grumpyvette

most guys with corvettes stay with the stock valve covers unless forced into swapping , due to clearance issues caused by the use of roller rockers, stud girdles or other aftermarket valve train accessories. On some corvettes theres serious clearance issues with the windshield wiper motor housing and valve cover or accessory brackets that make using tall valve covers difficult but one thing that has not yet been pointed out is that the taller valve covers do have some slight advantage other that just additional clearance on the rocker assembly, and that slight advantage is they have increased surface area thats exposed to the realatively cool air of the engine compartment,compared to the oil temp, altho the air temp in the engine compartment may reach 170-190 degs its still much cooler than the oil that can reach 230-280 degrees while racing, that allows the constant sheets of oil thrown from the rocker assembly onto the inner surface to cool as it has the heat absorbed as the oil runs over the inner surface on its return to the sump. in effect the taller valve covers greater surface area acts like an oil cooler that helps cool the valve springs very slightly. now it may only be a few degrees but each little advantage adds to the effiency of the total lubracation system. I try to use those tall cast aluminum valve covers just for that reason even if they are not mandatory. another advantage is that the oil seperator baffles tend to be possitioned further from the flowing oil in the cylinder heads making it less likely that the breathers allow oil film to blow onto the outer engine or the PVC valve to suck oil into the intake on older engines with worn rings BTW ,if they are sbc perimeter valve covers JEGS sells these that help a great deal http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=2207&prmenbr=361 a few things you should know [1] synthetic oil desolves that yellow 3m weatherstrip gasket adhesive than many guys use over a few months time so you can,t use it to glue valve cover gaskets (IT WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE USED THAT WAY ANYWAY, WEATHER STRIP ADHEASIVE is NOT TOTALLY OIL RESISTANT, you should use the correct adheasive [2]you must use a o2 safe gasket cement like the BLACK RTV silicone cement and you must clean and degrease the cover with acetone or a similar solvent before glueing on the gasket to get the best retention [3]you need to allow at least a few hours to over night,depends mostly on temp. for that black silicone gasket cement to set up before installing the valve covers, and placeing them gasket side down on a table with a sheet of wax paper under them and a 20lb weight on top of each valve cover while the cement sets up is the best way to insure the gaskets stay correctly aligned on the valve covers perimeter [4]a light coat of (PAM) cooking spray on the lower gasket surface keeps them from sticking to the cylinder heads after installation [5] these gasket retaining rings add a great deal to the valve covers ability to firmly hold the gasket WITHOUT bending SHEET METAL VALVE COVERS OR CRACKING CAST ALUMINUM VALVE COVERS AND ARE WELL WORTH THE MINIMAL COST [6]tall valve covers allow the use of stud girdles that if correctly installed with matching poly locks on the rocker studs aid the valve train stability and can allow gains of several hundered RPM before valve control problems occure [7]doing it correctly the first time saves time and money

you want turbo info? this will get you started http://www.turbofast.com.au/javacalc.html http://www.racetep.com/size.html http://www.airflowresearch.com/ (articles)-(1000 HP 383 ci AFR 210 cc ) http://www.turbomustangs.com/turbotech/main.htm http://www.montygwilliams.com/ http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/compression.htm http://www.turbofast.com.au/TFcompB.html http://www.grapeaperacing.com/GrapeApeRacing/tech/turbochargers.pdf http://www.turbocharged.com/main.htm

http://www.miata.net/sport/Physics/index.html you may want to read thru this,first and keep in mind that the tires used and the suspension set-up will have a great deal to do with the results BTW you generally want to keep the( center of gravity/ballance point) as low and centralized as you can in a road race style car 55/45 weigth the center of mass between the wheels would be prefered over 50/50 with a good deal of mass at the extreme ends of the cars length, in fact most of the weight SHOULD BE between the axles and as close to the ground as you can get it!

http://www.miata.net/sport/Physics/index.html you may want to read thru this

BTW http://ohiocrank.com/ check out the 454 SMALL BLOCK ENGINE for $7000. or $4000 for a short block, assembly,at that price its almost not worth building your own, and just buying it already built, especially if your not in possesion of all the tools/skills necessary Id bet a 450hp/550 tq engine would be quite interesting in a (Z) and ask anyone whos built a 450hp ENGINE for thier (Z) Id bet they got less for their money??? OH! I bet it RPMS quite nicely due to the tires having damn little traction to slow them down, if your running street tires 454 Cubic Inch Chevy Pump Gas Small Block On our Superflo dyno this motor made 455 HP with an amazing 550 ft. lb. of torque. It idles great, runs on 92 pump gas, has good throttle repsponse and driveability. This would be the ideal street rod small block. It features a Motown block, 4340 steel crank, H-beam rods, forged pistons, Canton pan, Sportsman II heads, Motown intake, and roller rockers. It's just realy cool to have a 454 SMALL block in your hotrod. $6995

