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#1
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Make sure you check ALL your aftermarket parts.
Make sure you Check ALL your aftermarket engine parts before installation. Had a couple items show up in class the last couple days. Student bought a set of H beam Eagle Pontiac connecting rods, press fit style. All 8 rods very tight on the small end. No way they would have installed. Small ends measured .0025"-.0035. Should have been .0015"-.0018" max. Had to hone all 8 rods for size and proper press. Big ends were fine. Had a small block Chevy set of main bearings come in with #3 main clearance almost .004". The other 4 were all .0025-.0027. Defective King bearing. Ordered another set, no issue. Had a set of Federal Modgul forged pistons for a big block Chevy. 3 of the pistons had little pinched areas in the top ring land not letting the ring fit the groove properly and rotate freely. Had to file the defects with a diamond file. These are just a few examples in the last 2 days. Check everything. New doesn't mean good or correct.
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#2
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I've found it necessary to resize the pins on several sets of aftermarket rods. I assume they come that way on purpose so the clearance can be set to preference.
I did however have a set of mains show up corroded beyond use for a Pontiac, but that was a few years ago. 25 years ago I had a trw piston that wouldn't fit a BBC. Turned out when the pin was pressed in they must have pressed the piston sides because the skirts were flared out and mic'd a few thou larger just in the skirt area. Of course it wouldn't fit the bore and had to send that one back. Last edited by Formulajones; 03-15-2023 at 09:53 AM. |
#3
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Decades ago when TRW use to sell reconditioned factory Rods I bought 8 of the early forged ones and one of them was so bent form slamming the head that you could see it from 4 ft away!
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I do stuff for reasons. |
#4
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Wrong info in the above that I posted, it was Federal Mogul not TRW.
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I do stuff for reasons. |
#5
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Every set of H beams I have ever bought needed the big ends honed, tight. Until I bought Molnars.
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#6
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All of the "no-name" offshore "H" beam rods will require a few passes with a ball hone to get the pins to go thru. Been that way since they were first introduced. I've had a couple sets of Eagle rods that didn't need honed on the small end, but most also needed opened up just a tad.
Crower rods, when I could get them were fine, and so were Oliver. Pretty rare to see any main or rod bearings miss-marked or miss-packaged but have ran into that a couple of times. Engine building and assembly is a meticulous and time consuming process requiring precise attention to detail. Unlike other things with this hobby in almost all cases you do NOT get the opportunity to go back and correct a mistake as it's almost always a disaster once the engine is placed in service. You can also do a perfect job on your end, and have the customer hire his next door neighbors son-in-law living in the basement to help him custom tune it "by hear" resulting in pounding the rods bearings out of it on the first run or even worse putting a couple of pistons in the oil pan. (Ask Dave at SD about that sometime). I ALWAYS did complete builds including the carb and distributor and dyno'd them before they left here. Not really to get numbers on them, just to make sure there were no leaks, knocks, ticking, squeals or metal in the assembly (I cut open the oil filter for inspection after the dyno session). And after all that is done you still get my exclusive "Arkansas Warranty": IF you break it in half..............you get BOTH halves!"..........
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If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a Veteran! https://cliffshighperformance.com/ 73 Ventura, SOLD 455, 3740lbs, 11.30's at 120mph, 1977 Pontiac Q-jet, HO intake, HEI, 10" converter, 3.42 gears, DOT's, 7.20's at 96mph and still WAY under the roll bar rule. Best ET to date 7.18 at 97MPH (1/8th mile), |
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#7
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#8
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Yes! A friend years back put together a BBC with an Eagle rotating assembly. Spun several bearings. Upon inspection, the crank was bent.
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LIFT HEAVY, LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO BE SMALL! |
#9
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It's not just car parts, it's everything these days. Seems like every condom I buy these days is *way* too big. Anybody else having this problem?
Last edited by i82much; 03-16-2023 at 09:28 AM. |
#10
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...............
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#11
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Camshafts still show up bent, I just wonder how many people are actually checking them. That's been going on for years. About the only change I've noticed in the last couple years is how long it takes to get stuff. Parts quality has always come into question, I just never had to wait to get it, LOL.
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#12
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Reminds me of an old joke: "a young son askes his father.........." eehhh never mind...
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65 Tempest, 400, TH400 86 Fiero SE 2.8 |
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#13
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I bought a set of full floater Sportsmans for a SBC build about 6 years ago. Had to hone the small end for proper pin fitment. Can't remember if anything needed to be done to the big end, I'd have to check my notes.
Shucks my son just bought a brand new set of AFR heads for a build he's currently doing and they are going straight to Paul to be checked before I even think about bolting them on the engine. My guess is the springs will need either shimmed or replaced for proper pressures for the hydraulic roller he's using, even though they are supposed to be PAC hydraulic roller springs (never assume they are correct) And I'm betting Paul would prefer to do a valve job as well at a minimum since many of these new heads sometimes don't have the best valve to seat seal. |
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#14
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You have to stop buying the “Texas mediums”
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“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” Dr. Thomas Sowell |
#15
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Quote:
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“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” Dr. Thomas Sowell |
#16
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AFR used to be among the better aftermarket cylinder head companies as far as quality control. But since they were recently bought by Taglich Private Equity, a group that specializes in "novelty socks and salsa products", I would check them carefully.
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#17
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Bent cranks and cams, sure they were arrow straight when they left Butler and Bullet, but then the UPS/FedEx truck picked them up and subjected them to a thousand plus miles of loading docks, conveyor belts and handlers that simply don’t care what’s in that heavy box.
Ironically I’m starting my motor assembly this weekend, so this is exactly the thread I should be reading because it scares the (four letter word of your choice) out of me. You know I’m going to triple check EVERYTHING. I would have anyway, but now I’ll do it with an increased heart rate and a sweaty brow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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#18
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Quote:
So yeah, even back then they still made mistakes. However I feel they are still one of the best heads on the market and I'll continue to use them. I just don't trust the parts or the person assembling them. So I always have this stuff checked. As it stands right now, some of their heads are cast over seas but assembled and machined here in the states, while some of their other lines of heads are still cast here in the states. It's kind of a mixed bag and it's difficult to stay on top of which is which. Just an FYI since it was brought up, I think Brodix is one of the only head manufactures left that is still privately owned AND they cast their own stuff in house. I can't think of another off the top of my head. Brodix, another great cylinder head by the way. Last edited by Formulajones; 03-16-2023 at 01:22 PM. |
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#19
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Quote:
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#20
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Years ago I bought one of the first Eagle cast stroker cranks for 450$ and sent it to Dan. It was bent .004 and had .001 tapper on the jornals, not to mention the very rough thrust surface. So I had his crank guy straighten it, grind it .010 and polish the thrust surface. So I have 800$ into as cast crank (2 actually)
Cut my loss and traded it and bought a Scat forged. |
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