Old Race 340 Teardown

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Crane is still around in a way .
Key people spun off and started their own companies . For example Daytona Sensors is pretty much an extension of Crane Ignitions.
Somebody else in the cam department runs another cam company ... I forget which one . Speed Talk has some threads about this .
 
Super Sleeper said:
Thanks, that's an easy measurement to make although I don't have a square that is that large I can certainly get one! My question is from complete ignorance, but also because when I measured the distance between the banks at the top of the China wall I got a measurement that would seem to indicate that quite a bit of material had been removed. So angle milling is done to get the valve angle right?
On the lifter bank angle, I'm pretty sure mine is the stock 59 degrees because the pushrods come pretty close to the block at the deck. Some reliefs have been ground there. I can't speak for all X-blocks.
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Angle milling is done to decrease chamber volume quicker than a flat mill and to change the valve angle a bit. It also raises the port slightly. It’s a lot of work because you have to spot face the bolt bosses, although I’ve seen several times where it wasn’t done, or was done halfassed and it makes a mess. When you mill enough off the heads, either by angle milling or flat milling you need to machine the China wall to make sure the manifold doesn’t hit the China wall. You can machine the intake manifold but when you take a bunch off the heads and then deck the block to get the piston out of the hole the .060 you said yours are, there isn’t enough materiel to machine off the intake. So you machine the China wall.
 
I understood blue racer cams to be the Australian division of crane?
 
TT5.9mag said:
I’ll add one more thing and break my own rule, “all” (see what I did there) X blocks were 59 degree blocks.

Lots of info here
R block identification
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Yes, good info. But it begs a question about my block. The "X" is cast into the driver's side bank rear (behind the flywheel) - not on the front of the right bank like described everywhere I've read. Also, there's no casting numbers on the block at all. There's only a small "4472" hand stamped near the pan rail on the right front. WTF?
 
rumblefish360 said:
“Crane Cams” is no more.
That’s all there is to that as far as I know.
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It's a shame. I was just hoping to get the cam card. I will keep searching at my brother's house. There's still a lot to search through.
Makes me wish I had recorded all the valve lash measurements before I pulled the engine down. My bad.
 
Pull the numbers off of the cam for a search.
They may yet yield results.
 
Super Sleeper said:
Yes, good info. But it begs a question about my block. The "X" is cast into the driver's side bank rear (behind the flywheel) - not on the front of the right bank like described everywhere I've read. Also, there's no casting numbers on the block at all. There's only a small "4472" hand stamped near the pan rail on the right front. WTF?
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It’s easy to prove if it’s an X block. The pan rails are filled on the 2,3 and 4 bulkheads. If they are filled then it’s an X block. If you are not sure what a filled rail looks like, find any other production block and compare the two. Once you know what that is, it’s easy to spot it.
 
Like Rat Bastid said,
It could not have the splayed outer 2,3,4, main cap bolts without the filled pan&bulkhead area.
The TA block bulkheads were but only to the pan rails if I remember correctly, but hollowed under pan rail edge not able to accept splayed cap bolts. Just parallel cap bolts, the X block is not hollowed out exactly like Rat said. So the splayed outer bolts. Going from 30+yr memory here, but I did have TA,&Stock, but not lucky enough to have an X block.
Thanks,
Rick
 
Super Sleeper said:
Yes, good info. But it begs a question about my block. The "X" is cast into the driver's side bank rear (behind the flywheel) - not on the front of the right bank like described everywhere I've read. Also, there's no casting numbers on the block at all. There's only a small "4472" hand stamped near the pan rail on the right front. WTF?
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And yours has an oil dipstick hole. I think all X blocks were cast without. And it should have 318 casting numbers if it’s an x block.
 
In the grand scheme of things who really cares. De tune it, build it, beat it like a red headed step child. It’s a bad *** race piece.
 
TT5.9mag said:
And yours has an oil dipstick hole. I think all X blocks were cast without. And it should have 318 casting numbers if it’s an x block.
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To me it looks like the dipstick boss (on the RH front of the block) is cast in but there's no hole - it's solid. Are you looking somewhere else?
The 2, 3, 4 main webs are definitely thick and are relief cut for the main throws. Pan rail is solid in between the middle main webs.
I'm not worried about the build, just trying to understand some oddball details. What was the deal with the Kasper block?
 