having just RE-READ this thread ,I think many guys are missing a few important points...some may be confusing the rate of rpm increase with the peak rpms and opperating range of the differant combos, while these little question that a shorter stroke combo can opperate at a higher EFFECTIVE AVERAGE RPM range if properly cammed, that in no way means a shorter stroke engine can accellerate the car faster, or that the shorter stroke engine can build to that range faster once the drive train is engaged given equal rear gear ratios first the engine moves the car and accelerates the car while under load when its firmly connected to the drive train,the potential extra torque that can be applied from both the longer leverage and greater displacement of the larger engine useing the same bore size, if correctly matched to the drive train gearing allows the greater amount of fuel/air mix and the pressure this generates on the piston surface to accellerate the car faster, (you might want to think about driving a large stake into the ground, with your choice of a 3lb hammer or a 12 lb sledge, you can hit many more strikes per minute with the smaller hammer far faster but the greater impact per strike still has an advantage) yes before someone points it out your correct the shorter stroke combo USUALLY runs a HIGHER GEAR RATIO to allow it to build RPMS faster, but thats mostly because it needs the extra mechanical addvantage that higher ratio supplies to move the car with its lower torque levels, and the shorter stroke combo usually has a narrower torque curve and needs to be shifted more frequently and yes a shorter stroke usually can potenially make more hp per cubic inch of displacement, "but more hp per cubic inch of displacement" does not mean more TOTAL HP!, its rare for larger engines that are correctly set up to make less hp that similar smaller engines with a similar combo, and in those cases its comon to find the parts combo is restricting the larger combo! the greater the CONSTANTLY APPLIED AVERAGE ROTATIONAL torque, (horsepower) in relation to the cars weight, the faster the car will accellerate, yet theres little if any torque applied durring gear shifts so keeping the engine power firmly connected to the drive train is much more effective than constantly shifting gears to stay in a PEAKY torque curve.the engine can REV or build RPMS only as fast as it can accellerate the car!!! and larger displacement , increased compression,and longer stroke within limits helps here, the short stroke combos lower tq and higher rpms along with lower vollumetric efficency ,at those higher rpms and the need to shift more often and potential valve controll problems at high rpms DON,T TEND TOO HELP much each engine will have its peak and average torque/horsepower determined by several factors but the ability too efficiently fill its cylinders and burn the A/F mix, converting that pressure on the pistons into rotational force is always a ballance between the increased NUMBER of power strokes as the RPMS increase and the loss in cylinder filling efficiency ONCE the engine reaches its peak vollumetric efficiency (the PEAK TQ will usually be very close to that RPM point) and its rarely above 4500rpm-5500rpm in any engine youll be driving on the street, at only 6500 rpm the engine needs to fill EACH of its cylinders over 54 times PER SECOND, it does not take a great deal of thought to realize that the time necessary to fill the cylinders gets excessively to short as the RPMS increase much past that RPM RANGE, and it just so happends that a 3.75" stroke of a 383 or a 406 sbc reaches 4000fpm in piston speed at 6400rpm (usually considered the max breifly sustainable RPM for stock style parts due to inertial stress limits) example heres a race style 350 that makes over 500hp, yet the torque peaked at 5500rpm, only the increased number of power strokes of constantly lower effecincy as the rpms build above that rpm keep the hp number climbing FOR AWHILE, UNTILL the TORQUE VALUES fall off faster than thre increased rpms compensate for now read this build up now both engines would make a fast car, but CORRECTLY GEARED the larger engine with its lower average rpm range would be BOTH FASTER and MUCH MORE REASPONSIVE

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0735470919.1114372406@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccikaddehflfhmmcehgcemgdffmdggg.0&vertical=TOOL&pid=03493948000&tab=des#tablink these glasses have small but very bright lights mounted in the frames, they come in VERY handy under a car to both SEE WHAT your DOING and protect your eyes from the CRAP thats almost always falling in your eyes under a car from the frame and trans. Extremely strong, GearWrench meets or exceeds ANSI, DIN and Federal torque specifications Handles long bolts and threaded rods with ease and speed 180 degree Flex action head allows GearWrench to reach the tightest places GearWrench speed wrench moves a fastener with the speed and ease of a fine tooth ratchet Surface Drive® box end virtually eliminates the rounding of fasteners Set includes 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8, 11/16 and 3/4 in. sizes http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00944005000 these are EXTREMELY handy in tight applications like header bolts and spark plug installation

DANA 36 vs DANA 44 The C-4 Dana 36 was the only axle available in 1984 Corvettes. In 1985, Chevrolet brought out the Dana 44 which was similar to the 80-82 Corvette axle, but not interchangeable. The Dana 44 axle is considerably stronger, but not indestructible. The Dana 36 and the Dana 44 (44's in some autos and all manuals) axles were used through 1996. The Dana 44 is much larger than the D36. The 44 has a larger, "beefier" carrier/components to handle larger (lower) ring and pinions, and increased torque. 603967 GM 44 REAR 1980 CORVETTE 605172 GM 36 REAR 1984 CORVETTE 605180 GM 36 REAR 1984 CORVETTE 605220 GM 44 REAR 1985-87 CORVETTE 605239 GM 36 REAR 1984-86 CORVETTE 605260 GM 36 REAR 1985-87 CORVETTE 605321 GM 36 REAR 1988-90 CORVETTE 605322 GM 44 REAR 1989 1/2-90 CORVETTE 605365 GM 44 REAR 1988-89 CORVETTE 605417 GM 44 REAR 1990-90 1/2 CORVETTE 605490 GM 36 REAR 1990 1/2-96 1/2 CORVETTE 605491 GM 44 REAR 1990-96 1/2 CORVETTE 605492 GM 44 REAR 1990 1/2 CORVETTE Look at the size difference, especially at the case above the yokes:and NOTICE the DANA 36 has a centered upper cover bolt that the dana 44 does NOT HAVE Dana 36 Dana 44 And visit ikerds.com Who were kind enough to supply the pics... heres a link to info to install it in a 240Z one of your members posted http://www.turbobuicks.com/members/scottiegnz/vette-irs-swap.htm

