Another day spent further assembling the engine. First the cam went
in, followed by the thrust plate and timing gear. The gear is a semi
press fit and there is great temptation to tap it on to the cam end
until it's seated. But there is nothing but a freeze plug to hold the
cam in place, and more than one unsuspecting shade-tree mechanic has
inadvertently knocked out that freeze plug. Once out, then only way to
gain access to fit a new one is to pull the engine - a very costly
mistake.
Anyway, having been warned of this before, I found a spot
where I could fit a bar to hold the cam in place and not bank up any
critical machined surfaces. Then, with everything lined up - the key on
the cam with the key way on the gear, and the timing marks on the crank
and cam gears - I heated the cam gear with a torch to expand it to make
fitting easier. A little heat and a little tap tap tapping with the
butt of a hammer handle and on it went. Torques the nut to specs, and
she's good to go.
Next
were the piston assemblies, which needed to be assembled into
assemblies. Basically the new pistons need to be attached to the
connecting rods with the wrist pin. Other engines I've worked on
require a bit of a press fit and typically require heating the pistons
much like the timing gear, but these were a smooth hand press fit so
assembly was easy. It did take a little sleuthing to figure out which
face of the rods was forward. The pistons are marked, but with the rods
separated from the old pistons, that orientation was lost. Pictures to
the rescue! I shot a few when I disassembled the engine and was able
to identify some unique casing marks on one which revealed the correct
orientation. Problem solved - almost.
The first piston/pin/rod
assembly went together easily, but on the second piston I was having a
heck of a time getting the retaining snap ring into place. I finally
went and looked at the little package that they came in and discovered
that the packaging, and the size marked on the package, was different
for that one piston. Crap. But fortunately I had the old pistons still
kicking around and was able to salvage and reuse a couple of clips from
the old ones.
With all pistons installed and rods torques, I once again checked to be sure the engine rotated freely, and it's smooth as silk.
Next installed was the new oil pump, followed by a new rear crank seal and seal housing.
Then
moving to the front of the engine I wen to install the timing gear
cover only to find the new gasket was broken into 3 pieces. Must have
been some sort of shipping damage with all the gaskets just loose in a
box. No problem, that can go on later after I get another gasket.
Water
pump next. But wait, where's that gasket? And what about all the
O-rings to seal the pipes and heat joint? All missing. My guess is
that they assume you are installing a new water pump on a rebuild, and
that the pump will include all the gaskets. Not me. I just put in a
new pump a year ago, so now I need a pump gasket set.
OK, all is
not lost, so I went to install the head. Gasket fits - check.
Installed new cam lifters, fit the head, torqued all the bolts. Done.
Cleaned up all the push rods, dropped them in place, then bolted down
the rocker assembly. Head complete. Oh, and along the way I removed
all the masking from the paint job which was a bit of a tedious process.
Now
we are just down to accessories and external components like manifolds,
motor mounts, water pump, timing cover, water pipes, alternator, etc.
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