I am still working on this chapter, I will remove this message when it is done...
You are free to read it, but come back later when it's finished and more complete, it will be much better...
*************************************************************************
Hello everyone, it's Krazykuda here to show you how to rebuild a small block... This article is to help any newbies through rebuilding a small block Mopar LA engine, but may have a few tips that some of you seasoned builders may find useful... If you haven't ever built an engine, I will show you what you need to know to do it yourself...
The goal of this series is to show what you can do at home in your own garage... Go at your own pace and ability and then take it to someone knowledgeable for what you are not capable of doing yourself or don't have the proper equipment/tools for...
Keep checking back in from time to time as this is a work in progress and I plan to keep updating it as I build more engines and can show you more variations...
I am going to break this into sections that you can follow along with and make sense to do in 'stages' when you build... Plus you can then jump to the section that you are working on to help keep from sorting through one very long thread to find what part that you are working on when you are doing it....
*************************************************************************
This is the next step to continue after Sections 1 - 15... If you missed one of them, you can find it here...
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 1: Block Prep
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 2: Cam Bearing Install
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 3: Install Water Jacket and Oil Galley Plugs
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 4: Pre Flight Inspection After Machine Shop Before Assembly
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 5: Crankshaft Install
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 6: Installing Rings on Pistons
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 7: Install Pistons in Block
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 7a (Optional): CC the Engine Cylinder to Find Compression
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 8: Install the Camshaft
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 9: Install Camshaft Thrust Plate
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 9A (Optional): Timing Chain Options
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 10: Install Timing Chain
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 11: Check Piston-to-Valve Clearance
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 12: Installing the Heads
https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/ams/how-to-rebuild-a-small-block-part-13-installing-the-valvetrain.442/
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 14: Preparing the Timing Chain Cover
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 15: Installing the Timing Chain Cover and Water Pump
*************************************************************************
Hello everyone, it's Krazykuda here to show you how to rebuild a small block... This article is to help any newbies through rebuilding a small block Mopar LA engine, but may have a few tips that some of you seasoned builders may find useful... If you haven't ever built an engine, I will show you what you need to know to do it yourself...
The goal of this series is to show what you can do at home in your own garage... Go at your own pace and ability and then take it to someone knowledgeable for what you are not capable of doing yourself or don't have the proper equipment/tools for...
Keep checking back in from time to time as this is a work in progress and I plan to keep updating it as I build more engines and can show you more variations...
I am going to break this into sections that you can follow along with and make sense to do in 'stages' when you build... Plus you can then jump to the section that you are working on to help keep from sorting through one very long thread to find what part that you are working on when you are doing it....
*************************************************************************
*** Important Note *** Sometimes things may not go right and you will run into a snag/road block... Do not get in a hurry to finish and take short cuts that may compromise your build...
Step back, take a break, and think about it for a while... Or seek help from other experienced people or professionals to overcome the problem... Do it right and don't take any unnecessary chances that may compromise the integrity of your build...
If you don't fix the problem correctly, it may come back to haunt you and cost even more time and money than if you took the time to think about it and research it to fix the problem correctly...
This has been a public service announcement from krazykuda....
*************************************************************************
In the last chapter, we installed the timing chain cover and water pump... Now we are going to install the distributor gear, oil pump, and windage tray to get the engine ready to install the intake manifold in the next chapter... I prefer to finish the intake manifold before installing the oil pan because if you drop anything (like a nut, bolt, socket, tool, etc..) into the engine it will most likely end up in the oil pan... If you already have installed the oil pan, then you will have to remove it, clean off all of the gaskets, buy new gaskets (which are more expensive when purchased separately than when get get the whole engine teardown gasket kit),and re-install the oil pan after you found whatever you dropped into the engine...
You could install the oil pan now, but I like to play it safe... Since I am human and we all make mistakes, let's plan on making the mistake of dropping something in the engine and be ready for it when it happens so it's not as painful when it happens... This is why I do the oil pan last...
First I like to put the distributor drive gear in first... This is the gear that is driven off the cam and spins the oil pump... Since it's easier to access with the intake manifold off, I install it before the intake manifold... You will see what I mean when we get into it...
