Engine Rebuild Pics

Mike92104 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 30, 2014 7:07 pm

http://s650.photobucket.com/user/mike92 ... ry/Rebuild

I rebuilt my engine along with the help of my uncle who's an airplane mechanic, and has been building race engines for 40 or so years. We sometimes forgot to take pictures when things we rolling along, but we got a few good ones in.

We fully reman'd the bottom end, and I used a good used head from VM Specialist along with some ARP studs. Since there isn't any sort of kit available, It was a bit of a pain getting all the parts. I'll get a parts list compiled and will add it to the post later.

Perhaps we should make a sticky. We may be able to compile a good set of rebuild pics. This engine wasn't hard to work on at all, and is built pretty well in my opinion. My uncle did say (repeatedly) that it was by far the filthiest engine he has ever seen.

As a disclaimer, I haven't installed and started the engine yet.

Hexus · **Posted:** Sat Aug 30, 2014 8:51 pm

Very cool set of pictures, really show some detail of the cylinders and the crank that most will never get to (none want to) see.

He has a very nice shop. Whatever you do, when you put that beautiful brand new rebuilt engine back in, do NOT run the EGR, please.

Thanks for sharing, much appreciated!

Mike92104 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 30, 2014 9:04 pm

It won't ever be started without an Ecotune.

diesel_guy86 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 30, 2014 9:20 pm

Amazing pics! Really helps me imagine what all I'm gonna be looking at when I build my engine. The block does seem like its pretty stout. I kinda like the tunnel block design, the stress is distributed throughout the whole block, instead of being focused on just 2 or 4 main cap bolts. Did you install the balance shafts also?

Mike92104 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 30, 2014 10:18 pm

I had to truck the thing 1200 miles from San Diego to Lubbock and back. I chose to leave the balancer and pan off for transport. Without the pins that hold the main bearing housings in place, the bottom of the block is completely flat and sits nicely on it's own. With the pins in, we sat the block on a couple of 2x4's to pad it up a bit for the return trip since the pins protrude about a half an inch.

The only part of the engine that would concern me are the oil jets. They are narrow and fragile, and I can imagine them getting clogged up in such a dirty engine.

flman · **Posted:** Sun Aug 31, 2014 8:15 am

diesel_guy86 wrote:

Amazing pics! Really helps me imagine what all I'm gonna be looking at when I build my engine. The block does seem like its pretty stout. I kinda like the tunnel block design, the stress is distributed throughout the whole block, instead of being focused on just 2 or 4 main cap bolts. Did you install the balance shafts also?

X2 I was impressed with the size of the crank, and the block does look very tough, too bad for the aluminum head. Maybe the ARPs will put an end to that problem?

hucorey · **Joined:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:29 am **Posts:** 378

I love the Shelby in the background.

Nice work too. I bet your uncle was great to work with. Few mechanics are more meticulous than an airplane mechanic. I wish I had a resource like that.

805gregg · **Posted:** Sun Aug 31, 2014 8:59 pm

Looks like a robust engine, glad I have one, now how much?

Mike92104 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:38 am

805gregg wrote:

Looks like a robust engine, glad I have one, now how much?

I'll try to include the numbers with the parts list, but off the top of my head, I would say $3500. However, I fell down the rabbit hole of new parts, and a good rebuild can be done for MUCH less.

Mike.

jthomas999 · **Joined:** Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:51 pm **Posts:** 98

Did you replace your oil pump?

I am rebuilding mine right now and am on the fence. Its about $130, but I already have over $4000 in parts and labor, Including a new head, $1700.

Mike92104 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 01, 2014 4:58 pm

jthomas999 wrote:

Did you replace your oil pump?

I am rebuilding mine right now and am on the fence. Its about $130, but I already have over $4000 in parts and labor, Including a new head, $1700.

I didn't. I'm not sure there's anything that can wear out on the thing.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Mon Sep 01, 2014 7:28 pm

normally on oil pumps -
there's an end plate that bolts on and it wears so that allows the pressure to leak down
it's not that it stops - it just has less pressure.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Mon Sep 07, 2015 12:13 pm

ATXKJ wrote:

normally on oil pumps -
there's an end plate that bolts on and it wears so that allows the pressure to leak down
it's not that it stops - it just has less pressure.

Yeah, it's a mechanical displacement/gear pump isn't it? Those have specs I think you can check with a feeler gauge?

Did the OP ever start the engine?

Did he use a "degrees torque wrench" and follow the manual, or just torqued the rod bearings to X?

Mike92104 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 08, 2015 1:57 pm

It's running great with about 4000 miles on it now. We used a 30/60/90 triangle for the torque angles.

geordi · **Posted:** Tue Sep 08, 2015 11:08 pm

Any idea what kind of torque you put on the rod bolts? I may be digging into this myself soon on an engine.

Mike92104 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 08, 2015 11:21 pm

We followed the factory TTY specs.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Tue Sep 08, 2015 11:27 pm

geordi wrote:

Any idea what kind of torque you put on the rod bolts? I may be digging into this myself soon on an engine.

Geordi, maybe since you've had good luck talking to the VM shop in the UK, you might ask them for us :roll:

I would try, but I've been waiting months for them to complete an order I paid for...
I'm not afraid of the degrees method, but it just seems silly and imprecise. Maybe we can just look up some similar engine that actually has NM's. I'll try digging around, there's gotta be some folks in the EU that have figured this one out!

geordi · **Posted:** Wed Sep 09, 2015 12:17 am

I'm not so sure that George runs a "shop" as much as a VM engine breaking-and-parting service. But when I did talk to them, I had to get up at an unholy hour to be able to get them on the phone.

Maybe there are specs out there for the VM 428 or 425? The other VM engines such as the marine version are functionally the same as ours on the bottom end, so I would think that if any specs DO exist, they ought to be able to translate to this engine.

Failing that... When I get the bottom open on the engine I'm working on, maybe I'll pull one of those bolts and enlist the fine folks at ARP to help develop an alternative spec for us. It might come to nothing with ARP, but if I find any of those bolts loose... I'm going to be looking to develop a safety lock of some sort. Both of my engine failures involved a rod bolt that left its assigned duty without asking. I'm not a fan of that.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Wed Sep 09, 2015 1:00 am

hmm, I've just started to dig. But do you happen to know the make of the bolts themselves? It seems that if we can find who makes them, then it should be easy to get the specs for the bolts. I'm running into a lot of bolt companies that have their spec sheets available.

I won't have one out for weeks most likely

Mountainman · **Posted:** Wed Sep 09, 2015 1:22 am

R425
Connecting Rod
Bolts ........... 29.5 N·m +60° (22 ft. lbs. +60°)

R428
2) Tighten connecting cap bolts to 10 N·m (88 in.
lbs.).
(3) Without loosening connecting rod bolts, tighten
all bolts to 30N·m (22 ft.lbs.).
(4) Using a torque angle gauge, tighten each bolt
an additional 40°.
(5) Recheck all bolt tightening with a torque
wrench set to 88N·m (65 ft.lbs.).
(6) Check and record internal

Maybe we're chasing a ghost since the manual says recheck at 65 ft lbs. If any ever budge at 65, then it must be a safe number, and I'm guessing it's a safe minimum regardless???

Hey Mike, if you're reading all of my ramblings. Did you have any budge when you checked them at 65? I hope you say yes :JEEPIN:

I wonder if red locktite, or any locktite will hold up to the temps :twisted:

Engine Rebuild Pics

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