the expense. I will be grinding the stock valves and reassembling these heads with new valve seals and Comp Cams 26125-24 High load Valve Springs and Comp Cams 700-24 Steel (Not titanium) retainers due to the Comp Cams 127350 XFI VSR Stage 2 Blower Cams I will be using. Both heads have been surfaced .003" to produce a straight/flat gasket surface with a 10 RA finish. I should mention that the Rottler seat & guide machine I used, grinds all seats to the exact same dimension (location and width). Same for the valves. As a result all stems are the exact same height.

Cylinder heads deserve the same attention to detail when it comes to cleanliness as the block and crankshaft. Oil flows though the heads to the lash adjusters, roller followers, cam journals, VCT solenoids and phasers. Therefore the heads are completely disassembled and all passages cleaned with a cleaning brush. Then dried with compressed air and inspected for cleanliness.

Note: be very careful when choosing a cleaning process on these aluminum heads. I do not believe in glass bead cleaning cylinder heads as, in my opinion, it is next to impossible to remove all the glass beads. Also need to be careful when putting these heads in any type of a solvent tank as the tubes for the spark plugs/coils are only sealed to the aluminum cylinder head castings with sealant. Harsh chemicals (aluminum cleaners, gasket remover, even Brake Clean) can damage this sealant and the result is an oil leak at the COPs. Therefore I only carefully use a pressure washer and mild degreasing soap (Dawn for example) to clean these 3V aluminum heads. This method will adequately clean these heads for any type of repair procedure.

Bare head castings cleaned and ready for reassembly

 

[US-1]

I use soda blasting.