NO ITS NOT "HARD" but it does take both time and some skill to do correctly.you CAN,T JUST HOG OUT EVERYTHING IN REACH with a grinder and expect good results this might help (1) open throat to 85%-90% of valve size (2)cut a 4 angle seat with 45 degree angle .065-.075 wide where the valve seats and about .100 at 60 degrees below and a .030 wide 30 degree cut above and a 20 degree cut above that rolled and blended into the combustion chamber (3)blend the spark plug boss slightly and lay back the combustion chamber walls near the valves to the edge of a head gasket (4)narrow but don,t shorten the valve guides (5) open and straiten and blend the upper two port corner edges along the port roof (6) gasket match to/with an intake gasket and raise the port roof slightly (7) back cut valves at 30 degrees (8) polish valve face and round outer edges slightly (9)polish combustion chamber surface and blend edges slightly leaveing no sharp edges (10) remove and smooth away all casting flash , keep the floor of the port slightly rough but the roof and walls smoothed but not polished. (11) use a head gasket to see the max you can open the combustion chamber walls (12) blend but don,t grind away the short side radias http://www.ws6transam.org/ported.html http://www.sa-motorsports.com/diyport.shtm http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~davis/z28/buildup/plenum/ http://www.babcox.com/editorial/us/us110128.htm http://www.diyporting.com/Shrouding.html http://www.babcox.com/editorial/ar/eb120121.htm http://www.diyporting.com/flowbench.html http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/bench.htm and YES ,(depending on the application) it CAN give a very noticable improvement in flow and hp

LOOK here http://www.mortec.com/location.htm http://www.mortec.com/castnum.htm http://www.digitaldorks.com/jim/headnumbers.asp http://www.jimsperformance.com/headchart.html http://www.thedirtforum.com/castings.htm http://www.holisticpage.com/camaro/parts/head.htm http://www.jimsperformance.com/headchart.html http://www.ajf36.com/casting_numbers.htm

just to make things even more crazy.... keep in mind that the EXHAUST SCAVAGING can be tuned to help increase the intake flow efficiency... at,.. above...or below...the intakes tuned rpm rangebut naturally tuning it to match the intakes natural frequncy range give the best results HERES AN OLDER POST! http://victorylibrary.com/mopar/header-tech-c.htm http://www.btinternet.com/~mezporting/exhaust_length.html http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/flomstr1e.htm http://store.summitracing.com/product.asp?d=8&s=127&p=608&searchtype=ecat&l=FLO http://www.headersbyed.com/chevsbv8.htm http://www.stainlessworks.net/Header%20Flanges.htm http://www.stahlheaders.com/Frame%20Flanges.htm http://www.headersbyed.com/hdrkits.htm http://www.cachassisworks.com/header.htm http://www.mazdatrix.com/fabricators.htm http://store.yahoo.com/exhaustpros/hustxpi.html http://store.yahoo.com/exhaustpros/magmanbenypi.html http://www.spiralturbobaffles.com/ http://www.secureperformanceorder.com/dynatechdragstore/vortex.cfm http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=header+flanges&newu=1&krd=1?keyword=header+flanges http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/flomstr1e.htm http://www.ssheaders.com/Collectors.htm http://www.burnsstainless.com/MergeCollectors/mergecollectors.html http://www.cachassisworks.com/header.htm http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLine/Products/ES/ESHHA/SplitFlow.html http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLine/Products/ES/ESHHA/Cutaway.html http://www.holley.com/HiOctn/ProdLine/Products/ES/ESHHA/HPipe.html http://store.summitracing.com/section.asp?d=8&s=577 Ive tried to stay out of this but I might as well jump in and get involvedIve done this many times its not that hard. heres what I do, get some of that plastic smurf tubeing in the 2" dia size and some ceiling hanger wire and some of that hard set constuction insulation foam. now weld 1" stubs of the exhaust tube to the header flange exhaust ports and bolt it to the cylinder heads. clamp the collectors to a 6 foot section of 2x6" wood and jack it up solid under the car (collectors not touching the car anywhere)to position them where you want them under the car, now cut (8) sections of smurf tubeing too about 36"-42" long(theres a formula to figure the exact length)slide 4-6 pieces of ceiling suspension wire in each tube with the ends looped over inside the tube. now startin with the upper inside collector position and the rear exhaust port, bend and fit the smurf tubeing to fit, the next forward exhaust port goes to the lower inside collector port the next exhaust to the upper outside collector port and the furthest forward to the lower outside collector port , once they are all bent to fit shoot the tubes full of hardening construction foam, let it harden and then pull each individual tube off one at a time and duplicate it in steel tubeing,(or have your local muffler shop duplicate it) this method REALLY makes the fit and try time minimal. and assures equal length tube headers.SMURF TUBE is flexable plastic electrical conduit thats normally BLUE or ORANGE and COMMONLY called smurf tubeing by contractors its a plastic version of that metal GREENFIELD tubeing that electrical contractors use but its cheaper and easier to work with, it resembles a canister type vacuum cleaner pickup hose but stiffer, its available at big hardware stores,and electrical supply houses dirt cheap in 10' lengths about $6 each or les you will need (3)BTW the 4-6 wires act like rebar in concrete, the loops keep the wires from moveing in the foam while their incased in the construction foam, the hard plastic foam is what keeps it stiff and no it will not be exact you will still need to tweak it to get it to fit but it will speed up the process of making the tube pattern shapes. just keep in mind that you can buy headers fairly cheaply (under $300 in many cases) for most cars its when you go and get an odd ball combo this comes in handy, like putting a 502bbc in a 57 vette or a 392 hemi in a 63 falcon, or you need headers for a LS1 in you 67 camaroHERES INFO YOU CAN USE http://www.headersbyed.com/hdrkits.htm heres a quick way to figure your true primairy tube length (use 1250f degs(950k) and 5000rpm for race cars, 1200 degs(922K) and 3000rpm for street cars ) if you want other temps look here or if your really lazy and the answers in meters (about39"=1 meter) but if you just use 36"-40" it will just move your tuned rpm level up or down slightly, not enough to make much differance except on a very peaky engine combo in a very light car.and this assumes your tube dia. is the same size as your exhaust port size.(never smaller, slightly larger dia. is ok) btw mild steel is much easier to work with than stainless the pipes should be slightly oversized rather than so small that they partially block the exhaust port. a pipe dia. that is small enought to partly block the exhaust port can hurt the cylinder scavageing by causeing turbulance and restrictions at the port exit, while a primary tube size slightly larger than the port leaves a ledge that partly retards returning pressure waves from reduceing the scavageing effect,...USE THE CALCULATOR PROGRAMS THATS WHAT THEY ARE THERE FORand keep in mind the displacement and rpm levels effect the dia. and length of both the primaries and collectors, these MUST VARY IN DIA. and LENGTH TO MATCH THE ENGINES EXHAUST PULSE TIMEING so that a NEGATIVE PRESSURE WAVE WILL BE CORRECTLY TIMED to SCAVAGE THE CYLINDERS EFFICIENTLY at the desired rpm range if you want other temps look here heres a quick cross check ( (btw its not((Degrees ATDC)they mean subtract the BBDC from 180 degs. then use the answer and the rpm level should be picked for the expected torque peak [ or if your really lazy and the answers in meters (about 39"=1 meter example , my 383 vette has a cam with exhaust cam timing that opens at 83degs bbdc, thats 97 degs atdc, Bore: (Inches) 4.03" Exhaust Valve Opening Point: (Degrees ATDC) 97 degs Peak Power RPM: 5500rpm Calculated information appears below Header Pipe Diameter: (Inches) 1.84"< Header Pipe Length: (Inches) 37.65 Collector Diameter: (Inches) 3.5 Collector Length: (Inches) 18.82

