Hey Steve, not sure if you’ll see this since it’s an old video but I’m really glad you started giving out informational videos. It seems like when I watch you explain something I really understand the concept better. Thanks from Michigan!
An excellent video, and loving this channel! To clarify some things, the bore in the block is round, because as said it is not possible to hone an oval. It is the bearing that is eccentric, and a significant reason for this is to establish the conditions for good hydrodynamic lubrication, with an added benefit of the eccentric shell assisting with deformation of the main structure under load.
The best steel rod in the business right there, Oliver max billet series. That is the only steel rod I run in my 540 f3-136 bbc and they ain't never failed me..
I'm glad that you stated your opinion about plastigage. It's OK for building a mild street engine, IF you use it correctly and carefully. There are a few things you can do that will give you a bogus clearance result.
This is great to know. I'm not building a Motor. But I still wanna know this. It's just the kind of real world experience I like to be knowledgeable on...
Steve, you also could have talked a little bit about the crush of the bearing. The clearance that the rod and main bearings have to hold the bearing securely to prevent the shell from spinning. Nice info, thanks.
Steve...As a engine builder myself for drags and pulling trucks I respect your engines when we have to go up against one, so when I found this channel today it was a FAST hell yeah, I have to subscribe, but after all of the commercials in the first video, then SIX in the first 8mins of a 10min video in the second....I'm out and off of here. Big HP to yeah!!
bearing clearances have almost always been .001 per inch. SBC chevy lg rod .0021 clearance. As you said clearances go up from mild to wild builds. A little loose is always better than a little tight. LOL. Enjoying your videos even tho I'm a machinist who works on performance engines only.
That's for sure....guys know his stuff don't he...man I'm glad I found this channel.👍. Very interesting to see how these high hp motors have suck big clearences ....and why......easy to understand and explains it so we can comprehend it...💪.....now we just needs a few 1,00,000 dollars in tools, a big shop to do it...lol..that's why he makes the big bucks and big hp...that lives for a while...👍💪💯,
Educational and informational Advice..I like this guy he knows his shit.....I have built only a few motors..a Pontiac 406.18 year's ago ..still running strong today..and a Chevy 360..about four year's ago..and yes it's still running strong as well..I drag race both..spray both motors as well...200 shot..I did them both myself..I'm proud of them..I took my time rebuilding them...but not to this extent..lol...the Pontiac is about 420 hp.NA.the Chevy is about 550 hp....NA....... Not the 1,000s of hp of this guy's builds but respectable in my book....my 66 tempest runs 12.0 s on motor...and my 78 Grand LeMans half backed big tire car runs 10s...on motor...so yeah I'm pretty proud of my work on both..there both still alive and running great...so I must have done something right..lol..👍💪💯,,,,,,
Went down to the 2022 Autorama on Friday; I saw a neat 4 door '64 Fairlane down there. It was a fairly "tame" blue color, and when you look into the engine compartment, there's this pretty lookin' piece of hardware, plumbing of some sort going every which way, with the letters SMX on top. Only one other car there caught my eye, a '71 or '72 Buick Skylark, LS, with the (big) turbo located where the battery usually goes--its installation was so sanitary, it looked like it came that way, from the factory--it even had a tricked out THM400, with a Reid case--($!!!). That Fairlane looks like it's goin' 100 mph, sittin' still! You should see where the driver sits--weight transfer complete, upon launch! lol
I see more trouble with the "how" they have been fitted... Needs to explain what happens when the gaps are not "square" to each other and also when guys do not open up the second ring more than the top ring..
I run four thousands per inch of bore, get them ten thousands over and grind your end gap.Your oil control rings are directional, not the retainer but the top and bottom rings, you check them for direction by squeezing the open ends together and you see it go up or down, you want them to point up,which scavenges,going down expanding wipes the walls. I have done this on air cooled as I am a motorcycle tech, and not so much on water cool, to but enough to say four is safe, how hot is it going to run, not duration would be a important factor, if everything is proper their is an operating temp for water jobs, bikes duration would be a factor, like mean temperature, and movement or lack of air going thru cooling fins, this is why their is no set formula, but it works, measure your end gap in the bore, the ring end gaps will be way bigger then you think twenty-five? on a four inch bore I would set them up at sixteen, Staggered the rings I do, but it's just feel good, rings move period, they are pinned on two strokes not because they rev, it's so the gaps don't go near the ports and snag and snap, cuz they move,next tear down look for yourself,,like I said , for the feel good,so when you ask me if I Staggered the rings to reduce compression loss,I can look you in the eyes and say. Yep.....since I am writing this book I would like to to mention that fred flintstone is the only one who pounds feet what you want to say is foot pounds.Then you will at least sound like you know what you be yapping about.it makes me want to pound their face, this drunk biker is fading fast so good morning men, put it in your pipe or put it to use peace
The gauge has a calibration tolerance of at least +/- 0.0001 in. Maybe twice that. Also, holding that gauge horizontal instead of vertical can increase the uncertainty in the gauge's measurement. Tipping the block and getting the gauge upright will help dial in that extra tenth or two of reliable measurement. Awesome video! I keep learning more and more.