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I believe your block is an X block. Typically the X is cast in the front right and left rear in the bell housing area. Yours has the left rear X as you pointed out and is visible in post #1. Also the dipstick boss comes undrilled and some people drill them and install a dipstick. Yours remains undrilled. Also the front of the engine in the timing chain area has more material extended from the top left down on an angle towards the opposite side. Yours has that as shown in post # 15.

It could be your block had some machining cleanup or lightening that removed the front right X and the other cast in numbers on the sides.
 
TT5.9mag said:
Angle milling is done to the heads not the block.
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NITROTRIP said:
Not alway's. I have seen it done on both chevy and ford + plus 1 500" caddy early mud bog engine.
Look at chevy 348-409. The first time I ran across it being done 35yrs ago, was done like
a 409 on there small block. Current you are right on but years ago you could see both way's.
It's cool we are looking at cutting edge history here, everything was tried then. Never know
what you might find on a vintage engine at this level of trick.
Thank You TT5.9 for adding that onfo as any angle milling here is on the high end side of
building. This helps everyone.

Thank You again,
Rick
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This is gona take some trimin.
100_3680.JPG
 
I'm finally in a position to re-assemble this engine and run it on a stand. I went to test-fit the intermediate shaft and distributor and check the end-play. The distributor does not have a groove for an o-ring but it does have a gasket/shim under the mating flange. The gasket/shim looks like a steel, embossed, crush type gasket. When I mount the distributor on top of the block and engaged with the intermediate shaft there is zero end-play in the gear train. In order to have any end play the shim/gasket needs to be in place. So is this shim available? I am guessing that if it is crushable then it is a one-use item? It looks to be in pretty good condition.

20241111_101246_web.jpg
 
Super Sleeper said:
I'm finally in a position to re-assemble this engine and run it on a stand. I went to test-fit the intermediate shaft and distributor and check the end-play. The distributor does not have a groove for an o-ring but it does have a gasket/shim under the mating flange. The gasket/shim looks like a steel, embossed, crush type gasket. When I mount the distributor on top of the block and engaged with the intermediate shaft there is zero end-play in the gear train. In order to have any end play the shim/gasket needs to be in place. So is this shim available? I am guessing that if it is crushable then it is a one-use item? It looks to be in pretty good condition.

View attachment 1716326198
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Are you talking about camshaft thrust clearance?
 
OK, where the distributor/oil pump drive intermediate shaft has the gear that's driven off the cam. That shaft and gear ride in a bushing in the back of the block. Now, when the distributor is placed over the top of the intermediate shaft it has a drive tang that engages the intermediate shaft above the gear. There has to some end play in this assembly, otherwise it would bind the shaft. In the photo I have a 0.015 feeler gauge in the distributor end of the shaft, measuring that end play. If I don't have that gasket/shim between the distributor body and the block then the end play is zero. So I think I need that gasket/shim in there. My question is whether that gasket/shim is re-usable or whether I should be looking for a new one?

20241111_160926.jpg
 
Super Sleeper said:
OK, where the distributor/oil pump drive intermediate shaft has the gear that's driven off the cam. That shaft and gear ride in a bushing in the back of the block. Now, when the distributor is placed over the top of the intermediate shaft it has a drive tang that engages the intermediate shaft above the gear. There has to some end play in this assembly, otherwise it would bind the shaft. In the photo I have a 0.015 feeler gauge in the distributor end of the shaft, measuring that end play. If I don't have that gasket/shim between the distributor body and the block then the end play is zero. So I think I need that gasket/shim in there. My question is whether that gasket/shim is re-usable or whether I should be looking for a new one?

View attachment 1716326320
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Ok, now I get it.

I’ve seen distributors with the tang too long.

If you need some clearance there just grind a little off the bottom of the tang.

I would not use a gasket to shim the distributor up.
 
Those are next to impossible to find for whatever reason, seem simple enuf to produce. That being said I would reuse it and watch for oil leaking there on breakin.
For ***** n giggles measure the distance from bottom of tang to bottom of plate that meets up with block.
 
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