[Josue]

....and not even engine "building", just reassembly of everything from the long block up...

I bought a used 350 to go in my car, and I was going to try and get by for a few more years just installing it as-is and keeping my fingers crossed that it was a good motor. (budget issues) After tearing it down for inspection though, I realized how much of a pain it would be to regasket what I could, spend hours and hours cleaning and painting it, install, only to find out that the motor should have been rebuilt in the first place. So I had a local engine shop throw a stock-ish rebuild/freshening up. I had them install a Summit 2800 cam too.

Now that it's time to throw everything back together, I'm getting a bit nervous! Mostly because I've gotten burned in the past by things I/we (dad included) didn't know we didn't know. Couple examples; had a cam installed in the mid 2000's in the original 350, told the salesman at Summit what our goals were, and he sold us a cam and lifters. Had them installed by a friend's dad who was a GM mechanic and a old school guy, and the car drove like crap for the better part of a decade. Overheated, wouldn't stay running, trans clunked into gear, etc. Turns out, nobody along the way told us we should have upped our torque converter!! Similarly, nobody told us that we should be running different oil, or at least have a zinc additive for the flat tappet cam....so it wiped a lobe out last season after a few thousand miles.

Those 2 issues are directly related, but that was done at a time where I wasn't even aware of the plethora of forums and information the internet really had to offer, or else I definitely would have done my research and discovered those were necessary steps to take to avoid the situation we were in all those years. Which brings me to today. It was fine and dandy to strip down a carb to pan motor to have it rebuilt, but I don't want to miss anything in the reassembly process that will burn me in the end! Up to but not including....

-any torque specs that need to be adhered to?
-should I get a new balancer bolt? or reuse the original?
-any weird "make sure you don't forget this little guy..." gaskets or seals?
-can the flywheel go on any direction? or does it need to be "clocked" with the crank in any way?
-I've never installed a distributor, any tricks there? Or just down the hole, and throw the bracket and bolt on?
-looks like the gasket kit the engine shop sent home is all cork and rope seals, is there a better kit? I've never messed with rope seals before. How much gasket maker is needed here, and where?

Sorry if these seem like silly questions. I'm sure 98% of this forum can throw an engine together in their sleep, but again, I just want to make sure I don't NOT do something because I simply didn't know. Come to the forums with a problem later this year, and have you guys go..."Oh geeze, you didn't do THIS?? EVERYONE knows that, dummy!!" lol

Are there any good books available on this? Or am I just overthinking this whole topic, and I should just throw everything back on as I took it apart?

[pastry_chef]

Checkout:
http://store.boxwrench.net/Basic-Eng...DVD_p_0-8.html

For some "general" tips - A fantastic machinist / builder is currently recording a complete 620 horsepower buildup (BBC).
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1W...ymj5ZJ2HYwfa2w

It will use a flat tappet cam, he has not gotten to assembly yet.

I VERY strongly recommend to degree your camshaft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7ZzYaMVi00

------------ Torque specs

http://boxwrench.net/specs/pont_265-455.htm
https://butlerperformance.com/p-3488...ine-specs.html
http://www.wallaceracing.com/torque.htm

[gtospieg]

Yes there are torque specs...you'll need to look those up. The flywheel/flexplate only goes on one way. In order to put your distributor in you will need to set the engine up at TDC (both timing marks at 12 o'clock) now point the rotor at # 1 cylinder on the cap. No need to replace balancer bolt unless it's damaged. Good luck. Don't be afraid to ask questions. That's how we all learn.

[surfsama]

A couple of suggestions:
If you're going to use the stock rods it might be a good idea to replace the stock nuts with some quality ARP pieces. Just some cheap insurance.

Although rope seals can be made to work there are better rear seal options:
https://butlerperformance.com/c-1234...ain-seals.html

[tom s]

Check with your builder,if he used the felpro rope seal it will fail.Have him put in the Best Gasket rope or the BOP 1 pc lip seal.Start there first!Tom

[pastry_chef]

Originally Posted by Josue

Are there any good books available on this?

https://www.amazon.com/How-Rebuild-P...dp/1613250355/

[DOC]

put the lower dipstick tube in now so you dont forget later. It goes from inside the block to outside.