I just got thru posting this responce at another site to a guy who is buying a particular cam BECAUSE....." since i got a great deal on a Edelbrock performer cam" now IM not saying your particular combo will or will not work correctly. with that particular cam, and IM well aware of the fact most of us hot rodders have limited funds but I must point out that I constantly see more combos get ruined thru "the DEAL" than almost any other problem in engine building "the DEAL" is when you get a great price on parts that don,t exactly match your engine combos needs or put another way some parts are designed to work at a differant rpm range, airflow or compression than the rest of your combo, but they get used simply because you got a great price! keep in mind many of those good "DEALS" are out there at the swap meets, ETC. BECAUSE someone else tried those parts with LESS than great results, and is unloading them to get some of thier wasted money back youll usually get much better results EXACTLY duplicating KNOWN effective combos or at least useing very similar parts NOT getting random " GREAT DEALS" on parts that might save you money but mis-match components and it helps a great deal to know exactly why your useing a specific part and how it effects the results of the rest of the parts in your combo, as to rpm range, compression and airflow

just some info mineral base oils ALL tend to break down over time at temps over about 250F at a far faster rate than SYNTHETIC BASE OILS. oil must reach a minimum of about 215F to keep clean and function correctly but lubracates best in the temp range between about 230F and between 240F-250F so if your keeping too that 215F-250F range youll get longer engine life due to reduced wear. oil (especially synthetic)has improved dramatically over the last 15-20 years and thinner oil tends to BOTH absorb and carry away heat from the bearing surfaces quicker due to the faster movement thru those clearances, and those more modern formulas of thinner oils do protect your engine far better than the older oils did. keep in mind PRESSURE is a measure of the OILS RESISTANCE to being forced under pressure thru your engines clearances, and thinner oil reduces the resistance to both flow thru those clearances and pumping losses the moving parts have sliding over the oil films surface, remember the oil molicules are very small, and theres hundreds of layers stacked in that thousandth or so of bearing clearance. a quick way to get an idea on your clearances is to look at your oil pressure AFTER the engine reaches the proper operating temps which should be about(between 215F and 240F...... OIL TEMP NOT COOLANT TEMP) and use the thinnest QUALITY oil that maintains about a 20 psi at idle (700-900 rpm) ! keep in mind you want the OIL temp to reach a MINIMUM of 215F to burn off moisture, and that OIL FLOW does MUCH of the critical cooling in the ENGINE, so if your running hot, a larger baffled oil pan, with its far greater surface area and oil voluum can also aid in the total cooling process, just swapping from a stock 5 qt to a aftermarket 8 qt pan is usually worth about a 10-15 degree drop in engine temps the oil temp is more critical than the coolant temp(with-in limits of course) but don,t allow the oil temp to fail to reach and stay in the 215F-240F-250F range once the engines up to operating temp. or it can,t do its clean/lub job correctly coolant temps in the 180f-210f range are about ideal according to G.M. test for HP and LONG ENGINE LIFE http://www.vtr.org/maintain/oil-overview.html Oil weight, or viscosity, refers to how thick or thin the oil is. The temperature requirements set for oil by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is 0 degrees F (low) and 210 degrees F (high). Oils meeting the SAE's low temperature requirements have a "W" after the viscosity rating (example: 10W), and oils that meet the high ratings have no letter (example SAE 30). An oil is rated for viscosity by heating it to a specified temperature, and then allowing it to flow out of a specifically sized hole. Its viscosity rating is determined by the length of time it takes to flow out of the hole. If it flows quickly, it gets a low rating. If it flows slowly, it gets a high rating. Engines need oil that is thin enough for cold starts, and thick enough when the engine is hot. Since oil gets thinner when heated, and thicker when cooled, most of us use what are called multi-grade, or multi-viscosity oils. These oils meet SAE specifications for the low temperature requirements of a light oil and the high temperature requirements of a heavy oil. You will hear them referred to as multi-viscosity, all-season and all-weather oils. An example is a 10W-30 which is commonly found in stores. When choosing oil, always follow the manufacturer's recommendation. WHAT VISCOSITY GRADE SHOULD I USE ? WILL A HIGH VISCOSITY GRADE (20W-50) PROVIDE BETTER PROTECTION ? A. Mobil recommends that you follow your engine manufacturer's recommendations as indicated in the owner's manual. For maximum wear protection and maximum fuel economy, use the lightest oil viscosity that is recommended by the engine manufacturer for the temperature range expected. Heavier oils can lower fuel economy and rob horsepower. For normal driving conditions, 5W-30 and 10W-30 are the primary current recommendations of automotive manufacturers. BTW http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html http://www.diabolicalperformance.com/clearances.html

