TBucket Engine Project (Dart SHP)

[busterrm]

Hey Rick, I noticed the clearancing in your block is remarkably uniform, that is a SHP Dart block right? Are they already clearanced when they are out of the box? Just curious, I am muttling around on a build for the future and was wanting to use a SHP block.

 

[Indycars]

Hey Rick, I noticed the clearancing in your block is remarkably uniform, that is a SHP Dart block right? Are they already clearanced when they are out of the box? Just curious, I am muttling around on a build for the future and was wanting to use a SHP block.

It should be within Chevy tolerances, but of course you still need to measure everything to make sure. I went ahead and had the mains line honed, to me it was worth the $150 to make absolutely sure.


Here is the specific section of that document:

MEASURING & MACHINING
- All initial measuring should be done before any machining has begun.

- Decks are CNC machined to standard deck heights. If you need a particular
deck height always measure before machining.

- Main journals are finish line honed to the low to middle of the specification.
They should be measured for your preference. If you have need for a different
diameter you must realign hone this yourself.

- Crankshaft & rod clearance should always be checked before any machining is
started. You need .060 inch clearance for rotating counterweights and rods.

- Due to variations in OD dimensions of the numerous lifter manufacturers, lifter
bores are finish honed on the tight side of the tolerance to leave room for lifters
that are larger than the standard.

BTW, they have two version of the DART SHP block now.

http://www.dartheads.com/products/engin ... all-blocks

Download the complete document below:

 

[Indycars]

I took the block off the engine stand the other day to install the oil galley plugs, cam plug and freeze
plugs in the rear of block. I wanted to do this now before it gets too heavy lift for two people.

All surfaces in the block and plugs were cleaned thoroughly with lacquer thinner first. Then the sealant
was applied.



I got the cam plug in alittle deeper than I wanted, it wasn't completely straight, so I had to set
it deeper. I will check the camshaft end play again once I have the thrust plate and cam gear installed
to make sure the cam plug is not a problem.




Although the pictures below don't show it, I installed the cam while it was on the floor with the
cam centerline pointing up. It was so much easier to drop the cam slowly into place and not
having to support it's weight, while trying not to damage the cam bearings. I did this without
adding any assembly lube yet, just the WD40 that was already on the camshaft.

Once the cam was all the way in, I raised it just enough to put a short socket under the cam,
remember it's vertical at this time. This raised the cam just enough to move the journals out
of their bearings, but not enough that any cam lobe was inside a bearing. Now I added the
Clevite assembly lube as I rotated the cam to all the journals.

If I had added the lube first, 95% of the lube would have ended up in the timing chain area
at the first bearing.

 

[grumpyvette]

as always , both outstanding photo quality ,and documentation of your engine build

 

[mathd]

Nice idea about the cam.
Also you can use press drill handle to install your cam i will try and take a picture today if i dont forgot.

 

[busterrm]

So your on final assembly now Rick? The cam is going in permanently?

 

[Indycars]

So your on final assembly now Rick? The cam is going in permanently?

I certainly hope it's permanent

Yes.....it's official now, I'm in the final assembly phase! But I won't be surprised if
something doesn't rear it's head to slow me down and make me stop and think!

I won't be able to start the engine until after I have finished the 200-4R trans project.
I just bought my second 200-4R a couple of weeks ago to have spare parts per
Dorian's suggestion.

 

[mathd]

So your on final assembly now Rick? The cam is going in permanently?

I certainly hope it's permanent

Yes.....it's official now, I'm in the final assembly phase! But I won't be surprised if
something doesn't rear it's head to slow me down and make me stop and think!

I won't be able to start the engine until after I have finished the 200-4R trans project.
I just bought my second 200-4R a couple of weeks ago to have spare parts per
Dorian's suggestion.

You need to wait for the trans to start this engine? bahh...
run it in the dolly so if something is wrong you dont have to take it out of the car to repair.
I did my engine first startup after it was in the car, i was lucky enough everything went just perfect except for not having a coolant overflow tank so when the rediator cap released pressure.. you guess what... needed a massive cleanup of the engine bay.

 

[Indycars]

You need to wait for the trans to start this engine? bahh...
run it in the dolly so if something is wrong you dont have to take it out of the car to repair.
I did my engine first startup after it was in the car, i was lucky enough everything went just perfect except for not having a coolant overflow tank so when the rediator cap released pressure.. you guess what... needed a massive cleanup of the engine bay.

I hear you, but that would take time to build something. I certainly am not going to pay for
something, rather spend that $500-$1000 on directly on the car.

I'm after the shortest path to pulling wheelies in front of the house for the neighbors!!!!!!!

 

[mathd]

I made my own dolly for 15$ of steel and some fun time with the welder anyway i have no problem with putting it directly into the engine bay, much less trouble.

So you think you will pull wheelies on the street? this sound interesting

 

[Indycars]

Got the crankshaft installed, but not without a few glitches.

Forgot to lube the bearing in the rear main cap before I torqued it down. Debated about
30 seconds whether the other half's lube would be enough, then pulled it back apart,
lubed and re-installed. Which meant aligning the thrust bearing again.

One 7/16" bolt on the number 3 main would slip or turn real easy for a few degrees during
the torquing. Loosened all the bolts and took the one bolt out and inspected, but found
nothing on the threads. Look at the underside the head and nothing there. It did the same
thing again, but on the third torque it behaved.