On the first engine that I built, I tried to put this gear in after the oil pump and intake manifold were installed and the hex at the bottom did not line up properly with the hex in the oil pump and destroyed the oil pump when I bolted the distributor down... The force of tightening the distributor hold down bolt destroyed the mating part in the oil pump... So I like to install the distributor gear first, then put the oil pump on next, so I can make sure the hex on the gear is properly lined up and engaged in the hex that drives the oil pump... Another lesson that I learned from my mistakes...
Mopar Performance offers a stronger gear that is recommended for high volume oil pumps... It has a thicker shaft that can handle more load... I use it in all of my builds and recommend you use it also...
Here it is in the Mopar Performance packaging...
Here's a close-up of the label with the part number...
Here's what it looks like... Also note that there is a pin on the Mopar Performance one for more strength to keep it from spinning on the gear under load...
Here I put both versions side-by-side on a shop towel to show the difference, the Mopar Performance one is on the top, and the factory gear is on the bottom... The difference in them is that the part of the shaft below the taper is thicker/stronger on the improved Mopar Performance one which gives it more strength... If the shaft fails, you loose the function of the oil pump, so you want this to be as strong as you can get because the engine needs oil pumping through it to run...
Here I show the differences with the arrows...
A little closer view in the next two pictures...
I did the same thing here with the new one from the package, the shiny one is the new Mopar Performance one and the black darker one is a stock factory original one... The lighting is not as good so it's a little harder to see, but you can see that the shaft is thicker on the bottom part of the Mopar Performance one than the stock one... The hex on the bottom of the shaft that drives the oil pump is the same size on both parts...
Here's a close-up...
The distributor drive gear goes in the distributor hole in the back of the engine... That's the big hole in on the driver's side on top of the block... There is a brass bushing in the hole at the back of the lifter valley below the distributor hole... Verify that the bushing is in there, or have one installed if it's missing...
Here's the hole that the distributor gear goes into... The picture is a little blurry, but this is a good angle and I want to show it for clarity...
First make sure that the engine is at TDC, if not put it at TDC because the orientation of the slot in the top of the gear is what sets the #1 spark plug position on the distributor... The camshaft drives/spins this gear which turns both the oil pump and distributor... Two birds with one stone...
Start the gear in the bushing and gently press it down until it just contacts the gear on the back of the camshaft... When you install the gear, you want the slot to point to the #2 cylinder (the one on the front of the right bank/passenger side... This is because the gear is a helical gear (curved teeth on the gear) and turns when engaging with the gear on the camshaft... So by pointing the slot toward #2 cylinder when it just contacts the top of the cam gear, it will spin as it engages the cam gear and end up pointing to the #1 cylinder (the one in the front of the block on the driver's side)... It's a little tricky and you may not have it oriented correctly on the first try, just gently pry it up and try again until you get it... It even takes me more than one try and I've done it many times... That is why I do this with the intake manifold off - it's easier to pry it back up to retry when you have the manifold off...
Here is the gear when you first start to install it...
Here it is from a different angle... You can see the top of the gear is just below the top of the block...
Now here we are where the gear is just contacting the camshaft gear... You want the slot pointing like this toward the #2 cylinder so it's in the correct position when both gears are fully engaged...
Here it is with the slot pointing to #1 cylinder when both gears are fully engaged and the distributor gear is bottomed out... This try is a keeper...
Once again, close up... Here the gears start to engage...
Here they are fully engaged... Woo-hoo, you did it!!!
Now before we turn the engine upside-down, take a distributor - any Mopar SB distributor that you have laying around and put in the distributor hole and put the distributor hold down bracket and bolt in to keep the distributor in place... This keeps the distributor drive gear that we just installed from falling out when we turn the engine over to work on the bottom...
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Now the engine is upside down...
Here is a picture showing the distributor drive shaft sticking out of the rear main bearing... Ignore the windage tray for this picture as we haven't installed that yet...
Here it is with the green arrow and circle around it...
Get out the taps and dies and clean the threads on the main bearing cap for the oil pump... Use the 3/8" x 16 coarse thread tap to chase the threads in the rear main bearing cap... If you not using new bolts, chase the threads on the used bolts with a 3/8" x 16 die...
Now get out the Gaskacinch...
Place the oil pump gasket and place it on the rear main to see what side goes toward the rear main... Then place the oil pump gasket with that side up and apply a coat of Gaskacinch and give it 15 - 20 minutes to set up... Then swab another layer of Gaskacinch on it and let it set for 10 - 15 minutes until it gets sticky/tacky...
