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So I need an honest opinion. It is more expensive to make or buy customs pistons to decrease the compression to 9:1 than it is to buy the 10.25:1 pistons for the 394. Is there anyway to run 10.25:1 today? Our highest premium gas in town is 93 octane.
I had a '63 Dynamic 88 with a 330HP 394 with 10.25 compression that I drove as a daily driver from 1997 thru 2002 .
I used 93 octane gas with no problems for over 40,000 miles .
I filled once with mid grade by mistake , It pinged terribly and wouldn't shut off . Didn't make that mistake again .
Last edited by Charlie Jones; Mar 3, 2021 at 04:23 PM.
So I did clarify today and Len was indeed Lynn from Mondello. If they are actually that bad I will shy away from them. My machinist keeps recommending new adjustable pushrods because of a few reasons. One would be that when he grinded the valves down they may sit a little bit higher in the heads meaning it may be off a few thousands. Second he said that the rocker arms I had sent out to Rocker Arms Unlimited could have more wear on some rockers than others, meaning different heights. I really don't want to go this method, id rather stick with the valve train setup that come from the original motor. He is also stressing a new cam. I'm not build a race engine I just want a car to drive on nice days and to shows. Please let me know your thoughts!!
It seems that your machinist has little to no experience working with engines with a non adjustable valve train .
When grinding valves you must grind the end of the valve stems to make up for the fact that you have sunk the valve deeper in the seat .
There is usually a prescribed distance from the top of the valve guide to the tip of the stem with the valve seated .
If he doesn't understand this , I would suggest paying him for what he has done , and taking the engine elsewhere to someone that does .
The cam may be worn . But when you took it apart did you identify each lifter as to which cam lobe it ran on ?
If you didn't , then you may as well buy a new cam and lifters .
To check for wear , hold two lifters together bottom to bottom .
Hold them up to a bright light . If you can't see a small ray of daylight between them . They are worn out . and so is the cam .
Last edited by Charlie Jones; Mar 10, 2021 at 05:03 PM.
Sounds like you need to go get all your parts at the machine shop ! I was suggesting you do that back in Post # 107. Your "mechanic" is NOT capable or knowledgeble to do what you need. I think if you don't find a good shop, you are going to pay to have it done over.
Posted by Charlie: "To check for wear , hold two lifters together bottom to bottom . Hold them up to a bright light . If you can't see a small ray of daylight between them . They are worn out . and so is the cam ."
It is actually better to place the bottom of one lifter against the side of the other lifter when checking for the slight "crown" that is ground into the bottom of a new valve lifter. Just my 2 cents.
Okay. Note taken. I called him today and he said he did not grind the top of the valves. He said he only took at the most a few thousands off. Is it still okay with normal pushrods with a new rocker assembly? ill go next week and get my stuff back.
Here is what has been done:
The Block:
Cleaned, board, honed, new plugs, resurfaced
The Heads:
Blasted, new plugs knurled the guides, grinded the valves, new valve stem seals, resurfaced.
He said also if I get different pistons that are lighter I will need to balance the engine. He quoted me $400.
Okay. Note taken. I called him today and he said he did not grind the top of the valves. He said he only took at the most a few thousands off. Is it still okay with normal pushrods with a new rocker assembly? ill go next week and get my stuff back.
Here is what has been done:
The Block:
Cleaned, board, honed, new plugs, resurfaced
The Heads:
Blasted, new plugs knurled the guides, grinded the valves, new valve stem seals, resurfaced.
He said also if I get different pistons that are lighter I will need to balance the engine. He quoted me $400.
I'm assuming that you have pistons already . Since you said it was bored and honed .
If you got the Egge cast pistons it will not need to be balanced .
Okay. Note taken. I called him today and he said he did not grind the top of the valves. He said he only took at the most a few thousands off. Is it still okay with normal pushrods with a new rocker assembly? ill go next week and get my stuff back.
Here is what has been done:
The Block:
Cleaned, board, honed, new plugs, resurfaced
The Heads:
Blasted, new plugs knurled the guides, grinded the valves, new valve stem seals, resurfaced.
He said also if I get different pistons that are lighter I will need to balance the engine. He quoted me $400.
When you get your parts, make sure you have it written on the work sheet how much (in thousanths of an inch): 1. He resurfaced from the block in. 2. He resurfaced from each head. 3. How much deeper the valves are.
If he only removed small amounts of material from heads and block, there is absolutely no reason to have adjustable push rods.
Find out what the rocker arm place is doing to rebuild your rocker arms. Are they bushing the rocker arms ? Are they doing anything to the valve stem contact ends ? What are they doing to the rocker arm shaft ?
Do you have pistons that the block was bored and honed to fit ?
Try researching for a good machine shop ion your area. Or you can start a thread to find a good machine shop in WI near you. Your location might be helpful in your profile.
Hello! its been awhile since I have made a post. Today I got my engine back from the machine shop. They did...
Decking (dust cut)
Bore & honed (.30 over)
Washed crankshaft, main caps and pistons
Next the engine is being taken to a much more reputable shop in my area to have freeze plugs, crank polishing and cam bearings installed. I'm going to be reusing cam, lifters and pushrods. But everything else will be machined or replaced.
1. Do I need to have the mains line honed?
2. Do connecting rods need to have work done? I am unsure what to ask to be done on connecting rods.
I'm getting new pistons, rings, main bearings, cam bearings connecting rod bearings and timing chain
If there is any other tips lemme know, I'm trying to know a lot at 20 lol
It sounds like you're on the right tack .
