Want to build a engine

[Jered1987]

So with my truck im trying to get all the mechanicals good.
The one thing i however have never done is build an engine, i know some of the principles
Of how it works i can disasemble im wondering how do i cj
Choose parts to combine it all together like cam, rockers heads rods etc ,how to figure it
All out with formulas ? I get how some of measuring works and how the plasigauge works but not the figuring part . any help apriciated. I want to build an engine and want to be able to say i did it not just bought it.

[scott123]

This is a good sight and then there is youtube.

Most any and every thing has a video.

One of the kickers is the tools needed. If you plan to do this one and then another and another, there has to be a certain amount of quality (and then quantity) in the tool selections.

Over the years I have amassed a fairly decent set of 'engine building' tools. I went a bunch of years without building an engine and just recently did a 383 for my '69. If I were to go out and buy all those tools (micrometers, dial calipers, etc,) I am sure it would be a chunk.

Best of luck. It is well worth it when you do things yourself, or at least I think so.

Scott

[Indian113]

Jeg's,Summit and SpeedWay all have a book. How to Build a Small Block Chevy. I would buy one and study it, it will help you make up your mind and also tell you what you will need for tools. Good Luck, tell us how this turns out

[Dead Parrot]

Might pick up a worn out but running engine of the type you want to build. Practice on it. Take it apart like you were going to do a full rebuild. Clean all the parts. Then put it back together using the old parts. Do all of the plastigauge and such checks. You will find out real quick what new tools, stands and other things you need. Bonus points for getting it to start and run again. Good practice for that all important first start on a fresh built motor.

As for the type of cam, heads, etc, your first step is deciding what you want the motor to do. Big difference between a drag strip only build using race gas and a heavy duty towing build using 87 pump gas.

[weq92f]

.
I like the idea of tearing down a running salvage yard motor, inspecting and measuring all the components and then reassembling and getting it running again.

Doing that before building something new would be a great learning experience and dry run before the real thing! Make any mistakes there first right!

Get familiar also with your local parts stores' loan-a-tool programs. I think you'll find borrowing one-time-use tools is much more economical than purchasing them.

stuff you can borrow:
gear-puller
balancer puller
balancer installer
ring compressor
valve spring compressor

stuff you might need to purchase ( not on the loan-a-tool list usually ):
dial indicator w/magnetic stand
caliper
micrometer set
engine stand

Also you may want to decide how much of the build you want to do yourself. You could farm all the choices out to a machine shop and then just do the assembly yourself. A friend of mine recently did a straight SBC 350. 1500 bill at the machine shop after he supplied the block and heads then he did the assembly only. Machine shop supplied everything for the complete long block only thing left to do was assembly, intake/carb/dizzy/plugs/wires/manifolds/fuel system and the motor was done.

Even so....you'd still be checking all the work the machine shop did by measuring everything and plasti-gaugeing all the bearings. The valve train would still need to be checked for correct geometry, clearance, push-rod length, etc... So, basically, you tell the machine shop what you want the motor to do, they help choose the components ( rotating assembly, cam, head configuration ) to reach your goal and then machine the heads/block appropriately and then build the heads with the proper valves/springs and the right spring pressures for the chosen cam.

When it all comes back to you, you'll have all shiny new and matched parts ready for assembly.

Hth,

-klb

[scott123]

Great post above.

Working hand in hand with knowledgeable people at a machine shop is huge. Especially a shop that lends itself to so racing/performance applications.

There have been many an engine with all the parts that say it should jump and then it ends up being a dog. Cam and carb selection have crippled many.

Once things get past stock and there is lobe separation and advertised lift/lift at 0.50", longer push rods and larger rocker arms....valve train geometry is every thing.

And with all the fore warnings in place, it is always well worth saying I did this/that myself.

S

[mattfranklin]

Like they guys said, get a worn motor, take it apart, measure things, and put it together again. For the cost of a gasket set (and possibly bearings and rings), you can have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. Then, if that works out well, and you discover you really like it, you can think about machine work or mods.

[Sawlog]

I was in your shoes a few months ago. Building the motor was the easy part. Doing the homework for the right parts was very time consuming.
I had a 4 bolt main bare block the I took to the machine shop. They bored it .040 over, new cam bearing and freezeplugs and hot tanked it. After that I ordered a new eagle rotating assembly, that's new crank, piston, rods, bearing. 600 bucks. I took the crank and 4 piston with rods and bearing to machine shop and had my block decked to zero.( so glad I did). Total shop bill was 350 bucks.
I bought new heads, I wouldn't even mess with old ones. It cost more to go thru them then buying new iron heads.
The compression you want and the cam is what you need to get right. Every time you call a cam company they give you a different cam. Drove me nuts! So I did a ton of research myself and figured out what I needed.
It does get expensive, buying a crate is much cheaper but I'm the type that likes to do it myself.
I only takes a few nights after work to put all the pieces together.
I did pay to have it broke in on a dyno, my curiosity gets the best of me, I wanted to see if what I thought on paper was really what I got. I wanted 400 ft pounds of tourqe at 3700 rpm. I ended up with 388. So I didn't miss by much. My dyno guy told me that a motor will continue to make more power after a couple more pulls then it will level off. 4 pulls was enough for me, that dyno is HARD on a motor. It was worth it though.
Build it, you won't regret it.