When the gasket gets tacky, then place it on the rear main and use the two oil pump bolts to hold it in place until the gasket sticks to the rear main...
Only Gaskacinch the side that goes to the rear main and leave the side that goes toward the oil pump dry...
I recommend using a new oil pickup tube because it may be hard to clean all of the crud and debris out of an old used one... Screw the new pickup tube into the oil pump... Do not use any thread sealer, just screw it in dry... Don't worry about getting the pickup tube in the proper position, just estimate it for now, we'll adjust it later...
Then place the oil pump on the rear main and start the mounting bolts...
Here is the engine bolt torque page from the 68 Plymouth service manual...
The oil pump is 3/8" x 16 thread and takes 30 foot pounds of torque...
Torque both oil pump bolts to 30 foot pounds...
*************************************************************************
Now we move onto the windage tray... The 273 and 318, did not come from the factory with a windage tray, I haven't torn down a factory 360 to know about them... However you can use one if you wish... The windage tray keeps the wind from the crankshaft spinning and splashing oil from the oil pan as it spins, especially at higher RPM's... You can add a windage tray to any small block, they do sell windage trays you will have to find the bolts...
The #2 and #4 main bearing caps have special bolts with longer tops to attach a windage tray to... The windage tray uses a 1/4" x 20 thread to attach it to the main bearing bolts... If you are using a used set of main bearing cap bolts for a windage tray chase the threads with a 1/4" x 20 coarse tap... Then chase the windage tray attaching bolts with a 1/4" x 20 coarse thread die...
Mancini Racing Oil Windage Tray
You can see the special main bearing cap bolts on the #2 and #4 main bearing caps in the next two pictures here...
Place the windage tray on the engine... The factory service manuals do not call out a torque for the windage tray attaching bolts, but looking at the 68 Plymouth service manual for a similar 1/4" x 20 coarse thread, it calls out 100 inch pounds...
The factory service manuals do not call out a torque for the windage tray attaching bolts, but looking at the 68 Plymouth service manual for a similar 1/4" x 20 coarse thread, it calls out 100 inch pounds...
*************************************************************************
Now the distributor drive gear, oil pump, and windage tray are installed....
The next step is to install the intake manifold...
You are free to read it, but come back later when it's finished and more complete, it will be much better...
*************************************************************************
Hello everyone, it's Krazykuda here to show you how to rebuild a small block... This article is to help any newbies through rebuilding a small block Mopar LA engine, but may have a few tips that some of you seasoned builders may find useful... If you haven't ever built an engine, I will show you what you need to know to do it yourself...
The goal of this series is to show what you can do at home in your own garage... Go at your own pace and ability and then take it to someone knowledgeable for what you are not capable of doing yourself or don't have the proper equipment/tools for...
Keep checking back in from time to time as this is a work in progress and I plan to keep updating it as I build more engines and can show you more variations...
I am going to break this into sections that you can follow along with and make sense to do in 'stages' when you build... Plus you can then jump to the section that you are working on to help keep from sorting through one very long thread to find what part that you are working on when you are doing it....
*************************************************************************
This is the next step to continue after Sections 1 - 15... If you missed one of them, you can find it here...
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 1: Block Prep
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 2: Cam Bearing Install
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 3: Install Water Jacket and Oil Galley Plugs
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 4: Pre Flight Inspection After Machine Shop Before Assembly
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 5: Crankshaft Install
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 6: Installing Rings on Pistons
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 7: Install Pistons in Block
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 7a (Optional): CC the Engine Cylinder to Find Compression
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 8: Install the Camshaft
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 9: Install Camshaft Thrust Plate
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 9A (Optional): Timing Chain Options
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 10: Install Timing Chain
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 11: Check Piston-to-Valve Clearance
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 12: Installing the Heads
https://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/ams/how-to-rebuild-a-small-block-part-13-installing-the-valvetrain.442/
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 14: Preparing the Timing Chain Cover
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 15: Installing the Timing Chain Cover and Water Pump
*************************************************************************
Hello everyone, it's Krazykuda here to show you how to rebuild a small block... This article is to help any newbies through rebuilding a small block Mopar LA engine, but may have a few tips that some of you seasoned builders may find useful... If you haven't ever built an engine, I will show you what you need to know to do it yourself...