After running over all the bolts a second time to check them I used my torque wrench to
see how easy the crankshaft was to turn. Hardly even noticeable at 10-15 inch/lbs.





.

 

[busterrm]

Hey Rick,
Your moving right along on it now. Won't be long and you'll have all the slugs in it and it will be looking like a engine. I am getting excited for you and your T Bucket. I have a mind to just drive up there some time and watch, I live in Wichita Falls, TX. Its just a hop, skip and a jump from Yukon.

 

[Indycars]

Hey Rick,
Your moving right along on it now. Won't be long and you'll have all the slugs in it and it will be looking like a engine. I am getting excited for you and your T Bucket. I have a mind to just drive up there some time and watch, I live in Wichita Falls, TX. Its just a hop, skip and a jump from Yukon.

Your hops and skips must be bigger than mine!

That would be a excellent idea, you should come! I always have plenty of imported beer on hand. Visiting with another car fanatic would be nice!

 

[Indycars]

Time to get the rings on the pistons and then installed into the block.

First thing is get all the pieces needed to complete the task, before you get started. This
was my setup.



When I cleaned and bagged the rings last time, I marked them to make sure they found
their way to the right cylinder.






I realized after I installed the first 4 pistons, that I started to doubt myself if I had
installed all the rings facing up. So after that, I started placing a check mark on the
piston while I had it in the vise and after CONFIRMING ALL RINGS faced up.



After each piston was installed I used beam type torque wrench to measure the
"Torque to Maintain Rotation". You will notice that it does NOT increase by 65 inch/lbs
every time I added a piston for a total of 520 inch/lbs or 43.3 ft/lbs.

Think about it, why would it not increase the same every time???

 

[grumpyvette]

looks like your doing an excellent job on the install process, 19 ft lbs is about perfect on the rotational drag resistance, spinning a rotating assembly

related info
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viewtopic.php?f=53&t=3449

 

[Indycars]

looks like your doing an excellent job on the install process, 19 ft lbs is about perfect on the rotational drag resistance, spining a rotating assembly

Thanks!

All the number except for the first two could easily vary by several ft/lbs. It was impossible to keep the
torque wrench moving steadily. Most the time when I hit the peak torque in the rotation the needle
would jump and jerk around.

 

[grumpyvette]

looks like your doing an excellent job on the install process, 19 ft lbs is about perfect on the rotational drag resistance, spining a rotating assembly

Thanks!

All the number except for the first two could easily vary by several ft/lbs. It was impossible to keep the
torque wrench moving steadily. Most the time when I hit the peak torque in the rotation the needle
would jump an jerk around.

IF you mix moly assembly lube with the marvel mystery oil , about 50%/50% as a assembly lube on the bearings and rings youll have less tendency to have the moving surfaces stick and break loose as you rotate, the assembly, strait assembly lubes a bit "sticky" and requires a bit of effort to break the film ,bond and get it sliding on the moving surfaces.
MOLY forms a tough film lubricant.

 

[Indycars]

IF you mix moly assembly lube with the marvel mystery oil , about 50%/50% as a assembly lube on the bearings and rings youll have less tendency to have the moving surfaces stick and break loose as you rotate, the assembly, strait assembly lubes a bit "sticky" and requires a bit of effort to break the film ,bond and get it sliding on the moving surfaces.
MOLY forms a tough film lubricant.

Theoretically then, it should require a little less torque to keep it rotating with the assembly lube.

As long as what I did is Ok, then I think I will save that tip for my next engine. No need to go back and do it over on this engine.

 

[grumpyvette]

no! no need at all!
your doing just fine so far!

viewtopic.php?f=53&t=852&p=1311#p1311

viewtopic.php?f=53&t=6352

 

[busterrm]

looks like your doing an excellent job on the install process, 19 ft lbs is about perfect on the rotational drag resistance, spining a rotating assembly

Thanks!

All the number except for the first two could easily vary by several ft/lbs. It was impossible to keep the
torque wrench moving steadily. Most the time when I hit the peak torque in the rotation the needle
would jump an jerk around.

IF you mix moly assembly lube with the marvel mystery oil , about 50%/50% as a assembly lube on the bearings and rings youll have less tendency to have the moving surfaces stick and break loose as you rotate, the assembly, strait assembly lubes a bit "sticky" and requires a bit of effort to break the film ,bond and get it sliding on the moving surfaces.
MOLY forms a tough film lubricant.

I would be willing to say that the different increases to turn the crank has something to do with the location of the piston just put in and the pistons already in the block. For instance, #1 put in gave 65 in/lbs then #2 gave 10 more, then it took 50 more with #3 then 25 more with #4. My point is with #1 and 2 your pulling 2 mains and 2 rods, then #3 and 4 your pulling 3 mains and 4 rods. Then you move to another set, by this time you have turned it some and the lube is getting spread around all the rods and mains, so #5 doesn't affect it zilch, then # 6 bridges it to next main and adds 50 more, now your pulling 6 rods and 4 mains. Now you go to the last rod journal, # 7 adds 25 more then # 8 adds nothing, but by this time your turning real well pulling 8 rods and 5 mains. With 225 in/lbs your pulling 28.125 in/lbs or 2.344 ft/lbs per piston. I agree with Grumpy 18-20 ft/lbs is a good number for rotating assembly rotation. I am wondering what it will add when your cam has been degreed in?