BTW unless the clearances in your engine are on the really loose end of the spectrum I think youll do far better with a thinner oil viscosity than 20w 50 25 years ago thicker oil viscositys were comon in racing engines simply because heat tends to thin the oil and thicker viscositys were necessary , but todays oils are so superior that even endurance racing engines use thinner oils that carry heat from the bearings faster. to answer your question, Id run a good quality oil (mineral base oil)like texico,shell, valvoline ETC. (for the first THREE HUNDRED MILE MAX)then change to a good synthetic and a new filter after the cam and rings seat which should only take about 15-30 minutes not even the 3 hundred miles mentioned oil (especially synthetic)has improved dramatically over the last 15-20 years and thinner oil tends to BOTH absorb and carry away heat from the bearing surfaces quicker due to the faster movement thru those clearances, and those more modern formulas of thinner oils do protect your engine far better than the older oils did. keep in mind PRESSURE is a measure of the OILS RESISTANCE to being forced under pressure thru your engines clearances, and thinner oil reduces the resistance to both flow thru those clearances and pumping losses the moving parts have sliding over the oil films surface, remember the oil molicules are very small, and theres hundreds of layers stacked in that thousandth or so of bearing clearance. a quick way to get an idea on your clearances is to look at your oil pressure AFTER the engine reaches the proper operating temps which should be about(between 215F and 240F...... OIL TEMP NOT COOLANT TEMP) and use the thinnest QUALITY oil that maintains about a 20 psi at idle (700-900 rpm) ! keep in mind you want the OIL temp to reach a MINIMUM of 215F to burn off moisture, and that OIL FLOW does MUCH of the critical cooling in the ENGINE, so if your running hot, a larger baffled oil pan, with its far greater surface area and oil voluum can also aid in the total cooling process, just swapping from a stock 5 qt to a aftermarket 8 qt pan is usually worth about a 10-15 degree drop in engine temps the oil temp is more critical than the coolant temp(with-in limits of course) but don,t allow the oil temp to fail to reach and stay in the 215F-240F range once the engines up to operating temp. or it can,t do its clean/lub job correctly coolant temps in the 180f-210f range are about ideal according to G.M. test for HP and LONG ENGINE LIFE http://www.vtr.org/maintain/oil-overview.html Oil weight, or viscosity, refers to how thick or thin the oil is. The temperature requirements set for oil by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is 0 degrees F (low) and 210 degrees F (high). Oils meeting the SAE's low temperature requirements have a "W" after the viscosity rating (example: 10W), and oils that meet the high ratings have no letter (example SAE 30). An oil is rated for viscosity by heating it to a specified temperature, and then allowing it to flow out of a specifically sized hole. Its viscosity rating is determined by the length of time it takes to flow out of the hole. If it flows quickly, it gets a low rating. If it flows slowly, it gets a high rating. Engines need oil that is thin enough for cold starts, and thick enough when the engine is hot. Since oil gets thinner when heated, and thicker when cooled, most of us use what are called multi-grade, or multi-viscosity oils. These oils meet SAE specifications for the low temperature requirements of a light oil and the high temperature requirements of a heavy oil. You will hear them referred to as multi-viscosity, all-season and all-weather oils. An example is a 10W-30 which is commonly found in stores. When choosing oil, always follow the manufacturer's recommendation. WHAT VISCOSITY GRADE SHOULD I USE ? WILL A HIGH VISCOSITY GRADE (20W-50) PROVIDE BETTER PROTECTION ? A. Mobil recommends that you follow your engine manufacturer's recommendations as indicated in the owner's manual. For maximum wear protection and maximum fuel economy, use the lightest oil viscosity that is recommended by the engine manufacturer for the temperature range expected. Heavier oils can lower fuel economy and rob horsepower. For normal driving conditions, 5W-30 and 10W-30 are the primary current recommendations of automotive manufacturers. BTW http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html http://www.diabolicalperformance.com/clearances.html (and while IM pointing out option, adding magnets to your oil pan collects the metallic dust before it can get embedded in bearings or damage rings, cam lobes etc.) "Any source for the magnets Grumpy? " http://www.wondermagnets.com/cgi-bin/edatcat/WMSstore.pl?user_action=detail&catalogno=0001 these are NOT REFRIGERATOR magnetS "#0001" can pick up a SBC cylinderhead, and you wont beleive the amount of crud they remove from your oil and prevent from reaching the bearings © 2003 ForceField Email us toll free (877)944-6247 or (970)484-7257 Also, you can visit us at our retail store in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA at 614 South Mason Street! Ive been installing 4 of these lately in the corners of the oil pan sump,nothing magnetic (metallic dust from engine wear, assorted trash,etc.)can get past them, I also sometimes install one near the rear oil drain in each head to collect broken valve train shrapnel in case of a failure to limit damage on race engines. btw if you dont want to install them inside the sump you can J&B weld them to the outside of the oil pan permently or just place them there if you want them removable,TRUST ME THEY WON,T FALL OFF ON THIER OWN attached to the steel oil pan sump