@@sexyfacenation In precision measurement, I've found many machinists say "tenth" when referring to a ten-thousandth. Because everything they do is to the right of the decimal, they just slang tenth for that fourth place. Struck me as odd at first to be so concerned with proper/precise numbers, but then not use proper terms. But if the whole industry speaks the same, that's what really matters.
Steve, I just got my block back from the shop. Should i wash the block first then measure bearings, then final assemble or should I wait to wash before final assy?
Hi Steve, if I was 40 years younger I would be pounding on your door for a job. It would have meant a lot to me to be around a person like you with both knowledge and great temperament. BTW, what was the paint used for the white engine block in the video ?
So when a machine shop line hones the mains on the block, how do they keep things from being round? Or is the non-roundness all in the bearings themselves?
Thanks Steve. That white block looks pimp! I listened with ear buds, and over the whole vid it sounds like something was rubbing over the mike. Can you please do a vid on thermal efficiencies of a traditional head, vs yours where the coolant passaging is separate to the block? I think is your smx heads?
How would one get a clearance of .0060-.0070 of rod bearing clearance? Custom bearings? Sanding the bearing? Grinding the crank? Cant resize most aluminum rods because they have the dowel so the bearing doesn’t spin? Very interested
on bearing clearance the vertical is what you are measuring to get into spec I understand that, but mixing std bearings and +.001 or -.001 bearings obviously leaves .0005 extra lip on each side I assume that doesn't matter because of the extra room that is machined into the rod and and mains correct? I have also heard that the difference between bolts and studs can cause a .001 looser or tighter tolerance due to extra clamping force of the stud. studs being tighter, bolts being looser is this correct? I love your videos I try and listen to every detail. thank you.
Hey Steve, scott here from New Zealand. Love your work! Could you please put up a video about valve train geometry and the rocker arm sweep on the valve tip, (when you have time) There’s many videos on RU-vid and seems everyone has there way. Im setting up a gm 400 chev, afr220 Heads, solid roller cam, .620 lift, sportsman lifters and pro magnum 1.6 roller rockers. The confusion I have is what way is right, the 90 degree at half lift theory or the set up to the middle of the valve stem theory. In my mind the 90 degree at half lift is the best because that’s getting the most out of the cam and the correct lift from the cam. I’ve set mine up so it’s 90 degrees at half lift, but when I do that, the sweep is around 30 thousandths, which seems fine but it’s in the the 1/3 part of the valve stem. Not in the middle. I guess the main question I have Is, is this ok, or will this load my valve guides? And if it’s not ok, do i need different roller rockers, or different push rods?
Man I watch all your stuff .. some of it is common sense but I watch it all just to find the little things i don't know or to verify the things I think I know... It would be my dream to be able to just build high performance engines for a living
I use plasti gauge but I do multiple times and make sure all surfaces a clean and dry got pretty much the same measurement every time but yes lots of room for error!
One thing you should mention so people do not get confused is that the actual housing bore in your block or connecting rod should be perfectly round, it's just the bearings are made to not be round.
@@chrisburnsed6349 incorrect. The bores in the block and the rods are round. Why do you think the specs call for those bores to not be out of round. You are just as confused as everyone else.
@@cncit Yes I am aware, I know they are supposed to be round, I build motors for a living myself. Anything I find over .0003" out of round I have to correct.
