The Dodge Challenger Message Board

airfuelEddie wrote:I installed some oil plugs, drain plugs and buttplugs. Time for the main studs and lay the crank in place, file fit the rings and place the piston rod assemblies in their respective bores/crank fillet radius.

once you get your glocke bearing engine only you will know where the orange peel will be, i like your insurance policy but you wont need it!

its coming along nicely eddie im keeping my eye on your progress im sure ill learn a lot from you as you build this engine
cheers ian

Thanks Drew, Ian, I forgot to tell you guys, the rod bearings must be chamfered on the sides that face the crankshaft fillets or counterweights. Why? Because the radius of the rod journals at the ends of the CW will interfere with the bearings and this can possibly ruin your day if installed wrong. These rod bearings are pre-chamfered by the supplier but I will check the turnover torque once assembled. It should NOT bind at all and have adequate clearance. The main bearings should snap right in. Another check is the piston pin to con rod small end, there should be some slight clearance there as well, and the rod side clearance should be pretty tight, maybe .015-.035,(between the rods on the big end at the rod journal), if it has a larger gap than that it will throw too much oil around, especially on the cylinder walls even though the factory cylinder squirters are omitted on these and most H-Beam I beam performance/race rods.

Some progress today. I cleaned every bolt hole (blind and through) with WD-40, Compressed Air, bristle brushes. Then I installed the ARP main studs with plain motor oil on the course threads and finger tightened them into the block. I also installed the Main bearings, they snapped right in and were perfectly registered within the main saddles, nice machine work by Hughes Engines.

Another pic.

sweet

Yes, Eddie. Very Nice!! And I"ve noticed your camera skill's have equally, come a long way, too! I am With envy!
Take Care, Pat

patrick wrote:Yes, Eddie. Very Nice!! And I"ve noticed your camera skill's have equally, come a long way, too! I am With envy!
Take Care, Pat

Thank You Pat, I would like to say I have improved my Camera skills by taking pictures of Challengers and women but some little kid taught me how to use it.

I am filing the piston rings for a perfect fit. Well, I figured the top ring gap to be almost .020 and the second ring gap to be what the service manual states which is .015-.080. I am going to use a .018 second ring gap on the 2nd comp ring. 4.3750 X .0045=.01968 which I rounded off to .020 The top ring can butt in extreme heat and destroy the engine, so it's critical to the build. The second ring gap doesnt expand as much because the top ring 'sees' most of the heat/expansion so the Piston manufacturer which is Keith Black says to use the service manual spec. This is how I derived the 2nd ring gap measurement. Just to let those know that are interested. If you want to see a pic of it let me know, be glad to post it. Eddie

we alway love your pics eddie even the fuzzy 1s
cheers ian

ianandjess wrote:we alway love your pics eddie even the fuzzy 1s
cheers ian

OK coming up! I love fuzz!!

I was going to say photos of Fuzz not allowed but then realised that implied something even worse.

dave-r wrote:I was going to say photos of Fuzz not allowed but then realised that implied something even worse.

Dave and I have the same part time hobby. Here I am gapping the top ring to cylinder#8 the spec calls for .020 for the top compression ring. The secong ring per Total Seal's spec calls for a .0035 X 4.375 which is my bore size. This equals .015 for the 2nd compression ring. I was wrong at .018 so please disregard that. I used a Piston as the squaring tool and they want it 1" down into the bore. I also went to the Womens cosmetics at the deaprtment store and bought an assortment of emery boards and a small file. I had a bunch of women staring at me when I bought it. I think they thought I was closet homo!

#2

#3

#4 Here I am checking piston ring groove clearance, although this is #1 Piston I also checked #8 they both specd out at .0015

Once the Piston rings are gapped for the particular bore that they were gapped for, they become married to that bore.

what no fuzz looking good eddie ill be doing the same thing before long just got to get a few more misc parts for my engine then ill be ready for assembley
cheers ian

ianandjess wrote:what no fuzz looking good eddie ill be doing the same thing before long just got to get a few more misc parts for my engine then ill be ready for assembley
cheers ian

Sorry no fuzz Ian! Dave wont allow it. Keep us posted on your build and post plenty of pics!

no problem with the pics eddie ill keep the camera close by when i get under way just got to fork out for a few more bit before i start
cheers ian

This may help someone. When grinding on your new rings make sure you know which way the ring goes on the Piston. Why? Because the Compression rings 1 and 2 need to be filed or ground towards the inside of the ring and not outward. This is important. My top rings are beveled and therefore the bevel faces the cylinder head. The 2 nd ring has a dot that faces towards the oil pan. I grind on the rings towards the inner circumference not outwards. Just for shits and giggles I am showing my original 440 SixPack Piston and rod for comparison. I have effectively removed 8 lbs. of reciprocating weight form the rotating assembly by using these components. This thing should rev like a 500cc 2 stroke Kawasaki triple!!(Remember those suicide machines)!

I have recorded everything!

Sandwich bags help keep the rings organised to their respective Piston/cylinder, because the top and bottom rings look similar and you dont want to mix them up!

Dig the difference in size!

Another. I would love to see a Formula 1 Piston/Rod!!

Installing core plugs,(freeze plugs), with this tool from PowerHouse tools is really easy and handy. It's made from soft plastic and wont mar the plug or block, indexes the core plug exactly 1/2 into the bores because the driver head is undercut to stop at the 1/2 way point into the bores. I used a smear of adhesive /sealer and rove them home. It felt very satisfying filling them thar holes I tell ya!

Completed!

This ring expander is really cool. Instead of "spiraling' the piston rings on the pistons and bending them torsionally and scratching the side of the piston lands this nifty tool expands them non-violently just enough to slip over the top and slide the ring in it's proper groove. Less than 10.00 bucks! (440 SixPack Piston used for demo purposes not my stroker pistons)

Another