[PunchT37]

Can't help but think about the famous 350 towing thread.

[PunchT37]

Originally Posted by DOC

put the lower dipstick tube in now so you dont forget later. It goes from inside the block to outside.

Hope he has the windage tray.

[Josue]

Thanks for the info everyone! Some questions, broken down...

Originally Posted by pastry_chef

I VERY strongly recommend to degree your camshaft.

He's doing this with the heads off.....is that how it works? My heads are bolted back on and ready to go. Should I take them back off and do this? What exactly does this accomplish?

Originally Posted by surfsama

A couple of suggestions:
If you're going to use the stock rods it might be a good idea to replace the stock nuts with some quality ARP pieces. Just some cheap insurance.

Although rope seals can be made to work there are better rear seal options:
https://butlerperformance.com/c-1234...ain-seals.html

Again, the engine is already assembled and ready to go. Is this something that should have been done during the build process? Or, can I do this now and be ok in taking apart stuff that he just assembled? And yes stock rods were reused.

Does anyone simply make a 1 piece oil pan gasket? 6 different choices in the butler link, which is which?

Originally Posted by tom s

Check with your builder,if he used the felpro rope seal it will fail.Have him put in the Best Gasket rope or the BOP 1 pc lip seal.Start there first!Tom

Or are you guys talking about the rear main seal? I'm not sure what he used, but I'm sure it was whatever they had available, or some kind of stock equivalent. I would have had to specify if I wanted anything particular. Again, things I didn't know prior to the rebuild!

Originally Posted by DOC

put the lower dipstick tube in now so you dont forget later. It goes from inside the block to outside.

Thanks for the reminder! I sent it to them with it still installed, because I wasn't sure how it came out and didn't want to damage anything. It's not there now though, I'll have to check the box of old parts they sent home.

[tom s]

Yes,rear main.BOP makes a good 1 PC pan gasket.The rear seal is really important unless you want to have to pull the engine to fix the leak.As it is together I would opt for the Best Gasket Co rope seal.The crank really has to come out to use the 1 PC.Im 100 percent with the BGC rope seal.Tom

[Josue]

So, the rear main can be replaced with the crank still installed?

If it's not obvious, I've never torn down a motor. lol I have mechanical ability, and I know most of the parts. I just don't know the ins and outs of assembly.

[pastry_chef]

Originally Posted by Josue

He's doing this with the heads off.....is that how it works? My heads are bolted back on and ready to go. Should I take them back off and do this? What exactly does this accomplish?

It is also possible with the heads on and the right tools.
This is to verify the valve events are correctly phased, sometimes the cam or timing set indexing can be off.
If the cam phasing is off a fair bit the engine may not perform as it should. A "professional builder" should always degree the cam, not doing this is relying on luck.

[surfsama]

I guess before we get too far in the weeds, what is the intended use for this engine? Just a daily/weekend cruiser? Street/strip? If it's going to live a fairly easy life then I would just concentrate on the rear main seal and use a
one-piece pan gasket. (IMO) Having to live with oil drips on the floor and coating your undercarriage just sucks.

Take care when you get to tightening the valley pan down as in some blocks you can drive the bolts into the back of the cam bearings.

I'll assume you did some due-diligence before picking the shop that did the machine work and they have a good reputation.

[79firebird_99TA]

Originally Posted by pastry_chef

It is also possible with the heads on and the right tools.
This is to verify the valve events are correctly phased, sometimes the cam or timing set indexing can be off.
If the cam phasing is off a fair bit the engine may not perform as it should. A "professional builder" should always degree the cam, not doing this is relying on luck.

Do it. Buy the degree kit and degree it. I recently did mine and my 400 is night and day improved.

[Greg Reid]

You can degree the cam with the heads on. You just need to get a piston stop that screws into the spark plug hole as opposed to one that bolts across the cylinder opening on the block.
x2 on the Best graphite seals.

[Squidward]

Tearing the engine down is a great time to see how it was put together, but you are past that now.

