You need some 5/16" inverted flare plugs for those air injection holes.

 

Thank you!

 

Rock Auto had them. The thread is 1/2-20 Male.

 

I washed the block and painted it. Today I installed the crankshaft. The clearances were all within acceptable tolerances except one that was 4 tenths over the .0021 max per the shop manual. The thrust measurement was .008 which is about in the middle of the .0035 to .0135 per the book. Tomorrow I will be sizing the piston rings. The manual says for Sealed Power rings the end clearance should be .009 - .019. Is it better to use the lower number assuming I can get it when the rings are fitted?

When I was prepping the engine for paint there were a couple of stampings on the block. I do not know if these are factory stamps or stamps that have been placed on it subsequent to leaving the factory. I will probably be asking some questions as the reassembly progresses. I used Permatex ultra slick for lubrication when I rebuilt the Studebaker engine a few years ago and used it on the main bearings today.

Thank you for your help!
Charlie D.

 

Those clearances sound fine for your 307. I will be surprised if the rings will be in the lower end of the spec, which is a pretty small end gap.

 

The number stamps on the bottom of the engine block where the starter bolts on are factory stampings as are the ones on the pad at top of block outboard of cylinder number one. The stamping on that pad provides information of the car and VIN that the engine was associated with. I have never seen anyone decript the stamping on the starter mount pad. If I were assembling the engine I would go no less than .014" end gap on the rings.

 

I did not have to adjust the end gaps any. The smallest = .014; the largest = .019; the vast majority = .016. Thank you for the heads up on the stamping. The engine is for sure a 1984 307 built at a plant in Kansas. As several of you thought, the new pistons are right at .040 below the deck. The machinist had ground some material off the connecting rods and their caps and then trued up the holes for the crank journals. I do not know if I did it wrong or not but I dipped the pistons in the break in oil (Valvoline VR1 racing oil 20W50). Some U-tubes said this was cool and others said it was not. The same goes for the new Milling lifters. I did not soak them in oil as I plan to turn the oil pump before first start-up to build up the oil pressure and fill the lifters and push rods that way.
Charlie D.

 

Ouch, .040" below deck. Your compression is going suffer and the quench will be in the .080" range. You need your 5A heads in the 64cc range just to hit 8 to 1. I use ATF on the cylinder walls. The reason I heard was engine oil can leave deposits in the ring lands. Seems silly considering you run it through the engine, it probably won't hurt at all. The VR1 is a good choice to break in that new cam.

 

I want to replace the oil pump as part of the rebuild. I ordered a Melling pump and pickup tube from ROCK auto. The pickup tube is a press fit for a 5/8" hole. The hole in the pump measures .610 and the outside diameter of the pickup tube measures .620. It is definitely a pretty good sized press fit. The hardest I tried to press it in the hole was an adjustable wrench over the swelled out area and a ball peen hammer. That was not even going to push it in any. I think the .010 is too big for even trying to heat one the the parts And fit it together. I have a Harbor Freight bench press and may be able to jury rig something to press with. I am also thinking that I may be able to use some medium grit sandpaper to reduce the outside diameter of the pickup tube.

The pump came with an extra spring that is supposed to increase the oil pressure 8-10 psi but not effect the idle pressure. I went ahead and swapped out the spring for the higher pressure. I have the heads on the block and the push rods and rocker arms installed. Once I figure out this oil pump the oil pan can be installed.

Thank you for your help/advise,
Charlie D.

 

Polish and oil both friction surfaces. Place the pickup in the freezer overnight and warm the pump in a small oven, use gloves to handle it. Be careful pressing to prevent cracking the cast material.

Good luck!!!

 

Charlie, "polish" down the O.D. of the pickup tube to about a .000-.001" press fit. Keep any grinding, polishing or whatever away from the pump. You don't want any type of grit to get inside the oil pump.
Do a dry run to figure out how you will tap it in, and to see what tools you need. Also mark the pickup tube and the oil pump with a magic marker for where you want the pump to seat.
1. Make sure you have cleaned all the grit from the pickup tube. And clamp the oil pump down to a solid place.
2. Freeze the pickup for several hours to shrink it.
3. When you remove the pickup from the freezer, wrap it in a towel to keep it cold. Wrap it so you can quickly expose the pickup tube and your alignment mark.
4. The instant the pickup tube touches the pump, it will start "growing bigger". So, have it in position and press it home.....fast.