I build more bbc engines than any other and most with solid lifter cams (flat tappet and roller,,using a few precausions on bbc engines tends to prevent that lobe loss both crower and comp cams lifters(I use both in addition to the grouves)look, under lifters pg 107-108 have lifters with oil holes to spray presurized oil directly onto the contact point between the lifter and lobes (coolface lifters) http://www.crower.com/misc/m_cat.shtml http://www.compcams.com/Technical/CurrentCatalog/HTML/281-289.asp (part #800-16) using a tool to mod the lifter bores/ increase oil flow to the lobes helps a great deal also,yes it increases the oil flow onto the cam lobes and lifter base contact area. yes it cuts a grouve in the lower lifter bore from the oil feed hole to the bottom of the lifter bore (it cuts about a .040 wide and .007-10 thousands deep grouve)you must do this on a block before cleaning it the final time and before installing the cam bearings for best results because it scrapes small metal fileings from the lifter bores you don,t want in your engine. you insert the handle from the top of the lifter bore, hook onto the cutter that you insert from inside the block from the cam tunnel and pull the cutter up and slide it down in the same spot several times, the cutter scrapes the grouve, you must be carefull to cut the grouve on the side of the lifter bore that sprays oil onto the cam lobe as it starts to spin under the lifter not after it passes the lifter, look at diagram closely and figure out how your cam turns http://www.compcams.com/catalog/335.html this has little effect on oil pressure because the oil volume is low compared to the total amount moveing through the engine but its one reason I always use a high volume oil pump. btw IT COSTS ABOUT $140 IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY well worth the price because of thev lower cam failure rates the extra oil flow promotes. yes both solid and hydrolic cams benefit, yes it slightly increases the oil falling on the spinning rotateing assembly but thats what a milodon style windage screen is designed to handle by quickly returning that oil to the sump.

well personally Id won,t use a CC cam... now thats mostly because thier TECH SUPPORT is a bunch of $%^&&**(()))__*&^%$%&%$^&^ and I was FLAT LIED TOO SEVERAL TIMES!!! do yourself a favor and CALL and talk to several cam companys BEFORE buying the cam for your engine, write down all the info about your car, tell each cam manufacturer the same EXACT INFO,and DO NOT discuss info other cam companys give you, take detailed/ careful notes as to the part# lift ,duration and LCA each company suggested CRANE 1-386-258-6174 Tech Line crower 1- 619-422-1191 ERSON 1-772-882-1622 Isky 1-323-770-0930 LUNATI 1-(270) 781-9741 all give good tech support and have good products...of cousrse you do need to know rthe correct questions to as and ending the conversation with (what other advise can you give me??) helps then BUY the cam that comes closest to the average suggested specs this method basically prevents you from getting one adviser who has little experiance from giving you bad info!

Im looking for Ideas here/too improve/new tool box up to now I have always just labled the 22 drawers in my old tool box with one of those plastic lable makers I just purchase a second IDENTICAL MATCHING PROFESSIONAL 22 DRAWER TOOL BOX so it now appears to be one tool box twice as wide with duplicate drawers allen keys/torque bits drills,burrs 1/4 drive sockets/drives extensions 3/8" drive sockets/drives extensions 1/2" drive sockets/drives extensions gauges/meters/test equip/ir thermometers sae wrenchs metric wrenches torque wrenchs/timing lights/cpr test/leak test precision measureing/gauge sets ,mics gear pullers/installers/ETC. gaskets/fittings/hose pliers/cutters saws/grinders air tools/adapters cam dial in/clearance test/dial indicators/compressors ignition parts/test equip. injector parts/test equip carb.parts/test equip hammers/punches/chisels/bearing,plug,drivers taps/dies/epoxy/clay welding equip/welding rod/torches screw drivers/nut drivers ETC. can you significantly improve the system and YEAH while I may not be NEAT in all facits of my life, I damn sure keep my tools where they belong, clean and in the correct location, It makes me even more nuts than usual if tools are not put back correctly after each job :smirk:

