Bubba's recycling project

[bubba327]

on the the deck heighth measurement, I am just using the slide depth rod on a end digital caliper around the edge of the piston hole.
how do you check depth of piston in the hole???

[rbar]

I would say .025" is more common as well, but I have seen them at .040" also. I've used a caliper a number of times. The best way is with a dial indicator that sits on a "bridge" over the piston. To measure your valve reliefs and get a true piston volume, you can turn the crank until the piston is 1/2" down and then fill it up with liquid and measure the cc's. Of course you need to try to get an accurate measurement of how far down it is, not necessarily hitting 1/2", just knowing for sure how far down you are. Then compare that to a true cylinder of the diameter and depth. Formula is bore x bore x .500 x stroke=ci. Now multiply ci x 16.41 to convert to cc's. The difference between the two cc's is your true piston volume. How did I miss the breakfast?

[bubba327]

I found this quote in another forum while reading up on deck clearance and the desired quench clearance...
"Most aftermarket piston manufacturers build their piston with .020"-.025" reduction in compression height just to insure that the stock engine won't have too much compression. This is a safety factor, as they do not know what may have been done to the engine that the pistons are going into, i.e. milled heads and/or decked block. Last thing that a PER engine builder wants to happen is supply an engine for grandma's station wagon that pings due to excessive compression ratio." END QUOTE

Since i did not pull ever the pistons I am not sure of their length here. I did lay a straight and flat plate over each bore and with a feeler gauge, I know that all pistons have approx .030" clearance to the dead center of the piston deck and approx .030-.040 around the edges measured with the calipers. ( differences due to piston rock in the bore)

So the .030" deck clearance added to the .018" crush depth of the steel shim should finish out to approx .048" total quench depth .. Damn it all appears okay so far... any body spot anything that does not line up???

I did turn the crank around so a piston was at TDC , flat and level and filled 2 of the piston relief cuts up with alcohol with about 1 cc each. so 4 is gonna be pretty close.
I am sure that this engine has been run quite a few miles after the rebuild , since it had plenty of carbon buildup,
I know it has just sat for at least 8 to 10 years after being removed from the truck . The only real change is going the be the new heads that will be 2 cc smaller than the old 60 cc power pack heads.

Rbar , we did talk about you, due to your absence at the breakfast .




just a thought here, with the old 60 cc heads , they had used the 350 (4.060 bore) .040" thick head gaskets. It may have not been a strong runner.... compression would have only been about 8.3 to 1

[rbar]

Yeah, I didn't know about the breakfast.

[bubba327]

Progress is slow but still happening. been a busy spring so far.
Still driving the 64 to work on the nice days,I leave it home on rainy days cuz the wipers still bite.
Working on the 283 in spare moments when I can.
I did get the new timing gear chain and sprocket on tonight. Then tore apart the existing oil pump- it all looks good and fairly new but the bypass spring is broken-- glad I checked and luckily found it. Things could have been ugly .


So where can you find a stock bypass spring for a small block oil pump?
There seems to be high pressure springs available online(summit, jegs) etc, but not a stock pressure spring.
any ideas or some body have an extra old one??

[bubba327]

Okay Sports fans, almost show time!!
Took me a little longer than I had planned to get things together but I am almost ready.I just remembered motor mounts tonight, I have the inline six mounts still on the truck and a pair of 72 V-8 mounts, just gotta find the part number for the new rubber pads.
Thanks to 63 Spud for parting with the old Holley Intake, It cleaned up pretty nice.
Finishing up the alternator brace, pulley shims came today from Summit, need to buy one more belt for the power steering pump . Hope to try and do a quick start this weekend before I drop it in....

[chevy_man5]

Looking great Bubba!!

[bubba327]

update on the heads, I did pack the piston top with modelers clay, bolted on a head and spun things slowly by hand to check total clearance. The compressed clay measured about .055 total quench.
I ended up using a .028 coated steel shim.
On the bad oil pump, I sprung for a new Melling
Picked up another Holley 8007 390 CFM on CL last weekend.

[daverod]

looking good.

[bubba327]

Today is the day, out with the old motor , in with the new!! Happy fourth of July

[bubba327]

Came out with out a whimper- had to celebrate the 4th holiday with family and friends,I did not get the day off tomorrow off so the fresh paint in the engine bay can dry while I have to work, and I will hit it again on Saturday..

[bubba327]

IT IS IN!!! Bolted in and It Fits!!!
I had wondered about how much room I would have behind the V8 motor in the back frame holes for the motor mount, but it is enough to clear everything. HEI can clear the firewall easily.
Oops- I left the drill adapter on the old HEI that serves as oil pump priming tool-
Hung the headers on just for the test fire, and also to make sure they would fit.
they sure hang lower than I want , so I will put the ram horns on for permanent.

Was reading about anti seize on manifold bolts here on the forum, there seems to be a divided opinion about coating manifold bolts. I have some copper stuff that's good to 2000*F and I would rather tighten them once in a while than seize up in the heads and not come out.

Primed the motor with the drill, There is about 60 PSI oil pressure. shimmed the starter- what a PIA that is with the headers on.
Have to re do the hydro-boost lines as one line is right in the way for the power steering pump.
Battery box is rusted out , and all the bolts were rusted in place. That made lots of drilling and re-tapping threads.
lots of misc stuff to convert from the six-Had to shorten the HEI and tach wires- re route the vac line to the TH350. ran a hot ignition wire for the electric choke, shortened the oil pressure gauge tube- Where do you find the replacement ferules for the small 1/8" oil lines with out buying a whole new kit?? I want to change out the plastic line to braided or copper soon.

hope to get my parts orders at NAPA tomorrow and get this fired up soon. I will feel better hearing it run!!

