When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have access to 93 but in town we only have 92. However, I'm used to making sure I fill up when I'm in a bigger town. Maybe I should carry a bottle of octane boost in the trunk, just in case.
ghetto set-up even includes drop of blood on floor. lol I like the turning tool idea
Lol, well, you know, plenty of blood to go around when working on an engine. That, however is just permatex assembly lube which I'm not that impressed with. Most of it ended up on the floor.
An unexpected difficulty with that turning tool; I'm no expert welder but that crank gear kept bleeding oil while I was welding it. Even after several washes with brake cleaner and the wire brush on my bench grinder. The oil must really soak into the pores of the steel. Lesson learned, there
And the piston-stop is an old AC bracket. The holes didn't line up exactly but after opening them up to accept the bolts. it was just fine.
Well, that didn't work. Anyone see the problem with my setup? It has to do with the turning tool I made and bolting a piece of coat hanger wire to the front of the block.
Also, my turning tool broke. I just can't get the crank gear clean enough to weld.
No takers? The handle of the turning tool runs into the wire pointer. But it broke so it doesn't matter. I ended up levering the flexplate end of the crank so I could get the crank bolt tight enough to turn backward. Maybe 70 ft. lbs?
Okay, so, I can find true TDC easy enough. But what I don't understand is what my cam card is telling me. Is @.050 the first .050" of lift as I come around and the last .050" of lift before the lobe goes to the base?
Any help would be appreciated.
So, IF I'm doing this right, and IF all my geometry is good, and IF I understand the process ( a lot of IFs), then my cam that's supposed to be 7.5* advanced is only 1.5* advanced. It's a good thing my crank gear has nine keyways.
Okay, so, I'm trying to wrap my head around all this and I think I'm doing okay. But one thing has me confused: when I'm dialing in the cam, after I've found true TDC and set my wheel to zero (or TDC), I'm rotating the crank (and wheel) clockwise, yes? So at 7.5* BTDC (as marked on the diagram below) my #1 intake lifter opens .050". I continue to rotate the engine clockwise until I reach 106* (as marked on the diagram) and that's my intake center line, yes? I continue to rotate the crank clockwise until the intake lobe closes at 219.5*. And I could do the same for the exhaust. But here's my question; When looking at the cam card, is that diagram not reversed from my degree wheel pictured below?
I marked my current .050 opening in red, direction of rotation (as it passes the wire pointer) in red dotted line, center line in green, and closing in red.
Last edited by Macadoo; November 21st, 2017 at 05:35 AM.
my cam that's supposed to be 7.5* advanced is only 1.5* advanced.
And this is an example of why you should always degree the cam. You are using high quality components - imagine how far off it may have been with a much lower quality timing chain and gears.
Right? At this point I'm not taking chances on anything, lol. I took Mark's advice though, and set it back a little. I'm at 5.5* btdc now. I'm a little nervous but I think I'm ready to button up the front. I have a new aluminum water pump to go on and wow, what a weight difference!
I read a few threads, non CO, where the guys were saying they were having trouble with head gasket leaks when using ARP's recommended 70 ft lbs torque using the ARP lube and are recommending 80-85 ft lbs for the ARP head bolts with the ARP lube.
Thoughts?
70 ft lbs seems kind of light to me Joe, but you have way more experience than me. Anyone else have opinions?
As for the clearances, I have them written down somewhere. All I can remember from the top of my head is the crank is right under .003", hence the HV oil pump. The piston pin I've never known. The machinist put the pistons on the pins. Probably a little late to check those
I have the oil pan gaskets in place and glued to the block. The pan, itself, however, is not yet glued down. It's just holding the gaskets in place while they set.
But I'm wondering about the dipstick. It's very pitted. But more than that, this is, indeed, a mystery 455, meaning the seller was very dishonest about, well, pretty much everything. I haven't trusted anything about this motor. What are the chances this is the correct dipstick? It was installed in the block but if memory serves, wasn't seated.
Is there an aftermarket dipstick and tube that is a quality fit? Can I install this one and somehow measure how far down it goes with the pan off?
Thoughts?
If the dip stick tube fits in the block properly wait to when the engine is assembled and add the correct amount of oil and check where it is on the DS then mark the DS.
I bought an aftermarket DS and had to file down the bulge to fit it in the block, once filed its nice and tight but it measured different than the original so it needed to be marked at the right height.
If the dip stick tube fits in the block properly wait to when the engine is assembled and add the correct amount of oil and check where it is on the DS then mark the DS.
I bought an aftermarket DS and had to file down the bulge to fit it in the block, once filed its nice and tight but it measured different than the original so it needed to be marked at the right height.
You see, that's why I come here! That's s good idea Retro, thanks. I want to wait until I have the headers (or manifolds, or whatever) before I install it anyway. Would you prime the engine before checking, just for accuracy?
You mean the rust collector😁. As far as a dipstick and tube, all the chrome ones need the end ground down to slide down far enough and still fit loose. Supercars Unlimited has a tight fitting dipstick tube.
I finally got the 455 buttoned up and painted. Kinda' pretty
But I've got a head-scratcher. The Carter Muscle Car fuel pump, M4871, even though listed as a stock outlet clearly has a smaller than stock outlet. All the websites that sell it say it's stock. I need to get the correct AN fitting for it. Would anyone know the correct size and thread?
A factory line bolts up to the outlet, I have that pump with a factory replacement line from SuperCars on it. The factory is 3/8" line with 5/8"-18UNF fitting according to Spectra. https://www.summitracing.com/int/par...33mp/overview/
Last edited by olds 307 and 403; February 9th, 2018 at 07:23 PM.
A factory line bolts up to the outlet, I have that pump with a factory replacement line from SuperCars on it. The factory is 3/8" line with 5/8"-18UNF fitting according to Spectra. https://www.summitracing.com/int/par...33mp/overview/
Thanks 307 but that's not the same pump. Yours has the 45* outlet. Mine has the 90*. I have my original hard fuel line and the fitting is too big. The pump on my small block has the same size fitting as my Quadrajet. This Carter outlet is smaller. Now I'm wondering if they sent the wrong pump.
My line would thread into either my Qjet or Carter pump, flip flopping it, so mine are the same. Weird. The last thing you want is to feed the 455 with a smaller outlet line.
Last edited by olds 307 and 403; February 10th, 2018 at 06:19 AM.
This is JMO, if I'm wrong so be it. In 1971 they lowered the compression. The Delta I had was like 8.2 CR. They lowered the ratio in the "pistons" not by the G/Ga heads in 1971/72. In 1973 the pistons have less dish but the J-heads are where they lowered the ratio to 8.5 CR. This is the main reason J's are not desirable because to flow numbers are down a bit in stock form compared to earlier heads but add in the bigger volume of the combustion chamber hence the term J stands for junk. I'd put my money in older heads first. Jmo.