'68 318 to carbed Magnum 5.2: Check my checklist
Ok, main cap is back in with a proper Fel-Pro lower seal and some Permatex 51813 (Loctite 518).
I got to work on the front of the engine and came up with this quandary - no drilled bolts, but one oil gallery welch plug with a pinhole for oiling, and a matching hole in the cam thrust plate:
Wound up drilling the new tensioner, but I've also been advised to put a drilled bolt on the top right hand side (from driver's perspective) anyway. Is it really necessary, given that the welch plug hole should serve the same purpose?
I thought this was a pretty interesting eye opener. With the factory double roller, this position between cam and crank was straight up. With the tensioner, it's obvious how much slop/slack has been taken up:
And with the chain on was the moment of truth - head removal:
Talk about pistons deep in the hole. Those dished pistons also bring back bad memories of Ford's 400/351M smoggers.
Have I spent all that time buttoning up the bottom end for nothing? Heck, I still don't know what compression this combo is running.
Shame the Magnum 5.9 pistons aren't weighed the same as the LA 360's. Would have been cheaper than KB-107s or H116's.
In the meantime, I'm going to get the heads cleaned up; possibly hot tanked. No sense in re-doing the nice factory valve set since they're sealing perfectly.
-Kurt
Ok, main cap is back in with a proper Fel-Pro lower seal and some Permatex 51813 (Loctite 518).
I got to work on the front of the engine and came up with this quandary - no drilled bolts, but one oil gallery welch plug with a pinhole for oiling, and a matching hole in the cam thrust plate:
Wound up drilling the new tensioner, but I've also been advised to put a drilled bolt on the top right hand side (from driver's perspective) anyway. Is it really necessary, given that the welch plug hole should serve the same purpose?
I thought this was a pretty interesting eye opener. With the factory double roller, this position between cam and crank was straight up. With the tensioner, it's obvious how much slop/slack has been taken up:
And with the chain on was the moment of truth - head removal:
Talk about pistons deep in the hole. Those dished pistons also bring back bad memories of Ford's 400/351M smoggers.
Have I spent all that time buttoning up the bottom end for nothing? Heck, I still don't know what compression this combo is running.
Shame the Magnum 5.9 pistons aren't weighed the same as the LA 360's. Would have been cheaper than KB-107s or H116's.
In the meantime, I'm going to get the heads cleaned up; possibly hot tanked. No sense in re-doing the nice factory valve set since they're sealing perfectly.
-Kurt