you might want to read thru this http://www.cranecams.com/?show=article&id=2 FROM MORTEC If you are building a big block Chevy with a flat tappet cam, (solid or hydraulic lifters) be careful during the initial engine break in. It is very easy to lose a cam lobe and lifter during initial break in. This is especially true with a higher than stock lift cam and higher pressure valve springs. The increased pushrod angles found on the BBC and poor preparation can make cam lobe failure after initial fireup a distinct possibility. You can help prevent this cam lobe failure by making sure the engine is prelubed prior to intial fireup. Use a good high pressure lube on the cam lobes and lifter bottoms during assembly. If possible use a lighter pressure stock valve spring (or if using a valve spring with multiple springs, take out some of the inner springs) to intially run the engine. Then switch to the heavier pressure springs after break in. When the engine is first fired up, keep the engine rpms at 2,500 or above, don't let the engine idle for 20 minutes or longer. This keeps lots of oil splashing up on the cam lobes. Make sure the engine can be run for this time period by having enough fuel available, ignition timing set correctly, coolant available for the motor, valve lash set correctly, etc. The idea is not to crank the motor over excessively before it starts up for the first time. If your BBC flat tappet cam survives this initial break in period, it will be good to go for many miles. After the initial engine breakin, drain the oil and change the oil filter. Roller cams generally do not suffer these types of cam lobe failures during initial engine fireup. if youve adjusted the valves correctly the lifter spins at all rpm levels,but that does NOT mean it wears EVENLY at all rpm levels due to several factors if you [color:"red"] look closely AT FLAT TAPPET CAMS [/color]youll see that the center of the cam lobe is NOT centered under the lifter and that the lifter surface is slightly angled , BOTH these factors force the lifter to spin in its bore as the lobe passes under the lifter slightly off center. SOME of the reasons the higher rpm durring the break in phase is important is that (1) the faster RPMs the better chances the lobe passes under the lifter floated on an oil film and the less time the oil film has to squeeze out between them (2) the higher the RPM the greater the oil voluum and pressure the engine pumps and the more oil flow is available at the lobes (3)the higher the rpm level the more oil is thrown from the rods onto the cam lobes (4)the higher the rpm the greater the lifters weight and inertia tends to compensate for the springs pressure and lower the net pressure as the lifter passes over the cam lobes nose (5) at higher rpm speed the better chance a small wedge of oil is trapped between the lifter base and lobe from the oil thrown from the lobes surface by centrifical force (6) two differant metal surfaces scraping past each other at low speeds may tend to wear and GALL as the oil is sqeezed out but two differant hardness steel surfaces that impact each other at higher speeds covered with oil tend to work harden as they mate and will tend to be seperated by that oil (7)as the lifter spins in its bore the contact point between the lobe and lifter base constantly changes and rotates with the lobe contact point not resisting its passage and the higher the rpms the faster the lifter rotates and the less time the lobe spends at any one point BTW ADD E.O.S. to the oil and MOLY break-in lube to the cam before starting the engine and prefill the filter and pre-prime the oil system before starting the engine. I normally pour it in just before starting the engines cam break in,procedure. because I want to make sure that nothing in the oil/E.O.S. mix can settle out from sitting over a long period of time. now if your running a flat tappet cam you should have also used a moly cam lube on the lobes and be useing a mineral base oil for the break-in procedure, and youll need to do an oil and filter change after about the first 3-4 hours running time to remove that moly cam lube from the engine after its served its purpose of protecting the cams lobes and lifters at start up, aND AS THE LOBES/LIFTERS LAPPED IN. MOSTLY to prevent that moly grease and E.O.S from potentially partially clogging the filter after that mix cools down,but also because both those lubes might leave deposites in the combustion chamber ,over time that might aggravate detonation. even G.M. suggests that E.O.S. is not a great long term oil suppliment, and that its main function is to add extra oil film strength durring new engine break in. 1052367 ENGOILSUP EOS - Engine Assembly Prelube Specifically formulated as an engine assembly lubricant. E.O.S. provides outstanding protection against run-in wear and piston scuffing as well as run-in camshaft lobe and lifter scuffing resulting from insufficient lubrication don,t forget a few magnets in the oil pan goes a long way towards trapping unwanted metalic dust formed from the cam and rings lapping in durring break-in that might otherwise get imbedded in your bearings or cause other problems heres the magnets I use in every engine http://www.wondermagnets.com/cgi-bin/edatcat/WMSstore.pl?user_action=detail&catalogno=0035 http://www.cranecams.com/?show=reasonsForFailure

"I hear because everytime his wife stuck her head in the garage while he was working on the vette, he, uh, came off as grumpy . Just a rumor I'm sure!" "So, grump, no comment on that rumor, huh? " WHAT RUMOR!....I finally get my old wife of 35 years 1/2 trained to stay away from the garage....and you guys want to tell her its all an ACT???

a coup;e other forums http://www.chevytalk.org/threads/postlist.php/Cat/0/Board/UBB64 http://www.crossedflags.com/nuke/html/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=10 http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=68 http://kustomauto.2.forumer.com/

"If the balancer has been tapped on with a rubber mallet, should I remove the thrust bearings and replace them?" if It was my engine I pull the pan and re-check clearances very carefiully after about 500-800 miles, if the thrust bearings showed no signs of damage ID say you lucked out and not to worry "My threads were damaged only about 2/3rd the way into the crank. I had put a tap in, cleaned the rest of the threads, and can torque my ARP bolt down to 75PSI with the remaining threads... Should I bite the bullet and just tap it to 1/2 inch or use what is there with red loc-tite?} If It was MY crank ID re-thread it to the larger thread size, now Im not saying the current threads won,t hold only that doing it correctly is the best option

first let me point out that theres a DESIGNED CLEARANCE RANGE of manufacturing tollerances and if its not the factory original ballancers theres an excellent chance the ballancers internal dimension does not match the crank snouts outside dia.....next I need to point out its DESIGNED to be a slight interfearance fit, it it just slides on it will not be as effective at absorbing crank harmonics if theres ANY SLACK and only the crank KEY keeps it from turning, it takes a very tight fit to act as DESIGNED, now that being said, theres no reason that it needs to be excessively difficult to install and a BRAKE HONE used to open up the internal dia. slightly is perfectly exceptable, as is placing the damper in hot (not boiling)water top expand the internal dia. and oiling the crank snout before installation. but using the correct tool makes a huge differance in how hard they go on!