"Dry Ice" will shrink the pick up smaller than just freezing it.
A small champfer on the end will keep the pickup tube from "catching" on the way in.

 

Charlie, you can "polish" the pickup tube a little to make it easier to press in to the pump housing. Freezing the tube and heating the pump body (with internals removed) will help. Picture attached shows a tool which is probably no longer available. You can make a similar tool from a length of iron pipe. Lowest point of the pickup should be adjusted to be about 1/4 to 3/8 inch above bottom of oil pan as measured with no gasket installed.

 

I reduced the outside diameter to .004 over the inside diameter of the housing. I had a weird looking 5/8 wrench in the tool chest which looked like it would make a little more contact with the swelled area of the pickup tube. I put some reassembly lube on it and was able to drive it home with the ball peen hammer. The pickup is a quarter of an inch above the bottom of the oil pan. I primed the pump prior to installing it.

I appreciate your help!!
Charlie D.

 

The pick up should be parallel to the floor of the oil pan. The last picture shows the pick up twisted to left, pointing away from flat. If I am looking at the picture correctly the pickup needs to be rotated clock wise until it is parallel (flat) to oil pan floor.

 

Charlie,
They make a special tool for installing the pickup without chewing it all up. Your local machine shop would probably have done it for you for a minimal amount.

The proper location is with the lowest part of the pickup between 3/8" and 1/2" from the bottom of the pan. 1/4" is too close. The best way to check this is to get a piece of modeling clay and put it on the pickup and then put the pan on. Take the pan back off and measure the thickness of the clay.

Also considering that you took too much metal off the pickup (you really should not remove any) and you had to move it around I would highly recommend having the tube TIG welded to the pump body. Otherwise it will almost certainly move or come out.

 

I was a little disappointed to find that the pickup was on such an angle. Most I have dealt with were nearly horizontal with the bottom of the pan. I set the pickup by using a level on the pan itself and measured to the bottom of it. I then
set the level across the pickup and measured to the engine. I was amazed at how close the pump itself was to the bottom of the pan. The rear screw in the bottom plate of the oil pump was about 1/4" from the bottom of the pan. I set the lowest portion of the pickup tube at 1/4" Bill, I wish I had waited until after your post. The clay would have been a better measurement. I measured without the gasket so hopefully that bought me another 1/8" inch or so. I may kick myself later about not welding the two together. I did not have to twist the pickup tube after it was driven home. I marked the two and made sure the marks stayed aligned. I used ultra black for the gaskets.

I plan to install the intake gasket today. I installed the oil pan and front cover yesterday.
Charlie D.

 

If you installed the pickup at the angle shown in the picture then you have something wrong. What part number pump and pickup did you get ? What car is the pan from ? I did the 307 in my Wifes 84 Riviera about 2 years ago and I assure you that screen was not like that.

I just looked through my pictures and I dont have one of the screen and pump but I do notice that the Riviera pan is a lot deeper. I can almost bet you have the Riviera / Toronado screen but you have the shallower pan. You probably have the 22FS3 FWD screen instead of the 22FS

I know you dont want to hear it but now is the time to fix it.

 

Here is a picture of the screen and pump from a 425 I did earlier this year. This is how yours should look. This is the M22F pump and the 22FS screen. Same ones you should have.

 

Bill,
It is a mystery to me what is going wrong. I have the order number from ROCK auto and it says I have the M-22F oil pump; 22-FS pick up screen and IS-22F intermediate shaft. I could not find a picture of a 22-FSE pickup screen. The pictures on the ROCK site as well as others appear to resemble what I put in the engine. The measurement of the depth of the pan was 7" therefore I set the screen at 6 3/4". ROCK auto info says the oil pump is 4.69" high.
Charlie D.

