Illustrated Engine Rebuild 220 pics

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Engine Rebuild – 454 chevy engine. Tim Cote is the owner and restorer of this 1971 Corvette Stingray 454 engine. Quality restoration resources are scarce on the internet but Tim’s incredible work has served as a tremendous resource for me when working on motors and aside from being incredibly inspirational, it covers just about every aspect of a proper engine rebuild. Please read and enjoy.

The first step in this project was to clean all the dirt and grime and grease off this engine that has been accumulating for over 30 years. As you can see the cold weather didn’t help. But a good amount of degreaser and a pressure washer did the job.

To mount the motor on an engine stand the transmission, bellhousing, flywheel, flex plate and clutch had to be removed.it’s important to mark the positions of the flywheel and flex plate when taking them apart as this will help you properly a linage in the future. Once a transmission is gone it is easy to mount the motor to the stand.

The next step was to disassemble the motor. If you’re going to be using new parts you can save time on not having to tag and label the components such as lifters valves and pushrods. If you are sticking to the originals then this is a very important step has you’re going to want to put everything back in its right place.

When the oral tablets beat up like this one it’s good to make sure there isn’t any other damage plus it may be a good idea to replace.

it’s a good idea to cover up the garage floor with a tarp or heavy plastic. This way your garage floor will stay clean from old oil anti-freeze and other liquids.

Removing the oil pump was easy as there was only one bolt holding it in place.

The Pistons and connecting rods came out next. It’s important to verify identification markings on rods and rock caps before doing any disassembly. They are matched sets and must be kept together. It must also be installed in its original cylinder later. Original factory rods are numbered through eight in order from the back of the motor.

After removing the connecting rod Carefully slide out the Pistons from the cylinders. To protect the crankshaft journals you can slide rubber tubing over the connecting rod starts so that the journals don’t get scratched or nicked.

It takes about an hour to remove all piston assemblies and connecting rod bearings. It’s important to place these in order as they are each made up of the top and bottom half. You can see the signs of excessive wear on the first and fifth bearings. Degree in engine oil is what causes these, usually. The lower compression ring of the first piston was broken into pieces, a full rebuild may be the best way to go.

Once the piston assemblies are out the crankshaft is next to go.just like the connecting rods each main bearing Is numbered and has an arrow pointing to the front of the motor, these must be replaced in the same quarter and if they aren’t marked be sure to mark them yourself.

What you should do before removing the crankshaft is measure its end play. Remove the front for main bearing caps but leave the left and rear main cap. The rear bearing or the thrust their is flange and prevents the crankshaft from moving back and forth. Measure the end play using a dial indicator, in this case it was 0.004″. End play of 0.005″ or less is what you want.

Next check the crankshaft runout, first remove the crankshaft, all the main bearings except front and rear. Removing a 70 pound crankshaft can be tough and you must take extreme care not to damage the crankshaft journals. Reinstall it supporting it by only the front and rear bearings then check each journal with a dial indicator for runout. In this case it was less than 0.001″, this is well within range, too much and you may have to replace the crankshaft.

After taking measurements layout the main bearings in a similar manner as earlier. The main bearing shows signs of wear. the next major component is the camshaft.

The majority of the bottom and components are laid out. Once the block is stripped you then should take it to the machine shop to check for wear. If the cylinders are too worn out they will have to be bored out and the new larger pistons will have to replace the old ones. You also want to bring the crankshaft and connecting rods to be checked out at the machine shop.

Now for the oil pump its always a good idea to stick with the original stock big block oil pump. It may be tempting to replace it with an aftermarket high flow or high-pressure pump it can often do more harm than good, but it up to you.

Taking apart an oil pump is rather simple just mark the positions of the drive and idler gears so you can put it back together in the right orientation.

Although some small modifications can be made for better performance. The book out of hard on big block Chevys is a very worthy investment when doing any sort of engine rebuild.

You can lightly file the edges of the gear teeth. Next to pressure balanced oil pump you can create small grooves in the pump housing, this will make it operate more efficiently and unless horsepower.

Be sure that the grooves aligned with each other. Proper clearance between pump housing cover and gears is important. Ideally it should be about 0.0025″

The flywheel is next on the list, the machine shop will need it along with the clutch and pressure plate to properly balance the motor. As long as there are no cracks or serious signs of damage you can take it and to be reconditioned. Be sure that the shop to go with users to and not lathe as it can cause clutch grabbing and premature wear by leaving a directional pattern on the flywheel.

If the pressure plate and clutch are too worn it’s a good idea to replace them like the aftermarket ones below.