Use a marker on the valve stem tip..where the roller hits it..should be centered on the stem...they make a tool .an adjustable push rod..to get the right valvetrain geometry..put adjustable push rod in..set lash..roll motor over by hand and check your Mark's on stem....re do untill centered on stem that's your push rod length..hope that helps..I don't see him answering any comments so that's my 2 cents on the subject... Jody...what I have learned anyhow......I don't know about shaft Mounted rocker hight but that will get you the correct pushrod size for any setup I would think....as for the shaft stands I do not know about that...I would think the stands are set...you just need to figure out pushrod length..and that's how ya do it..well how i know how to do it....lol... should be vids on it I'm sure...hay man best of luck on your build...keep us up to date on progress ...👍
I would invest in a gauge block set, and a gauge block holder to set your bore gauges. I see you using the mic. to check the bore gauge, that's not a good way to check/set the bore gauge. I have a degree in machining and was a machine shop QC. Manager.
This video implies all thats already been done in the crank grinding/polishing process. Here, the journal, whatever it mics after being machined is the datum he is going off. he is measuring the difference between the journal and bearing. His mic could be calibrated to anything, it could be calibrated .01 off, you could calibrate it to say 1.1” with a 1” joe block.. regardless of what the mic says and what mic you use, if you zero the bore gauge to the mic right after measuring the journal, you will ALWAYS get the same clearance, in this case his .0026. Naturally of course your mics should be set to a standard before even grinding the crank, but thats irrelevant in this video
@@benjaminrutledge7675 " if you zero the bore gauge to the mic right after measuring the journal, you will ALWAYS get the same clearance, in this case his .0026." You're dealing with a tight tolerance .0026". Your precision is one ten thousandths of an inch. No, it's not going to always be the same dimension when you try to transfer that dimension to the bore gauge with a precision of .0001. In a professional shop, you'll always see bore gauges with their gauge block set that was used to calibrate the bore gauge. "His mic could be calibrated to anything, it could be calibrated .01 off, you could calibrate it to say 1.1” with a 1” joe block.." Why on Earth would anyone do that? You're just asking for problems. All of your Mics should be set to their zero point. You should check your mic's calibration every day before you use the mic. Every year a gauge reliability test should be done by the inspector (you) on all your inspection equipment. "Naturally of course your mics should be set to a standard before even grinding the crank, but thats irrelevant in this video" Crankshaft diameters have a tolerance of .0005 -.0001. In a professional shop, you'd never use a mic to measure something with that tight of a tolerance. You'd use a snap gauge Go/No-Go, dial, or digital. "If you're guessing you're not measuring."
Alright petal, dont get all snowflakey on me, i didnt mean to strike a nerve, im genuinely sorry about that. I was exagerrating to prove a point.. the point being, everythjng you talk about doing its assumed has already been done and we are now comparing whatever the journal ended up at to the hole. You talk about using a transfer measuring tool (snap gauges) which need micing anyway and create a variable, yet have a beef with using a mic as a transfer tool to set a bore gauge after micing the journal. Obviously everyone sends their stuff for calibration yearly.. obviously youre doing all that before getting the journals nominal. Obviously this guy knows how to set bearing clearances without needing your joe block suggestions, obviously his mics arrived with standards like everyone elses. At our ISO certified shop we use sunnens own dial gauge setting fixtures, we have things like a keyence, CMMs and a faro.. much better resolution to measure one tenth with than the *cough* snap gauges and go/nogo pins youre using. But its ok, if thats the caliber of work you do, i guess thats as good as youll ever be.
@@benjaminrutledge7675 wow guys this is all above my pay grade for sure..lol....😂😅😅😂🤣,,,his is building race motors not a rocket ship for NASA.....all motors destroy themselves..it the nature of the beast....so a hundred of a thousands there or here really don't matter ...they are going to blow up eventually...it's just part of the game ,after all they make new parts every day...not like it's the last motor on Earth....these motors are pushed and beat on....there gunna go sooner or later....he dose his best to make it later rather then sooner......and by the looks of his shop he's doing pretty dam good work....or he wouldn't be where he is today...his reputation speaks for itself.....the end...
@@topfuel29channel the size doesn't mater, his mic could be dropped 20 times for all that it matters. It is the difference between he measured value and the dial bore indicator that matters. Not the actual measurement values overall.
@@badass6.0powerstroke10 oh snowflake did you really think i care what you post. If I want to hear from you. I will tell you what I want YOU to say buttercup.. have a nice day
No guys,, the main bore & con rod b.e. bore is round the bearing is made with the out of round shape. Its made like that because of the hydrodynamic wedge it builds.
Nobody wants to show the TIR of main crank journals. It's of the utmost but most builders assume it's good. You can mic all you want but the runout has to be checked!
Great video but you completely skipped right past how exactly to properly feel the micrometer to get your journal size, which is the most importantly step.