The service manual is very helpful. http://thefirstgensite.com/html/librarydex.htm

Your shortblock is already together. If you replace rod bolts with ARP bolts, you will have to pull it apart and get the rod sizing checked/sized again.

Install your oil pump driveshaft BEFORE bolting on the oil pump and pan. There are tangs on it to keep it from falling out the top of the motor.

When installing the pickup screen on your oil pump, an open end 3/4 (maybe 11/16? I don't remember) wrench can be used as an assist to drive the tube into the pump body. You put the wrench on the tube, and it will stop at a raised lip. Tap the body of the wrench to drive the tube in. The pickup screen will align with a notch in the corner of the body of the pump. Some people add extra insurance to retain the pressed in tube by tack welding the tube, drilling/tapping for a set screw, or using lock wire. I have used lock wire and tack welded the tube. Lock wire is easy. I was in the Navy submarine business, and we lockwired all kinds of stuff.

Regarding the dipstick tube: IIRC, you might have to pull the #3 main cap to drive it in. Be careful to not mash it up. Some people put a bolt in it so that there is even driving force when tapping it in. Putting the cap back on is not a problem. Just make sure it is oriented correctly (the cast 3 aligns upright with the other numbers), and torque each bolt to 100 ft-lbs, in 20 ft-lb increments until you reach 100, i.e. 20 on each, then go 40 on each, then 60, etc.

BOP Engineering makes 1 and 2 piece rear seals. I have used the 1 piece on 2 different motors, with no probs. The crank was out for both of them, and I couldn't imagine an install with the crank in. You are past that, and might just have to live with the rope seal. Rope seals aren't horrible, but they will usually leak a small amount.

BOP also makes a 1 piece pan gasket. I've never used it. I imagine it is a nice piece.

Degreeing the cam is helpful. I've had to use a few different timing sets to get things degreed properly. I would see a degree or so variation between sets. For what you are doing, it is more of a go/no-go verification of timing set and cam quality. Could you get by with just doing the dots? You will have a high probability of success.

Hopefully your builder installed the galley plug on the rear passenger side near the distributor. That one has been left out before.

A good point was mentioned about the valley pan bolts. Don't over-tighten them or use the wrong length, because they can hit the cam bearings.

I like to use rtv to attach the valley pan cork gasket to the valley pan, but not between the valley pan gasket and the block.

Hopefully your intake clears the edges of the valley pan. I've had interference issues on aftermarket intakes, and had to do a little grinding on the bottom of the intake runners and valley pan to get everything to fit without interference.

Replace the pcv grommet before you install the valley pan. Old ones are typically brittle, and their chunks end up on your lifters and in your oil pan.

Timing cover: Check all of your threads before install. Helicoil any questionable ones before install. Fuel pump bolt holes and the 4 oil pan holes on the bottom are typical abuse recipients. Also, there are 2 aligning sleeves on the lower bolt holes that will align the cover to the block. Sometimes these are missing, sometimes they are stuck in the cover, or in the block, or one of each. These are important to get the crank snout centered in the front main seal. If one or both are missing, then you will either have to replace them, or do a work around to get the timing cover centered appropriately before bolting it down. There are 6 bolts that hold the cover on. 2 are on top, and those go through the water pump. The mid level holes are for the mounting studs. Those are coarse threaded on the end that threads into the block, and fine threaded for the end that uses nuts to retain the timing cover. Sometimes these studs are replaced with bolts. Not a big deal, it just makes hanging the timing cover easier when using the studs. The bottom two holes (with the alignment sleeves) are bolts that thread into the block. I grease the threads and shafts on all 6 of these bolts and studs before install. It is likely that there will be coolant leakage in/around these bolts, and it helps keep them from getting rusted into the block or timing cover down the road.

There are two rubber grommet/seals (over on the right in your gasket/seal pic) that go in the timing cover, and get sandwiched between the timing cover sleeves and the divider plate. There is a bevel on those two seals. The bevel goes toward the divider plate.