Did you mark or identify each lifter as to which cam lobe it ran with ?
The cam lobes and lifters " wear in " together , and mixing them up can lead to their failure .
The mains should not need line honing , especially on a stock re-build .
You should ask the machinist to check them with a straight edge and an inside micrometer .
Yes , I would recommend that the rods be re-conditioned .
They will grind a small amount off the face of the cap and then hone them out the the proper size .
Are you getting the valves / seats ground ?
Yes the heads have been finished. They did new freeze plugs, blasted them, resurfaced them, grinded the valves and knurled the guides. I'm not sure about the seats, I would assume they replaced them. Also brand new rock arm assembles from Rocker Arms Unlimited in California
Hey guys. So I'm sending out my connecting rods for reconditioning. My question is do Main bearing caps and Connecting rods need to be in order in the motor? if so how do I identify them?
Not trying to sound dumb but I don't know everything at 20 lol
Hey guys. So I'm sending out my connecting rods for reconditioning. My question is do Main bearing caps and Connecting rods need to be in order in the motor? if so how do I identify them?
Not trying to sound dumb but I don't know everything at 20 lol
The person who disassembled the engine should have stamped an identifying number each rod, rod cap and main cap prior to disassembly. look for these stampings and match up the rods and caps before sending them out.
Hey guys! So I'm trying to put in all my oil plugs after it went to the machine shop but I don't know where some of them go for the 394. Does anyone know or have a diagram?
Hey guys! So I'm trying to put in all my oil plugs after it went to the machine shop but I don't know where some of them go for the 394. Does anyone know or have a diagram?
I explain where the plugs go back in the block and heads . There are quite a number of them .
In the first few photos of the teardown you will be able to see the location of them on the block decks .
Do you still need a frame ?
If you do , I just thought of a place that might have one ;
Hess Bros. Auto Wrecking in Red Bluff , CA . Call 530-824-4100
They have several 63 & 64 full size cars in their yard .
Shipping will be expensive , but may still be cheaper than trying to repair a badly rusted frame .
Last edited by Charlie Jones; Aug 28, 2021 at 08:34 PM.
Things are getting closer! Bottom end has been assembled. I checked all clearances and all were within spec. These clearances were main bearing, rod bearing, compression ring end gap, oil ring end gap and side to side rod clearance. I also made sure things like oil spit hole direction, piston direction and ring placement was correct. The motor with the timing chain now on is a little hard to turn but with how many things are now moving I assume its normal, like I can do it by hand but its tuff. Also after it came back from the hone they bead blasted it for free! looks like it just rolled out of the factory. The only thing I'm nervous about is I cant seem to find the block dowels that aline the heads. They gave me a bag but I may have misplaced it, ill keep looking tho!
At the end of may 2021 ill have my associate in Automotive Technology. I finished engine rebuilding but they only glazed over how to properly measure bearing and how clearances work. Also the LS engines we worked on were brand new so no scoring or damaged components. I think what you guys have said is smarter, just have it done right. The shop a city over does line boring. They do cam bearings, remove frost plug/oil plug, Cleaning, and then Bore & Honing for around $680. I only know one company that sells what i need for the engine but if you guys know more places that sell internal parts for the 394 please let me know.
Did you clean everything after they blasted the block clean after honing ? How many foot pounds of force does it take to turn over the rotating assembly in the block ?
Last edited by OLDSter Ralph; Sep 7, 2021 at 10:35 PM.
The motor is 95% complete! I pre primed the motor and it had 70PSI of oil pressure using my drill! Oil made it to all rocker oiling holes. I'm now doing some final things like the fan and the alternator. I unfortunately could not locate a frame near me that did not have holes in it, next week the frame comes home to get worked on. It almost been 1 year since my first post on this thread! More to come!
It red in real life! Its orange because of the lighting.
Don't worry, little 👨🔧 friend! No one would ever mistake that for a Chevy lump!
Wish I had a solution for the frame. If it's the usual 63-64 rust at the rear torque boxes, you might be able to scab or sister some steel plate onto what's there and save it.
Alright sweet thanks! Also I'm trying to figure out what covers the driver side rear head coolant port. The passanger has a plate for the heater core but I just can't figure out what's on this side:
The motor is basically 90% complete. Its looks so nice! Now I have been trying to source a frame for the car since its shot. Please anyone who view this to check out the post I made today about trying to source a frame. The post is labeled Please help! Frame Needed!
Hi Everyone! After many months of calling, texting and transport issues, I managed to acquire a 63 Starfire frame which had no holes! jhoppeolds, had this frame from his 63 2 door hardtop Starfire that had basically no floor since the back window was broken for a very long time. Rain water ate through the floor but keep the frame alive. After looking at some documents and some specifications, this frame I believe is 95% identical. The 5% being that the parking brake mounts are different and the bolt holes for the rear trailing arms are a little smaller. Right now Im grinding off most of the rust, then prepping the frame for POR. (I thought about sand blasting and acid dipping, but I'm not going for a show room car. just want it to be solid for a long time) After that, its getting a helping of new upper and lower ball joints and front and rear shocks. Then comes stuff like brakes, brake lines, a diff service, etc.
It looks a little rusty after the angle grinder because there is so much rust dust on it. I'm also not quite done with grinding yet. Gonna get cleaned before primer.
Also watch as the floor becomes a rust wasteland!
Its taking some time but it will be worth it in the end!
Help!
I'm back!
MAin bearings caps and connecting rods.
maybe have the same piston issue in
