Sudden Increase in Blow-by

[Lee_in_KC]

SM, here is a link to the specs on the cam... 12-414-8 . It is a "retro-fit hydraulic roller" cam. The lifters are Comp hydraulic rollers. They look great. I'm very happy with the whole cam/valve train set-up... no issues at all and a lot of low to mid grunt, which is where I drive the hotrod 98% of the time!!

 

[Screaming Metal]

Well, thats great to hear! Go back with it slow, take your time. If any tools are needed, call the good Folks at Summit or Goodson's, You'll be taken car of....
Also, during assembly, make sure your front and rear valley surfaces aren't making contact. Toss those front and rear gaskets/seals out....and use a bead of good silicone sealer....
(I have many 5 gallon buckets with those seals in them).
Also, run the lower blower gasket with the screen....helps catch shit should a accident happen....

Get your motor good and hot to seat your rings, use the break-in oil if you want. BUT, after using that oil, I would change oil 2 times to be sure to dilute the minute traces of it left behind in the nooks and crannys....
I use the stuff all the time, and your actually 'wearing-in' or 'lapping-in' your motor. Its really fine and subtle, but if any of the shit is left behind, it can wear thing out faster than you want....just saying.

 

[one finger john]

Metal, do you recommend running a magnet or two on the oil filter?

John

 

[RPM]

Metal, do you recommend running a magnet or two on the oil filter?

John

I never ran any magnets on the oil filters. I ran magnets on the tops of the end head bolts on small block Chevys. You will be amazed at how much junk they will collect, from the springs, and valve train. This will keep the metal off the cam and also out of the oil pump. Then run a magnetic drain plug, and lastly plug the oil by pass in the filter base, so that all of the oil has to go through the filter.

 

[Screaming Metal]

What Ron Said!
If you run magnets on the heads or in the pan, make damn sure they are fastened down and can't get into moving parts.
All I do is run is magnets epoxied in by the REAR oil drainback holes in the head, and a magnetic drainplug.
If you load those up anyway....theres a serious problem deserving a teardown....
What your trying to catch is small wear or chip particles....alot of the wear particles are non-magnetic, ie, alum. and babbitt....and thats what the filters gonna grab and trap anyway....
The magnets are just to keep the big crap from being ground up and getting caught in something else.
Magnets in the oilfilter or on the oil filter is, well, in my opinion, another form of snakeoil.
If you have any supersmall particles caught in the 50 to 100 PSI stream racing down the internal passages of the block, it hits the filter, its gonna be stopped....a small magnet ain't gonna do jack for that particle....

If you wanna stop junk from getting into the oil sump, and do something creative and useful, epoxy some small screens into your heads oil drainback holes, do as Ron said, make all your oil be filtered by disabling the filter bypass....Then epoxy a screen in your lifter valley, so stray giblets can't get caught up in the rods during dainback.

If your running stud girdles, roller rockers, guideplates, magnets of the head studs/bolts are good. If you like to be safe, they will catch all kinds of crap, ie, chips off steel rocker arms, pieces of spring, all kinds of crap. That, along with the screens is a good safety net....

If your quick on the switch when you HEAR/SEE a problem....those screens can save the rods, possibly a crank....

 

[RPM]

@Screaming Metal @Lee_in_KC

 

[2old2fast]

Hey Lee , any updates ??
dave

 

[Lee_in_KC]

The machine shop I have been talking to since the beginning (Davis Machine of Shawnee, KS) is building me a short block using a seasoned 4-bolt block they had on hand.. Block was tanked and Magna-fluxed, checked for core shift, align bored, cylinders bored .030 over, decked and torque-plate honed . My existing crank (GMPP cast steel) was cleaned up (journals polished) and a second keyway cut for the blower hub. They are using new Eagle I-beam rods and Speed-Pro forged pistons with moly rings (they strongly recommended moly). All ARP fasteners. Not sure what bearings they are using... I told them I wanted "the good stuff." Total bill is going to be right at $2,200. I'm pretty sure that's less than it would have cost me to do it myself, plus they know what they're doing!!

In the meantime I had all my polished aluminum parts professionally re-polished by a local guy and had my headers re-coated by Pro-Kote Indy (thanks, Ben and family!!).

XNTRIC-T will soon be returned to its former glory...

 

[2old2fast]

Good for you , sounds like they're building a solid foundation . Price seems decent too !
dave

 

[one finger john]

Things sound like they are coming along.
What's happening with the heads?

AND when will it be driven?

John

 

[Lee_in_KC]

Dave: I thought it was a great deal!! I forgot to mention they are balancing it as well.

John: They cleaned up the heads, lapped the valves and replaced the seals. They said the old seals looked fine, but I told them to replace them anyway. Main problem with the heads was all the baked-on oil in the combustion chambers. When will it be driven?... depends on the temp in the garage for reassembly and the temp outside for driving!!! May not be until next spring!!

 

[2old2fast]

Temp in the garage is easy , put in a furnace!!
dave