Looking for engine help ideas...

[cngodfather]

I hear ya...Trust me when I say that I believe you. However, I am gonna go with my gut on this one. It is not a race engine. I actually use the truck very little.
Today I bought an adjustable pushrod and a pushrod/rocker geometry checker. My cheap cast aluminum oil pan came today. I have some concerns on fitment. I wish I was better at tig welding cuz I am pretty sure I am going to have to add some metal. More fun learning!

 

[cngodfather]

I hear ya...Trust me when I say that I believe you. However, I am gonna go with my gut on this one. It is not a race engine. I actually use the truck very little.
Today I bought an adjustable pushrod and a pushrod/rocker geometry checker. My cheap cast aluminum oil pan came today. I have some concerns on fitment. I wish I was better at tig welding cuz I am pretty sure I am going to have to add some metal. More fun learning!

 

[cngodfather]

If anyone is interested in updates, I have a couple new posts called "Valve Seals!" and "Cheap Aluminum Oil Pan". These are my most recent issues that seemed to need their own post.

 

[cngodfather]

Easiest way is to set up a dial indicator on the REAR of the camshaft, after removing the cup plug that closes the cam tunnel at the back.

Install the cam sprocket, cam chain, cam button, retainer, etc. Bolt up your timing cover, use all the bolts and torque as required.

Reach through the lifter valley to push the cam forward and back. The dial indicator should show the cam button clearance. Generally, there's too little, and you'd (remove the timing cover for access, and) progressively shave/file/grind the tip of the cam button to get it where you want. A few thousandths is fine. As I said, the OEM system results in about .002--.003 clearance. I bet anything up to .005, maybe .007 is acceptable, but then I've only installed one cam button and that was twenty years ago. Maybe more.

I think that if this were me, I'd degree the cam first. Then set the clearance for the thrust button. At whatever point I felt that the clearance was right, the timing chain, the cam bolts, the button, the timing cover are all torqued into place; all I have to do is pop in a cam-tunnel plug at the rear, and go on assembling the engine.

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I ended up drilling and tapping a 1/16" npt hole in my cast cover. I should be able to measure my cam movement with a dial indicator through the hole. It was put in a place where the indicator will contact a flat surface that is away from the cam sprocket retaining bolts. Also it is tapped just far enough so that the plug penetrates the inside of the cover very minimally. My cam button just came yesterday.

 

[CRF450R]

No it's not, I running a Vortec (155LPH) fuel pump and my WBO2 tells me my AFR is ~11.2 under WOT all throughout the RPM range.


Well, you evidently don't have to pass emissions, I do and can by switching to a different tune (bank) in the EBL (4 seconds flash).

Do whatever you want to do, it's your truck but, don't bad mouth the TBI unless you have better data than just suppositions.

I'll take TBI over the most expensive carb ever I've put almost 1.5 million combined km on my TBI's not once did I ever touch that throttle body on any any of them Four TBI trucks I had other then the one I had boarded out. And TBI will start at -30C good luck doing that with a carb I'm glad to to I'm not the only one that loves TBI.

 

[cngodfather]

What is everyone's thoughts on aftermarket harmonic balancers? Worth it - or no? If yes - what is the best product in your opinion? Thanks!

 

[L31MaxExpress]

What is everyone's thoughts on aftermarket harmonic balancers? Worth it - or no? If yes - what is the best product in your opinion? Thanks!

I have a fluidamper on my 383 Vortec.

 

[cngodfather]

Do you feel that it was worth the cost for the fluidampr?

 

[L31MaxExpress]

Do you feel that it was worth the cost for the fluidampr?

I like it. I had the rotating assembly balanced. It runs smoothly up and down the whole rev-range to the 6,500 rpm fuel cut. 6" rod 383.

 

[cngodfather]

I pulled out the ol' credit card and I bought one. My engine is a 355 now. It is also fully balanced. It was just when I thought all of my expensive parts were purchased, this one jumped out at me!

 

[cngodfather]

It has been awhile since my last post. Here are a few pics to show the progress so far. The cheap heads turned out to be a problem to match the ports. I have MANY hours removing aluminum from them to make the pushrods fit, remove casting flashing, and to match ports to the gaskets and intake.

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