Rebuild questions

foxbdy88 said:

Hey guys im gettin ready to assembly my engine and i have a few questions. Just so you know its an 88' std bore and i will be using the stock forged TRW pistons. The block was cleaned and checked over by the machine shop and they informed me the cylinders are within stock tolerances and that i should use moly rings. I also had new cam bearings install. They also turned my crank 10/10.

Would these rings be the right size?
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...2D458K&FROM=MG

What should i set the ring gaps to?


Are these the correct bearing for my crank and od bearings?
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...590P10&FROM=MG

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...634P10&FROM=MG x8

Thanks
Bryan

Click to expand...

Your links did not come up for me but your doing the exact same overhaul I did on my 87' GT. I bought everything, rings, bearings and gaskets from Advance Auto Parts and I had the heads ported by Thumper Performace. I used moly rings.

Speed Pro part # E458K 1.5mm rings and 4.0mm oil ring
Speed Pro main bearings # 4125M
Speed Pro rod bearings # 2600CP

The rings are pre-gapped but I would follow the general rule of checking each cyls during installation. I did not find any issues, but it is not to say you wont. Make sure an use plastigauge on your crank journals and connecting rods to verify clearances.

Did the shop hone the cyls for you too?

Since the crank main and rod journals were turned -.010, you need to order bearings that are made for the undersize, the PT above are correct but you need the undersize version.

Measure the ring lands on the pistons, Ford used various sizes over the years. As far as ring gap, they need to be checked. A rule of thumb for a a NA motor would be .004" per 1" of bore so .004" x 4.0" bore = .016" TOP, make the 2nd ring .002"-004" larger.

I would look for a main clearance of .0018"-.0025" and a rod clearance around .0018"-.002", (rule of thumb .001" per 1" of journal) side clearance near .017".

Absolutely check all the clearances on the mains and rods with plastigage!

Set each ring in it's intended bore and check the end clearance. Oil rings included. Then label or bag them by cylinder and install them in that bore.

Clean the block as thoroughly as possible. Flush the bores, oil passages, etc, with soap and water, and then blow out with air if you can. WD40 the heck out of it afterwards.

I just went through what was supposed to be an easy rebuild of a 350 brand C, to basic stock specs, but .040 over. The original shop's engine cleaner was broke, so he told me to take the block to a carwash to clean. I used my home pressure washer, still had metal in the oil at the first change.

Then, the crank kit he gave me had the wrong rod bearings (20 under vice 30 under so way too much clearance), and then the crank would not spin uniformly in the mains, too tight. In this process I bought another crank kit from Advance Auto, which also had the wrong rod bearings. Go figure. I ended up using its bearings with the original crank, and it all checked. I ended up having the main bearing bores honed.

Keep everything clean and oiled. Get some decent ring pliers and a good ring compressor.

Take your time, have all the ref specs handy while you are working, and write down everything, each clearance and each torque. Take photos of it, especially of the oil galley plugs and stuff you can't see when it is together.

A totally different experience than my last 302 build that was done by professional, first class shops, and balanced.

Took 2 months to get the thing together.

Did they at least hone the cylinders so your new rings will seat? They look kind of shiney in the picture.... if not, stop what you're doing and have them honed.

Can't remember the proper cross hatch angle for moly rings but I'm sure someone will...

we just ran itto that problem my motor was too smooth and the rings would not seat and we were getting blow by had to take it apart and scuff it up and mine was honed already but thats all we could come up with on why it was blowin by.
and when you put it toghether clean clean clean thats so important nascar weras dam space suits puttin theres toghether. clean is very important. brake cleaner is what i use on everything over and over the whole time

Here is my perspective, I am a engine builder....

There are many things that you need to check and do when building a motor, if you are not working with a builder I suggest you do some reading if you plan to do it yourself. While plastiguage will work, a dial bore caliper and mic is the proper way....

The Finsh hone on the bore is dependent on what ring you use, many newer technolgies use a very, very smooth mirror like finish. The rings also have to be properly seated when you start the motor, the correct oil has to me used, the more zinc at start up the better, Gibbs racing has some very nice break in oil.

Make sure everything is very clean, inspect EVERY part as it goes together. If you find anything you are unsure about, stop, fix it.... Even if they are new parts they need to be throughly cleaned.