Engine Assembly-66-289?

[horseballz]

1. Hey All,
   It's been 30+ years since I've done a complete assembly and while I realize its pretty straight forward, I would appreciate a few tips as a refresher course, to avoid missing any details. Bear in mind that this engine may sit for 1-several months before installation and fire up. All started life as a stock 66 C-code. Engine came to me fully disassembled.
   
   Here's what I've got:
   >Block boiled, checked for cracks etc, bored .030" over, cam bearings, main caps cut and align bored/honed (due to previous main bearing issues), brass freeze plugs, decks resurfaced.
   >Heads resurfaced, new guides, hardened seats, new seals, new valves, new springs, proper plugs in smog ports.
   >Crank turned -.020" main journals and -.010" rod journals, new main and rod bearings.
   >New stock style .030" over cast pistons fitted on reconditioned rods with caps cut/big end bored/honed with new rod bolts.
   >New Melling stage 1 cam, lifters
   >Oil pump, pickup and shaft.
   >Stock style Melling timing set.
   >Complete Victor gasket set.
   
   This was not really cheap, but what I thought was reasonable at $1700 including parts & tax.
   
   My main questions surround what lubes and sealers to use for specific assembly operations and best ways to check/set ring gaps, bearing clearances, etc. Any other SBF specific tips/details would be helpful.
   
   Thanks All,
   Gene​

 

[rbohm]

for lube, use a good quality assembly lube. there are a few good name brands out there.

for a cam lube make very sure you get one that is designed specifically as a cam lube, and apply it liberally to the lobes and the lifters.

for sealants i like to use black rtv in THIN COATS on most gaskets(both sides), and in the corners of the rear main cap to prevent oi leaks.

as you assemble your bearings, make sure the bearing tangs are properly located, and that they are properly formed. i found out the easy way fortunately that one of mine was not properly formed on a rod bearing shell.

as you install the piston and rod assemblies, turn the crank after torquing the rod bolts to make sure the crank moves smoothly.

oh, double check your bearing clearances to make sure you got the right bearings to go with the crank. a friend of mine and i found an issue with a rod bearing on a studebaker engine we were building, the parts store gave us the wrong undersize bearing and we had to search up the right one on a sunday.

make sure you lube the cam and distributor gear with the SAME lube you used to lube the cam lobes with when you install the distributor.

dont forget to pick up an upgraded oil pump drive shaft for your engine as well. it is money well spent even on a fairly stock engine.

the best advice though i can give you is to take your time, and concentrate on the job at hand right then. dont be thinking things like "after i get the cam in i need to....." concentrate on getting the cam in first. THEN think about the next thing to do. also lay out the parts you intend to install during your build session, and try to lay them out in the order in which you are going to install them.

one last thing, when installing the pistons and rods, make sure the chamfer on the big end of the rod faces the crankshaft counter weight and not the rod next to it.

 

[horse sence]

first i would go with a true roller timming gear and chain set or ford motor sport
that i think is even beter than the true roller, i have a drag raced 531 with over 200 races on it and the chain still doesnt have any slack ,it has the motor sport set, ring guapping would depend on type of rings used,chrome , cast, ceramic, i never use white grease when assembling the rotating assy., it can dry out if left to set . i have started using stp for assembly ,i usualy prime the engine any way and fire it on a stand before instalation ,one of our engine builders told me to use two stroke oil on pistons when assembling for easy ring break in, never liked the victor gaskets, though
its been several years sence i have used them ,fell pro is the way to go , always used plastiguage for bearing clearance ,started using synthetic oil for crankcase 30 w
not a bad deal for a total of 1700 for all i would be happy with that,machine work can eat up most of the cost of a engine build ,mine is polished balanced and blue printed at a total of $6,579.00 in just machine work.