atb

A big thanks to Carl and crew at 928 Motorsports on a job well done in getting my block back in fine shape despite Fed Ex's attempts to the contrary.

First, the cool pics:

Love this shot, the cylinders look like they are on fire from the reflection of the sun coming up from the crank area:



Here's a shot showing the more typical Nikasil coloring of the cylinders:



I used aluminum tape to protect the journals, and am very happy with the result, very nominal etching if even at all:



I was very concerned about the machined surfaces getting etched by the acid dipping process. I did some research online that showed beeswax and brush on stop off lacquer as a means to prevent the acid from etching the block. The first motor I built used the purple stop off lacquer, but it did no good, it etched right off. I read that using VHT high temp clear worked well, so I gave it a shot. Very pleased with the results. It didn't work 100%, but if you look at the deck surfaces and the water pump surfaces, you can still see the "shine" of the factory machined surface. They haven't been etched dull.





But alas, Fed Ex still tried their darndest to damage my beautiful block.
It was returned shipped in a plastic tub. There was loads of packing material compression fitting the block in the tub, still, look at the massive crack on the side and the two cracks on the bottom of the tub. I was sure when I went to open it that the block was going to be in pieces:






I need to check in with Carl regarding the piston I forwarded, hopefully Fed Ex isn't giving it the "world tour" treatment.

I am happy to have the block back and done. I'll be putting in on a stand this upcoming weekend and measuring the bores, and then, yes, polishing the outside surface to better then factory luster. From there it goes into the local machinest "dishwasher", and then its shortblock time!

Thanks again Carl for a job well done, I think this one is going to be good for at least 600hp.

Dave H.

looks nice...

Stan.Shaw@Excell.Net

Good Luck!!! Looks nice.

P.S. good to know the bad shipping luck wasn't mine

ablose58

Looks great , Adam, I wouldn't mind being there when final assembly commences AL

89 928 turbo

What a powerhouse this is going to be....!!!

I see a track day at Bremerton in our futures.....all supercars.....munching on rice.

this is going to be very cool, Adam.

Tony

Adam ive followed your progress through all of this...keep posting. Its cool to see this thing come together over time. Its a PITA to do im sure but please make an attempt to document the assembly of the motor for us mortals. Ive got one i eventually have to put togther and i know any pics and documentation i can find will help.

That block should have been shipped in a crate with a simple 2x4 frame built around it and the block anchored inside some how...i think your lucky it wasnt damaged more!

mark kibort

what pistons are you using and what ring package did you select?

Tom. M

I think the big part of Adam's build time is the change mid course after not getting suitable pistons. Using the nicasil and getting the bores sized to readily available pistons cuts down on turnaround time. JT's motor didn't take long at all, and Im sure the next motor build will be even quicker... It's not really rocket science anymore.... and I'm sure we are going to start seeing all sorts of minor variations from stock bore sizes and strokes....

Tom. M

I believe Ross and Total Seal...but not 100% on that..he'll chime in when he checks back in...

mark kibort

are the clearances the same as the alusil blocks? S4s are .0007" (EDIT ) and early block specs are a little over .001". I wonder why the difference? anyway, with Nicasil, are those clearances different?

mk

atb

Mark, I think you're a decimal place off on the S4, should be .0007", actually its .0008" isn't it?

I did go with Ross pistons and the "standard" type Total seal rings (not gapless).

The big problem with going with bigger bores is sourcing rings. There is nothing in the 102mm-104mm range that is off the shelf. Pistons can be custom made, rings can't, so you are left with using rings that must be filed to spec. It's crude, especially compared to OEM, but it works.

The ROSS piston to bore spec is .0025" min, I don't recall the max. This is the cold spec, under running condition and hot, it will be much tighter.
The OEM units were designed to expand at the same rate as the cylinder, so they could start tight and maintain the tolerance through operating temp. I don't know what if any design changes ROSS makes in fabricating pistons for iron blocks vs. aluminum blocks. It would seem that the pistons for the aluminum blocks would have a higher expansion rate, but I don't know that for sure.

I'm just glad that this last major piece is done, and now I can get to building.

I'll probably start a thread and document the build once I get going, so everyone can cringe at my engine building technique. It's all good.

jorj7

Congrats on getting the block back (in one piece). I look forward to your progress reports.
Is this the same block that donated it's crank and rods to my engine? It'd be an interesting
turn of fate to have two 500+ rwhp cars derived from one 87 S4 motor...

atb

Well, I was fresh out of duct tape, and electrical wouldn't match the color of the block....

Hey George,
Nope not the same block. After having that block bore and honed for OEM pistons, I was uncomfortable with how thin the cylinder walls were for use with domestic pistons. If I could have found a set of OEM piston/rings that would work, I probably would have gone with it. But, rather than messing with it I bought nice, thick-walled 32vS block from Stan. I am running the heads off the donor motor, though, so in that case that motor lives on. The overbored block will be saved for another project, hopefully one using big bore iron cylinders if anyone starts mass producing them.

Carl Fausett

Adam, last month we had UPS put a forklift through a heavy box holding a nikasil'd motor for another customer. So we went and got that plastic tub for yours and padded the heck out of the inside. I am sure glad we did!

Im starting to wonder how to ship blocks anymore... We'll have to try something else next time.

Delighted to hear that the engine was OK. I inspected that honing process for you carefully to be sure it was right before we shipped.

Stromius

Very cool Carl! Congrats Adam!

I'll be in Tacoma tomorrow mid day...at the shop????