The goal of this series is to show what you can do at home in your own garage... Go at your own pace and ability and then take it to someone knowledgeable for what you are not capable of doing yourself or don't have the proper equipment/tools for...
Keep checking back in from time to time as this is a work in progress and I plan to keep updating it as I build more engines and can show you more variations...
I am going to break this into sections that you can follow along with and make sense to do in 'stages' when you build... Plus you can then jump to the section that you are working on to help keep from sorting through one very long thread to find what part that you are working on when you are doing it....
*************************************************************************
*** Important Note *** Sometimes things may not go right and you will run into a snag/road block... Do not get in a hurry to finish and take short cuts that may compromise your build...
Step back, take a break, and think about it for a while... Or seek help from other experienced people or professionals to overcome the problem... Do it right and don't take any unnecessary chances that may compromise the integrity of your build...
If you don't fix the problem correctly, it may come back to haunt you and cost even more time and money than if you took the time to think about it and research it to fix the problem correctly...
This has been a public service announcement from krazykuda....
*************************************************************************
In the last chapter, we installed the timing chain cover and water pump... Now we are going to install the distributor gear, oil pump, and windage tray to get the engine ready to install the intake manifold in the next chapter... I prefer to finish the intake manifold before installing the oil pan because if you drop anything (like a nut, bolt, socket, tool, etc..) into the engine it will most likely end up in the oil pan... If you already have installed the oil pan, then you will have to remove it, clean off all of the gaskets, buy new gaskets (which are more expensive when purchased separately than when get get the whole engine teardown gasket kit),and re-install the oil pan after you found whatever you dropped into the engine...
You could install the oil pan now, but I like to play it safe... Since I am human and we all make mistakes, let's plan on making the mistake of dropping something in the engine and be ready for it when it happens so it's not as painful when it happens... This is why I do the oil pan last...
First I like to put the distributor drive gear in first... This is the gear that is driven off the cam and spins the oil pump... Since it's easier to access with the intake manifold off, I install it before the intake manifold... You will see what I mean when we get into it...
On the first engine that I built, I tried to put this gear in after the oil pump and intake manifold were installed and the hex at the bottom did not line up properly with the hex in the oil pump and destroyed the oil pump when I bolted the distributor down... The force of tightening the distributor hold down bolt destroyed the mating part in the oil pump... So I like to install the distributor gear first, then put the oil pump on next, so I can make sure the hex on the gear is properly lined up and engaged in the hex that drives the oil pump... Another lesson that I learned from my mistakes...
Mopar Performance offers a stronger gear that is recommended for high volume oil pumps... It has a thicker shaft that can handle more load... I use it in all of my builds and recommend you use it also...
Here it is in the Mopar Performance packaging...
Here's a close-up of the label with the part number...
Here's what it looks like... Also note that there is a pin on the Mopar Performance one for more strength to keep it from spinning on the gear under load...
Here I put both versions side-by-side on a shop towel to show the difference, the Mopar Performance one is on the top, and the factory gear is on the bottom... The difference in them is that the part of the shaft below the taper is thicker/stronger on the improved Mopar Performance one which gives it more strength... If the shaft fails, you loose the function of the oil pump, so you want this to be as strong as you can get because the engine needs oil pumping through it to run...
Here I show the differences with the arrows...
A little closer view in the next two pictures...
I did the same thing here with the new one from the package, the shiny one is the new Mopar Performance one and the black darker one is a stock factory original one... The lighting is not as good so it's a little harder to see, but you can see that the shaft is thicker on the bottom part of the Mopar Performance one than the stock one... The hex on the bottom of the shaft that drives the oil pump is the same size on both parts...
Here's a close-up...
The distributor drive gear goes in the distributor hole in the back of the engine... That's the big hole in on the driver's side on top of the block... There is a brass bushing in the hole at the back of the lifter valley below the distributor hole... Verify that the bushing is in there, or have one installed if it's missing...
Here's the hole that the distributor gear goes into... The picture is a little blurry, but this is a good angle and I want to show it for clarity...
First make sure that the engine is at TDC, if not put it at TDC because the orientation of the slot in the top of the gear is what sets the #1 spark plug position on the distributor... The camshaft drives/spins this gear which turns both the oil pump and distributor... Two birds with one stone...