Back to the engine block, here is what was done, it was baked blasted and washed them down then magnafluxed check for cracks. The cylinders were bored over and the block was top decked to ensure a flat surplus for the cylinder head gaskets. After all the boring the shop gave it a thorough washing to remove any leftover metal particles.

Before painting the block you want to make sure that all surfaces are absolutely clean, use of bristle brush and lacquer thinner to cleanse the block of any debris. A good thing to use as por15, you’ll need is about three coats for complete coverage and it takes about 20 minutes to do each coat.

Now it’s time to start putting everything back together and building the engine. You can see the description of the parts used to put this engine back together down below.

Engine Components & Engine Build Combination
	Pistons	SRP forged aluminum, 26cc domes
	Connecting rods	Scat forged I-beam
	Camshaft	Hydraulic roller
		Duration @ 0.050″: 230˚ intake, 236˚ exhaust
		Lobe separation: 112˚
		Gross lift w/ 1.7:1 rockers; 0.595″ intake, 0.581″ exhaust
	Cylinder heads	Airflow research: 305cc rectangle port (as cast)
		Combustion chamber: 119cc
		Valves: 2.250″ intake, 1.880″ exhaust
	Intake manifold	Edelbrok Performer RPM (Note: This requires a Corvette big block hood and drop base air filter)
	Compression ratio	10.3:1 (approx.)
	Carburetor	Barry Grant 850 CFM mechanical w/ annular boosters
	Exhaust	Headers with 2 1/8″ primaries and dual exhaust

These are the results of the simulation ran by the performance shop to see how this engine will perform with the new parts. About 480 hp and 485 ft-lbs of torque is expected. This motor will have a lot of juice.

With lots of work to be done a good starting point is the Pistons. These are forged aluminum dome top Pistons they are more expensive but also more durable. These are 26 cc don’t Pistons they should provide compression ratio around 10.3: 1, which will make good power on regular fuel.

First you should file system rings to fit. These should be custom fit each cylinder, this is very important. If the gap is too large you loose power from combustion gases escaping into the crank case, when the gaps are too small the rings will touch and the engine will heat up and cause all kinds of problems. Always file the ring by moving it left a rate never up-and-down, you can use the old piston rings for reference.

Use a feeler gauge to measure the ring and gap. It’s a good idea to number each piston and cylinder before filing the rings. Once the top range set is complete you can then pair them up with the cylinders and move on to the bottom ring set. Mark the bottom rings with the stripe to keep them separate.

Use fine grit sandpaper to smooth off the ends of each ring. Next are the oil rings, these consist of the center spacer and two scraper rails. These should be positioned with care in the piston groove in their proper location.

Freeze plugs and oil galley plugs are next to install. Simply clean all paint and debris from the freeze plug bores with lacquer thinner and cleaned the plugs themselves, apply non-hardening sealant and simply place the plugs in to place. Use a socket and a rubber hammer to drive these into place.

The oil galley plugs are next. Coat the threads with sealant to avoid leaksand tighten the plugs to the correct torque spec, in this case it’s 30 ft-lbs

The cam plug will go in once the cam arrives from the shop. Below are the new connecting rods, they are stronger than the stock ones and will do well with the new pistons.

The wrist pins are held in the Pistons by spin coils of steel called spiro lox. These can be a pain to install but you should get good at it after doing all 32. Before installing the Pistons in place the crankshaft has to go back in.

Back from the machine shop the crankshaft is ready to go in, and with the help of a friend you can carefully set back into the block taking care not to hit the journals and keep it even. Once the crankshaft and place sometime for the Plastigage which is formed wax that goes between the bearing and the crankshaft journal. The journals and bearings must be dry for this step, install and torque all main bearing caps except for the one that you are doing, then place a strip of the stuff across the Journal and install the bearing, torque to specs and remove, do not spin the crank. The plastigage comes in this leave of that is also good for measuring the oil clearance.

once the bearings are clean and reinstalled you can install the main rear seal. Install it in accordance with the package directions, coated with a layer of grease. Once in place oil the crankshaft journals and main bearings. Align the thrust bearing by prying the crank back and forth, this ensures that the two halves are aligned vertically.