[Acksman]

Nice job looks good! That car tent looks like a good idea as hot as its been.

[chevy_man5]

Looking good Bubba!! Way to go!!

[likaroc13]

lookin' good! hope you get it fired up & rolling again soon

[bubba327]

Thanks guys!!
Putting up the shade tent worked out great! Turned on a fan in the garage, so it was not bad at all working on it, Glad the temperature was back in the 90s this weekend. The 108*F last week was just too hot.
I had hoped to hear it run by tonight, but the little things from the inline 6 conversion took longer than I thought it would.
Hurrying things usually just leads to doing it again the right way.

[daverod]

What you going to use for oil?

[bubba327]

Hi Dave- Are you planning any trips over to western Idaho for Northwest Motorfest or Emmett 's 'Lost in the 50's" again this year?? Call me if you are headed this way. we will cruise again.
For oil I have been using Pennzoil racing oil ( maybe Valvoline- dang, I really should go look in the shop , I dont remember which right now )
It has more zinc added in than standard oil for the flat tappet cams .
I dumped a bottle of Lucas break in oil additive with this oil for start up.
I ran Delo and NAPA diesel oil for a while, but was too thick when things hit 5*F below this winter and I switched to a thinner racing oil and added Seafoam and tried to free up a sticky lifter in the six. It never did entirely quit clicking and the lifter noise kinda came and went randomly.

Edit- Okay I checked- Valvoline VR1 racing oil

[1963c-10]

Looking good

[McMurphy]

Looking real good.....
Speaking of which, any chance of you making it to the GoodGuys show next month in Spokane?
Would like to meet you, and would love to see your truck !!

[bubba327]

Originally Posted by McMurphy

Looking real good.....
Speaking of which, any chance of you making it to the GoodGuys show next month in Spokane?
Would like to meet you, and would love to see your truck !!

Spokane is only a 8 hour trip from here and a pretty easy drive.
My father in law went to a couple of Washington shows last year and I think one was the Goodguys show . I have not made that show yet,
We always tried to go to Reno for Hot August nights and we attended that show a few times when the kids were young.

July and August and September are now pretty busy around here with work, harvest and the yearly gauntlet of state and county fairs .
Now that oldest daughter attends Univ of Kansas , That late summer trip with all her stuff now adds to the schedule.

We kinda grumble about all the work of showing 4H and FFA livestock at the fairs , but our youngest daughter is to be a high school junior with only a couple of years left, and we really are going to miss it terribly when it is time that we can stop.

Then it may be time for the big bucket list , and seeing the northern lights in winter and a summer Alaska tour/ cruise are among the to do list.

[bubba327]

Back at it holidays over - second cutting alfalfa hay is all cut, baled and in the stack. It is still in the 100*s every day which really makes it tough.
Irrigating on the last field tonight.
I did get a chance to work on the truck most of the day. And Boys we got a runner tonight.
Still lots of loose ends and things to clean up, wiring to do, proper hoses to buy instead of the two I spliced together, but hey!! she starts and runs!! That is a great sound to hear that motor idle with the open headers!!
I do need to order a carb kit as the CL Holley leaks badly most everywhere but especially at the accelerator pump diaphragm. I had a few new teflon bowl gaskets and screw gaskets stashed away but not enough to stop all the leaks.
Since the motor was not bored, but just checked for tolerances and reassembled, I did not run it in a true break in manner but did add Lucas break in lube. I just let it run about 30 seconds about 4 or 5 times .
I added a power steering cooler in front of the radiator and plumbed it into the hydro boost lines to help keep the steering fluid cooler.

Battery box was pretty well rotted out so I had grabbed a mid 80s truck battery pan at the pick and pull earlier this month. I cut it apart, soaked it in Vinegar for an couple of days then combined it all together. It was then undercoated so maybe it will last another 50 years or so. only thing I did not realize it the battery hold down screw is metric! I did not think of that until it was all done ...

[bubba327]

I went cruzing last weekend at the Lost in the 50's cruise, and I was glad to see Daverod and his wife from the other side of the state again , and also found Valdez, CokeB, Rbar and Imperial Kustom taking in the cruise.

[bubba327]

Holley trick kit came from summit and the 8007 390 cfm is now rebuilt and installed.
It took a while to get everything kinda adjusted so things ran a little bit - I was trying to tweak it and start it by myself but I could not see the timing marks in the bright sunshine with the timing light so things were not working too well for while and i was getting frustrated
So I quit for awhile for a refreshment until my dad in law came over later to help and give free advice.
We finally got the timing sorted out and the carb adjusted and just let the motor run for 10 -15 minutes just to hear it purr.

The timing is now at 0 Tdc and It appears that i am one tooth off and cannot rotate any more clockwise due to the intake and vac canister are hitting--
I had set my #1 plug wire at the one o'clock hole next to the wire connections. The manual shows it one tower closer to the vac advance canister. (CW- which should retard it 45*-- 360/8=45) or am I way off in this thought???

Question my tired brain cannot compute tonight, If I move my plug wires one position clockwise to match the manual ,which should retard things and then I re stab the distributor one tooth CCW is that enough advance or will that just put me back where I am at now??? I read some thing about 1* at the dizzy = more at the crank?? Am I needing to move over CCW two teeth if I move the plug wires CW one tower over too???
Hoping this all makes more sense in the morning--- BUT IT RUNS!!!!!

[daverod]

great to hear it purrrr.