Start the gear in the bushing and gently press it down until it just contacts the gear on the back of the camshaft... When you install the gear, you want the slot to point to the #2 cylinder (the one on the front of the right bank/passenger side... This is because the gear is a helical gear (curved teeth on the gear) and turns when engaging with the gear on the camshaft... So by pointing the slot toward #2 cylinder when it just contacts the top of the cam gear, it will spin as it engages the cam gear and end up pointing to the #1 cylinder (the one in the front of the block on the driver's side)... It's a little tricky and you may not have it oriented correctly on the first try, just gently pry it up and try again until you get it... It even takes me more than one try and I've done it many times... That is why I do this with the intake manifold off - it's easier to pry it back up to retry when you have the manifold off...
Here is the gear when you first start to install it...
Here it is from a different angle... You can see the top of the gear is just below the top of the block...
Now here we are where the gear is just contacting the camshaft gear... You want the slot pointing like this toward the #2 cylinder so it's in the correct position when both gears are fully engaged...
Here it is with the slot pointing to #1 cylinder when both gears are fully engaged and the distributor gear is bottomed out... This try is a keeper...
Once again, close up... Here the gears start to engage...
Here they are fully engaged... Woo-hoo, you did it!!!
Now before we turn the engine upside-down, take a distributor - any Mopar SB distributor that you have laying around and put in the distributor hole and put the distributor hold down bracket and bolt in to keep the distributor in place... This keeps the distributor drive gear that we just installed from falling out when we turn the engine over to work on the bottom...
*************************************************************************
Now the engine is upside down...
Here is a picture showing the distributor drive shaft sticking out of the rear main bearing... Ignore the windage tray for this picture as we haven't installed that yet...
Here it is with the green arrow and circle around it...
Get out the taps and dies and clean the threads on the main bearing cap for the oil pump... Use the 3/8" x 16 coarse thread tap to chase the threads in the rear main bearing cap... If you not using new bolts, chase the threads on the used bolts with a 3/8" x 16 die...
Now get out the Gaskacinch...
Place the oil pump gasket and place it on the rear main to see what side goes toward the rear main... Then place the oil pump gasket with that side up and apply a coat of Gaskacinch and give it 15 - 20 minutes to set up... Then swab another layer of Gaskacinch on it and let it set for 10 - 15 minutes until it gets sticky/tacky...
When the gasket gets tacky, then place it on the rear main and use the two oil pump bolts to hold it in place until the gasket sticks to the rear main...
Only Gaskacinch the side that goes to the rear main and leave the side that goes toward the oil pump dry...
I recommend using a new oil pickup tube because it may be hard to clean all of the crud and debris out of an old used one... Screw the new pickup tube into the oil pump... Do not use any thread sealer, just screw it in dry... Don't worry about getting the pickup tube in the proper position, just estimate it for now, we'll adjust it later...
Then place the oil pump on the rear main and start the mounting bolts...
Here is the engine bolt torque page from the 68 Plymouth service manual...
The oil pump is 3/8" x 16 thread and takes 30 foot pounds of torque...
Torque both oil pump bolts to 30 foot pounds...
*************************************************************************
Now we move onto the windage tray... The 273 and 318, did not come from the factory with a windage tray, I haven't torn down a factory 360 to know about them... However you can use one if you wish... The windage tray keeps the wind from the crankshaft spinning and splashing oil from the oil pan as it spins, especially at higher RPM's... You can add a windage tray to any small block, they do sell windage trays you will have to find the bolts...
The #2 and #4 main bearing caps have special bolts with longer tops to attach a windage tray to... The windage tray uses a 1/4" x 20 thread to attach it to the main bearing bolts... If you are using a used set of main bearing cap bolts for a windage tray chase the threads with a 1/4" x 20 coarse tap... Then chase the windage tray attaching bolts with a 1/4" x 20 coarse thread die...
Mancini Racing Oil Windage Tray
You can see the special main bearing cap bolts on the #2 and #4 main bearing caps in the next two pictures here...
Place the windage tray on the engine... The factory service manuals do not call out a torque for the windage tray attaching bolts, but looking at the 68 Plymouth service manual for a similar 1/4" x 20 coarse thread, it calls out 100 inch pounds...
The factory service manuals do not call out a torque for the windage tray attaching bolts, but looking at the 68 Plymouth service manual for a similar 1/4" x 20 coarse thread, it calls out 100 inch pounds...
*************************************************************************
Now the distributor drive gear, oil pump, and windage tray are installed....
The next step is to install the intake manifold...
