Putting the pieces together Whenever you install a new crank, rods and pistons, a professional engine shop must balance the entire assembly. This is a critical step with any engine rebuild and should always be performed. We had Western Engine put the rat pieces together and balance it. Balancing the engine ensures long life, vibration free operation and better performance. The assembly includes pressing the pistons on the rods, installing the rings, installing the crank, attaching the rods/pistons to the crank and installing the bearings. A final inspection of the bearings is checked for proper clearance. The engine shop also installed new brass freeze plugs and painted the block with the color of choice. This is basically a short block assembly. Heads were not installed at the engine shop since we could do this ourselves.
After we got the short block home, we did the rest. The Edelbrock heads were installed with copper head gaskets and a special sealer from Gasket Works (www.headgasket.com). The copper head gaskets will need to be torqued down again after 1st startup and 500 miles. Edelbrock head bolts were used to secure the heads to the block. The cam was installed and valvetrain was installed next. For more info on the cam and installation go here www.off-road.com/chevy/reviews/comp. Before we tightened the push rods, the engine was degreed. We found that the cam was off a little and had to be advanced. Luckily, the Comp timing set allows for this and we were able to get the engine degreed exactly to the cam specs.
After the pushrods are correctly adjusted, we were ready for Holley MPI manifold. Before it’s installed it, we decided to port the manifold to match the rect-oval ports. To match the ports, we used the ZZ502 intake gaskets as a template and marked the area needing to be removed. A die-grinder and a special grinding bit for aluminum was used to remove most of the metal followed by a porting kit. The porting kit contains several sanding rolls to smooth everything out. We left the manifold ports just a tad smaller than the head ports so there's no lip that the incoming air will hit. After the manifold porting was complete, it was cleaned thoroughly along with the huge mess it made in the garage. The manifold is then installed on the heads using the GM's ZZ502 gaskets. Since the intake bolts are installed in aluminum, we used anti-seize on the bolts. Anti-seize should be used on any bolt going in aluminum including the spark plugs.
Now it's time for the front of the engine. With the timing chain installed and properly adjusted, the timing chain cover was installed next. The seal was first installed in the cover then bolted on. We like to use the Fel Pro gaskets with Black RTV on both sides. This ensures a good seal.
Next comes the oil pan and oil pump. Before installation of the pump, the oil pump pick-up must be welded to the pump. Proper depth must be set so the pick-up does not interfere with the pan and it can't be set too high. To do this, a 1/8" drill bit is taped to the bottom of the pick-up and the pan is placed on the block without gaskets. After the proper depth is set on the pick-up, it's welded to the pump and then attached to the pump body with a bolt. The oil pump is then installed with a new drive that has a steel sleeve and the oil pan can then mounted. Again, the gasket surface is cleaned thoroughly and black RTV is used on both sides of the gaskets.
The new fluid damper is then installed using Comp's harmonic balancer installation tool. If you use the crank bolt alone you'll risk damaging the threads in the crank. A hammer is no good either and could also cause damage to the crank or balancer. The harmonic balancer tool is the only way to go. Before we decided to go high tech on the distributor, we tried the old HEI system which has a large cap. With the vacuum advance and its large size, it wouldn't fit between the Holley MPI fuel rails. The smaller HEI is ordered and it fit with room to spare. The distributor is installed in the engine at TDC (#1 cylinder ready to fire) and is advanced 10 degrees. The oil pump drive had to be turned a little so the distributor aligned correctly.
The engine is finally taken off the stand and is lifted with a engine hoist so the clutch could be installed. To help lift the engine, we used a lifting plate which can be purchased at many stores like Summit. It bolts to where the carb/throttle body goes and makes it a cinch to hook up the hoist. Before the clutch is slapped on, a pilot bearing from a GM diesel truck is used. The diesels have a roller bearing design and will last longer than the bronze pilot bearing. After the flywheel is bolted on, the Centerforce Dual Friction clutch is installed next. A clutch installation tool helps center the disk and an air impact also comes in handy for the flywheel bolts. The flywheel and clutch bolts were then tightened using a torque wrench. Installing the bloody rat! Finally! The moment of truth happens and the engine can be installed in the vehicle. A little clean up and paint is done before so the engine compartment looks all "perty" now! The hood was already removed from the removal and smaller tires help lower the front. New Energy Suspension motor mounts are then installed. The engine is hoisted up in the air to clear the radiator support. It gets a little scary with the engine being up so high. One thing we didn't realize is our Warn front bumper was right in the way and wouldn't let the engine hoist roll all the way towards the rear so the bumper and winch had to be removed. Funny… we never had this problem when we removed the engine! Oh-well. The engine is finally aligned with the tranny and bolted up. Can we say "Yee Haw"! Afterwards, the radiator, hoses, brackets and accessories are installed. Unfortunately, we can't tell you how good she runs since there's a few minor things that have to be done. For a projected dyno, check out this Dyno2000 graph (software dyno):
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