Gramma's Car: the new project!

[SS427]

I have had the same problems as well and just cut one open. The ones I buy are solid copper but are also less then half the thickness of the OEM ones. I have not been able to find a suitable replacement that resembles the originals in thickness.

[VintageMusclecar]

What are the 3 dimensions of the OEM washer?

[njsteve]

Started the assembly process with the boy yesterday. Had him insert the main bearings, apply the Lubriplate and then we installed the crankshaft. Most entertaining to see a 50-pound kid try to pull 100 pounds on a torque wrench. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img] (I helped eventually).

He actually figured out that the decimal math he recently learned in school is actually useful in everyday life! I had him measure the main bearing oil clearence with Plastigage and compare it to the little paper chart. I then had him check the ring end gaps in the bores and crankshaft endplay with the feeler gauges. I had him compare the numbers to the specs in the book. He was quite impressed with his application of school math to engine building. He can't wait to tell his friends at school that decimals aren't a totally dumb thing.



We started with the piston/rods tonight, hopefully we'll get them all in tomorrow.

[mockingbird812]

Nice job Steve. Love the progress reports. Great father/son project! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]

[SS427]

Very nice of you to include your son on this project as well as teach him at the same time Steve. I can assure you that what he learns helping you in this was will stay with him a lot longer than had he learned it elsewhere and also due to the fact that you made it fun for him. What I would give to be able to have a son and teach him things like that! Hats off to you sir! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/worship.gif[/img]

[Norwood]

Steve, if you start on a project for your son now, you just might finish it by the time he gets his license. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img] I think a Formula SD would make a perfect first car.

[olredalert]

-----Craig,,,Why should Steve finish it??? Train the kid right and then let him loose (with a bit of supervision). From everything I have seen, Steves son could probably make us all proud without much prodding.......Bill S

[njsteve]

Yesterday, both the daughter and the son got involved in installing the rest of the pistons. They argued over who got to do more, [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img] so I let each one of them install two pistons, and torque the rod bolts.

[njsteve]

We then spent the rest of the weekend buttoning up the engine. Installed the pan and timing cover to catch all the oil and assembly lube that was soon to be dripping down. I manhandled the cylinder heads onto the block and the boy did all the torqueing. He was definitely tired by the time he was done!



I think the part he enjoyed the most was gooping all the black moly and red assembly lube onto the lifters, rocker arms and pushrods. He then torqued all the rocker nuts into place and we added the oil. I had him rotate the engine while we ran the oil pump primer and pressured up the engine.

I also showed him how the cam/lifters and rocker arms activate the intake and exhaust valves in relation to the piston movement, building on what I showed him yesterday with the timing chain connecting the cam to the movement of the crankshaft. You could actually see the lightbulb go off over his head when he realized how everything was interconnected. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/shocked.gif[/img]

Of course we ran into an interesting problem while priming the engine. All the lifters/pushrods/rockers oiled up fine except for one. Nothing was coming out. They were new Sealed Power rockers, too. I thought maybe something was wrong with that lifter so I swapped it with one from another lifter position. The previously non-oiling lifter worked fine in the new lifter bore and the previously functioning lifter didn't oil in the suspect bore. So that ruled out the lifters. Checked the pushrod and it was clean with no blockage. I finally swapped the rocker with an original one and it oiled up fine. Here's what I found:



New rocker on the left, original on the right. The new rockers have the oil holes in a different position than the original ones, which, depending upon the pushrod, can restrict the oil supply to the oiling hole. The original rockers have the oil holes directly over the pushrod oil hole opening, the new ones have them in a spot that barely connects with the pushrod oil hole.

Glad we caught that now.

[njsteve]

Here's how the engine looked by this afternoon: