Ran into more questions these last few days, managed to answer most of them. A techie at K! Technologies was most helpful, Comp Cams and Edelbrock also....
OK, Lots of questions here today, solved most of 'em, but still got a couple....
Got all the rings fitted and installed, used up all three "spares", on the "missed-fits" the closest one was .025" on a .021" target (top ring), marked that one and stashed it away, worst one was .035" on a .022" (second ring) target.... (Ouch, how'd that happen???). Actually marked them all as to fit and put 'em back in the box, who knows....
Could use 'em in a stock bore probably....
This bore is .030" over (4.155")...
(Yeah, Willy, where you gonna find a "clean" 40+ year old Olds block!!!!)
Short block is now together, all torqued down, had an adventure using my new rod stretch gage when torquing the rod bolts! ARP 2000, 7/16" by 1.8", ARP recommends using a rod stretch of .0068" to .0072"! Ooooooohkay......
Number one rod got up to 65 ftlbs and only saw .002" of rod stretch, got on the phone, called the rod manufacturer, K1 Technologies, they laughed, said to get my zero reading with the rod gage, take off the gage, torque the bolt to 85, take a reading, and sneak up on it in 5 ftlb increments, should be between 95 and 105 ftlb to get the .007" stretch I'm shooting for!! Wow, Really ??? YUP!!!
And DO NOT USE MOLY LUBE!!!!!!!!
ARP has run into long term problems using moly lube on torque settings, seems that with time the moly lube must get absorbed into the metal, or forms a slick coating, or something such that the torque setting recommended becomes too much with time and can over-stretch the bolt or stud and cause failure! So bolt stretch is a better indicator, or a small torque setting and then additional degrees of turn, such as for my rod bolts, 30 ft lbs and 60 degrees of additional turn! Snap-on has a tool that can do this, but I opted for the stretch gage approach!
ARP and K1 supplied Extreme Pressure Lube #3 instead of Moly Lube for this purpose.
I found this system to be amazingly consistent, at 85 ftlb would get .005", and usually, using 5 ftlb increments, would get the recommended .007" at 95 to 100 ftlb.
Torqued down the main/girdle studs and am ready to go topside now....
SETTING UP THE CAM AND VALVE TRAIN....
These Edelbrock Performer RPM Olds heads use the ford 351W spec rockers, 7/16" studs, guide plates, 3/8" pushrods....
Comp Cams lists a nice rocker for this application, the Ultra Pro Magnum XD, and lists them with both a 1.6 or a 1.7 ratio...
The last Olds 455 I built up, I used an earlier version of these rockers in the 1.6 ratio, they worked great!
Thought I'd try these in the 1.7 ratio, get a little more valve event going for me in both intake and exhaust....
Unfortunately, the 1.7 ratio rockers place the pushrod a little closer to the rocker stud (compared to the 1.6 ratio), and during the last 0.100" or so of valve opening, the pushrod comes into contact with the inside of the pushrod hole in the head, on the side closest to the rocker stud!
I need to go back to the 1.6 ratio, or remove enough aluminum inside the pushrod hole to give a safe clearance. Not sure how much that might be, could be as much as 0.1" to 0.2", that should be a safe amount to remove, but thought I'd toss it to the forum experts here to comment. That metal removal would be only on the inside radius closest to the rocker stud, and only on the upper part of the hole where there is presently contact between the pushrod and the head. It looks like the guide plate has enough clearance, but I won't know on that until the pushrod safely clears the head itself and I can run it through the whole range of motion.
I was degreeing the cam with light springs on the #1 valves when I ran into this, and the pushrod popped out of the rocker pocket as the valve approached its full open position, lucky I did not have the full set of springs in there, probably would have damaged something! Most likely a bent pushrod!
I'm still undecided, might just send back the 1.7's ( or stash them for a future Olds project, have a '67 400 block that would make a screamer some day!!!) and order the 1.6's and finish up putting it together!
I'm closer to coil bind with the 1.7's, so would have to deal with that also, not a factor if I use the 1.6's.
Aloha,
Willy
Later......
OK, Ordered the 1.6's
Engine is looking great! Can you get San Magoo (from the PI) there? You have known no joy until you've hooked 'em down Magsaysay at 0-dark thirty in the morning with half the Olongapo police department hot on your heels and then waded across the Sh*t River to slip past the gate sentries and get back on base. Don't ask me how I know that!