The crankshaft is torqued suspects. Next, for the piston installation, again, clean with lacquer thinner before had. Installation of connecting rod bearings is rather easy, same as the main bearings the two halves are pushed into place. did each piston in oil before connecting the rod and wrist pin.

let the oil drip off, adjust as necessary, and use a ring compressor on the rings. Boil the connecting rod bearing and begin installation back into the block. You can rotate the engine block so that the Boers are vertical, this will make for easier installation. Check correct piston orientation, rotate the crankshaft and carefully set the Piston in. You can use a wooden handle to tap the piston out of the compressor and into the block. When the piston is in the Boer make sure the connecting rod clears the crankshaft journal properly, otherwise you can scratch it and cause many problems. Install the connecting rod caps with lots of oil and torque the rod bolts to specs.

It is important to have a machine shop balance your engine once it’s mostly put back together. To provide better lubrication on the timing gears you can drill a small hole in the center of the front oil galley plug to allow oil to lubricate behind the timing cover. The modified gallery plug provides better lubrication on the passenger side of the engine.

Next, installing the new oil pump pickup. This is a new part and doesn’t quite fit so the little grinding can solve the problem.

This is the new oil pan, it has a capacity of 6 quarts, this should keep the temperatures of the engine down.

Once the oil pump is in place it’s time to check the pickup to pan clearance. The piece of putty allows for an exact measurement. In this case it’s 1/4″ and conforms to recommendations. Next is the oil filter adapter with the new gasket.

This is the new hydraulic roller cam, the lobes are box shaped causing the valves to be open longer and adding more horsepower. The cam must be thoroughly cleaned, dried and greased prior to installation. Be careful when putting it in not to nick or damage any lobes or bearings.

The lower timing gear can be a pain to install, it can be placed in a hot oven for about 15 minutes to expand, then with a little oil and patience it should slide into place. A cam button will prevent it from walking forward.

This cast aluminum timing cover will also help prevent any cam movement. The cam button had to be machined a little bit at a time to achieve end play between 0.005″ and 0.008″. In this case it was eventually 0.006″ so the timing cover was bolted into place.

With the harmonic balancer installed, next are the cylinder head studs. Use a tap to chase the threads of all the start holes, then coat the end threads of each started with non-hardening sealer. This is important and will prevent leaks and problems down the road.

Bolts can be used instead but studs provide better clamping pressure and prevent gasket failures. Now for the heads, these new aluminum heads provide some great flow numbers. Because the cylinder heads and lifter type are being changed the pushrod length has to be determined to maintain proper valvetrain geometry.

Use a lightweight spring about 3 inches long for checking. In this case both gaskets had similar compressed heights thus no errors in pushrod length.

Now for the new roller hydraulic lifters, it is recommended to soak them in oil for 24 hours prior to installation for proper lubrication.

With the heads and lifters installed and torqued down its time to figure out proper pushrod length. Use of pushrod length checker and rocker arms to determine the correct measurement.

Checking pushrod placed in the lifter for the intake valve – the one with the checking spring installed, put a rocker arm in place and tighten the nut until the valve is set to zero lash. Zero lash is found by rotating the pushrod while tightening the rocker arm nut until a slight resistance can be felt on the pushrod. This is the point where there is no play in the lifter/pushrod/rocker arm assembly. Rotate the motor through several combustion cycles in order to mark the movement range of the rocker arms roller tip on the valve tip. The goal is to have the movement centered on the valve tip. To be able to tell where the roller tip travels I colored the top of each valve tip with black marker prior to installing the rocker.

After finishing the intake valve, repeat the same process for the exhaust valve. Here’s a close-up of one of the valve tips. You can see that the movement is nearly centered on the valve tip which is very desirable. If the movement range is centered to far forward or back on the valve tip (pushrod to long or to short) it results in high loads on the valve guides and leads to premature wear of the guides. After getting the movement range centered on each valve tip, then measure the adjustable pushrod. To this length then add 0.06″ to come up with the final pushrod length. The extra 0.06″ is necessary to compensate for lifter preload in the final installation. While determining pushrod length the valve lash was set to zero. However, in the final installation the rocker nut will be tightened an additional 1/2 turn past zero lash which compresses the lifter. The 0.06″ compensates for this lifter preload. In the end final pushrod lengths were 7.900″ for intake valves and 8.750″ for exhaust valves.

Before moving ahead too fast one more check must be made, the piston to valve clearance. Use some putty on the top of the cylinders and sprayed ahead with WD-40. Rotate the engine a couple of times to get full lift. With the cylinder head removed it is obvious where the putty had been flattened. To get accurate measurements use a razor blade to make a vertical cut down the center of each piece of putty. The point of minimum clearance is evident – it occurres at the flat area at the top of the piston. Measuring the clearance as 0.060″, plus the compressed head gasket thickness of 0.039″. Therefore the total clearance will be approximately 0.100″, a fair bit more than the minimum clearance of 0.040″ (for engines turning less than 7000 RPM). One additional interesting note is that the minimum piston-to-valve clearance occurs at the side of the valve, not at the bottom of the valve as many would expect.

