Ed Hughes

Beer and cigar time! (and an update)

Here are some pics from today. I've not figured out how to put some description, then a pic, then more description, another pic, etc. So I'll provide a list:

Pic 1- Cams in with their O-rings and cam covers and gaskets in. Sprockets mounted for the next step-alignment check.

Pics 2 and 3- I checked the alignment of the two cam sprockets and their respective idler shaft sprockets. Supposed to be within .25mm (.010") and mine were all within .006" so that was good. Couldn't find a depth gauge I used to have to measure the LH sprocket, so I treated myself to a new 8" digital caliper the get the reach I needed. You also need a good straightedge for this.

Pic 4- Cam sprockets back in and the chains on them after putting the indexing sprockets in over their woodruff keys. Got to be a bit careful when handling the keys that you don't drop them and they skate down into the case.

Pic 5- The mechanical tensioners and idler arms installed and ready for timing.

Pic 6- The "grenades" cocked and ready with their pins (3/16" cotter pins) in place to hold the shafts in. You need to put them in a vise and slowly compress them while catching the oil that gets displaced.

Pic 7- Installing the #1 intake rocker. One can't have enough extensions to reach the rear most rocker shafts. I'm going with new RSR seals, as I didn't want the old to get compromised with brake cleaner or damaged when removing for cleaning. Another $64 to the total. I also took in a tip referenced back to Walt @ Competition Engineering: I used no assembly lube in the rocker to keep any from being pushed into the cam tower journal by the shaft and creating a slippery situation. You squirt some oil in thru the holes in the rocker to get them lubed after the shaft is locked down.

Pic 8- The #4 intake rocker also installed. I torqued the rocker shaft bolts to 16 ft-lbs. Stock, or really new spec is 13.2 ft-lbs, but there are some that recommend as high as 20 on older engines to ensure a good bite and not get the dreaded "walk" from the shaft. Bruce Anderson states in his book that if you go to 15 ft-lbs and the rocker nut gives enough bite to that end of the shaft so that it requires no wrench to hold it, you should have no issues. Mine held well before the 15 ft-lb mark, so I torqued to that and then went to 16 for good measure.

Now to find my Z-block and get the dial indicator out. The fun part (the actual cam timing) is next.

dshepp806

NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doyle

g-50cab

Good progress there Ed!

Ed Hughes

Thanks guys. I'm having fun at it, but I also want to drive her. I hope to make better progress next weekend.

TT Oversteer

I probably missed it in an earlier post but what cams are you running, Ed? Will you change the cam timing any from stock?

Ed Hughes

Same cams I was running, which are DC19's. Set to John D's recommendation. Stock would not apply.

Ed Hughes

Well the only progress so far this week, is I just got off the phone with Steve Wong. The chip is spec'd and ordered!

theiceman

ah man what a let down ... i saw you had updated and jumped in for more pics ..

BTW Ed i was looking on one of the pics and saw something on the case . Have you had case repair done or did something spill .. can't quite see it properly ..

Ed Hughes

Tomorrow or Sunday will see some real updates. Although I have to do some frigging varnish work on the boat tomorrow morning.

You may see some of the JB Weld repairs?

Actually, there are several spots on the case where stud penetrations get covered with an epoxy such as JB. That may be what you see.

theiceman

wow that must be great stuff... I have used it for other things but if it works on a case .. I'm buying stock !!

Ed Hughes

It's really a sealer, in this task, but it does seem to do the task. I've only used it a couple of times for other things, I should try it more often.

rusnak

There was the time when I broke the mounting boss for my distributor off, and made it back home over 300 miles by JB Welding it back together with plastic zip ties......

Actually, Wayne's book describes the JB Weld technique for sealing the case studs. I was like (??) at first, but I found that a lot of tech guys use it as a sealant.

g-50cab

Progress is progress Ed - how do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time...

Ed Hughes

Thanks Jeremy. I feel guilty that I'm not out evenings working on her, like your diligence. I'm envious. I just can't do that these days, it seems. With my travel, and my wife's travel, I've got to be careful about just staying in the garage when we are home at the same time.

I think back to 2002 when I bulit an airplane in my garage in 8 months. No way I can imagine pulling that off.

But it was progress indeed; Steve and I chatted about my engine for about 1/2 hour, and we've got a plan. Maybe the chip in my posession will be my great motivator, it was my last big expenditure. The custom chips get a little pricey, but one gets to tap into Steve's knowledge and experience. Plus, the chip comes with the update based on dyno data, but I may just do the in-person tuning too.

Ed Hughes

Ok, so that iceman isn't disappoined, here is a "real" update, and some pics.

I got the cams timed and the tensioners back in. I worked out a better way to do this than last time. With the higher lift cams and the timing specs, along with the "new" cam design which has a bolt holding the sprocket on instead of the old nut, it is tough to time the cams as the minute you loosen the bolt, then load from the valve wants to turn it back to zero. I was looking for .071" in overlap at TDC. When I released the bolt and pulled the pin, the cam would roll back to .010". The last time, I just experimented with crank position and over-compensation on the cam, so that when it rolled back, it went to where I needed it. This was frustrating at best.

This time, I didn't snug the pulley down-instead, I used a spacer so that the bolt would tighten up on the cam, thereby allowing me to turn the cam to where I needed it, putting the pin in the hole, and then putting the washer back on the bolt and snugging down as it should. This allowed me to dial both sides in to within .001", which I'm quite please with. I ran each side thru 720 degrees numerous times to double-check, torqued the bolts down, pulled the mechanical tensioners, then installed the real tensioners.

Some pics of various stages, showing the z-block and dial indicator setup, the cam adjustment setup and the final readings from each side.

Tomorrow- Check valve-piston clearance and then get the rest of the rockers in. Chain covers, oil cooler, valve covers and camlines, and I should be looking at a longblock.

PS- I did get down to the boat and got two coats of varnish on too, so a productive day on all fronts.