 

Charlie, It is 22-FS3 not E That almost has to be the problem. What part number was on the Melling box that your screen came in ?

No matter what you cant leave it like it is !! It will not work because the upper part of the pickup will be out of the oil and will suck air.

I might have a 22-FS at the shop but you should be able to compare yours to the one in my picture. Take the pan off and move your pickup until it is pretty close to level and then take a look.

Any chance you still have your original pump to compare to ? I always tell guys never to trash their original parts until they are done with the build. I think I see it in one of your pictures but its way in the back and hard to see.

 

3EX377303 is the VIN derivative and should match your VIN.

3 = Oldsmobile division and should match the first character of your VIN
E = 1984 model year and should match the 10th character of your VIN
X = Fairfax, KS assembly plant and should match the 11th character of your VIN
377303 = the sequential build number of the car and should match the last six characters of your VIN.

 

I took the pan off and pondered the situation. The most important thing I discovered was that the oil pan's sump area had been crushed in somewhat. Maybe the engine was sat on the ground sometime on it? I don't know, but I do know that when I beat the bottom back out I had gained about 3/8". I pried the screen area of the pickup tube up until it was just about horizontal to the ground. I did not have any clay but I taped a 5/6" stud to the bottom of the pickup and put white grease on it. The pan was reinstalled and there was no grease in the bottom of the sump area. I saw that test on one of the Melling pickup tube installation videos. I know I have at least better than 1/4" clearance. Since I had moved the tube in the housing I tack welded the two together.

Bill, I did have a picture of the old pump. It shows that the pickup screen was pretty horizontal to the work bench. I had taken it to the machinist for some reason and forgot it was there. As I have previously stated, my engine was the last one done before he had to pack everything up and start moving it to his new shop. I didn't even bother to call him. I am happy the parts worked once I modified the sump area and I appreciate you guys staying on me to make sure the build goes well.

Joe, I appreciate the interpretation of the stamping. Since I only have the engine out of the vehicle I do not know what the serial number of the vehicle was. It does give me a good, reassuring feeling that I am indeed working with a 1984 307.

Thank you guys,
Charlie D.

 

Charlie,
Glad you figured it out

 

Apparently Melling didn't include this instruction with your pickup. This is what comes with BB non bolt on pickup.

 

The water pump was installed today. I was going to install the thermostat housing but it's water port did not line up with the water pump port. I bought it from ROCK Auto and it is Dorman 902-2016 part number. It is too late to return but it did not cost much to start with. If someone has a part number that will work I'd appreciate it. I was pretty happy with the initial oil pump test. I drove it backwards with my Dewalt impact drill and got 45 psi. After some time I finally got oil to flow from all of the push rods. The last one to show oil was the cylinder number one intake. When I did this a few years ago with the Studebaker V8 rebuild it was recommended to have someone rotate the crank 360 degrees while I turned the oil pump. I thought that sounded good. My only reservation now is I do not want to wash the cam lubricant away from the lifters and lobes. I do not think one rotation under pressure could do much damage but I am not for sure.
Charlie D.

 

As for the water outlet, that looks fooked. You can try p/n 12302551. It is the equivalent for the original p/n 409037. Both are discontinued from GM, but you know they'll fit.

Make them an offer. Worst they can do is say no.

12302551 Engine Coolant Thermostat Housing OEM NOS GM Part Free Shipping | eBay

 

Charlie, One rotation won't make a difference, there will be a few hundred rotations in the first few seconds; however, since you got oil to all of the pushrods IMO there isn't anything to gain by rotating it so leave it alone and move forward.

Good luck!!!

 

After some pondering concerning the misalignment of the tube in the housing and the tube in the water pump I came up with a plan that worked. I inserted a 3/8 bolt into the tube on the bottom of the housing and used it to hold the housing part in the bench vise and squeezed the tube with the vise until it lined up with the water pump. I also made a little more progress on reassembling the engine.
Charlie D.

 

Nice job and the water neck. The 307 is looking good, hopefully it performs as well. What carb and distributor are you going to run on the 307?