After some research it was evident that the valve springs supplied with the heads weren’t strong enough for the amount of pressure that will be produced. So they have to be replaced.

With these in place cylinder heads are ready to be installed. After cleaning all surfaces thoroughly the gaskets and heads were ready to go on.

Rocker arm studs and pushrod guide plates had to be removed to get enough clearance to torque the head studs. When reinstalling rocker arm studs 50 ft-lbs is good torque.

With the heads and guide plates in place the valvetrain assembly can begin. Clean and oil each pushrod prior to installation and drop them into place. Next install rocker arms and tighten the nut to zero lash.

Halfway through it was evident that the rockers weren’t centered properly, this will have to be fixed.

The valvetrain have to be disassembled the rocker studs and guide plates removed so that modifications could be done. The holes for rocker arms studs were enlarged just a bit, it took a while to get each one right.

Now to install the water pump, apply a bit of grease to water pump flanges and bolts and torque them to specs. At the same time the fuel pump was reinstalled.

The headers are the next step, these are the Headman Full-Tube Headers with 2″ primaries.

The intake is next, good sealant is very important, apply it to the cylinder heads and backside of intake gasket. Press well to ensure and even seal. Once all sealant is in place place the intake down and torque the bolts to specs.

Here’s the torque sequence for the intake manifold. Now for the Speed Demon 850 CFM carb with mechanical secondaries and annular boosters. After installing the electric choke kit and fuel line kit put the new carb gasket in place and bolt carb to the intake.

New valve covers and gaskets were pretty easy to install, just place and bolt.

The dipstick was installed along with a compression ring and the compression nut, bolted to the motor using a header bolt.

The motor mounts went on the next.

With the motor on a new stand using the mounts the flywheel went on next, below are pictures of it before and after it took a trip to the machine shop.

Now on to the accessories, here are the temporary oil pressure and coolant temperature gauges. To install the oil pressure line simply use the fitting that threads into the block and insert the plastic tube into the sleeve, along with the compression collar, and tighten the nut.

Here is the gauge positioned at the end of the bell housing for now. Fuel pressure gauge is next.

Along with other minor details a new oil filter was installed and it was time for the new alternator. With the brackets in place still doesn’t quite fit so a little customizing is in order. After a little welding and grinding the alternator was in place with a brand-new bracket.

A few more things and the motor will be ready to fire up. Here is a new distributor, coil, ignition box and plug wires.

The timing Springs where placed with lighter ones so that the timing advances more quickly.

After installing a new gasket the distributor was positioned and dropped into place. A bit of jockeying was necessary to get the distributor to slide down over the oil pump shaft properly, but things fell into place after a minute or two of playing with it. Next a new distributor hold-down was installed and tightened down to a snug condition (but not tight). Leaving the distributor snug tight will allow me to turn the distributor by hand when the engine is running and quickly adjust the initial timing. Next for installing the sparkplugs, use a thin coating of anti-seize on the plug threads.

The motor is now hooked up and ready to get fired up.

The motor fired up without too much effort and after a bit of quick tuning it ran quite well. At an idle speed of 800 RPM the oil pump is making about 40 psi of oil pressure and the engine is developing about 12 in-Hg of manifold vacuum.

Now for the trip to the Dyno. It took about 45 minutes to set everything up.

The best run produced 528 Hp and 562 Ft-Lbs of Torque. The engine ran fine on 89 octane and seemed to like about 31 degrees of total timing.

And that’s about it for now, the motor is rebuilt and ready to be dropped in. The corvette is going to go through a lot of tires with this thing!

Most of the time it’s easier to just outsource the entire engine rebuilding process but if you truly want to know your car from the heart out you can participate in this step.

. I decided on Airflow Research 305′s for my motor which feature rectangle ports and an open combustion chamber design. These heads flow many times better than stock and will really wake up the motor. The large rectangle ports make great top end but they do sacrifice a bit of torque at low RPM’s when compared to smaller oval port heads. I will say that for my current setup the smaller oval port heads would actually have been ideal. However, I eventually plan to swap out my rear gears and transmission to get some better gearing. Once I’ve made those changes I’ll really be able to take full advantage of the great flow numbers these heads provide.

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Illustrated Engine Rebuild 220 pics

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