Scott,
But...which is better, a windage tray or a crank scraper? I'm guessing
both is overkill.
In an engine where maximum power is required, both are used. For the street,
the windage tray is usually sufficient.
Right...I thought you could get a rough idea of the oil gap using the
above procedure but plastigauge is necessary to get the most accurate
reading.
The raw numbers will just tell you a ballpark. The Plastigage will give you
the homerun.
Man, Milton...you're one tough guy to please. I'm looking at the rod
numbers thinking there's 5 ten-thousandths of an inch deviance between
eight and I'm thinking this is a good thing. Off rods and a crank that's
seen 77K of service already, I'm ecstatic. Basically, you're suggesting
I spend $90 to have the crank ground and another so-much to have the rods
ground to eliminate 5 ten-thousands of variance. I thought I'd be fine
because this is basically how it came from the factory.
It depends on what you want. Now you see how the factory builds an engine,
and what the tolerance stack-up can be like. When an engine is rebuilt,
there's 2 ways one can go. Bone stock is simply replacing worn parts and
putting it back together just like the factory. In that type of rebuild, no
dimensions are corrected. Also, some of the dimensional variances can also
be due to heat cycling on new metal. The old engine is now completely
"seasoned" and will no longer change dimension from heat cycling. The second
type of rebuild gives one the option to correct all dimensions and
"blueprint" the engine. Blueprinting is done on stock engines and modified
engines. Blueprinting alone can be worth 30+ honest horsepower. Yes, just by
getting all dimensions precise, fiction is reduced, and free power is found.
What I stated above on those dimensions is blueprinting, which is what I
would do on the majority of engines, even if the engine was going to be
basically stock. Blueprinting will cost a little extra money, but it will
give more power, and the engine will last longer.
Yes, the bottom end of an engine is built like a watch.
It's getting to be a darn expensive watch!
Yes, it can be very expensive, depending on what one wants to do.
Milton Schick
1964 442 Cutlass
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
