PSA for camshaft expansion plugs+ flex plate!

[Hipster]

Did he put the plug under the rear main cap?

it's suspect imho, worth checking

 

[Jimbo2312]

THANK YOU for your input here guys, I really appreciate it. I went to his house and got the plug from him, just pressed it in with a little gasket maker to be safe.

Have any of you guys oil primed a motor when it’s pulled out? I’m not sure what to do with the lines by the oil filter, I could prime after it’s installed but I’d like to see if I have any other leaks while it’s out.

This motor is a 350 bored .30 over, stock 350 crank, not a 383 stroker. Woods machine shop in Nampa, Idaho. Initially this motor was going to go into an 88, I decided not to do that after he’d already built the motor, because the 88 was rough. So I decided to keep my 96 despite some rust damage to two body mounts. He tore down the completed TBI motor and swapped it to the Vortec. I’ll take a video and post it here

 

[Schurkey]

Vortec takes one flexplate. tbi another,

Small-blocks? What's different? They're both one-piece-rear-main engines, so the bolt circle is the same, as is the offset weight. Note that the aftermarket is not good at getting the offset weight on the flexplate correct.

If you said "700/4L60/4L60E" takes one flexplate, and 4L80E takes another, I'd be more likely to believe you--although I'm thinking that may not be true either. I just don't know for sure.

What is absolutely true is that two-piece rear main engines take a different flexplate than one-piece rear main engines; and SBC 400s take a two-piece seal flexplate with an offset balance weight unless they've been re-balanced in the aftermarket.

 

[Jimbo2312]

Small-blocks? What's different? They're both one-piece-rear-main engines, so the bolt circle is the same, as is the offset weight. Note that the aftermarket is not good at getting the offset weight on the flexplate correct.

If you said "700/4L60/4L60E" takes one flexplate, and 4L80E takes another, I'd be more likely to believe you--although I'm thinking that may not be true either. I just don't know for sure.

What is absolutely true is that two-piece rear main engines take a different flexplate than one-piece rear main engines; and SBC 400s take a two-piece seal flexplate with an offset balance weight unless they've been re-balanced in the aftermarket.

Small-blocks? What's different? They're both one-piece-rear-main engines, so the bolt circle is the same, as is the offset weight. Note that the aftermarket is not good at getting the offset weight on the flexplate correct.

If you said "700/4L60/4L60E" takes one flexplate, and 4L80E takes another, I'd be more likely to believe you--although I'm thinking that may not be true either. I just don't know for sure.

What is absolutely true is that two-piece rear main engines take a different flexplate than one-piece rear main engines; and SBC 400s take a two-piece seal flexplate with an offset balance weight unless they've been re-balanced in the aftermarket.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[PlayingWithTBI]

The upper one looks like a 4L80E (maybe TH400 too?) plate with 6 outer bolt holes in the same radius where the lower one has 2 different bolt patterns for a 700R4/4L60(E) which only uses 3.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

Small-blocks? What's different? They're both one-piece-rear-main engines, so the bolt circle is the same, as is the offset weight. Note that the aftermarket is not good at getting the offset weight on the flexplate correct.

If you said "700/4L60/4L60E" takes one flexplate, and 4L80E takes another, I'd be more likely to believe you--although I'm thinking that may not be true either. I just don't know for sure.

What is absolutely true is that two-piece rear main engines take a different flexplate than one-piece rear main engines; and SBC 400s take a two-piece seal flexplate with an offset balance weight unless they've been re-balanced in the aftermarket.

4L80E definitely has its own flexplate with 6 evenly spaced bolt holes on a larger diameter. I have been on TCI for years to offer the right plate for the SBC 4L80E guys as well as the big block 4L80E guys. Their dual drilled BS they try to market for the application does not do us any good unless we want to leave out the 3 bolts that do not line up.

 

[Erik the Awful]

I’m not sure what plug you’re talking about here, like a plug under the rear main seal?

This article is one of the best references I've found for SBC block plugs, but it's ruined by 1990s web design. You have to scroll through the pictures to read the article. Picture 5 "kinda" shows the plug under the rear main cap.

Block Plug Basics - Tech Article - Chevy High Performance Magazine

Read the tech article on Block Plug Basics, brought to you by the experts at Chevy High Performance Magazine

www.motortrend.com

 

[Insert Quarter]

Have any of you guys oil primed a motor when it’s pulled out? I’m not sure what to do with the lines by the oil filter, I could prime after it’s installed but I’d like to see if I have any other leaks while it’s out.

You can use a pressure primer, they're a little spendy but nice if you're working on engines without a distributor - www.allstarperformance.com/oil-pressure-primer-tank-all10535/

If you're not gonna do this very often then this is probably best - www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/23640/10002/-1 - just remove the distributor and chuck this up in a 1/2" drill

This is a good article - scroll down and it shows a pic of the oil plug under the main cap someone mentioned
www.enginelabs.com/news/what-i-learned-today-with-jeff-smith-not-all-leaks-are-external/

In this case, I'd prime it before I install the engine. Stick a cheap pressure gauge on the engine while you're priming it to confirm you have good oil pressure. Take the spark plugs out so it's easier to turn over, take off the valve covers so you can confirm oil has made it's way up to each rocker, and then get someone to turn the engine over a few times with a wrench while you're priming. If everything looks good and you have good oil pressure make sure to keep turning over until you're on the compression stroke for cylinder 1. Put tape over the distributor hole. Install the engine. You flushed the assembly lube out of the bearings with the first priming, so after installing the engine I'd prime it once more for a minute or so, but not turn it over or anything cause you need cylinder 1 to still be on the compression stroke to install the distributor.

 

[Hipster]

Small-blocks? What's different? They're both one-piece-rear-main engines, so the bolt circle is the same, as is the offset weight. Note that the aftermarket is not good at getting the offset weight on the flexplate correct.

If you said "700/4L60/4L60E" takes one flexplate, and 4L80E takes another, I'd be more likely to believe you--although I'm thinking that may not be true either. I just don't know for sure.

What is absolutely true is that two-piece rear main engines take a different flexplate than one-piece rear main engines; and SBC 400s take a two-piece seal flexplate with an offset balance weight unless they've been re-balanced in the aftermarket.

my bust, may have been thinking one piece seal vs 2 piece.

 

[BeXtreme]

my bust, may have been thinking one piece seal vs 2 piece.

The big blocks DO have two separate flex plates for the one piece. The Gen 5 has a slightly different weight amount and location than the Gen VI ones do, so it can be an issue to use the wrong one. It will still bolt up, and it will not shake itself apart, but it is noticeably slightly out of balance if you have the wrong one.