Tags: camshaft timing rebuild engine

It's 2-months since my last post about the Camaro's engine, but there's a good reason for that. Or, rather, there's a reason. Try as I might, I just couldn't get the darned thing to start. After much struggling, a fair bit of head-scratching about what went where, draining the fuel tank of very old petrol, and a new battery (which though it's the same code as the last one, is annoyingly a couple of centimetres bigger, and so Doesn't Quite Fit. After all that, I was ready to fire here up.And... nothing. Not a cough, splutter, or hint of ignition. ...read more

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Got the last few bits on the 350 last week (intake manifold and sump) so I could get it back where it belongs ...back to my lockup and into the Camaro. Putting the manifold and sump was straightforward enough (after Lance had bashed the sump around a bit to knowck it back into shape. The fun came, however, when it came to get the engine in the back of the Dayvan. End of the day, and Lance and I tried to rush it, with the result that the engine started to come off the stand, and it was only luck ...read more

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Tags: engine rebuild 350

Progress got delayed again. Both by life, and the need to get a new set of rocker arms. Turns out the old ones I had were not going to work, as they'd been separated from the hemispherical fulcrums on which they rock, and hence were no longer matched pairs.

This had actually partially happened way back, when the heads were taken of the blown engine, over ten years ago, but I completed the job. Still, managed to pick up stock set cheaply, and can always replace them in time for a set of roller rockers.

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Tags: conrods engine rebuild 350

Quick update: Turned out there were two problems with the conrods: numbers 3 & 4 had each other's caps (that'd have to be my error -- no other explanation possible), and the big end bores were out of shape.

In fact, the machine shop said it was a good job there'd been a problem, as the engine wouldn't have lasted long with them in that condition -- so I had to get them machined true.

More expense, but better to know now. Anyway, refitting them was straightforward, and now the whole thing turns with less that 35lbft of torque.

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Tags: engine rebuild pistons conrod bearing

Well, turned out things weren't going to be so easy after all. When it came to torquing up the conrods on the crank, the lovely smooth action I had disappeared, and things seized up so much, I just couldn't move it. Seems to be number three conrod, which from the look of the bearing, is not round (and has also spun a bearing in a prvious life). The machine shop I've been using are having a look at it, but it'll be well into next week before they get back to me. Trying not to think about it till then, ...read more

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Tags: crankshaft engine rebuild 350 pistons

After the fun with the cam bearings, fitting the crank was relatively straightforward, though first I had to remove the flywheel and damper that had been put in place when it was all balanced. Still, the second time round that was a fair bit easier. Then it was just a matter of pushing the bearings in place, gently lowering the crank in place, putting on the main caps, and torquing them up. Or rather, that's the theory. In practice, I had to clean up the threads on a couple of the bolts (I'd already cleaned the threads in the block ...read more

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