 

I am not a real salty mechanic when it come to engine rebuilding. I read last night that the HEI vacuum advance distributor should be stabbed after the crank is set at 10-12 BTDC. That was for a small block chevy. Is the about the same amount for the 307? I need to hook up either the power steering pump or the air conditioning compressor to put tension on the water pump pulley. I have a new one of each but I do not think it would be wise to run either one for the twenty minute cam break-in period. I have the old power steering pump that I think I can install just for the purpose of getting the water pump to rotate for the 20 minutes. Below is a rough picture of the carburetor I purchased. It appears to be the last model of the non-computerized Quadrajet.
Charlie D.

 

"Preloading" the timing keeps you from having to adjust so much from 0⁰. Get it close on the tab at TDC + advance, put the distributor in with the rotor pointing at the #1 contact on the cap, then start and fine tune with the timing light

 

I moved your post to your original thread. I think you can just use the belt for the alternator. I shoot for 16-18* BTDC with the vacuum advance disconnected for your initial timing, it will run cooler for breakin.

 

Hopefully you get a good one. I got a Holley reman years in that exact application and it ran really good on an early 307 like you are running. The non CCC Canadian 307's ran anywhere from 13 to 22 at 1100 rpm for base timing. You will probably want pretty aggressive part throttle timing as well.

 

Charlie

The distributor has to be installed not only with piston #1 at TDC (setting to the base timing of 10 degrees or so BTDC is fine) but TDC on the compression stroke. If it is at TDC compression both #1 rocker arms won't move if you turn the crank a little but the rockers on #6 should teeter back and forth immediately upon turning the crank. If #1 teeters instead #1 is TDC on the exhaust stroke i.e., 180 degrees out for installing the distributor.

Good luck!!!

 

Thank you!! That helped clarify the engine is TDC on #1's compression stroke.
Charlie D.

 

I mounted the old power steering pump on the engine in order to use it for tension on the water pump when I do the 20 minute cam break-in. The alternator is driven be the third groove on the water pump pulley so hooking it up by itself will not drive the water pump. I have a new AC compressor that could be hooked up on the inter-most crankshaft pulley groove but I do not know if running it dry will ruin it. I am also concerned how long the P.S. pump will last running it without P.S. fluid. I can do the break-in run for as long as I can until the pump starts making noises and smoking and then I'll have to shut it down. I just had an idea come to my head. I think if I use the AC compressor and the clutch is not engaged only the pulley will turn and not the pump itself. I should be good to go for as long as I need by using just the AC pulley for tension on the water pump pulley. Does that sound good to you guys?
Thank you for your help,
Charlie D.

 

It will fry the PS pump quickly. Get/size a belt that fits from the crank to the water pump pulley or use the AC compressor idea.

 

I installed the non-CCC HEI distributor this evening. With the vacuum advance mechanism there was only a small 1 1/2 inch window that the distributor could fit in. As it sits now I can retard the timing a little bit but can advance it quite a bit. I have the timing mark set on 12 degrees BTDC. The AC compressor was also installed but I need a v-belt about 56" long to go around the crank shaft, water & AC pulleys. Next up is the rebuilt Quadrajet.
Charlie D.

 

Some progress has been made toward firing the engine up and doing the cam break-in. I installed the fuel line from the pump to the carburetor this evening. The battery has been mounted about where the trunk is. The cross over exhaust pipe was installed as well as the rebuilt carburetor. Tomorrow the aluminum radiator will be installed and hooked up to the engine. I will have to run the transmission coolant lines and the radiator hoses. I think I will go ahead and install the gas tank as well as the gas line. The return gas line was not hooked up when I got the car and I am debating whether or not to install it. I think its primary purpose may be to combat vapor lock. I am hoping the new radiator will go a long way to keeping the engine from running so hot as to create vapor lock. A cool front is predicted for this coming weekend. 85 vs 105 sounds good and breaking the engine in will be better for it and me.
Charlie D.

 

You can run a two line fuel pump if you are not running a return line. Looking good.