And here's how the engine bay sits (taken before the snow fell this winter):
Anyways, onto the important stuff.
Engine Highlights:
9.5:1 CR forged pistons
144mm H-Beam Rods
284 Cam
HD Valve Springs + Retainers
Stock size stainless valves (originals were worn/bent)
Full head rebuild with new stock components
Stainless Shorty Header + Downpipe (IE)
Windage Tray
Lightweight flywheel
Single link timing chain setup (stock was dual)
123Tune bluetooth distributor
02again Crank Pulley
Weber 38/38 (carryover from old engine)
The full list is extensive and I'm at ~$5000 so far including machining and spare engine cost. I'll throw the parts list into a google sheet to share in a future post.
Before I get into the pics, I'll make a few comments on some of my decisions
Forged pistons - pretty much your only option if you want higher compression with an E21 head, lighter than stock
Longer rods - stock rods are pretty strong, but the weakness seems to be the rod bolts. These rods come with ARP bolts and give you the benefit of a better rod/stroke ratio. Do some googling to read up on the benefits, there are lots. Only doable with custom pistons, also lighter
284 cam - bought it from a FAQ member before I found out how involved a cam swap is on our cars. In hindsight, a 292 would probably be a better choice, but I'll give this one a shot
Stainless shorty header + downpipe - I *really* wanted to get the IE tri-Y header but couldn't justify the cost. IE had these on sale, a great bang-for-the-buck compared to mild steel headers
Windage tray - Free HP? I don't see a downside and it's cheap.
Lightweight flywheel - I've put LW flywheels on several cars, a must-have IMHO
Single-link timing chain - my stock dual link gears were worn, a single link setup is cheaper, should have less drag, and several racers convert to this setup. I've never heard of anyone going the other way.
123Tune dist - bought through the group buy before I started my rebuild, with Megasquirt potentially in my future, this may not last long
02again crank pulley - lighter than stock and one step closer to being ready for Megasquirt
Weight comparisons, per cylinder
stock vs. forged pistons: 547g - 439g
stock vs. new piston pins: 137g - 102g
stock vs new rods: 701g - 584g
total stock vs. new: 1375g - 1125g (18% lighter)
stock crank pulley vs 02again: 1750g - 1150g (approx, I wrote the numbers down somewhere and can't find them) (35% lighter)
stock flywheel vs RHD - 17lbs vs 7 lbs (59% lighter)
How much HP will it make? No idea, should be way better than my old engine with 80% cylinder leakage though
Flywheel:
Piston:
Rod:
Engine block painted + freeze plugs installed
Gapping rings:
Piston assembly area, ring filer clamped to bench, various measurements/notes written on paper
Pistons in, front cover on
Good time to realize you have a snapped off bolt still in the block, extraction set from the local parts store actually worked, just need to use real drill bits.
Test fitting the head and realized I didn't get the tensioner in place, had to buy a new front cover gasket
Test fitting windage tray
What's more fun than lining up a cork oil pan gasket? Lining up TWO cork oil pan gaskets!
Short block ready for the head assembly
I painted the front upper and lower covers, oil filter housing, and dist. housing. The head was cleaned up by the machine shop and the water pump wasn't that old, so I just cleaned it up a bit.
More to come (eventually)
- Read more...
- 7 comments
- 1,989 views