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#504731 - 04/23/08 09:58 PM
Re: breaking in engine
[Re: papete]
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simplyconnected
Member
Registered: 11/06/07
Posts: 147
Loc: Detroit (Royal Oak), Michigan
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Silly question, but did you check each set of piston-rod-cap are facing the correct direction? Each one of these must be oriented correctly (with eachother).
I'm glad you spun a bearing, as opposed to it being something very expensive. Building an engine is very precision work, and to do it right requires skill and tenacity.
Lessons learned:
Gap your rings, one at a time, in the cylinder they will be installed in. It is painstaking, but do it. Not enough gap is far worse than too much. If you aren't sure, go to a piston ring company and check the formula for your bore. USUALLY, the top ring gap is .0045 X bore diameter and the second ring is .0035 x bore dia. (Bare minimum .015" on each end gap.) Hyper-eutectic alloy pistons need a minumum of .020" end gap. Use a good feeler gauge when measuring piston/ring groove clearance. When 'offering' the pistons to the crank, use vinyl or rubber hose material on the rod bolts (if they are attached to the rod), being very careful not to scratch your crank. If you cause a nick, carefully sand it out, or risk wiping out the whole bearing.
Use PlastiGauge. It's cheap and all auto parts stores have it. Check all your bearing clearances (rods and mains). Too tight is far worse than too sloppy, but both aren't right. You want to see 1-3 thousanths on the PlastiGauge. (I use solvent to wipe the used PlastiGauge away, it's only made of wax.) If your measurements are wrong, STOP. Find out why.
Engine-build (moly) Lube is a "MUST USE" and a fine, light, oil (WD-40) should be sprayed in the bores (WD-40) for lubricity, before starting. I prime my oil pump with a good, heavy-duty drill motor. (It will take you for a ride, pumping 30-40 PSI.) Battery operated motors overheat and die.
Carefully following these steps will help ensure your engine will last a very long time. I think we discussed the break-in procedure. Hope this helps. Sorry you have to tear it down again, but hey, until it's right... - Dave Dare
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#504962 - 04/24/08 09:51 PM
Re: breaking in engine
[Re: jeff b (zeff 40)]
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simplyconnected
Member
Registered: 11/06/07
Posts: 147
Loc: Detroit (Royal Oak), Michigan
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I know racing mechanics who will ONLY buy crate engines, and leave the technical stuff to the highly educated production line workers. Truth is, mechanics don’t have time to measure every painstaking thing during assembly. It’s tedious, very boring, and a lot easier to buy one already done. Time is money and this is ‘business’ for professional mechanics.
This forum is about restorers sharing and helping others with their 'labors of love.' It’s not about money or business. Most of the members here, try to do whatever they can to work on their own car, and for good reasons. Of course, some jobs are impossible without proper equipment, knowledge, and skill. If that’s what skilled tradesmen and machine shops are for, then let the membership steer in that direction.
Using proper parts and hand tools, many restorers can check clearances and build their own engines, successfully. They did it back in the day and we can do it now. With help from references and friendly mechanics, once you do your first engine, it’s almost like an addiction; you will do more. The more you do, the better you get, kinda like an apprenticeship of sorts (theory and hands-on learning). I am tickled when a job goes right for any restorer. I only hope I can help with your next restoration project. - Dave Dare
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#505102 - 04/25/08 01:36 PM
Re: breaking in engine
[Re: jeff b (zeff 40)]
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simplyconnected
Member
Registered: 11/06/07
Posts: 147
Loc: Detroit (Royal Oak), Michigan
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...C'MON WOULD YOU BUILD A MASERATI OR MULTIPLE CAM FERRARI??
MY EXPERIENCE OVER 30 YEARS OF ...
Jeff, I'm sorry your V-12 engines didn't turn out right for you, and I'm sorry you paid $1,500 to have someone else build it properly. We can go over the list of tasks some people are not capable of (and the reasons why), but that doesn't apply to everyone. Whatever ‘average restorer’ means, I’m not sure. Judging from the posts, this membership is dramatically more advanced. Each restorer has his forte/specialty; many have multiple resources, talents, and skills.
EX: My bumpers are out for new chrome and I am swapping work for the job. (He needs new 3-phase NEMA size-2 starters for his industrial sanders/grinders, and I am installing them.) It's a sweet deal for both of us. My buddy is a painter, and will do my car (labor) for $10/hr.
I certainly COULD build a Maserati or a Ferrari, very successfully, Thank You. I admire your experience of 30 years. But I'm from Detroit, and my 30-yr mark at Ford happened in '01. I worked in two foundries, two engine plants, stamping, frame, and assembly. I worked in Mfg. Development too, where I nickel plated the inside of Mazda rotor housings, induction heat-treated camshafts, and developed powdered metal processes. I know what trivalent/hexavalent chrome and potassium cynanide is, and I have poured and wiped Babbitt bearings.
But this isn't about me (or you), it's all about members helping restorers do what they can. I offer my help to anyone who wants it, because I too am restoring a 1955 car, and I appreciate membership help. Each of us knows different things but nobody knows everything. It's about sharing.
I love the goodwill and genuine and sincere help this site offers. It’s a great forum. - Dave Dare
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#505215 - 04/25/08 11:16 PM
Re: breaking in engine
[Re: papete]
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Mims
Member
Registered: 03/08/05
Posts: 46
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Look, you have several major problems with that engine that are not necessarily prevalent to Flat Head Ford Lincoln V12 Engines. That engine needs to be rebuilt and machined in several areas for the tolerances. If you want free advice I can be reached by e-mail at mauricebeth@bellsouth.net. Send me your phone number and I'll give you a call. You don't need to spend any more money on that engine without a proper rebuild as much as the parts are for Lincoln V12 engines are these day.
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