a comon problem I see is crank threads that get stripped when the damper is being re-installed having gone thru this several times , Ill point out a few things, (1) the stripped threads are surely caused by trying to pull the damper in place using the bolt, (bad idea) you NEED to use the correct tool look at the picture carefully the small 7/16 thread ,on the tool threads into the crank, the damper slips over the tool, the large washer style bearing slips over the tool followed by the solid washer followed by the large nut that threads on the tool, the back of the tool is normally a 9/16 or 5/8 hex this is held with a box end wrench to keep the engine from turning, the large nut is usually a 1 1/8" nut and it is tightened with an open end 1 1/8" wrench or a adjustable wrench against the two washers drawing the damper onto the crank snout! lube the threads on the tool, the inside of the damper and crank snout with oil before starting. the damper will normally slide on about 1/4 of the way bye hand then the tool is needed to draw the damper on the last 3/4 of the distance, don,t over tighten the tool the 7/16" thread will snap off in the crank after the damper bottoms out on the lower timing gear if you do NEVER USE A HAMMER AND BLOCK OF WOOD TO DRIVE THE DAMPER ON, YES THOUSANDS OF GUYS THINK THEY DID IT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS BUT IT WILL DAMAGE THE THRUST BEARING CLEARANCES, IT CAN BREAK THE ELASTOMER TORSION RING ON STOCK DAMPERS IT CAN CAUSE THE INERTIAL RING ON FLUIDAMPER TO BECOME JAMMED INTERNALLY IT CAN CAUSE THE DAMPER TO FAIL. IF THE DAMPER FAILS THE CRANK WILL EVENTUALLY BE DAMMAGED IT GREATLY STRESSES THE CRANK SHAFT IT CAN DAMAGE THE CRANKS TRANSMISSION PILOT BEARING IT CAN DAMAGE THE TRANSNSMISSION ALMOST EVERY TYPE OF DAMAGE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOWS UP RIGHT AWAY, BUT IT WILL DAMAGE THE PARTS LISTED AND THERES THOUSANDS OF GUYS THAT ARE WONDERING WHY THOSE PARTS FAILED 6-24 MONTHs LATER WITH NO CLUE AS TO THE CAUSE! [bASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION, IF CRANKSHAFTS THAT ARE A FEW THOUSANDS OUT OF LINE I.E. NOT PERFECTLY STRAIT ARE BENT/STRAITEND WITH A LEAD HAMMER BY CRANK MANUFACTURES (and yes thats how its done) AND CRANKS THAT ARE DROPPED ON A CONCRETE FLoOR SOMETIMES BEND SLIGHTLY ,(happens all the time) WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT BEATING ON THEM WITH A HAMMER AND A BLOCK OF WOOD WONT DAMMAGE THEM? AND WHILE WERE AT IT WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO SOME GUY YOU CAUGHT BEATING ON YOUR ENGINE BLOCK WITH A HAMMER? WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CRANKS DOING TO YOUR MAIN CAPS WHEN YOU BEAT ON THE CRANK? PROPERLY USED THAT INSTALLATION TOOL CAN EXCERT OVER 15 TONS OF PRESSURE TO SLIDE THE DAMPER ON, IF IT WONT SLIDE ON, THERES A PROBLEM! FIND IT AND FIX IT .....DON,T BEAT ON THE DAMPER/CRANK (2) you can easily RE-DRILL and RE-THREAD the crank from the 7/16"NF to the 1/2" NF thread used on big block cranks and use a bbc bolt

I got emailled asking for spark plug info..SO!... http://performanceunlimited.com/illustrations/sparkplugs.html the plugs are normally done (the electrodes cut back)with a dremel tool cutting disk a few places to look for more info on plugs http://www.gofastzone.com/techtips/sparkplugs/sparkplugs.htm http://www.acdelco.com/html/pi_plugs_ident.htm http://www.autolite.com/framer.cgi?page=http://www.autolite.com/products/racing.htm http://members.uia.net/pkelley2/sparkplugreading.html http://www.atlanticjetsports.com/_techtalk/00000005.htm http://www.strappe.com/plugs.html http://www.babcox.com/editorial/cm/cm59910.htm http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/techinfo/spark_plugs/partnumberkey.pdf http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/spkplghnbook.htm http://www.tsrsoftware.com/sparkplug.htm http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/engine/plugs.html http://www.dansmc.com/sparkplugs1.htm http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/techinfo/spark_plugs/overviewp2.asp http://www.pajjakid.com/ubipa/sparkplugs.htm http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive/sparkplugs.html http://www.bullittarchive.com/Maintenance/Sparkplugoverview/ http://www.powerarc.com/sparkplug.htm http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/64378/ http://www.wakularacing.com/TechnicalInfo.htm http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Flats/3877/spark.html

Do you know how thick that region of the block is? it varies between block castings How deep is too deep (hit the water jacket)? I try to cut a MAXIMUM of .080 past the point where the rods touch the block and I use good QUALITY (H) style rods with 7/16' CAP SCREW ROD BOLTS to MINIMIZE the need to grind clearances Have you ever experienced any cracking in the block due to the clearancing? NOT YET! better clerance to the block useing this style simply because theres no rod bolt projecting out of the rod shoulder area to hit the cam on the upper shoulder and the heads of the cap screws tend to be smaller than nuts on standard bolts, look closely youll see the capscrews tuck up tighter to the rod journal, the bad part about (H) style rods is most dont have a ballance pad to grind durring ballancing so if they are not a matched set in weight minoe grinding on the rod caps is done. usually not enougth to be any concern but still cosmedically a bad idea