Your donations help keep this valuable resource free and growing. Thank you.
|
Stroker 304 Project Build |
Post Reply | Page <1234 8> |
Author | |
amundaza
AMC Apprentice Joined: Oct/15/2008 Location: Rochester Hills Status: Offline Points: 166 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Good evening all,
Today, Rick and I got more work done on the stroker. Today, there were only minor 'speed bumps', some of which we were aware of previously.
I got the return line fitting installed in the NOS oil pan, for the Frantz Oil filter ( www.frantzoil.com ... or www.wefilterit.com ). You can see it in the photos. I'll break the engine in on the stand without, but once I get it into the Grand Wagoneer, it will be installed.
Then, we got the NOS oil pan installed, with the stainless oil pan stud kit (from Ebay). It was great, but they included 1 too many 5/16" nuts and 1 too few 1/4" nuts. Thankfully, I had a few 5/16" studs/nuts from another misc. package of parts (14 year accumulation on this project) and nabbed a 1/4" nut to finish off the stud installation. We installed the ROL performance oil pan gasket, which is comprised of a cork/rubber hybrid. It's a nice piece and we sealed it up with plenty of silicone on both sides and plenty along the oil pan rails and around the front and rear of the cover at the rear main and front timing cover.
Rick also brazes a nut to the bottom of the oil pick up tube on his builds ... a trick to keep the pick up from sucking to the bottom of the oil pan. Got that installed, which required removing the center main cap bolts/nuts and strap. Then reinstalled and torqued them to spec.
Then I went over the block/pan with a nice coat of EN-66 AMC Metalic Blue paint.
Next, we got the heads installed with Felpro Hyperblue 304 gaskets and ARP BOLTS this time. Even the ARP bolts are too long on the exhaust side. Funny thing is, the head bolts in the rocker area are stock length, but the exhaust side are 1/8" longer ... both are supplied with ARP washers. We ended up grinding 1/8" off the 6 bolts that wouldn't clear the header flanges, and installed them without the washers. It's amazing how much aftermarket parts need massaging to get them to fit properly. After the heads were installed, we went over them with EN-66 paint.
Then, while Rick was working on installing the Pro-products Harmonic Dampner, I was working on massaging the custom aluminum valve covers, so that they would clear the 4 cast embosses on the cylinder heads. A die grinder cleared away the spots and we test-fit them in place. Makes the stroker look like a BIG BLOCK ... think I'll have to get 396 emblems for it, LOL. Rick even had some "Classic 550" emblems we joked about putting on the valve covers (I'll be using the "American 330" emblems).
Rick got most of the Rhodes Lifters installed and we then proceeded to begin test-fitting the Scorpion PEDESTAL MOUNT roller rockers for the 5/16" bridged-rocker heads. They use a ford Pedestal-style rocker setup ... pretty slick for not needing to machine down the rocker pedestal embosses. We will however, need to get longer than stock pushrods, which appear to be in the 8.200" range ... off to Ebay I go.
I also decided to paint the valve covers engine color, instead of clear-coating them. The aluminum sheet metal, scratches easily, so I figured paint would help protect them a bit. I scott-brighted them to scuff them up and then sprayed away. Also painted the splash shield for the bottom of the intake, to help keep it clean inside the engine.
That's about it for now ... stay tuned for more progress ... next weekend.
Edited by amundaza - Jan/24/2009 at 10:15pm |
|
Sincerely,
Greg Taylor |
|
whizkidder
Supporter of TheAMCForum Joined: Mar/03/2008 Location: North Georgia Status: Offline Points: 2972 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Looking good! Are you going with stock manifolds or headers? With the washers, the ARP head bolts are just a bit taller than the stock AMC Bolts.
I used ARP head bolts w/washers on my 390, and had to use my Dremel tool to clearance a small area on the underside of my log manifolds so that the front, center, and rear head bolts would clear the underside of the manifolds and allow them to clamp evenly. (I didn't notice until I sprung an exhaust manifold leak, pulled a manifold, and noticed that the gasket wasn't even flattened on the bottom due to the taller ARP head bolt holding the manifold away from the head).
|
|
Ron Frost
marne1ancient @ gmail.com 910 nine two two 0563 "There is no limit to what a man can do, so long as he does not care a straw who gets credit for it. Charles Montague |
|
amundaza
AMC Apprentice Joined: Oct/15/2008 Location: Rochester Hills Status: Offline Points: 166 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Hi Ron,
Thanks. I am going to run Doug Thorley Try-Y headers, made specifically for the Full Size Jeeps. I would have ground on my headers to clear the bolts heads/washers, BUT, they're currently being ceramic-coated and I don't want to grind away the coating to expose that are to rust.
|
|
Sincerely,
Greg Taylor |
|
Da-swede
AMC Nut Joined: Sep/02/2008 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 128 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Whats up with the valvecovers? , looks like they belong on
a Pro-stock race engine. Edited by Da-swede - Jan/25/2009 at 12:51am |
|
Humpsters gross me out
|
|
amundaza
AMC Apprentice Joined: Oct/15/2008 Location: Rochester Hills Status: Offline Points: 166 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
.... uh ... they look cool, eh! 1) I needed valve covers. 2) I needed valve covers that would clear roller rockers. 3) These were sheet metal. 4) $140 shipped from Ebay
I was originally going to go with a set of polished Omix Ada covers, but, rollers don't clear under them.
|
|
Sincerely,
Greg Taylor |
|
Bosqueboy
AMC Apprentice Joined: Jul/02/2007 Location: New Mexico Status: Offline Points: 199 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Very nice Greg, I enjoy watching your build.
Thanks for posting all the pics.
Doug Edited by Bosqueboy - Jan/28/2009 at 9:05pm |
|
68 AMX
70 AMX 74 Javelin 87 Wagoneer New Mexico, USA |
|
amundaza
AMC Apprentice Joined: Oct/15/2008 Location: Rochester Hills Status: Offline Points: 166 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
You're most welcome, Doug. Hopefully my extra long pushrods arrive in time for more building on Saturday ... almost done assembling!
|
|
Sincerely,
Greg Taylor |
|
amundaza
AMC Apprentice Joined: Oct/15/2008 Location: Rochester Hills Status: Offline Points: 166 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
IT LIVES AND BREATHES !!!!
Hey guys, Just got an email from Rick that he got the stroker started on the break-in stand and has run about 1 gallon of gas through it so far. More to come ....
--- On Sun, 2/8/09, Rick Jones wrote:
|
|
Sincerely,
Greg Taylor |
|
Da-swede
AMC Nut Joined: Sep/02/2008 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 128 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
congrats to the painfree startup
a video would be nice.
|
|
Humpsters gross me out
|
|
amundaza
AMC Apprentice Joined: Oct/15/2008 Location: Rochester Hills Status: Offline Points: 166 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Thanks. I'll have to get video on 2/21 when I go down to Rick's to finish getting everything buttoned up. There are a few more things we need to do, before bringing it home.
|
|
Sincerely,
Greg Taylor |
|
Post Reply | Page <1234 8> |
Tweet
|
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |