BlueShadow

Hey guys,

I had a few questions about motor buildups. I've been thinking about learning how to rebuild my own motors, and I've looked over Jeff Evans thread HERE. My first question was about finding the correct bearing colors for the main and rod bearings. In the thread it looked like he kinds skipped over how to find bearing color for the rod bearing. I saw in THIS PICTURE he shows a chart of the crank with the bearing ID marks on it. In THIS PICTURE of the actual crankshaft I see a C4 and a 2.

Am I correct in assuming that the number goes to the main bearing, and the letter goes to the rod bearing? So the 5 letters on the block (DDDDD in the Evans thread) would be matched to the number for the main, D4 and D2 for the ones pictured. For the rod bearing the size would be C and whatever number is on the side of the rod end. Is that correct? Also when measuring with plastigage do I put one strip on the top and bottom of the crank? Will there ever be a time where the clearance is bigger on the top then it is on the bottom? in which case I would have to get one color bearing for the top and a different color bearing for the bottom? or is having mismatched bearing clearances between top and bottom halves rare or non existant?

Last question about bearings, if I am buying a bare block, how would I go about finding the right size bearing? Do I get the same bearing color for the rod and mains then plastigage it and replace the ones out of spec? or is there a better and less expensive way to get the correct bearings the first time around?

I guess other then that my other question is about how much it would cost to get all the equipment needed to start building my own motor. Other then the cost of an engine stand, a good torque wrench and a tool kit, how much am I looking to spend for measureing devices, and all the other stuff.

Thanks

mike_belben@yahoo.com

either you spend thousands on indicators or are building in the dark, hoping the clearances were right.

BlueShadow

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mike_belben@yahoo.com &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">either you spend thousands on indicators or are building in the dark, hoping the clearances were right. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I didn't say I was going to build without the correct measuring devices. I <u>know</u> I'll need these tools to do the job, I just need to know how much I should expect to pay. I was looking for something along the lines of a rough price quote. Did you guys pay $500, $1000, or $2000 etc etc for all your engine building tools.

mike_belben@yahoo.com

it depends on how many things you are going to measure. some people are happy with a bore gage and a few micrometers just for piston to wall clearance and some go further.
since i machine blocks/heads i have thousands in measuring devices- from depth gages to bore gages for the bearings and rod big end, another for little ends, another for cylinders and micrometers for each of those, plus huge micrometers for measuring blocks and heads for squareness, bearing thickness mics, feeler gauges, machinists squares, straightedges and so on. there is always some other gage to buy was my point. i still need a tiny bore gage for valve guide ID's. if it doesnt read in .0001" then dont even bother getting it.

how many engines will you build is the real question to ask. if its less than 5 i would pay others or borrow.

BlueShadow

I dont plan on making a living out of rebuilding engines. I have a Benson built motor, and I want to be able to rebuild it if anything goes wrong. Also the first motor I am going to practice on will either be a D series, or maybe even a destroked 1st gen LSVTEC (budget B16b).

Here is a list I borrowed from the evans tuning thread on how to rebuild a motor. I just dont know how much I would end up paying for those kinds of tools.

1. Dial bore gauge
2. Rod stretch gauge tool
3. Micrometer
4. 3-4" machinist measurement tool
5. 2-3" machinist measurement tool
5. Plastic gauge
6. Torque wrench
7. Feeler gauges
8. Ring filer
9. Tap set
10. Ring compressor

mike_belben@yahoo.com

for gages you want mitutoyo, brown and sharpe or Starrett. peacock and fowler are so so but id look on ebay for used stuff of the first three brands. theres tons of it on there.

1. Dial bore gauge - 2-6" .0001" increment, $250
2. Rod stretch gauge tool $100, goodson.com
3. Micrometer you will need 3-5 of them @$50 each or more, used.
4. 3-4" machinist measurement tool -see above
5. 2-3" machinist measurement tool -see above
5. Plastic gauge -5 bucks at any autozone (plastic wire for clearance measuring)
6. Torque wrench -100 to 1000, get craftsman or better, 3/8 & 1/2"
7. Feeler gauges $40
8. Ring filer -jewelers file is ok
9. Tap set -get taps individually from http://www.use-enco.com or http://www.mscdirect.com.
10. Ring compressor- $30 at sears.. circular band type is best IMO

dont forget-
complete tool set 6 & 12 PT deep and shallow in every drive, wrenches, ratchets, extensions, etc. $250-300

crankpulley holder tool
flywheel holder (make it)
engine stand
some sort of workbench/space
engine hoist
drain pans
scrapers
rubber mallet
hondabond and moly lube, etc.

BlueShadow

cool thanks for the info. I already have a lot of the misc tool covered, but the precision measuring tools were the ones where I didn't know the costs.

g2turbo

If you have a nice machine shop somewhere locally, just have the parts measured. This will usually only be around $50. Then do some simple math to find out what clearances you want and finally pick the correct bearing from the chart provided by Earl.

The tools are pretty expensive if you arent gonna be using them frequently.

BlueShadow

hmmm...I guess taking the pistons and crank to a ship so they can measure the journal diameters could work. I guess for the really repetive stuff I could buy myself. Or since I'm only gonna be rebuilding my motor a few times maybe I can get away with not buying top of the line parts?

How about this:

dial bore gauge-fowler 6" ($80), summit 2-6" ($100), tavia 2-6" ($160)
rod stretch gauge-proform 2.75" ($60), summit ($70), ARP ($140)
micrometer-grizzly digital mic 0-1" ($70), mitutoyo digi mic ($95)
2-3" and 3-4" machinist measuring tool-take items needing measurements to a machine shop
plastigage-autozone
torque wrench-can I use a 0-150 ft/lb beam type torque wrench?
feeler gauges-got em already
ring filer-summit ($33)
tap set-summit 40 pc metric($20) and 40 pc SAE($20)
piston ring compressor-scissor type compressor $48 from Amazon
crank pulley holder-already have one
engine stand-$40 from Harbor Freight

About the only thing I need suggestions for is an easy to use torque wrench. I have a clicker wrench that I bought from NAPA, but I dont trust it for internal engine work. I also have a beam type torque wrench, but it only goes up to about 900in/lb (75ft/lb). I like how easy beam type wrenches are to use so I was wondering if a 0-150 lb/ft beam wrench would be good. Or if I should get a good digital wrench. Everybody says snap-on makes the best torque wrench, but I dont wanna order from them unless I have to. I would rather get it from Amazon.com which is where I can get all the stuff listed above.

BlueShadow

bump for opinions on brand names I posted above.

0xenocron

Getting ready to build my own engine for the 1st time...subscribing for info