After you get your timing cover on, remember that there is a grommet that goes between your timing cover and intake at the water crossover. I like to coat this grommet with a little rtv during assembly. When you mount your intake, thread your bolts in loosely. There is a horizontal bolt that will draw your intake forward toward the timing cover, and will compress the previously mentioned TC/intake grommet. Tighten that bolt first to make the grommet seal, then tighten your intake bolts.

Intake install is pretty straight forward. I like to use rtv at the water crossover holes. Other people like to go dry. Intake gaskets typically have a rubbery ring around the water crossover holes to aid in sealing, so that is why rtv may not be a necessity. I like a small skim coat on both sides.

The intake gaskets will align with a plastic bolt sleeve that come with your gasket set. They hold the gaskets in place, 2 each side. Just make sure that you get the right gasket for your intake style. Most gasket kits will include 2 different styles. There is a heat crossover hole on the center of each head (between 4-6, and 3-5) that will line up with the heat crossover passage in the intake. If you use the wrong one, you could end up with a big exhaust leak blowing on your carb.

Your oil pan will use the cork strip in your pic. Use rtv to "glue" it to your pan where it crosses over the groove in your rear main bearing cap. Use rtv in the corners of the pan where the cork meets the pan/block. Also use a little up front in the corners where the timing cover and oil pan meet.

Your flexplate has a unique bolt pattern that will only allow it to bolt on one way. There is also a little dimple on the flexplate that will correspond to a spot on the crank end. The bolt pattern, plus that dimple, will verify alignment. There is also a reinforcing ring that may or may not be present, that acts as a load distributor for the bolts.

It looks like cam and fuel pump eccentric are already in place, so that part is done. The outer ring of the eccentric should spin freely. The fuel pump arm rides on this.

When you put on the balancer, you shouldn't have to beat it with a hammer. Are you using a new balancer? Replacement stock ones are cheap. It would be good to use a new one. Using the factory bolt is fine. When you torque it, use vice grips on the flexplate so that it will lock up the crank and allow you to torque the bolt.

That's all I can think of for now.

[Cliff R]

Not a real big deal to degree the cam unless it is an aftermarket part, then at least a good idea to check it. Using the stock type timing set you will need offset cam keys to move it around anyhow.

NEVER rely on the press-fit to hold the pick-up in the oil pump. Grind a "flat" and drill-tap the pump for a small hardened machine screw or make a steel strap that reaches the closest pump cover bolt and MIG weld the other end to the pick-up. The pick-ups there are currently using are "soft" mild steel and have no memory to keep them from falling out. Some will say to "tac weld" the pick-up, bad idea and the only one I ever did broke loose taking a big chunk of the pump with it. Luckily it was on a full race engine with a deep sump so it stayed out of the spinning assembly.

Do NOT use a Viton rear seal unless the crank serrations are very smooth or the lip doesn't ride directly on them. For stock cranks I also use the BEST rope seal, Viton lip seal on all aftermarket cranks and haven't had one drop of oil get past either variety.......Cliff

[Josue]

I really appreciate all this info, guys!! It just further confirmed my need for a thread like this. It might as well be in a different language though, cause I'm not picking up anything you guys are laying down. lol Terminology, special tools, hopefully it makes sense when I have the parts in front of me. It would probably help to spend a few weeks trying to find YouTube videos too, since I do best by seeing something done first, and we're still weeks away from warmer weather anyway. I've got some parts to clean and paint still too.

Originally Posted by surfsama

I guess before we get too far in the weeds, what is the intended use for this engine? Just a daily/weekend cruiser? Street/strip? If it's going to live a fairly easy life then I would just concentrate on the rear main seal and use a
one-piece pan gasket. (IMO) Having to live with oil drips on the floor and coating your undercarriage just sucks.

Yes, the car will only be a cruiser, with very little track time. Like, maybe once or twice just to see what she'll do. That's why I went with a shop that would simply freshen up a stock build. I just wanted a clean, fresh, ready to last another 50 years motor....even though this one will come back out and get sold when I get around to really building the car of my dreams.

And, leaks are a HUGE pet peeve of mine, and another main reason for this route! My original engine leaks like a sieve, and it drove me nuts. Same with the trans, so I bought a 2004R and had it rebuilt in hopes that it wouldn't leak a drop either.